@ PastorGary

Welcome to The Refinery.

The Church The Body of Christ is our theme for the next few Sunday’s.

These messages are primarily based around Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Today we are discussing, The Goal of the Church.

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 4:7-16 NKJV

Spiritual Gifts

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 

8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [a]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 

10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [b]edifying of the body of Christ, 

13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 

16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Introduction.

The total impression of this passage from Ephesians 4 is that Christ has a goal, a supreme standard for His church, and that goal is so high, so exalted that it taxes the imagination to comprehend it.

Nonetheless, here and now, in the body of this flesh, we are to strive to attain it.

Specifically, this passage leaves three impressions on the mind and the heart.

First, Christ has given us the grace whereby we may reach the goal.

Second, the means of growth for reaching that goal are at hand.

And third, we must not stop nor be satisfied short of the goal, no matter how high the standard nor how great the difficulties in the way. 

1. Grace for reaching the goal Christ has for His church.

We must never take our eyes away from the grace of God.

We are always to remember that we are not Christians because we deserve to be.

We have not been brought “out of death into life” because of any merit of our own.

The whole Christian transaction, whereby we cease to live unto sin and begin to live unto God, is all go grace, God’s grace.

Two things strike us about this grace, this free gift go Christ toward those who are His own.

First, there is its impartiality.

Ephesians 4:7 says, But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Not just a few of the church, not just the Pastor or the leaders, but “each one of us.”

Although “according to the measure of Christ’s gift,” the capacity of one member might exceed that of another, no member of His churches left completely dispossessed.

His gifts are measured not by any favouritism on God’s part, for His love is everywhere and for everyone all the same.

God’s grace is impartial.

Secondly, there is individuality.

God’s gifts are specifically fitted to the capacity of each individual to receive them.

It follows, therefore, that each person in the church has a task cut out just for that person “according to the measure of the gift of Christ” in equipping him or her to do that task.

Paul said, in Ephesians 4:11, And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.

And this is not a complete list.

The fact that Christ’s churches are not challenging our sin riddled society and moving this needy world toward God is not His fault.

He has given His people the grace to move toward the goal of “the measure of the stature of Christ.”

2. Growth toward the goal Christ has for His church.

Paul said in Ephesians 4:15 that we, “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—“

Paul called some in the church at Corinth who had not grown, in 1 Corinthians 3:1, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.

He was saying to them, “You haven’t grown a bit as Christians since the days you were converted. You are baby Christians, wholly immature.”

How may Christian growth be obtained?

What are the means?

Paul gave several suggestions.

First, we grow by stability Christian convictions.

In typical fashion, Paul mixed his metaphors here to describe the instability of immature Christians, picturing them as infants being tossed by the waves like an unanchored ship driven about by a turbulent sea.

Instability of Christian convictions is one sure sign of immaturity of Christian character, while stability is a sure means of growth.

There is such a thing as Christian certitude, or absolute confidence, as “the rock of ages.” For our feet, as a standard in religion.

Isaiah 26:4, Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

God’s Word, is an anchor and stay for our faith.

Apart from the certainty of our faith and stability of convictions, we don’t grow very much.

Second, we grow by sincerity of Christian love.

Ephesians 4:15, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.

The marginal reading says, “But dealing truly in love.”

The problem is that we have no verb for truth in English, while the Greek does.

Literally Paul said, “But trotting in love.”

The import of his words is that our manner of life is to be sincere and true, thinking truly, speaking truly, dealing truly, and all in a spirit of genuine love, without diversions to divide our allegiance, without hypocrisy to deny our witness, without divisions to hinder our purpose in Him.

“Truthing” in love, love for Christ, for one another, for those who are lost.

Thirdly, we grow by solidarity of the Christian community.

Ephesians 4:15-16, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Again Paul used the figure of the human body, “from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.”

All the members of the church are knit and joined together.

Every member is joined to every other member.

What is for the good of one is for the good of all, and what causes the hurt of one is for the injury of all.

Where there is no solidarity of purpose and unity of spirit in the church, there can be no growth.

3. The greatness of the goal Christ has for His church.

How great and how high is Christ’s goal for His church?

Paul took his readers step by step to the top.

After naming the gifts that Christ through grace gives to individuals in the church, he told why.

First, for the perfecting of the saints.

The word translated “perfecting” means “mending,” the same word that is used where we are told of fishermen “mending their nets.”

When members of the church are quick tempered, gossips, busy bodies, and empty headed, Paul said we must, “mend these things.”

Why?

Second, “Unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

This is to the end that Christ might have a fit and usable instrument through which He can nurture His saints, grow His children, and save the lost.

Thirdly, he goes on, “Till we all attain.”

Christ’s ideal for His church is not for just a few choice souls who excel, not for just a few who reach the top, but for every member of His church, all of His own people.

Fourthly, but Paul moved higher yet again.

Ephesians 4:13, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Paul was saying, “Till we all come to His standard of unity and maturity, full grown and united, no differences of opinion in the Lord, no divergences of conviction, no divisions of spirit.”

We say, “Surely that is the top! We could come no nearer to perfection than that.”

But Paul wasn’t finished!

The goal is one step higher.

Listen to the grand and soaring height of the goal.

“To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

Humans can move no nearer God’s likeness than that, thinking like Christ in our minds, loving like Christ in our hearts, resembling Christ in our lives, giving ourselves to the purposes of God as He gave Himself, reminding people of God because we are fashioned in the likeness of His Son.

Conclusion.

Do you see the point of this great passage?

Paul laid tremendous emphasis on the church, the body of believers, not on its size but on its soul quality.

He had a burning desire to win souls, but he believed with all his heart that exalted Christian character within the church was the surest means of doing this.

This comes home to us, we cannot avoid it.

We emphasise quantity but not quality.

We glory reports, but do not demand repentance.

We have with and breath but neither height nor depth.

Our churches grow in size, but our members do not grow spiritually.

It is useless to add members who do not grown Christ.

We are cursed with a low ideal.

We are plagued with and unworthy contentment.

We are satisfied far short of the goal.

Let us pray over this passage until a fire is kindled in our hearts and becomes a raging force that drives us to the standard set by the Lord.

Until next time

Stay in the Blessings

I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.

When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer. Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!

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2024 IS A YEAR OF DECISIONS AND OPEN DOORS

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