Growing the Church

December 18, 2011

Sermon #920

Introduction: The Apostle Paul has given theological concepts to the Church. We are filled with the fullness of the Godhead! Beginning with Chapter 4 of Ephesians he tells us the practical applications. First he deals with our unity. Second (where we are in our study) he tells us how to grown the Church. Some churches do not want to grow. Any physical body that is not growing is dying.  Christ is looking for a mature, complete, Bride. It is the responsibility of the Church to become that!

Ephesians 4:7-16(NKJV)  –  ⁷But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” ⁹(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

 I.            Each was given “grace”

1. This is not saving grace

Ephesians 2:4-10(NKJV)  –  ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

1. This is grace for the ministry He has appointed you to. The ability to perform the task God has called you to.

Romans 12:3-8(NKJV)  –  ³For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

II.            Each gift has a Spectacular Origin

Ephesians 4:8-10(NKJV)  –   ⁸Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” ⁹(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

ILL: Paul is quoting from Psalm 68

Psalm 68:1-20(NKJV)  –  ¹Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. ²As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. ³But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. ⁴Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. ⁵A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. ⁶God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

⁷O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah ⁸The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. ⁹You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. ¹⁰Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor. ¹¹The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of those who proclaimed it: ¹²“Kings of armies flee, they flee, And she who remains at home divides the spoil. ¹³Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver, And her feathers with yellow gold.”

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings in it, It was white as snow in Zalmon. ¹⁵A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan. ¹⁶Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in; Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever. ¹⁷The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. ¹⁸You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there. ¹⁹Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah ²⁰Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

ILL: What a picture! God comes as a King from Sinai. The mountains are moved at His presence. He is on His way to Zion - Jerusalem. All devils and demons flee. His people are at rest. When He comes those with Him are uncountable. In the Psalm He receives gifts, in Paul He disperses gifts to men!

What are the gifts He gives?

1 Corinthians 12:4-11(NKJV)  –  ⁴There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Romans 12:3-8(NKJV)  –  ³For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. ⁴For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ⁶Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Peter 4:10-11(NKJV)  –  ¹⁰As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

ILL: If Christ has withdrawn the gifts you have to cut a lot of scripture out of the Bible!

III.            The Authority gifts in Ephesians

A.     Apostles

1. Paul -
   Romans 15:17-21(NKJV)  –  ¹⁷

1 Corinthians 3:10(NKJV)  –  ¹⁰According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it.

Romans 11:13(NKJV)  –  ¹³For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry…

1. Barnabas
   Acts 14:14-18(NKJV)  –  ¹⁴

ILL: Neither Paul or Barnabas were among the 12!

B.     Prophets

Acts 13:1-3(NKJV)  –  ¹Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ²As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

Acts 15:30-33(NKJV)  –  ³⁰So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. ³¹When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. ³²Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. ³³And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles.

ILL: A Prophet foretells and forth tells.

C.     Evangelists

Acts 21:7-8(NKJV)  –  ⁷And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. ⁸On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

Acts 8:4-8(NKJV)  –  ⁴Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. ⁵Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. ⁶And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. ⁷For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. ⁸And there was great joy in that city.

D.    Pastor/Teachers

1 Peter 5:1-4(NKJV)  –  ¹The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: ²Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; ⁴and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

IV.            Discipleship will grow the Church

Ephesians 4:12-16(NKJV)  –  ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

A.     Maturity among the membership

B.     Outreach by the membership.

ILL: A church our size has to have 15 visitors every Sunday to grow! - if we don’t have them we will decrease in size and soon disappear as a church body.

C.     We will always have people trying to lead people away

Acts 20:25-31(NKJV)  –  ²⁵”And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. ²⁶Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. ²⁸Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. ²⁹For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. ³¹Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

Conclusion:  It’s time to grow up and to reach out!

Ephesians 4:14-16(NKJV)  –  ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.