Growing Together - One Body

Intro: Know - Grow - Sow

Knowing Jesus and walking in a relationship with Him. Learning to live our new identity as children of God.

Growing and maturing in Him. Learning how to depend on the Spirit to lead us and how to be interdependent as we remain “in” Christ and become more like Christ through suffering, serving, obedience.

Sow - planting what we have received from Christ - stewarding everything he puts into our hands to share his invitation of a loving relationship with others.

Today we’re focusing on the “grow” - how do we grow in Christ?

What do you think the greatest miracle of Jesus is?

-If Jesus were to pick his favorite miracle what do you think it would be?

Feeding 5 thousand?

Healing the blind?

Resurrection?

(All of these were SIGNS of the bigger work God was doing in Christ.)

Jesus’ main aim is to rebirth a people of God. To remove barriers to relationship with God and to reignite that relational intimacy with God that we were created for.

Ephesians 5:25–29 ESV

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

The Church is this unique, living entity that of all those who have been “married” to Christ in this new Covenant. We are not a cultural institution...we are a gathering of those who are made one new people because they have been reborn to a new life through faith in Christ.

Only “one”

Ephesians 4:4–6 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.

What does it mean to be “one”.

Look at your neighbour and say: “You and I are one”

You may have nothing else in common - you may have different ethnicities, backgrounds, paychecks, politics, age demographics....but if you are in Christ you are One.

Let that sink in.

You belong to one another. And everything that you are can be a tool used in service to one another as an expression of love for Christ.

The gospel is never about “I” it’s always been about “we”.

Grace comes through Jesus’ work

Ephesians 4:7–9 ESV

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?

This wacky little part of the text would be easy to brush over for us because it seems a bit out of place but it’s actually foundational for HOW we become One in Christ.

Paul is quoting from psalm 68 - and a good chance his audience would have known these verses by heart.

The psalm describes the Victory of God in saving HIs people.

In this psalm we see a poem prophesying:

Psalm 68

God rising up and scattering his enemies

The wicked perish but the righteous rejoice

God protects and saves the weak and helpless

God restores the people to their land and fulfulls his promise of provision.

God confronts the opposing spirits, false Gods and idols on the mount of (Bashan) their dwelling place.

He over powers and conquers them.

He delivers his people from death and imprisons lying spirits from Bashan.

Then there is a big parade celebrating God’s victory and all the kingdoms of the earth come to worship Him.

They are united again under God’s loving and generous reign.

Paul is cross referencing this psalm to signal to his readers that this salvation act is what Jesus has done.

He has conquered all of his enemies.

Colossians 2:15 ESV

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

These enemies aren’t people - because all people are God imagers...we are who he is saving. These enemies are the devil, the curse, sin and death.

And it is because these enemies are conquered BY CHRIST that we, as a people, can be set free and live a new life IN CHRIST.

Distribution of the ‘gifts’

Ephesians 4:11–12 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,

So Paul is naming these different people who have received a kind of “grace” as a gift from the Spirit of Jesus for the purpose of “building up the body of Christ”.

APOSTLES - “messenger, one sent on a mission”

Sent out by Jesus - the 12 disciples

Sent out by The Church through the Spirit’s discernment - Paul, Barnabas, Silas?

PROPHETS - “an interpreter or forth-teller of the divine will.”

EVANGELISTS - “a bringer of good news”

Emphasis is on sharing with others that salvation can be found in Christ. Ministry is primarily going out from the church to share and inviting them into the new family of God through Christ.

SHEPHERDS - lit. “a shepherd”

What does a shepherd do? Gather, lead, feed, heal, encourage, discipline/correct, mediate, create peace and health in the flock.

Leadership locally

Caring for a “flock” a smaller grouping of God’s people. Shepherd includes governing and overseeing care. Can adapt to the realities and needs of the context of a group of Christians in a particular time and place to help them mature and represent Christ in that place and time.

TEACHERS - an instructor

leading primarily within the Body, passing down truth generation to generation, rooted in scripture.

Some scholars argue that these are one role, not two - there’s some debate about the greek here - the SHEPHERD-TEACHER roles as one role and often that’s what we call our “pastors”.

All these roles work together for the united purpose of continuing to gather all humanity into Christ - one new humanity.

These leadership roles are not the main show: They are to serve a bigger purpose.

Ephesians 4:12–14 ESV

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, 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.

- To equip the saints for the work of ministry.

The ministry work is not primarily done by these leaders - they are to equip the Body - which is the majority of people - to build up (both in number and in quality/strength)

Scripture lists many other ways the Spirit of God equips the members of the Church to build up the church

things like serving, helps, intercession, mercy, giving, hospitality, wisdom,...and many more..

For every leader gifted by the Spirit to serve a function in the Church their work is enabled by many, many more of these kind of gifts.

That is why oneness is at the center of all of this. No one can do the work of God alone.

Other aims of these gifts are to:

vs. 13 increase our knowledge of God

Increase our maturity to represent Christ more fully.

vs. 14 To protect from being decieved and confused by teaching and clarifying doctrine as passed down from Jesus (and ultimately he was representing the Father.)

vs. 15 Encourage one another with truth and love to increasingly mature into more and more perfect unity with Jesus.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

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.

Let’s play: “Simon says”

Okay.… time for a quick “awake” break.

“Simon says....touch your head.

Simon says… wiggle your fingers

Simon says… stick out your tongue

Turn to your neighbour.

(I didn’t say “Simon says”)

Now… of course that’s a bit silly.

But in some ways it’s the picture Paul is painting here. Nothing your body just did was divorced from your head.

Each part may have moved differently but it was all “under the authority” of your brain that was moving each part as instructed.

Colossians 2:9–10 ESV

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Christ is fully God, and in Him we are fully alive because we are under his loving guidance living as we were designed to in the world and inviting others to join in Christ too.

So - what if this was more than just a silly game of Simon Says.

What if under the headship of Christ the whole body worked in sinc to see “God’s will done on earth as in heaven.”

The apostle could recognize the call of God to a new missional space.

The pastor, prophet, shepherd could follow them there to establish a community that discerns the voice of God, teaches the Word of God and leads the people of God.

The evangelists could seek those who don’t know God and share good news.

When the come to explore whether this good news is for real they encounter a network of believers who serve, show mercy, give generously, care for the poor, don’t prefer one person over another, enourage, pray, teach, share wisdom....a new kind of community fueled by the Spirit of God and perhaps they too recieve Jesus, are filled with the Spirit of God and play their role as God has uniquely gifted them in this new humanity.....

...and in this way the borders of God’s influence and rule in the world pushes back the influence of darkness and lies.

BUT IT ONLY WORKS IF WE DO IT TOGETHER!

It’s actually highly effective when we do this together!

Which is probably why the enemy of our souls, the accuser, the devil works so hard to sow disunity and to keep us so busy that this world changing work cannot be done.

And in a time where people are returning to a curiousity about spiritual things - and an openness to Jesus it is all the more important that we are preparing ourselves to be His Body and that each part is actively engaged.

CHT

This particular part of Christ’s Body is planted in this community for a purpose. We have the people who, by grace, have been given particular gifts of the Spirit for a purpose.

But that purpose will be most clear when we work together...

Who are you connected with? Who are you pouring into? How do your gifts and desires complement and empower others? Where you are weak...do you know someone who has strengths?

Ask the LORD for one gift that you can use to serve this body in the place we are planted.

I also want to encourage you to join us for a community meeting after the service next week where we will share some updates on the season ahead - both Christmas and the New Year. I’m praying that God will help us to expand the borders of this part of God’s kingdom...but we will need everyone, united to do it.

PRAY

God, as we leave this place please grant us the grace to live out this word together.

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.