Building Together As One Body

Exodus 17:8–16 ESV

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Pray for the sermon and series

The Dessert For Israel a Place in Which they Are being Refined

Rephaim was a place of being stretched and the people were grumbling

Moses Cannot Do it Alone

Joshua chooses men for battle

Aaron and Hur ascend to the viewing place

Moses must stay in the fight

Moses gets much of the credit but it took a group of appointed and anointed people to accomplish the work ahead of them....

The work of repairing the breaches of the church will require a restoration of the workforce in the body of Christ.

Building Up the Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:11–13 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Five Fold Ministry

Apostles, Prophets, Evangelist, Shepherds, Teachers.

These are the builders and helpers of the church modern

These will equip the saints for ministry

They are here to stay

Many today will dismiss the Apostles and Prophets

Asked big “A”apostles or little “a”

No where in scripture does it state they have ceased to be.

Their function will cease when

we achieve unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God

to mature manhood

to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

The work of repairing the breaches of the church will not be accomplished by one person it will take all of the ones found in the five fold ministry

Made Ready Since the Beginning of Time

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Paul is addressing the work of Salvation and the reason for your salvation

more than living to die then its off to Heaven...

far from selfish salvation there is a work that you are being called to accomplish

You have crafted in Christ Jesus to accomplish

A responsibility you have been given

Salvation is the start not the end…

you “should”

the mood of the verb is… a strong desire or intention… but leaves it up to the person to decide...

Paul proceeds to explain the condition we were in and how it took those sent by the Spirit

Joined Together as A Whole

Ephesians 2:19–22 ESV

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

You are no found as part of the citizenship of the household of God which means there is work to do

The structure is bound together by the Holy Spirit

Jesus the cornerstone

Apostles and Prophets build a foundation

Only when we work together are we a dwelling place for God

Brought Together As One

Ephesians 4:4–7 ESV

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The Gifts that Have Been Given Testify of the Unity that will be required

One Lord

One Faith

One Baptism

One God

The graces is given according to Christ and is not of our own

we cannot boast how we are the best APEST then the grace and measure thereof belongs to the Lord

Equipped for Growth

Ephesians 4:13–16 ESV

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Defense against

waves of Doctrine

Human cunning, craftiness, deceitfulness, scheming

Speaking the Truth in Love

Each part must work properly if we are to see the church grow...

Today there are many people who are steering clear of church thinking the system is broken… they dont care to be at church any longer…

When we look there are so many churches that have thrown away the apostle, and the prophet they appear big and massive but fail to protect the church from waves of erred doctrine…

Our task is to examine what it is that we have been called into the APEST can be found caring for children… on the worship team… behind the pulpit or some other function but it is our responsibility to fill the office we have been called to… everyone of us.