MPC, 23rd February 2003.Ephesians 4:1-16 - "Body Building"
Phil Campbell MPC, 23rd February 2003.
Maybe the most disturbing thing about Shane Warne as we've watched things unravel this week is the sneaking suspicion that the drug scandal is just the last step in a long walk in the same direction. That no matter what he says, no matter what the excuses, there's always been the feeling that here's a guy who doesn't get it.
And so when a million Australian schoolboys dream the dream, when thousands of hopefuls train and play and hang out for selection in the Australian Cricket Team, Shane Warne has had it all. And valued it as nothing. Shane Warne has had it all. And hasn't behaved accordingly. Because when you're honoured like that, when you're part of the Australian team, when you're enjoying the privileges... certain things go along with that. That are really just a matter of living in a way that's worthy of what you've been given. Living a life worthy of the honour. That you've been called into.
Now being Christian might not seem to you to be quite the stuff of dreams that the Australian Cricket team is. But in reality, it's far bigger. And the way Paul's painted the picture so far in Ephesians 1 to 3, it's an incredible privilege. Here you are as part of the people of God.
I caught a glimpse on the news the other day of one of the new young guys signed up for the Australian Cricket Team, I missed who it was, and he said, "I used to watch Steve Waugh on TV as a kid. Now I'm playing with him."
And it's been like that. Especially if you're Gentile like us. You'd be saying back then, "I used to watch the Jews, the people of God, I used to think, it must be great to know the Maker of the universe. And now, because of Jesus, I do. And I've gone from death to life. I've gone from having no hope of anything. To the sure hope of heaven. I've got a share in the spiritual inheritance of Israel. Not because of how good I've been. But because of the grace of God. And now... I'm part of God's church. The great advertisement to the universe."
To which Paul says, good. Now live like it.
It's a turning point in the letter. Chapters 1 to 3, here's what you've been given. Chapters 4 to 6, here's how to live in response.
Which you'll notice is the opposite of the way it works in the minds of most religious people. Who think if they're good enough, they'll earn their way in. Other way entirely. You're saved by God's grace. So live this way in response. The turning point, here at the start of chapter 4. Live a life worthy of the calling you've received.
As a prisoner for the Lord then, says Paul, I urge you... to live a life worthy of the calling you've received. Now it might be worth noticing the words of verse 1 literally say in the original Greek, live a life worthy of the calling you've been gathered by. And it's the same root word as the word for church. Which in the greek is ekklesia, which means a crowd that's called together. And so you could read verse 1 as "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that's gathered you as a church. The calling that's ekkleesed you."
Shane, don't bet on matches and phone through secret information to bookies. For a bloke with the honour of playing for Australia, it's just not worthy. Shane, don't go making dirty phone calls to girls you meet in the pub. For a bloke with the honour of playing for his country, it's just not worthy. Shane, don't care what they are, don't pop pills. Life a life worthy of the honour you've been given.
Well, for us, it's going to look like this. Live a life worthy of a person called into God's church. And here are some pointers. Crystallised in verses 2 and 3. And then expanded.
And at every point, it's about how we express and strengthen our unity. As we realise that we're all part of the one body. With different parts to play.
Which is going to boil down to very practical things. Verse 2. Be completely humble and gentle. Not half humble and two thirds gentle depending on the circumstances. But completely. Be patient. bearing with one another in love. In other words, put up with one another. Even when it's not easy.
And verse 3. Which you'll notice assumes there's an underlying unity from God's Spirit. But reminds us that sometimes preserving that unity can be such hard work. Because it can so easily just slip through our fingers. He says make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Because there's nothing more unworthy in God's church than letting our unity slip through our fingers.
And the logic is simple. Verse 4 to 6, the reason we're meant to be making every effort to stay united is that we're part of the one body, sparked by the one Spirit. That no matter how different your background and my background, God's same Spirit is working in you and working in me. Do you notice that? There's a family likeness that you'll see in Christians everywhere. Because the same Spirit is at work transforming our differences in the same one direction.
And you'll see the word one jump out seven times in verse 4 to 6. Hold on to unity because there's one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Which for the Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians in Ephesus is a huge idea to get their heads around. And start putting into practice.
And how do you do it? By each one being completely humble. By each one being gentle. By each one being patient. Rejoicing in one another's differences. Instead of insisting on things being done the way they've always been done.
One body. With one Spirit. Under one Lord. No matter what you were, that's what you are. So live in a way that's worthy of that. Make every effort. To keep things that way.
Which maybe is going to mean developing a strong sense of protectiveness. For the unity of our church family. Watching for the sort of words or actions that cause division. And it's obvious, isn't it? A word here. A snide comment there. The sort of remark where someone draws you aside and you know they're just fishing for opportunities to fan up discontent. Don't listen. And be wise enough to look for ways to do the opposite. I mean, here's a new thought. Why not take someone aside and say positive things that promote unity?
But there's something much more positive than that. Because as a body, we're meant to be exercising. And growing. And that's the point Paul's making in verse 7 to 16. A section that starts and finishes with a reference to the different part each of us is given in the body.
First in verse 7. The church is one body with one Spirit. But to each one of us, verse 7, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. To each of us... a different gift, a different part to play. And again in verse 16. As the section closes. 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.
One body. With many parts. One Lord. But he's handed out many gifts.
To each of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. And verse 8, there's a word picture from Psalm 68 of the victorious king bringing home the spoils of battle and handing them out to his people. Which Paul pictures as the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, as he pours out gifts on his people. All different. But all for exactly the same purpose.
It was he, verse 11, who gave some to be apostles. Some to be prophets. Some to be evangelists. Some to be pastor-teachers. To prepare and train and encourage and teach everyone else to serve one another. With this purpose... mid way through verse 12: "So that the body of Christ may be built up. Until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
See the logic. Prophets. Apostles. Who gave us the scriptures. Evangelists and pastors and teachers now. All working in the same direction. To see everyone playing their part, using their gifts, building up the body. Which grows stronger and stronger in love as each part does its work.
Let me tell you the bad news. Church is not just a spectator sport. Much as you maybe wish it was. Church is not a show. And you're not an audience. Church certainly isn't just an hour a week. Where you sit and listen. Or else nod off or look out the windows. Church is being part of a living, growing, loving body. Interacting. Growing to be more like Jesus. As each part does its work.
Your not the audience. You're the orchestra. And maybe you're the string section. Or the brass. Or the number 1 violin. You know, I always watch the percussionist with the triangle part. High stress I reckon. 'Cause most times if you watch, they're counting beats. Watching for just the right time. To play just the right ding. That might be you.
Whatever. Might be you can do nothing but pray. So pray. Because all of us are part of the orchestra. With the same goal. Of encouraging one another to grow to maturity. More and more like Jesus.
Now of course, the alternative to growing up is to just keep being a baby. And verse 14 paints that option with what someone in our growth group pointed out was a very vivid mixed metaphor. That leaves you with the disturbing mental picture of a baby in an ocean storm. I guess you can include a boat in your mental picture. Not necessarily a baby overboard. But here's the picture of ineffectual immature Christianity that's all too familiar. That comes from churches where the members of the body don't build one another up. And don't build on substantial teaching. Did you notice the foundational gifts? All to do with teaching the truth of the gospel. From the apostles. To the evangelists who share the good news of Jesus. To the pastor-teachers who feed the flock by teaching the word. To a church where each part of the body wants to build up and encourage the other parts. The sure protection from immature Christianity.
Then we will no longer be infants, verse 14, 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.
Have you seen that? I mean, it comes in waves. Trends. The latest Christian thing. Almost like yo-yos. Or songs on the top 40. And there'll be books about it at Koorong, and they'll be best sellers. This new blessing or that new blessing. The Prayer of Jabez and you say it every day and you prosper. The prayer of Jabez for teenagers. Say it every day and you don't get pimples. Keep an eye out and you'll see the trends sweep through. The long lost secret of this. The new prophecy of that. And I know Christians who'll blow this way, blow that way. Who'll be moved by whatever new thing comes along.
I read the other day about a couple who lost their life savings. When they were sucked in by one of those Internet scams. You know, you get an email, I am Prince Raymond from the Congo, and my father has asked me to transfer 16 million American dollars into your country. And if you send me your life savings, I'll put the 16 million straight in your account.
If you've ever seen that sort of thing, you say, how on earth could they fall for it? But this Western Australian couple did fall for it. And not only lost their life savings, but they borrowed money from their brother in law. And lost that as well.
Paul says the best protection against Christian scams is to grow up. And the best way to grow up is to be part of a body. Where we speak the truth to one another in love. So we will in all things grow up, verse 15, into him who is the head. That is, Christ. As we grow together. Support one another. Build one another up in love. As each part does its work.
I wonder how you'd like to be part of a church like that? I would. A church that's full of humble people. Gentle people. Patient people who put up with one another. More than that. who love each other.
I wonder what part you could play to make our church a church like that for somebody else? I wonder what you'd need to do to be living a life worthy of the calling you've received? By starting to use what you've been given to serve, instead of just sitting on it?
I reckon we've got a long way to go. And I reckon the big job that Maurie and I have got as the sort of pastor - teachers the passage is talking about is to be encouraging you and urging you to turn talk into action.
There's a long way to go. But this is where we're heading. Not just playing church. But being church.
Maybe there's a lot of unlearning to do. Whatever you do, don't fall for the idea that church is a denomination or some sort of set of policies or a state assembly or a Presbytery meeting. And don't fall for the idea that there's this thing called the church that you can point the finger at and say, oh, the church should do this, or the church should do that.
Church is us. Together as a body. Sharing as a body. caring as a body. Church is each one of us using the gifts we've been given... to build one another up to maturity.
And so we'll do things like the 3x3 challenge. To try to encourage you to work out ways you can be church. What happens? Out of say 300 people here across our three services on a Sunday, 53 people have signed up. One in six.
Which I don't assume means the other 5 in six are just wanting to be an audience. But that you haven't really thought about it yet.
And why so little unity? Really? I mean, we've seen it week by week in Ephesians. But what changes? More than that, where's the love? Plenty of politeness. But where are the real relationships growing?
Verse 2 says we're meant to be a people who bear with one another in love. Verse 15 says we're meant to speak the truth to one another in love. Verse 16 says we're meant to be a body that grows and builds itself up in love.
And yet there's not going to be love here if there's not even the first step of friendship. Or hospitality. I was speaking to a guy the other day who comes along here to church week by week and he said, the reality is, there's more real friendship at the Rotary Club. Or another. Who's been coming along for about 3 months. This week was the first invitation to a meal in anyone's home.
Uncomfortable with that? Can I urge you then, as one of your pastor-teachers, to do something about it. And to live a life worthy of the great calling you've received. Called together. As part of God's church.
Maybe for you there are things that can change. But maybe you realise today there's someone that you need to forgive and forbear with... so you can grow together. Maybe you need to learn to be gentle. To work on your humility. So you don't always need to be right. Maybe there are gifts you've got. That you can be putting to work to build up the body. Maybe it's time you took a good look around and said, it's time to be hospitiable. And start showing love in a real way. I know life's busy. And you've got other priorities. But we can keep saying that and doing nothing. About living lives worthy of the great calling we've received. To be part of the body of Christ. The church of God.