Body Building

Instead… a word we use a lot… and it is a word of redirection.

Instead defined means in place of : as a substitute for or alternative to

Instead means there is more than one way to go… more than one option on the table. It means… we have a choice.

For instance, I would rather have vanilla ice cream INSTEAD of chocolate ice cream.

I like most all music but I prefer more modern styles INSTEAD of traditional styles.

Some might say you prefer more traditional styles INSTEAD of more modern styles.

I enjoy camping in a tent INSTEAD of camping in an RV.

These statements all deal with matters of preference… I like this instead of that. We often choose what we like INSTEAD of what we don’t like… this seems like a natural choice.

And in light of that idea… I want to talk about what should be a natural choice for the body of Christ tonight.

You, I, WE are the body of Christ!

If you have a relationship with Jesus, then you are a part of the body… the body that has been commissioned by Jesus to be the extension of His ministry until He returns!

I am glad to be a part of this body! I am glad to know Jesus… and it is my joy to make Him known!

I like talking about several different topics… my family, cars, horsepower, music, technology, some movies, etc. But when you get me talking about Jesus… well there is nothing I want to talk about more.

Why? BECAUSE HE CHANGED EVERYTHING! He has given us new hope, peace, and life! So when the opportunity arises, I speak Jesus!

And my hope is… that we all delight in sharing the name of Jesus with others! I hope we all delight in serving others in our service of the King.

There are a lot of things you could be doing tonight but INSTEAD of doing those things… you are here… at a special service designed for our ministry team. And your pastor does not take this lightly.

You being here shows a commitment to what we are doing for the Lord as a church. We cannot do what we do on a weekly basis without you. You are helping to build the kingdom of God!

And tonight… is all about building the body of Christ.

No so much numerically… but in our spiritual maturity and faith. It is my biblical job description… to operate as a sort of personal spiritual trainer for the body of Christ.

I can’t tell you how to build muscle… I think that is obvious.

I Can’t tell you what foods you need to eat and how much water you need to take in and how much daily exercise you need to stay physically fit.

But spiritually… that’s a different story. Jesus gave the church “body building coaches” known as pastors (as well as other spiritual offices) and according to Ephesians 4:12 the office of pastor was given to the church with the responsibility:

Ephesians 4:12 NIV

12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

Anyone remember the old Hans and Franz… the two guys that were here to pump… you up?

Well I am here to pump you up with the Word! These nights are designed to help keep us in the good fight… to keep us in line with God’s mission and tonight… I want to talk about a redirection… a Word from Ephesians… that begins with the word… instead.

Main Verse: Ephesians 4:15-16

Ephesians 4:15–16 NIV

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of 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.

So there we see that word… thee we see that redirection. What is it that Paul was redirecting the church at Ephesus to do?

Paul was working to move them from a position of being influenced by the world… to be influential teachers of the WORD.

AND… what was it that would help the body move from being blown and tossed by the “wind” of the world? SPIRITUAL MATURITY.

God did not lay this message on my heart tonight to accuse this body of believers of being spiritually immature… However… we need to make sure we are growing STRONGER in our walk with the Lord on a daily basis… especially if we are going to serve in a regular ministry capacity.

Jesus is the head of this church and His Word is the message we teach. Our methods may change, but our message will forever remain the same.

But we are going to encounter people who will challenge the message. We are going to encounter people who will question the truth. We will face a culture that is increasingly becoming more godless in its ways and nature.

As the body of Christ… WE MUST CONTINUE TO STAND FIRM no matter what challenges we may face. How do we do that?

One, We Make Time for MATURING.

No matter how young or old you are, no matter how much experience you have, no matter if you were born in the church or you just gave your life to Jesus yesterday… WE ALL HAVE ROOM TO GROW IN OUR FAITH.

When it comes to our physical bodies… how is it that they grow… stronger? Do we grow stronger going through our regular routine OR do we grow stronger by challenging the normal routine?

Physical strength is GAINED through physical challenge. Muscle is broken down that it might heal… stronger.

In order to get stronger physically, we go through certain disciplines that push our abilities.

Spiritually… it is the same thing.

We need to challenge ourselves to grow. This means:

We INCREASE our intake of the Word.

We INCREASE our time spent in prayer.

We INCREASE our dedication to worship.

And… as these things increase, certain things must decrease.

We DECREASE our intake of the world.

We DECREASE our living by the flesh.

We DECREASE our dabbling in sin.

Physically, if you want to get in better shape, it means as we grow in the good, we must… let go of the bad.

None of what is on the food menu tonight is going to help with my desire to be in better physical shape.

If I want to get serious in getting more healthy, then I need to make better choices when it comes to the food I eat.

INSTEAD of eating sugar and ice cream, I need to eat vegies and ice cream (not really).

Spiritually, if we want to grow in our maturity and faith, not only do we need to be on the right exercise routine but we must also choose to be on the right diet plan.

Need less anxiety in your life? Turn off Fox News and spend time in prayer.

Need less carnal thinking in your life? Stop listening to or watching the wrong stuff and praise the Lord. (rejoice in the Lord always)

Need less false claims and hidden agendas? Get back to the Word… the truth that will set you free.

Two, We Continue to Operate as ONE BODY.

We are THE body of Christ… ONE body. And this body is something that can only operate at its best as it operates in unity.

We have enough challenges awaiting us outside of these walls… the last thing we need to do is create more challenges within our lives with disunity inside the body.

To be clear, I have not detected any disunity nor is this a reaction point to anything happening within the church. UNITY IS WORTH PROTECTING. And we need to pay attention to the words that are shared in Ephesians 4:15-16.

We aim to become the mature body of Him (Jesus) who is the head. Christ Jesus is the HEAD of the body of Christ. If anything or anyone else takes this position… then we cease to be the body.

Scripture says that from Him, the body is built up in LOVE

Christ Jesus is the ultimate example of love in action. His ministry is all about showing love and compassion to hurting and broken world.

In that love and compassion He healed the sick, made the lame walk again… He brought hope to the hopeless and deliverance to the oppressed.

In that love and compassion He called out sin, He spoke the truth… He did not condemn, but He did not condone. He did not overlook sin… but He made the way for the forgiveness of sin.

The body is built up by love that comes from the head who is Christ. This is a compassionate love… AND when needed… a corrective love. And the goal in all of this is to keep us connected with Jesus.

Scripture also says that this body is HELD TOGETHER by supporting ligaments

I see this as… encouragement. I see this as… the body taking care of itself. I see this as… caring for one another, holding each other up, and making sure each member of the body is doing okay.

This isn’t just the pastor’s job… this is the job of the body. EACH PART MUST DO ITS WORK IN THIS.

We need to encourage one another… cheer each other on! We need to come to the aid of one who is down and help lift them back up!

Jesus didn’t assume a person would be okay… He made sure they would be okay. OR… at the very least He showed them the way back to wholeness. He didn’t come to leave us where we are, He came to restore and unite our fellowship with God.

Unity is NOT something to be taken for granted… it is something to be protected. Unity does not come by accident… it is intentional.

Three, We Hold on to TRUTH, and we Speak in LOVE.

As the body, we MUST remain faithful to God’s Word. We cannot afford to get side tracked or distracted with any other “word” or way the world will try to offer.

We are seeing it happen… compromise. Perversion. We are seeing the Word of God be replaced by the word of man even in pulpits across the nation.

The easy path to go down… is the path of least resistance. It is easier to go with the flow INSTEAD of standing on the Word. But God never said this would be… easy.

When trials come… and they will come… it is not a time to look for the easiest way through… it is time to find the God-honoring way through. WE MUST FOLLOW HIM IN ALL THINGS.

And when the going gets tough but the faith remains strong… the Word says something amazing will happen.

James 1:3–4 NIV

3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Therefore… as the world tries to bring pressure, INSTEAD of choosing the easy route… INSTEAD of being blown by the wind and tossed around by every new worldly idea… we must remain steadfast to the truth that is God’s Word.

That truth… His Word is our foundation. If that foundation begins to crack or fall apart… everything built upon becomes threatened.

Now, the Word will FOREVER remain the same. It will not be shaken, it will not crumble and fall. So if that is the case… how would our foundation ever crack or fall apart?

The answer is by walking away from it or compromising or twisting it just a bit. The Word must remain the Word and we must remain dedicated and committed to both hearing and living it out!

Closing Song - Build My Life

So if the worship team comes back up, I want to close with a song we know… a song that talks about build our lives on the foundation of Jesus - His Word, His love.

And as we sing this together… if you have noticed any need to grow in one of these three areas, let’s give it to Jesus.

Maybe your daily disciplines have become a little less daily and a little less disciplined.

Maybe your focus regarding unity within the body of Christ has been struggling. Maybe something has been bothering you or your focus has shifted to a me focus instead of a team focus. Let’s choose to protect and intentionally work on unity.

Maybe you’ve allowed the ideas of reasoning of the world to impact you in some spiritual areas. Maybe its time to refocus on what the Word says INSTEAD of what the world might say.

Church… the Lord is worthy of our highest praise, worthy of our service and devotion, worthy of the long hours of ministry, worthy of the investment for the Kingdom, HE IS WORTHY.

And tonight, your pastor is simply encouraging you… to grow. Don’t allow the daily routine take the place of your personal spiritual growth and development.

As we sing, let’s allow the Spirit to work on our hearts and souls. Let’s allow God… TO BUILD THIS BODY!