Let’s Build Something Together
Text: Ephesians 4:1-16
Introduction
According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, there are over 33,830 Christian denominations around the world.
• In South Korea alone, there are over 300 different types of Presbyterians – just Presbyterians! Although diversity has some benefits, these figures speak of a different reality: instead of remaining united in Christ, millions of us Christians have chosen to separate and segment ourselves in our own little enclaves with our own style of worship, our own interpretation of the Bible, and our own take on who God is and what he expects of us.
• And the result is over 33,000 denominations around the world. What has happened to us? Why do we choose to separate rather than remain united? What does this say about us? What does this say to the rest of the world?
In John 17, Jesus prays for his disciples and his larger church. He specifically asks that they may be united...
My prayer is not for them (the disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in my through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one.
Jesus prays for our unity. Paul exhorts us to be united in Christ Jesus. We’re going to look at the reason WHY we’re to be united, HOW we can grow in unity, and WHAT RESULTS from our unity in Christ.
Teaching
Ephesians 4:1-3
• If you’re familiar with the book of Ephesians, you know that the first 3 chapters of the letter talk about all that God has done in Christ to take us from where we once were to where we are now. And so Paul says that based on ALL that Christ has done for you (ch.1-3), NOW live a life worthy of your calling. Respond to God based on what he has done for you. And so chapters 4-6 are a fleshing out in practical ways how we respond to what God has done for us.
• AND THE FIRST THING THAT PAUL CALLS US TO DO IN RESPONSE TO WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR US IS TO BE UNITED. Look at verse 2:
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient (with one another), bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
CHRIST BROKE DOWN THE DIVIDING WALLS OF HOSTILITY BETWEEN US, BUT NOW YOU AND I MUST WORK TO MAINTAIN THE UNITY THAT JESUS MADE POSSIBLE.
o Be humble with one another because pride and arrogance will tear a church apart. Last week, you’ll recall that this was the problem with the eyes and the hands – they thought they were better than the feet and the elbows...they thought they were special.
o Be Gentle with one another because nothing tears a community apart like legalism and rigid control and offensive harshness.
o Be patient with one another because other people will test our patience and not do things or behave like we want them to.
o Bear with one another in love because it’s so easy to throw in the towel and quit people and quit relationships and quit the church.
o Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit because without focused and committed effort, we will find ways to rip each other apart.
PAUL ASSUMES THAT THEIR LIFE TOGETHER AS THE CHURCH WILL NOT BE EASY. BUT DESPITE THEIR DIFFERENCES, HE HOLDS UP ANOTHER WAY – THE WAY OF CHRIST.
Verses 11-13
• Look down at verse 11... Paul gives us a partial list of the gifts or specific offices in the church. These are like the eyes and the hands or the brains of the church. Last week we talked about the variety of gifts that God has given to his people.
BUT HERE WE NOW SEE THE PURPOSE OR INTENT OF THESE GIFTS:
o TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE FOR WORKS OF SERVICE...
o SO THAT THE BODY OF CHRIST MAY BE BUILT UP...
o UNTIL WE ALL REACH UNITY IN THE FAITH AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD...
o AND BECOME MATURE, ATTAINING TO THE WHOLE MEASURE OF THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST.
• AND SO THE PURPOSE OF APOSTLES AND PASTORS AND TEACHERS IS TO EQUIP AND UNLEASH THE PEOPLE OF GOD FOR MINISTRY AND FULFILLING THEIR GOD-GIVEN CALLING... AND AS THIS HAPPENS THE PEOPLE OF GOD WILL BE BUILT UP TO A PLACE OF UNITY IN THE FAITH AND BECOME MATURE JUST LIKE JESUS.
o MY PURPOSE AS YOUR PASTOR IS TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO THRIVE IN JESUS CHRIST! I AM CALLED TO PASS ON TO YOU THE TOOLS FOR DOING WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO.
I AM NOT CALLED TO DO THE WORK OF MINISTRY FOR YOU! FOR GOD HAS CREATED YOU TO UNLEASH YOU TO BECOME A FULLY MATURE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL SO THAT YOU MIGHT BECOME JUST LIKE JESUS CHRIST.
MY JOB OR MY VOCATION IS TO ASSIST YOU AND TO PUSH YOU OUT OF THE BOAT, TO EQUIP YOU SO THAT YOU CAN LEAVE THE NEST AND BEGIN TO FLY AND JOURNEY TOWARDS JESUS CHRIST.
o What we also see here in these verses is that UNITY FOR UNITY’S SAKE IS NOT THE GOAL! UNITY IS THE MEANS BY WHICH WE MATURE AND BECOME LIKE JESUS CHRIST!
Unity is important and critical and what Jesus prays for and Paul calls us to. But know that the end goal is not for us to stick together no matter what, IT IS AS WE STICK TOGETHER THAT WE GET ON THE FAST TRACK TOWARDS BECOMING LIKE JESUS CHRIST.
AND HERE YOU AND I GET A CLUE AS TO THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF LIFE: TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST, TO RESEMBLE ONE OF GOD’S SPECIAL CHILDREN, TO GROW IN WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, LOVE, PATIENCE, COMPASSION, GENTLENESS AND FORGIVENESS.
BECOMING MATURE AND LIKE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST TAKES PLACE IN THE CONTEXT OF A CHURCH THAT IS UNITED AND COMMITTED TO ONE ANOTHER.
o PRAISE GOD THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO BECOME MONKS OR NUNS AND ISOLATE OURSELVES IN A CONVENT OR A MONASTERY! THANKS GOD THAT WE DON’T HAVE TO BECOME SPIRITUAL NOMADS OR JOURNEY ON SOME MYSTICAL PATH TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT!
o THE PATH TOWARDS BECOMING LIKE JESUS CHRIST LIES RIGHT HERE AT OIKOS COMMUNITY CHURCH. FOR AS WE LEARN TO BECOME HUMBLE, GENTLE, PATIENT, LOVING AND FORGIVING, WE WILL BECOME UNITED IN CHRIST. AND AS WE BECOME UNITED IN CHRIST, WE WILL BECOME LIKE CHRIST.
o GOD’S PRESCRIPTION FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH OCCURS IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR LOVELY, MESSY AND SIN-FILLED LIFE TOGETHER AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD. AND AS WE BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WORK THROUGH CONFLICT AND DIFFERENCES, AND THE BROKENNESS THAT EACH OF US BRINGS TO THE TABLE, GOD UNPACKS HIS GRACE, HIS FAITHFULNESS, AND HIS TRANSFORMING POWER TO MAKE US ONE AND THUS TO MAKE US LIKE JESUS CHRIST.
(Look at verse 14...)
Verses 14-16
• Paul talks about the RESULTS or OUTCOMES of us being united and growing up in Christ..
o We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by their cunning and craftiness... We won’t be spiritually gullible or easily duped by falsehood and lies. We’ll actually get smarter spiritually.
• As we age, we sometimes lose our memory or can’t think as quickly on our feet. But here we see that one of the outcomes of spiritual maturity is that we actually get wiser. We’re not headed downhill towards stupidville! We actually get smarter, wiser and more like Jesus Christ.
• On the contrary, instead of remaining as infants, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Jesus Christ. And this brings us back where we were speaking just a minute ago. THE GOAL OR HOPE FOR ALL OF US IN CHRIST IS THAT WE WOULD MATURE AND DEVELOP AND GROW UP TO BECOME LIKE OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
• And as each of us commit ourselves to Christ and his community the Church, we will begin to not merely tolerate each other, but we will actually begin to work together towards a higher purpose than if we remained on our own.
Application
FORMING, STORMING, NORMING, PERFORMING...
A famous model of team development originated in the 60’s called the ‘ORMING MODEL’ developed by Bruce Tuckman of the Navel Medical Research Institute at Bethesda, Maryland.
1. And the first stage is called FORMING. Churches as well as teams and businesses and task forces all must come together at some point. There is a catalytic moment where people and ideas and vision converge to produce a new church or a new team. Excitement, anxiety and the hope of doing a new thing are characteristic of teams that form for the first time.
o In the early 90’s a work of God brought a group of people together and they launched out and started a new church work geared specifically towards the 2nd generation – and they named themselves Oikos Community Church. There must have been an air of excitement, joy, purpose and vision in the forming stages of Oikos.
2. The second stage of Tuckman’s model is called STORMING. This is where the honeymoon and excitement of starting a new thing fades and people in the group begin to realize that the REALITY of running and maintaining a new thing is different than starting a new thing. In this stage, confusion, conflict and a discovery of our differences emerge. People might undergo discouragement or disillusionment as the romance of beginning a new team or church is now over.
o Oikos at some point ran into this. This may have been what led the founding pastor to another project or calling for ministry. This may have resulted in some people leaving the church or the church itself losing some of its vision or purpose.
3. The third stage is called NORMING. After the dust settles and people get through the end of the romance and excitement of the forming stage, team members begin to actually start working together and cooperating. People figure each other out and the purpose of the organization. Individual gifts or talents are identified and allowed to function. The team exists and gets over the storm of stage two to a place of relative functionality.
o In sports, this is where individual athletes realize that its not just about them. They learn to work together towards a common goal. Interdependence becomes a discovered and very helpful tool in getting victories and managing to get through it all. They may not win the Super Bowl every year, but they’re not in the cellar either. They’re about a .500 team.
o In the church, after the confusion and transition that comes from the storming stage, norming it means maintains the church and keeping everyone relatively happy. Staff are hired, internal structure is developed, programs and ministries function and the church develops traditions and meets their budgets. Things are not perfect, but at least we’re relatively together.
4. But the fourth and final stage of Tuckman’s model is called PERFORMING. In this stage, team members are comfortable with each other and everyone is now reading from the same page. They’ve discovered a common vision or purpose beyond their petty individual dreams.
In this stage, business and sports teams begin to really soar. Gifts and matched with individuals. Departments and managers and employees all have a common goal and morale and momentum are at their strongest. This is where a .500 team begins to make the playoffs and experience success at higher levels – even win a few championships.
Apple seems to be the model example of a corporation that is really performing right now.
• BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS LIKE THIS. You might recall years ago after the first few years of their existence, there were some internal conflicts and Steve Jobs – one of the company’s co-founders – was actually fired by the board of trustees. I remember they brought in different presidents to try to turn the company around, but little progress was made.
• And then Steve Jobs returned and he introfduced the iPod. And the rest is history...Their company went through all four stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. Boy are they performing!
SOME COMPANIES/TEAMS/CHURCHES NEVER MAKE IT THROUGH THE STAGES.
• MANY CHURCHES FORM AND GET PLANTED, BUT A LOT OF THEM NEVER MAKE IT OUT OF THE STORMING STAGE AFTER THE ROMANCE OF STARTING A NEW AND COOL WORK BEGAN.
• OTHER CHURCHES LIVE SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THE STORMING AND NORMING STAGE...SORT OF LIKE A PARTIALLY FUNCTIONAL FAMILY. PROGRAMS AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED, BUT UNRESOLVED CONFLICT ALSO EXISTS AND PEOPLE COME AND GO AND CHURCHES GO THROUGH UP’S AND DOWN’S...
• ONLY A FEW CHURCHES ACTUALLY MAKE IT TO STAGE FOUR – THE PERFORMING OR THE SOARING STAGE. A PLACE WHERE THEY’VE MANAGED TO WORK TOGETHER, MAINTAIN THEIR UNITY DESPITE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND MOVE TOWARDS ACTUALLY FULFILLING AND ACCOMPLISHING GOD’S WILL FOR THEIR MINISTRY – TO GLORIFY GOD AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.
WHAT STAGE ARE WE IN? WHERE IS OIKOS RIGHT NOW AT THIS POINT IN OUR CHURCH’S HISTORY?
• MY GUESS WOULD BE THAT WE’RE SOMEWHERE AROUND STAGE THREE – WE’RE NORMING IT RIGHT NOW. We’re long past the forming stage, and many of us recall a season of a few years where we were in a stormy stage with staff and pastoral transitions, members coming and going, and a relative season of instability.
My hope is that we’re begin to stabilize and the LONG season of transition at Oikos is coming to a close. ONE OF THE THINGS THE LORD IMPRESSED UPON ME IN PRAYER WAS THAT I WAS TO HELP BRING SOME STABILITY TO THIS COMMUNITY AND TO HELP NORMALIZE SOME THINGS...
BUT I’M NOT CONTENT TO JUST NORM IT. I DON’T WANT US TO JUST EXIST...JUST HANG OUT...JUST MAINTAIN OUR NICE LITTLE CHURCH...
• YOU ARE I ARE TO BE PERFORMING, THRIVING, GROWING AND FLOURISHING. WE ARE CALLED BY PAUL TO GROW UP INDIVIDUALLY AND CORPORATELY, TO FIND OUR PLACE IN THE BODY, TO GET ACTIVATED FOR LIFE AND SERVICE AND MINISTRY, AND TO BEGIN FUNCTIONING WELL TOGETHER AS ONE UNIT.
• GOD HAS A WILL AND A PLAN FOR US AND I DON’T THINK IT’S TO REMAIN IN A MURKY WORLD BETWEEN STORMING AND NORMING. OUR PERSONAL LIVES AREN’T MEANT TO MEANDER THERE EITHER. INDIVIDUALLY AND CORPORATELY, THE LORD CALLS US TO THRIVE AND FLOURISH, TO BEAR FRUIT THAT HONORS GOD, BLESSES OTHERS AND BRINGS FULFILLMENT, PURPOSE AND JOY INTO OUR LIVES.
LOWES HARDWARE MOTTO
• I like the Lowe’s Hardware motto: LET’S BUILD SOMETHING TOGETHER. It incorporates the idea of teamwork, unity and accomplishment. But whereas Leows wants to sell us sprinklers and plungers, we as the people of God are to build a church that honors and glorifies the Lord and blesses others in the community and brings meaning and purpose to each of our lives.
• AND THIS IS MY INVITATION TO YOU – LET’S BUILD SOMETHING TOGETHER! SOMETHING THAT HONORS AND GLORIFIED THE LORD. LET’S NOT SETTLE FOR A MEDIOCRE CHURCH OR FOR LIVING MEDIOCRE LIVES – AS IF GOD IS PLEASED WITH C- WORK.
• LET’S BUILD SOMETHING UNDER THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT TRULY MAGNIFIES THE NAME OF JESUS IN OUR CHURCH, IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND TOWARDS OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!
o I PERSONALLY DON’T WANT TO WASTE MY LIFE. I DON’T WANT TO LIVE A CLIPPERS TYPE OF EXISTENCE. I WANT TO SETTLE FOR A HO-HUM .500 EXISTENCE WHERE WE WIN SOME, LOSE SOME...JUST NORMING IT AND NOT REALLY GETTING ANYTHING DONE OF REAL LASTING VALUE.
NONE OF US WANT THIS. WE WANT OUR LIVES TO COUNT. WE WANT TO PERFORM AND WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS LIKE THE LAKERS. WE WANT TO JOIN A TEAM THAT PRODUCES SOMETHING AWESOME AND GOD-GLORIFYING. WHY SETTLE FOR LESS? WHY MISS OUT ON BUILDING SOMETHING THAT WOULD PLEASE OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN AND GIVE PURPOSE AND FOCUS AND DIRECTION TO OUR LIVES?
THIS IS WHERE WE’RE HEADED...
Folks, this is where we’re headed. We’re not there yet, but this is where I intend to take us by the will and grace of God. And so these weeks in the summer is our time to look at who we are as the church, the people of God. Today we’ve discovered that the purpose of our unity to grow us up personally and corporately as the church so that we break through the storming and norming stage to a performing or soaring stage as a church.
WHAT IS YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY?
• It’s time for each of us to be thinking about our unique role and purpose in the Oikos church family. What part of the body are we? What gifts and abilities and skills has God given us? What passions and concerns has the Lord placed on our heart? What do we dream of building?
• I WANT TO GIVE EACH OF YOU HOMEWORK THIS SUMMER. I WANT YOU TO SEEK GOD AND PRAY TO GOD IN ORDER TO DISCERN YOUR PLACE IN THE BODY.
o You may need to go on a fast. You may need to take a personal retreat. You may need to start talking with your spouse or your friends or with me about what it is you sense is your place in the body.
o OUR CHURCH RETREAT IS COMING UP SOON. AT THE END OF AUGUST WE’RE GOING TO GATHER AT ALPINE MEADOWS TO LOOK AT EZRA AND HIS FRIENDS AS TOGETHER THEY SOUGHT TO REBUILD THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE CITY OF JERUSALEM.
o We too are going to start talking, planning and dreaming of the ways in which we are also called to build this church into something beautiful and honorable to the Lord. It will also be a kind of working retreat where we actually come and pray and seek the Lord and talk with one another about what it is that we dream of doing or becoming...
THIS FALL WE’RE LAUNCHING OUR CORE GROUPS
• You need to sign up for one of these groups in order for us to learn how to speak the truth in love to one another (verse 15). We need to maintain our unity and grow in love for one another – and we can only do this if we’re connected in small groups together.
o This may seem inward and may not appear to be like we’re headed towards building something together, but in order for us to build something together, we have to come together as the body of Christ and build each other up through God’s Word, through sharing and prayer and accountability.
God is preparing us to find our place in the body, to not get stuck in bickering and bantering and in-fighting. Instead, he’s calling us together and we’re going to learn what it means to build each other up and to begin moving beyond norming it to where we are performing or producing kingdom fruit through our church.
Discover your role and place in this work. Get involved spiritually as we come together in our Core Groups... and I pray and trust that the Lord will help you identify your part in the body so that we can START FUNCTIONING TOGETHER, WORKING TOGETHER AND BUILDING SOMETHING PLEASING AND GLORIFYING TO GOD.
