Ephesians: Growing Up
Notes
Transcript
Good morning, everyone. It's great to see all of you here today. If you're visiting with us, welcome—we're so glad you're here. We're in the middle of a series on the book of Ephesians, this letter that Paul wrote to a group of early Christians in a city called Ephesus.
It's a roadmap for how to live as followers of Jesus in a tough world and how we should work together as members of the church. It all starts with unity. Last week we started with the unity we have because of what God has done for us:
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope at your calling—5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
We finished up last week talking about the spiritual gifts Jesus gives to His people and to the church. We saw that God hands out spiritual gifts to all believers—things like encouraging others or teaching or being hospitable—so we can build each other up and serve in Jesus' name. And Jesus also gave some people roles to lead the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.
Today, we're picking right up from there in Ephesians 4:11-16. The big idea is this: We should all be growing in our spiritual lives, getting more mature, so that we start looking and acting more like Jesus. And when we grow in our faith, we won’t be tossed around by every new thing that the world throws at us. We’ll be united under our king Jesus and nothing can stop us from accomplishing the mission He’s given us to take the gospel to the whole world!
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
Paul starts by reminding us of a few special roles God set up to lead the church : apostles and prophets to kick off the church back in the early days, and now evangelists and pastors to keep things going. Let's pause there for a minute and unpack what those first two roles meant, because understanding them helps us see the solid start God gave His church.
You see, when Jesus walked this earth, He handpicked a group of ordinary guys—fishermen, a tax collector, everyday folks like you and me—to be His apostles. That's what the word means: "sent ones." After He rose from the dead and went back to heaven, these apostles were the ones God used to launch the whole Christian movement. They weren't just leaders; they were eyewitnesses. They had seen Jesus heal the sick, calm storms, teach crowds on hillsides, die on a cross for our sins, and then—miracle of miracles—walk out of that tomb alive three days later. No one else could say that. Their job was to tell the world about it, straight from what they'd lived through. They traveled far, planted the first churches in big cities like Jerusalem, Antioch, and Rome, and wrote down a lot of what we call the New Testament to make sure the truth stuck.
But it wasn't easy. These men faced beatings, shipwrecks, angry mobs—all because they wouldn't shut up about Jesus. God backed them up with signs and wonders, like healing people or allowing them to speak in languages they hadn’t learned, to show folks this was real, from God Himself.
Think of Peter and John in the book of Acts, standing boldly before rulers who wanted them quiet. Or Paul, who wasn't one of the original twelve but was called by Jesus on a dusty road to Damascus—he became the apostle to folks outside the Jewish world, writing letters that still guide us today. The apostles laid the cornerstone, the foundation stone, for everything that followed. As Paul says later in this same letter to the Ephesians, the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone."
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
That foundation? It's like the footings under a barn or a house here in the country—strong, deep, holding up the walls no matter what storms come. Without it, the whole thing crumbles. The apostles made sure the early believers knew the basics: Jesus is God in the flesh, He died to pay for our mess-ups, rose to beat death, and invites us to follow Him forever. They set the rules, settled arguments, and got the church off the ground in those wild first years.
And then there were the prophets—people God tapped to speak fresh words straight from heaven, like a direct line to His heart. Remember that believers in New Testament times didn’t have a Bible like we do. They had the Old Testament books and these prophets helped fill in the gaps while the New Testament was still being written.
In the Old Testament, think of guys like Isaiah or Jeremiah, who warned kings and warned people about coming trouble or promised rescue through a coming Savior. In the early church, prophets did something similar, but now it was all pointing to Jesus as that Savior who'd already come. They didn't make up their own stuff; God put the words in their mouths to guide, encourage, or correct the new groups of believers.
Sometimes it'd be a prediction, like in Acts 11 when a prophet named Agabus stood up in a meeting and said a big famine was coming, so the church could prepare and help each other. Other times, it'd be a nudge: "Hey, don't fight over that; love each other instead." Or comfort: "God sees your hard times; keep going."
They confirmed what the apostles taught, kept things on track, and built excitement about what God was doing next. But here's the thing—once that foundation was solid, once the apostles had passed on and the Scriptures were complete, those specific roles wrapped up. It's like pioneers clearing the land and building the first cabin; after that, families move in and tend the farm, generation after generation.
God didn't need to keep sending new apostles or prophets in that exact way because the groundwork was done. The Bible now holds all we need—His full revelation, clear and unchanging. Today, we test any "word from God" against what's already written there. No more new foundations; we're building higher on what's already set.
That brings us to the roles Paul describes as evangelists, pastors and teachers. Evangelists are out there spreading the good news of Jesus to folks who haven't heard it, starting new churches in places that need it most—maybe a far-off village or right down the road. And then there's the pastor-teacher—that's the person called to shepherd a local church like ours. It's one word in Greek, really: pastor-slash-teacher. It's the man who cares for the flock, feeds them spiritually, and helps them learn.
The evangelist brings people in—wins hearts for Jesus, gets them connected to a church. But then the pastor-teacher steps up to equip them, train them, get them ready to serve others and grow deep in their faith. See, God doesn't save us just to leave us sitting there. He wants us mature, strong, like grown-ups in our walk with Him. Not babies forever, but people who can stand tall..
So, the pastor-teacher's job? To equip the church (some translations say perfecting)—the saints, that's just Bible talk for all believers—for the work of ministry. That word equip means to make complete.
Ministry isn't some fancy word for only preachers. It means service, loving people, sharing Jesus. The pastor trains church members like a coach preps a team for the big game. Think about it: A coach doesn't drill players on jumping higher or running faster just for show. No, it's so they can hit the field, play smart, and win together. God doesn't want you benched, watching from the sidelines. He wants you in the game—loving your neighbor, forgiving that hard-to-love family member, telling a friend about the hope in Jesus.
And here's the key: The coach can't play every position. The team has to suit up. Pastors can't do all the church work alone. God designed every one of us to jump in, using our gifts, so His kingdom moves forward. That's the goal: Mature believers who look like Jesus.
Now, how does this equipping happen? God uses a few tools, and they're not always easy. First, testing—those tough spots in life that stretch our faith. God lets trials come, not to break us, but to build us.
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Trials? Like losing a job, dealing with sickness, or facing family struggles. They test our trust in God, and if we lean in, they grow endurance—like muscles after a hard workout. We come out stronger, more complete.
Then there's suffering. It's heavier, but God uses it too, to refine us like gold in fire.
10 The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.
That word "restore"? It means equip, bring to full maturity. After the pain, God picks us up, makes us steady. But remember, these tools are in God's hands. He picks the tests and the suffering—wise, just, loving Father that He is. He wants our best, not our hurt. We have to trust: "God, this feels rough, but I know You're good. Use it to grow me."
Okay, so those are God's big-picture tools. But day-to-day, the pastor-teacher uses two main ones: Teaching the Bible and prayer. There has always been a buzz about church growth—books, seminars, strategies to pack the pews. Fine, but if they skip solid Bible teaching and prayer? They're empty.
The primary role of the pastor/teacher is praying and teaching so the church is prepared to minister to people. Back in the early church, when folks complained that some widows weren't getting food help, the apostles didn't drop everything to fix it themselves.
1 In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution. 2 The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
7 So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
They delegated the practical stuff, stayed laser-focused on prayer and preaching. And boom—the church exploded. Not by gimmicks, but by feeding souls.
Why the Bible? Because it's God's breathing, living words—everything we need to know Him, obey Him, become like Him.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Inspired means God-breathed—He put His thoughts in human words. It teaches right living, calls out our wrongs, straightens our paths, trains us to act just. Result? We're complete, geared up for good stuff—serving, loving, witnessing.
And prayer? It's our lifeline to God. As your pastor, I commit to praying for you—your needs, your growth. Like this guy Epaphras, who Paul praised.
12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling for you in his prayers, so that you can stand mature and fully assured in everything God wills.
Wrestling in prayer—fighting for your maturity. I need to grow my own prayer life too, and lead us all deeper with God. Prayer connects us, changes us, equips us.
What is the purpose of equipping?
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.
It's to build up the body of Christ—like building a house, brick by brick so the whole church stands strong. The goal? Real change in every heart—yours, mine.
First, unity in the faith (verse 13a). "The faith" means the full truth of the gospel—what Jesus did, died for sins, rose again. Unity comes when we're taught right and serve side by side. Doctrine plus doing— that's glue for God's family.
Then, knowledge of the Son of God (13b). Not head-knowledge, but heart-deep, like knowing your spouse after years together. I've been married for 29 years— I know my wife's quirks, her laugh, what makes her tick. It’s the same with Jesus: Time in prayer, Bible, worship grows that intimacy. Pastor-teachers help by pointing us there, stirring hunger to know Him, be like Him.
Next, maturity with the full standard of Christ (13c). God's plan? Shape us into Jesus' image.
29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Conformed—molded like clay. The Holy Spirit works in us, smoothing rough edges, building Christ-like character: Kind, bold, humble, loving. Mature faith reflects Jesus— not perfect yet, but heading there.
And maturity brings sound doctrine (verse 14).
14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.
No more kids tossed by waves or winds of bad teaching. Little children get excited by shiny fakes—toys that break quick. Immature faith does too: Swept by clever lies, human tricks, Satan's deceptions. They're everywhere—TV gurus promising easy riches, bestseller books twisting truth, internet rants, even sneaky stuff in churches. Satan? Master liar, stirring confusion, splits.
Paul warned about it.
17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, 18 because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words.
Avoid smooth talking leaders who are only in it for themselves, How? Read your Bible, soak in godly teaching, grow mature. Truth anchors us.
But maturity isn't cold facts—it's warm truth in love (verse 15).
15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.
When we know Jesus deeply and understand God's Word we can boldly and lovingly share the truth like Paul who modeled it with believers in the church:
7 Although we could have been a burden as Christ’s apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nurse nurtures her own children. 8 We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember our labor and hardship, brothers and sisters. Working night and day so that we would not burden any of you, we preached God’s gospel to you. 10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how devoutly, righteously, and blamelessly we conducted ourselves with you believers. 11 As you know, like a father with his own children, 12 we encouraged, comforted, and implored each one of you to walk worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Gentle like a mom, sharing lives like family, working hard, living pure, urging growth—like a dad. That's truth in love: Bold gospel, tender heart.
Friends, when believers mature like this the church thrives as God dreamed. Fitted and knit together—unity, love, like a cozy home. Every part works right—your gifts, my gifts, clicking smooth. Growth flow into a spiritual revival that changes our town, our world.
As I prepared for this sermon, God reminded me of my role here at Enterprise. These verses aren't just for you; they're for me too. I have a great responsibility and privilege to serve this church. And God is gracious to use someone broken and weak like me to be a part of building His kingdom.
So what can we take from this passage? First, we should see that we’re all unified through Christ and called to the work of ministry to build up the church. When is the last time you thanked someone for serving at church? And not just the visible jobs, like teaching or preaching. Everyone serving at Enterprise is important. I want you to notice the people serving in our church and thank them this week.
Next, this passage challenges us to keep growing in our faith and in the areas of our lives that will help us to serve the church better. Are you willing to keep learning? Will you commit to studying God’s word so you won’t be deceived by the false teaching you hear and see on TV and social media? Please know that there is so much garbage out there today. You can’t trust someone just because someone has a popular podcast or a huge church. We should compare everything to Scripture and learn more and more so we won’t be tricked by slick talking false teachers.
Are you teachable or do you think you have it all figured out? Are you open to the idea that God might want to change the way you do things or learn new things for this season in our church’s life?
We are all called for such a time as this and we must look for God at work around us and join Him in that work. We’ve got to get over our own selfish desires and comfort zone that prevents us from reaching the people God has called us to in this moment. Will you join me this week in seeking God’s plan for Enterprise Baptist Church? Will you pray with me for wisdom to reach our community with the gospel? Are you open to seeing our church and community through God’s eyes and not our own?
Finally, are you willing to step out of the stands and on to the field? Will you commit to serving the Lord here at Enterprise Baptist Church? Will you commit to become a member of this church and serve wherever and whenever God calls? I hope we can all put a blank check on the altar and tell God, “Here I am, send me.”
When we are all willing to be unified in our mission to reach the lost and build each other up, we will work like a well oiled machine. We’ll be like this amazing body where every part fits together and works for the good of the whole
