"Therefore it is said, when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church), [That it might develop] UNTIL WE ALL ATTAIN ONENESS in the faith and in the comprehension of the [*full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him." -The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
God wanted nothing less than the standard height of His own perfection.
So He gave gifts that were varied.
God's intention was to perfect, equip and develop us with each other until we grow up to attain oneness. He calls people (or gifts of relationships) into our lives to chisel away and sharpen our rough edges.
Therefore, it goes against the creative nature of God to make everyone just like you.
God put that person in your life that irritates you to transform you.
One of the most difficult things you will ever do is change. And if God left it up to us, we would never do it. Usually someone or something challenges us in life to effectuate or prompt change.
We rarely change on our own.
We need someone to challenge us out of shallowness into oneness and build some deep accountability into our lives.
Dictionary.com defines "oneness" as: the quality of being one; it is uniqueness, the sameness of character and identity; the unity of thought, feeling, belief or aim; it is a state or condition of perfect harmony or accord.
Last week, we learned that "oneness" is threatened by our differences. But what else separates us from being "one" with our Creator (and others?)
- Oneness is threatened by immaturity.
God saw that His church or a relationship (marriage) could only grow to maturity through oneness.
Oneness is the result of many different gifts that are allowed to operate and speak in your life (marriage, church ministry and business) to fully equip and perfect you. Selfishness, contention and disunity are the product of immaturity.
Isolation kills oneness.
Christ went to the cross to bridge "oneness" and fulfill His magnificent plan and destiny for you and I. To get us to the place where we forgive, when He says forgive, where we lay down our lives, when He says lay down your lives.
He wanted us to look like Him, think like Him, talk like Him, pray like Him, love like Him, believe and perform miracles (do the impossible) like Him.
Oneness does not mean that you will never encounter differences; but it does require you to learn how to appreciate them and subordinate your interests for the sake of a love relationship with Someone else.
After all, Jesus subordinated His life for yours.
He was the Greater who laid down His life down for the lesser by becoming a model servant leader. He did not require us (His bride) to submit to Him, until He first demonstrated love by submitting to His own appointed cross.
THE CROSS HE CARRIED AND BORE FOR YOU.
Paul continued in Eph 4:15-16: "Rather, let our lives LOVINGLY *EXPRESS TRUTH [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, LET US GROW UP IN EVERY WAY AND IN ALL THINGS INTO HIM Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For because of Him the whole body (the church, in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love."
Are you expressing the "plain" truth to others in love?
When ALL gifts in a church, business, relationship and family function in love and flow in their purpose without strife (or despite their differences), the result is maturity, freedom, joy, excitement, creative, supernatural power, love ("oneness") and exploits.
It's funny, for a gift to be unveiled it must be unwrapped.
Someone has to take the time to remove the stuff that covers or ties its value up.
Think about it, many of us are not paid to do what we do best. In many jobs, we are gifts with an unknown price tag.
As leaders, God calls us to unwrap the gifts, dreams and destiny of people.
At times, I have had employees who thought that by telling me how much they are growing under our ministry and leadership, they would hang onto their jobs (this normally conversation occurs when disciplinary action is past or imminent.)
