The body of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Call to worship
Welcome everyone!
Announcements
Call to Worship
Revelation 3:7–9 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”
LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!
“The Goodness of God”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS
Lord,
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS
Lord,
SERMON
Introduction
This passage today is the model passage for a biblically functioning church. If you want to know what this church plant is going to look like, this is it. We are striving to be a functioning Eph 4:11 church.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
The body of Christ is the church! The church is not a building, but the people who are in the building. This building is nothing more than a place where we gather to be equipped so that we can carry out ministry the six other days of the week.
The “body of Christ” is used as a metaphor for the church over and over in the NT. It carries the idea that the church, who is made up of many members is a living organism that grows and works together to carry out the specific tasks God has called it to do. Every member is a part of that body.
Metaphorically: one is a foot, one is a hand, one is an eye, one is a mouth, one is an arm and all the parts together make up the whole.
BODY ILLUSTRATION
Imagine you to enter into this building today to worship the Lord, you need both legs to walk you to the front door. You are dependent upon them or you will not make it in.
You also needed your arms and hands to open the door so that your legs and feet could carry you through.
Your eyes had to communicate with your brain that controlled your legs so that you walked on a clear path and took one step at a time in the right direction.
Your ears had to communicate with your mouth so that when people greeted you as you entered, you responded to people who greeted you.
Your heart had to beat faster and your lungs had to increase respirations so that you could get the sufficient amount of oxygen to the cells in your muscles so that they could continue to move until you reached your seat.
Then your brain, your ears and your eyes are all working together be engaged in corporate worship.
Now just imagine if your legs decided to sleep in today and said I’m not going to church.
Or if your lungs said I’m tired of working so hard and I’m not putting all this stress on myself today, so I’m only giving you 8 respirations a minute, your going to have to make that work muscles. Just stop every 5 steps and rest until you make it in.
Or if you mouth said, I’m tired of talking, you’re just going to be a snood today and not talk to anyone. Eyes you’re going to have to pick up the slack and wink at everyone with those eye lashes you got glued on.
Or the hands said, I am not touching anyone today, neck, your going to have to nod at everyone because I’m not getting dirty. Everyone has been sick and and Im not taking any chances.
This may seem like a silly illustration, but it is a picture of the NT church. Every person has a a part for the church to function in way God designed it to function! And if the members are not doing their part, they are crippling the whole body. And if every does do their part, the whole body grows and functions like a well-oiled machine.
I have three points for you today, and they are important:
Turn with me to Eph 4:7
Christ gives every member of His body a spiritual gift
Christ gives every member of His body a spiritual gift
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)
Explanation
Remember that this teaching is in the context of the church body
Last week we studied (v1-6) about unity in the body of Christ
Paul still has that in mind, and connects this with the conjunction “but”
(v 7) But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift”
a) Everyone in Christ has received a spiritual gift to contribute to the whole body
a) Everyone in Christ has received a spiritual gift to contribute to the whole body
Notice this gift comes from Christ (Christ’s gift)
It is a spiritual gift that is given to each person the moment the Holy Spirit enters our body
This is not a natural ability that we have been born with
Grace gifts are not things we are good at in the flesh, they are spiritual gifts that are given at our spiritual birth
And we do not get to choose our gifts. Our gifts are chosen for us. We simply receive what the Lord has given us.
I am amazed that nearly everyone in the Pentecostal church has the gift of tongues yet no one has the gift of interpratating tongues!
Tongues are worthless to the body unless someone interprets!
We do not choose our gift! We simply discover the gift God has given us.
It is easy to confuse our spiritual gift with our natural talent
Some people have great natural talents but that is not their spiritual gift.
A good way to discern our gift is to note when we began to notice it. Grace gifts are new gifts that come at the time of salvation.
What is the purpose of these gifts?
1 Corinthians 12:7 (NASB95)
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Spiritual gifts are given to build up the church
Spiritual gifts are given for us to serve others in the church with!
Spiritual gifts are given to carry out the work of ministry.
Here are some of them from 1 Cor 12
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
The gift of faith
Gifts of healings
Effects of miracles
Prophecy
The gift of tongues
Interpretation of tongues
The gift of serving
The gift of encouragement
Discerning of spirits
Helps
Administrations
What do all these gifts have in common?
They are for the good of the whole body
A word of wisdom is to edify someone else NOT puff us up with pride
A gift of healing is heal someone else
Administration is to administrate for the benefit of the whole
Helps is to help other people
Serve is to serve other people
Teach is to teach other people
Tongues is to edify the whole church
THE POINT: In Christ we have been given a supernatural gift to help mature the whole church.
Are you using your spiritual gift for the benefit of others?
Let us make it our pursuit to mature enough to know how God has gifted us so that we can build up the body of Christ as He intended
What else do these verses teach us?
b) God’s grace supplements His gifts
b) God’s grace supplements His gifts
(v 7) “But to each one grace was given according to Christ’s gift”
In other words, Jesus measures out to each of us the right amount of (grace) or power to accomplish the task that our gift requires
If God has given you the gift of wisdom, then He will also give you the wisdom to build up the body
If God has given you the gift of administrations, then he will give you what you need to administrate
If God has given you the gift of helps, he will put you in a church body that needs this gift and then supply you with the time and ability to help!
If God has given you the gift of encouragement, then He will put you in a church where this gift is needed and give you the power to use it!
God’s grace supplements His gifts
Application
Therefore we so not have to be worried about how we will ever function appropriately in a church body!
It’s not dependent upon our own abilities, but upon the power of God working through us!
All we need is the faith to be able to trust that he will accomplish His tasks through us
Do you know how I discovered my gifts?
I did what the Lord put before me
Real evangelism used to terrify me. Talking to strangers about their sin and about the gospel. But the Lord sent someone to me to take me out and show me how to share the gospel, and I saw God’s power work through me.
I was terrified every time stood before the church to preach a sermon. I was not capable at all, but I believed the Lord called me to it, so I went.
You will never know your gift, until you are willing to step out in faith and just do it. Find a need in the church and trust the Lord to lead you into your gift.
Christ gives every church spiritual leaders to equip them for the work of the ministry
Christ gives every church spiritual leaders to equip them for the work of the ministry
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Explanation
Not only did God gift each believer with a spiritual gift to build up the church, He also gave the church these leaders or spiritual offices to equip the saints.
GOD GAVE SOME AS:
apostles
There are two kinds of apostles: Those who physically walked with Jesus and experienced his resurrection.
Other would have the gift of apostleship. This gift was given primarily “to establish churches in areas that have not been reached by others.”
Paul tells us that the church was built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph 2:20).
prophets
These are men those who haver the spiritual gift to communicate the mysteries of God to the people of God. They also function to edify, comfort, and to encourage the people of God.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.
Evangelists
This is someone who is gifted at sharing the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One important part of this gift is a sound understanding of salvation. He must rightly understand the plan of salvation.
How does an evangelist equip the church? Some say by adding numbers, but its God who adds numbers to the church (Acts 2:47)
And evangelist teaches the church members how to correctly share the gospel and help them have a correct view of salvation.
Pastor/teachers
This is grouped together in the Greek speaking of one office. That is because every pastor must be a teacher or he does not meet the qualifications according to 1 Tim 3:2.
One of the primary responsibilities of a pastor is to teach the people of God the whole counsel of the Word of God. He is to not teach people what feels good, but what God says! And he is to put in the hard work of exegeting the Word of God to accurately teach the principles and doctrines in Scripture the way God intended them no matter how difficult they may be at times to swallow!
Pastor also means shepherd. Shepherd means that he is the leader of the people. As leader he watches over the sheep, who prays for the sheep, who protects the sheep from false teaching. Pastors also have authority role in the church and a responsibility to lead the whole church as the Chief Shepherd leads him.
Why does all these offices mean to the church?
(v 12) “For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry”
God gives pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets to equip you to do the work of the ministry!
That means my primary calling here is to teach and shepherd this church
And your primary calling is to do the work of the ministry.
How backwards we get this today!
So often church members believe their job is to come, sit in a seat, put money in a plate and cheer the pastor on. And some even believe the pastor works for them and if he is just a hired hand.
But that’s not what the Bible says.
And a church that does not operate according to this model will never reach its potential!
It will be a church who burns out the few that serves and never reach the spiritual maturity that God desires for it.
What is the work of the service or ministry in this church?
It is Christian service within the church! This encompasses everything that we do as a church
If you do not know your spiritual gift, the best place to start is be involved in everything the church does.
discipling others!
If you have been through our discipleship, you should be praying for God to send you a disciple
This involves praying.
We fast every Tuesday and then meet for corporate prayer
This involves evangelism!
Sharing the gospel in our personal lives as well in our community
It is also doing all the work involved in keeping this ministry going!
It may include cleaning up the church
serving in places of need
being involved in fellowship meals or the Sunday morning service itself
And why has God designed the church to function this way?
So that it will become a mature body of believers
So that it will become a mature body of believers
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Explanation
What is the end result God has in mind? SPIRITUAL MATURITY
What is spiritual maturity?
The word mature means to be perfect. Not as in we have no flaws, but as in “complete”
Look at how Paul describes spiritual maturity:
1) Mature is Christlikeness! (v 13) “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!”
That is the measuring stick we must all hold ourselves up to. It is not how much we know about the Bible, how much we do, it is how Christlike we are in our lives.
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
Our destination in this life is to be like Jesus
2) To be anchored (v 14) “as a result we are no longer to be children tossed by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine”
God does not want us building bunkers every time our cell phones shut down for 3 hours. Or every time some internet preacher puts a 2 minute clip on that sounds really good but isn’t biblical.
New ideas about Christianity are becoming more popular like the “Jesus gets us” campaign. That is not the Jesus of the Bible! Jesus saves us from our sin, He is not a God who understands we have a sin problem and THE OVERLOOKS IT! Jesus does not conform to us, but transforms us!
How easily are we shaken? Are we blown about every time something comes on the news or a new religion is introduced to us? Or a new idea?
We are to be anchored on the foundation of Christ!
3) Able to speak truth in love
If we can speak truth doesn’t mean we are mature.
And to speak to people in a loving way does not mean we are mature.
Our call is to speak truth in love. This is something that cannot be manufactured, for it is easy to detect when one is speaking out of true love for that person and when one is simply trying to tear that person down or be critical.
Our speech should always be seasoned with love, or we should practice the art of silence.
4) Serving as individual members to better the health of the whole church (v 16)
A mature believer does not simply think about themselves.
They are more interested in the well-being of the whole than about their own personal desires.
So they make sure that they are serving and doing their part, or what they can for the benefit of the whole.
If they know what their spiritual gift is they use it to serve others. If they see a need they jump in to increase the health of the church.
Child Illustration
Do you know a characteristic of a child? He is selfish and all about himself. All his toys are his. All the snacks are his. All the fun belongs to him. Children are naturally selfish.
Judah will go so far as be completely content and see one of his brothers with something and then want to go take it from him.
Jesus said this: Mark 10:43-45
“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
If we want to be mature, we must have a servant mentality. The too good to serve mentality is LEAST in God’s Kingdom. And the one who serves will be first among us all
Greatness is serving, not being served.
Conclusion
What shall we do with this message?
Make a commitment today to serve and function in your spiritual gift. Come to church to be equipped, and take personal responsibility for this ministry. When you see a need, step in and do it! That is God’s will for us.
If you are not a part of the body, give your body to Him today! Say Lord, here I am, use me take me, let me become a part of glorious body of Christ!
~PRAYER~
RESPONSE
PUBLIC INVITATION
“What a beautiful Name”
Words and Music by Hillsong
OFFERING
We will now worship the Lord through our tithes and offering.
BENEDICTION
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord cause His face to shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His face to you, And give you peace.’”