The key to a healthy, growing church

11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. 15 But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head – Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.

Ephesians 4:11-16

Introduction

I’ve been watching a Netflix series about crab fishing. It’s a dangerous business. They captured the story of a boat caught in a violent storm. After it took on water, the crew abandoned ship into life rafts. Most were lost. Survivors later described the terror of being tossed by waves in the pitch black. Nothing to hold them steady. Tumbling around untethered in the ocean.

That image would have hit home for Paul’s readers. Ephesus lay on the coastline of the Aegean Sea. Ephesians knew the sea provides life. But it destroys the unanchored.

Paul says immature Christians are like that. Boats tossed by waves. Blown off course by every new teaching. But his message isn’t just about the storm. It’s about the rescue. The ascended, victorious Christ hasn’t left us to drift. He has launched a rescue mission by gifting his church with everything it needs to thrive. To be equipped. Mature. Unified. And strong.

Here is the big idea this morning. The ascended, victorious Christ gifts his church so that we can be equipped for ministry, matured into his likeness, and empowered by him for a vital, unified life. In short, Christ gifts, builds, and empowers His church.

He is the anchor, and His gifts are the rescue line.

The gifts Christ gives

Jesus Christ gave gifted leaders to His church.

The he himself is Jesus. Take a glance at the preceding verses in your Bible. From Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul urges believers to live a life of humble and peaceful unity. Church unity is never going to rest on human achievement. From Ephesians 4:7-10, Paul explains that unity comes from Jesus. The ascended Christ gives diverse gifts to His church. Jesus is the source. Jesus is the victor. Jesus is the giver.

Ephesians 4:8 quotes Psalm 68:18. Jesus is pictured as the divine warrior. The heavenly victor who has ascended on high. Like a conqueror He now distributes the spoils of His victory to His people. Everything in our text this morning flows from His conquest. His gifts are not random blessings. They are the spoils of His war. They are the direct result of His crucifixion and resurrection. His triumph secures our unity and our blessings.

I love gifts. It’s exciting to get a present. What gifts does the victorious King distribute to His people? And gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. Consider these gifts. Apostles are the sent ones. They were eyewitnesses of the risen Christ. The 12 carried unique authority to establish the church. Prophets spoke forth the word of God. They brought revelation and correction. Mark this, according to Ephesians 2:20, the apostles and prophets were foundational. You lay a foundation once. And then you raise a building. Apostles and prophets are no longer operational today. There are phonies, in fancy suits, with snake skin shoes. They’re charlatans. Frauds. The church is the building, built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

So, are all the gifts opened? Is there nothing left? There’s more. Christ gave evangelists. Heralds of the good news. They are the proclaimers of the gospel to the unconverted. They extend the borders of the church. We may call them missionaries. And He gave pastors and teachers. The grammar suggests pastors and teachers are a single group. Pastors who teach. Teachers who shepherd. Their charge is to care for and instruct the flock of God. They protect the sheep from error. They feed the sheep with truth. This is not a five fold ministry. This is four gifts to the church.

Thus the ascended Victor gifts His church. Not leaving us orphans. Providing the leadership necessary to equip us for ministry. Mature us into His likeness. Empower us for unity and vitality. For our good. For our growth. For His glory.

Jesus Christ gave gifted leaders to His church.

These gifts are given with purpose, our edification.

The goals Christ sets

Leaders equip saints for ministry and Christlikeness becoming matured truth speakers.

What was Christ’s goal gifting His Church? To equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

Paul spent years planting the church in Ephesus. She was his baby. Now he explains how Christ will ensure her growth. Maturity through gifted equipping is the answer to Paul’s apostolic absence. The result of Christ’s ascension.

Mark this well. Leaders equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Your pastor is not the only minister at Benoni Baptist Church. We are a priesthood of all believers. We have a shared mission. To reach Benoni with the gospel, and equip all for life. We’re in this together.

My daughter Kathryn entered the world 20 years ago. Ten fingers. Ten toes. 3.2kgs. 48cms. A teeny, tiny, ugly, baby girl. She is not teeny, tiny anymore. Neither is she ugly. Nor is she a baby. She is a woman. An adult human female. You can spot the difference between a baby and an adult. But can you tell the difference between an infant church and a mature church? Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching.

Ephesus was a port city. The Aegean Sea was its life blood. And its danger. The Ephesians knew the terror of the waves. The fear of shifting winds. A immature believer is like a boat adrift at sea. In a storm. Anchorless. Rudderless. Unstable. Directionless. A mature church stands firm. Fights for the faith against heresy. Holds the line against false teaching.

Human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. These words speak of trickery. Loaded dice. A conman’s sleight of hand. False teaching is not wisdom. It is a rigged game. A spiritual scam. TBN. DayStar. Faith. The mature church spots it. The mature church rejects it.

How do tell the difference between an infant church and a mature church? Paul tells us. Second with a positive. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ.

Here is the goal. Not just truth. Truth spoken in love. Not just growth. Growth into Him. Christ is the target. Christ is the measure. Christ is the goal. A mature church is not known by its size. It is known by its speech. It speaks truth to itself. In love. It speaks truth to its city. In love. That is maturity. That is Christlikeness.

Leaders equip saints for ministry and Christlikeness becoming matured truth speakers.

This growth does not come from ourselves, but from our Head.

The growth Christ empowers

This maturing flows from Christ, who unites us, for growth, strength, and work.

The final word anchors everything. From him. Not from programs. Not from personalities. From him. From Jesus Christ. The whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament.

The Romans loved the body metaphor. They used it to argue for social harmony. Each class must know its place. The emperor is the head. The slaves are the feet. Do not rise above your station. Paul subverts this entire idea. In Christ’s body, unity comes from diversity in function. Not from uniformity in status. And the head is not Caesar. The head is Jesus Christ, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords.

You know, a body is only alive so long as it is attached to its head. Chop off a man’s head and his body dies. It may twitch for a moment. But it is a corpse. Benoni Baptist Church is only alive so long as we are attached to our Head. Jesus Christ. He is our Sovereign Lord. He holds ultimate authority over His church. He is our authoritative voice. Speaks through His Word. He is our life giver. We draw our very breath from Him. He is our one true Head. This is non-negotiable. Any attempt to establish another head is rebellion to the crown. It is a rejection of Christ’s sovereignty.

Christ as head, unites His diverse body. Jew and Gentile. Black and white. Rich and poor. Male and female. Old and young. Jesus unites us together under His banner, and makes us one body.

From Him the body promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part. This is the miracle of the body. The proper working of each individual part causes growth. Every ligament. Every joint. Every member. Working together. Working properly. We’re not a one man show. We’re a whole body activity. And when we get it right we flourish. We’re alive. Things get exciting. And we grow.

Connected to Him we grow. We are built up. We work. Our growth is not self-generated. Our strength is not self-made. Our work is not self-powered. Everything flows from Jesus. The ascended Victor. The generous Giver. The supreme Head.

This maturing flows from Christ, who unites us, for growth, strength, and work.

Connect to the gospel

How does Ephesians 4:11-16 connect to the gospel? This passage displays of the ongoing power of Christ’s finished work. The gifts are not random blessings. They are the spoils of His war. The direct result of His conquest over sin and death on the cross. His death defeated our sin. His resurrection secured our life. Now, as the ascended victor, He distributes gifts to us.

This means the goal of maturity in Ephesians 4:12-15 is not a self-help program. It is the fruit of Christ’s victory. The equipping isn’t just practical training. It is us benefiting from Christ’s resurrection life. And the growth. It is the direct result of being connected to Him, the head.

We are a church built by grace, through faith, for good works. Therefore, getting connected, equipped, and involved is never about earning God’s favour. It is the grateful response of a rescued people living in the power of the victory Jesus has already won. This is the gospel in action.

Application for believers

Believers, how ought you to live?

This week, I want you to take a step. One step out of the stands and onto the field. The game is in play. Not in the stands. For some here, you need to head to the lobby. You need to put your name down for Pizza with the Pastor. Because you are not even sure if you are on the team yet. You need to Get Connected. Pizza with the Pastor is how you start that process.

For others here, you need to Get Equipped. You need to join a small group Bible study. You are tired of learning about God. You are ready to know God. Well, that happens with others. In the lobby, there is a signup for Get Equipped. Put your name down and we’ll connect you with a Bible study.

For others here, you need to Get Involved. It’s time to step into the scrum. Serve. You’re a gift to this church. It’s time to start serving among us. Building up the body.

Application for unbelievers

Unbelievers, how ought you to respond?

You have been hearing about the body of Christ all morning. Perhaps you feel like a disconnected limb. You try to move but nothing works. You feel numb. Life has no purpose. No meaning. This is because you are separated from the head. You are cut off from Jesus Christ. His blood is not flowing through your veins. Today you can be grafted in. The moment you place your faith in Jesus His life flows into you. His victory becomes yours. His Spirit enters you. He died for your sin. And He rose from the grave.

And He promises that all who come to Him He will never cast out. Would you like that? Friend, repent of your sin, and cast yourself upon Him. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved.

Conclusion

Remember that night on the raft I described at the beginning. Waves battering, men tossing and turning in the pitch black, with nothing solid to hold onto? Imagine being in that raft and then, suddenly, seeing a rescue ship on the horizon. A rope comes down. Hands reach out. Somebody hauls you aboard. The difference between the raft and the ship is everything. One is about helpless survival. The other is about purposeful mission. Paul’s message is that in Christ, we’ve been hauled from one onto the other.

This morning we have discovered:

The gifts Christ gives (Ephesians 4:11). Jesus has not left the church to drift. He gave gifted leaders. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. As part of his victory and gift to us.

The goals Christ sets (Ephesians 4:12-15). Those gifts are given on purpose. To equip the saints for ministry, to build up the body, to bring us to unity and to maturity. That we would speak the truth, in love. And stop being tossed around by whatever new teaching or slick idea comes along.

The growth Christ empowers (Ephesians 4:16). And where does this growth come from? From him. From Christ the head. The whole body, every ligament and member working rightly, promotes growth in love. It’s not about personalities or programs. It’s about connection to Jesus and each other.

So may we, anchored to our Head, Jesus Christ, live as His rescued, gifted, and empowered people, for His glory alone.