Remember, the key to
interpreting scripture is (Matthew 6:33) ...Look for Him.
Hebrews 10:25a
"Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is;
Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And
God has appointed these in the church:
- first apostles,
- second prophets,
- third teachers,
- after that miracles,
- then gifts of healings,
- helps,
- administrations,
- varieties of tongues
For through Him
(Jesus) we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the
foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the
chief corner
stone, in whom the whole
building, being
fitted together, grows into a holy
temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being
built
together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:7-24
(IMPORTANT: keep in context all of chapter 4 (see also chapter 2).
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
[Psalm 68:17-18]
Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
And He Himself gave
- some to be apostles,
- some prophets,
- some evangelists,
- and some pastors and teachers,
- for the equipping of the saints
- for the work of ministry,
- for the edifying of the body of Christ,
- till we all come to the unity of the faith
- and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
- to a perfect man,
- to the measure of the stature of the fullness ofChrist;
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the
cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ from
whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint
supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does
its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no
longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their
mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the
life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given
themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and
have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to
God, in true righteousness and holiness.
For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and
Bishop of your souls.
- This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
- A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
- not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
- one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence
- (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
- not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
- Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
- Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money,
- holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
- But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
- Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
- For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking,
and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—
- if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife,
having faithful children not accused of dissipation or
insubordination.
- For a bishop
[literally overseer] must be blameless, as a
steward of God, not self-willed, not
quick-tempered, not given to wine, not
violent, not greedy for money,
- but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just,holy, self-controlled,
- holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught,
that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
- For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the
circumcision,
- whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of
dishonest gain.
- One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
- This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
- not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the
truth.
- To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and
conscience are defiled.
- They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report.
in
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