Gifts to Serve

Well, good morning. Keep your Bibles open there at Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

And I've got a sermon outline as well, which you can get on the St. Paul's app,

or if you want one in your hand, there's one there.

And I'm probably following something along that, but who knows, after 17 hours on a flight, we'll see how we go.

Our world has changed quite a lot in the past 75 to 80 years.

For instance, our consumer mentality since the end of World War II has had a positive impact

in that it's helped us kick industry along really well in such a way that the standard of living has risen not just in the West,

but in fact in the world generally.

But the same mentality has also had quite a detrimental impact on society.

Classic example of this is the shift that's happened in advertising and in, for instance,

as one example, military recruitment advertising since World War II today.

And it gives you a picture of the way society has moved.

During World War II, you may have been familiar with this if you were there, which you probably weren't.

But during World War II, there was advertising like,

Uncle Sam wants you in the US.

You've got this sort of stuff.

I want you.

Another one was the call to duty,

to join the army for home and country.

It's my duty.

I'm doing it.

Are you doing it?

So it's a guilt people into fulfillment of a duty.

So you sign up and you fulfill your duty to country, to the nation for the good of humanity,

unless, of course, you are a woman.

And then in that case, the advertising was,

I wish I was a man so that I could fulfill my duty.

I'm making no comment on that whatsoever.

Similar advertising operated throughout the United States,

like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, other places like that.

Now, military advertising is this.

Be number one.

It's about you.

It's focused on you.

Or you be all you can be and come and join the armed forces.

We need you.

And in its worst case, there's this running in the United Kingdom at the moment.

You, me, me, me, millennials out there,

the military needs you for your self-belief.

We're desperate for you, you-centered people to come and be part of us.

We are lost without you.

Be all you can be.

And it's no longer about duty.

It's no longer about anyone else.

It's no longer about society, about your country.

It's about you.

Advertisement is you focus.

It's a massive shift.

I suppose it should not come as a surprise,

since it's a direct result of the expressive individualism of modern Western culture,

which has replaced the community-first loyalties of previous generations,

former generations.

Individuals have been taught to be consumers,

not only of retailers and merchants,

but also of institutions and organizations.

Individuals have been shaped by the culture to think of their own happiness and prosperity first,

and to avoid letting commitments to any group or institution become a barrier to finding personal fulfillment.

The concept of service and sacrifice are viewed as psychologically unhealthy in the West.

One of the things that church planters did,

this is back in the 1990s, around the 2000s,

when the church growth movement was on its peak.

One of the things they did as a result of the church growth movement

was conduct neighborhood surveys in advance of going in and planting a church into a neighborhood

to see what the values of that neighborhood were

and how the new church could come in and connect with those values.

They would start, get out there, meet the neighborhood,

and the assumption was that if we could start a church to meet the values of our neighborhood,

then people would just flock into that.

One neighborhood, having done one of these surveys,

one pastor went and did these surveys,

and one neighborhood said that the church that they were looking for,

bottom line, would never ask them to do anything.

That's the church they're looking for.

Never make demands on me.

Never call me to a commitment.

We don't want to minister to anyone we expect to be ministered to.

Well, there's a great foundation to start a church.

Our modern society, as well as many, I think some churches,

potentially many churches, many members of churches,

are on a collision course with the one who redefined greatness for us.

I come not to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.

That's the foundation of our existence.

Now, if you've just joined us, we're in our annual vision series.

We are in Ephesians because this letter is about the church,

it's about who we are as a people.

We are God's new society.

We are God's family, a new creation, a new humanity,

characterized not by walls of hostility and division,

but by unity and peace.

And we saw in the first couple of chapters of Ephesians

that we have, as a new humanity,

these wonderful blessings in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's because of the good news of what Jesus has achieved for us.

It's the gospel.

It's on the back of your service sheet.

And the gospel, this good news,

is the foundation of what we believe at St. Paul's,

and it is life-changing.

Let me just put it to you in case you haven't got time to read it.

The gospel is the good news that God sent his son,

the Lord Jesus Christ, in the world to live a perfect life,

to die as a substitute for sinners,

to absorb the anger of God,

to take away our guilt and our shame,

provide the gift of right standing before God,

and to give eternal life and joy

through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone,

apart from any works of obedience on our behalf.

And that statement,

from that statement,

from the grasping of that gospel,

multitudes of blessings flow to those who embraced it in Jesus.

As we saw last week,

one of those is,

God transforms our character in such a way

that he becomes our new identity

and he fills us up from the inside

and grows us in humility at the very least.

So we're back in Ephesians 4 today.

We're going to spend three weeks here.

And to see that the gospel,

through the gospel,

because of the gospel,

God also doesn't just fill us up

and give us a new identity and a character,

but also gives us gifts,

his gifts,

to serve.

We saw it in chapter 2, verse 10.

As a consequence of God's work of salvation,

it says,

we are God's handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus,

to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Now, I've been emphasizing our unity in Jesus

over the past couple of weeks.

Now, let's have a look at our diversity.

We are not clones.

Yes, there is one faith, one baptism,

but our unity does not mean uniformity.

In verse 7, Paul writes,

to each of us,

grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

And grace here means the ability to perform

the task that God has given us to do.

In chapter 3, verses 7 and 8,

Paul says that his apostleship

came with the gift of God's grace.

The point for us is this.

Each of us who are in Jesus

has received this enabling grace

in the exact proportion that Christ gave it.

And the message of this verse

is that that's all of us who are in Jesus.

No exceptions at all.

All of us have a serving grace

which has been given to us

by Christ in perfect measure.

That is, we all have a special part to perform.

Some have put the diversity of gifts

that have been given

to God's people from Jesus

into three broad categories.

Prophetic gifts,

priestly gifts,

and kingly gifts.

Prophetic gifts are abilities

based on understanding

and articulating biblical truth.

They are the gifts

that represent God to others.

The gifts that represent God to others.

And are marked by boldness and clarity.

Things like evangelism,

teaching, speaking, discernment, prophecy.

Priestly gifts

are abilities based on understanding

a supply

and to supply basic needs.

To understand and supply basic needs.

They represent God to the world.

And are marked by things like

sympathy and sacrifice and care,

encouragement,

helping, pastoring, mercy,

those kinds of things.

Kingly gifts

are abilities based on

understanding direction

and whole group needs.

They represent Christ's vision,

his vision,

to others.

And are marked by wisdom,

practicality,

leadership,

things like apostles,

founders of ministries,

leadership,

administration,

wisdom,

faith,

courage.

when you put it all together,

and I think one of the

clues here

is that it is

very rare,

extremely rare

for anyone

to have all three

of those categories

in equal measure.

Extremely rare.

when you put it all together,

each person's

person's gifting

is as unique

as a thumbprint.

The implication

is that there is a ministry

that only you

can do.

Spiritual gifts

fit you

for the mission

in life

that God

has given you.

Paul goes on

to say

in verses

8 and 10

that not only

do we have

a special grace,

but our

individual graces

have

a spectacular

origin.

Have a look at it.

Verse 8.

This is why it says

when he ascended

on high,

he led captives

in his train

and gave gifts

to men.

What does

he ascended

mean?

Except that

he also

descended

to the lower

earthly regions.

He who

descended

is the very one

who ascended

higher than

all the heavens

in order to

fill the whole

universe.

Now what Paul

is doing there,

he's borrowing

a line

from

Psalm

Psalms 68:18

68

verse 18.

In Psalm

Psalms 68:16

68

verses 16

17

just before

it,

God

sets

his

sight

on

Mount

Zion

and moves

as it says

there

with tens

of thousands

and thousands

of thousands

of chariots

up the slopes

of Jerusalem

in victory

leading

captives

in his train

and receiving

gifts

from

humanity.

So Paul

takes that

image

and

he shifts

it.

He changes

it from

the conquering

king to

Jerusalem

receiving

gifts from

humanity

for being

the conquering

king

to now

the conquering

king

throwing out,

casting out

gifts to

humanity.

The triumphant

Christ

gave

gifts

to people.

He's simply

borrowing the

image of

Psalm 68

and applying it

to Christ

coming into

this world

and his

return to

heaven.

The fact

that he

ascended

is another

way of

indicating

the humiliation,

his humility

of coming

into

this world.

His

descent

to earth

meant that

he set

aside

the

independent

exercises

or the

independent

exercise

of his

eternal

divine

attributes.

Submitting

the exercise

of those

attributes

to the

father's

will.

he went

down

and down

and down

in humility

and became

man.

And he

went further

down still

to death

on a cross.

This is

Philippians

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Death

on the cross

and actually

becoming sin

for us.

But then

he burst

up in

exultation

so that now

he fills

the whole

universe

as the

conquering

king

and joyously

lavishes

gifts upon

his children.

And what

are the

gifts

he gives

his

children?

His

gifts

as

prophet,

priest

and king.

He gives

abundant

gifts

to his

church

and gives

his people

power to

fulfill

their

gifts.

The gifts

and enabling

grace which

we have

have been

given to

us by the

conquering king

as he has

apportioned

them.

They come

from the

conquering king.

There's no

room for

rivalry and

jealousy here.

they are

given with

great

expectation on

his part

for he

expects us

to use

those gifts

to bring

power and

victory in

the church.

He expects

those gifts

to be used

to advance

his work

in the

world.

Not your

glory.

gifts he

gives us

are his

gifting to

complete his

mission.

We carry

on his

work.

At the

beginning of

the book

of Acts,

it says

there,

Luke says

about his

gospel,

we've heard

already about

all that

Jesus began

to do

and teach.

And now

in the

book of

Acts,

his mission

continues on

as he

continues to

do and

teach through

his disciples

in the

world.

The use

of the

gifts of

grace that

God has

apportioned

to us

is also,

according to

Ephesians 4,

how we make

every effort

to maintain

the unity

that we have

in Jesus.

So,

first of

all,

character,

growing

downward as

Jesus did

in humility,

bearing with

one another

in love,

and also

the exercising

of gifts

to one

another.

The bottom

line here is

that every

Christian is

in ministry

through the

church.

No one,

no one,

did you hear

it?

Let me just

say,

how was it?

Not a

single soul

who is

in Christ

is merely

a consumer

of services.

Everyone

is also

a distributor

of services.

Although we

are different

in the

ministry,

we do.

Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:11

verses 11 and

12 gives us

a glimpse

into the

relationship.

It's just a

brief glimpse.

There's other

bits of the

New Testament

unpacked this,

but a brief

glimpse,

relationship

between church

leaders and

church members,

between those

who are in

vocational

ministry and

those who

are as

members of

the church.

Verse 11

reads,

Christ himself

gave the

apostles,

the prophets,

the evangelists,

the pastors,

and the

teachers.

So why

did Christ

give these

to the

church?

Verse 12,

to equip

his people

for works

of service.

The word

service there

is interchangeable

with the

word ministry.

What's the

end goal

of God

giving church

leaders to

equip his

people for

the ministry?

Verse 12

again.

Keep reading.

So that the

body of

Christ

may be

built.

Christ

gives the

leaders to

equip the

members for

the works

of ministry

in such a

way that the

whole body

of Christ

gets built.

We all

have a

ministry.

Leaders

have primarily

an equipping

ministry and

members have

primarily a

doing ministry

but we all

are called to

minister together

as Christ

has apportioned

it to build

his church.

So we

should not

think of

the local

church as

being the

manly

ferry.

On the

ferry you

get on the

ferry and

you have a

few staff who

get you from

point A to

point B or

it's like the

airplane that a

few of us just

flew back on

yesterday.

The vast

majority of

people sitting

on that

airplane are

passengers.

We're getting

fed and

watered and

everything else

and there's a

few people up

the front doing

the driving of

the thing,

flying of it,

whatever you want

to call it,

and a few other

people helping

out, get on,

people serving

snacks and

cleaning stuff

up.

But the vast

majority are

consumers of

services.

Everyone else is

sitting there

passively in the

seats, awaiting

to arrive the

destination and

taking some

photos along the

way.

The local

church is

much more

like a

sailing boat

in the

Sydney to

Hobart yacht

race.

Everyone on

board has a

crucial role

to play and

frankly there are

no passengers

on those

yachts heading

to Hobart once

a year.

No passengers

catching a lift

to Hobart to

visit some

family.

You're a dead

weight is what

you are.

The captain's

job on that

is to set

the course,

to direct the

crew, to do

their part and

to work together

to reach a

goal.

All of God's

people are

called to be a

corporate

priesthood,

either an

equipping ministry

or a doing

ministry.

Throughout

history the

church has been

built on a

foundation of

diversity.

It was

interesting to

hear one

person at

the conference

say their

biggest loss

in their

church,

the biggest

loss in their

church when

they moved from

being a

monocultural

church to a

multi-ethnic

church,

they said was

from the

majority culture

that had been

used to being

served and a

multi-ethnic

church now meant

we needed to

serve one

another.

And so they

just upped and

moved to a

church where

they would get

the services

they heard,

the music they

wanted, the

liturgy they

wanted.

They just upped

and moved.

The foundation

for them was

I am here to

be served.

God works

with diversity

and quite

ironically he

uses that to

build our

unity.

Did you notice

that in verse

12?

So that the

body of Christ

may be built

up until we

all reach

unity in the

faith and in

the knowledge of

the Son of God

and become

mature.

It's a

beautiful image.

The image I

have here is

of an

orchestra.

Now I'm

fairly clueless

when it comes

to music.

I don't

have a lot

of skill

set in that

regard.

The first

time I went

to watch an

orchestra was

at the Sydney

Opera House

and I did it

to impress Nat.

That's the

reason I was

there.

In fact I

might have

even bought

the tickets

in order to

be even more

impressive.

If I went to

watch an

orchestra nowadays

it would be to

impress Nat.

I do remember

sitting in my

seat at the

Sydney Opera

House and

watching them

tune and warm

up before the

whole thing got

going.

It was like

all this

racket of

noise that was

going on.

It did not

sound right at

all.

Then the

conductor

walked on

and started.

Wow.

It was

music.

All their

little different

bits coming

together.

All the

diversity of

instruments coming

together and

it was

fantastic.

And I

enjoyed it.

God's design

for us is to

be different.

But when we

get put

together we

come up with

a harmony

that is

absolutely

impossible

when we're

all the

same.

That's the

genius of

God.

It's because

we are so

different that

we need

each other.

That means

we are all

involved in

the ministry

to prepare

God's people

for works

of service.

When you

use your

gifts that

God has

given you to

strengthen me

instead of

gratifying

yourself and

when I use

my God

given gifts

to strengthen

you instead

of gratifying

myself,

then our

diversity will

build us

up into a

beautiful harmony

in truth and

love rather

than fragmenting

us.

Serving is

putting the

needs of

others ahead

of our own

or putting

the needs of

the community

ahead of our

individual needs.

things.

And this

day of

age of

consumerism,

what Jesus

is saying

here, what

Paul is

saying here

is like a

fist in

the face.

This is so

countercultural

what we're

seeking to do

here.

Totally

countercultural.

Why would

you do

this?

Well, there

are a few

personal benefits.

benefits.

The first

benefit is

self-knowledge.

Don't think

you know your

real gifts and

capacities until

you do a

whole lot of

humble serving

in many

different capacities

across generations

and across

cultures.

Don't think you

know your true

self until that

happens.

We've already

seen this in

this series

already.

only as you

do that

with others

you'll come to

understand your

own self more.

The second

benefit is

community.

When you

approach the

church as a

consumer, that

is only to

get your

needs met,

only to get

your needs

met, you

are in

solitary mode

of being.

Solitary mode

of being.

And you know

what happens?

You sit on

the sideline

complaining that

your needs are

never getting

met.

You come

with a

consumer mindset

and you'll be

critical of the

church because

they're never

meeting your

needs.

They're never

coming up to

standard.

It's a

consistent thing.

And then you

walk out the

door and go,

I'm on the

conveyor belt to

leave because I'm

not here to serve,

not here to connect,

not here to build

anyone.

I'm on the

conveyor belt to

leave to the

next church.

Throwing grenades

at the

previous one

until you

discover that

the next church

you go to has

got exactly the

same problems.

And the

problem is

you.

You're a

consumer.

When you

reject the

consumer mindset,

serving will

draw you out of

yourself and

into relationships.

relationships.

The third

benefit is the

fulfillment and

joy of those

relationships and

especially seeing

others touched

through you.

Deb highlighted

this last week.

Or seeing

something great

happening through

the part that

you play in

the body of

Christ.

Paradoxically,

if you serve

primarily for the

benefits to

yourself, then

it actually isn't

serving and you

don't get the

benefits.

The only

workable dynamic

for every member

ministry is

Mark 10, 45

and the

standard that

Jesus set.

Because Jesus

served you in

such a radical

way, you have a

joyful need to

serve.

It's a form of

praise that

doesn't fully

enjoy what

admires until

it expresses

itself in

service.

service.

So, finally,

this is all

going to

encourage you to

sign up to

serve.

I want to

suggest three

broad ways

that, ways to

serve God at

this church, which

would be the

same as any

church, but let

me make it

specific about

this church.

James has

already mentioned

them, time,

talents and

treasures.

Firstly, time.

Easiest way to

serve God with

your time is

frankly to turn

up and engage

with another

individual who's

different from

you.

That's the

easiest way.

Don't

underestimate the

role you play

by turning up

and going across

barriers to

engage with

another individual.

Take the time to

talk, to

encourage, to

listen, to

pray.

As you speak the

truth in love to

them, you are

ministering to

them.

When you think of

ministry at a

church, we

normally think of

formal ministry

sense, a

position on a

team or a

specific role on

a roster or

something like

that.

That's a very

small portion of

the ministry that

happens at St.

Paul's.

A small portion.

And it's not the

starting point for

ministry, nor the

end point of

ministry.

The informal

ministry is what

happens outside of

the formal

structures and

gatherings of

St.

Paul's.

And it is

absolutely crucial

for building each

other up.

It takes time, it

takes effort.

But ministry

doesn't stop there

though.

And I do want to

encourage you to

join a ministry

team.

And it's already

been pointed out

there on the

wall.

You can grab

some information.

There's a table

out in the middle

of the atrium to

sign up and get

involved.

involved.

I would say do

it today.

We're going to

keep hitting you

with it the next

time it is, but do

it today.

Get involved.

Say no to my

selfishness.

Say no to my

individuality and get

involved in others.

You're also

accountable for your

time to others.

service.

When you're part of

a ministry team,

you don't put the

time in, then

others have to

carry the load.

There might be an

opportunity for some

of you who, because

of life circumstances,

are able to give

larger chunks of

time and ministry

to this church.

In a previous

church I belonged

to, a teacher

retired.

In fact, he was

my science

teacher.

Not that I

tried to remind

him of that.

We didn't have a

great relationship.

But he retired at

normal retirement age

for a teacher and

immediately got

himself ordained into

the Anglican church to

serve his local church

in a full-time

capacity, now that

he'd retired.

And he still

ministers there in

his early 80s,

still ministers, I

think, four days a

week doing ministry

in that church as

part of the staff

team.

Secondly, talents.

Bibles uses the

language of gifts.

I'm going to launch

more into this a bit

next week and we

talked about it

already today, so I'm

not going to go

further into talents

and gifts.

Third, and the

final way you can

serve God in this

world is with your

treasure.

next Sunday is, no,

two Sundays time is

Vision Sunday.

It's Vision Sunday

where we ask our

people here at St.

Paul's, you, their

church family, to make

a financial pledge for

the ministry of St.

Paul's into 2020 and

to continue for this

vision to go forward.

We're also asking you

to give us, in two

Sundays time, $75,000 to

support the work of

developing the gifting

of others to serve

God's global mission.

Wherever these people

might go in vocational

ministry, I would love

them to leave St.

Paul's, if they're not

here, to leave St.

Paul's with God's vision

for his church that he

has here to take it

wherever he has, has

sends them to be unifying

for their neighborhood.

No less than five times

in the New Testament, the

language of supporting a

missionary or supporting a

church financially is

described as ministry,

described as a service.

Some of us here have a

special gift of giving.

It's part of what God has

given you in displaying,

disseminating his gifts to

us.

Some of us here have a

special gift of giving.

And I would be encouraging

you in two Sundays time to

use that gift of giving.

But regardless of that,

every single Christian has

been called into it.

It might not be your gift,

but it is your duty.

So exercise it in two

Sundays time.

A key ministry that all of

God's people are involved

in, regardless of their

gifting, is to use our

treasure to serve the

conquering king and his

mission.

Now, like our gifting, it

is something we do in

differing degrees.

We give according to what

we have rather than what

we have not.

The principle that I like to

use here is unequal giving

but equal sacrifice.

Our act of giving is an act

of worship.

This is why the Bible calls

us to give from our first

fruits and to live on the

rest rather than giving God

what is left over.

If God has saved you in

Jesus Christ and gathered

you to himself, his

purpose is to grow you to

be like Jesus in both his

character and his work.

And so my final call for you

is to get behind the vision

of this church.

It is unique in our context.

We are seeking to do

something here which is

unique for our context.

Get behind it, serve it,

serve God with your time,

your talents and your

treasures.

So

please

share your

passions and your

talents and your treasures.

Your core

también

your talents and your

treasures.