49-26 How Christ Is Building His Church Pt 2

Ephesians 4:12-16

Thru out 2000 yr history the church of JC has gone thru periods of effectiveness and periods of ineffectiveness.

· Early church saw 3000 converts on the 1st day of its existence. Unprecedented growth over the next 60 years despite intense persecutions of Xns-over 33 locations named in NT with several regional churches

· However, during the middle ages (500-1500) the church grew ineffective during which time a spiritually dark and corrupt church emerged preaching a gospel that was foreign to Scripture. This time saw the rise of the RCC and the papacy. There were still people being saved but the spread of xty had diminished.

· Enter the reformation years 1500-1700 where the simplicity of the gospel was uncovered and several individuals stood upon the truth even in the midst of persecution.

· The period of the Great Awakening gave rise to several important revivals esp. in America during which the church and its gospel preaching greatly influenced social life.

· We come to the modern church and few would disagree that today it is in desperate need of revival/restoration/ renewal/remodeling (depending on terminology—evidence in various movements over last 20 years—trying to find the key to unlocking widespread influence once again).

The church (esp in USA) has become less effective in the cause of Christ than many other periods that have gone before us. While most agree that something needs to be done, there are plenty of ideas to suggest how that should happen.

Some suggest that the church ought to cater to the needs of society. Craft ministries that entertain and draw massive crowds (everything is marketed and designed to that end—everything from organizational structure, the color of the church’s logo, the lighting and music). Others suggest that the church needs to be re-engineered—as if God designed the church with an inherent flaw. Most ideas fail to go to the blueprint for the church—Bible. Instead of seeking the truth on what God desires in a church and cutting away those things that disgust Him, people are abandoning Scripture and looking at society to solve the contemporary problems that face the church (currently social justice and inequality).

If the church is in need of renewal, then is urgent that it is restored to the way God designed it. One of the greatest promises made to the church was made 2000 yrs ago—Mt 16:18

As that promise fills our minds—Dick Mayhue has given a helpful grid to evaluate any attempt to change the church:

· To whom do we look when the church is in disrepair---Christ or man?

· Who knows more about the current needs of the church?

· Who can better provide for the church?

· From whom did the original idea of the church come?

· In whom rests the church’s future hope?

· Who built the church up until now?

· Whom do we trust for future direction?

· Who owns and sustains the church?

· For whose glory does the church exist?

· Who is the head of the church?

Obviously the answer to each one is Christ. Eph 4 describes “how Christ is building His church.” In the passage we’ve been studying for 2wks we see a gift, given to the church by LJC, according to His perfect wisdom—so that the church would indeed be everything He designed it to be.

Donation, Illustration, Explanation, Distribution (“The Gifted People” A&P; Evan; P-T).

B. The Growth Sequence

vs 12--KJV:

Ephesians 4:12 AV

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

(note the comma—suggesting the 3-fold work of those gifted people)

Every other modern translation rightly omits the comma since it is not Christ’s design that the work of ministry and building up of the church be the sole responsibility of those gifted people. That leads to the belief that only a few do the work and all that the others do is let themselves be led. In a church where that mindset is cultivated you have a limited few doing the work that all has been entrusted to everyone.

The proper sequence (Boice):

1) Those who are given the gifts…are to use those gifts to equip or prepare the saints, so that, as a first objective,

2) Believers may do the work of ministry or service, and that, as an ultimate objective,

3) The church may be built up, reach unity in the faith, and become mature, attainting to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.

“Equipping”

The sequence (indicating purpose for Christ’s gift) begins with equipping.

Gk katartismos Basically means that which is fit, restored or complete. Often found in medical terminology to refer to the restoration or renewal of something. Word was used in surgery for setting a broken limb or for putting a joint back into its place. In politics, it is used for bringing together opposing factions so that government can be productive. It was generally to put something into the condition it ought to be in.

Mending Nets (Mk 1:19)

Restoring a fallen believer so they are brought back into fellowship (Gal 6:1)

God giving substance/shape to the universe (Heb 11:3) (What God intedended)

It takes on the nuance of “being complete” (being in the condition God intends) in several passages:

2 Corinthians 13:11 NASB95

Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NASB95

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The Lord has given Evangelists and pastor-teachers to equip the saints—that is “the bringing of the saints to a condition of fitness for the discharge of their functions in the Body.”

Now, the primary means of bringing saints to a condition of completeness (being equipped) is the Word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NASB95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

This has everything to do with why Christ some as pastor-teachers whose primary responsibility is to teach God’s Word (2 Tim 4:1-2). “adequate” is a word that speaks of being well fitted for a function (spelled out in the next phrase in Eph—for the work of ministry”).

This happens as believers sit under the teaching of Scripture which “is profitable (beneficial, advantageous).” If believers are set apart by God and He desires for us to be “holy and blameless” that happens as we are cleansed (see Eph 5:25-27).

Equipping of the saints is the first part of this sequence; when saints are equipped they are prepared for every “work of service”

Service

Christ’s design for the church is that each saint would be equipped (prepared, complete) so that members of the body will be able to serve one another effectively. 2 terms express what is really the core of “body life.” It answers the question “how do we (individual believers) relate to and function toward other believers?” What does that look like to “do life together in the body of Christ?” “the work of service/ministry.”

it is work—ergon stresses activity and effort required to accomplish something.

Service: diakonos. while it is listed as one of the spiritual gifts, it is the general term to describe the basic use of everybody’s spiritual gift (1 Pt 4:10). every saint is responsible for serving (that is using their gift—while serving the Lord, ministering to one another). This is far from being the mindset that has developed over centuries where a few do the work and all others sit back and let themselves be led.

Building Up

This is the 3rd step of the growth sequence. The Gk oikodome pictures a building under construction—where progress is obvious. This is how Christ is building His church. The church grows in 2 ways:

externally: as the Lord adds members to His body (thru salvation)

internally: as each one grows in sanctification and participates in faithful service within the body

C. The Glorious Result

(final feature of distribution of the gift)

“Until...” (vs 13) lit “to arrive at” (used of travelers who have reached their destinations—mostly in Acts). Paul means that point where the church reaches the goal of Christ in His design of the church. There are 5 specific results the church arrives at when each member faithfully exercises their spiritual gift in the work of ministry:

1. Unity of the Faith

The emphasis in Eph 4 has been on unity of the body (vv 1-6). Because of that which Christ already has worked inHis church—we are called upon to be diligent to preserve the unity which has its basis in doctrinal unity expressed in vv 4-6 (“one”).

Here Paul is saying that the result of believers functioning according to the divine pattern (doing the work of ministry) is the unity of the faith. Faith is not the act of belief (necessary—since all Xns have become part of the body thru faith—2:8-9). Faith here is the body of Xn truth, content of the gospel in its fullest and truest form. As you carry out your carry ministries the inevitable result is unity.

Corinthian church aptly illustrates why churches lack unity—often stems from limited knowledge/understanding of sound doctrine and b/c of spiritual immaturity. The solution to their problem was to pursue likemindedness that would come thru the faithful teaching of foundation laid by apostles and prophets. It would produce believers who were of the same mind and same judgment (hold to the same opinion regarding spiritual truth (1 Cor 1:10).

2. Knowledge of Son of God

Closely related—2nd result would be grounding in knowledge of LJC. This is not referring to knowing about the gospel but the term indicates a deep, full knowledge that is precise/correct. That knowledge comes from having a relationship of fullest fellowship with Christ (intimacy based on prayer, study and obedience to the Word). This knowledge begins at salvation and continues to deepen and to be enriched as one grows in the knowledge of the Lord.

Ephesians 1:17 NASB95

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Philippians 3:8–10 NASB95

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

3. Spiritual Maturity

3rd result that comes from every believer serving in the body is maturity. “Mature” is a term that means “having reached its end.” Maturity is the work God has begun and will continue (Phil 1:6). The emphasis however is not on the individual but the collective body of believers (singular mature man (adulthood)). and what this looks like “measure of the stature...”

This is Christ’s design for the church—to become like Him. He is moving His body toward that result as each one faithfully carries out their giftedness. But should be aware that this process cannot be completed on this earth. We cannot attain to the likeness of the infinite b/c we are finite (not perfectly—not yet).

1 John 3:2 NASB95

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

The church is every growing in its likeness to JC—it is what drove Paul in his own service:

Colossians 1:28 NASB95

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

4. Sound Doctrine

vs 14—as we are saved we are spiritual children (“one who does not speak” infants). Susceptible to error, all forms of doctrine (right and wrong). But we cannot stay as such. And when believers fail to grow (sometimes a failure of the entire church to be what God intends)l there is a very dangerous instability that results.

Think about children, given the choice they’ll pick what tastes good rather than what is best for them (sometimes adults do that too). Children are gullible—they’ll believe anyone. Likewise, spiritual children easily fall victim to every new religious fad and if a popular charlatan comes along—they are attracted to their words—they can be tricked (eng cube comes from the term) dice (the skill in manipulating/loaded), gambling—which was all about dishonesty (lies Satan propagates).

Paul doesn’t question the conversion of spiritual infants but does express concern over the lack of stability when they aren’t grounded in sound doctrine.

5. Loving Relationships

In direct contrast to vs 14—deception: vs 15 “truthing in love” (not just speaking truth) but living (every dimension of life) according to the truth—done in love.

Teaching is done in love, serving in love, encouraging in love, exhorting, comforting, counseling, leading, giving, and the host of all other gifts--”in love”

The church commited “truthing in love” will find it very difficult to fall victim to error since each one is truly interested in God’s best for other believers.

The result is that we grow up in all aspects…speaking of a comprehensive likeness of JC who is the head of the church.

The grace/power that makes this growth possible comes from Christ Himself. “fitted and held together” (to join closely together) compacted—this is each member of the body: you are knit together, compacted, so closely joined to each other that what happens to one member effects all the others.

Where you are knitted tightly together—that is where Christ is working and the evidence is the church (thru proper working of each individual) is building itself up “in love.”

It is in this divinely patterned method for building the church that the Lord wants us to be everything we are called to be. If this church is not what it ought to be…then let each one be active in serving one another until we become what we ought to be.

We don’t need man made programs to improve upon the church—just obedience. And what a joyful blessing that will come as we trust God’s plan.