But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift... And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for 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, so 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. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:7,11-16)
Have you ever felt as if your role in the body of Christ was unimportant... like the tonsils or gall bladder? You're a part of the body, but your removal wouldn't really make a big difference? After Paul addressed the importance of unity in the body, he went on to stress that unity doesn't mean uniformity. Instead, every member of the body is essential so that the body of Christ can grow.
Every church needs to be characterized by the belief that its members are gifted and are called to the growth and health of that church. Sadly, too many times, we define a church's "growth" by the number of folks who attend meetings. But Paul draws our attention away from what happens at one meeting on one day to what happens within the body during the week. "Growth" according to this passage is defined by how deeply and strongly the church is marked by certain core beliefs... and for our church to grow, we must understand the three implications of this passage for us:
First, SGC should be marked by maturity. We are to be a growing community... a church marked by an increasing confidence that what we believe about God matters when life gets rough. Paul describes an immature church by referencing a tiny boat tossed in the water- tossed by waves, blown around by winds. Verse 14 makes it clear that the storm is some hip, new, but false doctrine. Instead, our church is to be marked by a mature, settled confidence in the basics of our faith: the love of a sovereign God motivated His provision of His Son who claims lordship over the world He died to redeem... a move that began a new relationship between God and people that's marked by the activity of the Spirit inside of His people on earth. We want these truths to mark our community... that's what it means to grow. QUESTIONS: In what ways have you been grateful for the maturity you've noticed at SGC? In what ways do you think we are prone to immaturity in our thinking?
Second, SGC should be marked by responsibility. We are a gifted community... a church marked by a variety of abilities, talents, and potential for serving each other. Christ (the exalted Savior) has shared the spoils of His victory with us- spoils that make us rich for service, spoils that also create a responsibility within a local church to make the church grow (v 16). The variety of gifts we've been given should create 2 burdens within us: first, none of us in insignificant; second, none of us is independent. All of us need the help and encouragement that can only be provided by someone else who knows and sees me- I need them to speak truth to me and they need me to speak truth to them. QUESTIONS: In what ways do you think God has gifted you for service at SGC? Are there weaknesses in our church where you think you could be helpful? What prevents you from getting involved?
Third, SGC should be marked by ministry. We are to be an "equipped" community... a church marked by a relationship between the leaders and the membership where we expect that pastors don't do the work but equip others to do the work. If that's true, it prevents us from the "bus" mentality (he'll drive and I'll just ride along) to a "body" mentality (where everyone has a vital and living connection to Christ that strengthens us for the service He calls us to). Pastors, according to Eph 4, are to teach truth in a way that encourages the local church to do certain things that ultimately help the body grow. QUESTIONS: When you consider the possibilities of having a church building or adding another pastor to our "staff", are you excited about the ways this will multiply ministry through SGC? What types of ministries come to mind? How do you envision the pastors helping you in this? (send them an e-mail to get the ball rolling)
As I look ahead, the potential for growth at SGC is exciting. I know we didn't have CG this week, but I wanted to give you a few ways to think about our last message anyway. Thanks for your enthusiastic and sacrificial participation in the growth of SGC- can't wait to keep walking with you in the future!
Darren
