GROW UP: 2-Part Sermon Series PT.1 - Who's teaching who?

Introduction - The distorted image

There is an issue going on right now and that is that the world is looking for God, but as they look to his body they don’t see something they want to be apart of. Let’s just be honest and admit this is not how the body of Christ should be looking. If we believe that we are apart of the body of Christ we must ask ourselves ‘am I representing my part of the body well?’ because we will spend hour in the gym, in the mirror, and in the mall to make sure our body is perceived the right way and yet your body is not what’s going to bring anyone into the kingdom but it’s how you represent the body of Christ that brings souls into the kingdom. I love looking nice and making sure I’m put together, but there are days I will be aware of what I wear even to preach to make sure my outfit doesn’t draw more attention to myself than what I am saying, that’s why the black robe is necessary sometimes.

Some of us may be wondering what it means to represent that ‘body of Christ’ because we don’t know what he requires us to look like, well the only way to represent a body or image is to look into the instructions left for you to follow, and as the body of Christ most of our knowledge of Christ comes from:

What our Pastors say, that’s why it is important to be under sound teaching

Sound bites on social media/ Quotes with nice graphics/ 60 second TikTok videos

And at the same time you are only reading scriptures that speak to you and not the ones that instruct you… You’ll read David saying ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ when you need to be reading and praying, ‘Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.’

But as we talk about spiritual maturity, we must realize that we really have distorted the image of the fullness that is in Christ.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED THE FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY

We need the foundational teaching and rearing of the Apostle

We need the warnings and progression from the Prophet

We need the Burden to win souls with the Gospel from the Evangelist

We need the guidance of a shepherd from the Pastor

and We need the in-depth teaching and understanding of the word of God from the teacher

ALL ARE NEEDED TO HELP US MATURE...

Unfortunately our generation has a misconception of the concept of credibility… (work that)

10K followers is not creditbility

The ability to influence individuals is not credibility

A title in front of your name is not credibility

BUT

Serving under the leadership of a man or woman of God for more than a few years brings credibility

Sacrificing for the sake of the ministry brings credibility

Still showing up to Church after being corrected brings credibility

Submitting to a house that can’t pay you thousands but will bring you into rooms where your gift can be make up the difference brings credibility

IM NERVOUS THAT OUR GENERATION UNDERSTANDS A QUICK CHECK BUT NOT AN EVERLASTING INHERITANCE, but tell somebody NOT OVER HERE!

So we must embrace the five-fold ministry because if it is utilized in purity, we will bring people into the knowledge that we are sons behaving like slaves.

- The book of Galatians is written to oppose the agenda of Judaizers, or for our sake I’ll say legalistic people who want to put more restrictions on us because they want to control us. Now I’m not coming for your upbringing, I’m coming for who is in your ear now trying to convince you that you can’t be saved because you have a sin issue, but tell someone Judaizers.

- Judaizers were set out to keep the gentiles under the bondage that the jews were under because of the Law where they had certain requirements they had to meet in order to be in right standing with God. They had to wear certain fabrics, cook food a certain way and all of this worked to show the holiness of God but it was also lesson to us that the only way we could live holy is through God that’s why he came down to die for us because Jesus said I understand the law because I gave Moses the law myself, but what I’m going to do is instead of abolishing the law, I’m going to fulfill it that way if you accept ME, I’ll cover every sacrifice you would have to make, if you accept ME, I’ll cover every sin you committed, but for some people that wasn’t good enough.

But Paul takes the time to address this lie because they started the gentiles they were not saved unless they have been circumcised but the issue with that is Jesus has just been crucified and risen therefore there was no more need for circumcision because circumcision signified our commitment to God but when Jesus died he made an everlasting commitment to us, and when God makes a covenant with blood, no man can overturn his commitment thats why the Jesus said I gave you eternal and NO MAN can SNATCH you out of my hand, that’s why I’m so glad his grip is stronger than mine, tell somebody he’s gotta me! From the waters he lifted me now safe am I!!

Which leads us to our text because we have been living life estranged from our true authority because we have lived as servants in the house we own...