EPHESIANS 4:8-13 " GIFTS TO THE BODY "

Everybody like to receive gifts and some of my warmest memories are around christmas, because that's the time we received the most gifts. I have fond memories of staying awake all night , in eager anticipation of that morning. I remember taking the wrapping paper off the gifts we would receive. It was exciting to receive something so special as a surpising gift.  The word GIFT= something given to somebody usually on order to provide pleasure or to show gratitude, is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. The Greek meaning of GIFT= didomi= to supply, furnish, to reach out, to appoint to an office: When God thought about a gift he sent his son Jesus Christ to die and redeem man back to himself. But he did not stop there for in Ephesians (4:8) " Wherefore he saith, WHEN HE ASCENDED UP ON HIGH , HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE , AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN: (verse 9) says; And (verse 11)Paul says "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evagelists; and some, pastors and teachers; When God thought about gifts he gave us the five fold ministry.                                                                                                                                                  The church cannot function properly without these ministry gifts and God would not give us these gifts and discontinue them? The reason for these gifts are told to us in (verse 12) " For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Why would God discontinue something that will  bring perfection? He hasn't , these gifts are alive and thriving in the church today! God calls them gifts= to supply,furnish , to reach out, to appoint to an office in the body of Christ. If the apostle Paul was right about everything else, than why was he not right about these five fold ministry gifts?
 For the perfecting of the saints, it is the error of man to change something that God has established. His gifts will bring us" in the unity of the faith (verse 13) unto a perfect man". Let's allow these ministry gifts to operate and do what they were created to do make us" a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ". Let's continue to honor and cherish the five fold ministry gifts God have given us!!