1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,880
Well, if you have your Bibles, Ephesians 4 is where we are again this morning.

2
00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:21,040
Last week we looked at how Jesus is able to give us gifts, how he is able to set the captives

3
00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:31,040
free, how he descended down to the earth so that he could initiate a relationship with us.

4
00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:38,880
Every other belief system out there is trying to ascend to make peace with their God.

5
00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:46,400
Ours descended to make peace with us because of his incomprehensible love for us.

6
00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,240
This morning we're going to look at the why.

7
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,640
He did that and what our response to him doing that should be.

8
00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:59,240
Now remember, all of this is part of the same idea of unity within the body of Christ.

9
00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:02,040
We are to bear with one another in love.

10
00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:10,040
We all need to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

11
00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:14,840
And then Paul tells us exactly what we are united under.

12
00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:21,240
One Lord, one faith, one hope, one baptism, one God and Father of all.

13
00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:27,240
So everything that Paul has been writing for the last several weeks is all with the understanding

14
00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:32,240
of why we should be unified as believers in Jesus.

15
00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:34,840
So with all that in mind, let's look at our text this morning.

16
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:40,240
We're going to do 11 through 14.

17
00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:46,240
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

18
00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:51,240
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

19
00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:56,240
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

20
00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:01,240
to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

21
00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:05,240
so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves,

22
00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:13,240
and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

23
00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,240
Now I have come to the conclusion that as I've gotten older,

24
00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:25,240
just because I believe in my mind that I am able to do something, doesn't mean that I can actually do it.

25
00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:33,240
My mind still feels like I'm 18, but my body reminds me frequently that I'm not 18.

26
00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:38,240
If I go to a basketball game, or football game, or baseball game, or whatever,

27
00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,240
I'm sitting there thinking, I still got it.

28
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:47,240
I could make that play. I could make that shot. I could have done that hit.

29
00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,240
But then I realized there is a reason why I am sitting in the stands,

30
00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:55,240
and not on the field or not on the court.

31
00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,240
I am a spectator, no longer a participant,

32
00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:07,240
unless we all decide to unify together and form some sort of middle-aged league of some sort.

33
00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:14,240
I grew up in a church where I thought the pastor was on some sort of pedestal,

34
00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:18,240
and it was his responsibility to do the work of the Lord.

35
00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:22,240
I was just someone that he ministered to.

36
00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:27,240
I was a spectator as I sat in the pew, weekend and week out,

37
00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:32,240
instead of viewing myself as being a player on the field.

38
00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:38,240
Now, as I've grown up, I've realized that there are many people that have that mentality.

39
00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:46,240
It was the work of the pastors, it was the work of the staff to fulfill the Great Commission,

40
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:50,240
and we had the responsibility of being able to watch them do it.

41
00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:59,240
My hope is that if you have that mindset, I'm hoping that will be changed today.

42
00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:06,240
So, I would like to begin by looking at this text, but looking at the people that Paul mentions in this text.

43
00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,240
He mentions five different groups of people.

44
00:04:08,240 --> 00:04:14,240
When Paul references apostles and prophets, he usually clumps them together.

45
00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,240
He's done that in the past few chapters. He did that in chapter 2 and chapter 3.

46
00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:26,240
Now, when he's mentioning the apostles, he's mentioning himself as well as the eleven other men that God called to follow him.

47
00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:31,240
Plus, he's adding Matthias on there, who replaced Judas as one of the twelve disciples.

48
00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:36,240
These were the men who had been commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the gospel,

49
00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:41,240
but it also been witnesses to the resurrected Jesus.

50
00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,240
That's who the apostles are.

51
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:51,240
The prophets worked alongside the apostles to interpret and explain the authoritative words of the apostles.

52
00:04:51,240 --> 00:05:02,240
Men like Mark, men like Luke, men like James, who were not apostles, but helped in the writing of the New Testament.

53
00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:11,240
They helped the church understand what was being said through the apostles as they were being led by the Holy Spirit.

54
00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:17,240
When I think of the role of prophets, I think of someone who has to explain what is meant.

55
00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:24,240
Now, I am no apostle. My wife is no prophet, but there are times that I will say something

56
00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:29,240
and people take it the wrong way because they don't know me well enough.

57
00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:37,240
And so, Sina has to come behind me and clarify that's not what he meant, just so there's not any confusion.

58
00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:40,240
Then we get to the role of evangelist.

59
00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:46,240
I believe all Christians are commanded by Jesus to be witnesses for God in the world,

60
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:56,240
but he's also gifted certain people with a special gift of being able to communicate the gospel effectively in a way that brings in non-believers.

61
00:05:56,240 --> 00:06:03,240
These were the people who were primarily responsible for the numerical growth of the church.

62
00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,240
When you think of evangelists, I want you to think of people like Philip in Acts chapter 8,

63
00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:17,240
who comes across encounters this Ethiopian eunuch, and through conversation the eunuch becomes a believer.

64
00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:26,240
Think of Billy Graham, but I also believe that every local church body has men and women who have the gift of evangelism,

65
00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:33,240
where you just have a way of communicating the gospel truth in a way that people understand and never see it.

66
00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:35,240
Then there are pastors and teachers.

67
00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:41,240
Now, literally, these are teaching shepherds who care for the people under their care,

68
00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:44,240
similar to how a shepherd would care for their flock.

69
00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:51,240
Their responsibility includes feeding and protecting and leading and guiding the body of believers.

70
00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:57,240
God gives this group with the ability to explain what the Bible says,

71
00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:03,240
interpret what it means, and help you apply it to everyday life.

72
00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,240
Now, those are most of the people that Paul references here,

73
00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,240
but next I want us to look at the reason for the gift.

74
00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:12,240
So why did he give the apostles and prophets?

75
00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:15,240
Why did he give those gifts?

76
00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:20,240
Verse 12 says, the reason for the gift is to equip the saints.

77
00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:27,240
Now, here's where our modern translations mess up our understanding sometimes.

78
00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,240
This is a perfect illustration.

79
00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,240
In the original manuscripts, there's no punctuation marks.

80
00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:36,240
There's no verses or chapters.

81
00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:43,240
So when I was growing up in the church, and we used the King James version of the Bible,

82
00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:49,240
which somehow hasn't left me because I still have all those verses memorized in the King James Bible,

83
00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:56,240
because of the punctuation, it made it seem like the apostles and the prophets and evangelists

84
00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:03,240
and pastors and teachers are given to the church for the purpose of doing the work in the ministry.

85
00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:10,240
The idea gained more attraction with the development or the formation of the Catholic Church in the third century.

86
00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:16,240
There was this distinction between clergy and laity.

87
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:25,240
I'm a member of the clergy because of my profession, and you are a member of the laity because you don't work for the church.

88
00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:29,240
I'm different than you because I'm ordained and you are not.

89
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:36,240
The problem with that mindset is that it's not in the Bible.

90
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:42,240
Tradition over the centuries has created the church to be a spectator sport,

91
00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:47,240
and clergy are the ones that we watch play the game.

92
00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:53,240
There's a story about three boys during recess bragging about their dads.

93
00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:56,240
The first boy said, my dad scribbles on a page.

94
00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:00,240
He calls it a poem and they pay him $100.

95
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,240
The second boy says, well, my dad scribbles on a page.

96
00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,240
He calls it a song and they pay him $500.

97
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,240
The third boy says, I got you both beat.

98
00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,240
My dad scribbles on a page.

99
00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:18,240
He calls it a sermon and it takes eight men to collect all the money.

100
00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:24,240
If we're not careful, that's how we can begin to view a worship service.

101
00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:34,240
We come in, we sing a few songs, and then the professional paid clergy gets up and gives a speech.

102
00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:40,240
We pay our admission fee by putting money in the box as we leave and then we go home,

103
00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,240
living our lives the same way we did before we came to church.

104
00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:51,240
A proper reading of our passage this morning makes it very clear that the purpose of the apostles

105
00:09:51,240 --> 00:10:01,240
and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers is to equip all believers to carry out the work of this ministry.

106
00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:10,240
To continue our sports analogy, my job as a pastor teacher is really a lot like a coach.

107
00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:19,240
My role is to prepare and equip all of you to actually do the ministry of our church.

108
00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:24,240
The word equipping is an interesting word.

109
00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:31,240
The original root word was a medical term used for setting bones.

110
00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:38,240
It carries the idea of making something or someone completely fit or ready for service.

111
00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:47,240
It's the same word that's used to describe what James and John were doing when Jesus called them to follow him.

112
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:53,240
In Matthew chapter 4, we read that they were mending their nets.

113
00:10:53,240 --> 00:11:00,240
The word translated mending in that passage is the same word translated equip here in Ephesians.

114
00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:08,240
In other words, James and John were getting their nets ready to be used.

115
00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,240
Think about our church and how we do things here.

116
00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:19,240
Our vision is every Christ follower, a disciple, every disciple, a disciple maker.

117
00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,240
That's our vision.

118
00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:28,240
It's not every pastor, a disciple, every pastor, a disciple maker.

119
00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:37,240
Our goal as a church is to equip you to be disciple makers, to equip you to do the work of the ministry.

120
00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:41,240
Think of a good football team.

121
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,240
I said good football team. Remember that.

122
00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:47,240
We're not talking about the Bears.

123
00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,240
You knew that was coming.

124
00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:55,240
You have a quarterback, running back, receivers, you have linemen.

125
00:11:55,240 --> 00:12:00,240
All have different responsibilities, but they all have the same goal.

126
00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:04,240
The goal is get the football into the end zone.

127
00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:07,240
Now, a lot of times you might have the most talented roster.

128
00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:14,240
You might have the best players, but you don't have a good coordinator who puts them in the right position,

129
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:19,240
who calls them the right, who calls the right place in order for them to succeed.

130
00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:23,240
That's why coaches get fired all the time.

131
00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,240
For 28 years, this church had a great coordinator.

132
00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:34,240
Not perfect, but Pastor Scott did a great job of shepherding people.

133
00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:37,240
A great job of equipping you.

134
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,240
And he created a culture that equipped the saints for the work of ministry.

135
00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:49,240
If we were a sports team this morning, and if this were a stadium, we would retire his number.

136
00:12:49,240 --> 00:13:00,240
He led to legacy that I hope to have after 28 years in one week.

137
00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:12,240
I think the problem that many of us have with this statement is that we have a really narrow idea of what the word ministry means.

138
00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:16,240
We think that ministry means I have to teach a Bible study.

139
00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:18,240
I have to sing on the worship team.

140
00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,240
I have to be a greeter. I have to help in the nursery.

141
00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:27,240
Now, believe me, we certainly do need people to do all of those things.

142
00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:34,240
But perhaps we can get a better idea of what Paul is thinking about if we spend a little bit of time looking at that word service.

143
00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:41,240
Some other translations render the word ministry, both here and in other places in the New Testament.

144
00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:46,240
The word is from the same root word in which we get our word deacon from.

145
00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:50,240
It is a word Jesus used to describe himself in Mark chapter 10.

146
00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,240
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

147
00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:59,240
And he gave his life as a ransom for many.

148
00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:06,240
That's what ministry is. It's how do we serve? How do we use our gifts to serve?

149
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:11,240
So here's a way we are going to help equip you.

150
00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,240
On the back of your sermon notes, if you have sermon notes.

151
00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:18,240
If you don't have sermon notes, raise your hand and we'll get people to bring them in.

152
00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:22,240
If they're listening to me. I don't know if they are.

153
00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,240
But on the back of your sermon notes, there's a place where you can write your name.

154
00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:32,240
And then there's a few lines to write some needs that you might have.

155
00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,240
Now, if you're like me, you're going to struggle with this part.

156
00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:41,240
Because I don't need any help. I can do it on my own.

157
00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:46,240
I am pleading with you. I'm asking you to join us.

158
00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:51,240
And write down any need that you might have or have in the future.

159
00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:57,240
For instance, you might need help shoveling your driveway in a couple weeks when we start getting snow.

160
00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,240
Maybe that's a burden to you.

161
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:06,240
Maybe that overwhelms you. Write that down.

162
00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:14,240
You might need help because you have a light fixture that isn't working.

163
00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,240
Maybe you can't reach the top of your ceiling and your smoke detector is going off and it's beeping every so often.

164
00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:24,240
You need to change the battery, but you can't quite get it.

165
00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:27,240
Maybe you need prayer for something.

166
00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:31,240
And you need to make that need known.

167
00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:35,240
Maybe you're worried about paying a bill or getting your car fixed.

168
00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,240
I want you to write it down.

169
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,240
And I want you to tear it off.

170
00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:44,240
And then in a little while, we're going to collect all of those.

171
00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:52,240
I am asking our church to make known hundreds of needs.

172
00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,240
Together.

173
00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,240
We will make those needs known.

174
00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,240
We will not publish your name or phone number.

175
00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,240
We will make those needs known.

176
00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:10,240
And then we're going to ask the members of our church to help serve and meet those needs.

177
00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:15,240
If your kid is bad at math and needs help, write that down.

178
00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:21,240
If you haven't gone on a date with your spouse in six months, write that down.

179
00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:28,240
Whatever the need, write it down and we're going to all see how God works in the next few weeks.

180
00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:33,240
Because the flip side to all of this is many of you have gifting that you're not using.

181
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:39,240
And what we're going to do is we're going to create a list of these are all the needs that we know of in our church.

182
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,240
Pick and choose which ones you can help with.

183
00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,240
Now as I continue, please write those things down.

184
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,240
Rip it off. We'll collect those here in just a little while.

185
00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,240
Because that leads me to the point of the gifts.

186
00:16:52,240 --> 00:17:00,240
It is your responsibility as a believer in Jesus to care for the soul of everyone you meet.

187
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:07,240
It is your responsibility to serve and not just wait to be served.

188
00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,240
Now we will help guide you. We will pray with you.

189
00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:13,240
We will pray for you.

190
00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,240
We will create opportunities for you to use your giftings.

191
00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,240
But I can't do it for you.

192
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:29,240
But even if I could, even if I could do it for you, the reality is that you would be more effective in the circles that you're running in.

193
00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:40,240
The purpose of everything we do here is not to fill you with knowledge, but to get you ready to be used by God.

194
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:51,240
The pastors are here and we're mending nets, weekend and week out and we're mending nets, getting ready to throw them into the water.

195
00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,240
And some of you are ready to be thrown into the water.

196
00:17:55,240 --> 00:18:01,240
Because there's a difference between philanthropy and ministry.

197
00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:06,240
Both are good things, but philanthropy makes the individual look good.

198
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:10,240
It gives them a good name in the community. It helps grow their business.

199
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:18,240
It is the reason why so many corporations have departments specifically called public relations.

200
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,240
Some of you are out there serving others every day.

201
00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:29,240
But if you're doing it for the recognition from others or to feel good about yourself, you're not being a minister.

202
00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:38,240
But if you're out there meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of others so that the wisdom of God would be made known,

203
00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,240
then you are doing ministry.

204
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:46,240
And I'm here to do everything I can to prepare you to do that.

205
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,240
We do a lot of good things in the community.

206
00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:56,240
And I feel like we have a good reputation in the North Scott area.

207
00:18:56,240 --> 00:19:00,240
When people think of cornerstone, they're probably thinking, oh, they're the ones that do surface.

208
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,240
They're the ones that do whatever.

209
00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:14,240
But if that's the whole point, if that's all we're known for, then we're just doing philanthropy.

210
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:20,240
I would rather us be known as that's the place I found healing.

211
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:25,240
I would rather us be known as that's the place to find hope.

212
00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:28,240
That's the place where everyone is welcomed.

213
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,240
That's the place where I can get some help for my addictions.

214
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,240
The place where I can strengthen my marriage.

215
00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:47,240
The place where God is magnified above all else because every member of the body is using their gifts that Jesus has given them for the purpose of unity.

216
00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:54,240
I'd rather us be known for that than, oh yeah, they do some stuff around town.

217
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:59,240
Because if that's what we're known as around town, we're just doing philanthropy.

218
00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:01,240
That is the point of the gifts.

219
00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:09,240
And as I use my gifts to equip you to use your gifts, Christ is magnified.

220
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,240
Not you or me.

221
00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:14,240
We point people to the one Lord.

222
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,240
We share our one faith with others.

223
00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:21,240
We give glory to the one Father and one God above all.

224
00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:25,240
And as we do the work of the ministry, it's not to make us look good.

225
00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,240
It's not to give Cornerstone a good name.

226
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:33,240
It is to make him look good because of what he is doing through us.

227
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:40,240
And as we enter into seasons of receiving the work of the ministry, which I hope all of you are thinking about right now,

228
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:47,240
we give thanks to the Lord who gave the gifts that are being used.

229
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:53,240
So many of you are so encouraging to me.

230
00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:59,240
And you lift me up when you say things like, that really spoke to me today.

231
00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:01,240
That was a great message today.

232
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,240
I really needed to hear that today.

233
00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:08,240
I am so grateful for those words.

234
00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,240
They fill my soul.

235
00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,240
And I give thanks to the Lord for you.

236
00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:21,240
But my hope is not that you walk out of here talking about me.

237
00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:26,240
But you walk out of here talking about his word.

238
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:27,240
I promise you.

239
00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:31,240
I promise you I do not belong on any pedestal.

240
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,240
He does.

241
00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:42,240
And if you need any sort of explanation for why I do not belong on a pedestal, speak to my wife.

242
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:48,240
I am just trying my best to use the gifts that God has given me.

243
00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:52,240
And I'm challenging you to do the same.

244
00:21:52,240 --> 00:22:00,240
Finally, we see in verses 13 and 14 that we need to grow up in the faith.

245
00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:06,240
And every baby that is born is brought into this world completely helpless.

246
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:13,240
They are all dependent on someone else to feed them and bathe them and clothe them and protect them.

247
00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,240
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

248
00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:26,240
But there is something wrong when that baby remains an infant and never becomes able to do those things for themselves.

249
00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,240
The same thing is true for Christians.

250
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:34,240
Every one of us is like a newborn when we become a follower of Jesus Christ.

251
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,240
And we need others to help us mature.

252
00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,240
Now here is the thing about infants.

253
00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,240
They are unstable.

254
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:48,240
They come with a self destruct button on the top of their head.

255
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:54,240
Their head has to be supported so they do not break their neck.

256
00:22:54,240 --> 00:23:02,240
If you are new to the faith, then you need more mature Christians to help nurture you in the faith.

257
00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:11,240
We will help care for you, feed you, and hold your hand until you are stable enough to stand on your own.

258
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:14,240
I mean, that is what the church is for.

259
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:15,240
There is no shame in that.

260
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:17,240
There is no shame that you need help.

261
00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,240
We don't expect you to be able to do this on your own.

262
00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:25,240
There has been no greater joy in my ministry besides when somebody comes to the Lord,

263
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,240
but when I can watch someone get it.

264
00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,240
When you can see that light come on.

265
00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:38,240
But when that light comes on, it is now their turn to walk with someone new in the faith.

266
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:44,240
If you are still in the infant phase, then you have been so for years or even decades.

267
00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:50,240
You need to own that and then you need to begin to take steps for your growth.

268
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:57,240
You are not going to be properly nourished if the only food you get is here on Sunday mornings.

269
00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,240
Try new things.

270
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:01,240
Jump into places to serve.

271
00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:02,240
Ask questions.

272
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,240
Bring your doubts.

273
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:13,240
There are too many Christians I know that treat the church like a hospital.

274
00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:18,240
But they only come for a band-aid when they have a bullet wound.

275
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,240
We need each other to grow.

276
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,240
I want to help you grow.

277
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,240
I want to help you mature.

278
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,240
There is a whole bunch of other people in this church that want the same for you.

279
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:31,240
Join a Bible study.

280
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:33,240
Ask people to hold you accountable.

281
00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,240
Serve where there are needs.

282
00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:39,240
And soon you will become a full-fledged, mature believer.

283
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:44,240
Infants are also easily deceived.

284
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:51,240
When Asher was a little boy, he loved to go to McDonald's and get a happy meal.

285
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:55,240
I don't think he cared for the food as much as he cared for the toy.

286
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,240
So we were able to get a happy meal.

287
00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:00,240
We were able to get a happy meal.

288
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,240
We were able to get a happy meal.

289
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,240
We were able to get a happy meal.

290
00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:06,240
We were able to get a happy meal.

291
00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:09,240
Toys.

292
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:10,240
So we were going out one day.

293
00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:12,240
It was just the two of us getting some stuff done.

294
00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,240
We were going to go get some lunch together.

295
00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:19,240
And he wanted to go to McDonald's to get a happy meal.

296
00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,240
I didn't want to go to McDonald's.

297
00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:24,240
So I deceived him.

298
00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:32,240
I told him, buddy, McDonald's ran out of happy meals today.

299
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,240
So we had to go somewhere else.

300
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:40,240
And don't judge me because I know you all have done the same thing.

301
00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:54,240
In this passage, Paul uses four different words to describe how susceptible immature Christians are to deceit and trickery.

302
00:25:54,240 --> 00:26:02,240
Certainly he was referring to false teaching of many who were trying to draw these new believers away from their faith.

303
00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:09,240
But it seems to me, based on both what Paul writes in this passage, plus the rest of the context of this letter,

304
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:19,240
that that is also a reference here to Satan, who uses deceit as one of his main weapons.

305
00:26:19,240 --> 00:26:26,240
The Gospel is so easy to understand, it seems too good to be true.

306
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:33,240
Do you know why? Because Satan makes you think it can't be that easy.

307
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:37,240
Satan makes you believe what's the catch.

308
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:45,240
Satan will lie and deceive you to believe that the person sitting next to you is the enemy,

309
00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:48,240
so that he can disrupt the unity of our church.

310
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:55,240
He will deceive you to believe that you aren't good enough.

311
00:26:55,240 --> 00:27:05,240
He will deceive you to think that what the Bible describes as a sin isn't because the Bible is out of touch with reality.

312
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:09,240
That's just how he works.

313
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:14,240
This is why a body of believers is so important to your spiritual health.

314
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:19,240
You cannot flourish on your own.

315
00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:26,240
Satan and I recently went to a conference, and one of the topics was human flourishing.

316
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,240
Now, if you were here for the women's conference, and you heard all this,

317
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:36,240
Sina stole my thunder, so this won't be news to you.

318
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:41,240
But the question was, what makes people flourish and become the best version of themselves?

319
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:45,240
What makes people flourish and become the best versions of themselves?

320
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:55,240
Men who are much smarter than me, that do research and teach in places like Harvard and Duke,

321
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:59,240
who have done countless hours of research.

322
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:07,240
We're trying to figure out what makes a human being flourish.

323
00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,240
They did a whole bunch of case studies.

324
00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,240
They had their charts in their graphs.

325
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:16,240
They had all their work peer reviewed, and do you know what they found out?

326
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:26,240
The number one contributing factor for humans to flourish was weekly church attendance.

327
00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:33,240
Those that attend a weekly church service have a higher probability of being content.

328
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,240
Have a higher probability of understanding their value.

329
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,240
Have a higher probability of thriving.

330
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:47,240
Science is catching up with what the Bible has been saying since it was written.

331
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,240
But the enemy is going to deceive you, and he's going to make you believe that church doesn't matter.

332
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:55,240
You can have a relationship with God on your own.

333
00:28:55,240 --> 00:29:03,240
Now, it is true, you can have a relationship with God on your own, but you aren't going to flourish.

334
00:29:03,240 --> 00:29:08,240
You're not going to be the person that God created you to be.

335
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:13,240
When you look at this text, where do you see yourself in this text?

336
00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:23,240
Because believe it or not, we don't come up here every week for your entertainment,

337
00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,240
but to equip you for the work of ministry.

338
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:31,240
Find any of us after the service, and we will help you.

339
00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:35,240
If you need a place to serve, we'll plug you in.

340
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:39,240
If you need to grow in your understanding of who God is and the knowledge of God,

341
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,240
we can plug you into different opportunities.

342
00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:50,240
If you want to learn how to make disciples, we will go with you and walk with you as you do it, and we can do it together.

343
00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:57,240
Where do you see yourself in the text?

344
00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:03,240
Some of you are pastors and leaders in evangelists,

345
00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:13,240
and you have been given to the church to help us equip every single one of you for the work of the gospel.

346
00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:24,240
If you are a spectator, if you've been a spectator, we're calling you into the game.

347
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:28,240
We're calling you into the game.

348
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:41,240
As we close, I'll ask the ushers to grab the baskets and pass the baskets out.

349
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:49,240
I want you to put those needs. I'm asking you, please write down a need that we can help me.

350
00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:59,240
If you're really struggling with that, write it down. You can make it up to us because when I get those all together, I'll make that known.

351
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:07,240
That's the work of the church. We are here to serve.

352
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,240
We are here to serve one another.

353
00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:13,240
Make those needs known.

354
00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:23,240
I'm going to pray for us. We'll have time to respond. We'll collect those as they come around.

355
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:30,240
I really just want you to see where you are in that text.

356
00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:35,240
Maybe you're not a pastor. Maybe you're not an evangelist.

357
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:45,240
But if you're a believer in Jesus, you are for sure a saint. And the saints do the work of the ministry.

358
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:50,240
So let's get off the bench. Can we pray for us?

359
00:31:50,240 --> 00:32:03,240
Father God, I pray that as needs are being made known, I know that's a hard task sometimes.

360
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:11,240
Father, I pray that you bless the humility that that takes. I pray that you...

361
00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:17,240
I pray God that you will use this time to minister to the needs of your people.

362
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:26,240
I pray God that as we sing and as we respond, Father, that you will soften our hearts.

363
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:37,240
Let us hear your voice.

364
00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:46,240
So God, I pray for our church, all the saints that you've collected in this place.

365
00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:52,240
Father, I pray that you will help us all be on the field of ministry.

366
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:56,240
I pray that you will continue to equip each and every one of us.

367
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:04,240
I pray God that you will use each and every one of us. I pray that you give us opportunities to share the knowledge of your word.

368
00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,240
So we've got to pray that you move in this time.

369
00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:23,240
I pray that you speak to our hearts. We ask all these things in your name.