Service

Service

Eph 4:11 - 16

Maturity

Vs 12-13

there is an unavoidable relationship between God’s people serving, and God’s people growing. So the question is - do I grow when I serve others, or do I grow when others serve me? The answer is…..yes!!

When Pastor Wade exercises his gifts and preaches and teaches, the body is built up! When Pastor Daniel exercises his gifts, the body is built up - when you all exercise YOUR gifts!! The body is built up - my cousin was here Easter Sunday - had no clue she was coming. But she surprised me, we got to worship together. And she was BLOWN AWAY by the choir.

This past sunday, I’m going to brag on someone, because he hardly ever gets accolades - Noah Belmain, lead a mom and her kiddos to the children’s worship area - it would have been so easy for him to plant himself in the parking lot and just point the woman to where they were supposed to go, but he walked them there - he SERVED, and they were blessed!!

But the point is, others GROW when we serve them.

But, i’ll be honest with you, I grow when I serve others too!!

When we serve, we mature in our faith, and provide others with a chance to grow in theirs as well.

It’s like a campfire. If I build it, stoke it, get it rip roaring, people can come around, and they warm themselves by the heat of it, but I get to enjoy that warmth too.

Assurance

14

Paul is writing to a group of people who are living just….a few decades after the works of Christ. Many of these people were alive during the life of Christ……

And yet, these were people who have some….huge questions. There are all sorts of opinions and teachings about who Jesus is, and how we’re supposed to respond to Him. If we’re being honest, it was a lot like our times. Because you’re going to face people who say, well, Jesus was a good man, but He wasn’t God…..or you’re going to talk to some folks who say, Jesus wasn’t really a man, but He was just a person that people attributed miracles to.

Paul was writing this letter to push back against those teachings.

And see, instead of going down a list of false teachings, and refuting them, one after another, paul just builds on what he just said.

He just pointed out that when we exist, in community, serving in the areas God has gifted us in, that it brings about personal growth, and maturity, and that maturity, unlocks this incredible assurance of our faith.

When we serve our faith becomes an anchor that keeps us from drifting in seas of doubt.

And I’ve seen this play out. I’ve seen how this happens over the years of someone’s life.

Zeb and Jackson.

Both guys, grew up in good homes. Came to church. One of them is walking with Jesus. One of them may be, but…..I don’t see much proof of it.

Growth

15-16

This speaks of two types of growth - God tells us here that when we’re serving. When we’re loving on each other, speaking the truth to one another, that we will grow closer to one another, that we will be united with one another….

But it also speaks of something else…..that when the body of Christ, is acting like the BODY of CHRIST…..something truly remarkable happens. It’s the next best thing to having JESUS in the room with us.

When we serve, we demonstrate the love, truth, and power of Jesus to the world.

I want you to think about that. I want you to get an image in your mind of what that could LOOK like.