Unity

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We’re in a series together on the book of Ephesians, and it has been a wonderful, glorious book for us. We’ve been studying together. If you’re just joining us this morning, you’re kind of jumping into the middle of this series that we’re doing together and the book of Ephesians, just by way of reiterating for us as a church family, is it is it is a book that I love. It’s my favorite book in the Bible. And the way that this book breaks down is really into two sections. First, three chapters are all theological. The last three chapters are all practical in our lives, with some theology mixed in in between there. But, but the point of the book is that God desires for us to live for him. But before we begin to live for him, what he calls us to do is begin to understand who he is and knowledge and understanding and in relationship. And so the first three chapters of the book, we identify who we are in light of who God is, and we grow in that understanding of who God is. And through that understanding of our connection to God and our relationship with him, God then carries out this idea for us and how we should live our lives, the practicality of who we are in Christ. And so the first three books presents to us the first three chapters, excuse me, presents to us the glory and goodness of all that God is.

And I want to say, for us as a church family, this is an important time for us to go through this book together. When we first start at Alpine Bible Church a few years ago, we started off in the book of Ephesians. And the reason is, is because it offers for us a great basis for how our church should move forward into the future. All of us together went through this book, made commitments to one another, and launched what Alpine Bible Church is today. And now we’re on to the point of our lives where we’ve entered into a new stepping stone. We just had a team from North Carolina come out to help us in our endeavor to build the first freestanding church in our city, just two blocks up the road at the. We’re turning a bar into a church, right? That doesn’t get old saying that no matter how we’re turning a bar into a church, that’s cool. We’re we actually had the first inspection just for you guys that that know what’s going on. We had our first inspection on the building. You have to get three inspections to pass before the interior is okay for us to meet, meet in. And we were a little concerned with the first inspection because we didn’t have everything exactly the way that we wanted it to. The inspector came in, he looked at it real quick and just said, I’m glad this place is no longer a bar, but now a church and sign off for us.

So that was awesome. We enjoyed that. So yeah, every inspector that comes down, you know, this used to be a bar, so that was wonderful. I was worried the night before. I just went ahead and scheduled an inspection anyway just so we could start hanging sheetrock. So sheetrock is going up on our walls now and you can start to see the building is beginning to take shape. And so we’ll open that up in a couple of weeks for you to, to come in and look at that. But it’s an enjoyable pleasure for us to go through. That being said, the book of Ephesians is important for us. Because more important than a building, it’s all really about God’s people. The building just serves the need. As we continue to grow, we want to continue to offer bigger facilities for us to expand. Right? We like that everyone gets friendly when they get here, but we won’t be getting too friendly. You know, we want some some space to move around and to grow as a church family thinking about our future. And just as we began this church in the book of Ephesians, we’re at a great stepping stone for us to look at this together again. And examine who we are in light of who God is and what God’s called us to in this world.

And today we’re going to start in chapter four. Which chapter four is the application of all that we’ve learned in the last three chapters, in light of your relationship with God? This is what God has called us to in this world. So this this morning, this message is really practical. Um, Paul just really lays it out plainly for us what he desires to see accomplished within the church. And so this is the kind of Sunday where you may not hear things that are revolutionary to your life. This is the kind of Sunday where God might work in your heart to just become committed in certain areas of your life, or encourage you in your commitment to God in this world. So we’re going to do is we’re going have somebody lock the doors. Now just kidding. It’s not going to happen. No one can leave. All right. You got to sit there for 30 minutes or however long this takes. Okay. And and I just want to see what the Apostle Paul communicates to us now, in light of your relationship with God. This is how God desires for us to live. And so he ends chapter three. This way he he ends it talking about the glory and goodness of God. He simply says in chapter three and verse 21, talking about the Lord. To him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

Forever and ever God’s glory to be examined through us. That’s pretty simplistic and what his understanding and Paul’s packing this idea not of later. Everything that you are in your relationship with God. God has called you in this world. God has loved you before the foundations of the world. God has resurrected you from a dead life. It tells us in Ephesians chapter two to a life in him, to those who have placed their faith in him. God brings the dead to life and he has loved you endlessly. The evidence of that is rested upon in the cross. Where you can see the goodness of God and His love for you before you even existed, before you could even do anything to display your love for God. God has extended his love to you. Ephesians says it God has loved you before the foundations of the world. When God created this earth, he had you in mind and his love to be lavished upon you. And we talk about our lives in this world. Do you know it is impossible as human beings not to worship, to refuse to worship something? You’re going to worship something in this world. It’s impossible not to. Whether it be Super Bowl right football or or whether it be money or whether it be a false god or whether it be beauty, whatever it is, you’re going to idolize and worship something, it’s impossible not to.

And so Paul presents this argument to us for the first three chapters, or the discussion with us in these first three chapters, that if you really want to live for what you’re created to do, that worship belongs to God. And so he gets to the end of chapter three with the conclusion to him be the glory. It makes no sense to be worshiping anything else, no, no sense to give her adoration and glory to anything else apart from all that God is. Because what God desires for us in this world, and the reason for which God created us, is the best that we could achieve in our existence. In God we find the best for which we were intended to exist. God created you for relationship with him as people. Knowing that we desire to worship, we look within this world for so many different things to fill with that void within us that craves to know God deeper. We we, we fill it with false gods and false idols. But the Bible tells us here that it’s to be filled with him. And in light of that, the reason we bring up chapter three and verse 21, even though I told you we’re in chapter four, is because in chapter four, Paul starts with a very important word. Therefore, whenever you see the word therefore in the Bible, you’ve got to ask the question what is therefore therefore right? And in chapter four he does it twice.

Therefore is for a reason. Everything that you’ve seen in God, because of all that we’ve explained. Now Paul’s going to call us to responsibility in our relationship with him. This is therefore. The prisoner of the Lord Jesus implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. So in your relationship with God, God has given you a new identity in him. A new position and a new place of which formerly you didn’t have apart from Christ. And God has given you a new name. When the Bible talks about name, it means more than just the name that your mama gave you when you came out, right? It’s an identity. When you see the name and study the name Jesus Christ. It’s not just the name, it’s an identity literally means the anointed king or the saving king. Excuse me. Jesus Christ is the saving king. His name identified for us the very role for which he came to earth to achieve. He is your saving king. And guess what? You are a representation of that kingdom. With a king comes a kingdom, and you belonging to him are now a part of that kingdom. So you are now identified in his name, and in that name it’s given you a position to live out. You know, what I dislike greatly in this world is the case of the mistaken identities.

Um, you ever gone to Walmart with a blue shirt or target with a red shirt? I still look like I’m 16 years old sometimes. So? So when I walk to Walmart and a blue shirt, I always get asked for help because I never walk around with the shopping cart. I got to keep it in mind. Blue shirt, get a shopping cart. No one will talk to you, but I hate it. It’s so embarrassing. Every time someone comes up to me, I got to. They go through this spiel of what they’re looking for, I tell, I don’t even work here. I don’t know why you’re talking to me. Then they’re all embarrassed and I’m all embarrassed when we walk away. You know I hate mistaken identity. But when it comes to your relationship with God, this is one identity that the Bible has called you to carry forth in the way that you live your lives. I urge you as a prisoner of the Lord, Paul, saying that for this cause he’s sacrificed immensely. And I am begging you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, or the name which you have been given in Christ. God’s given you a new identity. And so we can ask ourselves the question, well, what what does that look like? Right. I mean, God’s given me this identity, this responsibility that feels so overwhelming, you know, representing the King and his kingdom.

I mean, does he even give me a clue as to how to do this? I mean, what kind of position do I have? Am I like a manager, a cashier, you know? It’s interesting when the Bible describes your position in him. He doesn’t give you a title when he discusses it. When Paul begins to dive into the identity for which we live in Christ, it’s not about position, but he begins to identify the way that we should live through character. When you study any position within Scripture, what you discover as you’re studying the position within Scripture that the the primary responsibility that is listed for an individual as they live out a calling in their lives. Is there character? We study in First Timothy chapter three. You see, when the Apostle Paul lists out the qualifications of elders. 90% of the qualifications that he identifies as character. We talk about your calling and reflecting the name of the Lord and his kingdom in this world. It’s not so much interested in title. As he is in the content of your character. And so he says in verse two. With all humility and gentleness, with patience, sowing tolerance for one another in love. Being diligent to persevere in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. You know what God is about in this world. As when Christ is working, community is created.

The sin causes division. Sin causes disunity and discord among individuals wherever it works. And what Jesus brings into this world is reconciliation, and Jesus brings unity. So the opposite of this verse would tell us that what isn’t going to work when God calls us to live out for his name and glory is pride. What isn’t going to work when we look at these verses is selfishness and self-seeking. Because when God calls us to live for Him and His kingdom, it’s not about ourself, but about him. And so the first thing that the apostle Paul lists as he talks to us about living for his glory and his goodness and all that he is about in this world, the first thing that he talks about strips us of all of our pride, strips us of all of our self-seeking and self gratification and satisfaction and everything that we desire. And so he says. To observe this calling with humility. God’s kingdom is about service. Pride is about our glory and what we want, and humility is about someone else. Humility is not about proving anything. We understand that Jesus has already proven it all and so we walk with confidence. Humility is about people who are willing to serve. To look at the needs of this world as Jesus has come and presented himself to you, and help this world understand what it means to have a relationship with the one who has loved them so deeply and created them for a relationship in him.

And the way that’s communicated in his kingdom is through humility. We live to serve. I’ve got to say, when we talk about the word humility in our culture today, we don’t really enjoy it or like it because it represents to us something that is weak. We can’t tell you. When we study in Scripture, we see the word humility together. It is it is a responsibility of lowering yourself and position before someone else to help out a particular need. It’s not about self. It’s about God’s glory helping someone else in him. But humility carries with it not not a weakness, but really a strength. It’s a quiet strength because you’ve recognized in your life everything that you’ve attempted, everything that you’ve tried to find satisfaction within yourself and meeting your needs and your pride and living sinfully hasn’t satisfied the soul. And you’ve looked at the glory and goodness of all that God is. You’ve read the end of the Bible. You see that he wins, right? His hope and his promises will be fulfilled. And so, rather than living for your kingdom, you submit to his. And you serve. God. It’s about your glory. When you consider all that God would desire for your life. And all that God would desire for your church and in reaching this community. To represent that kingdom.

It starts with a position of humility. To surrender all that you are to the greater good of the King that we now represent. And he goes on from there. It’s not just about humility. I like this. It’s gentleness with patience. Showing tolerance for one another and love. Another great part about this is if someone finds you annoying today, they need to come up and just thank you for it, all right? This is why let me tell you why. Because you can’t practice patience unless someone is testing it. And so if you find me annoying this morning, you’re welcome. I’m helping you be godly, right? Anyone can be patient with those that are easy to be patient. If you’re a quiet person, y’all can be patient with you all day, you know? But what I’m saying in this chapter is that when we get together in God’s kingdom, people aren’t always going to be seeking the greater good of everyone. We become self-seeking. By nature, we bend toward sin and we seek our own glory and goodness rather than forgiveness. We want vengeance rather than loving someone else. I make it about me. And so when we gather together, it doesn’t always look pretty in God’s body. And so what he’s saying to us in this passage, not only are you coming with the ability to serve, and not only do you just do that once for someone, but it’s a process that’s repeated in your life with gentleness and with patience.

Thank you, God, for the annoying people, right? God’s will for us is that we surrender ourselves to his call in a way that represents his glory and goodness. And Paul goes on and says with patience, showing tolerance for one another and love. Being diligent to persevere in the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. We have this thought in our culture together that we just need to coexist. That we that we need to drop apart our differences in the beliefs that we carry and the God that we worship for the purpose of unity. Right? I mean, after all, it even says in this verse that we need to be united. But the interesting thing about this verse is it doesn’t just say unite for the sake of uniting. It says unite in the spirit. So the message of the truth that you proclaim is still important. Unification that we’re having isn’t just unifying for the sake of unifying. It’s unifying for the sake of God as he directs our lives. So we want to unify in the spirit. As a matter of fact, in Ephesians 415, Paul goes on and says, speak the truth and love. And the point that Paul is making for us as people is that the truth is offensive enough. And we don’t need to add to that offense if we hear something contrary to what we want to believe, or contrary to the way that we want to live our lives, and it comes from God’s Word, and we just need to let God’s Word speak to the heart and not what we desire.

Thus the truth can be offensive. The truth can be difficult to hear. Paul saying that we when we unite, we unite in the spirit. We unite in one purpose and one cause for God’s glory. In our culture today, the way that we tend to do this is we. We put our differences aside and we unite. Meaning, we use God as a tool to get together, to unite and unification becomes our God. What the Bible rather is calling us to is use unity as the tool to get us to come together, to glorify in God. We don’t unite for the sake of uniting. We unite for the sake of God’s glory. It’s about his glory and about his goodness to us. And so Paul then goes on to explain to us the need for uniting intentionally in him. He tells us. He tells us in this verse that the way that we were to do it is to be diligent. We persevere in this unity diligently. Because what sin does is tears us apart. I mean, if you come here today and you’re feeling like a rogue Christian, if you’re feeling like an individual, but you’re not a part of a community, the evidence that could be within our lives is saying to us somewhere at some point, there was sin that made us feel isolated.

Whether it was something that we’ve done or something someone’s done against us. Sin has the tendency to divide. And the Apostle Paul knows that. And he knows within our nature that will isolate ourselves from certain situations because of sin. Whether someone’s done it to us or we’ve done it to someone else, well, isolate ourselves. And so Paul is saying, this isn’t what God’s called us to. God’s called us to unity. And so be diligent. Be diligent to persevere. Do you feel that I mean this this should take effort on Sunday when you come to church. It’s not self-seeking. I’m making an effort to be one with his body united in Christ. Make an effort. Can I. Can I just tell you this? This isn’t a rebuke to us, but this is just a statement of maybe sorrow for the way that church is. When you work in ministry and you get the phone calls through people throughout the week. I mean, sometimes you get some sad phone calls of a misunderstanding of what God’s called us to. And I know within the last weeks I’ve had someone call me that. That not from the church. I’m just telling you this story to help us out, okay? That tells me that they’ve been looking for a church for 20 years in this valley, that that meets their criteria.

And then go on to question me about the criteria. To make sure not not necessarily the church’s biblical, but that the church just meets their needs exactly what they’re looking for. My response to that is, I’m going to tell you something and you’re going to leave this church like every church that you’ve left for the last 20 years, because I know somewhere in this valley there is a church that you can attend that’s a godly, biblical church that’s going to encourage you in your relationship with the Lord. But I’m going to tell you something. And you’re not going to like it. And I know you’re not going to come here because you’re not going to like it, because apparently that’s what you do with your churches. The problem isn’t the church. The problem is you. No church is going to be perfect. No church is going to meet your every need. I know people that tell me they don’t come here because we don’t say the Lord’s Prayer enough. The Lord’s Prayer, by the way, isn’t even the Lord’s Prayer right? Lord’s Prayer is different. He prayed for you later on in John, the Lord’s Prayer that that’s what we call the Lord’s Prayer. But he taught us how to pray. It’s really our prayer. God, teach us how to pray. And then God taught us how to pray.

It’s not the Lord’s Prayer. It’s our prayer. But I mean, that’s all the things that God’s called us to do. Is that the dividing line? Really? I mean, 20 years looking for a church and you can’t find one place to commit to. We don’t have a picture of what God’s called us to. So this is what you said. When someone tells you you’ve been looking for 20 years of a church that’s going to meet your criteria, the problem, the problem isn’t the church. I mean, maybe there’s a few messed up along the way, but 20 years, you got to find one man. And this is what we need to understand that God has called you to be a part of something so much bigger than just yourself and self-seeking. He’s given you a name and an identity in him. And it’s not about you, and it’s not about me. It’s about letting our self go for his glory and kingdom and goodness. God’s created us for relationship. God’s created us to lay ourselves down to his greatest cause. And if I say that today and that’s offended some of you, my apologies to that. But let me also ask you and just commit, if it’s not us, just find a church that that that you know that the seeking after the Lord and desiring his glory and goodness, that wants to encourage you in your relationship and help you to get to the place where God desires in this world and give back.

Get involved. You think about what God has for a bigger building, that’s more seats. That’s got to be people that look at these verses and understand. You’re right, it’s not about me. And you’re right. When I when I get to church, there’s this diligence that I need to have. I need to come to know the body that God has called together. I mean, learn everyone’s names. Look at someone today that’s so important. You don’t know their name. Their name is just so important to you. You just want to know that name. And pray for him this week so you don’t forget it. Be diligent to preserve the bond with each other. And so Paul gives examples. You know, the tendency was within the church at this particular time. There was a lot of slaves and there were free people. And so they wanted to divide between the slaves and the free people. There was Jew and there was Gentile. And so let’s cause some division within the church again, we’ll just make a rainbow of churches. And so Paul says, that’s not even the way it’s supposed to be. There is one body and there’s one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Let God’s plan singular. Why can’t ours be? God’s got one calling, and if we work together, we can see so much more of this taking place in the world if we just unite to that cause. And says, Paul says this in verse seven. But to each one of you, grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. What Paul is saying is that you don’t have different amounts of grace for salvation. God extends his grace to everyone for salvation. But what he’s what he’s saying to us in this passage is that God has graciously extended himself to us and gifted us in different ways. Some of us think differently and serve in different ways in this world. God’s given us different talents and different abilities through which his kingdom can be proclaimed. We’re not all we don’t all have the same gifts. And so God has graciously gifted this church in such a unique way. This is what I believe this is crazy to think about, but God knew where you were going to live before you lived here. God knew what it would take to reach a place for his kingdom before you even got here. And God, knowing where you would live and what he would call you to in this world, has given gifted you in particular ways to serve a church to meet those needs, to watch the glory of his kingdom be proclaimed. You think about that before you ever existed.

God knew the gifts that he would give to you. For what? His church and his glory and his name being represented. And so whenever we don’t exercise the gifts that God has given us. The body hurts. It aches for the need that it has to see its needs met. And so God has gifted us some particular ways for the service of his kingdom. And then Paul does something crazy here. He says the word therefore again, right. We’ve got to ask why therefore is there for once again. But let me just read this theological statement because we’re talking about God’s goodness, God’s glory, and us serving that and living not for self, but for him, and seeking after his, his calling in our lives in this world. And then Paul just says something that sounds crazy to the context of this. He says, therefore it says, clean the filter. Let me read it out of the out of my Bible right here. It says in verse eight, therefore it says, when he ascended on high, it’s talking about Christ. He led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. And verse nine, now this expression, he ascended. What? What does it mean except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.

Rather, what does that have to do with serving? Jesus ascended and he descended. And I don’t get it. And Paul’s making this as a conclusive statement to us. The context of what he’s saying is really found in in verse nine or verse eight. Excuse me. He ascended on high. He led captives, a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. There’s a theology out there that says, When Jesus died on the cross, he went to hell, and he preached in hell, and he and he was resurrected. And eventually we saw him on earth, and he went to heaven, right? And that theology isn’t found anywhere in the Bible. It’s a theology that developed later in Christianity. But but the thought is this if you study Luke chapter 16, there’s this place. Don’t write that down. That’s not biblical. I just said, okay. In Luke chapter 16, there’s a place called Abraham’s bosom. You can read the story there about the rich man and Lazarus, and it tells us that Abraham’s bosom was divided in half, and one side is Hades, and the other side is where the Old Testament saints lived or believed, that believed in Jesus. That’s where they were held in Abraham’s bosom. And the reason they weren’t immediately resurrected and taken to heaven when they died is because Jesus’s sacrifice hadn’t been made yet. There was no atoning for anyone because Jesus hadn’t died.

And so the Old Testament people placed their faith in a messiah who would come and be the sacrifice for them. And those who place their faith in him went to Abraham’s bosom. And it tells us in verse eight that what happened after Jesus’s death is he went down to Abraham’s bosom, and he led the captives, those who were a part of Abraham’s bosom, who had placed their faith in them. He set them free. He from on high descended down to the lower parts of the earth, set Abraham’s bosom free, and ascended back into heaven with his glory. Well, here’s a point for us. He’s also telling us that while he sets us free. That he gave gifts to men. First thing I think Paul wants us to recognize in this is that God is what I call the home run king. What I mean is, you remember the the story where Babe Ruth steps up to the plate and he points out a shot and he lets everyone know where the ball is going. And then he swings and it goes over the fence exactly where Babe Ruth had called it, you know. That’s exactly what Jesus has done in this passage in Psalm 68 and verse 18. He prophetically told us what he would do when he came to this earth. He called a shot. So that we can see us people. We talk about serving this God and trusting in him with humility.

We have to have a confidence that he’s going to fulfill the promises that he gives us. And so Paul is saying to us, yes, this king, this king fulfills his promises to you. He will not disappoint. What Paul is also saying to us in this verse is that he gave gifts to men. Whenever a king would go into battle when he was victorious in battle and he would return back to his homeland, he would bring the spoils of his victory back to his town. The people would gather in the streets. They would celebrate the presence of the king, and the king would give out gifts to his kingdom, to all those who were a part of it, and they celebrated together in the victory. And what God is saying to you about the gifts that he has given you in this world is that they are gifts of victory. And so God hasn’t called you into this world to to admit defeat, but God fulfills his promises. There’s no reason to have any lack and confidence in everything that Jesus has told us he will do. And he has given you these gifts that when you gather together, we as a church can celebrate in victory what God has done. They are victorious gifts. Of a kingdom that will stand forever. Be diligent to this. Be committed to this with patience, seeking what God desires for us.

You know the the sad truth of our country today is America started as a Christian nation, people seeking religious freedom to pursue their relationship in Christ. Today, America, based on our population, is the fifth largest mission field. Excuse me. In the top five largest mission fields in the world. Meaning based on our population size, we have that many people who don’t claim to follow after the Lord. We’ve gone from a Christian nation to one that is one of the largest mission fields in the world. And to today, over some, some, like 3000 churches a week, closed down something ridiculous like that. And the average attendance on church on Sunday is about 80 people. You think about our town? I mean, what do we have here to gather, to worship as far as mainstream Christian churches go? Almost 50,000 people. If all we ever aspired to is 80 people. They did a study as to why churches don’t plateau or grow above that 80. They plateau and don’t grow above the 80% mark. Why the average attendance is what they found out is on average, the average pastor can handle about 80 people. Which it’s saying when people gather to church, they look at and this isn’t us, but they look at the pastor as the person who does all the ministry, and they just gather together. And it’s his job to do everything. And we just come. And the Apostle Paul then begins to explain to us, and that’s not God’s intentions, and I don’t think we do that here at Alpine Bible Church.

I think we do a great job in taking the talents that God has given us and just serving. And Paul then begins to say, and yeah, he gave some as apostles, and he gave some as prophets, and he gave some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers. We’ve we’ve talked about these positions a few times together. I want to just talk about this in a little bit different way. Some people look at this passage and I don’t have a stand on this, but some people look at this passage and say, when he’s talking about apostles and prophets, he’s not actually talking about the office. If you ask me today, does the does the office of an apostle and prophet exist? I’m going to tell you no. Okay. I’m going to tell you the the ability to serve in that capacity or serve. I’ll tell you why in a minute. But the ability to serve in these ways still exists. But the office does not exist. If you want some references. Acts chapter one talks about the qualifications of an apostle having to see the resurrected Lord. No one’s done that. No one can see Jesus today. He’s not running around. And so that was the qualification in acts chapter one to hold the office of an apostle.

People. People cannot do that today. Uh, Hebrews chapter one talks about the office of prophet as something that’s in the past. Today we follow after Jesus. And so you can look at both of those passages. So the conflict today is people look at this and say this, this could be talking about office. This could be talking about just serving in this capacity. Some people divide the line on as to what it’s talking about, because the context of the Greek language gives the suggestion that it’s not talking about an office. Ephesians chapter two and verse 20 is definitely talking about the office of an apostle and prophet, Hebrews or Ephesians chapter four and verse 11th May or may not be. Here’s what I say. The difference of the office of an apostle and just the position of an apostle is. The word apostle means one sent forth. And so when you read in the Bible based on the context, you can discover that the word apostles either referring to the office of an apostle based on the context, or someone being sent forth as an apostle. Proclaim the name of God. Today we use the word apostle, but we’ve redefined what we use that word as. We actually use that word today, and we say the word missionary. We send missionaries out into this world. It’s the same thing one sent forth. We send apostles into this world, one sent forth. We send missionaries in this world, one sent forth.

They are necessary. And the reason is because there are places in this world that don’t have a church. There are places in this world where God’s name needs proclaim. There are people with particular gifts that can go into areas of this world and see churches established for God’s glory. We use the term missionaries. So if that makes you uncomfortable saying apostle, then don’t say it. Just say missionary. Okay, one sent forth, we send people with gifts sent forth. Stacy and I came to Lehi. As one sent forth, we saw a church established here. Uh, prophets can also mean. It can mean one who predicts the future in Scripture. It can also be one who proclaims truth based on the context that it’s used. And so we talk about one proclaiming the truth. There are certain people who have the giftedness to take God’s Word share. God’s word penetrates the heart, convicts us in our lives, and we change. Those are profits. Stating God’s truth to us. Paul says says, not only do we send people forth to establish churches, not only do we have people who have the ability to share God’s truth that penetrates our hearts, we have evangelists, people that go out. They they share the gospel with individuals and they come to a knowledge of Christ. They they trust in Jesus. They give their lives over to him. They evangelize.

These are the kind of people that hate the office. They find any excuse to get out in this world and just associate with people. And they they can’t help. Every conversation leads to Jesus. I don’t know if you’ve ever been with those people. You go out to eat with them. You sit down at a at a restaurant, and they’re always trying to witness to the waiter or something. They just they just love Jesus and want to share them with the world. They they don’t like being cooped up, but they just want to get out there and talk about what Christ has done. He’s also given some as pastors and teachers. But for you theologians, just if you’d like to study the Greek text, there’s a disagreement as to whether or not the word pastor teacher is one word or two. For most of us, it’s not going to make a big difference. But the people debate over this is this is this one word or two. Pastor literally means shepherd. It’s one who cares for the needs of individuals. The teacher is the one who gets down, looks at the original Greek language, deciphers what God’s says and the original language to the people that it was originally written to, so we can come to understand it today. They they teach God’s Word. They’re diligent to preserve exactly the context of what God’s Word communicated to us when it was first written.

And Paul says, God has gifted all of these people or these people to equip the body. Here it comes in verse 12, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the service to the building up of the body of Christ. What he’s saying in this verse. As the pastor doesn’t exist to do all the ministry. The Apostle doesn’t exist, and the prophet and the evangelist and the teacher. They don’t exist to do all the ministry. They exist to help all of us become equipped and going out into serving God’s world together. God has called us all to the responsibility of sharing in his kingdom and his work and his glory. It’s not just about one person. It’s about all of us. And God has called certain individuals to lead in particular ways. But God has called all of us to be a part of what he desires to do in this world. You think about this for just a moment. When we read the word evangelist, I would expect that the job then of the evangelist would be to go out and evangelize. Which I’m sure he will. But based on the context of the passage of Scripture here, the job of the evangelist isn’t to go out and evangelize. The job of the evangelist is to teach other people how to evangelize. So that we can all go out and share God’s Word together. Now, let me just tell you that this passage doesn’t give me an excuse to be a lazy pastor, okay? I still put in my hours every week.

But the point of Paul’s passage is that we understand that we are all part of God’s bigger picture together. We’re all part of his church. We’re all part of his work. And so there are no free passes. God’s brought you into his kingdom for a purpose and a responsibility. It’s not self-seeking, but it’s for his glory. And so Paul goes on and says in verse 13, the goal is until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. God’s desire for all of us is that we grow close to him. It’s not about an individual, but it’s about individuals becoming one. And so that we can be prepared to go into this world and make an impact. You think about all that’s required in a week here at Alpine Bible Church? We can afford to pay everyone for the service that they do. We can afford to pay anyone for the service that they do. We got two buildings right now, so it requires us to take our time and our gifts and our talents for the ability to serve. To this week. I was just listing all of the work that’s been going on with the building project, and the hundreds of hours that have already been into that, or music ministry, to the people who come Wednesday night and stay late and Sunday morning and early, the outreach ministries, ushers, greeters, kids ministries, web ministries, hosting ministries, hospitality, ladies ministries, men, men’s groups, youth groups, our sound booth, people in the back.

They also are here every time the music people are here. Think about all the hours of ministry that we pour in together as a church family. What it requires is for us as people to understand the need and the call which God has placed upon our lives about giving ourselves away and seeking the greater good for for our family and for our friends and and for our community. It’s not about belonging to a church for me, it’s about belonging to a church for us. And then Paul tells us at the end of this passage is very simplistic and everything that he presents. But he says in verse 14, you know what the results are. I like it. He says, therefore do all this, and therefore do all this, and here’s the results that we’re seeking after it can’t get any plainer. And as a result. We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by the waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by the craftiness and deceitful scheming.

Paul saying, we’re not uniting just to unite. It’s not about us. It’s about his glory. And so we need to understand who he is so we can understand who we are in light of him and how we are to live in this world because of his goodness to us. And so he tells us in verse 15, listen, truth is offensive. So say it in love. Speak the truth in love. Remember in the first couple of verses he tells us to do it with patience and gentleness. You struggle in one area of your life, and it may not be the same area of my life that I struggle in. And so, because I’m tempted in different ways than you are, your tendency may be to look down upon me as I’m faltering in my pursuit with Christ. But Paul is saying, listen, God is doing a work in all of us. Be patient, be loving, be gentle. We share the truth when we’re in error, but we do it in love because the truth is offensive enough. We’re to grow up in all aspects into him. Who is the head? It’s all about him. For whom the whole body being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Maybe we get to the end of this.

Section today. And we can end like this. If you come to church. And you’re carrying resentment. And you’re carrying anger. And you’re carrying individuality. It hurts God’s body. And I’m not saying there doesn’t need to be reconciliation given. There doesn’t need to be confession given. But what I’m saying, if that sustains. It hurts God’s body. We don’t serve well wounded. We don’t serve well self-seeking. We serve when we’re thinking of God’s greater goodness and the need to be patient and gracious and loving to each other. Now I know what’s going to happen when I step out into our church family and we do ministry together. Somewhere along the way, when I’m doing ministry with some someone else, something’s going to happen to me where I might get offended. And I might get upset and I might get my little heart broken. This is what I keep in mind. God’s doing a work in us, collectively and honestly, giving you the opportunity to speak about whatever might have offended me. You probably feel sorry for it if you knew it offended me. You probably didn’t want me to feel that way. And so within myself I feel the opportunity to to just be patient. To understand my pain. I can get so isolated even in that and so self-seeking in that, that I just forget to to keep looking outward to what God desires to accomplish. I just want to let it go.

I want to let go of all that I hold on to. That stops me from seeing all that God has called me to in this world. I just want to say right here, right now. God. Take it. Because what I’m interested in today is what you want to do with us tomorrow. Where is it you’ve called us to? And God, what is it you’ve called me to? God, how can I display the glory and the love that you’ve shown me? And Paul says when that becomes the heart’s desire of the church. The church accomplishes glorious and beautiful things for him and love. It’s the growth of the body for the building up of itself and love. And I want to grow with you guys. And I sometimes maybe I could say this as a partial fear of mine, but I hear of churches that are as young as ours, that have as many people as ours, and then within a week it just folds and it’s gone. And what happens within that church to allow that to happen? What takes place within the people’s hearts for that twofold. We had a missionary just move out here to start a church in northern Utah, in a city that doesn’t have a church. And they just sent us a letter yesterday saying this church is one of the largest donors. They’re given 20% support to what is going to take to start this church.

These people just got out here to start the church in northern in Salt Lake County, and they just got a phone call to say, this enormous church is just closed. It’s gone. And now the support that they were depending on when they came across to start this church is gone. And so this church that was supposed to start now isn’t. Because the body of Christ doesn’t understand the importance of this passage. It’s not about me. It’s about his glory. And when I let that get in the way, when I let self and selfishness and sin get in the way of what God’s called us to, the the effects and the ripple of that can be huge. And so any time in my life, I know sin’s going to come and I know adversity is going to be there. But any time it starts to rear its head and anytime it presents itself in my life and I start to feel isolated, man, I just want to come to the Lord and God. I just want to let it go. I want to let it go, and I want to be a part of your body. And I want to live for what you’ve called me to in this world. God, I want to see your kingdom, because that goodness is far better than anything this world has to offer. It’s not for me. It’s for you. And so Paul says these thoughts.

Let me just leave you with these ideas from this passage. See yourself as a bigger part. Of the bigger picture. Lay yourself down for the community and the cause for which Jesus has called you. Let’s not be misled over stupid differences. But what our pursuit be the truth of who Jesus is in our lives. Let’s allow that to be made known. And so the important part in all of this is to understand that God has gifted you in ways that he hasn’t gifted everyone else. He knew where you would live. He knew the community you would be a part of. He he gave you the talents that he gave you for a particular purpose of serving his kingdom. And this king has given these out as gifts of victory. We’re not going out proclaiming this, hoping we win. In the end, we’re going out proclaim this because he is already won and we’re asking people to come and celebrate with us. Wherever you are in your relationship with the Lord. Can I just tell you? Get committed. Find a church body and just invest. And can I encourage you as a church family to and just say, I think we do this beautifully. I think as a as a whole, as people, we’re looking for places to serve. And when I say that I’m not just I’m not talking about just these four walls on a Sunday morning, I’m talking about everywhere we go together to our families, to our friends, to our community. It’s about his glory and his goodness.