Bulletins - A Place Of Grace

CHI Health Article… Some 30 trillion cells make up the human body. Miniscule but efficient, cells do the work that makes the body function… (Each cell has a function and a lifespan. A healthy cell in a healthy body will do its function effectively during it’s lifespan)
When the body gets cancer, normal cells undergo genetic mutations that break down their regulatory systems, causing them to grow, divide uncontrollably, and fail to die when they should. These "rogue" cells ignore signals to stop dividing, often becoming immature and dysfunctional, forming tumors that invade nearby tissues and spread to other body areas via blood or lymph systems.
Baby sitting in his mother’s lap. Game of throw item on the ground until hungry
Fusing, whining, making upset baby sounds the mother knew exactly what was needed and gave him a bottle. Happily he laid back in his mom’s lap enjoying the bottle and attention.
Later the same day what I can only describe as that same baby in an adult body being pushed in an adult size stroller crying for some food. I saw what appeared to be an adult individual who was however not a mature man.
Somewhere, somehow even though the outside had a certain appearance… “cells had gone rogue, becoming immature and dysfunctional”
Our passage today demonstrates how God has gifted the church with leaders to train and equip believers for service and gifted individuals within the church to promote spiritual growth and unity. Paul emphasizes that each role is essential to creating a mature body that reflects Christ's fullness, showcasing the beauty of diversity in gifts and responsibilities while encouraging believers to work together harmoniously for the common good, which ultimately fortifies the entire body of Christ against external challenges and false teachings making Christ church, His body, healthy and effective.
Consider Paul’s words as I begin reading in Ephesians 4:4-16
Ephesians 4:4–16 NLT
For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Recap
Let me briefly Recap for you last week. Then we will take time today to consider:
Our Responsibility as a Gifted Church
The Reason Christ for our Spiritual gifts
The Results that are manifested
We will wrap up Remembering a crucial fact...
Last week I emphasized to you that what scripture is speaking to is UNITY not UNIFORMATY!!!
We saw how every believer is given a spiritual gift at salvation (these gifts are referenced in Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4
We considered Psalm 68 and how Christ was victorious coming as a man, living the life we could not, dying for mankind's sin, buried and rising victorious three days later…
When Christ ascended on high He left gifts for his followers, for His church… Verse 11 shares with us Christ gift to the church through gifts of leadership…
Responsibility
Churches in our day and in our country especially have fallen captive to the idea that the church is a institution, a corporation, or a building in a specific location. This has permeated the ideas of people rather than seeing the church as the Body of Christ or the Family of God where brothers and sisters come together.
Pastors & church leaders act more like CEO’s than shepherds caring for and ministering to God’s people.
Paul here shows how Christ in His love and care left for the church a gift… leadership, care, direction, protection.
Paul list out four specific leadership gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Pastor/Teacher
Those who were Apostles and Prophets were already addressed in Ephesians 2:20 as the “FOUNDATION” of this church that Christ is building up
These were those who God used to bring His Word to the church… these were used to write our New Testament scriptures. God’s Word is foundational to what you and I believe… it speaks to Doctrine and Behavior
Evangelist: gifted in bringing the gospel of Christ Jesus to others, church planters,
Pastor/Teacher: this is a shepherd that teaches, cares for, ministers to the body. These are the elders in the body of Christ.
This gift with dual dimensions… On one hand, it empowered its possessors to shepherd their flocks by meeting the day-to-day needs of the congregation—counseling, confronting, comforting, and guiding. On the other hand, it enabled them to feed their sheep through the teaching and preaching of the Word. Chuck Swindoll
These roles are not about hierarchical authority but about empowering believers to develop and use their gifts for strengthening the body of Christ. Every believer should find their role and gifting, fostering a culture of service and growth in the church.
EQUIP… is the word Paul uses here as to explain why these gifts were given
(the word here for equip is “katartismos”… to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something. to furnish what is needed.
The Body of Christ Equipped, made adequate for the work of ministry… equipped to build up the church!
Ministry is NOT just for a few individuals the church decides to pay to minister full-time
Ministry is for each of us! Howard Hendricks would illustrate with a football game comparing it to the church…
The role and gifting as an elder in the church (pastor/teacher) is to equip you for the work of ministry to equip you to build up one another… if I do not engage in my responsibility then the church, the body of Christ is left lacking!
If you being gifted do not do your role and use your gift in the church… the body of Christ is left lacking!
The body of Christ made up of so many “cells” individuals using thier gifts… that is a powerful body, strong, healthy
The evangelist is using the gift to equip and prepare others in the church to share the gospel better, clearer, with passion and excitement
The one with the gift of mercy is caring in deep ways for those who are hurting
The one with the gift of help is finding ways to meet needs in the body of Christ while building those up they also help those around them be more aware of how they need to be merciful
The one with the gift of giving is rejoicing at when they contribute generously but also teaches others the joy and benefit of giving
The pastor teaches and cares for the flock, giving them the word of God, but also teaches the flock how to be nourished on God’s Word themselves too
The strength and maturity of the church are realized when each member actively participates and serves others building up the body of Christ… look at the reason
Reason
Verse 13 spells out the reason we NEED to be a church that uses our giftings for one another…
The ongoing work of unity in our faith
To grow in our knowledge of God’s Son Jesus Christ
That we as the Body of Christ would GROW MATURE…
This maturity BTW is measured to God’s standard not man’s
Maturity speaks to our actions our BEHAVIOR!
As the church grows in the BELIFE in the DOCTRINE of Unity then there will be a spiritual maturity in thier BEHAVIOR
Last week I ended with two IF/THEN statements:
IF… those who are gifted to leadership use thier gift as Christ desires:
THEN… The church body will be equipped to do the work of ministry
THEN… The church will be built up as it should be
IF… The body of Christ, His Bride, who has recieved spiritual gifts is using thier gifts as Christ desires:
THEN… There will be unity among those who are of the faith, believers building up one another
THEN… Because of our unity there will be a mature knowledge and understanding of God’s Son
As we read through verses 14-15 we see the RESULTS of our maturity…
Results of Maturity
Paul list out three things we will not be and three things we will be as we reach maturity… these are things that we should see in our own lives and within the body of Christ…
Then (3) We Won’t Be…
Immature like children… told over and over the same things, having to be bottle fed but rather able to chew on God’s truth and feed ourselves from the scriptures
Tossed by false doctrine… we will be able to discern what is true, what is right, maturity does not follow the wind but sets a course for truth! Unity in the body helps preserve this and mature the believer… accountability is a good thing.
Lured by wolves of deception… maturity bring with it deep theological understanding. Help each other grow! Unity in Christ is a safeguard from the wolves of deception!
The journey to maturity involves all believers being committed to growing in their knowledge of Christ through coming together learning and individual study.
Then (3) We Will Be…
Speak Truth in Love… some speak truth with no love, while others speak only love and avoid the truth. So often to “keep peace” which is not always unity, we fail to call sin what it is...SIN! Being mature we will have balance in both.
John Stott sums this up beautifully: “Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love; love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth. The apostle calls us to hold the two together.”
Growing… the body of Christ grows as we individually grow. There is a building up as we saw in chapter 2. True healthy growth, not just a church body that “LOOKS” a certain way externally yet lacks maturity.
More like Christ… Maturity reminds us that we are to look like Christ, not compare with man, other churches, other organizations. We are to follow our example of Christ and look like Him!
Verse 16 summarizes well and draws us back to remember some key points as we consider our gifting and matruity in the body of Christ…
Remember
First of all… it is Jesus Christ who is building His church. a reminder back to chapter 2.
These are His gifts, it is His work, this is His body!
“own special work” I challenge you to discover your gifting, use it, engage in ministry. Each and every part of the body no greater no less BUT ALL doing thier part! Let’s help the BODY AS A WHOLE grow!
Christ is desiring us… you and me to be (As His Body) healthy and growing… in love
Jesus Himself declared… the world will know you are mine by your love for one another.
As members grow in understanding who Christ is and embrace unity, the church mirrors the character of Jesus to the world. Our Spiritual growth here is not solitary but a community endeavor, rooted deeply in Scripture and love.
- - Ephesians 4:4–16NIV2011

Recap

Responsibility

Reason

Results of Maturity

Remember

Ephesians 4:4–16NIV2011