Real Church III - What can I do

Real Church III – What I can do - Ephesians 4:1-16 (NV 7/25/04 am)

OS: A Real TV – Cartoon (fictitious characters sitting around the living room watching “Real TV”) – Mammy, Aunt Alliwill, and Bird watching Soaps as real TV,

I.       Are we a “Real” Church or a fictitious church?

A.     What does it mean to be a real church?

B.     Lesson #1 – It means being Jesus. (You don’t begin like that, but you are built in to that.)

C.     Lesson #2 – Jesus has provided for the removal of all barriers to our becoming a real church. He has made peace man to man, and man to God.

II.    What is all this going to mean to me?

A.     Don’t you want to live a life that counts? The last thing you want to do is get to the end of life and realize you’ve lived in a fantasy world and spent your life on things that really don’t matter.

B.     You only get to live once!

C.     Don’t you want to be a part of something that is going to go beyond your life? Spend your life on something that’s going to reach into the years ahead, and into the lives of your Grandchildren and their children and theirs?

D.     These things will happen only if we continue to work toward being the real church that belongs to Jesus and becomes Jesus to this world.

TS] Read Text: B C D E Ephesians 4:1-16

2       F Calling? – verse 4 :just as you were called to one hope when you were called—

2       How does a person get called? And are we called? G  21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;  23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

US: H If I’m living a life worth of the calling – worthy of the price that’s been paid for me; Worthy of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. “The Vietnam Vet”

If I’m living a life worth of the calling I am… (all answers are in the text)

I.       I Promoting Unity not Division

A.     This text centers on Unity

                       1.       Unity because this system (Life, Belonging) you’ve been called into is “ONE” – One body, Spirit, hope, …

                       2.       If we are going to be a real church that means we are all going to have to take it upon ourselves to promote unity rather than division!

                       3.       Each Sunday our minister presents a "children's sermon" to all the young children. Recently a bright-eyed three-year-old girl listened intently as he explained that God wanted them all to get along and love each other. "God wants us all to be one," he said. To which the little girl replied, "But I don't want to be one. I want to be four!"

B.     Unity is Building better relationships

                       1.       All answers in the text – J   2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace

                       2.       Why patience? Why “bearing with one another?” Why “Gentleness”? Because we are going to rub one another the wrong way!

                       3.       Our fallenness makes us want to be a part of not just any group, but an exclusive group. By definition, every society includes people who connect, who belong to one another. Yet every society includes people who feel left out, who don't get chosen at recess, whose invitations to dance get turned down, who get blackballed and cold-shouldered and voted off the island. We exclude others because of pride or fear or ignorance or the desire to feel superior.

                       4.       That cannot be a part of the real church!

C.     We are called by the cross of Christ to live above the level of the world. To live together in community and oneness.

TS] If we are going to be the real church, and I’m going to live worthy of the calling with which I have received I’m going to promote unity in the church rather than division!

II.    K Involved in Service not seeking to be Served

A.     All answers are in the text.

                       1.       L  11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,  12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

                       2.       M This is one of the most obvious marks of maturity for Christians – When I begin to see my life as a ministry to others I have stepped up a level in my Christian maturity.

B.     Jesus as example

                       1.       N Matthew 2025 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—  28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

C.     O This is the mark of Christian Maturity.

                       1.       Responsibility of the leadership of the church to prepare, equip the members of the church for works of service. 301 – 401

                       2.       Small groups – How to serve one another, learn to love one another enough to be there when the chips are down. Service to people!

                       3.       Not superficially! Superficial members serving superficially will produce nothing more than a superficial church – not the real church.

                       4.       Illus. - On our first anniversary, after a romantic candlelit dinner, my wife, Elizabeth, emerged from the kitchen with the finishing touch: the top of our wedding cake for dessert. At the first cut, the iced layer "squeaked" at us. For an entire year, we had saved a round chunk of frosting-covered Styrofoam in our freezer.

                       5.       Let’s not be a church like that, but a church that serves one another.

TS] If we are going to be the real church, and I’m going to live worthy of the calling with which I have received I’m going to promote unity in the church rather than division; Involved in Service not seeking to be served. And…

III.  P Promoting growth not stunting growth

A.     Notice the outcome of the text:

                       1.       Q “Works of Service” -  so that the body of Christ may be built up  13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.  14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

                       2.       R As a member you do your part to help us become more and more the body of Jesus to this community.

                       3.       Prayer, Serving, Giving, Reaching out to people around you.

B.     Difficulty is that growth doesn’t come without change and change is uncomfortable.

                       1.       Change stares us in the face every day of our life, but when it comes to church we tend to fight against it, and that stunts growth rather than promoting it.

                       2.       The truth will never change, but our methods must change.

                       3.       The truth of the matter is this, we exist to bring glory to God through helping people come to know Jesus, grow to be like Him, and show Him to the world.

                       4.       I don’t like change. When I look at that picture made 10 years ago and compare it with what I see in the mirror every morning I don’t like it. A healthy body grows and changes, and how many of us would starve our children to keep from having to buy new clothes and shoes?

                       5.       One of the greatest signs that we are growing up as a body is the change that is taking place. This church is different than when I first preached here almost exactly seven years ago today.

                       6.       We are facing an exciting, scarry, thrilling, change in the move we are making to amity Hill road.

C.     S One of the greatest ways you can promote growth is by participating wholeheartedly in our Family & Friends day on September 26th. The message that day will be on Jesus, His gospel, family and friends.

                       1.       Don’t wait!

                       2.       3 people – prayer, care, and share.

                       3.       Get involved in a small group and do your part to make it a good healthy group that will provide an avenue for new people to make friends and become a part of this body.

D.     The more you promote growth the more change you will have to deal with.

                       1.       We have done it thus far and there is no reason we can’t continue.

TS] This is the message of God’s Word today – Live your life worthy of the calling you have received by promoting unity, serving people, and promoting growth through your involvement in the work here at Northview.

Then, and only then, will your life count for something that will live on long after you are gone. And when you stand before God as we all will one day, He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”

If Jesus were to come back right now are you sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’d go home to live with Him for eternity?