So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up—Eph. 4:11-12

A gift must be purposeful if it is to benefit the recipient. Sadly, many gift-givers miss this point.

Some people can afford something beautiful, so they give, with pleasure. They expect the recipient to appreciate it, but that could be an illusion. Many beautiful gifts idle in closets and storerooms, never to be used because they are neither what the beneficiary expected nor valued. Grateful for the gesture, but never appreciative of the gift! Other givers, however, invest in discerning the needs of the intended recipients and labor to choose the right fit for them. God is the best example in this grace of gifting.

Every gift that God gives is not only good. They are perfect (Ja. 1:17). The reason is that He is good, and His intentions are perfect. God loves—for He is love (1 Jn. 4:16). His gifts fit the needs of the people He blesses because He knows everything—even more than the recipient. His goal for giving is to restore everything to perfection in Christ Jesus. Therefore, none of God’s gifts must end up in the cellar. We must use them for their intended purpose to accomplish what God desires (Is. 55:11).

Christ has gifted His church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (Eph. 4:11). They are God’s instrument for equipping the saints, “for works of service, so that the body of Christ—the church—may be built up” (12). That’s the purpose of God for endowing the church this way.   

The goal of God for enriching the church with these gifts is Christlikeness (13). Jesus is the focal point for the growth of the believer. As a baby feeds on the mother’s breast milk and grows, so must the child of God feed on the word of God to grow. It is a lifelong process until glory dawns on the church. There are three principal means to a healthy spiritual growth—feeding on God’s word, cleansing the inner man through confession of sins, and using the gifts God has given them. But there is more.

As the child of God grows in Christ, they become conscious and alert to the deceptive schemes of the enemy—the devil. Peter warns about how the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour the careless Christian (1 Pt. 5:8). He works through the false pastors and teachers, evangelists, and the self-styled apostles and prophets of our day.

Satan bounces unsuspecting believers around to different ‘churches’, confusing and destabilizing them. Such people never grow. They remain infants and more susceptible to Satan’s other schemes. Peter counsels the believer to resist the devil by “Standing firm in the faith” (9). Paul adds the fact that they grow with the church (Ephesians 4:11-13).

So, may the children of God get wise and stay alert, determined to feed on the word of God and to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit towards maturity in Christ Jesus, for the glory of God the Father. He is counting on the faithful in this challenge until Christ returns.