Charles Spurgeon Commentary Ephesians 4:12

"for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ:" — Ephesians 4:12 (ASV)

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Then, whatever spiritual gifts we have, they are not our own to use as we please; they are only entrusted to us so that we may use them to help our fellow Christians.

Beloved brothers and sisters, we are one with Christ, and we are one with each other. Therefore, we must not each look out for our own interests, but also for the interests of others. It should be a question of the first importance to every Christian: "How can I best use myself for the benefit of the other members of the Church?"

Do not ask, "How can I benefit myself?" but let your inquiry be, "How can I be most profitable to my fellow Christians?" I have heard some professing Christians say of a sermon that they could not "feed" from it; the message was very likely to be useful to the unconverted, but they could not listen to it because they could not "feed" from it.

Their idea seems to be that preaching must always be a spoon used for feeding them; but this is not so. The Word of God contains much spiritual nourishment especially suitable for the lambs of the flock. These people, who are strong, want meat, so they say that they do not enjoy what they hear, and that it is of no use to them.

But are the babes in Christ's family never to be fed? Does not humanity itself teach us that, first of all, the weakest and feeblest should be cared for?

Oh, for grace to be unselfish! There is such a thing as Christian selfishness; and, of all evil things in the world, it is the most unchristian. When the first and last concern of a person is their own salvation, their own comfort, their own advancement, their own edification, and nothing else, they need to be saved from such a selfish spirit as that.

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:12).

The early Church could not have been without apostles, and we cannot do without evangelists. May the Lord send many faithful men who will range over the whole country preaching the Word!

Neither can we do without pastors and teachers; and it is idle to attempt to do so. Would that we had many more of the sort that Jesus gives! Those whom men make are worth nothing, but those whom Jesus gives are worth everything.