The Church
Ephesians 4:1-7
September 25, 2022
As I’ve been thinking about the church, I’ve been thinking about God’s call in my own life. What that meant and how it totally changed my life. That call from God led me to Him, the church . . . and ultimately to ministry. I’ve said it before, this is the absolute last thing I ever expected to be doing. If you told me when I was 25 that I would be a Christians and a pastor in central Indiana, I would have thought you were joking or crazy. But here I am . . . and here we are.
My point is that God is calling us!! It comes in all different ways. We’ll be called to do many different things in the kingdom, once we’ve accepted the call to proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
As we talked about last week, in Matthew 4, Jesus began to call His first disciples. I believe the call from God to you and I is the same as the call to Peter and Andrew, James and John --- Jesus calls out - -
FOLLOW ME
FOLLOW ME
I really believe that even if you’ve been a Christ follower for years, there’s still a constant call from Jesus. It’s an invitation to a life of purpose, a life filled with His grace, His power, His passion and a hope that is everlasting. It’s all in those words . . . come . . . . follow me.
Sometimes I think this invitation from Jesus feels out of reach to many of us. On the one hand, He calls us to follow Him as a believer. Well, what does that mean? Do I need to totally change my life? Or can I keep doing what I was? What will my family and friends think? We can ask a lot of questions, just in thinking about what it means to accept a relationship with Jesus.
If we really embrace a relationship with Jesus, then that means we have to make some changes. Not that we were necessarily terrible people, but now we are claiming to believe in someone who died for us, so that we could experience spiritual freedom. That in and of itself - can be kind of heavy to consider.
Then comes the call to do something, to be active in the church. To become part of the church, part of the kingdom, attend worship, worship on line, to contribute as a servant, to give my time, to give my money and talents. To discover my spiritual gifts, so I can serve in the right place, doing what God’s called me to do.
How much does God really want of me? Because when I tell you He wants everything, I know for many the answer may be quick and easy . . . NOPE! I can do it my way and hope for the best.
That’s the way of Jesus. It’s not always rosy, it’s not always easy. Yet, there’s that big BUT . . . because the life Jesus offers us is bigger and better and gives us this amazing hope that the rest of the world doesn’t have. That makes us different in who we are, but we have the secret formula, which isn’t really secret.
Church statistics tell us in most churches - -
20% of the people give 80% of the offerings - - - - AND
20% of the people do 80% of the work.
And for the most part that’s true. And I have to tell you, here’s my conundrum . . . while I understand the numbers, I don’t really understand why! Its would seem that we would want to serve and want to give to the church. We would want to see the kingdom of God growing and would want to be involved in that mission.
Our struggle comes in being the church. If I asked you, who wants to serve in the church, not many hands would go up, not many people would have their hearts burning. They need someone else to create and do the slides, or be in the nursery, or cut the grass, or help with sound or teach a Sunday School class or usher. I can’t wait to do it ... pick me! Pick me!
I’m not trying to be sarcastic or cynical, but the reality is if I said I have tickets to a concert or football game, or a gift card to a restaurant, more of you would get a burning in your heart. You’d get excited.
Why is that? I think there’s something in us that feels that the life Jesus talks about, this abundant life, is just out of reach for us and we lack the boldness to say an outright YES when He calls us. Our reply is more of a ‘kinda-sorta’ embracing of His call.
Lord, I’ll come when I have more time. I’ll come when I have more faith. Lord, can you vividly show me what you’re wanting me to do.
If you can convince me, then maybe I’ll go. Lord, you don’t get it, life is pretty crazy and complicated right now. When I get rid of all these obligations, distractions and complications, I might be able to get involved.
It all starts with our common calling in Christ. Paul tells us in one of the great passages about the church in Ephesians 4. Understand that Paul is writing this letter from prison, yet, he’s filled with joy in Christ. He wants the people to live a certain type of life in Christ!! Listen to his words to the church - - -
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call —
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. - Ephesians 4:1-7
Paul is telling us - - -
Live your life as a follower of Jesus Christ in a way which honors and glorifies God.
Do it with ALL humility, gentleness, patience and bear with one another.
Do it all in love.
Be eager, be passionate to keep the unity through being at peace with one another.
That means no gossip, slander, back biting, no factions, no yelling, no insults, etc. Instead we keep the bonds of peace through humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, doing it all in love.
That’s what Paul wants us to understand!
Now, he gets into the oneness of the church. And this is so important for us as a body of believers to get us and keep us on the right track. It’s huge theology, but we won’t get into the theology. He tells us - - -
4 There is ONE body and ONE Spirit—just as you were called to the ONE hope that belongs to your call — 5 ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, 6 ONE God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 times in these 3 verses Paul reminds us of the ONENESS we have as a body. Note that he starts with the body, the church! We are ONE!! We’re not separated, we’re not 2 distinct churches. We’re not fighting one another. We’re ONE!! WHY?
Because we have the very same SPIRIT of God within us. We don’t have different Spirits of God, it’s the same who dwells within me, that dwells within you. That’s so crucial to understand. Then we have ONE hope. Our hope is in Jesus. It’s not in me, it’s not in you, it’s always found in Jesus. WHY?
Because He is our Lord and Savior. There’s only ONE Jesus, not multiples or twins. The Jesus you claim as Lord is the same Jesus I claim as Lord. We have ONE faith and ONE baptism. They don’t change, even though we may look at it differently, it’s the same. And we proclaim ONE God and Father of all. That’s our common ground.
It’s really the common ground for the universal church. It’s the fact that those Methodist and Presbyterians have the same God, the same Jesus. It’s that those who believe in infant baptism have the same Jesus as those who claim baptism by immersion as believers. It means those who lean a little left and a little right politically have the same Jesus. People of different colors, shapes and sizes have the same Spirit of God who dwells within them.
So, even when we look at someone within our church who believes a little different, the call is to look at them and see Jesus. To know they have some different views. That doesn’t make them less than or undeserving for a life of hope in Jesus. It simply means we’re all different - - - yet we all have the same Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwelling within us. That must ALWAYS be our starting point.
Yet, we struggle with being the church. It’s kind of crazy, yet, it’s true. Pastor and author Ray Ortlund wrote - - -
You and I are not integrated, unified, whole persons. Our hearts are multi-divided. It's like we have a board room in every heart. Imagine: a big table, leather chairs, coffee, bottled water, and a whiteboard. A committee sits around the table in your heart. There is the social self, the private self, the work self, the physical self, the recreational self, the religious self, and others.
The committee is arguing and debating and voting, constantly agitated and upset. Rarely can they come to a unanimous, wholehearted decision. We tell ourselves we're this way because we're so busy with so many responsibilities. But the truth is that we're just divided, unfocused, hesitant, and unfree.
Ortlund says there are two ways that this sort of person can accept Jesus in the way that leads to maturity. One way to "accept Jesus" is to invite Him onto the committee. Many of us will say, "This year I will listen more to God, I will give God a vote." We let Christ become one more complication in an already crowded and confusing life.
Yet there is another way to accept Jesus. It is to say to him, "My life isn't working. Please come in and fire my committee. Let every one of them go. I hand myself over to you, Jesus. I put myself in your hands."
Ortlund then says, there’s actually a 3rd option - - - which usually tells us, "Invite Jesus into your life." He added, Jesus doesn't want to be in your life because your life is a wreck.
Instead, He wants to call us out of our life into His life. He wants to take us boldly where we've never gone before, into the life of the kingdom of God. He wants to take us on the great adventure, giving us this abundant life. That’s what He means when He says, "Come and follow me." Let Jesus show you the life for you were created to live.
It’s what Jesus said in John 15:5 - - -
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
I know this is a totally different way to think of the church and Jesus. But you see, if we keep Jesus as just one more compartment, one more committee, one more division within ourselves, then we will always be divided. And if we’re divided we’re never going to fully experience that abundant life Jesus is offering us.
Instead we have to make Jesus number 1 in our lives. Instead of saying, “well, Lord, I’m not quite ready to give all of myself to you” - - - I say, go for it. Give your whole being to Jesus . . . whatever that means for you, do it.
We should be passionate, contagious followers of Jesus Christ who are looking to go into the world to make a difference because we’ve been changed from the inside out. It only makes sense, yet we resist. We tell Jesus, I’m not quite ready, Lord, call me next week, or next month, or next year . . . but Lord, please take care of all my needs while I put you on hold.
You know what I mean? We want it to be BOTH / AND. Lord, I’m not giving my whole self to you, but I expect you to do that for me. I expect you to be ALL IN, but I don’t have to.
Jesus is calling us individually and corporately to go on this amazing adventure. We get up out of our chairs and we move into the kingdom. Maybe we do it one small step at a time, some will just jump in. How you do it is not as big a deal as the fact that you get started.
You see, being part of the church is supposed to move us, it’s supposed to excite us. It’s not about rating the worship, it’s about experiencing the power and presence of Jesus Christ as you give yourself to Him in this holy moment of worship.
Sometimes, actually often times, I think we live that humdrum, mundane life. We’re not really content, we want more, but it’s the fear of change, the fear of the unknown that often thwarts us. It doesn’t have to be satan, we can actually be our worst enemies, because we talk ourselves out of what we know we should be doing.
In the Disney movie, The Incredible’s, there’s a quick, fun scene in which Bob Parr, a middle aged suburban dad pulls into his driveway after another day at work.
He sees that a little boy in the neighborhood is watching him on his tricycle.
Bob looks at him and with obvious irritation asked, "What are you waiting for?" And the kid looks back at him and says, "Something amazing." And Bob softens and quietly says "Me too, kid, me too."
Friends the amazing has come to meet you in Jesus Christ to draw you out of where you’re living now and to move you into His life. When Jesus says
Come . . . follow me
It is the most amazing invitation you will ever get. Every day, He’s calling to you. He wants you to abide in Him, so that you would bear fruit.
Would you say YES to His offer.
Just take some small steps toward Jesus this week. Your life will change. You will begin living the abundant life. You will have a life that is more incredible than you could ever imagine.
