Ephesians 4:7 says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
“Every one of us.” Not just pastors. Not just missionaries. Every believer who is in Christ has been given grace and it is “according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
In this passage, grace is not only the mercy that saved us, it is the help and strength Christ gives so we can serve. And “gift” is the special place and ability God gives you to use inside His body.
So you could say it like this.
Christ gives you a gift, then He gives you the grace to use it.
I have watched this play out in church over and over. You see a shy person who can barely look up when they talk, and after a while they are teaching a class with power. You see a quiet worker who would never want a microphone, but God uses them to organize, to encourage, to make a whole ministry run smooth. That is grace matched to a gift.
But the Lord did not just drop gifts on us and walk off. He also put certain people in the church to help us grow into those gifts.
Ephesians 4:11 says He gave “some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”
• Apostles were the first, eye witnesses of the risen Christ, sent out to lay the foundation of doctrine and churches. We do not have apostles like that today, the foundation is already laid in Scripture.
• Prophets in the New Testament spoke by direct inspiration from God before the Bible was complete, and they also plainly preached what God had already said.
• Evangelists are men specially gifted to carry the gospel, win souls, and often help plant, encourage and strengthen churches. Philip is a good example.
• Pastors and teachers are the shepherds of local churches who feed the flock, guard it, and patiently teach.
So Christ gives grace, He gives gifts, and He gives people to help us use those gifts correctly.
Why did He do that?
Ephesians 4:12 answers, and it gives us three parts.
Grace for your gift: for the perfecting of the saints
Verse 12 says, “For the perfecting of the saints…”
“Perfecting” here is not sinless. It has the idea of making something complete or fit for use. The word is used for mending nets, setting a bone, putting something in proper order so it can do its job.
That means God gave gifted men, and gave grace, so that all believers could be made ready to serve.
I think about how this works in church. A new man gets saved and starts coming on Sunday. He loves the preaching but has no idea how to serve. Left alone, he will probably just sit. So God puts a mature man that takes time with him. Shows him how to read his Bible, how to pray, how to witness, how to treat his family, how to plug in.
Or on a bus route. You do not just throw a brand new teenager into the deep end and say, “Go run that route.” You walk him through how to be a helper first. How to knock a door, how to talk to a parent, what to say to a child, how to behave on the bus. You are “perfecting” a saint. Making him fit for the work God already wants him to do.
This perfecting involves both teaching and correcting. Sometimes our thinking is crooked, sometimes our habits are off. God uses pastors, teachers, and other gifted men to straighten those bones so our whole life lines up with Christ.
Grace for your gift: for the work of the ministry
Ephesians 4:12 continues, “for the work of the ministry…”
Ministry is not a show that a few people put on while everyone else watches. Ministry is the whole life of service that the church does together. Christ gives grace and gifts so that believers can actually work, not just sit and listen.
The preacher’s job is not to do all the ministry. His job is to equip the saints so they can work.
You can see the difference when you visit churches. In one place, everything rests on the pastor and maybe a couple of staff. They teach, sing, visit, clean, carry the whole weight. The people clap but never lift. Those men wear out.
In another church, the pastor still leads and preaches, but the saints work. Men run buses, teach classes, clean rooms. Ladies organize meals, teach children, help in offices, encourage visitors. Teens help with songbooks, chairs, media, younger kids. It is not perfect, but there is a sense that the whole body is moving.
That is what Ephesians 4 is talking about. God gives grace so your gift actually turns into work. Real ministry done in Jesus’ name.
First Peter 4:10 says that every man who has received a gift is to “minister the same one to another.” In other words, if God put a gift in you and grace on you, He expects it to come out in service to someone else.
Grace for your gift: for the edifying of the body of Christ
The verse goes on, “for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
“Edifying” simply means building up. Like adding bricks to a wall or framing a house. The goal of all this grace and all these gifts is not to build the name of a man, it is to build up the whole body so it is strong, steady, and healthy.
You see this when tired Christians come to church with heavy hearts, and leave steadier than they came. A message strengthens them. A song lifts them. A short talk in the hallway helps them think straight again. Often that did not come from one superstar leader, it came from dozens of saints using their gifts with grace.
I know a widow who kept coming after her husband passed. She had every reason to sit in the back and fade away. Instead, God used other believers to build her up. A lady with a gift for encouragement sat with her. Someone with a gift for mercy checked on her during the week. Men with teaching gifts kept feeding her the Word. Over time, she was built back up to the point that God used her to encourage others and faithfully servers today. That is the body edifying itself in love.
First Corinthians 12 shows the same truth. The body has many members, but one life. When each part does its work, the whole thing is built up. When one part refuses, the whole thing suffers.
Why does Christ do all of this for us
Ephesians 4:14 says that this is so we “be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.”
Christ gives grace, gives gifts, and gives godly leaders so we do not stay spiritual children. Without that, we are tossed around by every new teacher, every online clip, every clever idea. One year we chase this trend, the next year another. No roots. No depth.
Verse 15 says that instead we are to be “speaking the truth in love,” and to “grow up into him in all things.”
That is the aim. Grown up believers who look more like Christ. Believers who know truth, speak it in love, and are not easily knocked over.
Christ has given you a gift and He has given you grace that matches that gift.
He has given you people and preaching to shape you too!
He did that so you could be made fit, so you could work, and so His body could be built up.
Use the grace He has given, in the gift He chose for you, for the good of the body He loves.
