The Purpose of the Church

Introduction:.

Have you ever stopped to really think about what the purpose of the Church is for and is it really necessary for believers to be part of a local church?

In 2019 before the pandemic- 3,000 churches in America closed their doors permanently.

What do you think this says to the world about the God we worship?

People in American are walking away from the church because they find no value in it for themselves.

I believe this mass exodus from the church is because the church as whole, has lost it’s intended purpose that Christ gave it to accomplish.

In Our study through the book of Ephesians over the past few months, we have been study the church- God’s New plan for All of His redeemed children to live equally together as one body.

In the first 6 verses of chapter 4 of Ephesians we see that a healthy church is a unified church.

But what we need to understand is that

“Unity in the church does not mean sameness or conformity

Spiritual Unity means that we are spiritually diverse followers of Jesus all fulfilling the different roles that God has given each of us through His grace.” -pastor Jason

Simply put “Unity is diverse people serving one another in different ways for the glory of God,,

The Body of Christ is unified because we have one faith, that brings salvation to all of us, we have One Spiritual baptism ,We have one hope and we serve the same lord,

But at the same time we are also a diverse group of people because we are called to serve Christ in many different ways.

And this diversity in serving one other is what makes a church a healthy church.

And as we continue in Chapter 4 Paul shows us what a healthy Church looks like when it functions in the way that Jesus planned for His church to work together. “UNIFIED IN DIVERSITY”

READ THE TEXT “4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; and he gave gifts to men.” 4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? 4:10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. 4:11 It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. 4:14 So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. 4:15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. 4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.”

OUR BIG IDEA: Today is found in vs 12-13

4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. “

Our Big idea today is this “ The Purpose of the Church is to Equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to Build up the body Christ?

We have put it simply like this- The purpose of the church is to Make and Equip followers of Jesus Christ.

In our passage this morning Paul is telling us what it will take for us to be effective in Making and equipping followers of Jesus in our church

Lets begin our study this morning in verse 7

Every Believer has been given spiritual gifts vs. 7-10

vs. 7 “4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

How many of you feel like God hasn’t given you any gifts to serve the church?

I think too many times we compare ourselves to others in the church. and we think to ourselves...

If only I could preach like pastor jason than God Could use in the church.

Or we think If only I could share Jesus Like Jay Shares Jesus than God Could use me in the church.

Or we think to ourselves if Only I could fix things around the church like Ron fixes things then God could use me in the church

Understand this morning that if you are a redeemed child of God-If you have put your faith in Jesus than you have been given spiritual Grace from Jesus.

“vs. 7 “4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”

This grace that Paul is talking about is not saving grace but is “ministry grace” Specific spiritual gifts that God has given you for the purpose of serving the church.

And what we will see in our passage this morning is that not all of these gifts look the same, but every gift is needed for our church to be a healthy Church.

Understand this this Morning. the point of this message is clear” If you are part of this local church God has given you Spiritual gifts for the purpose of serving this local church.

Let’s look deeper into our text this morning and see what this looks like when spiritual gifts are used for the ministry of Serving the church.

vs. 7 “4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” 4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives; and He gave gifts to men.” 4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? 4:10 He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things”

Paul in this beautiful text is reminding us where these spiritual gifts come from.

He is building the case that Christ is the only one who has the authority to give spiritual gifts to His Church

Christ Jesus - the 2nd person of the TRIUNE God Humbled Himself in all His glory and chose to Come to Earth, to Die in our place, and to paying the penalty for our sins. He was buried in the ground as a man, but then He rose again victoriously over sin’s eternal bondage, and He ascended into heaven as our King- and its with this authority that Christ as the head of the church generously distributes His spiritual gifts to His followers, So that His church can grow and be a healthy church.

Paul in vs 11-12 goes on to give us an illustration of what these gifts from the H.S. do for the church

.”4:11 It was he [Jesus] who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,’ “

Paul illustrates the idea that Christ Gives different gifts to different people but all of their gifts are needed for the church to be a healthy church.

4 groups of people who where given specific spiritual gifts to serve the early church.

He gave some as Apostles-

were personal witnesses to the work and Resurrection of Jesus- Christ on earth

the disciples, people who walked with Jesus and followed Him while he was on earth

Acts 1:20-22 When the apostles were choosing one to replace Judas- ‘Let another take his position of responsibility.’Thus one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time the Lord Jesus associated with us, beginning from his baptism by John until the day he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness of his resurrection together with us.”

The gift of apostleship was given to men who where personlly directed by Jesus when He was alive.

The purpose of this gift was to take the truths that they saw with their own eyes- the truths thats Jesus taught during is ministry on earth to the Lost world around them.

God gave some to be apostles and their purpose was to use their spiritual gift to establish Christ Church here on earth.

Think about it- Peter James and John - were all the founderes of the first Jeruselem.

the Apostle Paul was the father of the gentile churches.

Apostle were a gift from the Lord to serve His church.

Their Gift was meant to serve the church by establishing it with the truths of Christ.

Prophets-

OT Prophets foretold the message of the coming Messiah-

NT prophets were used by the H.S. to preach the word of God to the church that the apostle were establishing before the Bible was written .

the gift of Prophecy was given to individuals during the Early years of the church, to proclaim God’s truths to the local body of believers, Because they didn’t have the completed Word of God like we do today-

In the churches infancy The H.S. chose to speak His truth through individuals to the church and this was a spiritual gift from Christ to the Church.

1 Cor 14:3 tells us that the purpose of prophesy was to edify encourage, and comfort believers in the church.”

“But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.”

We need to understand that Christians today do not get their spiritual knowledge immediately from the Holy Spirit, but through Illumination of Gods Inspired and complete Word the Bible.

The H.S speaks to his children through the words of the completed Word of God.

Like the Apostles, the gift of prophecy had a foundational role in forming the early church and writing the Bible. But because the church is established and the Bible is complete they are not needed today.

Understand that we are blessed because we have Gods Complete word of Truth in our laps.

God gave these spiritual gifts to specific men for a specific purpose and now that that purpose has been accomplished these gifts are no longer needed to serve the church because we now have the completed word of God.

So understand that the apostles were a gift to the church because they are who God Used to bring a solid foundation to the church.

The NT prophets were a gift to the church because the HS spoke His truths through them as the church began to build upon the foundation of the apostles.

Paul goes on and tells us the 3rd gift of Grace that Jesus Gave to the early church.

“some as Evangelists- The gift of sharing the gospel with the lost.

The evangelist were men who traveled from place to place sharing the good news of the gospel to win the lost for Christ.

The apostles and the prophets laid the foundation for the church and it was the evangelist that built upon this foundation by winning lost sinners for Christ and growing the church.

God gave some men the ability to just communicate His gospel to the lost in way that men wanted to hear. and many lives were changed through their ministry of the gift God had given them.

When we think about the gift of Evangelism we need to be careful to not use it as an excuse to not share Jesus with our community.

It can be easy for us to just say “ well I don’t have the gift of evangelism so I don't need to share christ.”

Listen to my words Church"If you are a believer than you have been commanded to share the gospel.

ACTS 1:8, Matt. 28:18 -19

But There were some people in that early church and I believe in our churches today who have the gift of evangelism.

This means that God has given them a super ability when it comes to communicating the gospel of Jesus with the lost.

But we need to understand that The fact that you may not possess the gift of evangelism does not excuse you from being burdened for the lost souls in our community and witnessing to them.

We also need to understand that there are believers who have been gifted with this grace for the purpose of Serving the church.

The apostles and the prophets used their spiritual gift to lay the foundation for the church and it was the evangelist that built upon this foundation by winning lost sinners for Christ and growing the church.

And this leads us to the 4th gift of Grace that Paul mentions in our text this morning.

“and some He called to be Pastor - teacher- “

the word pastor means shepherd. and as the shepherd teacher He is responsible for teaching Gods truths to Christ Church.

The job of a shepherd was to to lead his sheep to be feed and to find water, and it was also to protect them with his life.

In the New testament we see that tChrist has called the pastors to feed his church spiritually so that they will grow in the Lord and become mature in their faith.,

Pastors are a gift from Jesus to His church, a spiritual gift that is meant to grow the faith of the Church. and to equip them for the ministry of the Gospel,.

Jesus gave some men these spiritual gifts so that they could shepherd His sheep in his absence.

The young churches in the new Testament needed a pastor to build upon the foundation of the apostles and Prophets, to teach them Gods truths and to watch over their souls.

and as your pastor - my calling is to equip you for the ministry of the gospel and to watch over your souls

my greatest desire is to lead you in growing to be more like Jesus and to help you serve Christ by serving the church.

Do you see how each of these four spiritual gifts not only were blessings to the church, but that they are all inter-dependent on one another for the church to be established.

It took all of these men serving the church through the different gifts God gave them -for the church to be established.

verse 12 tells us that the part of the pastors responsibility is to lead the church in making and equipping followers of Jesus

EPH. 4:12-13 Christ Gave his church pastor teachers “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature.”

The pastor is a gift to the church to lead the church in fulfilling its purpose.

THAT PURPOSE IS A LIFE LONG PATTERN OF SPiRITUAL GROWTH in its members.

WE CALL THIS PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION.= BECOMING MORE LIKE JESUS DAILY,

This happens when the church equips the saints to be more like Jesus in Serving one another

and this happens when the Church goes into it’s community WITH THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING REDEMPTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LOST.

Understand that the pastor of the church has the responsibly as a gift from God to His church to lead the church in fulfilling its purpose.

and what Paul is trying to tell you as the church back in n verse 7 is that “everyone one of you has been given spiritual gifts from Christ and the purpose of your gifts is the same as the gifts given to the apostles, prophets, evangelist, and the pastors.

My responsibility as part of this church is to use the gifts God has given me as the pastor to serve you, and to build you up in Christ.

Your purpose is the same as mine-God has given you spiritual gifts to serve one another in the church

and Paul Brings this passage home in verse 15-16 where he describes what a healthy church looks like .

‘4:15 Rather Speak the truth in love,

I don’t know about you but this can be hard to do for my sinful nature.

Some times I just want to speak the truth, but that is not what is needed in a healthy church.

to speak the truth in love means that your greatest desire is for your brothers spiritual good.

A healthy Church is a church that speaks Gods truths in a way that shows preference to others in the church

we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.

This simply means that a healthy church is a church were people are growing in their walk with Jesus.

4:16 From Jesus the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.”

A healthy church is a church were everyone is serving one another in love.

I love how Paul opens up this passage in verse 7 and says that each one of us in the church has been given gifts to serve the church and then he wraps it up in verse 16 and he says that healthy church is a church where everyone is using their gifts to serve one another in the church.

What Paul is saying is that you got no excuses for not serving in this church.

If you are a believer in Jesus, God has given you spiritual gifts that are meant for you to use in serving this local church.

TEXT “AS EACH ONE DOES THEIR PART- THE BODY GROWS IN LOVE.”

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to serve one another

it has nothing to do with building yourself up

It has nothing to do with Selfish pride

It has nothing to with making yourself more holy

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to serve one another.

and what Paul is trying to tell the church in verse 7 is that “everyone one of you has been given spiritual gifts from Christ and the purpose of your gifts is the same as the gifts given to the apostles, prophets, evangelist, and the pastors.

it took all of them serving the church with the gifts God gave them to build up the church.

and it takes all of us today using the gifts God has given us to be a healthy church today.

A healthy church is a church where all if its members are serving one another in love.

BRING IT HOME

I think the logical question we naturally have at this point in our study is “What are my spiritual gifts?”

There are many questionares out there that can help you determine your gift set, There are many people that Im sure would love to tell you how you should serve.

But what I see in this passage is this” God has called you to serve and build up the church.

If you want to find out what your spiritual gifts are then I would say just start serving in the church. There are so many ways that you can serve in the body of Christ.

and as God grows you and your faith I believe He will make it very clear as to what role you play in the church.

Our passage in Eph. 4 puts it very simply- God has given you what you need to serve others in the church, So what are you waiting for.

Some of you need to stop being church consumers, and start being Church servants,

IF a healthy church brings God glory, by serving one another in love and sharing the gospel with our community,

the question we need to ask ourselves is this...

Are WE A HEALTHY CHURCH?

I think the more important question we need to ask ourselves this morning is

AM I a healthy church member?

am I coming to church excited to serve others or am I more interested in what i’m going to get out of the service?

Do I go into the community with a burden for the lost? Or do I just want to get something for myself.

A healthy church member has a burning desire to see the lost come to Jesus, and an excitement to come and serve the body of Christ.

Maybe this morning God is working on your heart and you know deep down that you have not been a healthy Church member.

Don’t want to serve the body

Don’t have burden for lost souls,

This morning as we close with a hymn Im going to ask to do something that is hard to do, but I believe is need in our lives

As we sing If God has been Working in your heart and you know that you have not been a healthy church member- and want to get right with Jesus the head head of the church Im going to ask you to come to front and kneel down on the front row and get right with God.

WE need you in this church. and we want you to be able to joyful serve Christ and His Church.

Pray