Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20030720.htm

EPHESIANS: GOD'S SURE PLAN FOR INSECURE TIMES
Part VII: Settled Ministry Based On God's CHURCH Agenda FOR Us
(Ephesians 4:1-3, 4-16)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Following the morning service next Sunday, we as a church body will meet to discuss the future direction of our church. This event has been caused mainly by our church's financial needs.

We need to give serious thought to preparing for that coming meeting in view of the various ideas already suggested by church members at our last meeting held on June 29, 2003 (as follows):

(1) Some then suggested we cut back on our missionary support to ease the financial burden on the congregation.

(2) One party proposed church members and attenders "should [financially] chip in to make up the shortfall."

(3) Another suggested we seek to increase the congregation's size by obtaining new attenders so as to increase the total contribution level without pressuring individual members to give more money.

(4) A member asked us to consider asking for support from another Christian group -- that we become their missionary project.

(5) Opposite this, another attender shared his concern that we watch associating with ungodly supporting church groups this way.

(6) One proposed we offer more ministry activities as a church as that would attract more financial contributors to the congregation.

(7) Yet another party urged us to pray daily for God's plan to become clear versus just focusing on the Church's short-term financial needs. (Minutes of the 6/29/03 Nepaug Bible Church meeting)

Well, (1) I have chosen to avoid making ANY suggestions on the financial details discussed in next Sunday's meeting in order to obey GOD'S command that I not pressure my fellow Christian brethren in ANY way on GIVING (cf. 2 Cor. 9:7); I will attend the meeting only to answer Bible questions that arise and keep the body from adopting error in accord with my duties outlined in Scripture and our Bylaws. (2) However, I must ALSO obey GOD'S 2 Timothy 4:1-2 call to PREACH His WORD, and Ephesians 4:1-16 is PART of His Word, and it HAPPENS to ADDRESS the KEY FOCUS on church ministry that we are to have going into next week's meeting! (3) Accordingly, we turn to Ephesians 4:1-16 ONLY to OBEY God in discerning what HE wants us to have as our FOCUS going into next week's meeting!



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "In view of next Sunday's congregational meeting when we will evaluate our church's direction, what is the FOCUS that GOD wants us to have going INTO that meeting, and WHY is this so?!"
  1. While writing to the Ephesians in his first Roman imprisonment [Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978 ed., "Intro. to . . . Ephesians," p. 1672], Paul was very aware of great CHALLENGES the CHURCH at Ephesus faced in relation to the church's FUTURE ministries:
    1. Though the Ephesian Church had been founded with expressions of God's great power, it's future ministries were threatened by a leadership vacuum in the imminent loss of its human founder, Paul:
      1. In a previous message in this series, we learned from Acts 19:1-20 how God graciously worked great miracles through Paul when he first evangelized these Ephesians.
      2. This led to evil opposition to Paul (Acts 19:21-41) that forged a deep bond between Paul and the Ephesian converts to Christ, a bond seen in his embracing them when he left Ephesus, Acts 20:1.
      3. Yet, persecution grew to where Paul met briefly with the Ephesian Church elders at Miletus in part to reveal they would see his face no more; this news of Paul's imminent martyrdom led these elders to weep as they embraced him for the last time, Acts 20:16-17, 37f.
    2. Paul had also predicted godless, self-seeking men would try to influence the Ephesian believers with false teaching so as to divide the body and hurt the people, Acts 20:28-30, 37-38. So concerned had Paul been about this issue, he reminded the Ephesian elders at Miletus how he had continually warned their body during his three year ministry with them to watch and overcome this threat, Acts 20:31!
  2. In keeping with this need, Paul gave the Ephesians the KEY AIM of their CHURCH'S functions that would yield EDIFYING results:
    1. Paul urged the Ephesians to try preserving the unity the Holy Spirit had produced in them by godly attitudes and actions, Ephesians 4:1-3.
    2. Such practical unity was in keeping with seven positional unity factors God had spiritually already built into the Church for unity:
      1. Such practical unity was based on the "one body" of Christ, 4:4a.
      2. Such practical unity reflected the "one [Holy] Spirit" in them, 4b.
      3. Such practical unity echoed the "one hope" of their calling, the hope of gaining Christ's heavenly glory, Eph. 4:4c with Eph. 1:4-5.
      4. Such practical unity mirrored the fact believers had "one Lord" Jesus Christ Who headed the Body as its Savior, Ephesians 4:5a.
      5. Such practical unity illustrated the "one faith" or individual commitment to trust in Christ that resulted in justification, 4:5b.
      6. Such practical unity testified to the "one God and Father" of them all Who was above, through and in them all, Eph. 4:6. [Note Paul's reference here to the Trinity in naming the "one Spirit" (4:4b), the "one Lord" Jesus (4:5a) and "one God and Father" (4:6)!]
    3. Well, to CAUSE this positional unity to be realized in practice, Paul told of God's work to supply a division of spiritual enablings for spiritual ministry to that goal of practical unity (Eph. 4:7-16):
      1. Paul wrote God had spiritually built and EQUIPPED the Church to create a diversity of spiritual enablings in the body, Eph. 4:7.
      2. This EQUIPPING fulfills Old Testament allusions to the victory Jesus gained at the cross (in coming down to earth) to die for sin and defeat Satan's power, Eph. 4:8-10; Ps. 68:18 (Col. 2:11-17).
      3. Due to this victory at the cross, Jesus gave spiritual enablings for supernatural service in the CHURCH (Eph. 4:11) for discipling victory over sin with resulting PRACTICAL UNITY (4:11-16):
        1. Christ [by way of the Spirit's distribution of the gifts (1 Cor. 12:11)] has given "starter" enablings to men who supply God's truth and shepherd others in its application to life, Eph. 4:11.
        2. The rest of the Church is to heed that taught truth, resulting in God's work IN and THROUGH it for ministry, Eph. 4:12.
        3. Namely, the congregation's heeding the truth taught to it leads to its own maturity as a defense against false teaching (Eph. 4:13-14; Acts 20:28-30) and yields effective ministries of the congregation to itself in great blessing, Eph. 4:15-16.
Application: To prepare for next week's meeting, may we FIRST (1) trust in Christ as Savior to become TRULY united to His SPIRITUAL Body, Jn. 3:16; Eph. 4:5-6. (2) Then, at our local church's meeting, may we PROMOTE the (a) HEARING and (b) APPLICATION of Bible TRUTH taught by "starter gift" believers to God's people (c) so that they MATURE in Christ (d) for CORRECT ministry in GOD'S WILL (e) that TRULY FILLS each one's NEEDS! (f) God will then BLESS His flock!

Lesson: God's aim for us going into next Sunday's church meeting is that we PROMOTE HIS DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM of the GIVING OUT and APPLYING of His TRUTH: failure here leads to adopting false beliefs that stunts growth and makes our efforts fruitless; succeeding yields maturity and God's blessings in life and ministry. [cf. Acts 2:42-47]

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Allow me to give you two testimonies for your edification:

(1) First, Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Bible Exposition at the Dallas Theological Seminary with over 60 years of Bible exposition ministry experience, in an interview with the Dallas Connection for the Winter, 2000 issue, said: "The great need across evangelicalism is exposition of the Scriptures. I sense there is a departure from that, even among some of our own grads who are entertaining the people, giving the people what they want, whereas we are called to teach the Word. It is the Word that is the power of God to salvation, it is the Word that is the power for Christian living, and I would want them to make the Word the center of their ministry. It may not be popular, it may not build mega-churches, but it will fulfill that to which they are called upon to do in ministry."

At next week's meeting, Dr. Pentecost would tell us to AIM to DISCIPLE WELL by the WORD and let God lead from there!

(2) Second, in my first pastorate, I served in a church with eleven pews and 35 people in O'Neill, Nebraska. The church set on a dirt street across from an electric power transfer station; the church building and plot were inadequate for outreach and unattractive toward bringing in new people, but the small body lacked the funds to relocate.

After much discussion, the congregation decided to keep on discipling itself and to start saving what it could in a building fund toward relocating to a new, adequate structure for ministry.

I later moved to a larger church in North Platte, but that little body kept right on saving until it had $80,000 in its building fund.

Suddenly, a new pastor to another church in O'Neill started to teach grave error, so 100 or so of its members left it and joined up with the little group I had pastored with its $80,000! Together, being both financially and spiritually equipped (with the more intensely discipled 35 people), they built a new church for an effective Bible ministry!

GOD wanted to INTENSIFY BIBLICAL DISCIPLING in that LITTLE church BEFORE giving it a LARGE INFLUX of NEW and LESS-discipled people to SPREAD its influence, and that so it could do His discipling will EFFECTIVELY!

Going into next Sunday's church meeting, may we make our aim to be to DISCIPLE WELL by God's WORD, and look to GOD to lead us from there into the future in HIS agenda FOR us!