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EPHESIANS 4:11-16

“The Purpose of Ministry: Truth and

Love”

The BIG lie…•When ministry is going great, the Devil will throw any possible obstacle or distraction at you•He’s NOT going to step aside and cheer you on towards the prize•He will try to stop you with persecution• If that doesn’t work, he’ll try to make you lose focus on the purpose of the ministry you are involved in…

The Devil uses two methods…•1) Making believers think that ministry is only for those who are called to be pastors, elders, deacons, and limited volunteers•2) Keeping believers in perpetual childish immature mindsets•We will talk about these in detail•To keep the portion of the Scripture we are studying in context, we will start from V11

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and 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. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from 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. Ephesians 4:11-16, NASB

A. Equipping the Saints•Vs 11-12 tell us it is the goal of the ministers to—•1) Equip the saints to do the work of ministry•2) Edify the Body of Christ•The church functions best when the pastor, elders, deacons, and the congregation work together in partnership toward a common goal for the glory of God

A. Equipping the Saints•You see, my job as the pastor of this church is to help you understand what God has for you in the Word of God clearly without any of man’s input so that you can do the work of ministry of God and build up the body of Christ which is the church•“I thought we were paying you to do all that?”

Kat-ar-tis-mos (awesome stuff!)•Greek word for “equipping”•It means “complete furnishing”• Used in surgery for setting a broken limb or for putting a joint back into its place•In politics, for bringing together opposing factions so that government can work•In the NT, for mending nets, Mark 1:19

Kat-ar-tis-mos (awesome stuff!)•Greek word for “equipping”•It means “complete furnishing”•and of disciplining an offender until he is fit to take his place again within the fellowship

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.”

Galatians 6:1, NASB

Kat-ar-tis-mos (awesome stuff!)•Greek word for “equipping”•It means “complete furnishing”•And of disciplining an offender until he is fit to take his place again within the fellowship•The basic idea is that of putting a thing into the condition in which it ought to be•That’s the job of the “Minister”

B. 4 Signs of s Built-up Body of Christ•1.) Mature Minds, v 13•A prime example of a mature mind: gentle pursuit of unity, not uniformity•Child-like faith, YES! Child-ish, not so much…•“Knowledge of the Son”- not just more complete Scriptural understanding of Him, but also Experiential Knowledge from daily following Him

“…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…”

Philippians 3:10, NASB

So, How do I test my Spiritual Maturity?•Ask yourself these simple questions…•Do I tithe to the church?•Do I fly off the handle easily?•Do I gossip about others?•Would I rather spend time in carnal things than spending time with the Lord in daily prayer and Bible reading?

•Do I do what I learn from the Bible?

B. 4 Signs of s Built-up Body of Christ

•Holy Laughter•Emergent Church•Chrislam

•2.) Stability; V4 reminds us that the mature Christian is NOT moved by Baloney Sauce Doctrines•I grew up in the SBC, and I’ve seen a few of them•Word of Faith movement•Replacement Theology

B. 4 Signs of s Built-up Body of Christ•3.) Truth in Love, V15 is a warning against a liberal theology (not politics)• I’m talking about ignoring the Truth of Scripture for PC myths, stories, legends•They call truth ‘intolerant’ and ‘bigotry’•Truth without love is brutality , but love without truth is hypocrisy•God doesn’t need abrasive or timid, but show strength and love

B. 4 Signs of s Built-up Body of Christ•4.) Working together; God is looking for team players to build the Body•Teams make things happen, not Prima Donnas…• Isolated Christians cannot minister to others, nor ministered to by others•So, Unity cannot be manufactured: we already have it in Christ; me must protect and maintain

Take Home…•Speak the truth to one another in love•Equip and edify one another with the Word of God that all of us may grow up to be more like Christ