Deeper- Part IV- A Thriving Church

Introduction-Ephesians 4:11-16

Last week we saw how that deepening our relationship with Christ will lead us to a deeper devotion to Him.

The highest ambition for the believer should be to know more of Christ and we ought not to let anything hinder that pursuit in our lives.

Jesus should have our supreme devotion and we should determine that we will let nothing hinder us from drawing closer to Him and doing His will.

Today we are going to consider how a deeper relationship with Christ will affect the local church.

If every believer at High Plains Baptist Church cultivates a deeper relationship with Christ it will make a powerful impact upon the church as a whole.

Paul writes under the inspiration of the Spirit of God to the church at Ephesus of the wonder effects that their pursuit of Christ will have upon the church.

This passage begins with a listing of the people that God has placed into your life who are there for the purpose of moving you towards Christ and motivating you to deepen your relationship with Him.

Then he begins to describe the effects which this will then produce in the life of the church.

The first is...

Unity (Vs. 13a)

If each of you as believers will pursue a closer more meaninful relationship with Christ we will naturally find ourselves in harmony with one another.

If we are all drawing closer to Christ then we will naturally be drawn closer to one another and there will be no dischord or strife among us.

Just as instruments are all tuned to the same standard and then are naturally in harmony with one another so also will we be in harmony with one another as we are in tune with Christ.

This unity is centered upon our mutual faith in Christ and our experiential knowledge of Him as we grow in our relationship with Him.

Much division and contention in the life of the local church can be traced to believers who are not actively pursuing a closer walk with Christ.

When our primary focus is knowing Christ then we will not be so concerned with getting our own way, but we will all desire that God would ultimately have His way.

It also produces...

Maturity (Vs. 13b)

When each of us are striving to draw clsoer to Christ we will also begin to see real spiritual growth take place in our lives.

As we deepen our relationship with Christ we will begin to become the mature believers that God intends for us to be.

It is God’s desire that we would learn and grow and that we would develop as Christians so that we have a more complete knowledge of Him and His Word and a more complete assimilation of these truths into our daily lives.

The ultimate measure of our maturity is not found in a comparison of ourselves with other believers but rather a comparison to the ultimate standard which is Jesus Christ Himself.

The mark of maturity in the life of the believer is Christlikeness. We should be growing more like Christ each day.

Spiritual growth is the process of knowing Christ better and then striving to be more like Him.

Stability (Vs. 14)

Maturity naturally leads to a stability that is not found in those who are yet babes in Christ.

Sadly there are many believers who do not mature and remain spiritual infants which are prone to instability.

It is not God’s desire that we remain babes after that we have been born again. We ought to progress towards spiritual adulthood.

Those who are yet children are often easily misled and are tossed to and fro as a small boat is tossed about upon the sea by the waves they have no definitive direction.

They are pulled in whatever direction the prevailing winds are blowing. This can be easily seen in modern day Christianity as so many believers have no problem going along with the anti-biblical stances that so many popular Christian leaders have taken on the cultural issues of our day.

There are many believers who never become truly settled in their beliefs because they lack this maturity and their beliefs are primarily shaped by those who they have allowed to influence them.

Tragically there are all too many false teachers in the world today who prey upon these spiritual infants desiring to build a large following to themselves through taking advantage of them.

The lie in wait looking for someone that they can deceive through their carefully crafted lies which twist scripture or divorce it from its context.

If we are developing as we should we will not be children any longer and we shall not be so easily deceived.

Balance (Vs. 15)

Those believers who are continuing to make progress in their walk with Christ and who have developed to maturity will also have the unique ability to speak the truth in love.

This they do according to the Lord Jesus’s example.

Many believers today demonstrate their lack of maturity through their inability to strike this balance.

There are many who are willing to speak the truth but who do so in a brash and abrasive manner which is not met with receptivity by the hearer.

Far too many others are willing to speak in love but are not willing to tell the truth and have comforted many with lies and deception that will ultimately lead to destruction.

The mature believer is able to find the balance speaking the truth but doing so in a manner that conveys love and care for those that they deliver it to.

This was the pattern of the Lord Jesus as He did not hesitate to confront men with the truth but He was intent on delivering the truth in a loving manner that would not prevent men from hearing it.

Thriving Ministry (Vs. 16)

The church where each member is striving to draw closer to Christ and is continuing to grow in their faith and knowledge of Him is a church that will thrive.

The church that is made up of stable, mature, and balanced believers will be in a prime position to carry out the work which God has called them to do.

Every member will be eager to serve Christ and to fill their role in the body. Working together, such a church will continue to minister effectively and will experience the growth that God intends for them to.

Each member will form a strong supportive bond with the other members which ultimately serves to strengthen to whole of the church.

When we all draw closer to Christ and seek to know and to do His will, the church will thrive in the task which God has given it, effectively reaching the lost and discipling believers.

The opposite is also true, if there are those among us who remain infants and who do not desire a deeper walk with Christ, the body will suffer and will not be able to function as it should.

God has brought us together and it is His intent that we would develop into mature Christians who are striving together to further the gospel.

Many churches are dying or are only artificially growing because the members which make it up are not maturing and lack spiritual depth.

Conclusion

If each of us will desire this deeper more meaningful relationship with Christ, it will not only benefit us personally but also corporately as a local church.

The church is in the best position to make a powerful impact in our community when each of us are intent on walking with Christ and developing into mature Christians following the pattern of the Lord Jesus.

When we develop as God would have us to we will have stability, maturity, and balance in our spiritual lives and unity, harmony, and love in the church.