Sunday Service - 3/22/2020 - Fully Unified

Welcome to our service. So let me introduce myself. I'm Pastor Don pedrick also involved in the service will be Kathy Rector Kayleen Hofsess Kayne and Tanya Pedrick and involved in the audio is David and Michael pedrick. So let's get started with a word of Prayer. Father in heaven, we thank you that we can gather together and honor and worship you and we pray that your powerful presence would be here in our midst may we honor and bless you with all that? We do. We thank you Lord for who you are and what you are doing in our lives bless us know Lord in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's sing together. Him the family of God. It's so nice to know that no matter what.

Are we doing this morning is going to be from Philippians chapter 3 verses 10 through 15. I want to know Christ in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing and is suffering becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead now, not that I have already obtained this or have already been made perfect. But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus Took hold of me brother. Do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ. Jesus all of us who are mature should take such a view of things.

Let's take time to pray. There are a couple of requests that that I have and if any of you out in the audience, whether you're here today or watching this video if you want to connect with us and have a prayer request, I would be glad to pray for it. Let's pray. Our gracious Father in heaven. We thank you. We thank you for giving us life and the ability to reach out and touch the lives of other people in our world and we pray that you would give us strength and courage to be able to do that to reach people in our environments in our communities for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for father that makes all the difference in our world. Lord we do want to remember the needs that have been given us and we do want to pray for a young boy named Brett a 22 year old guy who is a been in a severe accident. We pray that you would touch his body restore and strengthen him and bring feeling back to his legs continue to help him in the recovery. We also want to pray for a Gary Rathbone who is recovering from back surgery. May you continue to touch his life and restore and strengthen him and father as we are praying we want to remember all those who are in a battle with this. It has been spread throughout our world coronavirus. We pray that you would be with those who are battling it that restoration might take place and you would bring us through this. Experience and help us to recognize your Mighty hand within it. And father if there's any unspoken request out there we pray for your hand to be upon them that you would guide and bless in the recovery from illness or in the aid in. I need that they might have father we pray that your Mighty hand would be there. And now as we continue on in this service, we pray for your energy and your strength and your spirit to be active and alive in Jesus name. Amen.

Before we get started. Let's have a word of prayer and ask God's blessing on this time in his word Father in Heaven. How we thank you for being here in our midst father. We thank you for your spirit who leads and guides each and every moment and we pray that as your word Goes Forth it would touch each of our hearts deeply father. May your spirit take hold of me that as I Minister that word I would do so not in my power and strength, but yours that your spirit would guide each and every word that is spoken that it would have power and strength from you bless us. Oh Lord in all of this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have these things. Amen. Well, we're going to be finishing up today actually a series of messages. I've been doing on the idea of gifts and there are four sections of scripture in which the gifts have been listed and 1 in Romans. There's two in 1st Corinthians, and then today will be looking at to the series on Ephesians chapter 4 and verses 1 through 16. Now. I want to give you some information that came before so that you can understand can understand where we have been going.

These gifts that are given to those who have come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. He's the one that brings them to us and he brings those gifts to us so that we can Minister them in the Church of God In other words with other believers. That is the first thing I want you to understand they are to be ministered in the church each and every one of them is to help the church understand and grow in Jesus Christ. The only one that takes us beyond the church is the idea of evangelism and each one of us need to be responsible for that as well. We'll talk about that in a minute, but it is also the Bible tells us that gives Are a picture of our Salvation in Jesus Christ, in other words when we use those gifts, we show that the holy spirit is truly working in and through us and so each and every one of us is called to use that gift. If you are involved in the church, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, he's called you to use those gifts. Now before I get started. I want to go to one section of scripture that describes these things are not as so that you kind of understand where we're going this morning when Jesus Christ Rose from the daddy spend some time with the disciples. And is he got ready to go into heaven again? He gave two things that you and I as Believers in Christ are responsible for and one thing to encourage us along the way that's found in Matthew chapter 28 vs 19 to 20. And he says these things he says go and make disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, that's the first thing he's commanded us to do to go and tell other people about what has happened in your life that you have been changed. You have become a new creature in Jesus fries and a help people. Understand the importance of that because it totally makes a difference in a person's life. Anybody who is in Christ is Bound for heaven. Anybody who is not in Christ is Bound for hell. It makes all the difference in the world. But the second part is what I want to talk about today and it is this and teaching them to obey everything. I have commanded you in other words. God wants us to be Ministers of growth in the body of Christ each and everyone of us we have gifts they can help the body of Christ grow up. And we're going to talk about that today, but then he gives something that is there to give us the strength and courage to carry out the mission that is called us to he says and surely I Am With You Always to the very end of the age. In other words, we don't have to do all of this work. We don't have to use the gifts in our own strength in this matter of fact, if we do use those gifts in her own strength, they're really worthless. It is only in the power of God that it makes a difference in our lives and that's why I cry says I'm with you always I'll never depart from you get on with a message here. It is taken again from Ephesians chapter 4 if you want to go there and it begins with the idea of our calling what we're called too and it's written in those first 6 verses let me read them to you as a prisoner of the Lord then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received be completely humble and gentle be patient bearing with one another. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of Peace. There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called one Lord One Faith one baptism one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all you and I who were in Jesus Christ have been called that way. In fact God chose you before the foundation of the world. He says that earlier on in Ephesians chapter one is talking about his look ahead from before even the creation of the world and he says these things for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. You see he wants us to be different from the rest of the world in lobby predestined us to be adopted as his son's through Jesus Christ in accordance with his will you see God's will his desire is for you for you to have a relationship with him and be involved in that relationship and all those things that we do in this life draw us closer to him if we are doing so in his power and his strength because then we're being obedient to his will and we become blameless and pure individuals we can do that because we have a great picture of that in the life of Jesus Christ. You know a part from Jesus Christ coming to Earth and and dying for us. He also came to Earth. To show us what it is like to watch God in action. And to change our lives and become more and more like him. In the patient's chapter 5 verses 1 and 2 heat Paul writes about this. He says be imitators of God. Therefore as dearly loved children and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And so in those words, he calls us to be more and more like him. That's his desire. We're called to be like God. And we do so when we have the same desires as God when we have the desire to serve him in this life. A few weeks ago we were in Romans the first eight verses that were talking about the whole idea of changing our lives and and being like him and then then verses 9 through pretty much the rest of the chapter. He talks about how we need to operate to become that type of person and one of those things is he wants us to be at peace particularly with those in the body of Christ. Why because peace is what brings us into a closer relationship with God. If you remember when Jesus Christ came before the disciples right after his resurrection, He came into the room and he said peace be with you. In other words. He brought peace to our lives that piece isn't just a relationship with each other, but it's also a relationship with the Living God and if we have a peaceful relationship with God and were doused in that then we ought to be able to have a peaceful relationship with one another in Romans 12:18. He says if it is possible as far as it depends on you live at peace with everyone in other words, he's putting the responsibility on you deliver peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ. He wants you to have that piece and what is that piece bring? Well, it says it brings one. That's it goes over and over again and this passage is as he says that we are one spirit and we are one hope and we have one Lord and one faith and one baptism. He wants us to be one. with each other so they were all going in the same direction and we're all growing in that maturity. In other words us have been goal in mind you and I need to be following the goals that God gives us not the goals of the world. You see we can do all kinds of things in our world. But if it doesn't Point people to God either for salvation or for growth. It's not really going to make any difference in eternity. God wants us to make a difference in our lives in this world for all eternity. And so we have to have that goal in that goal goes back to Jesus Christ and that whole idea Paul speaks of this in Philippians chapter 3 verses 10 and 11. We read this earlier, but I want to read just these versus again. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing and is suffering becoming like him in his death and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dad and if you read over that if they becoming like him in his death, what is what in the world? I don't want to just die. Do I will what happened? It is resurrection from the death. What did he get that is so valuable and so important for you and I he got the presence of the Living God. He got to go back up and take on the glory that he wants had in heaven. And so when I Fellowship it is suffering is death. I'm not fellowshipping in the pain in the agony of that. I'm fellowshipping in the whole hope and idea of that glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's where I want to go. That's the goal from my life and I hope that's the goal for your life. Let's continue on will get into the whole idea of gifts a little bit here reading verses 7 through 13, but to each one of us Grace has been given as Christ apportioned it this is the this is why it says when he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men. What does he ascended mean except that he also descended to the lower Earthly regions. He who descended is the is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe it was he who gave some to be Apostles some to be prophets some to be evangelists some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ maybe build up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become Sure, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

that Heavenly Grace You know when Jesus Christ came to this earth and he live that perfect life and he suffered on that cross and died. He died for our sin. In other words. What he did was his blood was shed so that if we desire that relationship with him that we ought to desire because it truly makes an eternal difference in our lives. We become cleanse and purify before him we received at Heavenly Grace. It is offered and it changes the direction of Our Lives a direction of Eternal wonder and might and power and joy and Thanksgiving because we are in Christ and we have that relationship with God Jesus speaks of dad in the in the Book of John chapter 6 verses thirty-eight at 9. And he says for I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me and this is the will of him who sent me that I should lose. None of all that he has given me but raise them up with the last day you see that's the Incredible Hulk we have that Resurrection to Jesus Christ when I passed from this life I pass on into eternity. And the desire and the hope for my life is a Heavenly eternity. And I know I have that because God has promised it to all those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow him and it's a promise that you have if you want to know him as your as your savior and Lord. but he also when he took a hold of my life he Also gave me gifts gifts to be used for his honor and His glory as I said before he gave me those gifts to be used. You didn't give them to just sit there and listened in but to be involved in church in so many different ways. It gives a whole bunch of different things in this text that show a profit sand and teachers and so many other things that he gives and we can extend that list out to a great deal in the Old Testament. I mentioned a few weeks ago that he gave bezaleel the gift of crafts. Some of you are might be crafty some people he's giving the gift of music and of gardening and all these other things that God has blessed the people of the Church of God with The minister to each other and then take that Ministry out to the world to minister to the world. One of the people that followed Paul a great deal was Timothy he joined Paul on his second missionary journey, and then he essentially became Paul's second all along the way and Paula really took joy and pleasure in his company and then he Timothy went on to minister and become a pastor of number of churches. But he also was the pastor of the church at Ephesus and Paul is writing to him and 1st Timothy and he's trying to encourage him to take up those gifts and use them in God's power and strength until he says in 1st Timothy 4 verses 13 and 14 a until I come devote yourself to public reading of scripture the preaching and a teaching and then he says do not neglect your gift. In other words those of your gift you better be about using your gifts because that's God's call on your lock. What is using our gifts do well as we read through this whole section? What it is supposed to do is to bring us closer to God as a group. Not as individuals, but as a group it is to draw us closer to God and bring Oneness our Unity to the body of Christ. Paul speaks about that in Ephesians chapter 1 verses 17 and 18. I keep asking that God are the god of our Lord Jesus Christ The Glory of Father may give you the spirit of wisdom and Revelation so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope and which is called you the riches of his glorious inheritance in the Saints. In other words what Paul is saying is I want you to grow in wisdom. I want you to grow in understanding. I want you to be drawn closer to them God. Because when you do that, you become empowered and strengthened in him and you as a chirp become a powerful instrument of change in our world and that's what God wants. He doesn't want anybody. To not know him to be for hell. He wants people to know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.

that Heavenly calling but we do that as we were empowered as a church body not as little individuals going out and that's why it's so important to be involved actively. In the ministry of the church with the body of Christ. It brings us the fullness in him Christ because when I'm full with Jesus Christ I take on his character. In the book of Colossians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. It says for in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form and you have been given fullness in Christ. Who is the head over every power and authority In other words when we truly take on fries and we recognized that he is a part of our Lives. We realize that I have power to make a difference in this life. I'm not just this lonely individual they can do nothing. But I have the Living God inside of me to make a difference. in the body of Christ and then in the world Beyond But I have to be committed to that difference. I have to be involved in the effort and that's what we're going to go to in this last little section verses 14 through 16. Then we will no longer be infants tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming instead speaking the truth the truth in love we will in all things grow up into him who is the head that is priced from him the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament grows and bills itself up in love as each part. Does its work? Each part think about that each and every one of us is a little ligament in the body of Christ if you've ever been an athlete or even just going out to walk and there's a struggle with some of those ligaments in your body. You're in a lot of pain and you're not operating well, Every ligament is needed. You know, there isn't one that is specific. But every one of them is needed and so it is with the body of Christ. Every one of you is needed and specific for the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There's no upper level people. We're all on the same level. It is Christ was the upper level. And so we are called to grow up and start acting as God wants us to 1st Corinthians 14:20 fall is that talking to the Corinthian Church who had his struggles of up and down in the desire of being important in so many ways, but he calls him to this Brothers stop thinking like children in regard to evil be infants. But in your thinking be adults, in other words stepped up to the plate and start doing the things that God wants you to do to make a difference in the life of people in our world particularly in our church and then extending it to our world.

God calls us to be involved. There's a difference between understanding somebody might know scripture incredibly. They might be able to quote every word of the Bible. But if they aren't being involved at the Bible calls us to then they really don't mean anything. James talks about this in his book that was written to the Jerusalem Church. And he wants them to know that they need to be involved in doing the things of God because it shows like to our world and he says this he says faith James 2 17 and 18 Faith by itself. If it is not accompanied by action is dead, but someone will say you have faith. I have Deeds show me your faith without but show you my faith by what I do. In other words as I involve myself in the church using the gifts and the strength that he has placed Within Me by then demonstrate Christ in my life and my ability to make a change in our world. You know, I can know all of scripture but if I'm not involved in using the scripture, I'd really don't have understanding understanding comes when we are involved in the action and God calls us to be people of understanding in our lives and it comes with the development of Our Lives. You know, there's so much in our lives that each of us needs in the Bible goes through and it's continually describes how we ought to behave and trust in God and he gives us those in the number of passages. One of those passages is the book of Galatians chapter 5. It talks about the fruit of the spirit those things that are christ-like character that he wants us to be continually building in our lives versus 22 and 3. It says the fruit of the spirit is love. Joy, peace, patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control against such things. There is no law. Those are not the only things that God wants to develop in our lives, but as our lives take on those character traits, we become more like Christ which gives us more energy and more power to act like Christ in our world. And that's what he wants. He wants us to be christ-like in our world. We are called not only to be changed but to be involved in helping others to change for him. where all the body of Christ You can't say I'm not a part of that. I can go off and worship by myself. I can go up to a Hillside and worship gone up there and be just fine and John says no, you can't you have to be involved in my church. Because that's where true change is going to begin and then spread through our world Ephesians 1:22 and three it says God placed all things under his feet and appointed him Jesus Christ to be the head of over everything for the church, which is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

God wants us to be like Jesus Christ because that makes a difference when Jesus Christ is full in our lives and were active and alive and him were using all that he has for us to change the world. There's two things that you probably need to know in listening to this. If you're in Christ, it's time to be involved in the activity of the body of Christ. Start being involved then you might say well, I don't know what my gift is. Well, are you seeking God's guidance and will daily in his word? In finding out who he is in Sinking him in prayer and asking for his guidance. If you are he's going to reveal things to you and you need to be a willing to step up and use to make a difference in our world today and it starts right here in the church be involved with other believers. The second thing is if you don't know Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, if you haven't asked him to forgive your sins and cleanse you from unrighteous isn't and then being weird and savior you ever need. You have a need to know him. Because he is the one that makes a change in your life. He makes us a new creature in Jesus Christ, and he desires to change you.

And you are a Difference Maker in this world. And so he calls you to call upon him and come to know him as Lord and savior. And so my desire would be that you would think about those things as you go about your lives is god making a difference in your life. I hope he does. And I hope he does for all eternity. Let's pray. Grace's Father in heaven, we thank you for your presence in our lives. What a difference you make for we are at peace in a world that is in turmoil because we know who is in us and where we're going. There are so many lives out there that have no clue as to where they're going and what life is about but you've given us that. And you've made a difference in our lives and now you can make a difference in the lives of others as we allow you to empower us to serve you in this world that you placed us. Bless us with me. So Lord as we go forward in Jesus name. Amen.