“And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Eph. 4:11-16
Just as worship is a corporate experience, spiritual growth also happens best within a biblical community. If we want a stable faith that can withstand cultural changes and influences, we need the nourishment of the church. We are all part of one another in Christ and we are dependent upon one another for growth; “Iron sharpens iron”. We need equipping, and God has given the church shepherds and teachers for the purpose of building up the church. There is a special oversight in ALL areas of life by the elders and deacons of our congregation. God’s people are called to remain accountable to others in the walk of faith, first with the elders He has placed them under and then with one another.
There is a blessing where sound biblical teaching and preaching and Christ centered training for Kingdom living abound. Rev. 1:3- “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” When the Bible is taught correctly, all Christians receive the grace intended them, so they will be fully equipped for all good works. The preached Word offers strength for the weary, comfort for the hurting, guidance for the lost, courage for the fearful and assurance for the confused.
As you look around you, if you have a family, it may seem that they, the littlest to the oldest, aren’t listening to anything being said in the sermon or Sunday School, so it is helpful for us as parents…all of us really…to remember that God’s word goes out in the church and He promises that it won’t return void and it will accomplish and succeed in its purpose…that is, God’s purpose, not our purpose. Isaiah 55:11 says- “…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” We may not see the fruit right away, but over time, the lessons learned within the community of church are able to strengthen our children so that they grow more and more mature in the faith.
But this is true for us adults/parents as well…we need the equipping the church provides and must place ourselves under that teaching whenever we can.(Interesting, this is another example to our children of the importance we place of the Church.) For we never graduate from learning the truths of the gospel. Whether 5, 15, 50 or 90. We always need the fortifying nourishment that only the church can and does offer. The church is God’s means for equipping us for our tasks as believers, that we might be a blessing to those around us …starting with our children. But as we are taught and we grow we will be able to more and more fulfill our mission of growing the kingdom and glorifying God! Remember the church is the place to learn this, so… “…we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
God bless y’all this week.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
