The Church

Good morning! Welcome to Lindsay Lane East! I am __________ and I _____________ here at East. I am excited to be here to worship with you today. If you are new here, thanks for joining us for worship! We want you to know that we have a gift for you today! If you will take that card from the back of the seat in front of you and fill it out with as much info as you are comfortable with, you can actually stop by the Next Steps area in our lobby on your way out and they will give you your very own East t shirt and some info about our church. Today is going to be a great day, and we look forward to hearing from God! In just a moment, our worship team will be leading us in three songs of worship, followed by our pastor’s message for today. But before we do that, let me kick us off with prayer!

Good morning church! How y’all doing!? If you have a Bible go on and open up to Ephesians 4.

If you are new here, WELCOME! We are pumped that you are here. We actually have a gift to give you today. In the back of the seat in front of you is a card like this, grab that, fill it out with as much info as you want, and you can hand that to the folks at Next Steps on your way out in the lobby and they will give you your very own Lindsay Lane East Tshirt. It’s legit. You will also get some info about our church.

This summer we have been returning to some very basic truths from the book of Ephesians that we need to understand more fully if we expect to follow Christ as closely as possible. Last week, we looked at how the Christian is supposed to walk. The Christian Walk is a pretty cliche term and pretty churchy in all honesty, but Paul gives four ways that a believer should walk in the book of Ephesians: in unity, in love, in light, and in wisdom. You can find all the sermons on our Youtube or Facebook page or our podcast if you prefer audio only.

But at least 3 of the four ways to walk were very much about you and God. We might also say, “Your personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” I would argue that your relationship with Jesus is ABSOLUTELY the most important relationship in your life! It should be pursued and prayed over regularly.

But… If the personal relationship is of utmost importance, what role does the church play in that? Can’t I just spend time with me and Jesus and that be OK? Well, No. The answer is NO.

So, we are going to look at the purpose of the church today, and I’ll be honest, it may not be exactly what you are expecting. So hang with me, alright?

Let me read the passage, I’ll pray, then we will start breaking it down together, ok?

Ephesians 4:7–13 CSB

Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For it says: When he ascended on high, he took the captives captive; he gave gifts to people. But what does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower parts of the earth? The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, to fill all things. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

PRAY

This morning, I want to show you as quickly as I can that there is a formula for a healthy church! I need you to hear me today. We will get into some things that are very familiar, but hang in there. we will get to all kinds of good things.

The first part of the equation is...

Christ gives

Paul begins this section of the letter by making it clear that Christ has not abandoned his followers. Paul says that Christ has given his followers a gift of grace. Grace is a bible word that simply means an undeserving act.

Paul makes it clear that Christ hasn’t just given him a gift. He has given “each one of us” a gift. Who is Paul talking about?

Again, this is a letter written to a local body of believers: a church! So Paul says that if you have trusted in Jesus to save you, he has! And he has given you more than a get our of hell free card. He has gifted you something that Paul soon tells us will be very useful.

The next verses can seem a little out of place and have been studied really deeply for a long time. However, you can’t study these verses alone. Paul is using this visual of Jesus descending then ascending in a way to prove his overall point. He quotes Psalm 67 and 68 and points them at Jesus. These chapters portray a hero riding back from battle loaded down with prisoners of war and tons of treasure to share with his people.

We can get all caught up in where did Jesus ascend to? That’s not the point. The point is a reminder that Jesus is in charge of everything and he has chosen to give gifts to those of us who are undeserving.

But what are we supposed to do with these gifts? And why does the church matter again? Can’t I just donate my time to charities and service projects instead of coming to church?

No, because you will not see that

Leaders equip

So, Paul has said that all believers receive a gift of the Holy Spirit who are saved. But then he goes on to describe a few roles that are filled in churches in that day.

APOSTLES, PROPHETS, EVANGELISTS, & PASTOR/TEACHERS

Apostles were a position in the early church of the highest calling. They were ones who had actually met the Resurrected Jesus in the flesh. This included Jesus’ closest 12 and Paul, mainly.

Prophets are those who are called by God to speak to his people and call for repentance. We see many of them calling out to Israel in the Old Testament to turn from their sinful ways. And we even see the John the Baptizer in Jesus’ lifetime as a prophet. In the rest of the new Testament, there are very few places where prophets are mentioned.

Evangelists is a term that comes from the Greek word for Good News. It is a teller of good news. Though we are all called to share with others about the Gospel, there are some that seem extra effective in their delivery and call to it.

The fourth term is a compound type word: pastors and teachers. The way this reads in the Greek has led many scholars to assume that these two words are to go together here and not be translated as four and five on this list, but only four.

Each of these roles references the leaders of the early church. When Paul is writing this letter, the Apostles are still highly regarded and leading strongly in matters of theology and practice. There are prophets who are speaking words of wisdom and repentance in the churches. There are men like Philip who are called Evangelists who are seeing the Kingdom of God expand in wild ways. And there are pastor/teachers who are shepherding congregations all over the known world in house churches.

So, why does Paul go from mentioning that everyone gets a gift of grace from Christ, but some of these gifts are uniquely used by leaders in the church. Why go there?

Because of the role that those leaders fill in the lives of every believer! THEY EQUIP!

Ephesians 4:11–12 CSB

And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

The word for equip here is used in other places as a way of saying “fixing something that is broken,” or “supplying something that is lacking.” A visual I have found useful is “sharpening.” The leaders help SHARPEN your gift.

I am not saying that your gift from God comes with a defect. What I’m saying is that there is something very cool that happens when a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit, desiring to use their gift for the sake of the kingdom submits themselves to the teaching and leadership of their church. Their powerful gift is then made more effective.

I’ll show you this way...

How many of y’all remember the movie Friday night Lights? This was one of my favorites back in the day.

If you know the movie, then you know you get introduced to a high school football team the Permian Panthers. The most talented player is a guy they call Boobie. Boobie Miles is a great running back. Everyone expects him to play D1 ball after high school, but, Boobie has a problem. Somebody help me… What was Boobie’s problem?

He didn’t play with the team. As incredible as he was as a running back, he didn’t do as well as he could if he had submitted to the gameplan and used his talents within the parameters of the play calling, right?

Boobie winds up coming around by the end. Was he a more talented running back at the end? Were his skills more explosive? NO! He had the same level of talent, but he worked within the system. His skills were sharpened. He allowed himself to be “EQUIPPED.”

The same is true of us! The gift of the Holy Spirit you received at salvation included an incredible focus towards a kingdom impacting ability or desire. AND hear me, IT IS POWERFUL! The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in you!

And there is nothing I can do, or other leaders here in the church can do to make that gift anymore powerful. However, we can show you how that best fits in here at East and how you can use that powerful gift you’ve been given for God’s glory as part of the team! It’s not an issue of power. It’s an issue of effectiveness.

This is where we can quickly misunderstand the text.

If we quit here, if we stop reading… Who is the end user of the ministry of the church? Who are the beneficiaries of the Kingdom work?

The believers! Right?

IS this not exactly how we view church?

We want to come to get filled up! We treat the church like it’s a doctors office or a hospital. When I’m hurt or wounded, I go listen to the opinion of a professional and I leave feeling better.

But here’s the kicker for Paul… If the church is a hospital, guess what? You work here too! You absolutely have trainings, seminars, and workshops that are going to help you do a better job, but the point is: You have a job here! You are not the end user of the church’s ministry! You are part of the ministry itself!

Everyone ministers

The equipping is done, SO THAT the saints can minister.

I know what you are thinking… I’m no saint!

And I get it! You are probably thinking of the term that the Catholic church uses. Catholics have 10,000 or so people who lived incredibly virtuous lives and after their deaths were investigated and found to be worthy of the title SAINT. That’s a really cool thing, except that, the Bible actually uses the term “saint” for all believers.

So, that means that if you have trusted in Christ, this is for you! You are supposed to be doing the work of ministry!

Ephesians 4:12 CSB

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

This is the beauty in Christ’s design for the church! It was never supposed to be a few staff people serving the needs of the rest of the church. That makes for tired and wore out staff and spiritually fat and lazy church members.

Instead, Paul says you are to help do the work! You have been given a gift already. You have a spiritual predisposition to be effective in ministry. When you sit under the teaching of God’s Word at your local church and submit to the system and vision of the church, you will see that effectiveness multiply. And something really cool happens!!!!!!!

The body grows

Ephesians 4:12 CSB

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,

When you put the right nutrients in your body and then use your body in the right way to make good use of those nutrients, what will happen? You will get healthy! A healthy intake + a healthy outflow = GOOD STUFF

Right? We know this to be true in our lives physically!

The healthiest way for a church to grow, is to be full of people using this formula. Learn the gift you have been given. Submit that gift to be used here at East in some way alongside one another. Use your gift to impact others. IF we will all do that!? It’s gonna be really fun here for years to come!

The big question becomes, “What are we shooting for? When can we stop?” When can we rest as people and as the church? Paul actually gives us that answer too!

Ephesians 4:13 CSB

until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

There are some benchmarks here we are looking for...

We are all unified in faith and knowledge of Jesus

We are all mature.

We all look like Jesus.

SO, how are we doing on those? Not there yet! So, let’s keep rolling.

We continue

We must all be committed to this thing together!

When I transitioned here as Pastor last January, we knew not everyone would hang around. I have a very different personality and preaching style from the former pastor. Then Covid hit and gave others an easier way to leave. And the former pastor went right down the street!

But I expected this.

And here’s what is so cool about all of it! All of those that have moved to other congregations or just not returned all have gifts that will be missed here. But God is faithful, amen? We saw the highest number of adult volunteers ever for VBS this year and we had 30 people show up to paint yesterday at 8 AM.

The transition was never going to be easy, AJ and I knew that. But we trusted that any gift which left this body, God would replace it with someone new if we needed. Even today, we are doing our _____ East 101 this year! God continues to send people our way. As they submit their gifts to this body and commit to serve others, we will see verse 13 come to life: a group of people looking more and more like Jesus!

This is what the church is supposed to be! Where are you not buying into the formula? Are you being infrequent to our worship gatherings in which we do most of our equipping? If so, commit to change that.

Are you treating church like you are the end user and not looking for ways to serve someone else? If so, commit to change that. You can actually fill out the Connect Card from the seat in front of you and mark some things on the back and we will follow up.

Have you grown tired and quit? Our work is not done! We must keep on! Take a season of break if life is completely overwhelming, but rest up and get back after it, serving others here at Lindsay Lane East!

Or maybe you are unsure about the first one. If you have never trusted in Jesus, you do not have a gift from Christ yet! You are still welcome to be here and we would even be fine with you serving in some really cool ways here. But just know that God stands ready to change your heart and life and make you effective for his Kingdom.

Your sin separates you from all that we talked bout today because it separates you from God. But God made a way for you to be part of his kingdom plan by sending Jesus to die in your place. The death you deserved, Jesus took it. Today, you can respond in faith and repentance and be saved.

We are going to sing one more song today as a way to respond to what God has spoken today...