Ephesians Lesson 27 of 39 part 8

Ephesians 4:12

"For the perfecting of the saints*, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"

*notice Paul said the perfecting of the saints, not the lost. and what is the purpose again? To bring the elect to understanding and the knowledge of God in Christ and the mysteries which had been hidden or veiled by God in Scripture. These secrets are within the seed of woman because God's ontological essence was hidden within its very shell, in mans soul.

You know we are and have been stressing that we know that to much of Church activity is geared in the wrong direction, so much Church activity is supposedly directed to the lost people. “Oh we have to save the lost”, most Churches will say, and we are also concerned about the lost, but the best way to reach lost people is not to wait for the preacher, or Sunday school teacher to do it all, but every ordinary believer should be in the position to open the Scriptures to lost people, and that is what we know what Paul is referring to here. Look at it again in that light. All evangelists, pastors, and teachers are given for what purpose?

Ephesians 4:12

"For the perfecting (maturing) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:"

This is where all of Paul’s efforts were being directed, to the edifying of his fellow believers. For the strengthening of their faith and knowledge of Christ Jesus. To bring their thinking or mindset in alignment with the mind of Christ, Who's ontological essence was restored to them. In other words to have the mind to be willing not to resist evil but to submit to evil as Jesus did for the eternal Joy that awaited His return. But that return was short Lived for ten days later He came again on the day of Pentecost as a rushing mighty wind and lite upon each of those in the upper room who are there waiting for the promise of the Comforter. Yes, Christ has come in the second advent as He told them He would come back in the fashion in which He was taken from them and this He did. And has been doing ever since that faithful day in the person of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit which spoke to the earlier saints, men like Enoch, Elijah, Abraham, Melchizedek, Isaac, John the Baptist and then the prophets of Israel, not forgetting the women like Esther and Ruth.

Ephesians 4:13a

"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,..." 
Those of you who read these postings know that we are stressing that there is no use trying to go out and witness to people if we do not know what we are witnessing about. We, like a school teacher have to know the subject, and we need to be able to show the lost and the unbelieving the correct Scriptures so they can see with their own eyes. We have to be living examples of Truth and Grace as John stated Jesus was. Peter said that he was among the witnesses of this fact and by so stating he also bears witness. If we ask an auto mechanic, or some other person in a specialized field about their profession, they can show how professional they are real quick with their knowledge of the subject. But if we asked them something that is out of their field, they would clam up, because they do not know anything about the subject. It is that ridiculous when we send people out to witness to the lost, when they know nothing about the Word of God. The revelation of the ontological essence of Christ in them and the requirement of tribulation that we all must go through for the perfecting of God's Character in us. When the revelation upon which Christ builds His Church remains a mystery to us. We are to minister in the power of and Endless Life which is Spirit and Truth and not in our own self-sufficiency or the letter which kills. So the whole purpose in Paul’s writings is to edify the believer, and now let’s look and see what the believer is supposed to do.

2Corinthians 5:18-19

"And all things are of God, who hath (past tense) reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ*, and hath given to us (the believer) the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, (that is to say) that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses (sins) unto them; (they’re forgiven) and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation**:"

*How are we God's peculiar people? through Christ. **to bring a change, by restoring to divine Grace, with intensity, as True.

In other words, we are to tell a lost, unbelieving world that because of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, He has already reconciled them. Then they have to believe this beautiful Gospel of the New Covenant. And how are they to believe it? 

Romans 10:14

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher (a proclaimer!). 

Paul tells us someone must present this Gospel to them. Notice we did not say “the gospel” but rather the corrected this Gospel. For this is the only One given wherein men may be saved, no, redeemed, no, but rather receive salvation’s working in them, and restored to God again. For this is the secret hidden within Romans 8:9-15. Now finishing our thought with verse 20 of 2Corinthians chapter 5.