The rest of us will go to Ephesians chapter number 4. Last week I mentioned a question about the difference between called and chosen. I now have a reference to go with that. So what I'm going to do, as soon as I finish this series on the church, I'll take a whole sermon and go into that, because you have a general call, you have the specific call, and it really needs a good 15, 20 minutes, so it'd be easier just to make a sermon in a couple weeks, dealing with that very issue, and try to give some understanding to that. Two other things, ladies, did you have a good time in the self-defense class yesterday? How many husbands, your wife came home and said, try this and do this to me? Yeah, okay, yeah. Yeah, I know. You got to attack them just right, otherwise the move doesn't work, you know. Because that's how it is on the street. The attacker's going to say, how would you like me to attack you? And then, so. Well, if you want to do it again, let me know and I'll get with them. We'll set up another time. The thing that's nice about the class is you can jump in at any, you don't have to be at the previous class to learn it. And just, I think they just had a good time. fellowshipping to and So if you want to do it again, let me know He's willing to come back him and his wife and teach some more also next Sunday's dinner in the ground So dinner in the ground includes food Things called meat and what we do is we take a collection people donate money. We buy the meat Lately, we've been getting enough money to buy some old hot dogs from Sam's Club That's about all that's been coming in if you'd like to help next week We'd like to maybe have something a little bit nicer roast beef turkey something Please either see me or Mrs. Bowden, let her know, hey, I can give 10 or 20 or 50, 100, 2,000, something like that, then we'll have meat for the whole next year. You see, if someone would just one time, you know, you could buy, I will buy a cow from the Bowden farm, okay? You could do that. And that would feed us for quite a while as well. But if we can just get enough people to chip in a little bit next week, we'll have meat for the dinner on the grounds and you bring dishes to pass for that. We began looking at the structure of the church last week and just kind of looked at the office of elder, pastor, and deacon. And really, we just looked at a lot of verses that address it. We looked at just how they're utilizing the church. The elder, the pastor is an overseer. He's the teacher. He's kind of giving direction to the church. The deacon is a servant to the church. They're there to kind of help serve the congregation. We did touch a little bit on the idea of when we usually see elders in the Bible, we see them in plurality, more than one. In other words, one man is not all-powerful, but is a group of men, and there's no set number or anything like that, size of church would dictate. I would say this, you are to only have one pastor, if that's all you have that's qualified. If you don't have qualified men, you don't put them in that office. And sometimes church is like, hey, we gotta have seven deacons because in Acts chapter five, they had seven men full of, well, if you don't have seven qualified men, you don't put seven qualified men in that position. Same thing for the position of pastor. We should have two, three, or four pastors if you have qualified men, yes. But if you don't, there's nothing wrong with the church having one pastor. The Bible doesn't forbid it, though we see as it's possible, I think it's best that there's more than one, because there's different gifts, different talents, different abilities, and they come in and they make each other stronger, which then benefits the church. So this morning, we're gonna start looking at more the role of what they are doing within the church. Remember this, the church is congregational, first and foremost. The congregation is the church. The pastor's not the church, the deacons are not the church, okay? The church is congregational. So, I'm a pastor, Kyle is a pastor in the church, but when it comes to voting on something, we get one vote like everyone else in here. It's congregational driven in that aspect and Ephesians chapter 4 will begin reading in verse number 11 It says and he referring to God gave some apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors teachers to the church now for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ and Until we all come in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about from every wind of doctrine by the slight of men in cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effects of working in the measure of every part, making the increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the word of God this morning. We thank you. for the Holy Spirit that teaches us from the Word of God, takes this truth, the Scriptures, and applies it to our lives. And Lord, as we're looking at the structure of the church, we ask that you would give us not just understanding but a true love, a true burden, an appreciation for being part of an assembly, a congregation, a church, Father. And may we at Grace Life not try to resemble the latest trends and the latest gimmicks, but we would resemble Christ. And we would promote your word and exalt your name. And we ask this in Christ's name we pray, amen. from within the congregation. So picture this, you have a congregation of people. That's the first thing that comes together. When you assemble a church, you have a congregation. We are a congregation here today. I don't know how many are members, non-members, I don't have the exact count on my head, but we have a congregation of saints, an assembly of believers, okay? From within that congregation, Specially gifted men are chosen one. They're gifted by God appointed by God here, but then recognized by the church chosen by the church To be the leaders within that church for the health and the protection of the church here in chapter 4 verse 11 He talks about these men the Apostles that office is done away with we have no more Apostles The Prophet is done away with we have no more profit the evangelist. I don't believe is done away with and Though I think we've gotten away from the biblical office of the evangelist, which is someone within the church that is an evangelizer that goes out of the church and evangelize and spreads the gospel, planting churches and spreading the word of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then pastor-teacher, it's the same person here. The pastor, he's shepherding. How does he shepherd? Primarily he shepherds through teaching. So here you have a church, a congregation. Let's say you have 50 people, a congregation. from within that congregation or maybe outside if there's no one within you may bring someone from outside to be a pastor in the church but from within that the the congregation then votes they they approve they select someone to be the pastors these elders these pastors these overseers in the church all right these men yes they are set apart and they are gifted men gifted by god for the work they're supposed to do when it comes down to church business, so they still get one vote like everyone else. So it's still congregational-driven. The congregation is driving this, okay? You have chosen men to be your leaders, and in turn, in doing so, you are then submitting to these men as your leaders. Notice what these men are to do in verse 12. Why do I have these men in the church? Number one, for the perfecting of the saints. That's what it means equipping. It doesn't mean I make you perfect means I equip you you're equipped through the teaching Equipped through training things like this equipping you for the Christian life and for the ministry of the church secondly They serve for the furtherance of the ministry for the perfecting the Saints for the work of the ministry They exist for the work of the gospel ministry of the cause of Christ to go forward And then thirdly it says there for the edifying of the body of Christ the edifying the building up the strengthening the encouraging the the maturing of the body of Christ so so when people think we need to find a Pastor in a church or we want to add more pastors in the church. What do they need to be able to do? They need to be able to equip you They need to be able to further the ministry of Jesus Christ and they need to be able to edify you There you go That's it. Well, if we're gonna hire a youth pastor, don't you think he should be athletic? When I find a youth pastor in the Bible that needs to be athletic, we'll do that. We may have a pastor who oversees the youth. What is he gonna do with the youth? He's gonna equip them, he's gonna serve them, he's gonna edify them. That's his purpose. Well, we wanna have a pastor that works with the senior citizens in the church. What should he do? Okay, well, one, he has to speak up louder, but other than that, he has to equip them, he has to further the ministry with them, and he has to edify them. That is why they are given to the church. That is the purpose of these men being given to the church. Now notice in verse 13, this is to continue till or until we all so now we're back what? Congregational here the all the congregation come in the unity of the faith and I dwelled on that phrase unity of the faith What does that mean in a very simplistic sense? It means of the same mind belief in love. I But I think it can go a little bit more deeper than that. The unity, there's the gospel faith, there's the biblical faith. And the gospel does something that nothing else can do. It brings people from all walks of life into the assembly and unifies them around one cause, which is the faith of Jesus Christ. That is what the gospel does. I was talking to my brother Fioki yesterday, and he says, hey, we need to nail down your preaching schedule in Albania. And I text him back and says, was I supposed to go to Albania? I don't have a date set aside. He goes, well, no, but we need to make one and get you over here to start to preach again. And it's amazing, those of you that have been there, some of you that have not been there, were to come on that trip with me, you would land in the airport in Toronto, you would get off the plane, you would, if you're Hannah, you'd be completely freaked out of going through customs, because maybe someone told her they might put you in jail for the rest of your life if you don't go through customs, right? But you get through the customs, and you walk through, there's like this glass wall, and these doors slide, and you walk out there, and you're gonna see Brother Fiocchi, You're gonna see Ari, you're probably gonna see Benny, you might see Ande, and these men that have never seen you will be like instantly brothers you've known your whole life. How's that possible? The unity of the faith. The gospel faith. And then you're gonna get in the vehicles and you're gonna drive through Toronto and get saved 28 times as you're traveling through the traffic, unless you're used to it. I think me and Jim and Kyle, the first time we went through, Lori was, I mean, she prayed the rosary back there. She spoke in tongues back there. She called out to Confucius. I mean, she was just like, this is insane. You know what a roundabout is? They wanna put one on Range Road and I have no idea why they think a roundabout in Port Huron, Michigan, A good idea when people have never had one they have them in Albania and the roundabout there is you just get your nose in there first So you're in a little car big bus doesn't matter You're just getting it's just horns honking and you get through there and you get to the house You're gonna meet his wife his daughter. You're gonna meet Rebecca You're gonna go by the church and you're gonna meet people that literally are like friends your whole life why unity of the faith? the unity of the gospel faith. He says, we're gonna have these men in the churches working these things till we come in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. In other words, not just knowing facts about Jesus Christ, but a true relationship with Jesus Christ. And a knowledge of the Son that will cause a complete Christian, look what else it says there, the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man. And I know you ladies have all your hopes on that right there. It's not what you think, okay? Your husband's not gonna become a perfect man, okay? It's using this man in a general sense unto a complete person. I wish I could get up and say I got saved May 1st, 1983, and I was a mature Christian May 2nd, 1983. But God has been completing me. through the church, through the teaching, through these men, through the work of God in my life. And look at this, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of whom? Where's our standard? Christ. Now, if you are just like Christ, you've arrived, you don't have to worry about this anymore. But for the rest of us in the room, We are to be maturing we are to be growing we are to become complete That we would represent the fullness all that christ is would be represented in my life And then he continues in verse 14 that we henceforth and in doing so look at there's this kind of the contrast Because we're becoming of the knowledge of christ and the unity of the faith and the fullness of christ therefore we are no more children Tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie and wait to deceive The church is becoming stable. It's becoming focused. It's becoming strong It's no longer being thrown about by every wind and every method and every crazy thing that comes under the sun Kyle and I were talking about a a situation today. Well, we're talking about the the dugger family And the deal with their oldest son who's now come out. He was an adulterer as well And I know a little bit about the family, I know some people that know them personally. Very gracious family, they treat everybody the same, they love people, okay. But I made a statement to Kyle, I said, when you watch the TV show, what came through was a lifestyle, not the gospel. Not saying they did that themselves the TV show they edit that stuff a ton to make it sell but at the end of the day You began to think oh if I have this and I do this and I do this and I'll do this Lifestyle, then I'll have this result. Guess what? They got one of 19 20 kids Who's got some real issues? who has shamed the name of Christ and shamed the family shamed his wife and his own children and People are saying see all that life's all them rules all them standards don't work. You don't do them because they work What happened was people became focused on their lifestyle? instead of their gospel Let us as Christians and I'm not saying they did it on purpose, but let us learn from this situation Let the gospel be the number one thing. That's the focus and the testimony of our life not our lifestyle and Because listen, people in the world will look at your lifestyle and say, boy, I want your lifestyle. You're married, and of course, if you're a Christian, you're married, you have no marital problems. At least that's what somehow people think that, they're dreaming. And you have no trouble with kids. Raising kids, we're just like, be good, I'm good, perfect. We just have a wonderful life from the day they're born. They cry one time, we say, don't you cry again. They go cry, they just listen, their kids are just wonderful, right? But people begin to think that, so then they say, I want your lifestyle. No, you don't get my lifestyle. Let me tell you about my Jesus. We have to take and remind ourselves that constantly promoting Christ and in doing so we become steadfast We're not tossed about but look at verse 15. We are speaking the truth in love Why so that we can grow up into him who's the him Christ in all things which is had even Christ So our goal is to grow up into Christ and then verse 16 He says the maturing edified the maturing of the body the congregation edifies the entire body Making increase to the body into the edifying of itself in love. So all this is taking place but go back to the beginning When you had these men put in leadership that are fulfilling their duties This is the goal brother Kyle and I have one goal to see this congregation maturing in Christ edifying itself in Christ stable in Christ if that happens, I will go to my grave and say I completed my course Well, where's church attendance come in there? It doesn't. Where's money come in there? It doesn't. Where's fame and popularity and community come in there? It doesn't. May Kyle and I in 30 years, I'll be 74. How old will you be? That'd be just a young guy, 60. 74, I'll be retired, golfing twice a week like Mr. Hux, talking about this old guy I used to golf with to the young guys. And talk about how he cheats all the time, uses multiple mulligans. Actually, that's my way of golfing. At 74, number one, I do not plan to be your pastor. Unless I have some amazing health ability and can lead you, I do not plan on passing 74. Let's say 65, use the old retirement age. I wanna be able to get up here and say, I have worked tirelessly through the teaching of God's word and through an example in my life to mature a church, to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry that the body would be edifying and building up itself. If that's the case, I have fulfilled my call and responsibility as pastor. That is my duty. That is what God has given these men to the church for. In doing this, God has called for elders to be brought forth by the congregation to promote and ensure this process. Now take your Bible and go to Acts chapter 20, and we'll see some practical things now about the elder, the pastor, and how they benefit the congregation structurally. The next chapter 20 is the passage where Paul calls for the elders of Ephesus to meet him in Miletus beginning in verse 17 And the elders come and they meet with him verse 18. It says and when they were come to him He said unto them, you know from the first day that I came on into Asia after what manner I've been with you at all seasons Serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the line and weight of the Jews And how I kept back nothing That was profitable unto you but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house Testifying both to the jews and also to the greeks repentance towards god and faith toward our lord jesus christ And now behold I go bound In the spirit into jerusalem Not knowing the things that shall befall me there. He's basically saying i'll never see you again Elders of ephesus, I probably will never see you again So this is kind of like Paul's last charge to them. By the way, this is a charge to the elders specifically, not to the congregation of the church. Sometimes people mix this passage up. He's talking to the elders of Ephesus in Miletus, okay? So in verse 28, here's his charge. Look it, take heed therefore, pay attention, take serious unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." In that one passage, Paul gives a charge, a solemn duty, and then shows the importance of it. He says, by the way, the church you're overseeing was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. So notice some responsibilities that we'll find in this passage. First of all, the elder, the pastor, is to feed the flock. Verse 28, feed the flock. What am I feeding you? What am I to feed you? Scripture. This. I'm not your self-esteem guru. And the reason I'm not, because I have enough trouble with my own self-esteem, feeling good about myself. So if you're waiting on me to have a good day to make you feel good, we're all in trouble. Alright, I'm going to feed scripture teach scripture and you're as a believer receive scripture and you begin to grow and you begin to be made perfect equip you begin to mature by hearing the scripture a Church that teaches the scripture and primarily only the scripture has a problem though The lost people they allowed in their membership will not grow by it They'll grow stagnant. Because they need to be redeemed. They need the Holy Spirit in them. So it's easier today to entertain and to become this great motivational speaker than to just feed scripture. But I'm to feed the flock. The feeding is done through teaching. If you go to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and look at the qualifications of a pastor, all of them are character qualifications. There's only one Skill set mention he's got to have only one ability is great Kyle. We only have to be able to do one thing. That's it apt to teach We have to be able to teach. Why does the pastor have to be able to teach? This is how I feed you is through teaching So the reality is a man that's going to be in that office has to be able to take a thought from scripture communicate that thought and deliver that thought and Then all them other qualifications around there are put in there. So that way your teaching is not ignored and mocked Apt to teach the second thing you have to be able to do is protect the flock look at verse 29 He says to them. I know this I Know this listen to me. I know this that after my departing So grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock. He says people are going to come into the congregation and cause trouble He's charging him saying it is your duty to make sure this does not happen And when it does you are to deal with it, but he goes on in verse 30 also of your own selves Hey amongst you elders Some of you are gonna rise up Speaking perverse things so that you can draw away your own disciples after you you are going to be swelled up with pride Some of you and you're going to become that wolf. You're going to become the danger within the congregation So the second thing there to do is protect the flock Protect the flock from on untruthful teaching from schismatic brethren from those that want to draw away disciples after them, even maybe amongst them all themselves, they may have to stand up to one of their own elders and say, you are wrong, you cannot do this. Hold your place here, but look at Titus chapter one. In Titus, Paul has sent a young man named Titus to the isle of Crete. to set some things in order. Some things have gotten messed up there, so he sends Titus there to kind of organize some things. Verse number 5 explains the whole purpose of the book of Titus. He says for this cause for this reason Titus I left left IV in Crete. This is why Titus is in Crete folks That thou should have set in order the things that are wanting and ordain elders in every city as I had appointed thee to set in order the things that are Needful, there's some things missing in the churches in Crete. There's some problems there some things aren't complete Titus I left you there and the way you're going to get these churches complete is you're going to put elders in these churches and Then he gives qualifications of these elders, begins to talk about what the elder must be. Now look at verse number nine. These men must hold fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine, teaching, both to exhort, encourage, and to convince the gainsayer. Why? There's many unruly vain talkers and deceivers, but especially they have the circumstances in whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake. Titus, I put you in Crete. Here's what you need to do in Crete. Titus, there's some things lacking in the churches in Crete. Understand, these are young, new churches. What you need to do as soon as possible, you need to ordain elders in these churches, men to lead them. these men need to have these qualifications these men must be able to take the sound doctrine that they have learned and teach it and By doing so protect the church from the gainsayers from the deceivers from those that would come in and wreak havoc Amongst the church there to protect the flock then thirdly the pastor the elders to lead the church Oversee the church acts 2028 says oversee the church that you've been made the overseer take your Bible go to first Peter chapter 5 and 1st Peter chapter 5 will read the first 5 verses The elders which are among you I exhort This is Peter who am also an elder Peter says I'm an elder in the church and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also partaker of the glory that shall be revealed Here's what the elders are to do. Does it look it sounds just like acts feed the flock of God which is among you and Taking the oversight thereof lead them not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre But of a ready mind Okay, you're not in this for money. You're not in this for personal advantage Neither here's a caution as being Lords don't Lord over God's it you're not their God. I The elder is not the lord in the church. He's not the god of the congregation Don't lord over them over god's heritage, but being an example to the flock And when the chief shepherd shall appear you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away lead the church So it's real simple the structure of the church. You have a congregation that congregation approves men to be the elders the pastors the leaders in the church Those leaders then are given great responsibility and duty to number one, feed the church, protect the church, and lead the church. And so doing, they're doing that so they can equip the church for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body in Christ. That is the duty and responsibility of these pastors. And the church then in turn, though it's congregational as a church, when you select these men, you're saying, yes, we are congregational, but we are taking these elders from within the church to lead the church. The elders are to lead the church for the glory of Christ. Too many, too many, and I know them, and I had to struggle this early in my ministry, have taken the office as a glory unto themselves. and not under Christ. The gospel ministry sadly today is just littered with men who have made it all about themselves. Can anyone tell me who the great pastor in Iran is today? or Turkey, or Sudan. See, to go in the gospel ministry in those countries could mean your life. But in America, to go in the gospel ministry could mean a good life. And it's attracted men who have made their glory the primary focus of their ministry. You can tell as soon as you walk in the church. There's usually gonna be a big picture of them. Some places, honest truth, have statues of the men. Statues on the grounds of the men. You look at the church sign, the church's name there, and as big as letters, the pastor's name. It's all about the pastor. Pride is whole. Look what he says in verse five of 1 Peter 5. Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. For the majority of the history of the church, being an elder was not a personal gain position. It cost you. So these men were chosen to lead the church. And then there the congregation then submits to the church for the glory of Christ. So the pastors lead the church for the glory of Christ. The congregation as a whole submits to the church for the glory of Christ. That's the structure, that's how it functions. So the elders meet, the elders make decisions, the elders then think, this is what we ought to do, this is the direction we ought to go, this is the position we ought to take, the elders have all this, and then they have to bring it, what? Before the church and say, church, this is what we think. And then what do we do? We ask for your confirmation. Because why? The congregation still directs the church. Even with all the position and power and authority you see given to the pastors in the New Testament, they must go before the church to have it confirmed. Kyle and I, we've been meeting last night, and we made a decision that the painting here is horrible. We wanna go with maize and blue stripes on the wall. We have a unanimous decision for that. We want a statue of Steve Eiserman right here. That was Kyle's doing, I'm not that big into hockey. We're the pastors. Now we have to do what? Hey church, do you agree? Sad part is some of you are thinking, yeah, I could go for that. Thank God we got Jimmy in here to say, I ain't wrapped up in sports. No, Jimmy's not as hooked on sports as some of us. If Betty was here, she'd go all for the Steve Eisenman thing, though. Betty Floyd would be all for anything Red Wings. I know that's a foolish example, but at the end of the day, we come before what? The congregation, and we take that vote, and I get one vote, he gets one vote. Actually, we get two, because our wives always vote with us, right? Maybe. Or against us, maybe. I think they voted against us being elders in the church, probably. And we all take that one vote confirming the will of God. And you'll notice a theme. What must the elders do with each other? Submit one to another. What must the church do amongst itself? Submit one to another. Constant theme of humility and submission in the structure of the church. You say, where did the deacons come in? Well, someone's gotta shovel the snow. They don't but The deacons are servants. We'll give a little bit of time next week We're gonna start switching over to the congregational membership of the church and we'll but early on next Sunday We'll talk about the deacons role their servants. They you talk about a role That is so desperately needed in churches. That is not utilized. It's the office of the deacon Okay, here's one thing we did we got rid of pastors plural in the church and made deacons a board and to control the one pastor, because we all think, one guy with that much power is not good. So let's have a deacon board to control him. So then the deacons are no longer the servants they need to be. to have godly men that serve the health and the needs of the church. It's an important role. We're gonna look at that next week and we wanna develop truly a great deacon ministry. A deacon, that's what it is, it's a ministry to serve people. We wanna have a solid, organized, functioning group of pastors. We want a congregation that says this is my church. I Am responsible for everything that goes on in my church You the congregation You're the church I've just been set apart. Hey, you're gonna teach us the word and You're the church. So you need to take personally the responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission, not just Kyle and I. You need to take personal responsibility to have a witness and a testimony. Take personal responsibility to have order and decency and discipline in church. Take personally responsibility to have holiness and righteousness in the church. Everyone's to take that mantle and be responsible for that because it is a congregation Submitted to the church for the glory of Christ and we'll start looking at this idea the Congregationalism of the New Testament Church next week. All right, let's have a word of prayer father We thank you for the offices that you have placed in the church. I