Growing Up in Christ – June 25, 2023 – Eddington Presbyterian Church

Psalm 99, Ephesians 4:11-16
June 25, 2023

We’ve stepped away from Acts for a bit. We’ll catch up with Peter and the boys in a week or so. But for now, I’d like us to take a look at this passage from Ephesians. And let me just say that Ephesians is a letter that’s packed full of great stuff! You can read it over and over, and every time the Spirit will bring out different things! Every time, different things will jump off of the page at you!

Here, Paul is writing to the Church in the city of Ephesus, although some scholars believe this was a letter that was written to all the churches. So, in a sense, that means it’s written to us, too! And in this letter, he’s giving them (and us!) the sense of what it means to be the Church.

At this point in the letter, Paul is talking about leadership, which is what we’re doing today. Having been a Pharisee, I’m sure he had a sense of the structure of things in the religious leadership of Israel. He knew the roles of the various leaders of the Temple and the synagogues. And I think that gave him guidance in what he was saying about the structure of the church, as well.

Here is his “structure.” And as I read this, I think all churches have some version most of these things. He writes, “His gifts were that some should be Apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.” Think about that. Again, you can see some of our leadership structure there. We might add, “and some Elders, and some Deacons.”

So Why? Why do these various offices and positions exist? What is their purpose? Well, here’s Paul’s answer! “To equip the saints for the work of ministry.” Do you get that? Not “To do the work of the ministry.” But “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.” You’ve heard me say this before. It’s not the job of the Trustees (Or the Property Committee) to do the work of the buildings and grounds. It’s their job to see that the work is done!

So, the various leaders in the church are there to equip the saints for the work of the Church – to see that the work is done! And who are the saints? Think about that for a minute. The saints… are a football team, yes! But the word means more than that, of course. Living here, in Lower Bucks County, and being right next to Northeast Philadelphia, we are in a huge Roman Catholic area! I learned that when I was here in 1978. So with all that influence around us, and in our midst, we tend to think of “the saints” as specific people in history. They are the patriarchs and matriarchs of the church. They are the writers of the Gospels. They are the Apostles.

Or, we may think of the saints as a description of someone. Perhaps it’s someone who has helped us, or someone who has done us a great service in some way. If somebody comes to our rescue in some way, or does something nice for us, we might say, “Oh you are a saint!”

But none of that is not how the word is used in the New Testament. The saints are the people of the church! Paul starts out his letters saying, “Paul, to the saints… In this case, “To the saints who are faithful.” – with no city name. That’s one reason scholars believe this was a letter to all churches. And in all churches, the saints are the people of the church! That’s who the leaders “equip for the work of ministry!” It’s yous guys, as they would say in Philly!

So, the leaders job is to equip you, the saints. And to what end? Paul tells us that in verse 15. “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ the Lord.”

That’s the purpose of equipping the saints. Paul is encouraging all the saints to grow in their faith, to “grow into Christ.” Maybe you remember what he wrote to the Corinthians (and to us!) “We all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to the next.” (II Corinthians 3:18)

That’s a great passage! We are always “growing up into Christ.” We are being changed into his likeness! The problem, the tendency, is to forget that. Or to refuse that! Too many people have a “Peter Pan faith.” Do you remember him?” Do you remember his “thing?” He wanted never to grow up. A lot of people are like that in their faith. They don’t want to “grow up in the Lord.” Because there are expectations in that growth. Think about it. As our kids grow up, we place expectations on them. We give them expectations of how they are to behave in this world, who are the authorities, and what they are to learn as they grow up.

It’s the same with our heavenly father. He gives us expectations. And in the case of Jesus, he’s given us an example. And it’s not an easy example! The problem is that, like many children in this world, we like to think it’s we who are in charge. We think we’re the parent! That’s the human tendency. And many people are like that in their faith. They don’t like for there to be a God in charge! I think that’s the biggest theological problem in this world. People aren’t interesting in knowing what God is like. They want to decide what they want God to be like!

Mark Twain once said, “God made man in his image, and mankind has been trying to return the favor ever since!” In other words, we are trying to make God in our image!

Paul says, “No!” We grow into him who is the head, not the other way around. We seek to learn about him, and to be like him. We don’t remake him in the image we want. At least we’re not supposed to – not according to Paul.

So, here it is, Officer Election Sunday, and you thought this was going to be all about them. But it’s not, or it’s not entirely. It’s about you. It’s about y’all! It’s about you, who are the saints! They, the leaders, are to equip you for the work of the church. And they do so to the end that, “Speaking the truth in love, we are all to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ the Lord.”

I encourage you to seek to do that, to grow up into Christ. Seek to know what God is truly like, not what you are “comfortable” with him being. Know that it is “he that has made us, and we are his.” Not the other way around! As the psalmist wrote, “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture!” And in all that, know that we, “with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of God, are growing into his likeness, from one degree of glory to the next!”

Prayer

Eternal God, help us to know better the depth of your love for us. Help us to discern your will for us, rather than forcing our will on you. Teach us to be the people – the saints – who are equipped for the work of your kingdom, that we may truly grow up into you. For we pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, and our example. Amen!