Spiritual Growth

Amen. Well, thank you, David and Michelle and for everyone else who's been involved in the service.

My name is Alistair. I'm the assistant pastor here at Brunsfield, and it is my absolute joy to open up this passage of Ephesians 4 to us.

But I want you to think back as we begin.

Maybe one of the things that you probably remember growing up as a child is that proud day

when you and your siblings were all lined up ready to have your height marked on the doorpost.

Normally it was in the kitchen or in the cupboard doorframe.

Now, I am from a family of three boys, so we can get quite competitive at times.

And I remember puffing out my chest, standing as tall as I possibly could,

just to see how much I'd grown over the last few months.

So you'd stand with your back to the post and your, in my case, my mom would put the pencil on top of my head,

ready to make the mark.

And before she'd even made the line, the question would inevitably come, have I grown?

When we're younger, we do everything we can to grow.

We are fascinated with being older, with being taller, with being big.

How does that happen?

Well, if we eat enough good food, if we get enough good exercise,

and if we believe what our parents tell us, if we don't eat too many sweets.

Children want to grow, and that growth is a good thing.

Now, carry that same thought across to the local church.

How do we, as a church, grow?

I don't mean numerically, because numbers are no indication of how we're actually doing as a church.

I mean spiritually.

How does the church grow?

Well, the message that we hear ringing through the passage that was read to us just a moment ago

is that we, the church, are gifted to grow.

We have received gifts from Christ that we need to help us grow in unity and in maturity

so that we can become the church that Jesus Christ has called us to be.

The spiritual growth of the local church does not come about by following the newest trends

or by listening to a particular leader.

The church grows as every single member uses their God-given gifts to serve the church,

which is built on the Bible, the very words of God.

Now, the main focus of this passage this morning is not us as individuals,

but instead it is about the local church, and we are gifted to grow.

Now, to help us see that this morning, we will ask two questions of the text.

And the first question is, what were we given to grow?

In verses 7 to 11, what were we given to grow?

Read verse 7 with me.

But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

Now, grace is a word that we throw around a lot in Christian circles.

You've probably heard it to explain God's goodness and kindness to his people.

Ian Hamilton, a minister and theologian, says this about grace.

Grace is God's undeserving kindness to judgment-deserving sinners.

Now, where we hear the word grace, Christians stand up and we scream, yes, amen.

We have been given grace by God.

And we usually think about grace in terms of our salvation,

that wonderful, miraculous wonder of forgiveness that has been given to us through Jesus and his death on the cross.

But that's not what Paul is actually getting at here in Ephesians.

Looking at the context of the whole book and the way Paul uses the word elsewhere in Ephesians,

the grace that he is speaking of is and must be gifts given to us by God.

But Jesus isn't like Santa, who takes in a wish list once a year and dishes out good gifts to those who happen to make it onto the nice list

and gives coal to those naughty children.

No, God in his immeasurable grace calls sinners like you and me to become Christians.

But that grace doesn't stop there because as verse 7 says,

God continues to equip his people by his grace.

He gives us gifts.

Now, maybe you're sitting there thinking, well, this doesn't really apply to me because I have no gifts.

We can often think that gifting must equal platform and recognition.

We equate the gifts with the upfront stuff that we see going on in church or the miraculous gifts that we read elsewhere in the New Testament.

And those are part of it.

But thinking that you're not gifted just because you're not preaching or you're not leading a ministry,

thinking that you're not gifted because you're not doing what someone else is doing is wrong.

Look at what the Bible says in verse 7 to each one of us.

Friends, each and every one of you listening in this morning is gifted by Christ to build up the church.

No exceptions.

And to back this up, Paul quotes from Psalm 68 and relates it specifically to Jesus' work

and tells us how Jesus is able to give gifts to his people.

Paul uses this psalm to describe the ascension of Jesus that we read about in the book of Acts

and how because of his reigning victory over our enemies,

he is now seated at the right hand of God the Father.

And by grace, he gives us gifts.

When Jesus took on flesh or descended to the lower earthly regions, as verse 9 says,

he stooped from his place of glory with the Father in heaven and became one of us,

yet was without sin.

And through his death on the cross, he defeated the spiritual forces that wage war

against humanity every single day.

He defeated sin.

He defeated death.

And after his ascension, when he returned to the Father,

he sat at his right hand and is now reigning in absolute control over all things,

as verse 10 says.

Friends, this is the Savior that we serve.

And as if that wasn't glorious enough, he has given each of us gifts.

But he has also given particular, he has gifted particular leaders to the body of Christ.

And that is what we see in verse 11.

Christ has gifted the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers to the church.

Now, the pastors and teachers, those are one office.

And are what we currently understand to be pastors and elders.

But why does Paul mention these four leaders?

Well, if you think of the global church as a building, it will help us understand.

You see, the apostles and the prophets are the foundation of the church.

That's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 19 to 20.

Ephesians 2:19–20

Read with me.

The apostles here in this passage are the twelve apostles and Paul himself.

They are the ones who knew Jesus, who saw him and who were called to be sent ones.

That's what apostle means.

They are the foundations of the church, which is ultimately built on Jesus Christ.

The prophets were those who spoke the word of God to the people of God.

And again, remembering the context of Ephesians 2, 20.

The prophets were the original New Testament prophets who taught the church.

So if they are the foundation of this house, the body of Christ,

the next leaders are the frame put in place to help the building grow.

The evangelists are those who took the gospel to the people who don't know Jesus.

And there are those who continue this work on a daily basis in their friends and family circles,

on street corners and in marketplaces all over the world.

And there are those who are especially gifted in this phenomenal work.

But if you think that this is a get out of evangelism free card, you are wrong.

That's not the case.

This does not mean that the rest of us can sit back and leave the work of the Great Commission

to a select few of evangelists.

Every single Christian, according to Matthew 28, is called to share the gospel.

And then we have the pastors, those whose job it is to care for the Lord's people and to teach them.

Do you notice one thing that connects all of these offices?

Well, it's the word of God.

The apostles and the prophets built the church on the word that they had received from Jesus.

The evangelists share the good news of Jesus as we find it in the Bible.

And the role of any pastor, any elder, is primarily to be a teacher of God's word.

Now, this is really important because if we misunderstand this,

if we move away from the Bible, then friends, we are done for.

Because we're not built on the cornerstone that is Jesus Christ and the foundations of solid teaching.

To be a local church family that grows in our unity and maturity,

we don't need to look at the world and do the newest trendy thing.

We don't need growth strategies.

And we shouldn't be trying to become more like the world to seem more normal.

If we want to be a church that grows in unity and in maturity,

then we need to get our heads in our Bibles.

We need to know the word.

We need to live in the word.

And use the gifts that Christ has given us.

To be taught by the leaders that God has given us.

And to live for Jesus.

By grace, Christ has given each and every single one of us gifts.

Well, maybe you're left thinking, why?

Why did Jesus do that?

What's the point of him giving me a gift?

That's the second question we need to ask of this passage.

Why were we given them?

Verses 12 to 16.

Why were we given them?

When thinking about every Christian receiving a gift,

the temptation might be to think about the how and why to use those gifts

merely in an individualistic way.

But we're not called and gifted

to make ourselves great.

We're not called and gifted for ourselves to be the focus.

This whole passage is about how we can use our individual gifts

for the upbuilding of the local church.

Even the leaders in verse 11,

they weren't called and gifted

so that they could be put on a pedestal.

They're not perfect.

But so that they could do all the work in the church themselves.

Their role is, verse 12,

to equip his people, that is God's people,

for works of service.

And this is what we call every member ministry.

As elders, we believe that each one of you

is gifted.

And our role is to equip and enable you

to serve the church with your gift.

As a church, we are gifted to grow.

Now this flies right in the face of something

that is such a relevant temptation for us

at the moment during another lockdown.

It is so easy to roll out of bed on a Sunday morning,

turn on YouTube,

and then not think about church

until the next Sunday comes around.

Consumer Christianity is always a temptation.

But maybe it's even more of a danger now

than it was before.

As Christians, we weren't called to sit

and twiddle our thumbs.

We were called by God

to glorify him

and to serve him.

And that means that every one of us

should be using our gifts in the church.

That every one of us should be sharing the gospel

and reaching the lost.

And we get this repeated again in verse 16.

The church grows and builds itself up in love

as each part does its work.

Friends, if you're not serving in the church

at the moment,

why not?

Or if you're unsure which area you're gifted in,

we'll come and speak to myself

or any one of the other elders.

Our role is to equip you to serve

so that we as a church can be built up

to maturity and unity.

The way we serve can look different

for each one of us.

And age is no limit.

We are not a young people's church.

Are you older

and have been a Christian for a long time?

Don't sit back,

but why not use that experience

and get in a one-to-one

with a younger person?

As you grow and study the Bible together,

as you share life with one another,

you will both be blessed.

Are you a young person

and you've got a busy work schedule?

You've got a busy family life.

Maybe you've got a busy social calendar.

Well, the Bible gives nobody an excuse

not to serve their local church.

We are all to serve

by using our gifts out of love

to build up the church.

Maybe you're able to serve

in welcoming people to church

and inviting people

to the Life Explored course coming up

so that they too can hear about Jesus.

In sharing the gospel with people

every single day

or by encouraging people

and calling them up during lockdown

to see how they're doing

and how you can pray for them.

This is all of our job

as Christians

who are gathered together

as one family

in Brunsfield Evangelical Church.

Every single one of us

should engage in ministry

because each of us

have been gifted to grow.

And Paul gives us three reasons

for this every member ministry

in the local church

in verses 12 and 13.

Firstly, so that we would all

reach unity in faith

and full knowledge of God's Son.

Secondly, maturity.

And finally, so that we may attain

to the fullness of Christ.

Now again, remember the focus

of this passage is congregational,

not individualistic.

So our maturity and unity

as a church is measured

by how our relationship

as a congregation

is with Jesus.

If we grow in our maturity

and our unity,

then we will become

more like Christ.

We will attain

to the full measure of Christ,

which is the goal.

Now what does that look like?

Well, verse 14, read with me.

Then we will no longer be infants,

tossed back and forth by the waves

and blown here and there

by every wind of teaching

and by the cunning and craftiness

of people in their deceitful schemes.

A church that is equipped

to serve through the teaching

of God's word

will not be infants,

but mature.

A church that grows in maturity

and in unity

will not be tossed

to and fro

by every wind of teaching.

A church that grows

in maturity and unity

will be discerning

about what they listen to

and who they follow.

So flip that around.

What does a church look like

that is not based on the Bible

and that doesn't focus

on growing in maturity

and unity?

Well, they're like a rubber dinghy

in the middle of a rainstorm

caught at sea.

Imagine a blow-up lilo

that you use at the seaside.

They are fun to relax on

and lie in the water for a while,

but they are not built

to keep you afloat

in the middle of a storm.

A Christian,

a church that is not rooted

in their theology,

a church that doesn't strive

for maturity and unity

is like a lilo

being tossed to and fro

in a vicious storm.

And notice the warning there,

blown here and there

by every wind of teaching

and by the cunning

and craftiness of people

in their deceitful scheming.

This is why

it is so important

to be careful

who we listen to.

If we listen to just anyone

speaking about the Bible

and take their word for it,

we are not being mature.

If we're sick,

we wouldn't go to just anyone

for a diagnosis

or a course of treatment.

We would want to make sure

that we're going to a doctor,

someone who knows their stuff,

who's been to medical school,

someone who has good knowledge

of our symptoms.

And if we do that

with our physical health,

we pay close attention

to the advice

we're listening to,

to the people

we're speaking to.

Why would we not do it

with our spiritual health?

Because our spiritual health

lasts for eternity.

Friends,

there are countless

false doctrines

and false teachers

all over the world

who would seek

to distract you

from the truth

and draw our attention

away from Christ.

It's tempting

because we all want to

think that everything

will be fine.

We want to think

that we will have

our best life now,

that our prosperity

is the focus of life.

But Paul says

that such departures

are,

verse 14,

deceitful schemes.

Think back to the context

of Ephesus.

this city filled

with pagan worship

and idols.

Paul is calling

this church

to be discerning,

to know what they believe

and why they believe it

so that they can stand up

against the onslaught

of attacks

that will come their way.

And our context today

isn't much different,

really.

We're surrounded

by different religions,

different ideas,

and even different

theological schools

of thought

and false gospels.

The call is the same.

Be discerning.

Do not be caught off guard

and be tossed

to and fro

by every new teaching

that comes your way.

Our role as Christians,

according to verse 15

and 16,

is to speak the truth

in love

and to build up

the church

in love.

All the use

of our gifts

are worthless,

utterly worthless,

if they're not being

used in love.

Go later on

and read

1 Corinthians 13

and you'll see that

very clearly.

this means

that we need

to hold each other

accountable,

that we will speak

to each other

about things

in our lives

that should not

be there

and we will do it

out of a deep love

and care for people

so that,

verse 15,

we will grow

to become

in every respect

the mature body

of Him

who is the head

that is Christ.

from Him

the whole body

joined and held

together by every

supporting ligament

grows and builds

itself up in love

as each part

does its work.

Friends,

Jesus has gifted

each and every

one of us

for growth.

Each of us

has a part

to play

in the growth

of the local

church,

not the numerical

growth,

but the growth

in unity

and maturity

so that we

can attain

to the full,

the whole measure

of the fullness

of Christ.

Think back

to the markings

on the doorpost

when you were a child.

Imagine going back

to that house

years later,

you've probably

grown a fair bit

since then,

I know I have.

But now think

if it were possible

to do the same

with the church

and our spiritual

growth.

Would we be able

to see a difference

in our growth

in maturity

and unity

as a local

church

over the last

50 years?

Over the last

20 years?

Over the last

five years?

What about over

these last 10

months of lockdown?

Friends,

we have been

gifted

for growth.

to build

up the church

to actively

serve

with the goal

of growing

in our maturity

and unity

as a church

family.

You are gifted

to help

Brunsfield grow.

And so let me

leave you with a

question this morning.

What are you

doing

to help

the church

grow

in maturity,

in unity

and to become

the bride

of Christ

that Jesus

has called

us to be?

Let's pray

together.

Heavenly Father,

we thank you

so much

that by your

grace

you have

called us

to be

Christians.

But Father,

we thank you

for the wonderful

news that even

more than that

your grace

doesn't stop

there,

but you have

given us

gifts

so that we

can serve

your church.

Father,

forgive us

for the times

where our

goal has

not been

to serve

but to

consume.

Forgive us

for the times

where we

have kept

our gifts

to ourself

and not

sought to

grow the

church

in unity,

in maturity,

so that we

would become

the bride

that you

have called

us to be.

Father,

help us

all think

about how

we can

serve,

help us

all figure

out the

areas in

which you've

gifted us

so that we

can build

up this

local church

that is

Bronzefield

Evangelical

Church.

Father,

we ask

all of

this for

your glory

and in

the precious

name of

our wonderful

saviour,

Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.