The Christian Church
CLASS 4 ISSUES
Study Scripture: Mark 4;26 -32, Ephesians 4:4-6, 11-18
Background Mark 4, Romans 12: 4-6, Ephesians 1: 15-23, 2:13-22, 13– 22, 5:22-27
Devotional Acts 2:42-47
Lesson 9 January 31, 2026
Key Verse
Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the while body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body, for the building up of itself in love.
Ephesian 4:15- 16:
INTRODUCTION
What the Church is has raised controversy in the modern world. Views of the Church have changed from the view in the 1st Century when the Apostle taught what the Church was. Some in modern times have downplayed the Church as a divine institution with God making the decision as to what the church is and what it is to do.
To decide what the Church is and what it should be depends of what we think about salvation. If salvation is given by God then His believers get together, learn about God, do His work He wants believers to do, and worship is very important.
The Church therefore is something that relates to individual Christians. But when we examine real life we learn we do not and cannot exist by ourselves but find conversion will lead us into fellowship with a group of believers. This dimension of the Christian life we call the Church.
There is however confusion about the Church partly because there are multiple usages of the term “Church”. Some speak of the ‘Church’ as a building. Some refer to it as a specific body of believers such as the First Baptist Church in a city or area.
Others use it to refer to a particular denominations such as the Lutheran church, the Presbyterian, or the Baptist church or others. All of that indicates a lack of understanding of the basic nature of the Church.
Traditionally God was viewed as relating and present in the Church for that was His special supernatural agency in which His divine presence and activity was to be found rather than in many other institutions and avenues.
The Church was considered to be set apart and distinct from the world, and had the mission to work to transform the world.
That view developed in an unbiblical direction so that some were advocating that the church was the repository of grace. God it was taught gave men the authority to give out the grace of God to give salvation anyone they chose.
And so to be connected to the Church and to receive this grace through its sacraments this would lead to the transformation of the world.
The idea was that the Church possessed the Gospel or the good news of salvation. Only the Church could save the world which was lost and separated from Christ. So the established Church was essential for a person believing in Jesus Christ, being justified and regenerated.
But in due time the focus and theme in the mission of the Church was changed and it moved away from its original identity and nature and its limits and boundaries. The idea also developed that God could and would work outside of the Church’s formal structure and accomplish what He wanted through people and institutions who might not even be directly or stated to be Christian.
Note that this type of idea altered the conception of the nature of salvation and the means of salvation.
Pay special attention to the damage done to this changed orientation for now the emphasis would be on disciplines organizations developed and methodologies they developed rather than on what the Church or the assembly of the people of God has always been from the start of the age.
Some will then as they made changes on what the church is even limit their attention to the earliest period of the church in the New Testament regarding some practices they saw being done as normative, for to them the church then is as it ought to be. They regard the Church then as it was at its beginning or what it first became.
But this involved a modification of the entire salvation history and a shift from its “essence” toward its “existence” so that its “existence” became something dynamic and subject to change.
Obviously then we cannot be surprised at the alterations in the content of the doctrine of salvation and what was done by God when sin began. Attempts were made to meet what it appears to be the changing situation in the world.
So what the church is has undergone frequent changes to relate it to the world and the frequent changing power dynamics and power structures as empires and religious organizations came and went.
So what is the basic nature of this grouping of believers we call the Church as it confront the changing and manipulated circumstances in the world?
We know as we look at the history of Christianity and the history of Judaism, men, nations and empires, and institutions have tried to change the concept of the nature of the Church. There has been a corruption and manipulation of the people of God who are named as the believers. These changes have been staggering.
So we must ask ourselves,
- What is the Church?
- What is the nature of the Church?
- Who is in the Church? Who are these people in the Church?
- Is there anything distinctive about them?
- Is its nature and significance related to the Old Testament community and the Old Testament expressions?
To understand what the Church is we have to go back to the Old Testament to see how believers are described and whether these old believers were in the worshipping congregation of God.
The language used in relation to the concept of the “Church” is described by scholars as follows. This understanding will help us to understand what the concept of the “church” in the Scriptures were and how it relates to us.
We can thereby focus and not be tossed about by what is happening in the world of religions and secular thought.
“The meaning of the New Testament concept must be seen against two backgrounds, that of classical Greek and that of the Old Testament. In classical Greek the word used is found as early as Heredotus, Thucydides, Xenophan, Plato, and Euripedes (fifth century B. C. onwards) It refers to an assembly of the citizens of the polis (city). Such assemblies convened at frequent intervals, as often as thirty to forty times a year in the case of Athens.
While the authority of the assembly was limited to certain matters, all who were full citizens were allowed a vote in those matters. In the secular sense the word, then refers simply to a gathering or assembly of persons, a meaning still found in Acts 19: 32,39,41.
In only three exceptional cases in classical Greek is used of a religious fellowship or cultic guild. And in these instances it refers to their business meetings, not in the union itself.
Of more significance to us is the Old Testament background. Here we have two Hebrew terms (qahal) and (edah).
The former term, perhaps derived from the word for voice, refers to a summons to an assembly and the act of assembling. It is not so much a specification of the members of the assembly as a designation of the occurrence of assembling.
A religious significance sometimes attaches to the word (e.g. Deuteronomy 9:10; 10:4; 23”1-3)
The term can also denote a more general assembly of the people (e.g. 1 Kings 12:3) women (Jeremiah 44:15) and even children (Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 8:2) are included.
The word is also used of the gathering of troops, and in Ezekiel it refers to nations other than Israel (Egypt 17:17;Tyre 27:27; Assyria 32:22).
The other Old Testament term of relevance for us appears especially in the Pentateuch more than half of its occurrence being in the Book of Numbers. It refer to the people, particularly as gathered before the tent of meeting.
That the term first occurs in Exodus 12:3 suggests that the “congregation” of Israel came into being with the command to celebrate the Passover and leave Egypt. The word points to the community as centered in the cult or the law.
Summarizing the distinction between the two Hebrew terms. Lothar Coenen comments:
“If one compares the use of the two Heb. words it become clear, from the passages in which both occur (e.g. Exodus 12:11ff; 16:1ff; Num. 14:1ff; 20:1ff; 1 Kings 12:1ff) that edah is the unambiguous and permanent term for the ceremonial community as a whole.
On the other hand qahal is the ceremonial expression for the assembly that results from the covenant, for the Sinai community and, in the deuteronomistic sense, for the community in its present form.
It can also stand for the regular assembly of the people on secular (Num. 10:7; 1 Kings 12:3;) or religious occasions (Psalms 22:26) as well as for a gathering crowd (Num. 14:5; 17:12)”.
The word church it is noted is from the common Greek word which means “belonging to the Lord”, and it is unevenly distributed throughout the New Testament, says one scholar, as in Matthew 16:18 and 18:17.
1 Peter however is emphatic when dealing with the nature and significance of the Old Testament community and he uses Old Testament expressions.
Paul uses the common Greek word since the majority of the epistles were to local gathering of believers in a specific city. “so the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2 and 2 Corinthians 1:1). The same is used when he writes “to the churches of Galatia”, (Gal 1:2) “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1).
The Book of Revelations (1-3) directed to seven specific churches has the same pattern. We find this use also in Acts 5:11; 8:1; 11:22: 12:1,5 and other passages where it speaks of Christians who live and have meetings in specific cities
So in Acts 9:31 the church spread out over a wide area is referred to,
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied”.
In 1 Corinthians 16:19 we read
“The churches of Asia send greetings”.
So we can point out this fact about what is being stated in the language describing the church. When the local church meets all the Churches in the world are there spiritually. As well the angels of God are present in the worship services of believers for they are curious to learn about the salvation of human beings. So one writer states for our learning:
“We should note that the individual congregations or groups of believers in a specific place, is never regarded as only a part or component of the whole church. the church is not a sum or composite of the individual local groups.
Instead the whole is found in each place”.
So you now can ask ourselves what you think the Church is for then we can try to ascertain why the Church exists.
In this highly confused and darkened world, What is the place of the Church?.
Does it have a specific character and a specific ministry?
One writer gives us a choice as to what approach is commonly found. In the Number 1 view listed here Is it as one writer states:
“The job of the church is to forget doctrinal preaching and involve itself in the problems of human suffering and injustice. The church, they say, belongs in the vanguard of the struggle for social justice and the reason Christianity is shunned by the world is because Christians will not dirty their hands or risk their reputations…. risk jail in some picket line, join the fight for land reform, or the abolition of laws against homosexuality and adultery.
We are told the church should be speaking to all the issues of life today and should be concerned about problems of metropolitan government, mass transportation, suburban segregation, equal representation in legislatures, and other problems that confront our modern world’.
Or we can take choice Number 2 as is stated now:
“On the other side there is an equally vocal group which says the job of the Church is to thunder against the evil from the pulpit, to denounce Communism, and anti-americanism and thus to preserve, if possible, the blessings of bourgeois materialism for Christians to enjoy to the full.
They say we must attack with scorching language anyone who dares to raise questions about the Bible, or threaten the special privileges of Christians in modern society.
The theme of the group seems to be,
”Come weal or come woe, the status is quo”.
We therefore see a polarized church and this shows the ability of the Devil to drive people to extremes, weaken the faith of many, and cover over and steer people away from the truth.
In the letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul, writing from prison when he was the personal prisoner of the Roman emperor Nero and facing beheading clarified the intention of God in forming the church. He thus clarifies the purpose of the Church and the ministry of the Church for all times.
He applies the truth to everyday life and so gives a great exhortation to which we would be wise to listen closely.
The answer of the Apostle in the opening chapter of the letter to the Ephesians is simple. As one writer states it:
“Obey your orders! Take your direction from the head of the church. Follow the divine strategy, not the obvious shallow counsel of man. The church is not expected to devise its own strategy or to set its own goal.
The church is not an independent organization existing by means of its own strength, as human organizations do.
Think of the figures the apostle uses for the church in this very letter:
- The church, he says, is an army under the command of a king, and an army that will not obey its leader is useless as a fighting force.
- The church is a body under the control of the head, and what a tragedy it is when the human body refuses to respond to the direction of the head.
- The church, he says, is a temple for the exclusive habitation and use of a Person who dwells within, and who has the right to do with that habitation as he wills”.
So this is the word of the Apostle to us:
“Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. Follow the goal that has been set before you by your leader. Obey the directions of the Head. Obey your orders!”
There is no doubt that believers must be devoted to telling us what Christians have in Christ, and the end and purpose that God has designed. This is the glory of Christianity for you see things as they actually exist.
Compare this to the darkness and defeat you experienced in the kingdom of Satan.
So the apostle states:
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling in which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. (Ephesians 4:1-3). And in Ephesians 1:4
“Even as he (Christ) chose us in him before the foundation of the world. (this is no afterthought with God).
The church was planned long before the world was made, that we should be holy and blameless before him”.
And in Verse 12 of this first chapter:
“We who first hoped in Christ have been destined to live with the praise of his glory”.
Note that believers are in the church and Christ lives in them and in the Church. God dwells there.
The Church is called to declare by its word and life to demonstrate the character and work of Jesus who lives inside them. The believers according to 1 Peter 2 is named
‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”.
Note what is said about the people in the church:
- All are called
- All are indwelt by the Holy Spirit
- All are expected to fulfill their calling in the world.
The biblical images of the Church are described as the people of God, 2 Corinthians 6:16; the body of Christ, Ephesians 1:22-23; and the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:21-22.
One writer notes therefore that Scripture teaches therefore the Church exists because of its relationship to the Triune God and so it carries out God’s will by the power of the Holy Spirit
It is a divine creation that continues the presence and ministry of the Lord in the world.
It consists however of imperfect human beings, a fellowship of regenerated believers who are to display the spiritual qualities and purity of their Lord. They are to be devoted to their Lord.
THE TEXT
Jesus had called His disciples and He preached and healed. He encountered opposition from the religious leaders for He ate with Tax collectors and sinners, plucked grain on the Sabbath, healed on the Sabbath, and forgave the sins of the paralysed man.
So Jesus now began to focus His attention of those who listened to Him and as well on His disciples,. He now gave four parables:
- The sower (4:1-20)
- The Lamp under a bushel (4:21-25).
- The growing Seed (4:26-29. And
- The Mustard Seed (4:30-32).
Jesus explained the meaning of the parables to the disciples and not to the crowd that followed Him. He explained why He confined the meaning to the disciples as follows:
“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them”.
Jesus here quoted from Isaiah 6:9. The idea was to offer those listening to Him
“the opportunity to dig deep and find the truth, or to turn a blind eye to an interesting story. They might therefore avoid a greater condemnation for having rejected a clearly understood truth”.
Note therefore Jesus was being kind to the listeners who had little interest in digging deep to find out the things of God.
We are hereby warned not to be inattentive, treat casually the words of God that seem simple. There is a very great deal right there in every word of God and God expects us to have an inquisitive and searching heart. With that kind of heart you will love talking to God, communicating with Him, learning from Him.
We should understand that the disciples who wanted to know the things of God had explained to them the mystery of the kingdom. But even with that they would miss the key to the parables for the parables had a spiritual function and a heavenly meaning and were like riddles or puzzles that had an
easy illustration based on common earthly things.
Remember that when you hear the word you must take care for we are accountable.
Take heed what you hear.
When you hear receive it gladly and ask for more, for then more will be given.
Mark 4: 26 –32
Mark 4 26-28. How the Kingdom of God is set up in its operations is illustrated to being like what happens when a farmer does the simple act of sowing. The farmer knows he has to sow the seed but what happens after that has some mysterious aspects.
He can water the area if he has water, fertilize the plants and take out weeds but he cannot control or account for the growing of the seed. He might do nothing but the seed grows and germinates and mature plants develop without his human intervention.
The point is that it is not the work of the farmer that is most important, but the most important thing is the work of the seed. The growth comes from a mysterious source and so the farmer cannot see it growing for the seed grows slowly.
The Kingdom of God is like that for it grows slowly and mysteriously. Much of the growth is invisible to the naked eye. In Jesus’ day there was no time lapse photography to watch the plants grow but even with these modern tool we can hardly understand much of why plants grow and how they grow.
One writer illustrates this growth in the Kingdom of God :
« We preach and invite and witness, but the results are overwhelmingly ordinary—a few children come forward to listen to the children’s sermon—an awkward teenager presents himself for baptism or confirmation—a young couple chooses to be married in the church—a men’s group studies a popular Christian book—a woman’s group raises money to buy a heifer for people on the other side of the world.
It seems not to amount to much of anything, but the seed is growing! God is present! Watch out! Get on board! »
Remember the earth bears fruit in a process we only dimly understand and so we try to manipulate its action sometimes with disastrous consequences.
But God brings His kingdom in mysterious and often invisible ways. We can count on the earth to bear fruit and we can count on God to bring about the great Kingdom He has promised.
So we play our part by preaching or carrying the Gospel message to others knowing it is the power of God that guarantees the Kingdom, which is here, will continue to exist and will grow to finally encompass the entire earth.
The seed therefore in these Verses « bears fruit by itself, literally the language states« by its own accord ».
There seems to be an intrinsic life force put there by God, and so we know the earth bears fruit because God made it such from the creation of the earth.
The plants grow in order. The seed springs up, the blade then appears, then the ears, and then the full corn appears. All this is in the order established by God at creation.
Verse 29.When the harvest is ready the farmer puts in his sickle, his reapimg instrument, for everything is ready.
So it is with the Kingdom of God. God’s grace and power brings in the fruit of the Kingdom, and the small and seemingly little things that happen will burst out into full bloom.
Verses 30-32. The kingdom of God is next likened to a Mustard Seed. This parable is also found in Matthew 13 :31-32 and Luke 13 :18-19.
The grain of Mustard seed is a tiny one, the smallest of seeds, and is not like that which produces a large oak tree.
This shows us how God thinks and operates.Jesus did not come in a palace with mighty people around Him.He came as an infant with poor parents. He chose some relatively uneducated (formally) disciples, ordinary fishermen and a tax collector.
God delights in having us know His Kingdom has small beginnings and we can hardly see it but it will grow and conquer all.
So Jesus contrasts the tiny seed which grows up to a large plant with how the large trees appeared.
We are reminded by one commentator that « the Kingdom of God might not look like much now, but it will overtake all earthly kingdoms ».
The birds will nest under the large plant produced by the « small » mustard seed.
Note therefore that the Word of God makes us grow and this process is invisible. The Word of God will accomplish the purpose God intended. See Isaiah 55 :11 for this teaching
So do not fear. The Word of God will make you grow even when you are not aware of it. You are growing.
Trust God the Holy Spirit. Simply make sure you lean on Him and occupy yourself more in what He has revealed to us in Scripture, for He is the source for your growth,
Ephesians 4: 4-6, 11 – 18
The emphasis is in the appeal to believers that they walk worthy of the high calling to which God has established them.
They thus are to behave with the virtue of lowliness instead of the aggressiveness our society prizes. They are to be like Christ who humbled Himself and came to save us.
They are to have the graceful spirit of humility.
There must be patience. “This word makrothymia suggests endurance or steadfastness rather than a passive kind of waiting. It withstands adversity without quitting. ..It possesses the strength of rock-steadiness”.
All this must be done with love; here the word for love used is agape. So the believer is told by this prisoner in Christ ‘to bear” or “to endure”, “to exercise patience or restraint” says one writer.
With those virtues the believers will be able to work together and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So the Apostle makes this clear in 4:4-6:
“There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you are called to the one Hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all”.
We emphasize the words by capitalizing for the Body the Apostle speaks of is the ‘Church’.
So today we stress this Body is not just Jew and Gentiles, but black and brown and white—First Nations, Asians, Indians, African, American, English, Europeans, Chinese, Russians, and from all other tribes and nations and languages who come to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we should be aware that the Body is not simply combining parts of the anatomy together. A body comes from that original cell that grows until it becomes a full-fledged mature Body, with every cell in that Body sharing the same life.
So all the parts of the Body share the same life.
So do not fool yourself. The Church is not just an organization. For it is one Body. It is produced by the Holy Spirit
The Spirit is that invisible Person behind the Christian Church and so its strength does not come from numbers. So Zechariah 4:6 reminds us,
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts”.
So the Spirit links believers, that is, to the church, to one Hope.
The Church is having one Faith, one Lord, one God, one Saviour, one Father, one Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Verse 7. Grace is given only by the Holy Spirit to each in the Body custom-tailored and measured to suit the measure of each one.
Note therefore this unity already exists. You might not like it.
You might resent what God has done.
You might think you are better than others based on your feelings and crooked way of thinking.
You might deceive yourself thinking you know better than God and you can determine who should have grace and who should not.
You can challenge this all you want but in God’s eyes you will never be able to classify Christians and the Christian Church by whatever color, education, looks, wealth, pedigree, nationality, organization, or rule or standard you might like.
Do not waste your time. You might simply end up with Jesus on His Coming saying to you,
“I never knew you”.
The unity of the Spirit exists and it will be found in different groups far flung all over the world..
Note the advice of the Apostle. He does not say your efforts are to be directed to creating unity. He says you are to maintain unity in the Body.
He says, “eagerly endeavouring to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”.
Tough, is it not!
Recognize that despite differences, true believers who are not captured by the various Cults, are one.
So pray for one another, forgive one another, be kind, tenderhearted, no bitter resentful words and Hare toward each other.
Simply point others to the words of Scripture. Treat Arminians and Calvinists as a brother. Treat the Catholics well. You will not know what God has in mind for men and women of different persuasions.
Feed even your enemies.
Do not forget that disunity is a sin against this unity that has come through the common possession of the Holy Spirit. And that common possession of the Holy Spirit has its inevitable results, says one writer.
So be lonsuffering. Witness to the confused. Enjoy the ministry of the Word.
Remember you are dealing with supernatural things and these are immaterial things.
You are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness who are in high places.
Verses 8-10. Paul now quotes from Psalm 68:18 which states,
“You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts from men”.
Christ has broken in the spiritual prisons in which men were imprisoned, freed them, and thrown away the key. Jesus has received from the Father and has given gifts to men.
The emphasis is that He has ascended so that He will be all in all. He has built His Church on that solid foundation that Peter noted.
Despite this there is much speculation on where Christ went after His death. There are texual problems here and much unsupportable linking of Scripture verses without much consistency.
Remember only that sins have been purged on the Cross and there is no Purgatory or place of death from which the unbelieving can be released. It is against the character of Jesus to throw “destruction” in the face of the unbelieving.
Verse 11. This is one of the five lists in the New Testament and there is substantial overlap with a number of gifts found only in one or two of the lists.
The lists of what was given is found in Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10;, 28-30; 1 Peter 4:10-11.
“Apostle meant “one who is sent” and so the Apostles served as ambassadors for God.
Prophets act as messengers- telling people what God wants them to know.
Evangelists proclaim the gospel.
Shepherd-pastors take care of the sheep. The word shepherd was used metaphorically in both the Old and the New Testaments to speak of caring leadership (Psalm 23, John 10).
Teachers instruct people in sound doctrine (1 Timothy 1:8-11; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus1:9)
These are supernatural gifts given for the work of the ministry, and so each member of the Body is given a capacity for service. The believers can exercise their gift or gifts in their ministry of service in the world among those who are not yet Christians, or in the church among the Body of believers. Their aim is to encourage and help other Christians as they grow and develop.
The stress is on equipping. This requires a heart attitude for there is to be no tyranny or religious autocrat.
Saints are to be shaped up in love for as told in Colossians 1:28,”warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, in order that we might present every man mature in Christ”
Peter in 1 Peter 5:1-4 says that the elders are not to be as lords over God’s heritage
Note the Apostles and prophets are tasked to lay the foundation of the Church. The Apostles were chosen by Jesus and sent to declare the whole body of truth concerning Christ.
They have authority and make authoritative declarations.
They are qualified to have that authority because they have been with Christ or have seen Christ.
The Christian Church rests on their words to us from Christ.
Verses 15-18
The only aim is for those with these supernatural gifts is to speak the truth in love and ensure that the believers grow up in all things.
This is a tremendous responsibility and should be carried out in love.
Mature manhood is what God has in mind for His people in the Body. God wants mature, grown-up men and women, who are responsible for carrying out their appointed tasks in order to please God. Those in the body are to be developed to be well-adjusted, wholehearted human beings. That is what God intend
It takes the Church to do that. Nothing else can. Apart from the working of the Church as God intended nothing will be achieved to please God.
Now does this measurement of maturity strike you the right way?
Notice you do not have to be discouraged for the maturity required by God comes from a process of growth.
This process of growth is presented in Verse 15.
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way”.
And in Verse 16,
“when every part is working properly it makes growth possible”.
Note growth is God’s method for developing maturity. It does not take place suddenly as the parable of the seed and plants declare. It is a process and it requires time.
Edification is the norm, the aim, and every practice must be to achieve that.
The warning is clear that a novice is not to be put in positions of authority for they have not been in a position of authority long enough, having experiences that will mature them. Hebrews 5:12 warn that several things can arrest the development of those who want to have positions of authority before the appropriate time.
Growth will show itself in progress by stages.
Sadly, in this work of the ministry we see those that forget that they are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in them.
Some like children show a short attention span. Or they are easily deceived. They are expected to claim to know everything, and lack a sense of proportion, having a tendency to dispute about the trifles and neglect the weightier matters in Scripture.
They have little sense of what is important and what is not
They show selfishness.
Verses 17-18. The instruction is given. Do not walk as other Gentiles walk. They walk in the vanity of their minds.
In reality their understanding are darkened. Their hearts are blinded. They are alienated from God.
CONCLUSION
The Christian Church is now put on guard. The Apostle has told us what to look for in the Church.
Clearly then the exercise of leadership and the exercising of the gifts of the Spirit must be shown in the stage by stage edification of the saints. The SAINTS must be brought to full maturity.
That is why various gifts are given to the Church. The body of Christ must be built up.
If there is no edification and no building up the work will be all for naught.
The heart of the ministry of the Church is the Gospel.
Willingness to serve will show.
Absence of love in all of the relationship, personal and corporate will show that the Christian and the church is not operating as God has instructed.
There is no escaping that.
At the Judgment Seat of Christ our work will be judged and if it is not done by love it will be declared as stubble.
So let us concentrate and focus on the instruction and advice of the Apostles.
Do not take foolish chances with the gift or gifts given to you. Every believer has one or more gifts. No one has the right to determine how these spiritual gifts given by the holy Spirit is to be exercised.
No power plays are acceptable. No one is tobe a lord over those other believers.
There must be a display of unity in the body of Christ.
How we act and not what we say will determine who we really are.
So let us all shape up. Fulfill our role appointed by God. Use our gifts wisely.
Show love for the brethren.
Be and do as Christ did.