We have been looking at one of the functions of leadership in the Church - helping ALL to mature. No one in the body of Christ is left without this very important focus of the Church. In all this, we need to ask the question "Why does Paul place emphasis on this subject?" Let's look at the following verse.
“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 in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14). "Children" in this context is not a reference to age but to those who have not matured in their faith or become established in handling the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). They need basic teaching of the gospel (see Hebrews 5:12). This means that when false teachers present something that sounds right and good, they are "tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine." This means that such persons are unstable and follow fads and current trends. They are "gullible" and fail to "examine the Scriptures daily to see if these things" are true (Acts 17:11). Helping every member in the body of Christ mature is the primary responsibility of every pastor, shepherd, and teacher. Otherwise, we are failing in our duties.
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In this blog we come back to our subject of maturity in the body of Christ. Before I add the verses in Ephesians 4, I want to ask a question of every pastor or church leader; do you in any way consider anybeliever not worth expending time and effort discipling them and helping them grow in faith and spiritual maturity?
Do you remember how the Lord handled the situation with the children in Mark 10? “And they were bringing children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, He was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God”" (Mark 10:13–14). Likewise, He said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). The setting of this verse was a question from the disciples of "who is the greatest?" Whether we think of age or mental and spiritual maturity, Paul insists that we use our gifts "for building up the body of Christ, 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" (Ephesians 4:12-13). As you think about your ministry and your church, who have you left out? We looked yesterday at the issue of leadership in the Church and Paul's grave concern with the Ephesian elders that troubling things would happen after he departed for Jerusalem. Even though Luke recorded Paul's comments as they were directed to these elders, the warning is appropriate for any church, anywhere in the world. Shepherding is NEVER done for personal gain.
In this blog I want to focus on the aspect of leadership that is often overlooked. Many pastors and church leadership focus on programs that will increase numbers, or they tailor ministry to specific age groups or cultural preferences. That is a mis-focus and dangerous appropriation of resources. Read these verses and see where Paul places the emphasis. “And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saintsfor the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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” (Ephesians 4:11–13). Note that Jesus gave the gifts in the body of Christ "to equip the saints" for a type of work in the Church that "builds up the body of Christ." The purpose for giving each gift to individuals in the Church is so the entire body of Christ matures together. Not one person is to be left as an infant! Preaching or teaching information is not transformation! Maturity comes through discipling and spirit-filled teaching that transforms. There are times when very sad moments from our past suddenly come into stark contrast with the truth of God's Word. We ask the question; 'how could something that began so well become so evil and a lie against the truth?'
I am reminded of Paul's words as he pleaded with the Ephesian elders when he met with them for the last time at Miletus. “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:28–29). Some might think that Paul was overstating what could happen after he left for Jerusalem. Not at all! He described what has happened over and over in church history. Here are some critical points I think Paul is making sure the church avoids at all costs.
In all these characteristics, the gospel will be heard less and less until it cannot be heard at all. I have often longed in a particular situation to be able to intervene for the sake of the ignorant and uninformed, but we must realize the power of this kind of deception. Prayer is our most powerful tool again the enemy, Satan. DO NOT FORGET MATTHEW 16:18b! Here is a very exciting report from Randy who has just returned from Uganda, Africa. You will feel the joy in Randy's report that I felt the first time I read it. This is God's work!! "In a rural village on the border of South Sudan, over 45 gathered in a bamboo walled church building despite driving rains that poured into the meeting area and pooled on the dirt floor. Over 30 of these graduated GPHD with shouts and applause as they came forward to receive their certificates. The real joy, however, is seeing them teach each other with joy and enthusiasm, like the lady on the left. With devoted disciples of Jesus like these the work in northern Uganda continues to multiply village by village! It was amazing to see how young people were diving into God’s Word as they worked on GPHD with Steven, a member of our training team. In another village we had our very first GPYD graduation in a rural school. These are but a taste of the many ways God’s Word is spreading in northern Uganda. May we pray and keep developing leaders for this ever-expanding work!" Part of our team met this evening via Zoom to update each other on current ministry and immediate events and opportunities. Here are a few items we ask you to carry in prayer.
Your prayer support is critical to these and many other events the Lord has put on our calendar. We see God answering so many prayers in ways that prove He is guiding and going before us. Thank you for standing with us!! Our group on Wednesday evenings is working through the lessons in God's Plan for His Disciples and tonight's lesson was on prayer. The approach of Lesson 6 is through looking mainly at prayer in the Early Church through the Book of Acts. There we see the principles of prayer as used by these Christians which the Holy Spirit confirmed by His mighty acts of power and multiplication.
Jesus prepared the disciples for this time when the Spirit would be poured out on them, and they would experience spiritual and numerical growth. “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14). Notice the main reason for Jesus answering our prayers is so the Father may be glorified through the Son answering our prayers. The Apostle John helps us understand the phrase " ask Me anything" by qualifying requests to be asked "according to His will." John 14:14 is not a 'blank check' but rather a reminder that our fellowship with Him (John 15:1-11) gives us the basis for asking and the confidence we will receive what we asked for. “And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us” (1 John 5:14). “But when He who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me, in order that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone” (Galatians 1:15–16).
Yesterday we looked at Isaiah 8 and part of the characteristics of God's call on Isaiah. There are many others we could examine, but there are some unique aspects of God's call on Paul. Unlike Isaiah, Paul's Judaism made him dead set against the Spirit's work of establishing the Church. As he wrote his first letter to the Galatian churches, he reflects on his calling. Paul does not date his call back to Acts 9 and the road to Damascus, but further back to a time before he was born. How can this be? Paul does not anchor his call in an event, but in the purpose of God. That purpose was that Paul should preach Christ "among the Gentiles." There was no need to "consult with anyone” because his call came from a divine source. Think about your calling. Who called you into a relationship with Jesus Christ? What was the purpose of that call? Are you living to fulfill that call or are you letting people dictate how you should live? Your answer will make a difference in how you live for the Lord. In my morning devotions, I have been reading through the book of Isaiah and getting fresh insight into God's feeling for His people. Today was Isaiah 8:11-22.
In this section, God is distinguishing Isaiah from the people of Israel by saying that He is 'speaking' to Isaiah "with a strong hand upon" him and warning him "not to walk in the way of this people" (11). We must understand that if God has called us to be His ambassador and servant, our walk with Him will be quite different from those around us. That does not make us superior to anyone else, it only makes us more responsible to be a representative that puts God's honor above everything else. This is NOT popular! We will NOT receive the applause of people and may not be received by some. Yet, if we are to honor the Lord above anyone and anything else, He will be our "sanctuary" while to others we may be "a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling" (15). Many will not like a clear voice of truth, but we must never give in to the pressure from others or compromise for their sake or to be accepted by them. Paul knew the consequences of being faithful to the Lord and said to Timothy, “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me” (2 Timothy 1:15). The end of such a path is much different for those who honor the Lord. “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Which path are you on? A statement was made by someone that they preferred a certain kind of worship. I understand there are many types of worship, some that are God honoring and some are not.
When did we become persons to evaluate any style of worship? Or, where in Scripture are we told to make church services appealing to the listener's appetite except that we are to "speak the truth in love [so we] grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). These are times when this might be very unpleasant to our ears and hearts (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; Revelation 3:14-22). As to whether worship pleases us, consider Jesus' words in John 4:21-23. “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:21–23). Notice the emphasis Jesus makes.
May our worship be guided by biblical principles, not personal likes, or dislikes. If Scripture guides our worship, there will be certain forms we will avoid because they are centered on us rather than Divine Persons. “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!” (Psalm 34:3). |
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