This sermon explores the biblical offices and gifts that Christ gave to establish and build His church, focusing on Ephesians 4:11-13. The message emphasizes that the local church is the focal point of God's plan to display Christ's glory to the nations. The pastor examines the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers (pastors/elders), explaining how these gifts were given to equip believers for ministry and build up the body of Christ. The sermon clarifies that apostleship was a foundational, unrepeatable office requiring eyewitness testimony of the risen Christ, direct commissioning, and miraculous signs. The ultimate goal of these leadership gifts is to bring the church to unity in faith, maturity in Christ, and full stature in His likeness—moving believers from spiritual infancy to mature disciples who resemble Jesus so clearly that the world recognizes and even persecutes them for righteousness' sake.

Discipleship Questions

1. How does understanding that church leaders are gifts from Christ rather than self-appointed authorities change the way we view and interact with pastoral leadership in our own church community?
2. Given the qualifications for apostleship outlined in scripture, why do you think there is a resurgence today of people claiming apostolic authority, and how can we discern truth from deception?
3. In what ways does the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets continue to shape and guide the church today, even though these offices are no longer active?
4. How can we as individual believers participate in the work of evangelism, even if we don't have the specific gift of an evangelist like Philip?
5. What does it mean practically for a church to be unified on the doctrine of who Jesus Christ is rather than on political, economic, or racial backgrounds?
6. How do the various spiritual gifts mentioned throughout this series work together to build up the body of Christ, and where do you see your own gifts fitting into this design?
7. Reflecting on the Beatitudes progression from spiritual poverty to persecution, where do you see yourself in this journey toward mature faith, and what steps might help you grow?
8. Why is it significant that elders are called to equip the saints for ministry rather than doing all the ministry themselves, and how does this challenge our expectations of church leadership?
9. How should we respond when leadership fails or abuses their position, while still honoring the biblical design for shepherds and teachers in the church?
10. In what ways does the local church serve as the focal point of God's plan to display Christ's glory to the nations, and how does this truth impact our commitment to our local congregation?