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.
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.