2/1/26 Weekly Bible Lesson: Value of Teamwork

Mark 4:26-32, Ephesians 4:4-18 NKJV 

Background of Text — A careful study of the phrase “the kingdom of God” that Jesus uses in parables reveals that it often references the church. In these “the kingdom of God is like” parables, Jesus compares the church to many different items. These multifaceted images allow us to get a good picture of what Jesus and the Father expect the church to be. 

Understanding 

Mark 4:26-32, In this brief parable, Jesus is not giving a lesson on horticulture but an understandable example of the church. It is man’s job to plant the seed, and when he has done his part, the seed will grow. Jesus told us in the first twenty verses of this chapter that not all the seed will bear fruit. The seed (i.e., the Word of God) planted in good soil will, over time, produce fruit. One aspect taught in the parable is that we may not understand the process, but we trust God that His word will not come back void but will accomplish what God pleases (Isaiah 55:10-11). The Christians job is to plant the seed, and the kingdom/church will grow to harvest time. 

This is like Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.” The verb tenses Paul uses are noteworthy. Both “planted” and “watered” are past. The verb “gave,” however, is a continuous action verb. In other words, God was working all the time through the preaching ministries of Paul and Apollos. 

Ephesians 4:4-6, When Jesus was teaching the parables of the kingdom, He was laying the groundwork for the church. Then, in His great prayer recorded in John 17, He prayed specifically for the church to be one, as He and the Father are one. Paul picks up on the theme of unity in Ephesians 4. After exhorting the church to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul lists seven doctrines through which this unity is obtained. Paul tells us that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father. If the church holds fast to these seven items, the unity for which Jesus prayed can be a reality. A brief survey of church history shows that a misunderstanding of these fundamental doctrines has caused much of the division we encounter. 

In Acts 2:37-38, the Jews were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What shall we do?” Peter told them to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. This is the one baptism Paul references in Ephesians 4—immersion into Christ for the forgiveness of sins. The answer Peter gave has not been changed. 

Ephesians 4:11–18. In this passage, Paul amplifies Jesus’ teaching about growth in the kingdom. First, we learn that Jesus gave four gifts to His church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and elders. The first two were the revealers of God’s Word; through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostles and prophets revealed the Word. The next two are the reciters of God’s Word—it is the responsibility of the preacher and elders to teach what has been revealed. In other words, they are to sow the pure seed of the Word. 

This is all done to build up the body of Christ until we all come to the unity of the faith. There are still evangelists and elders planting the true seed of Scripture. Through this teaching, we grow and are strengthened in the faith so that we are no longer being tossed to and fro with the slightest wind of doctrine. In today’s culture, when you speak “the truth in love,” some will say “you hate.” Speak the truth in love anyway! Jesus said to the Jews in John 8:31, 32, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Christ’s disciples working together in truth will cause “growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Therefore, always love truth, and always, in truth, do your share. 

Ephesians 4:17-18. Often, as we read Scripture, it sounds as if it could have been written yesterday. We should not walk as those who are alienated from the life of God, no matter how beautiful and wonderful their words sound to us. It seems today that if we hear something enough, it becomes the truth. Sometimes what seems to be truth becomes blindness of the heart, and the truth from false doctrine can no longer be discerned. 

Ephesians 4:4-18 provides guidelines for the Restoration Movement principles to which we even now need to return. Let’s give apostles and prophets their proper spot, and in the church today, let’s give evangelists and elders their proper place in the line of seed planters so they can do their job in preparing workers for the ministry. Working together in the truth of Scripture will make us better and stronger Christians, and the church will go and grow spiritually and in numbers.