How Christ builds His Church
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Use your gifts to equip saints; speaking gospel truth
Use your gifts to equip saints; speaking gospel truth
Intro into Ephesians:
Intro into Ephesians:
Paul is writing this letter to the church in Ephesus. One of the major themes in this letter is the church & specifically the composition of the church.
In chapter 2 Paul labors the point that the body of Christ is composed of both Jew and Gentile. Through the cross, Christ brought reconciliation between man and God, but also Jew and Gentile 2:16. Christ has brought peace Paul tell us and has made one new man, making one body. The cross brings peace between God and man.
Gentiles (non jews) are now apart of the household of God, Christ is the cornerstone. The church is now the temple of God, where God by His Spirit dwells.
In Chapter 3 Paul tells us this was a mystery that has now been revealed. And this truth, that gentiles are now one with Jews in the body of Christ is the wisdom of God. The church, comprised of both Jew & Gentile, reveals the wisdom of God.
Because of this Paul goes on to pray for them, that they would together, as one body, be rooted in love and together comprehend the love of Christ.
Because of all this, their oneness in Christ, the love Christ has for them, Gods wisdom in making both Jew and Gentile one body in Christ, he calls them to walk in unity. Important, he defines who they are before calling them how to live. Live this way, walking in a worthy manner, walk in unity, because you are already one in Christ.
This is a big deal! Jews & Gentiles were very different. Jews looked down on gentiles as unclean. But now they are one because of what Christ has done in the cross. So Paul says live like it. Because there is one body, One Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, One God, walk together in humility, gentleness, , patience, bearing with each other in love. Be diligent, diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bind of peace.
You are one, so live like it! But while you are one, Christ has given different gifts to his church. There is diversity, diversity of gifts and uses. But why, why does that matter, what does it mean for us Paul?
This is how we maintain unity. Gifts to all believers.
This is how we do it
Main idea: Christ has given gifts to his church to equip all believers for ministry, so that speaking gospel truth to one another in love, the whole body grows up into Christ.
Christ has given gifts to his church to equip all saints
spiritual leaders: will not go into detail, but will call out common work; all speak gospel truth
4:7 all of us have been given gifts
These specific gifts equip all believers; 4:16 individual part
How equip-speaking gospel truth
Equip for what? work of serves (ESV ministry) (building body)
What does the work of service/ministry look like?
2. Speaking truth in love. Notice vs. 12 & 15. Work of ministry, i.e building up body of Christ and vs. 15, speaking truth in love. grow up in Christ. The work of service is done as we speak truth in love.
what is speaking truth? any truth? Gospel truth 1:13
Paul in Colossians 1:28
Present/Active-ongoing. Not something we do once. Again, this is the work of all believers! Not just pastors, teachers evangelists. We all do, we all speak gospel truth. Quote from RC sproul commentary
In Love; 1 cor. 13; more excellent way, Eph. 4:1-2
without love its nothing, meaningless. Speaking truth without love does not build up.
What does it look like to speak truth in love: Paul in 1 cor. speaks gospel before rebuke
Brother/Sister comes and shares struggle. Ill pray for you vs. Christ died for you!
Christ has given gifts to his church to equip all believers for ministry, so that speaking the truth in love.
What is the goal of all this?
3. Building up of Body. Unity of Faith and Knowledge, becoming like Christ.
Unity of faith-John 17:21-23
Knowledge of Son of God: Phil. 3 and John 17:3
Being one, growing in knowing Jesus, results in a mature man, becoming like Christ!
The church displays wisdom of God, its how the world comes to know Him!
We are not to be children, but mature! Be mature in thinking! Doctrine matters, growing in truth matters and its for all believers!
easy to be swayed (illustration of ocean)
No higher goal for us as a body! We are working together, to help each other grow, to help the body become one, to become like Christ. Our small groups, mens groups, women's groups, RPMs, care groups, all exits to this goal! In all these ministries we have opportunities to speak gospel truth to one another for the building of the body.
We are blessed to have gifted teachers, pastors and elders to equip us. May this be a reminder for us all, for those called to equipping and all of us called to the work of ministry, the goal is Christlikeness, in us as individuals and as a body!
Our church has done a wonderful job of this. Share story of you and kandace talking about blessing of Riverstone!
This will happen. Notice the until, this is an ongoing work until the end. But it will happen.
End with preaching Christ: Ephesians 5:25-27
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
Christ have himself for the church, for all believers so he might present us mature. He died for his bride, we are his bride. He is the head, giving us all we need to mature and Christ. We cannot call him a hard taskmaster, we will have no excuses for not serving in the work of ministry. He loved us, He died for us, he will present us mature.
If you are here and you do not know Christ, see that he died for you, to save you and bring you into this wonderful family!
growth of the body comes through gospel speaking. There is no substitue for this. We do not need inventive ways, cool ways. We need to keep proclaiming the gospel and and overtime see the body of Christ be built up and this is happening! What I need, what you need most to grow, is the gospel. It is the power of God for salvation!
Repeat main idea!
Implications/applications:
Every believer in Christ here matters. If gifted and plays an integral part (why we so highly value church membership) If you here and not church members I encourage you to consider that. Not that becoming a member automatically makes you do your part, but commits you to this body! your commitment to your small group matters!
We all have work to do.
When we gather, remember we are being equipped for the ministry (all of us)
be intentional about looking for opportunities to speak gospel truth to those in your life (groups, etc)
3. If your sitting there convicted, not doing this. Repent and turn, receive fresh forgiveness and trust that Jesus has work for you and have provided the means to get to work! We need you!
4. Keep growing in learning how to speak gospel truth.
5. Know your need for others
With this we will pick up in today’s passage: Ephesians 4:11-16.
Ready & Pray-Lord help us to see & apply
As we work through todays text we will see the following that we will focus on:
vs. 11-12:Christ gift to church for equipping saints
He Gave; Christ gifted these roles to the church. Their purpose is to equip the saints.
What does that mean? How are they equipping the saints?
We will not go into detail on all these roles, but a few things worth noting.
They all involve speaking; they speak to equip. Not speaking whatever they want, they speak the truth, they speak the gospel.
Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.
Paul saw himself this way
of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
Philip, who is called the evangelist, proclaims Christ
These roles are gifts from Christ to the church, that primarily speak, proclaim Christ to equip saints. Speaking Gods word to equip!
But what are we equipped for?
Vs. 12: for the work of service, which he goes onto say is the building up up of the body of Christ.
This is important. We ask who is doing the work of the ministry? the saints! All the saints, that includes the Pastors, Elders, Evangelists, but all the saints. According to Paul, who was inspired by the Spirit, God in his wisdom gifted the leaders to equip, train instruct all believers to do the work of ministry.
I think part of that means they are gifts from Christ to church to equip all believers to use their diverse gifts to build up the body.
But most importantly it means every one in this room who is a believer in Christ is to be doing the work of ministry. Do you see yourself that way? Are you doing the work of ministry? More on what the means and looks like in a bit.
This passage speaks boldly to the twentieth century church. Somehow, somewhere, an idea emerged and became very popular in the Christian community; so popular in fact, that it has now become almost an iron-clad tradition. It is that the ministry of the church is to be done by the paid, professional, theologically-trained clergy. According to this view, the whole purpose of the laity is to receive the benefits of ministry, in terms of preaching, counselling, comfort, and those other things that we seek to provide in the church. But the reason why certain gifts are given for leadership is to equip the believers for ministry. The church is to be a mobilised army.
R. C. Sproul, The Purpose of God: Ephesians (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 1994)
Did you catch that one line; according to this view, the whole purpose of the laity (everyone not paid pastor) is the receive the benefits of ministry. Are you here only to receive benefits, or are you here to be equipped to serve the body of Christ?
Paul goes on to tell us in vs. 13 what building up the body of Christ means and looks like:
Unity of Faith and Knowledge of the Son of God, growing in maturity becoming like Christ.
that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
That is unity of Faith; Us, the church, every nation, tribe, tongue, Jew & Gentile, united in Christ, living as one in Christ. Unity centered in Christ, based on the unity of the Father & Son.
Knowledge of Jesus. This is a frequent phrase in Pauls letters. But what does it mean? it does not mean to just know facts about Jesus.
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Christ gifts, leaders, equip, all saints do ministry.
Teachers speak truth, gospel, doctrine to equip saints to do the same! Hebrews: encourage one another!
don’t be children grow up.
Teachers equip to build body. As this happens we are not children, but we speak truth to build to grow up in Christ!
Application: someone shares struggle, suffering. We speak gospel, Christ died for you, you are in Christ, secure. He is working and will complete his work in you.
Tie in riverstone philosophy
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
body is built up as we speak the gospel to one another, as we point each other to Jesus.
This was what Paul modeled to the church:
We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.
Proclaim Christ, to present us mature in Christ
End with preaching Christ