Paul returns to the mystery he has already discussed )1:9f. and 2:11-22; cf Colossians 1:26f.) - the Gentiles hearing in God's cosmic plan. Although unworthy, Paul has been especially commissioned to preach to the Gentiles, and to invite them into the church with equality and mutuality with Jewish believers: indeed, it is granted to him as a stewardship, and so he can preach only in the power God gives him (3:7). God's eternal purpose (3:11) - even before he created all things (3:9) - was to extend his salvation to all. So as this mission fits into a 'plan of the ages', suffering for the gospel should not be a surprise, nor a cause for sadness or despair.

In a renewed church, imparting the good news - literally 'gospelizing' (3:8) - is a privilege. 'You rarely hear the word privilege around a Church. You hear other words like duty, responsibility, obligation, sacrifice, sometimes spoken in a virtuous and even martyred tone of voice, but rarely the word privilege. In a nominally Christian society it is no particular privilege to belong to the community of faith; more likely it imposes on the Christian burdens that he(or she) would sometimes rather do without. Perhaps that explains why so many nominal Christians find no happiness in their religion'. (30)

4-2 Unity (4:1-6)

The New Testament in many places affirms the church's unity (eg 1 Corinthians 12: 1:10-30; Romans 12:3-8; John 10:16, 17:20-26; Galatians 3:27-28). Ephesians 4:1-6 is the most eloquent passage of all. 'God wills unity'. (31)

Unity, however, does not connote uniformity. The New Testament churches exhibited neither a uniform worship, administration nor even a uniform theology. 'Unity is possible when we stop thinking of our church or denomination as the vine and all others as the branches. Rather, Jesus is the vine and all of us are branches'. (32)

Nor does a commitment to unity necessarily issue in a desire for denominational mergers. Although the number of Christian groups has grown from 1,000 in 1900 to 23,000 today, the church's life and mission are not necessarily enhanced by reducing this number. The scandal is not in the diversity of denominations, but the exclusiveness of their belief-systems. When other Christians who also affirm Jesus Christ as Saviour Lord and God according to the Scriptures are not welcomed as full members, or are vilified as heretics, particularly in the public media - that is the greatest scandal. In any case, the uniting of denominations has rarely seen an increase in the overall membership - usually a decline. Mergers don't increase the number of Christians.

In the New Testament only Paul develops the idea of the church as the body of Christ. 'A body is formed by the extension of one original cell which grows until it becomes a mature body in which every cell shares the original life.... A body is an organization but it is much more than an organization. The essence of a body is that it consists of thousands of cells with one mutually shared life'. (33) The relationship of the cells to the head, and to each other, are both important for an understanding of corporate and individual renewal. Each cell is renewed by other cells as well as by the relationship with the Head. So the normal Christian life should include mutual spiritual encouragement as well as growth derived from contact with the Head. (34)

The unity of the church is a 'given', but Paul asks his fellow-believers to demonstrate what they believe. 'The Spirit creates unity (but) it is the job of Christians to keep that unity and not spoil it'. (35)

4-3 Maturity (4:7-16)

'It is Jesus who calls ... the response of the disciple is an act of obedience, not a confession of faith in Jesus ... when we are called to follow Christ, we are summoned to an exclusive attachment to his person'. (36)

The idea of the church as Christ's body deriving life and power from the Head is unique to Ephesians and Colossians. Although the church comprises human beings, it is not a human institution. The style of Christ's 'headship' was exemplified in Jesus' washing his friends' feet. His badge of office was not a sceptre, but a towel. He models 'servant leadership', an authority to be found not in titles or status but in empowering others. (cf Mark 10:42-44). That is to be our model too. Every church, and particularly its leaders, should prayerfully discuss these two questions regularly: how are we to relate to one another in the light of Christ's servant-example/ If he is the head of our church, how does that impinge on our decision-making structures?

The church's ministry is Christ's (John 20:21), carrying out in the world his ministry both extensively and intensively. (37) Its mandate coincides with Jesus' own definition of his calling (Luke 4:18-19).

The ministry belongs to the whole church, not just trained clergy (4:12,25). So we will have to abolish the 'clergy' - or the 'laity'. Every Christian is a minister; the whole church are the laos, the people of God. Our terminology should catch up with our theology at this point: let us get out of the habit of using the term 'minister' in the singular. 'Why is it' asks George Goyder 'that the church today will not trust its members? Why does the church so often decline to recognize and to accept the activity of the Spirit among unregulated groups of Christians? Why is all initiative in the church expected and presumed to derive from the clergy? It is because we have substituted for the biblical doctrine of the Holy Spirit as ruler in the church a doctrine of our own, unknown to scripture, the authority of professionalism.' (38)

Each member has been given a spiritual gift, or, as Peter Wagner suggested, a 'gift-mix' for the building up of the Body (1 Corinthians 12:7). (39) Wagner further makes the point that if none of the three Pauline lists of spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12) is complete in itself, probably the three lists together are not complete. (40) He also suggests that 'in your church of 200 members you can assume that God has given the gift of pastor to around 6 or 8 men and women'. (41)