As I walk with people through a process of applying APEST in their life, leadership, team, and organization, the one question that always comes up is this:
Is APEST given to everyone in the church, or just a select group of leaders?
It’s a great question, and getting this right is absolutely critical to applying APEST in our context.
The best way to answer this question is to let the text of Ephesians speak for itself. This is Part 1 in a series of blog posts (Parts 2, 3, 4) where I will systematically work through key passages in Ephesians that will help answer that question for us. We’ll start with this phrase…
“To Each One of Us”
Most people think Paul starts talking about APEST in Ephesians 4:11. But, in reality, he actually starts back in 4:7. He says,
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.Ephesians 4:7
When doing workshops on APEST, I often jokingly say, “The Greek words Paul uses here for each one of us are fascinating. They literally mean…[long pause]…EACH ONE OF US.. [long pause]…” There’s normally a few chuckles, but my point is that Paul is not using complex or cryptic language here. It’s quite simple, actually.
But for those who like to get a little geeky on the words, this phrase “each one of us” is made up of three Greek words. The first is the word ἑκάστῳ (hekasto) which means “each” or “every”. The second word is εἷς (heis), meaning “one”. The third word is ἡμῶν (hemon) meaning “us”. There are plenty of words in the Greek language that Paul could have used if he wanted to convey the idea of a few, or some, many, or a lot but ἑκάστῳ εἷς ἡμῶν ain’t it. When he said each one of us he implicated each and every person in the church (including himself!).
But for those who like to get a little geeky on the words, this phrase “each one of us” is made up of three Greek words. The first is the word ἑκάστῳ (hekasto) which means “each” or “every”. The second word is εἷς (heis), meaning “one”. The third word is ἡμῶν (hemon) meaning “us”. There are plenty of words in the Greek language that Paul could have used if he wanted to convey the idea of a few, or some, many, or a lot but ἑκάστῳ εἷς ἡμῶν ain’t it. When he said each one of us he implicated each and every person in the church (including himself!).
This grace is not given to a few for the many. It is given by the One to All.
But How Can We Be Sure?
In the course of my discussions with various leaders, I have found it helpful to show how the word “each” ἑκάστῳ (hekasto) in 4:7 is used elsewhere in Ephesians to include each and every person in the church. The most obvious example is just a few verses up in Ephesians 4:25 where Paul says,
“Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.”
The Greek word translated as “each one” in 4:25 is ἕκαστος (hekastos) and comes from the same word used for “each” in 4:7. I say this with tongue in cheek, but does anyone honestly think when Paul said “each” in 4:25 he only had a smaller group of leaders in mind? Is the command to speak truth only applicable to leaders? Is it only leaders who are “members of one another”? The obvious answer is: of course not. Paul uses ἕκαστος because he wants each and every person in the church to stop lying and speak truth to one another.
The grace given by Christ in 4:7 is not given to a few, anymore than the command to speak truth to one another in 4:25 is given to a few. The grace given by Christ in 4:7 is given to each and every person in the church, and this makes all the difference in how we interpret what Paul has to say about APEST in the rest of Ephesians 4. In fact, as we will see in futre posts, it’s the only way to make sense of what Paul says in the rest of the chapter.
If you want to explore how you can identify these APEST giftings in those around you, and create space for them to reach their potential, let’s connect for a conversation. Just click the Let’s Talk button below.
