The Glory of God in a Healthy Church

Until what I want to do this morning as we look at a text that we've actually gone through once before which is Ephesians 4:11 through 16 and Anna point that out because this sermon series is a little different than most of the preaching that you got here. Most of the preaching you get at our church is what we call expository preaching where we take a passage of scripture and we go through it we talk about what is it mean and what does that mean for us in light of it and and praise the Lord through that particular text what we're doing lately is more what we call topical or talk about a particular topic and saying what is the Bible have to say about that particular topic? So when we preach the book of Ephesians we went through this passage in detail, but I wanted to look at it again this morning because the Ephesian church was one of the few churches that Paul had so much praise for it's not like the Corinthian Church or the the galatian church where he really had some harsh. Things to say to them about some of the stuff that was going on. The Ephesians church was a pretty healthy church and it was really being encouraged by Paul in his letter and so is we looked this morning? What I wanted to do is put everything together and talk about what does a healthy Church look like how does it function and I believe that this passage in Ephesians helps lay out a bit of that for what did it look like in their environment when everything was functioning on all cylinders, so to speak fully read the text for us this morning and then we'll pray and I'll talk through the different roles and sort of lay out what that would look like here at Northwest seasons 4 verses 11 through 16. Gave the apostles the prophets the Evangelist the Shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ until we all the pain to the unity of 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 way than carried about by every wind of Doctrine by human cunning. I 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 witches equipped when each part is working properly make the body grow so that it builds itself up in love stick moment.

Heavenly father. Thank you for Price authority over his church. He's he's all over this text in so many different ways. It's from him for him strengthened by him. the Lord we pray as we look at this text this morning, we would not just see a reflection of The church gathered but we would see see a reflection of Christ in the church gathered. If we would be able to see the church's very existence based on its desire to glorify you. The Lord I pray you would give us icy Hearts to love and hands and feet to put into practice those things with your word directs us to do we pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

So we're going to take this in the order that the text brings it to us. It might not be that the way I would normally talk through it. We're going to start where the text starts and work our way through. So I want to look first at verses 11 and 12. He gave the apostles the prophets the Evangelist and the Shepherds and teachers to equip the Saints for the work of Ministry for building up the body and where we want to start this morning is by looking at elders. Or pastures or Shepherds or overseers?

They were given by God to the church to accomplish something and the way they do it is reflected in their very name. Do elders or Shepherds or overseers? Their job cording to this passage when they're specifically referred to as Shepherd teachers. One of the key roles of an elder is that the Elder should be expositional preaching and teaching God's word. That's part of what they're doing is their Shepherd teacher so they have to be teaching God's word. Should I be teaching things other than God's word certainly not primarily me do other resources come into how you think through things definitely but God's word should always be the primary and main focus of an Elders teaching or preaching Ministry do teachers. It refers to Shepherd teachers Elders should be shepherding the congregation through the joys and trials of the Christian Life. It's not enough just to have Elders who are good at teaching God's word minute. Essentially. You can't grow if you don't know what God's word says and so have a good teaching good preaching is important, but it's not sufficient. Because when life's Trials come or life's Joys are there to be celebrated having someone help apply and walk with you through those times to Shepherd you through them is really important a true. If you look at shepherding part of what a Shepherd does is make sure that the flock knows how to get to water and food and areas of safety. And so even in shepherding there's a a bear called to do is is provide oversight for the church. Why why is preaching teaching shepherding over sighting Sookie for church to function in a healthy way because according to Ephesians it has a goal.

Goal is not just to make you smarter. Its goal is not just to make you feel more loved. The goal is not just to provide oversight and make things more efficient. So the church runs well. The goal is verse 12. To equip the Saints for the work of Ministry for building up the body of Christ. Elders provide exhibition preaching teaching of gods were they shepherd the congregation through the joys and trials of the Christian Life and provide oversight for the church to help equip them most effectively for proclaiming the gospel and fulfilling the mission of the church in word and deed. The last part I'm throwing in there for four play me The Gospel in fulfilling the mission of the church in word and deed. I'm getting that it's an expansion of what it says in verse 12 for the work of the ministry and building up the body of Christ we talk about what is the work of the ministry? What should the church be doing? Again? 20/20 is brought us to a point where I think it's very easy for us to look in and say, okay what was really essential about church and what wasn't right there some things that we've been able to give up and and we may go and we don't know we need to bring those back again. But there was also some things that we really got to focus in on and say this this is essential this fulfills the mission of the church until the work of the ministry when you're equipped for it right helps you focus in on what's most important not only for you personally to grow in the Lord but to help others grow as well. So it's a it's a personal growth aspect It's A discipleship helping others grow in the church aspect and it's a helping those who are currently not even part of the church. Come to know who Christ is. That's the work of the ministry. NSA Shepherd teachers Elders do their job build up the body of Christ. It makes the congregation stronger.

This is important.

Because we don't know what even the rest of 2020 holds little own 2021. We don't know the future if a church is not strong. If it's not built up as the body of Christ it leaves itself open to fractures that will harm it and at times kill it.

Serious right now that have been done finding out how churches are doing. This year estimates are somewhere in the range of 15 to 20% of churches will close because of this year. I can't keep going financially. They don't ability to do it people have just checked out and never come back again.

It's going to be lots of people who are spiritually wondering. because of what's Happening as a church, one of the roles that the elders have in in strengthening the body is so that the body can handle all the things that come out of it.

We don't know what's next but we do know Christ is sufficient for it need to continue to keep looking to him through his word all the time for the things that are coming. Another passage, I would point you to for elders outside of it if he's in for which is to be to go back to that second Timothy for passage here. Paul is talking to Timothy and telling him what he wants him to do as a young Elder young Pastor. He says I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming where people will not endure sound teaching but have itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers who suit their own passions and will turn away from listen to the truth and wander off into myth.

The Paul's advice to Timothy stay in the word let that be what you Proclaim whether it's a good season for it or Bad season for it. Be ready to talk about the word. Why? Because the natural tendency of people is to try to surround themselves with things that support their preconceived notions and the world will tell you all sorts of crazy things. You should believe.

Some of them will even sound really similar to scripture but just be twisted a little bit or just leave enough scripture out of it that you don't quite get the whole picture. he was Timothy to be sure keep the word Central in the preaching so that when people try to go off track and don't want to listen to the truth will have no choice but to hear it from you.

For fill in for Don and myself and any others who may come on board at North West as Elders in the future.

I love for Jesus and our love for the word of God should be so clear. But it comes forth and whatever it is that we're saying to people when they were shepherding overseeing or teaching at that time.

The Shepherds and teachers working to equip the Saints equipping the congregation. Turn the verses 13 and 14 next. They're supposed to keep doing this. This equipping so that something else happens. We keep doing it until we attain all attain to the unity of faith in 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 waves and carried about by every wind of Doctrine by human cunning by craftiness and deceitful schemes. So this part of the passage speaks of this goal this equipping happens so that Unity happens the equipment doesn't happen in and of itself or just the the building up of the body. So that stuff gets done. It's a Unity of faith. And a knowledge of the son of God.

Where did deacons fit into this will if deacons are the lead Servants of the church, they are leading the congregation in what it looks like to live out the gospel and mission of the church. When we look to what does it look like to have people who are fully mature who are even getting to the point where I would say we measure their stature in terms of the fullness of Christ when we see a deacon receive Christ exhuming from their service.

They model for the new believer. What it looks like not to just get through the Christian life, but they lead by showing what it looks like to live that out. The leave the congregation what it looks like to live out the gospel in Mission the church both by their example and by leaving the congregation and its service to others. It's not an either-or. It's not as if it's just about character. Look at their personal life. They don't just have enough to lead anything particular. They just believed themselves. Well, well, that's good. That's that's important can't can't be a deacon without that. But they model it in such a way that they not only show by their example personally, but by Leading the other Ministries there setting that standard that expectation that says hey as a congregation we can look to that and say that's what we're growing into. This is very different than some Churches models of deacons, which is basically a board of people to sit around and just try to come up with a decision making process and handle the money and it's usually the biggest business people in the church who run it cuz they run it like a business. Scripturally, that's not what deacons primarily look like. We talked before we talked about deacons about the character qualities being pretty much the same as the qualities for elders the same type of people you would want looking will you be looking for for pastors? You would look for that same character in Deacon? Why because the pastor can teach it the pastor can bring the word to bear and say Here's how you can apply it but then a deacon comes along and in their life and in their service says, Look at this. This is what it looks like to live that out. They take the word and and put it into Flash in their actions towards others to the point where what happens when they serve his people look and say that looks a lot like how I would expect Jesus to serve.

Deacon's help demonstrate what living it out looks like they are the mature leaders who by their conduct get the church where it needs to go.

thirdly congregation verses 15 and 16 rather speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in every way into him. Who is the head and 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 it builds itself up in love the congregation when it's functioning correctly grows in their love of God and his word it actively proclaim the gospel message. It is fulfilled the mission of the church in word and deed. The teachings that's coming from the pastor's for the congregation has helped select helps equip the congregation so that their lives can look like that and they look to the deacons and say hey are we getting right? Yep, it's looking like what you guys are leaving us to do.

They're growing in their love of God. They're actively proclaiming the gospel fulfilling the mission of the church in word and deed and as it says here the whole bodies joined together in and held together by every joint with which is equipped. I find that fascinating the joints with which it's equipped where they get equipped or mentioned that earlier that's what the elders are supposed to be doing. So they're they're trained up. So that everything's working, right? I take that to mean this. Part of the congregation's job is to promote the health of the church. They're supposed to be equipped in such a way that they can hold stuff together that they can make sure all the things are working properly and when it's not working properly they can do something about it. They can come alongside and help encourage a brother or sister back in who's gone. Astray. They can call them back to The Godly life that they're intended to live. They promote the health of the church by encouraging meaningful membership by seeking to ordain qualified elders and deacons to lead them.

If they get any of that wrong will happen is either the teaching will be bad or the models of service and the leadership that comes from that will be bad in terms of Elders and deacons or unqualified for their job. The membership will get meaning less.

It won't really matter whether you're in or out you're just doing whatever like everybody else is doing. And yet here, it seems that there's a definition of the body that's supposed to be held together and growing in love. Tell if instead the congregation is growing apart. They're not growing in unity. They're not growing in love. Then something's wrong with the health of the church and the body itself is supposed to take care of that.

Verse 15 is clear on how that takes place. Speak the truth in love. I say what needs to be said about people whom they love. And sometimes they stayed in his gentle of a way as they can because although they want the truth to come out. They want the person to know you are loved in me saying this. But they speak in such a way that says the truth will not be compromised because it doesn't have to be compromised in order for me to show you that. I love you. The grow up so that we all look more like our head Jesus.

now

I want to point one of the thing out about this text. It's really important to see. We started the series by saying the key thing to keep in mind. Is it Jesus is the head over at all Christ is Central. So where does Christ fit into Ephesians 4:11 through 16? He's all over it.

Can the elders possibly Shepherd? Well, can they equip the Saints for anything other than building up the body of Christ and be effective? No. The reason they cling to God's word is because it's God's body Christ body that they are trying to build up. If he is not Central to them, they will not equip the congregation correctly congregation. I say this to you again as I said before because it's your job. So to speak to be the ones who ordained the elders and the deacons. If a person does not love the Lord deeply enough that you can see it in their everyday life. Don't put them in that position. Because if they are not deeply in love with Christ, something else will come out of them other than Christ in their Ministry.

Many times we have gone astray and churches have been harmed greatly by the leadership that they have brought in. Hartford Northwest is that we would not have to go through the pain and heartache that brings to a church body. But instead of the body of Christ would be built up as it says in verse 12. Deconstruction. Where does Christ show up there? He's the goal. He's what everyone is shooting for Christ shows up in that. It is the fullness of Christ. It is Faith and knowledge of the Son of God that were all shooting for

From the deacons perspective. It is not fullness of effective Ministry. If it is not the fullness of Christ that's being displayed in the ministry. You can get the job done without Jesus sometimes.

And that should frighten you.

Because if you can do it without Jesus, then you have no more rails upon which your riding. You're just off on your own. But if Christ is Central to the whole process if the goal is to look like him when you're done and he's there through the process of getting you there. Then you know that you're headed in the right direction and not going to get off left or right on whatever else comes. This is why this maturity in Christ in first 14 leads to the fact that unlike children in the faith unlike newcomers to the faith who could easily be tossed to and fro by all sorts of different things. The mature person is solid. I like salad cuz they know more than us a Sara Lee although that's part of it. Are they solid cuz they do more not necessarily but that's part of it.

They're solid because there's more of Christ in them.

More Christ is present the more you can know and be confident and where you're going.

the crisis Central in that growth process A course in the congregation section in 15 through 16 if we're growing up in anything other than our head who is Christ we're growing in the wrong direction.

The whole purpose of growth is not to get bigger.

Say that again. The purpose of growth is not to get bigger. So the common misconception in the church o your church only runs this many people are church is way bigger. Oh, you must be better. Nope. Not the definition of growth according to scripture. Where to grow in every way into him who is the head into priced growth in the church looks like more christlikeness from the people that are there now, does that often naturally lead to grow the numbers? Yes, it does. Why because people who can't get enough of Jesus and the can't stop talking about him and they talk to their friends and they talk to their neighbors and their co-workers and they say, hey I have something that I really believe would be great for you. Will you come join me and let me introduce you to Jesus? I want to introduce you to some of my friends at my church who love him like I do and want to talk to you and be there with you and show you the ways in which he can completely change your life. Those sort of people who are that engage with Christ have a tendency to bring people with them? And when those people encounter Christ an amazing thing happens, some of them actually come to Jesus the church gross numerically, but that wasn't the goal. The goal was not hey, we need more people. Going with we need more Jesus is an outflow of that people see that come people hear that from us and take us up on the offer.

Someone is Church's functioning. Rightly God's getting Glory Christ is at the center of it and the church is moving along in a great way Christ becomes that's the central focus of ministry. And he empowers everything that happens through his spirit all the work the church does all the love. The church has all comes through Christ.

Teachers are teaching about him. The leaders are leading in light of him congregation is flourishing and growing in their own love for him because of it.

What would this require of Northwest different than what we have now? 3 question to ask some some people through the course of the series if I've asked some questions and I want to address those quickly as we as we go through this because I want I want to have an understanding of why I'm even bringing this up.

Are deacons have done a phenomenal job of trying to serve our body well? The struggle is only so many of them a lot of people to care for. And what we've done in our current Church structures, we've set it up so that we put a lot of responsibility on the deacons to care for people while to Shepherd them which is something Elder should be doing and not let them really lead in the ministry. So they should be leading and we kind of confined them into this role and then we formed the leadership team which was the people that were leading in ministries along with the pastors and they were supposed to be doing their thing over here. The two didn't always mixed together very well in terms of what all has been going on and put a lot of pressure on the different groups to be able to do things. Well, it's brought to my attention that real problem and figure out how to do this. Anthony Kansas City you want to sit on will just take a look at the word and see what the word has to say and see if it helps us come up with a better way to do things and they said yes, so I said to the leadership team you guys want to sit around do the same thing and they said yeah, I should really encourage you as a congregation Your Leader saw there was a problem and they said yes, we want to look at the Bible and figure out what it says. It's only been talking through this for months and then it was brought forward here to be able to talk in a in a sermon series about in the morning to talk about it in smaller group settings going forward to really start to get into the nitty-gritty of what this looks like Mabel answer questions. But some of the questions that were raised already even amongst you guys that you've been going through this one was is this just some sort of power grab this is trying to take power away from the deacons and give it to a different group of people. Answer that question is no. Is a power load is hopefully going to be spread out more if we do this right rather than less. Right now I as lead pastor of this church, according to our Constitution and given a lot of authority. I'm allowed to decide who's on the leadership team and all that sort of stuff. They doing real check I have is that the deacons determine my salary do my performance review? I don't like that. I think I put too much power in too few people's hand. Tingly mine. what I want to see happen instead is an environment where power is distributed amongst more people rather than less so that if one person is ever taken out say the lead Pastor is taken out for some reason in a new one is put in acute power vacuum is in creating the life of the church. It's about having a larger group of Elders. We spread that power out amongst more people. Some of our current deacons are serving like elders. They're shepherding. They are teaching are providing oversight and care. They're doing the work of an outer. We just calling Deacon. So it's not the wind be taking power away from them would just be calling them what they really are. And his lead service. There are a lot of people who serve on the leadership team right. Now who do that for you there lead servants. We don't call him deacons cuz we gave the deacons this sort of pseudo Elder job. So it look like a saying to to those who are serving in leadership capacities as servants in the Church of actually calling them what they are. I'm saying what you really do issue helped lead serve in the church. You are a deacon and what you do?

And so power would not really shift in terms of where it goes to ultimately the church is still authoritatively under Christ the congregation still ordains the leadership to its Physicians both elders and deacons and still is heavily involved in the process of deciding what meaningful membership looks like and still doing the mission. They're called to do It's just rather than dividing things up. The way we have we divide them up according to scripture and say these people are elders and they're doing this job and these people are deacons and they're doing this job. but that would require a change in our church Constitution cuz I said right now it's set up so that lot of stuff goes to me in a lot of stuff goes to the deacons and let me have the leadership team that supposed to get the job done in terms of making sure everything comes together. Soda require us to think through at a different set of bylaws that would say. Hey, we don't just have a lead Pastor Lee pastor and other staff members. We have a group of Elders who provides that level of leadership for us and we have deacons who are actively serving in Ministry capacities within the church.

And what would happen is what we now call her leadership team would look like the deacons in the elders forming a team to lead. So when the leadership team gets together, it would be those deacons and Elders have time to come together and say where we at how we shepherding. How are we teaching? Are we providing oversight? How are we serving? How are the Ministries actually doing? What do they need to function and flourish and then come into the congregation and saying hey, here's where we think we're at. What do y'all think of this? We hold our business meetings like we always have and we vote and say yay. We're in favor of that and no we're not in favor of that and we move on

Meeting coming up in two weeks. No, we're not going to talk about elders and deacons at that meeting their budget meeting. I want to point something out to you as a church body. Lots of people in leadership right now. I've gotten together and sat around spend a lot of time trying to figure out what does it look like for us financially in the coming year trying to predict the future which is incredibly hard to do and come up with what do we value in Ministry and therefore put funds behind? But it's your job is congregation to come together and say yes or no that reflects the heart of where we believe God is leading us as a church. So a business meeting is not just a formality. Is a way to visibly Express. This is what we believe God is calling us to and we believe it's so much that we're going to commit to put our time and our finances and our energy behind that Ministry in the coming year.

So healthy church for us would look like each of us in a sense knowing what our part is and its first 16 says when each part is working properly making the body grow.

Second concern that was brought up is will the women Deacon issue has been brought up before in the church and very kind of had this discussion and it didn't go so well, at least that's my understanding cuz I wasn't here for that discussion.

I tried to in the sermons on deacons layout for you and understanding of why biblically I believe it's supported that women can be deacons because when deacons are doing what deacons should do, there's not a conflict with deacons acting like elders.

And so there shouldn't be a conflict then about or running towards women pastors that I have. Some people are worried about that. That's not what that's about. It's about making sure there's Clarity of what the rules are and then saying who all can fulfill that role. And then ordaining the people actually do what God has called them to do.

Is not necessarily a Mark that somehow we're headed down this slippery slope to something that's going to get us off track. Not even a response to the culture and saying well hey in the world things have changed so the church needs to change none of the above.

Believe that if we make these changes, we will be being more faithful to what the scripture say rather than less. Would not propose something to you. If I did not believe it was something that the congregation could get behind because the Bible says so

but I know in both those cases with case of women deacons and in the case of how does this change our leadership structure changes change and change is hard. But if you've ever read the book who Moved My Cheese the wonderful analogy in the business world of how people deal with change and he's will mice get all upset cuz they've learned the Maze and someone moves their cheese and now they don't know how to get their cheese anymore and some of them figure out a new way and some of them get real feisty about it. This isn't right. She shouldn't be moved to you should be kept where it is.

Famous truth Church anytime we talk about change it's hard.

But the key there is when we look Beyond just structure and Elders Beyond deacons Beyond congregationalism. And we look to who's ahead of everything life the church. We looked Christ himself. We see that there are ways to have these discussions and determine what is best for us as a body without breaking Unity.

There's one thing that our political climate has taught us recently. It's that people love to run to other poles and get really angry at the other side.

It should not be selling Church. There does not need to be a camp that feels this way in a camp that feels that way and vitriol between the two of them. It's a group of believers who love Jesus and love each other and disagree on some things and figure out how to have that disagreement in light of love. It's All My Hope Is as we move forward in the coming months and have more discussions on this what would come out of this weather anything changes in our Constitution and bylaws or not is that we as the church body would be able to put on display what it looks like to talk through things in a way that's not just civil but a way that's God glorify A way that no matter how this turns out we ended going. That was good. It's really good for us to do as a church body. And I'll tell you right now if I sent it going in a different direction. We're going to stop and talk about that cuz I don't want us to blow up over something like this not worth it. It's not worth it.

But why do I think it's good for us to continue to pursue this because I think that God has a better plan of how to do things than any human could come up with on their own.

Models of leadership that the world has come up with can be really good and functional and certain environments, but they're not the church. I think it'd be better for us to structure ourselves according to scriptural standards. Cuz I think when we do it the way God lays it out. I think it works better for a church. And my heart in this is it I want Northwest to thrive as much as not just humanly possible. But as much as God would have us Prive.

now say it unless God would force it to happen my hardest to this church and doors will never close until the day Jesus comes back regardless of any plague pandemic anything that comes along that we would be one of those churches that others could look too and say do you guys get through this and we say off we don't know for sure, but we know Jesus has gotten us this far and he's keeping moving with us. So we just keep moving with him.

So I invite you invite you as we move forward to go back and listen to some of the things you had questions about again, and then start engaging the leadership on what you find when you talk to your Deacon next month on the phone or will however it is the you you talked to them and you got some questions bring them up to your dick and let him know you see a leadership team member around and you went address some of the questions you have for them talk to him about it bring up the questions. If it's something real like I'm not sure about this pastor. I want go right to you that fine. Call me email me. Text me. Whatever works for you. Let me know. Cuz the next step in this process is going to take what we've been learning over the last seven weeks and start to figure out what needs to change and what would that look like? And how would I fit into that and for each one of us in the church body that would look different. And so we're going to have different questions to ask and different things to work through. It's a change going to happen right away. Nope, or so many other things going on the life of the church that are Urgent and important as well. But it's not like everything else is going to stop and we're going to deal with this is going to be something that we have time to work through some time to think through and time to process long before any changes are going to come so don't freak out and assume you change next week now, it's not we got time lost time Lord willing to work through things.

I only question for you this morning and this is what I would like us to pray through as we close.

Is already committed to this?

Not specifically what it would look like to have a church function as certain Wait. No, that's not what I'm asking. Are you committed to a healthy Church.

Are you committed to saying from my part of the member of this body? I am committed to seeing Christ glorified. In the life of this church. I'm committed to growing in my love for his word. I am committed to actively proclaiming the gospel. I am committed to fulfilling this Mission and encouraging as many of my brothers and sisters to do that along with me as I can. Because regardless of what structure you set up the individual people in the church aren't committed to seeing the church Thrive. It will not thrive.

But if we are committed to doing what we can do each individually and together corporately. I believe that this church can have a dramatic influence on this neighborhood and all the way to the nation's. And I want to see that continue to happen for years and years and years to come. Those we pray Krista. You can come forward with the team and they're going to lead us in some some song Flame. Great song If you get done praying just listen to lyrics as we go through this because it highlights that that idea that this whole goal. This is about Christ, but it's about him being put front and center in all that we say and do but let's go to prayer and and just ask the Lord to strengthen each of us individually and us has the body for what lies ahead