Contributing to Unity

Introduction

The first half of the book of Ephesians very much emphasizes our unity with Christ while the 2nd half emphasizes our unity with one another.

Being who we are in Christ, the natural outcome is being ONE with one another as well.

Chapter four is very clear on this.

We began last week with looking at the first six verses.

They called us to live as who we are in Christ.

They called us to “live into unity” … so we might corporately experience who we are in Christ.

This sets a basis of unity while today’s passage focuses on the preservation of that unity.

How can we each contribute to the unity of NCC / to the unity of the Church of Vanderhoof / to the universal Church?

Please with me to Ephesians chapter 4.

We will be reading two passages, which may feel long but together provide a solid biblical basis for our message.

We will first read (which is our main text today) … read .

As a parallel passage, I would like for us to also read (the parable of the talents) … read .

May God bless the reading and proclamation of His word today!

The Giving of Gifts (7-11)

Each of us have something to offer / a way to contribute.

We may doubt our ability but God is confident in it.

We each have time, talents, and resources entrusted to us.

We do not need what anyone else has, we need only what God has given us.

ill. - Family Fun Night

Barb, Larry, Marijka, Jennifer - each came with their unique strengths.

The variety of the contributions brought success.

ill. - services … sound, musicians, song leaders, preaching … all parts and gifts needed to make this work.

ill. - church function … finance, facility, missions, youth and child discipleship … all are needed.

How has God gifted you to contribute to the health and unity of NCC?

Different Gifts (7b)

ill. - Network is a spiritual gift testing curriculum that was popular in the 1990’s; it is in our library.

As I was finishing my pastoral training, Network was significant for me to identify my specific spiritual gifts, helping me be confident in how God seeks to work through me.

I am not so concerned with whether each of us can name our specific spiritual gifts; it is most effective for our body to identify one another’s gifts.

ill. - in any work-place, a non-contributor is not kept around; each person plays a part to meet the purposes of that business.

The emphasis in scripture is that each one contributes as a part of the whole.

It does not matter which gift we each have; it is the use of the gifts and the collection of gifts that strengthen the body.

One gift is not elevated over another; in the Parable of the Talents, the master did not differentiate between the servants by how many talents they had but by what they did with those talents.

We often wish for another person’s gift because it seems more glamorous.

As we saw in the first verses of the chapter, we are to live as we are / to be who we are.

Take the talents / gifts given us and use them to serve our Master.

We are to use what we have been given to further the Kingdom of God.

What do you have to give?

Are you always looking for the opportunities God is giving you?

What do others affirm in you?

What resonates with your heart?

* The needs around us do not always match what is comfortable for us; willingness is required to serve beyond what we feel gifted for.

Given Graciously (7a)

ill. - in the parable of the talents, each servant was given talents purely by the master’s choice; it was not a reward or test.

It was not that they necessarily deserved it in some way; they were simply being entrusted with the business of the master.

In the same way, we are given opportunity to share the heart and “business” of our Master!

Nothing we have from the Lord is deserved but it is still given.

Our resources and homes; our health and time; our talents and abilities; our salvation.

Our serving is to match what we have been given.

In the way our part in the body is given graciously to us, we return it graciously.

Each believer receives grace or enablement as Christ sees fit.

Consider these verses ...

- “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (, ESV)

- “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (, ESV)

As the Head of the body, Christ determines how we each will contribute.

For some of us, gifts are consistent over time.

For others, there are seasons where our gifts shift … where the Spirit enables us to minister to a particular need in a particular time.

He gifts us in whatever situation we are in as we avail ourselves to His service.

Like our salvation, spiritual gifts are not earned.

They are grace driven.

They are meant to be offered as they are received.

In what mindset do we serve?

Are we serving others or keeping to ourselves?

Are we integrating our lives, hearts, and futures with one another?

Are we using what we have to further the Kingdom of God in our families, NCC, Vanderhoof, and beyond?

Given by Our Ascended Christ (8-10)

Paul quotes here to emphasize this reality.

Anytime we can directly tie the NT to the OT like this strengthens the concept and meaning of what we are meditating on.

This psalm celebrates God’s care, protection, and provision … with the process of moving from the wilderness to the promised land in mind.

God always upholds His people.

The picture is specific here … picturing a victorious army dividing the spoils … as Christ spreads gifts among us for the benefit of the group.

The picture of ascending to reign points to Christ’s resurrection and ascension / His exaltation … picturing a King who strengthens and enables His people.

I value ...

… politicians who serve local constituents.

… others who take interest in my family.

… managers who care for the people and not only the task.

… our sovereign and almighty God who reaches down to me and to us.

Let us always remember the life made real to us.

Not just our physical reality.

It is an eternal reality … on a spiritual level.

… in our spirits more so than our bodies.

As Christ is risen, so are we!

Let us serve accordingly ...

… in life and in blessing.

Specific Gifts (11)

Now, in v.11, Paul gets very specific.

I have kept this verse tied to the verses above because it speaks to the gifts that have been given.

It identifies key gifts that build up the local and universal church bodies.

When we read the various passages on spiritual gifts, each list is somewhat different … showing they are not meant as complete lists.

There are specific gifts given, each significant but different.

Each church will have its own set of strengths … the more charismatic are gifted in faith and prophecy, churches more conservative like ours are gifted in teaching and administration, while others are strongly gifted in evangelism and outreach.

Each denomination also has its strengths … just like each congregation and each family and each person.

What is it that defines us at NCC?

A question the Elders are prayerfully considering (based upon pieces of our transition process) is over identifying a key program / outreach / service we can identify ourselves with in the community.

What might that be?

Who are we and what can we offer?

We have a renewed vision in general … how can we further specify it?

Let us work towards identifying ministry that fits our gifting.

The Purpose of Gifts (12-16)

We can fill our church with programs and outreaches but without intentional focus and known goals, they will accomplish little.

We want to build up families … so we offer Children’s Church, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, parenting seminar … we make room for children.

We want to be biblically centred … so we study theology of the songs we sing, engage with the Lord’s weekly message to us in both the service and Sunday School, this is why I have introduced life journaling, it is why we take time for devotionals and prayers at our committee meetings.

We take our gifts and instill purpose into them ...

… taking a Kingdom view.

… keeping our church family in view.

To Equip For Ministry / To Build Up The Body (12-13)

ill. - a school is set up to teach and prepare students for the future.

Maturity and Fullness (13b)

A school teaches principles and practices that correlate with the program or subject at hand … science class teaches science, an education programs prepares one to be a teacher, trade school trains in a trade.

Many of us wrestle with what and how schools teach in today’s society, but in principle their focus is to teach.

ill. - as a church, we take on this same responsibility.

Our role is to teach and prepare / to disciple one another.

The intent of our programs and practices is not to keep us comfortable or static but to grown us up.

Christ has not given us spiritual gifts to make us feel good about ourselves.

He gave them with reason and purpose.

He gave them so we might build one another up.

They are meant to serve the body of Christ.

While each of us have gifts to serve with, Paul specifically lists certain gifts here.

This does not take away from other gifts but does bring extra focus here.

These gifts are specifically for equipping the believers.

They are to be like a trade school.

ill. - Morris Dirks on being apprentices of Christ.

All gifts are given to “build up the body of Christ”.

Specific gifts and roles within the church family are to “equip one another for the work of ministry”.

These are specific to elders, Sunday School teachers, parents, small group leaders, pastors.

We all have someone to equip / to build up in their faith - who is it for you?

How are we equipping for / enabling ministry?

How are we building unity and knowledge / maturity and fullness?

What are you gifted at? When you see yourself through the Lord’s eyes (not your own), how has He enabled you to serve and build up our church family?

When you see yourself through the Lord’s eyes (not your own), how has He enabled you to serve and build up our church family?

To Establish Stability and Security (14)

An emotional response to Christ can strengthen our connection to Him but emotion alone generally fails us in the long-term.

Stable (14b)

In marriage, friendship, church family, and with Christ, emotions draw us together but are not enough to alone hold us together.

We need more.

Paul pictures life here like the waters of the sea.

Firm in Doctrine (14c)

Life circumstances toss us to and fro / up and down / side to side … making us feel troubled and insecure.

So often, just when life seems to smoothen out, another challenge comes.

Way too often our faith goes up and down based upon our circumstances.

The gifts, combined with equipping and encouraging, build our faith into a consistent walk with God no matter what our circumstances are.

But we must be trained up in the faith.

We must be actively engaged with and practicing our faith.

We are called to have faith like children … simple and unquestioning … but our faith is also to grow and mature.

It is to be consistent and stable.

We will grow in stability and doctrine as we purposely serve one another with our gifts and relationships (especially as the equippers do the equipping).

Let us each individually and corporately work towards maturity of faith and spiritual gifts.

Let us each offer stability and security / support and love and truth to one another.

To Ensure Its Unity (15-16)

ill. - we each have experienced the challenge of a health matter either in our own life or through another; one part of our body malfunctioning can impact the whole.

Growing More Like Christ (15b)

One part of our body malfunctioning can impact the whole.

Fitting the Body Together (16)

ill. - the church has also walked this journey, where one person or group can prove toxic to the whole.

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to unify the body of Christ - universally and locally.

Our context is very clear on this.

Chapters 1-3 focus on us being ONE With Christ.

Chapters 4-6 on being ONE With Each Other.

Chapter 5 emphasizes submission one to another.

In 1st Corinthians, we often focus on chapter 13 as the “love chapter” but it is actually part of a larger conversation.

Chapters 12-14 discuss spiritual gifts and how to serve the body, with love being the “how”.

The focus is not on love but on using our spiritual gifts to build one another up.

We are to be people of truth and love.

Speaking the difficult things into each other’s lives.

Doing so with such love that it is received.

We are to grow more like Christ.

Through the equipping and establishing of our faith, we are sanctified.

We keep journeying together in this process towards maturity in Christ.

We are unified.

Practicing our spiritual gifts brings our church family together.

When we are determined to serve one another, we are all built up together.

How are we doing at this?

In what ways are you intentionally contributing to the unity and strengthening of our church family?

Conclusion

With the parable of the talents in mind, what has your Master entrusted to you?

With this in mind, what has our Master entrusted to us as NCC in building up the body of Christ beyond ourselves?