Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

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

1 Corinthians 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

MEMORY VERSE: And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. —1 Cor. 12:28

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The true Church of God, that Jesus purchased with His own blood, is run and operated by the working and guidance of the Holy Spirit. He inspires and directs each member in the work and ministry of the gospel and the grace of the Lord Jesus, for salvation and victory to all human kind.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Ephesians 4:1, “walk worthy”: Conduct one’s self properly. “vocation”: What God has called you to be.
Verse 2, “forbearing one another”: Putting up with each other.
Verse 3, “endeavoring”: Earnestly seeking.
Verse 4, “one body”: A united church.
Verse 8, “Wherefore he saith”: For this cause it is written in Psa. 68:18.
Verse 11, “apostles”: Those set apart and commissioned to preach the gospel in new fields. “prophets”: Those who foretell future things. “evangelists”: Preachers of the gospel of Christ. “pastors”: Those who shepherd and feed souls. “teachers”: Instructors.
1 Corinthians 12:4, diversities”: Differences.
Verse 7, “manifestation”: Showing forth clearly. “to profit withal”: To be an advantage or benefit.
Verse 10, “discerning of spirits”: Detecting what kind of spirit is being manifested.
Verse 11, “dividing severally”: giving and bestowing individually.
Romans 12:5, “members one of another”: Closely related in love.
Verse 6, “proportion”: What God has inspired to be declared as truth.
Verse 7, “let us wait on our ministering”: Look earnestly to God for guidance and inspiration.
Verse 8, “simplicity”: Sincerity with no false pretense. “diligence”: Strong and earnest endeavor.`

LESSON BACKGROUND

In our previous lesson we learned of our Saviour foretelling and preparing His disciples for the coming of the Holy Spirit after His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God. He instructed them as recorded in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4-8 to tarry in Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. This is shown to be the vital and greatly important thing to be carried out and experienced.

In the first chapter of Acts we have the scene of a great number of people gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. The eleven apostles of Christ, along with women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus; and His brethren, along with others, the number being about 120; made up the throng that continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. The apostle Peter directed in choosing one of the brethren to replace Judas who had betrayed Christ. So we have the scene of this earnest throng seeking in prayer and supplication for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Then, in chapter 2 of Acts, we have the wonderful scene portrayed of the glorious coming of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Acts shows many wonderful scenes of the apostles and the Church going forth in the work of preaching the gospel to the world. We see the Holy Spirit inspiring and anointing the Church in ministry. In the writings of the apostle Paul are some very important counsels about the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8 in which Christ was prophesied as ascending on high, leading captivity captive (setting men free from the power of Satan and sin), and receiving gifts for men. Paul quoted this text and applied it to the gifts being given to men; the various functions of those who are inspired and led of the Spirit in their work for God. He names the various offices and positions to be filled. All was to be carried out in fervent love, humility, brotherly kindness, and earnest devotion to God and the cause of His Son.

While this worked and was accomplished back in that day, it is still a work of the Holy Spirit to inspire, anoint, guide, and enable true and faithful men and women to the various offices and positions to be filled in His Church and the work of the gospel.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS:
1. What were the various offices that were filled in the Church?
2. Who was the Director and Giver of these different gifts?
3. What was the true purpose accomplished in these positions?
4. What kind of spirit is required for a person to be thus employed?
5. What influences and powers are in the world contrary to this?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

It is a vital requirement in the heart and life of every person to seek the Lord with all the heart, feel after Him with all earnestness, and find Him precious and real to the inner man. Not only do we need to seek forgiveness of our sins, but we also need to seek for the infilling of the Holy Spirit by consecrating all our hearts and lives to the perfect will of God. We need to pray and seek the Lord until His Spirit fills our inner-most being with His power and love.

That is just the beginning. We must continue to seek the Lord daily in prayer. We should study the word, attend to the worship services of the Church, and keep heart and mind open for the Holy Spirit to guide us in all things. It is a wonderful life to be led and inspired by the precious Spirit of Almighty God! It is a daily operation of the heart and mind toward God and to live faithfully and seek for His leading and guidance, and be faithful to obey Him in every detail. Do not ever let up in your earnest prayer and devotion to the Lord. It will be worth it all to be faithful and well prepared to live and be obedient to Him, and to be ready to leave this world and go to paradise with Him and His holy angels.

Life will so swiftly pass. It is so good and wise for men and women to seek the Lord and find Him real in their youth. Each person needs to do this with all of your heart. Be faithful and renew your faith and courage every day. The years will pass. If you will be faithful to the Lord, there will be a day when your work will be over and a crown of glory will be yours!

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Think of the complexity and intricate detail the Lord created in man. The skeletal system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the digestive system, the muscular system, et.al. Each and every system functions in its particular order to make up the completeness of the human body. All parts were created differently and have a specific duty to fulfill in order to make the body function correctly. What would a body be without the skeletal system? What would a body be if there were no muscular system? Each system works separately, but also together, to
make a wonderful human being that can touch, smell, see, hear, walk, create, think and talk.

The Lord set forth the pattern of the Church of God in the same way, for it also is fearfully and wonderfully made. Christ is the head, and each are members in particular, but also fashioned to be fitly joined together. What a wonderful illustration for us to take hold of! The plan for the Church of God was not intended for individuals to be independent of one another but that each member would be perfected in the other members.

The Church of God performs just as the Lord intended. Not by remote control or robotic engineering but by the Holy Spirit. We are to “Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death” (Psalms 48:12-14).

–Sis. LaDawna Adams