Growing Together

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We are beginning week four of 40 Days of Community. Let me begin by explaining to you, or rather showing you, how important a "community" is - any community - for good or ill. It relates to an important experiment - the "Ash Experiment". A film Clip followed, lasting 2 minutes - the following is a transcript:

[Presenter] "The Ash Experiment is one of psychology's oldest and most popular pieces of research. The volunteer is told he is taking part in a visual perception test. What he doesn't know is that the other participants are actors and he is the only person taking part in a real test. But it is actually about group conformity.
[Now in a room with desks and participants] 'The experiment you will be taking part in today involves a perception of line length. The task will be simply to look at the line here on the left and indicate which of the three lines on the right is equal to it in length. So for example … ' [fades with voice over].
[Presenter] The actors have been told to match the wrong lines. The volunteer will be monitored to see if he gives the correct answer or if he goes along with the opinion of the group and gives the wrong answer. In the first test the correct answer is two.
[The answers are then given by the actors] 'one,' 'one,' 'one,' [then pause, and the volunteer with surprise in his voice] 'two.' [Then the final actor] 'one.
Once again the correct answer is 'two' [for another test. Immediately there are shots of the actors giving answers] 'three,' 'three,' 'three,' [but this time, after along pause, the volunteer says … ] 'three.' [Then the final actor] 'three.
[Presenter] The Ash Experiment has been repeated many times and the results have been supported again and again. We will conform to the group. We are very social creatures. We are very much aware of what people around us think. We want to be liked. We do not want to be seen to rock the boat. So we will go along with the group. Even if we don't believe what people are saying, we still go along."
One,' 'one,' 'one,' [as people continue the experiment and fading with voice over]. Group dynamics is one of the most powerful forces in human psychology. [Final shot] 'One,' 'one,' … [fades].

So there you have it. The power of the group or community. Everyone is in some one or more groups or communities of this world - the community of your home, your friends, your school, your college or what ever. And then there is the community of the people of God - the Church. All these communities influence you; and unless you have a very strong and conscious motivation to resist a community's influence, you will conform and "go with the flow" as you saw so powerfully in that experiment.

Where a community is wrong and you are a Christian believer, you need to be doing all you can to change it.And the community of the church as well as the community of the world can go wrong. That is why you need to be testing any church against the God's standards as they are seen in the Bible.

This past week Bishop Martin Morrison who was preaching this morning and is with us tonight was having to ordain clergy in London, because of the fundamental doctrinal error of the church down there. May I say that many of us up here in the North East support the people that asked Martin to help them and I'm sure we want to thank Martin for helping them as he did. That film clip showed it can be hard taking a stand against a community which is in the wrong. It is because of the importance of the community and not just the individual that at JPC our mission statement is not only about individual "Godly Living" but also "Church Growth and Changing Britain."

So much by way of introduction. Our focus tonight is, of course, on the "community" of the Church. We are thinking about GROWING TOGETHER - that is our theme for this week.

So I want us to focus on what Paul says about "Growing Together" in Ephesians 4.1-16. You have here, if you like, Paul's "3 Steps to Church Growth". And those three steps are my headings for tonight, first, UNITY; second, DIVERSITY; and, thirdly, "THEN ... THE WHOLE BODY GROWS"


First, UNITY

Now, what Paul says about growing together in these verses, depends on what he has been saying in chapters 1-3 of Ephesians. Look at that little word "then" in verse 1 - "As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you etc." Literally that word is "therefore". And so it ties in all that Paul is saying here in chapter 4 about church growth with all that he has been saying in the first three chapters of this epistle. And in chapters 1-3 Paul has been teaching how God's eternal purposes are being worked out in history.

He has been teaching how through Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross for our sin, and was raised again from the dead, God is creating something entirely new. This is not just a new life for individual believers, although it begins with that. No! God is creating a totally new community - for all people and not just for the Jews but for all who believe in Jesus Christ. And, he is saying, all this is God's work. It depends utterly on God. For he is the one who grows the Church, not us. And what is more, he is the one who brings us to faith in the first place. This is a mystery. Yes, there is human freedom and choice. But God's providential working means we don't come to faith by ourselves.

You see, you enter this new community of believers by grace through faith. That is what Paul has been teaching in chapters 1-3. Out of his grace not only has God provided his divine Son, the man Jesus Christ of Nazareth, to be our saviour. He also gives us the faith to believe in Jesus Christ. So when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, it is not because you have been good enough or clever enough to believe. No! Before you come to faith in Christ you are spiritually dead. In the same way that if you are physically dead, you can't do anything, so if you are spiritually dead, you need God to give you the faith to be able to trust in Christ. It is a mystery.

There is indeed human freedom but at the same time God is in total control. Paul has said in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 4-5:

because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

Now all that is so important to understand. Because if people are not spiritually alive in the first place, there will be no true church growth. Is there anyone here tonight who knows that they need this spiritual life? Perhaps the Holy Spirit of God has been convicting you for some time. Well, trust in Christ. God will forgive your sins because of what Jesus has done for you on the Cross where he bore your guilt. And you will be given new life and power by the Holy Spirit as you trust Christ as your Lord and Saviour. So all that goes without saying in this chapter 4 where Paul addresses the issue of unity as the first essential for the growth and health of the church. And he has at least three things to say about unity.

First, unity requires a costly effort. Look again at verse 1:

As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

Paul is pointing to the level of commitment he expects of himself and of others. Are you willing to go to prison for the sake of the Jesus Christ and the health and the growth of his church? My grandfather went to prison for his faith because he thought the first world-war was wrong. Even famous atheists like Bertrand Russell were in prison at the same time. They were willing to be in prison for what they believed.

Would you be willing to go to prison, if it came to it - if this Religious Hatred bill is passed unamended and for saying, for example, that the Koran is wrong in certain places and Jesus Christ is the only way and not Mohammed? So then Paul says in verse 3:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

That is a strong word - make every effort. So the sovereignty and the providence of God mysteriously do not mean that we no longer have responsibility. Paul's readers are to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit." Notice they are to "keep" the unity of the Spirit. They don't have to create it. Through their new life created by God's Spirit there already is a unity among the believers. Their job is to see that that unity is not destroyed.

Secondly, he says in effect, "work on your character". Paul doesn't talk about structures or leadership until he has talked about virtues and character. Look at verse 2:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Humility is the number one virtue in achieving unity. Humility is the very opposite of pride. The ancient world so despised "humility". But humility was what led Christ to empty himself and become a servant. It is the humble recognition of the worth and value of other people and not just of yourself. And "be gentle". Behind this word, in the original, you have the idea of controlled strength. It is not weakness. The Greek philosopher Aristotle says this is "the mean between being too angry and never angry at all". Then, says Paul, there is "being patient and bearing with one another in love." That covers accepting people who rub you up the wrong way and irritate you to tolerating people when you disagree with them over secondary issues. You must not be "custard Christians" - those who get upset over trifles! So these things have to be worked at.

How humble are you? How gentle are you - in the proper sense of that word. Are you self-controlled, or do you blow everyone up? Or are you so weak that you never get angry at what is very wrong? And are you patient, bearing with others in love? The second essential for unity, then, is to work on your character traits.

And, thirdly, remember the fundamental unities of the Trinity and the Christian faith. Look at verses 4-6:

There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

So, three things Paul wants to say about maintaining the unity that God creates by his Spirit are, one, make an effort in the strength of the Spirit; two, work on those virtues and character traits; and three remember those divine unities.

But, then ...


Secondly, he says, work on, and face the fact, of the church's DIVERSITY

This is the second step to growing a healthy church or Christian community. And there are two things to note about this diversity. First, that diversity is good for the Christian community. A healthy church wants to be united, yes; but not a church of clones - all looking alike and talking a like and being like religious robots. No! God has made us all so different. And if you are a believer, God's grace has been at work in your life, giving you gifts. These are certainly not all the same, whether these are new gifts or enhancements of skills you already have or of qualities you already possess. In some way or other, we are told in verse 7:

to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.

But realising that each individual is uniquely blessed by God can lead to an unhealthy individualism and, even, disunity. That is why you must realize that the diversity is for the sake of the whole. And we all are important. I learnt that the hard way soon after I came to this church in the 1970s how every gift is essential. John Stott, one of the greatest preachers in the world - according to Time magazine - had been invited to preach at JPC. And as soon as he got up into the pulpit the PA system failed. He has a relatively quite voice and no one at the back could hear him. So who was more important for getting God's word out that evening - John Stott or the people responsible for the PA?

The truth was in those days the church was much smaller and we didn't have anyone responsible - we just trusted the equipment would work - hence the need for people to be responsible. You need so many different gifts. So diversity is for the church's good.

Secondly, Paul says in effect that diversity needs leadership and co-ordination. If you have a lot of gifted people and they are to be effective for service, they need to be led and co-ordinated - that is, if unity is to be maintained, which it must be. So who is to do this leading and co-ordinating in the church? Look at verse 11-13:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

In Ephesians Paul means by "apostles and prophets" foundational "apostles and prophets". He tells us that in Eph 2.20. So these apostles were the apostles of Christ - the twelve (including Matthias who replaced Judas), Paul, James the Lord's brother and possibly one or two others. They were personally chosen and authorized by Jesus and had to be eyewitnesses of the risen Lord. And it is their apostolic teaching that you have in the Bible. That is why we test other teaching by the bible - for it is the apostolic book and the teaching that Jesus endorsed and commissioned. But there are no foundational "apostles and prophets" today. However, there are evangelists, and pastors and teachers. And it is these who are to lead and co-ordinate the work of the church. For they are all ministers of the word. The church needs to be led and co-ordinated according to God's word.

Any organization needs four things going for it - whether it is a business, a hospital, a school, a club or a church - first, an agreed agenda; secondly, competent leadership; thirdly, enabling structures, and fourthly "client sensitivity" - that is an awareness regarding the people you are serving or you are wanting to reach or help or sell to. And they need to be in that order. And most fundamental is the "agreed agenda". So where do you find the agreed agenda for the church? Answer: the bible - in "God's word written". That is why the senior leaders and co-ordinators need to be ministers of the word who can teach the Bible and help set the agreed agenda for the church in accordance with the Bible.

But notice that the ministers of the word are not to do all the ministry. No! They are to prepare others for ministry. This is how the church grows. Look at verse 12, they are:

to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up."

And their goal in teaching is that there is "unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God" (verse 13). Are you growing more in your "knowledge of the Son of God" - Jesus Christ and all he has done and all he has taught and all he means and all he is still doing and all he will do? If so, you are "becoming mature" verse 13, "attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" Do pray that those of us who are called to teach help you do that. We need your prayers. So, diversity is good for the church; but it needs leadership and co-ordinating by ministers of the word. Now thirdly, let's look at the final step and my heading is ...


Thirdly, "THEN ... THE WHOLE BODY GROWS"

Look at verses 14-16:

Then 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 the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Time is short. Let me just give you some brief bullet points: first, immaturity or lack of growth is to be avoided. In normal life it is tragic. To be like a child when you are old is so sad. I was on a plane once and there was with me a middle aged woman who was dressed like a middle aged woman and looked like a middle aged woman; but behaved and spoke like a small child. It was so sad. Immaturity in the Christian life is even more tragic. But this is what Paul sees as a possibility here. He sees people being like "spiritual infants".

Secondly, you remain a "spiritual infant" when you ignore or do not have good biblical teaching. That is because .. Thirdly, false teaching prevents growth. And good pastors and teachers are to protect you from (verse 14) "every wind of teaching" and "the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." But when you lack that protection you can remain stunted and infantile in your faith. And there are false teachers around.

I had to do a Radio broadcast on Friday with the American Bishop, Gene Robinson, the first openly homosexual bishop who divorced his wife and left his children to live with his homosexual lover and he is visiting the UK at this time. He refused to have an open debate. So he spoke for twenty minutes and then I was interviewed for twenty minutes after him about what he had said. And what he had said, in my judgment was, "cunning and crafty and deceitful and scheming". In so many ways it was contrary to the teaching of the Bible. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said (Matthew 7.15):

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them.

Jesus is saying false prophets don't seem to be false prophets - they are in "sheep's clothing". And today the fruit of "false prophets" is usually church decline and decay and not growth. Around the world, including this country, the growing churches are the ones that seek to be faithful to the Bible and don't try to rewrite it. Fourthly, the growth of the church comes when the truth is spoken in love. The leaders are to teach the others the truth: so they can then pass it on - at work, in the wider world, at home - everywhere. But it is clear from verse 15 that this has to be done sensitively. There has to be a "speaking the truth in love" - not just the truth without love, or love without the truth, but both together. This is so important.

On Friday Gene Robinson was saying that we shouldn't bother with parts of the Old Testament such as Leviticus that prohibited homosexual activity. Rather we ought to be focusing on the teaching of Jesus to "love your neighbour as yourself". But I had to point out that when Jesus was saying "love your neighbour as yourself", Jesus was quoting from Leviticus. He was quoting chapter 19 verse 18 and from right in the middle of the chapters that prohibit homosexual relations and other illicit sexual relations. And Leviticus 19 verse 18 on "love your neighbour" is preceded by verse 17 that says this:

Rebuke your neighbour frankly so you will not share in his guilt.

And then verse 18:

... but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.

So love does not tolerate anything and everything. It is not weak. If you truly love someone it means you want the best for them and sometimes it means telling them that what they are doing is wrong. But then tell must tell them that Jesus is the saviour and forgiver of all wrongs - and we all do wrong. They are not unique. You must be "speaking the truth in love".

Fifthly, and this is the most important thing, verse 16, you must

in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

If a church is separated from Jesus Christ it will die. He is the head. Beheading is a sure and certain way of death. And, sixthly, each part must do its own work. How do you grow up into Christ? Look at verse 16:

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

The chain is always as strong as its weakest link. I must conclude.

For growth, unity is needed, diversity is needed and for the whole body to grow, pastors and teachers need to protect the church from false teaching, then all the believers need to speak the truth they have learnt but in love, never being separated from Jesus Christ, but linked to him and to each other with each part of the body of Christ doing its work - and that means me and you.

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