Ephesians 4:7-16 - Church Diversity & Maturity

Well, good morning, guys.

Turn with me, if you will, to Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

And today we will be looking at verses 7 through 16, which is all about church diversity and maturity in the body of Christ.

If you remember from the previous sermon, the Apostle Paul, here in this chapter, begins teaching the Ephesians about the doctrines of the church.

Back in verses 1 through 4, he starts with unity.

He tells the Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of your calling, to be humble, gentle, patient, forbearing, eager to maintain unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This is church doctrine 101.

If Jesus established the church, if he died for the church, if we will be spending eternity together, then we need to learn how to get along and be united.

And he supports his argument by saying we should be one because our calling, our hope, our Lord, our baptism, our God is one.

Everything else in Christian theology is one.

Therefore, we should be one.

Now, if we are called to be one, why then do we all look so different?

Joe has this amazing passion for evangelism.

He's always out in the community, he's reaching lost people all the time.

Sharon, she isn't out much.

She has some health problems, but she really goes deep into prayer, hosting prayer meetings several weeks at her house.

John, a faithful church member, he spends most of his time translating a Bible into an unknown language in Brazil.

And his wife is involved in more personal, one-on-one discipleship to a few other ladies in the church.

Some are great at serving, others great at teaching, some at leading.

If we're all called to be unified as one, why isn't everyone doing the same exact things in the same exact way?

This is what Paul answers for us in the next few verses.

Unity does not mean sameness.

In fact, there's unity in diversity.

Christ designed his church to be diverse.

As 1 Corinthians 12, 12 tells us, there is one body but made up of several parts.

Diversity creates a stronger, a more beautiful unity in the church, and it produces, as we will see, maturity.

So diversity in recent history, it kind of has this negative connotation to it.

Because in recent days, there's kind of this ideology in our culture right now that has hijacked the idea of diversity.

They define it as all-inclusive, meaning you need to forsake God's truth, disobey Jesus' commands, lay aside your convictions so that you can affirm diverse beliefs and practices, such as sexual perversions, false religions, sinful behavior, and the list goes on.

But remember, Paul here is talking about diversity in the context of unity.

Unity is only achieved when we share common convictions on the truth of God's word.

And it's from that unified belief that we have people with different cultures and abilities and backgrounds and gifts.

This is a part of God's creative plan to have a family that is amazingly diverse.

That is why the church is referred to as a body.

A foot cannot function without a leg.

A hand can't move if it's detached from the arm.

An elbow looks different from a knee.

A nose functions different than our eyes.

And each part, although it has its own function and purpose, it's all a part of the same body.

They are connected, intertwined, and they're dependent on each other.

So where did these gifts come from and how were they applied to us?

This is what Paul explains first in verses 7 through 10.

But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore it says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.

In saying he ascended, what does it mean?

But that he also descended into the lower regions, the earth.

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

So the first thing Paul wants us to know is that grace was given to each one of us.

Now you might be thinking, well, of course, grace was given to us.

We're all saved by Jesus' work on the cross.

We have all received his grace.

And although that is 100% true, that is not what Paul is actually referring to here.

In the New Testament, the word grace can mean a few different things.

And so it can mean undeserved merit, the grace that we receive from putting our faith in Jesus Christ.

It can mean divine power.

God is giving us the enabling ability to overcome sin and endure tough circumstances.

Grace is also used as a word of kindness, grace to you as an introduction.

Or it can mean a spiritual gift or a spiritual benefit, which is the way Paul uses it here.

And so all Christians have received the same grace from Jesus' sacrifice, meaning undeserved merit.

But we all haven't received the same giftings or spiritual abilities that came with that salvation.

Just for example, uh Andrea Martin has this unique gift of administration and organization and heart for children that I simply don't have.

Dan Smith has this unique gift of just serving that's unbelievable.

Pastor Rick has this unique gift of teaching God's word and articulating spiritual truth.

Trent Mason has this unique gift of just gentleness in giving people words of encouragement.

And so why is this?

And where did the variety of giftings or graces come from?

Well, Paul explains it in the next part of the verse, according to the measure of Christ's gift.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, he he bore the full rate weight of God's wrath, he died and he rose again victoriously.

And in that victory, he didn't keep his rewards to himself.

He generously shared gifts according to his measure.

The moment that Jesus Christ purchased your soul, whenever that was, you didn't just receive forgiveness for your sins.

You didn't just get fire insurance from hell.

But he also gave you spiritual abilities and giftings.

Jesus Christ, our King, who reigns victoriously, gave you a distinct, particular gift from his treasury.

The day he called your name and applied his blood to your account, and he sealed you with the Holy Spirit and wrote your name in the Lamb's book of life, he gave you the ability and the desire to do spiritual things.

There are many gifts lifted in Scripture, and I don't have time to get into all of them, but there's the spiritual gifts of serving, there's gifts of mercy, gifts of teaching, gifts of hospitality, and so on.

And there are spiritual gifts and offices, which we will address later in this passage.

Christ, being the head of the body, gave each of us a gift.

You will be a hand, you will be a foot, you will be a leg.

And I will give you the means, the spiritual graces needed to function as one.

This is what verse 8 is all about.

Paul actually quotes Psalm 68, verse 18 to kind of paint this picture to help us understand this.

Psalms 68:18

It says, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.

Psalm 68, if you didn't know, it's a victory hymn.

It's composed of David to celebrate this conquest of a Jebusite city.

It describes kind of this victory parade up Mount Zion after defeating enemies.

And so historically, we know it was typical after a king won a significant battle, a military victory, he would bring back the spoils of the war, he would display it to his people, and then he would distribute them.

And these gifts, we know, also, were given with specific instructions on what to do with them.

In other words, the king didn't just come, bring the spoils, give them to the people, and say, hey, have fun, do whatever you want with the gifts.

There were always instructions on what to do with the spoils.

Although this psalm was written in David's context, it's pointing to the greatest battle ever won in human history.

It was the day that Jesus Christ carried his cross up Calvary.

He willingly laid down his life for us, taking the full wrath of God on our behalf, taking on the full forces of demons, their torment, their mockery.

He willingly experienced hell on our behalf, and he breathed his last breath.

He gave up his spirit and he died.

And for three days, as the world watched, everyone wondered, did he win?

Was he truly the Messiah?

Who won the battle?

Did Satan win?

Will his body rotten the grave?

Was he a fraud?

And on that glorious day, after purchasing the full lot for his people, after nailing the demands and the curse of the law in his body on that tree, after taking away the keys of Hades from Satan, our Lord rose from the grave forevermore.

And he conquered death, and all authority in heaven and on earth was given to him.

And he was given the highest position of all the universe to be at the right hand of the Father.

And now Jesus, from his exalted position, shares the spoil with us.

He's not stingy.

But he gave us good gifts, gifts with specific instructions that are to be exercised.

After Jesus kept the law that we could never keep, living a life that we could never live, and paying a price that we could never pay, after disarming the power and the authorities of the demonic, making a public spectacle out of them, bridging the gap between sinful man and a holy God, he rose from the grave, giving us freedom from captivity, along with gifts upon gifts upon gifts.

And this brings us to verses 9 through 10.

Paul wants to emphasize the importance of Christ's coming to earth and his glorious resurrection.

If we don't get this right, our theology will be so wacky.

And so he says, starting in verse 9, in saying he ascended, what does it mean?

But that he also descended into the lower regions, the earth.

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all things.

So this verse can kind of seem kind of odd or weird.

It's like, why is Paul being extra careful here?

He's being clear.

Because there was a lot of confusion surrounding the doctrine of Christ's descension and ascension.

For example, did Jesus originate in Mary's womb?

Where exactly did Jesus go afterwards?

These were questions in the early church.

So Paul argues Jesus couldn't have ascended into heaven unless he first descended from heaven.

That's the logic.

The Son of God came from heaven to us.

He added humanity to his deity.

He accomplished what he came to do, and then he ascended back to where he came from.

And why was this necessary?

Well, look at the end of verse 10.

That he might fill all things.

What did he fill?

Well, he fulfilled God's promise of a Messiah who would take away the sins of the people.

And he filled the church.

Jesus gave the church offices and abilities that would bless and sustain and develop his bride.

And that is what Paul addresses next in verse 11.

He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers.

This was a part of Christ filling all things.

So first mentioned is the apostles and prophets.

If you remember, if you look back in Ephesians chapter 2 at verse 20, Paul told us already that God's household, aka the church, was built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

They were the bricklayers of the church.

They gave the once-for-all deposit of the faith.

And the apostles were chosen to spread Jesus' teachings, to establish the early church.

They served as eyewitnesses to Christ's life, his death, and his resurrection.

They guided the beliefs and the practices of the early church.

They were responsible for passing down Jesus' teachings, making sure that the message was protected.

And the early New Testament prophets were able to speak forth God's word.

I think we often forget this, but the early church didn't have the complete canonized Bible.

They didn't have the completed word of God.

It was still in process, it was still being written and established and circulated amongst the churches.

So how did these churches know God's will, his word, during that time, unless there was an apostle in town?

Through the prophets.

Also given to the church were evangelists.

The Greek literally means a bringer of good news.

The primary responsibility of evangelists is to proclaim and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to lost people, calling individuals to repentance and faith in him.

So historically, evangelists have had a huge impact in spreading Christianity around the globe and establishing churches in unreached areas.

And also given to the church were pastors and teachers, or pastors hyphen teachers.

And so pastors are responsible for the spiritual care and guidance of the local congregation.

By the way, the titles elder, pastor, overseer in scripture refers to the same office.

Those terms are used interchangeably.

So pastors are shepherds who oversee the church and feed the people of God with his word.

They teach, they preach, they protect doctrine, they guard against wolves, they labor in the ministry of prayer.

Now, these offices were given for a specific purpose.

They were not given so that people could stand tall and say, Look at me.

I'm a pastor.

I have an awesome office that God gave me.

I have authority.

I'm so gifted and special.

According to 1 Corinthians 12, 7, to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Every gift or office or ministry that you've been given is not for your greedy self.

It's meant to be utilized for building up the body of Christ for the glory of God.

Look at verse 12.

Why did Jesus Christ give the church these offices and giftings?

For what purpose?

To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Church, this is the primary job description of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors to equip the saints for the work of ministry so that the body of Christ is built up.

But today, so often, we've either forgotten this or we get this twisted.

We assume church leaders should do everything, right?

I mean, like, come on, what are we paying Pastor Rick for?

Right?

It's like if somebody's hurting, he should fix it.

If there's a need, he should meet it.

If if a ministry's lagging, he should carry it.

We often will act as if the pastor is the hired handyman, responsible for every crack and creak in the church and community.

The scripture tells us otherwise.

Yes, pastors should definitely be engaged in ministry, but the primary task is to equip the saints so that the saints can do the works of ministry.

Which, as we'll see later, it results in the church building itself up in unity and maturity.

Martin Lloyd Jones famously once said the pastor's job is not to do the ministry for the people, but to make ministers out of the people.

We live in an age where so many people, pastors even, believe that they're supposed to carry every responsibility.

The result?

Passive congregations, exhausted leaders, and a culture of consumer Christianity.

Fix my Kids, fix my wife, do ministry for me.

But the passage makes it crystal clear.

Church leadership is called to train and to prepare and to equip believers to carry out the roles and the assignments God has given them in service to the church and to the world.

We see this pattern as early as Acts chapter 6.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

Do you guys remember that story?

A group of widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

And the apostles recognized that this was a legitimate need, a true work of ministry.

But it was pulling them away from the ministry of the word and prayer.

So what did they do?

They empowered faithful men from the congregation to take responsibility for that ministry.

So this biblical concept carries a few implications.

First, it means the elders, pastors, overseers, must focus on feeding the flock with God's word.

And this is not a light task.

Every time a pastor opens the scriptures, he's handling truth, life-shaping, soul-transforming truth.

And so it must be done with reverence, carefulness, and a trembling awareness that, as James says, teachers will receive a stricter judgment.

Their calling is word-centered, teaching, preaching, shepherding, counseling, leading, and guarding doctrine.

Secondly, it implies that the congregation, hopefully being fed by that word, is being equipped to do works of ministry.

And so we don't believe in spiritual communism, okay, where every problem, burden, and opportunity automatically gets placed on the pastor's desk.

Yes, there are times when pastors should intervene directly, but often the ministry opportunity is being shown to you because God intends you to step into it.

For example, let's say your teenager is wrestling with their faith.

Or maybe you notice that there's a church member, and every morning when you say hi to them, you can tell they smell like alcohol.

Maybe you notice a lack of discipleship amongst the college kids who attend here.

These aren't just problems to hand off to the pastor.

These may very well be your God-given assignments.

It's not the pastor's job to disciple your kids for you, but it is the pastor's job to equip you as godly parents so that you can effectively disciple your kids.

It's not the pastor's job to fix your marriage, but it is the pastor's job to equip you with God's word so that you can love your spouse well and take steps towards reconciliation.

Recently I had someone come up to me with a concern about a family member that they have, and they came up to me and they said, Jimmy, I would love for you to meet with them.

You have a powerful testimony, and this family member is wrestling with their faith, and I think that you could have an impact.

And my first response was, Well, have you talked to them at all?

And they said, No.

And I said, Well, why not?

And they responded back and said, Well, I'm just afraid to bring it up.

It feels awkward, you know, it's it's weird, and so on.

And so my response wasn't, step aside, layman.

Oh, peasant, step aside.

Pastor Jimmy's got this, right?

I've got this.

My response was, let me help you and empower you and disciple you on talking and reaching this family member.

What counsel, what guidance, what scripture, what encouragement do you need from me as a pastor so that you can carry out this ministry and burden that God has clearly placed on your heart?

Obviously, church leadership should and can step in as needed.

Don't mishear me, please.

I'm not saying they shouldn't.

There are certainly times they should, but their primary calling is not to do your ministry, but to equip you to do the works of ministry.

And let me speak openly real quick for Rick and myself.

Please, please come to us for spiritual equipment.

And I mean that.

We want to help you think biblically.

We delight in counseling, teaching, guiding, shepherding you through situations.

Don't ever think we're too busy, they've got young kids.

Don't ever think that.

No.

This is what God has called us to do.

Not to replace you in ministry, but to prepare you as ministers of the new covenant so that you can faithfully walk in the good works that God placed before you.

This is God's design.

And when we do things God's way, there's really, really good results that flow from doing that.

And this is what Paul transitions to next.

What are the results when pastors are equipping the congregation?

And the congregation is taking that equipment and actively participating in ministry.

Look at verses 13 through 16.

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

So here Paul is showing us a vision of what happens when the people of God embrace God's design for the church.

A vision of people growing together, being shaped together, strengthened together and built.

Let's look at each benefit that Paul lays out here.

Benefit number one is there's unity in faith and doctrine.

Paul says, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, not until a few of us, but until we all arrive together.

It is unity in faith, in doctrine, a shared understanding of the gospel, a shared commitment to the authority of Scripture, a shared conviction about who Jesus is, a shared confidence in what Christ has accomplished and who he is and how he works.

This is not uniform being uniformed of personality, but it's unity in truth.

As we sit under the word, as we grow in the same direction, as we learn together, the church becomes tightly woven together.

It's the difference between just a pile of bricks laying scattered on the ground versus a strong wall that's built together.

It's solid, it's fitted, it's strong.

That is the unity that Christ desires.

Unity in trusting Christ and knowing Him.

Benefit number two, verse 13, is spiritual maturity.

To mature manhood, unity leads naturally to maturity.

Paul says that we grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

This means that we're not measuring ourselves against each other.

We're measuring ourselves against Christ.

And as we grow in our knowledge of Christ, we grow out of spiritual infancy, no longer doubting God's word every time life gets tough.

No longer asking every week, Am I saved?

No longer flirting with sin like it's harmless, no longer needing only the milk of Christianity, no longer fragile, easily offended, easily shaken.

Instead, we develop in our conviction, our stability, strength, wisdom, our Christ-like character.

We move out of being reactionary, constantly confused, being dominated by our emotions or circumstances, we start to actually look like Christ individually and corporately.

This brings us to benefit number three, verse 14.

Doctrinal discernment and stability.

Paul gives us this vivid picture where believers are tossed to and fro by the waves.

Think about that image.

A tiny canoe in a hurricane.

You know, one wave comes and hits it, and it spins the whole boat around.

Another wave comes and hits it, it nearly flips over.

No anchor, no direction, no grounding.

Many believers have lived this way.

I can speak for myself as a new believer.

I very much felt this way.

It's this condition where we're so easily swayed by human craftiness.

You watch a YouTube video and you think, man, I thought Jesus was fully God and fully man.

But this guy on here, he makes a pretty convincing argument that he isn't.

Or you listen to a professor who gives some great logical argument that salvation is by works.

And you say to yourself, you know, I know scripture says that we're saved by grace alone and Christ alone, but man, this pastor really makes a logical case that salvation is by works.

He even uses scripture.

Or you watch some documentary making the case that men in the early church, you know, they hijacked the Bible before it was canonized.

You know, we got all these lost gospels out there, right?

And you say, you know, I believe the Bible's true, but this documentary says that mankind has rewrote scripture and removed books from it.

How can it be true?

Maybe sinful man hijacked the all-sovereign God.

We are gullible, we're vulnerable.

And that's normal.

In fact, it's expected when we first come to Christ.

But Paul tells us that we should grow out of that instability, no longer thrown into theological frenzies, always questioning our salvation, so easily influenced by false teaching.

Instead, we are anchored in truth.

We're anchored in Scripture.

Not that we have all the answers, but we're anchored in Christ, able to discern bad theology.

And this leads us into benefit number four, verse 15.

Speaking the truth in love.

Do you see the contrast?

Instead of being tossed around by falsehood, we actually learn to identify it and lovingly correct it.

We speak truth fueled by love.

If a brother comes up to me and he's carrying, I don't know, a Joel Stein book, Living Your Best Life Now, instead of me saying to myself, huh, maybe this guy's right.

Maybe I'm the one in the wrong.

I'm not sure what I actually believe on this.

We instead mature, being grounded in doctrine, we say in love, hey brother, that's some bad stuff.

Like I love you enough to tell you the truth.

That is horrible theology.

It's garbage.

And let me show you why God's word says so.

That's speaking the truth in love.

And notice the last part of it.

It's in love, right?

We can be so guilty of crushing people in rebuke, taking God's word and just slaying people with it, right?

Adding to their shame, angry at them because of how easily deceived they were.

We can be outright nasty speaking the truth.

But we should do this in love, not aggression, not frustration, but in love.

Benefit number five, verse 15, is growth in Christ-likeness.

In every way, Paul says, we grow up in every way into him who is the head.

Every way we grow into him.

Not just Sunday morning behavior, not just our theology, not just our words, every way our attitudes, our reactions, our patience, our marriages, our purity, our service, our finances, our parenting, our priorities, our forgiveness, our humility.

We are to grow up in Him in every way.

The Holy Spirit is not doing a small renovation, he is performing a total transformation.

No church should ever say, we have arrived.

Like we're good enough.

If Christ is still working in us, we still have room to grow.

If Christ hasn't returned yet, the sanctification process is still in motion.

This brings us to benefit number six, verse 16, a healthy, properly functioning church from whom the whole body, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow.

A healthy church is not built by a few super Christians.

It's built by the whole church working together.

You've got pastors equipping, you've got members serving.

Gifts are being used, needs are being met, disciples are being made, children are raised in the gospel.

The lost are hearing the good news.

The weak are supported.

The strong help carry burdens.

This is what a healthy body looks like.

Every part is doing its part.

And when everyone functions in their God-given role, the church becomes spiritually self-sustaining.

Not meaning independent from God, that's not what I mean, but it operates in a way that it builds itself up.

Think of a human body.

If my foot doesn't work right, my knee then becomes weak.

And if I can't walk, that affects my whole cardiovascular system.

And if my eyes don't work, I'm vulnerable to further injury.

And the illustration goes on and on and on.

This is why being a committed, contributing member of a church is so vital.

This idea of in America of just kind of show up, get fed, dip out, it's so dangerous.

It goes against God's design to be a connected, interactive, contributing member of the body of Christ.

Proclamation Church, this is what we were called to.

Notice that the main call in this chapter is not to cater to unbelievers so that you can have as many people as you can show up to church on Sunday.

It is not start as many programs as you can.

It is not become culturally relevant so that you can attract people through fleshly means.

It is not put on some huge performance so that you can stir people emotionally.

Not at all.

The call is what?

That we would walk worthy of the calling that we have been called to.

That we would be humble, gentle, patient, seeking unity.

And in that unity, that we would embrace Christ's diverse gifts that he has lavished on us.

And that the leadership would focus primarily on equipping the saints for the works of ministry.

And that the saints would be eager to do the works of ministry.

And as a result, that we would have unity and faith and in our understanding of who Christ is, maturing into manhood, the fullness of Christ, no longer falling prey to deceptive and demonic teachings, but rather speaking the truth in love.

And the whole body joined together, moving, functioning properly, grows into a strong spiritual house as it builds itself up in love.

So proclamation church.

What should be our response to this passage?

First, glory in what Christ has accomplished for us.

Through his death, his burial and resurrection, he has established the church.

He has redeemed his people.

And we stand here today with new life together as one, washed clean because of him.

Glory in that.

Thank him for that.

Rejoice.

Secondly, steward the gifts that Christ has given you.

You have been given unique spiritual gifts that are to be utilized.

You don't need to take some kind of spiritual gift test online to figure it out.

After your salvation, when the Holy Spirit made his home in you, what do you naturally love to do for Christ that builds up the body of believers?

There's your answer.

Don't overcomplicate it.

That is your gift.

Now use it, don't squander it, exercise it to bless other people for the glory of God.

Don't be disconnected.

Don't be lazy and selfish with the gifts that Jesus died for to give to you.

And thirdly, I speak for myself and I guess I speak for Rick.

Hopefully he listens to this recording.

And for future church leaders, do you realize your primary calling as a church leader?

It is to equip the saints for the works of ministry.

So I ask myself and I ask any church leader out there, are you doing that?

Are you feeding the sheep with God's word?

Are you praying for them?

Are you getting to know them?

Are you counseling them?

Are you giving them spiritual correction and spiritual comfort from God's word?

And if not, what are you doing?

And what do you think it means to be a pastor?

Before the Bama seat of Christ, Jesus will not say, Did you do everything for everyone, Jimmy?

Did you meet every single need in your church?

He will not ask that.

But what he will ask is this Did you feed my sheep?

Did you equip them properly to do the works of ministry?

And thirdly, church, are you using the spiritual equipment that the pastors are giving you?

It goes both ways.

It's one thing to hear the word of God and to recognize that it's spiritual equipment, but not actually put it on or do it.

Are you digesting?

Are you receiving?

Are you applying and heeding the preaching of the word and then putting that into practice?

And if you object and you say, Well, I feel like you guys have not equipped me enough.

You haven't done your job, which is why I haven't done my job.

Well, to remove all excuses, here it is.

This is an open invite to come to us.

To come to us as your pastors.

I couldn't be more serious about this invitation.

We want to spiritually equip you to do God's work.

That is my heart.

That's Rick's heart.

Friend, that's not an inconvenience to us.

That is our very mission and passion as pastors.

Please come to us if you feel ill-equipped.

And lastly, let us all be committed to maturity as a church.

Let us have this vision of ongoing unity, shared understanding of Christ, growing in the full stature of Christ's fullness, being doctrinally grounded, joined together, functioning as a healthy body, building each other up as we head towards heaven together.

Let's share this biblical vision and realize that this vision is not possible from Christ being the center.

And so, as a way of conclusion, this is why we have a high view of the church.

This isn't some event on Sundays, this isn't some social club, it's not some casual gathering to make ourselves feel better, or a place to be entertained, or merely a place to bring our kids because it's the good American thing to do.

This is the bride of Christ, the household of God, the current lamppost in biblical history that represents heaven on earth.

And Jesus Christ has told us specifically how it was formed, its leadership structure, how it should function, its overall purpose and mission.

So let us no longer say this stuff doesn't matter.

Do whatever works.

Let's not take church doctrine too seriously.

No, let us look carefully at what our Lord has told us about his church.

Let us look closely at all of these things church structure, church discipline, church function, church life, church calling.

And by God's grace, with the Spirit's help, let us do it and mature.

Church, let us pray.