To review: in chapter 1, Paul describes the greatness of the gift of salvation the Ephesians had been given. In chapter 2, he applies this to the reconciliation between peoples. Then in chapter 3, it is applied to the spiritual realm. Now in chapter 4 we are moving into the imperatives that come with this salvation.
Specifically, the imperatives revolve around the unity Christ creates for us within the diversity of the gifts he has given us.
We are given gifts in the same way that the talents were given in the parable of the talents – they are given so that we can invest them in order for a return for the kingdom. This is true of both our spiritual gifts, as Paul discusses elsewhere
One of the trickiest parts of this passage is the reference to Psalm 68, which originally was about the Lord’s anointed king ascending the mountain of Zion and taking captives and receiving gifts, though Paul changes that there to giving gifts. It then goes into a complicated discussion of Jesus ascending and descending – possibly just to the earth, possibly into the grave, and possibly to hell itself, though the term here used is not “gehenna”.
Then he goes into roles of people specifically given gifts, including the apostles and prophets who speak to us through the scriptures, and the evangelists, pastors and teachers who speak to us today. (Or you can see them all as current roles, either way is fine.) All of this comes together to “equip the saints” and build up the church, corporately, into a body capable of impacting the world as Christ’s hands and feet.
And individually it means building the members of the church into spiritual maturity, the “stature of the fullness of Christ,” not tossed around like kids in a ship deck when storms hit the church – storms that often come from people actively harming the church whether just from faulty doctrine or purposefully scheming against the church.
We need to be discipling each other, both seeking out more mature Christians to learn from and giving our time to disciple others when appropriate. We need to be seeking and using our spiritual gifts. Those online gift tests are fine, but the real way to learn what your gifts are is to jump in and serve, learning from experience and the voice of others what gifts you have been given that you can then give back in turn.
– Sermon Notes, Bart Hodgson, Seed Church, Lynnwood WA, October 25, 2020