Christ Speaks; We Speak: Building the Church in Love

Paul gives a vision for how Christ has designed his church to function. Christ is not absent because he has ascended. Christ is risen, seated at the right hand of God, and present with his people, speaking to them through the word-based ministries he has raised up. Christ first descended, taking humanity, living the perfect life of love, dying for sins, and accomplishing salvation. Christ then ascended in order to apply that salvation, give gifts to his people, and fill all things.

Psalm 68 comes to its fulfillment in Christ. The conquering King ascends on high, leads captivity captive, and gives gifts to his people. Paul says that every single believer receives grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Christ’s people are not merely passive recipients. The risen King calls them to “report for duty,” and when a need in the local body becomes clear, Christ is not merely getting volunteers. Christ is making a person a gift to his church.

Paul singles out apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers because Christ speaks through word-based ministries. The apostles and prophets laid the foundation of the apostolic gospel. Evangelists carry that gospel into new places. Pastors and teachers, as elders and shepherds, function as Christ’s PA system throughout the world, proclaiming the truth of Christ to his people.

The cue ball image helps carry the argument. Christ gathers his people tightly together as one body, then sends the gospel with power, like a cue ball striking the rack. That gospel energy sets the whole body in motion. Christ speaks the truth in love to his people so that his people then speak that same truth in love to one another.

The body grows as Christ’s word creates what it names. The gospel is not mere knowledge transfer or Bible trivia. The word calls into existence things that are not, raising the dead, growing love, producing the fruit of the Spirit, and filling Christ’s people with the fullness of God. Maturity means no longer being children, tossed around by every wind of doctrine and the trickery of men.

The whole body builds itself up in love when every joint supplies its part. Truth without love becomes showing off or cruelty. Love without truth refuses the hard words that are sometimes needed. Christ intends the whole congregation to become one long conversation about the gospel, where discipleship and evangelism happen naturally because the good news is truly on the heart and mind.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ still speaks to his church Christ’s ascension does not mean absence. Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand, yet he gathers his people and speaks through the means he has chosen. The church is not sustained by human energy, personality, or cleverness, but by the living Christ proclaiming his own gospel with power. [55:58]
• 2. Every gift is active service Christ gives every believer some measure of grace for the building up of the body. A need in the local church is not merely a chance to volunteer, but often the place where Christ is making a person a gift to his people. Service may change with time, circumstance, and need, but the call is always active and never merely passive. [49:04]
• 3. Listening prepares loving speech Christ intends heard truth to become spoken truth. The saint listens differently when gospel truth is not only for private benefit, but also for timely encouragement of a brother or sister. Questions, careful attention, and honest pursuit of understanding become part of love, because the body needs the truth articulated well. [75:21]
• 4. Truth and love belong together Truth without love can become pride, harshness, or a desire to be right at another person’s expense. Love without truth can become silence when a hard word is actually needed for good. Paul’s phrase holds both together: the truth heard from Christ must be spoken in the manner of Christ. [68:05]
• 5. The body grows by gospel fullness The gospel is not bare information transfer. Christ’s word creates what it speaks, filling his people with the fullness that dwells in him and producing real maturity. The goal is a people who know Christ deeply, become like Christ truly, and are no longer easily deceived.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:47] - Opening and Ephesians 4 Reading
• [36:16] - Paul’s Vision for Church Life
• [40:09] - Christ Speaks With Power
• [41:22] - The Cue Ball Chain Reaction
• [45:21] - Christ Gives Gifts to His Church
• [47:19] - Christ Descended and Ascended
• [52:29] - Pastors as Christ’s PA System
• [56:24] - Equipping Saints for Ministry
• [59:31] - Growing Into Mature Manhood
• [62:32] - Speaking the Truth in Love
• [67:16] - Every Joint Supplies Its Part
• [73:24] - Recognizing and Using Gifts
• [75:21] - Active Listening for Gospel Speech
• [78:19] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

Ephesians 4:7-16
“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” [36:16]

Psalm 68:18
“You ascended on high, leading a host of captives in your train and receiving gifts among men, even among the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.” [50:24]

Ephesians 1:20
“that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” [46:56]

Ephesians 2:20
“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,” [54:55]

Ephesians 3:5
“which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” [55:11]

1 Timothy 5:17
“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” [53:51]

Observation questions

1. In Ephesians 4:7-16, what gifts or roles does Christ give to his church, and what purposes are attached to those gifts in the passage itself?
2. According to Ephesians 4:14-16, what contrasts does Paul make between spiritual childhood and spiritual maturity? [01:01:25]
3. What details are given about Christ’s descent and ascent in Ephesians 4:9-10, and what is he said to do after ascending? [47:19]
4. In the image of the body in Ephesians 4:16, what parts of the body are said to contribute to growth, and how is that growth described? [01:07:16]

Interpretation questions

1. If Christ is seated at the right hand of God, why does Paul still speak as though Christ is actively present and working in the church? What difference does that make for how the church should think about gathered worship and ministry? [55:58]
2. Paul says grace is given to each believer according to Christ’s gift. How does that shape the way a Christian should think about meeting needs in the local church? Is church service mainly volunteering, or something deeper? [49:04]
3. Paul says the church grows by “speaking the truth in love.” Why are both truth and love necessary? What tends to go wrong when one is present without the other? [01:08:05]
4. Paul connects maturity with no longer being tossed around by false teaching. Why does growing in the knowledge of Christ help protect a church from being easily misled? [01:02:32]

Application questions

1. Christ gives every believer some measure of grace for the good of the body. Where do clear needs stand out in the local church right now, and which of those needs especially stir a desire in you to help? [01:13:41]
2. Christ intends heard truth to become spoken truth. When you listen to Scripture taught, do you listen mainly for yourself, or also with an eye toward encouraging someone else later that week? What would active listening look like for you? [01:15:21]
3. Speaking the truth in love means more than saying correct things. In your own relationships, are you more tempted to hold back needed truth, or to say true things without enough gentleness and care? [01:08:51]
4. The body builds itself up when each part is working properly. Is there any gift, opportunity, or act of service that you may be keeping to yourself rather than offering for the good of others? What makes it easy to hold back? [01:14:26]
5. Christ wants his people to grow beyond spiritual childishness. In what areas do you feel most vulnerable to confusion, instability, or being swayed by whatever sounds persuasive in the moment? [01:02:05]
6. The gospel is not mere information transfer; Christ’s word creates what it speaks. Where do you most need that living word to strengthen you right now: love, endurance, clarity, repentance, courage, or something else? [01:16:54]
7. A healthy church becomes one long conversation about the gospel. What would it look like for conversations in your home, friendships, or small group to more naturally include the good news of Christ? [01:10:23]