I bow my knees to the Father, ·from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth derives its name: ·so that according to the riches of his glory, he may give YOU power, to be made strong through his Spirit in the inner person, ·the Messiah residing in YOUR hearts through this faith rooted and grounded in love; ·so that together with all the holy ones YOU may be empowered to take hold of what is the breadth and length and depth and height—·indeed, to know the knowledge-surpassing love of the Messiah—that YOU may be filled with all the fullness of God! ·And to the One above all—who is able to do infinitely more than what we could ask or imagine, according to the power at work in us—·to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, towards all the generations of the age of ages. Amen! (Ephesians 3:14-21 PH)

Therefore, I call on YOU…to walk worthy of the calling to which YOU have been called ·with all humility of mind and meekness: bearing with each other in love with patience, ·endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the together-bond of peace. ·There is one body and one Spirit—just as YOU are called in one hope of YOUR calling—·one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ·one God and Father of all: the One over all, through all and in all. ·Yet to each one of us the grace is given in accord with the measure of the gift of the Messiah. ·Therefore it says:

“Ascending on high, he led in his train a host of captives; he gave gifts to human beings.” [Ps.68:18, Med.#E]

…Now…he ascended… ·far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. ·The same One gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers ·for the equipping of the holy ones: towards the work of the ministry, towards the building up of the body of the Messiah ·until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God— towards mature [Gr. teleion] adulthood, towards the stature measured by the fullness of the Messiah. ·Then we will no longer be under-age children [Gr. neepioi], tossed to and fro and carried about on every chance wind of teaching by cunning and crafty human beings pursuing deceptive schemes. ·But speaking the truth in love, we will grow up in all things into him who is the head: Christ. ·From him the whole body is fitly framed together, and, knit-together by every contributing ligament. According to the appropriate operation of each individual part, the body grows towards building itself up in love. (Eph.4:1-16)

How do we live a life ‘worthy of our calling’ into the Father's family? Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we make righteous daily choices as his adult sons and daughters, with full confidence in Jesus. He is not only our Eldest Brother and family role model (Med.#5), but following his ascension, he is now ‘Lord’ over all creation as well (Med.#56). And from this new position, Jesus has given grace to each of us in the form of a gift. These gifts equip us to do ‘the work of ministry’, with our Father: either to serve people in his world or to build up each other, or both. The power to do this work also comes from our Father, via the Spirit in our inner being.

When we are baptized into Jesus' death and resurrection, we are restored to the divine family for which we were created (Med.#A). This Family is the one you always wished your own earthly family could be like, since all human fatherhood is an imperfect reflection of our heavenly Father. No matter how good your earthly father was to you, your heavenly Father is better. You have an amazing Dad. He is a Father to all Jesus' disciples, and is always on top of things—‘over all’. He is always around—‘through all’. He is always intimately interested in each one of his sons and daughters—‘in all’. And he can do things with and through us that exceed our imagination.    

Secondly, in this Family your Eldest Brother, Jesus, is not in competition with you. Though he will always outrank you (and me), neither he nor our Father has any desire, or need, to put you in your place and treat you like a child. While we must enter this family kingdom with the trusting nature of a child (Med.#18), Jesus, like our Father, wants to treat us as mature [Gr. teleion] family members as soon as possible (Heb.5:11-6:3,12). Through his new, heavenly position above all cosmic and earthly powers, all members of his Body have also been seated together there (Med.#44). And it is out of this position, ‘in Christ’, that our Father wants all of us to grow ‘towards mature [Gr. teleion] adulthood’ as measured by the full stature of our Eldest Brother.

To this end, he desires to fill us with all his fullness, just as he filled Jesus with his fullness (Med.#31)—by giving us the promised Holy Spirit (Med.#49) and declaring us to be his ‘beloved’ adult sons and daughters in Christ (Med.#26). We will only comprehend the scope of Jesus' love, when we are ‘rooted and grounded’ in our Father's love. Jesus didn't only pray that he could be in us, but that we would know the Father's love like he did (Med.#37). And he expressed his faith in us: that we could become ‘mature ones’ [Gr. teleioi], like our Dad (Med.#12). Our Eldest Brother became like us in every way so that we could become like him; and that includes becoming ‘fully mature [Gr. teleio-thesis], through obedience’, like he did as an adult Son (Med.#7).

Thirdly, the Father is ‘in all’ of us to empower ‘each one’ with the gifts Jesus is able to give following his ascension. Our Eldest Brother, as a second 'Adam’, has become a ‘life-giving Spirit’ (Med.#94). And since each of us has a part to play, these gifts, as manifestations of the Spirit are not given only to leaders or to some elite group in the church (1 Cor.12:7,11). The Father desires each of us to start acting maturely as quickly as possible so that ‘the appropriate operation of each individual’ member will contribute to the growth of others in the church, and so that each adult daughter and son will carry out the ‘work of ministry’ in the world.  

While there is a place for leaders in the Church, New Testament leadership is a role, not a separate status. The Father's family is to be characterized by one Father, and by one Eldest Brother who is Lord and teacher of many adult brothers and sisters (Med.#68)—not by a few ‘adult-like’ people helping Jesus do the work of the kingdom while caring for a lot of dependent children. Often leaders have been given a greater measure of a particular gift, yet not even all leaders have been given the same scope of authority for their gifts (Ex.18:21). At the same time, those appointed as leaders are expected to exhibit a greater measure of maturity, and they should be recognized and honored for the responsibility they have been given (1 Tim.3:2-7; Med.#71). While gifts exercised by leaders on a larger scale may get the most attention, the exercise of even the smallest measures of the gifts is equally important for the growth of the Body, and for the ministry work of the Family kingdom in the world. And you have been given at least some measure of one or more gifts.

Do you see areas where the kingdom has not yet come, and so take initiative to pioneer new ministries (apostolic gift)? Are you good at discerning what God is saying, with a motivation to see his righteousness and justice upheld (prophetic gifting)? Are you full of passion for everyone to hear and understand the Gospel (the gift of an evangelist)? Are you strongly aware of the needs of others, with a motivation to help them grow (pastoral gift)? Are you good at applying God's word to help people learn to know him better, and learn how to walk and work with him (teaching gift)? Are you using your gift(s) to serve your Father and other people?

Finally, the gifts you have received are not primarily about you, but about Jesus—the Head of the whole Body! So his gifts work best as we are all ‘framed-together’, ‘knit together’ and endeavoring to keep the ‘together-bond of peace’. We have a Father who is ‘through all’. So our focus needs to be on drawing out the gifts that all have received, while exercising our own gifts in humility. There is no room for pride since these gifts are about the one who gave them, not about us (1 Cor.4:6-7). But neither is there room for resentment or feelings of inferiority if you have been given a lesser scope of one of the gifts. If you aren't sure what your gift is, ask a brother or sister to help you to learn to know and use your measure of Christ's gift. And remember! If in the Spirit of love, and out of a desire to serve, you desire another gift, you can ask for it (1 Cor.14:1).

Has the truth of Christ's ascension given you a new appreciation of how amazing your 'real' Dad is? Are you demonstrating your appreciation for your new Family by exercising your gifts? And are you helping all to grow in maturity and in the ministry work of announcing and demonstrating our Father's Kingdom?

Father, from whom all fatherhood... on earth derives its name. By Jesus’ ascension, you have led me with singing out of captivity, into a new Family where you are over all, in all, and through all. (Eph.3:14-15; 4:8,6; Ps.68:5-6,11)

Strengthen me with power through your Spirit in my inner person so that I may have power, together with all the holy ones, to grasp how wide, long, high and deep is the love of Christ: so that we all may be filled to the measure of all your fullness, and so that through us you may do even more than all we ask or are able to imagine. To you be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations. Amen! (Eph.3:16-21)