Being a person of influence
Our Purpose - Building Up Christians
Ephesians 4:11-16
"Why does the church exist?
What is our purpose here in Cochise?"
Why are we here today?
We have to conclude that the first & most important part of our purpose as a church is to seek to win the lost. To be people of Influence
That is why we were given this building - so that we can reach out to more people with the saving news of Jesus.
And I’m convinced that as long as we recognize that our ultimate purpose, the reason we exist, is to reach the lost, then as a congregation we will continue to grow. And I tell you unashamedly, "We plan to continue growing."
In the 2nd chapter of Acts, the church in Jerusalem began on the Day of Pentecost with 3,000 members, & by the 4th chapter it had grown to 5,000 men, not counting women & children.
The Bible tells us that the Lord was adding to the church daily "those who were being saved."
It was a growing church, Because it was a church that had people of influence, however they had a concern.
"How do we take care of all these new Christians?"
ILL. THE BABY One of the most exciting times in life is when a baby is born. The parents rejoice, & we all "ooh" & "ah" over it. Then they take the baby home, & reality sets in. They’re changing diapers & losing sleep & trying to figure out what’s wrong with the crying child. The joy of new birth is followed by the responsibility of caring for & raising that child.
It’s the same way in the church. People come to the Lord & we rejoice.
But then comes the responsibility of bringing these young Christians up in the Lord.
Who is going to nurture them?
Who is going to teach them & pray with them? Who is going to counsel them? Who is going to encourage them?
The early church evidently did a fairly good job of that, because we read in Acts 2:42, that these early Christians "continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching & fellowship, in the breaking of bread & prayers."
You see, there is a second part to our purpose, & that is to nurture, to build up the Christians, to help them be all that they can be in this life.
B. With that in mind, listen to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:11-16.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
That is an important passage, & I hope you noticed some of the key words & phrases like "service," "unity," "mature," "no longer infants," & "building each other up." Legos
PROP. Let’s talk about that, about "building each other up" & growing as Christians.
I. IT IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GROW AS CHRISTIANS
A. First of all, it is vitally important that we grow as Christians because a growing Christian is less vulnerable to temptation.
Just as Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness following His baptism, when you give your heart & soul to Jesus, Satan will attack you, too.
ILL. Jesus told a parable about wheat & weeds. He said that a farmer went out & sowed good seed. But that night the evil one came & sowed weed seeds, & they started growing, too. At first you couldn’t tell the difference. But soon it became obvious that weeds were growing among the wheat.
So a servant suggested, "Let’s pull up the weeds." But the master said, "No. If we do that we’ll kill the wheat also. Let them grow side by side until the harvest. Then we’ll separate the wheat from the weeds."
Now that parable gives an important truth, "Until the harvest, until Jesus comes, good & evil will be growing side by side in the world." And it’s true.
We live in a world where evil is growing. No one questions that.
Now here is the point, "If Christians are going to survive; good seed must be healthy & growing in our lives. If not, the weeds will choke it out.
B. Again, it is vitally important that we grow as Christians, because growing Christians are full of joy.
If you’re grumbling & complaining, if you’re not joyful in the Lord, it is probably a strong indication that you’re not growing in the Lord.
On the other hand, growing Christians are excited about what the Lord is doing.
You know that He is coming again, & you’re excited about what He is going to do in His church between now & the time that He comes. And you’re excited about what He is going to do in your life & in your home, because growing Christians are joyful Christians.
C. Growing as Christians meant that we put away childish thinking!
Childish thinking = God wants to make me happy and rich and have everything in life
Child like faith = God does want us to be happy, But God wants to make us Holy
Childish thinking = God loves me and I can do what ever I want.
(Duffy Robbins Service)
Childish thinking God always gives me what I want.
Reality is God sometimes says No.
Marines
Childish thinking.= The closer we get to God the more perfect we become.
The closer we get to God the more aware of our sinfulness.
Putting away childish things means walking by faith
Too many times we walk by sight.
Think of the Child that orders from the Ice cream truck… they say I want the brown one or the pink one. Nothing is by flavor, always by color. They make choices by what they can see. Well guess what? Sometimes our sight can be screwed up. And we need to walk by faith and not sight.
D. Finally, we need to grow because growing Christians will have a faith that doesn’t collapse in a time of crisis.
How deep is your faith?
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that some seed fell in shallow soil. At first, the seed gave every sign of life. But then worries & troubles came, & since it had no roots it withered & died.
There are a lot of people who flirt with Christianity. They have a shallow faith, & whenever something tragic happens, their faith withers & dies.
ILL. Maybe the doctor has told you that you have a terminal illness. Or maybe the one you love most in life just died. Or maybe you’re having trouble in your family, or maybe you lost your job, & you’re not sure what the future holds. Is your faith deep enough to see you through all that?
SUM. You see, if we have a deep & growing faith, nothing that happens in this life will be able to uproot us. So it is vitally important that we grow as Christians. And here are 3 things that help us grow as Christians.
II. SOME WAYS THAT WE CAN GROW AS CHRISTIANS
A. #1, We can grow by studying God’s Word together. If you’ve been a Christian for 5 or 10 years, & all you know about the Bible is John 3:16, then you’re still a spiritual baby, drinking milk, & it’s time for you to grow up.
That is why we offer all kinds of opportunities to study the Word of God. We have Sunday Morning Service, Sunday school Wednesday night church
B. Secondly, we grow through close fellowship with other Christians.
The Word of God tells us many things to do for one another.
We are to "love one another."
We are to "pray for one another."
We are to "bear one another’s burdens.
We are to "extend hospitality to one another."
We are to "forgive one another."
And the list goes on & on.
Christian fellowship is tremendously important, & there are many opportunities for fellowship offered here.
Now I realize that we can come to church & sit in the pew & get casually acquainted with a few of the people who sit around you, & that may be helpful to you. I hope it is.
But fellowship grows deeper & stronger as you become more involved in groups within the church.
Bible studies, our fellowship gatherings - small groups that get together & share with one another are great opportunities for fellowship.
C. Thirdly, we grow by using our God-given gifts.
One of the dangers in a church is that people sometimes think that they’re not needed.
There are opportunities to serve, & we encourage you to do that.
SOME OF THE EVIDENCE FOR GROWTH
Finally, how can you know whether or not you’re a growing Christian?
What are some of the evidences of growth?
A. #1, Non-reliance on clergy. I almost didn’t use that word. I didn’t want you to think I’m something I’m not. Non-reliance on clergy.
Do you realize that a parent’s responsibility when a child is born, is to help that child grow up, so that it can cope with life? Finally, the day comes when that child leaves home & the parents, through tear-filled eyes, wave "good-bye." But they realize that this is what God called them to do.
It is the same way in the church.
If a church is going to grow, then there must be many ministries taking place, & the Christian leader’s responsibility, according to what Paul said in the words that we read this morning, is to "build one another up, so that each can do his or her part."
We’re mature when we can worship the Lord, regardless who the preachers or leaders are,
Because we’re not building our faith on them. We’re building our faith on Jesus Christ.
The church’s purpose is to win the lost & build up the saved.
We don’t want anybody lost. We want to make sure that everybody is involved in the Word & prayer & growing every day.
Maybe you have a decision that you need to make.
Maybe there is something that you need to allow God to do in your life
let Him help you to get back on course again in a certain area in your life,
Make sure that you’re growing in your faith. Amen
Wynne Chapel Ministries
www.wynnechapel.org