Growing In Maturity and Unity (Ephesians 4:7-16)

If you have your Bibles with you, please turn with my Ephesians 4:7-16 (pg. 152 in NT chair Bibles). Today, in this passage of Scripture we will discover God’s plan for growing the church. Prior to coming to Heritage, I once worked for a church that was obsessed with concept of church growth. The staff, of which I was a part, was frequently asked to read numerous books on church growth strategies. We spent hours discussing these books and the advice of the church growth experts. Eventually, we put many things into action that we were led to believe would guarantee that more people would come to our church. Sadly, that particular church, like many others equated church growth with mere numbers. And so, if there were over 500 people in church on Sunday morning, then the tone of the staff mtg that week was encouraging and we would then strategize on how we could possibly get 600 people there in the near future. If the numbers drifted below 500, well, then the tone of the church staff meeting was more intense, and we would be rebuked for not pulling our weight and making sure people attended. Sadly, in my time there, I cant remember one time looking to Scripture to see how God grows His church. We simply were too preoccupied with worldly models of growth that actually compete against God’s model.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church.” And in Ephesians 4:7-16, God gives us timeless principles on how Christ grows and builds His church. Interestingly, there is nothing to be found about numbers in this passage. You see the most mature and healthy churches are rarely the largest churches. Instead the most mature, God pleasing, and God honoring churches are simply the churches that seeks to know God, seeks to obey His Word, and preserves the unity of the Spirit. So how does Christ grow His church? Read with me Eph. 4:7-16. Notice with me three principles of biblical church growth…

1) Christians are uniquely gifted to ensure the maturity and unity of the church (vs. 7-10).

Notice how verse 7 begins with the small yet certainly not insignificant word “but.” It’s a simple conjunction that links and contrasts that what Paul is about to say with that which he has previous stated. You see the apostle is continuing to speak of the unity the church has given by the work of the Holy Spirit. In verses 1-6 Paul called on all Christians to walk in a manner worthy of their calling, to display the Christ-like attitudes of humility, gentleness, patience, forbearing love, and a diligence to preserve unity in the bond of peace. Furthermore, he reminded them of their gospel confession, that are united in one body, the church, by one Spirit, that they share one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God the Father. Paul is going to great lengths to remind us that everything about our lives as Christians is to be rooted in the unity and truth of the gospel. You see, even church growth occurs through unity and must be measured to some degree by unity.

Yet, here in verse 7, Paul says, “but”… which means, “in spite of all that” or “on the other hand.” God gives grace to each one of us. The word grace here in verse 7, speaks of the enablement and ability to perform the task God has called each of us to do. In Romans 12:6, Paul in similar fashion explained, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.” Notice also in Ephesians 3:7, in chapter proceeding this our text, that the apostle says that his apostleship came as a gift of God’s grace. The point Paul is making is simple: every Christian, every person who placed their faith in Christ, has received this enabling grace in the exact proportion in which Christ gave it to exercise that unique gift they has been entrusted with. We all have a special roll to perform within the church. And if we are going to grow, mature, and be unified it is dependent upon each member exercising their gift.

Notice, that last half of verse 7 that grace was given, “according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” You see this enabling grace is measured out perfectly by Christ to be consistent with what is necessary for the operation of Christ’s gift. The sum of this verse is that God sovereignly gives both the grace and faith to empower and energize whatever unique gift He gives to the fullest intent of His purpose. In 1 Peter 4:10, Peter wrote, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

There’s that beautiful word “manifold” again, Paul used in chapter 3 to speak of the manifold wisdom of God. It’s the Greek word used in the Septuagint to describe Joseph’s coat of many colors. Peter and Paul are both saying that unity does not mean uniformity. That in God’s wisdom He has put together a church, one united body of believers, and within that body, He has equipped each believer with a special gift as well as the enabling grace to preform that task to ensure the maturity unity of that church. Everything we as a church family need to grow in grace, God has certainly already provided within our congregation. You see, we each must do our part.

But also notice how Paul details the spectacular origin of this enabling grace that has given to us. This is found in verses 8-10. “Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” The apostle here, uses Psalm 68:18 as a comparative passage to reveal how Christ received the rights to bestow these gracious gifts upon believers. Psalm 68 is a victory hymn. It was composed by David to celebrate God’s conquest of the Jebusite city and triumphant ascent of God up Mount Zion.

After such a battle, the victorious king would bring home the spoils and prisoners of war to parade before his own people. Another significant feature of this celebratory parade, would be the display of the kings own soldiers who had been freed after being held prisoner by the enemy. These men were often referred to as recaptured captives­– prisoners who had been taken prisoner once again, by their own king in order to be given their freedom.

Paul, therefore, takes Psalm 68 verse 18 and looks at it Christologically. He’s arguing the phrase “when he ascended on high” depicts the triumphant Christ returning from battle on earth to His home in glory with trophies of a great victory.

The apostle is explaining that in Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus conquered Satan, sin, and death, and in that great victory, He led captive a host of captives, who were once prisoners of the enemy, but have now returned to God and the people to whom they truly belong. And upon His arrival in heaven, He gave gifts to men. Like a triumphant conqueror distributing the spoils of war to his subjects, the victorious Messiah takes the trophies He has personally won and distributes them into His kingdom.

Paul goes on verses 9 and 10 to explain his interpretation of Psalm 68:18. He writes, “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 the heavens, so that He might fill all things.” Notice, the apostle’s primary focus in on the ascension and exaltation of Christ, but Paul says this ascension comes only because He descended into the lower parts of the earth. This descent speaks of Christ setting aside certain divine attributes for the incarnation to occur, so that He could fulfill His God-given mission. In the words of Philippians 2:7-8, Christ Jesus “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to point of death, even death on a cross.”

You see, His descent was His humiliation. His willingness to become sin for us on the cross. His willingness to die and be buried into the lower parts of the earth. But three days later, He gloriously burst up in exaltation– so that now He fills the whole universe with His divine presence and sovereignty as the conquering King who joyously and generously lavishes both grace and gifts upon God’s children.

If you are a follower of Christ, God has given you a specific gift and the grace to use it within His church to build up the body. You alone possess a unique gift. A special gift that perhaps has been forged through unique experiences and polished with your unique personality to fulfill a specific need within our church family. Listen, we didn’t earn our gift, nor do we deserve it or chose it. You may even wish you had a different gift than the one He has given you, but God’s gift of grace to you is invaluable to our church, and oh how we need you to use it, to strengthen it, and constantly look for opportunities to practice it.

You see, you have a great responsibility to use your gift for His glory. Church family, if you chose to neglect your gift, please know that it is an affront to God’s wisdom, a rejection of His love and grace, and a great loss to your brothers and sisters within the church. His work is weakened, and His heart grieved when you neglect the gift and grace God has entrusted to you.

Friends, church was never meant to be a spectator sport! Sadly, modern Christianity tends to turn the worshiper into a consumer. Therefore, we chose to attend churches that meet all our likes and needs. Many people nowadays simply go to church just to be served and loved, rather than to serve and love. And oh, as a nation we are paying the high price of such a mindset.

Listen, we mature and grow in unity when each member is doing their God-given part. God-honoring church growth and maturity occurs through each member of the body serving one another in love in using their unique gifts. You say, I’m not sure what my roll is? I’m not sure of my gift? Well, the Bible gives us several list of spiritual gifts. There are various list found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and 1 Peter 4, but none of those lists are exhaustive. They simply show us possibilities of God’s gifting, and so certainly, there is wisdom in exploring those lists and examining our lives to see if something stands out.

But, I believe the best way you can discover your gift is by serving, volunteering to serve where ever needed, and working with our church leadership so that we can get to know you and utilize you and your giftedness in a place of need. If you want to explore such possibilities, please come find me, one of the elders, or staff members after the service and we can get you on that path. So, the first principle to church growth in maturity and wisdom is every member exercising their gift. The second one is...

2) Christians are blessed with church leadership to grow in maturity and unity (vs. 11-14).

After Paul’s parenthetical explanation of Psalm 68:18, he continues his explanation of spiritual gifts. And notice how the apostle emphasizes that Christ not only gives gifts to each individual believer, but he also gives gifts to the entire body of Christ. To every believer, the Lord gives unique special gifts with the divine enablement to exercise that gift according to His divine plan, and to the church as a whole Christ gives specially gifted men for their care and leadership.

Look again at verse 11, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.” From our study in Ephesians thus far, we understand that the apostles and prophets were foundational gifts to the church. We see that clearly in Ephesians 2:19-21, where Paul wrote, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.”

The word “apostles” here is a reference to the twelve, plus Paul who was uniquely the apostle to the gentiles, and the “prophets” here in this context is a reference to those gifted men in the New Testament who preached in association with the apostles. These two small groups, the apostles and prophets, were given to the church just to get her established. But now, today, their role is solely assumed by their writings which are collected within the New Testament scriptures. Both offices did not extend beyond the apostolic age. Therefore, there are no official apostles or prophets today. I realize there are some pastors in our culture who claim such titles, but they wrong to claim such titles.

But there is a group of leaders that God faithfully gives to every generation, and those are the evangelists and pastors and teachers. The word “evangelists” refers to those who are exceptionally gifted in proclaiming the gospel, specifically in making it clear and relevant to the lost. Now, regrettably, we live in a day when the word evangelist speaks of a man who has ten different suits, and ten emotional driven sermons, and he goes around visiting various churches for revival meetings. That’s really not who the Bible is speaking of here.

Evangelists in the New Testament were missionaries and church planters who went where Christ was unknown and led people to faith in the Messiah. They then spent time there, teaching the Word to the New believers and building them up as a church before moving on to a new territory.

Today, every church needs men who can share the gospel and are passionate about reaching the lost for Christ. Along with pastors and teachers this role is vital. For the evangelists keep inviting their friends to church and keep sharing the hope of Christ with the lost. They keep drawing people here to hear the gospel and build the church. Listen, every believer is called to evangelize, and thus we should be actively sharing the gospel with others, but some are uniquely gifted in this area. And for those here today who faithfully do this work… thank you, and please don’t stop doing the work of evangelism.

To the gift of evangelists, Paul adds the word pastor in verse 11, a word that carries the meaning of a shepherd. It emphasizes the care, protection, and leadership of a man of God for the flock. 1 Peter 5:2 speaks directly to pastors and reads… “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God.” Though a shepherd has many responsibilities, his priority must always be the feeding of the flock. And the word “teachers” here in verse 11 really has to do with the primary function of the pastor.

The Greek text seems to suggest that this particular reference to pastors and teachers is speaking of the same office. It’s simply a reference to the elders of the church who lead out in shepherding, teaching, and prayer.

Here at Heritage, we are blessed to have seven elders. Seven men who are gifted in teaching, leading, and shepherding. Seven men who faithfully and prayerfully study the Word and then diligently seek to apply it to all aspects of our church’s life in ministry. I am so incredibly thankful for these men who shepherd not only the church, but one another so well.

You see, these men are my elders as well, and they come along side me to encourage me and yes, at times lovingly rebuke me. Recently, one of our elders went above and beyond in equipping himself to care for us and our church. Bill Walker will you join me up here on this platform for a moment. Recently, Bill graduated from seminary, for years he has been juggling, family life, work, ministry, and school. He was unable to make it to his graduation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, so today, we want to honor you and your accomplishment of receiving a Master of Arts in Theological Studies… we have a small gift for you, just our way of saying thank you for working so hard at equipping yourself to care for us. (pray with Bill)

Over the years, here at Heritage, God has given us some incredible men to lead this church, and this texts reminds us that these men are gifts of His grace to grow and mature our church. Look back to the text with me to verses 12 where the apostle explains why God gives the church such gifted men to lead… “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

This is undoubtedly a watershed text for the doctrine of the church. You see, this verse effectively eliminates the traditional model of the local church where the professional pastors do all the work, and the members just ride along doing as little as possible. Instead, church leaders prepare, train, equip, and empower people for ministry. You see every believer is a minister who is to be equipped for the work of service.

The word “equipped” in the Greek refers to that which is fixed and restored to its original condition, it speaks of being made complete. The word was often used as a medical term for setting broken or dislocated bones. Paul uses this exact Greek term in his closing words to the church in Corinth, he wrote, 2 Corinthians 13:11… “Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like minded, live in peace…”. You see the role of the elders is to equip the church, make it complete, restore that which is broken, and move the membership to live out their faith by serving one another, utilizing the gift they have been entrusted with, so that the church may be built up.

Paul explains this more in verses 13 and following where he writes, “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.” The ultimate spiritual target for the church begins with the unity of the faith. As in verse 5, faith does not speak of the act of belief, but rather to Christian doctrine, and the body of Spiritual truth, that is recorded in the Scriptures. The faith is the content of the gospel in its most complete form. You see oneness in fellowship is impossible unless it built on the foundation of shared truth.

So, often I hear people say, I don’t like doctrine because it divisive. Not true church, doctrine unites. Now we might not agree on every doctrine in God’s Word, but those essential truths that Paul listed in verses 4-7, those seven one statements, those are vital to our unity.

Furthermore, and relatedly, Paul says we are to grow in knowledge of God. The apostle here is not talking about salvation knowledge but rather a deep relational knowledge that comes only through a lifestyle of fervent prayer, faithful study, fellowship with the saints, and obedience to God’s Word. This is surely a life-long process that will not come to completion until we see the Lord Jesus face-to-face.

But until we arrive in glory, we are to mature and grow in our faith “to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” That’s what Paul tells us here at the end of verse 13. You see God’s great desire for His church is that every believer, without any exception, becomes Christ-like in nature. That each Christian would manifest the character qualities of the only One who is fully-gown and perfectly mature. We are to grow in the faith so that we reflect the glory Christ to the dying world around us.

That’s the positive and encouraging way of saying what Paul says next in verse 14… “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.” Children by nature are rather gullible and easily deceived. Thus ,they are in constant danger of easily falling prey to every new religious fad or every culturally sensitive interpretation of scripture that comes along. As a lack of not being anchored to the gospel and the truth of God’s Word, they are subject to every sort of counterfeit truth and are tossed around by the waves the wind of such foolish doctrine.

That is what Paul is speaking of here in verse 14, not Biblical doctrine, but worldly doctrine, to which Paul adds “trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.” The apostle is simply using various illustrations of how men manipulate truth to make it seem right, when in reality it couldn’t be any more wrong. Martyn Lloyd Jones once wisely wrote, “We have somehow got hold of the idea that error is only that which is outrageously wrong; and we do not seem to understand that the most dangerous person of all is the one who does not emphasize the right things.” Listen, the most influential and damaging false teachers are those who simply mix little heretical ideas into their message, and those who say many of the same things a good and faithful teachers does, but the emphasize the wrong things.

Sadly, we live in a day where many churches have failed to mature their congregations. Despite our programs within the church, our education efforts, our freedoms, and access to God’s Word and sound teaching, many who proclaim to follow Christ are easily swayed away from the faith and true knowledge of God. Instead of listening to the Scriptures, they have listened to their own hearts, their own emotions, and trusted in their own understanding. And like little children they are being tossed by the raging waves and winds of false teaching.

Church family, God gives the church spiritual leaders to mature us and unify believers in the faith through their teaching. He gives them to equip each member for the work of ministry in order to build up the church.

As we’ve looked over these verses, I do pray that you can see God’s design for the church is different from what most people in our culture believe it to be. God created the church so that every member plays a vital role. He’s sovereignly placed leaders within each congregation to lead, shepherd, teach, and equip each member to fulfill its God-given task. Again, church is not a spectator sport. Instead, church is a place for each of us as believers are to proclaim the gospel to one another by honoring Christ and using the gifts He has blessed us with. Finally, one last principle...

3) Christians mature and grow in unity by living a life of dependency (vs. 15-16).

We live in a world that glamorizes and celebrates independence. As parents, we often aim to teach our kids to be independent. To be able to support themselves and live on their own. Often teenagers in the home can’t wait for the day they will leave the family household to discover their freedom and independence. Yet, the Bible warns here to be very cautious.

You see, you were not created to be independent. No, you were created to live dependent lives, to be dependent upon Christ and His church. You were created to do life together, as the family of God. That’s what Paul has been arguing in this letter, by saying we are all gifted uniquely and differently. Why? because we desperately need each other.

Starting in verse 15, the apostle reminds us how we are dependent on Christ. He writes, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head…” Most of us are very familiar with these beautiful words, that we are speak truth in love to one another. But the original Greek language emphasizes more than just speaking truth. You can literally translate the phrase, “speaking truth in love,” as “truthing.”

You see “truthing” carries the idea of not only speaking truth but doing it as well. And this is the medium through which all spiritual growth is maximized. For where there is “truthing in love,” where there are believers living out the truth in love to God and one another, and where there are believers speaking the truth in love, that is where the Spirit works most powerfully in our midst to grow us in spiritual maturity and unity. You see unlike that false teachers in verse 14 who use trickery and crafty arguments built on half-truths, the church is to live and speak truth, so that we may grow up in all aspects of Christlikeness. JC Ryle once said, “Unity is a mighty blessings; but it is worthless if it is purchased at the cost of truth.” Truth is key, and we must be busy truthing one another by speaking truth and living truth together.

Notice also in verse 15, that Christ is the head. This is an analogy that Paul speaks of often. It emphasizes Christ’s authority, His leadership, and His controlling power. Just as the brain is the control center of our physical life, the Lord Jesus is the very source of life and power to the entire Body, which is His church. To grow into all aspects of Christ, to grow in true Christlikeness, is to be completely subject to His controlling power, and to be be obedient to His will and Word. It is to personify one Paul’s most familiar prayers, (Phil. 1:21)… “For to me, to live is Christ.”

We are also told that “from (him) the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies.” The image is of the entire human body with all its parts coordinated and controlled by the head. The anatomy imagery is a powerful reminder and warning against doing God’s work in our own strength.

Oh, how easy it is to work hard and provide for our families while neglecting to pray. How easy it is be so concerned about doing well on a test, that you become willing to compromise your integrity. Oh, how easy it is to become overly consumed with our children’s lives, that we can easily neglect the spouse whom God gave to us to support us.

Life is busy, every morning we each start off on a journey that takes our minds into thousand different directions all at once, and when trials and troubles come we can easily act on our own wisdom and strength rather than rely upon Christ. Over and over again, we should remind ourselves the truth of John 15:5, that apart from Christ, we can do nothing! We are dependent upon Christ for wisdom, empowerment, and being able doing the right thing in any given situation. Apart from Him we can do nothing.

Paul reminded us in chapter 2, that apart from our faith in Christ we are simply dead in our sin. Unable to do anything pleasing to God. Unable to experience God’s blessings, His forgiveness, His love, His grace, His hope, His redemption. Unable to experience the fullness of life and His eternal life. You see apart from Christ, you are simply without hope, without peace, and will never experience true satisfaction. Apart from salvation your heart will just long for more and more and more and more. It never will find rest as its constantly seeking something to fill it.

But Psalm 107:9 reads, “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.” If you are here today, and your soul, your heart has never experienced the satisfaction that only Christ can give, I simply call on you to put your hope in Him. To believe in Christ, that He lived a sinless life, that He bore your sins on the cross, and died the death that you deserved, so that you can be forgiven. So that you can adorn His spotless righteousness as you stand before God on your day of judgment.

Believe in His sinless life, believe in His death that it defeated sin and death once and for all, and believe in His resurrection. If you believe in those things and turn from your sinful ways, God will bless you with both His forgiveness and life. And as you follow Christ and trust in Him, He will not only satisfy your heart, but He will continuously show you that you can do nothing pleasing to Him apart from His enabling grace. We are dependent upon Christ for all things!

But notice lastly, how we are also dependent upon one another. Verse 16, “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.” What a powerful verse that reminds us of the deep obligation that we have to one another. Again, everyone must do his or her part for us to grow as we should.

You see, the physical body functions properly only when each member in union with every other member responds to the direction of the head, to do exactly what it was designed to do. Oh, how this truth runs against the grain of our culture with its great emphasis on personal autonomy. Biblical Christianity cannot exist apart from community. We are part of the body of Christ and oh how we need each other.

A thumb without an arm is rather useless. An arm without an elbow is greatly limited. I could easily go on and on about how important each part of our body is important, how the wisdom of God is so evident in His creation of the human body, and how each part of the human body naturally relies upon the others to function properly. That’s what Paul is stressing here, we are dependent upon one another more than we can ever imagine.

Verses 15 and 16 remind us that every believer is to stay close to Christ Jesus, and they are to faithfully use their gift in close contact with every believer within the church. Through such commitment and ministry the Lord will build up His church in love. This small concluding phrase, “in love” is so important. Above all, the body of Christ is to manifest love when it is built up according to Christ’s plan. As we grow in grace by each member exercising their gift in love, we will also grow more in love for Christ and more in love with one another.

Over many years of ministry, I have reached out to numerous people who decided that they would leave the church in which I served to find another. And when I’ve asked them what led to that decision, a common answer i hear is that they didn’t feel loved. As I thought back over those conversations this week, and as I thought of verse 16, guess what? None of those who gave that answer faithfully served within the church. They never exercised their spiritual gift, they simply came here to feel loved, and when that need wasn’t met they concluded it was time to leave.

Listen, if you want to feel loved, if you want to feel at home here at Heritage, then must understand that each member, including you, is to be a love contributor and not just a love consumer. God has given you a gift, a wonderful gift that people in this family right now need to experience. And right now you as well have a need to experience the gifting of another person within this very room. Everything we need to grow in maturity and unity, God has richly provided us within this family of faith. He’s given us unique gifts, leadership, and reminded us that we are dependent upon Him and others. We simply must do our part. Will you? Are you willing to be more than just a consumer? Are you willing to serve Christ and His church, so that we may grow in all aspect of Christlikeness? Christ will build His and invites you to join Him on that mission. Will you? Pray with me!

KSW