Coach Them! (Ephesians 4:16)

THE COACH

Most professional team sports have a coach, whose main objective, is to bring out of the players their absolute best performance, so that, they can win games; tournaments; and ultimately, championship events. Frequently, the coach is a former player themselves, but whatever their skill level in being a player, their true gifting is their ability to recognize and develop the untapped talent of each individual team member, to it's highest possible potential, so that everyone is better, together. The coach does not get jealous of the abilities of any individual member of the team, because those very abilities, finely honed, are what produces everyone's success.

MATURITY

It is essential, in the church, that leadership has enough maturity, to see the big picture, and work for the success of the whole church, in developing each individual member, to function to the optimum potential of their gifts and callings. This does not just mean functioning in spiritual gifts, which obviously requires very little maturity, as demonstrated by the Corinthian church, that came behind in no gift (1 Cor.1:7); but it does mean walking in a level of maturity that demonstrates the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23), AND the manifestation of spiritual gifts.

EPHESIANS 4:16

"...the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love" (KJV)

"...the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and builds up itself in love" (RSV)

"...the whole body, its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another, grows by the aid of every contributory ligament, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love" (Weymouth)

1 CORINTHIANS 12:12

"...the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ" (KJV)

"As the human body, which has many parts, is a unity, and those parts, despite their multiplicity, constitute one single body, so it is with the body of Christ" (Philips / Taylor)

1 CORINTHIANS 12:27

"Together, you are the Body of Christ (TCNT) and each is a separate and necessary part (Taylor)

WHOLE CHURCH

What is essential to understand, is that, despite the fact that scriptures have an individual application, the NT scriptures, and specifically the epistles, were, for the most part, not written to individuals [other than Timothy; Titus; Philemon], but to the local churches, and therefore, the full functioning of the spiritual manifestations and maturity spoken about, is dependent on the overall growth and development of the church, as a whole.

UNDER the FEET

The scripture says that all things are under the feet of Jesus, which is an expression of total domination over one's enemies in battle, where their heads were literally placed under the feet of their conquerors, as a symbol of their subjection:

JOSHUA 10:24-25."...Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, 'Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings', and they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them, and Joshua said to them, 'Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage; for this shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight'...".

HEAD

All His enemies are under His total domination, and He is the head over all. This has both the sense of supreme authority, but it is also used in the literal sense of the "head" of a body, which is the Church.

EPHESIANS 1:22

"...and made Him head, to which the whole Church is joined..." (Knox)

"...and has set Him up as head of everything for the Church..." (Phillips)

EPHESIANS 1:23

"...which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all" (KJV)

"...the completeness of Him..." (Weymouth)

"...and in that body lives fully, the one who Himself receives the entire fullness of God" (Phillips / NEB)

FULLNESS

Jesus said that whoever believes on Him, the works that He did, we would do also, and greater than what He did (John 14:12). There have been astoundingly miraculous works done in the name of Jesus, and by the authority granted to Believers, such as the dead being raised; blind eyes open; lepers cleansed; limbs growing out; etc. All of this is amazing, but the scripture says that He contains "...the entire fullness of God" (Eph.1:23, NEB), and that in Him, all the fullness of God dwells, in a bodily form (Col.2:9), and this "fullness" of God, dwells in the Church.

FUNCTIONS FULLY

Therefore, it becomes essential, that each member of the body of Christ functions fully in the total capacity and capabilities given to them, by the head of the body, because it is the body as a whole, which contains the fullness of Christ, and "...in Christ, the Godhead in all its fullness dwells..." (Col.2:9, TCNT).

WHO YOU ARE

Therefore, for the full manifestation of all that God is, each member, in each local church, must know who they are, in Christ, and function in that reality.

EVERY LEADER

Therefore, it also becomes paramount, for every leader, in the body, to do everything, through the giftings and callings the Father has imparted to them, to strive, as any coach would, to bring each Believer in their care, to completeness in Christ, because the ability of every joint (member) to supply (Eph.4:16), is dependent on each individual knowing that they can supply, and how to contribute that supply, to the overall growth of other members of the body of Christ.

COLOSSIANS 1:28-29

"...teaching every person in all wisdom, that we may present every person complete in Christ Jesus. For this I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily".

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours