where the admonition to fix our gaze upon Christ, to turn our eyes towards him is a great reminder for the church, a great reminder for our souls. This life is difficult, challenges are difficult, and a gaze that is fixed upon the certainty of Christ and the fact of his victory and his return is a great encouragement to the body. So be encouraged. I don't know if you noticed, but man, we sing songs that teach. These are things that hopefully will become a rhythm and a rhyme in your own heart. In your own soul, these things will be songs that you sing not just on a Sunday morning, but throughout the week, those truths would would solidify you, would strengthen you. So I hope you were encouraged. I certainly was just being mindful of the truth that we sang this morning. Well, turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. We're going to begin looking at verses 7 through 16 this morning. And if you're able, stand with me for the reading of scripture. Paul writes these words, but to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it says, when he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Now this expression, he ascended, what does it mean except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens so that he might fill all things. And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness and deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Let's pray. Father, we thank you this morning for the body of Christ. What a joy and privilege to be a part of a local expression of the church, the big C, knowing that there are those all across this globe who are gathering in similar places or even different places to do the very same thing, and that is to build up one another. to be strengthened, to utilize and use the gifts that Christ has given for the maturity and the stabilization of the church. Oh, Lord, may your church be built up and established. May your church become more and more like Christ and less and less like the world. May your church, your bride, your body, may our eyes be fixed upon the founder and perfecter of our faith. May our eyes be fixed upon Christ and may we, day by day, may we be conformed more and more into his likeness. Lord, that is our deepest desire. Help that to be our pursuit, our priority. And Lord, may as we think of the church as we gather, may that be one of the premier goals that your people would become like your son. that they would be righteous as he is righteous, that they would be holy. Lord, build your church this morning through the teaching ministry of the church. Build your church this morning as we mutually edify and build one another up, as we use our gifts given by you for your church. May we be mindful of these things. May we practice these things. Lord, now give us ears to hear and eyes to see the wonderful things that are found in your word, we pray in Christ's name, amen. You can be seated. Well, if you were to ask the average Christian, average evangelical Christian in the United States to describe what is a thriving church, what is a thriving church, a flourishing church look like? What would make it on that list of characteristics or marks of a thriving church? I would imagine that the list would include something like creative trailblazing programs for everyone, well-equipped facilities maybe attractive media presence, a cultural influence, large crowds, moving and contemporary music. And by the way, none of those are inherently bad things that I just listed. But those do appear to be the things that find themselves in various church growth publications kind of blogs or whatever it might be on how to grow a thriving church. But I don't think these things should be at the top of the list either. There's nothing wrong with those things, but they're certainly not the church's top priority. They might be the icing on the cake or something that is a reality that's helpful. Apparently, if you were to survey our own church body, pews in the sanctuary are a sign of a thriving church, right? That seems to be what people think, and that's fine. Again, I mean, we know pews go all the way back to the New Testament scriptures, right? No, they don't. But scripture doesn't really speak about buildings or programs or, you know, those kinds of things. If it speaks of building, as we've seen in the book of Ephesians, it does so usually as a metaphor. The church being built up as stone upon stone is chiseled and formed and placed into the body. You being that stone that Christ is forming and fashioning and putting in on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. And so the metaphor of building is used, but a building isn't used. Music isn't really spoken of unless it's talking about us singing to one another. which I still think we should do at some point, just kind of face each other and sing. Talk about being awkward. But the idea there is that we would be built up, that we'd be mutually encouraged. And I know I am as I hear the voices of believers singing the same truth that I find so endearing and so encouraging that we're singing it all together. And there's this building up that happens. And there is a sense in which we are singing one to another. But as far as the style, I know we love hymns. I mean, it does say sing spiritual songs and hymns. But the hymns we sing are not the hymns they were singing, right? Things change. And so music is a part of the church. But the main effect of that is that they would be built up and encouraged in their hearts. And yet it certainly has a lot to say, the Scriptures, about the nature of the church, those characteristics that should mark out the church, the things that the church ought to be known for, the things that ought to be visible and expressed in the church, the mission and priority of the church, the very thing that ought to define the church. Scripture speaks often and honestly about what the church of Jesus Christ ought to be known for and marked out by. And in the context of the book of Ephesians, we know that Paul's list would include a church that is captivated by Jesus Christ. A church that sees him as, we have sung this morning, our rock and our redeemer. A church that turns their eyes upon Christ often, deliberately. If you look at the book of Ephesians, you realize that Jesus Christ punctuates nearly every verse. in the letter to the Ephesians. That expression, in Christ, or some other parallel to that, appears 36 times in this letter. Paul wants the church to know that her every blessing, her every spiritual blessing, is directly connected to Jesus Christ. That he is the reason that we are what we are. He's the reason that we are blessed beyond measure. So Paul would say a thriving church is one that is captivated and centered upon the Lord Jesus Christ, one that comprehends exactly what it is that Christ has done and accomplished. Even in our verses this morning, Christ again punctuates this section. We could also add, just looking at Ephesians 4, that Paul would say a thriving church, as Pastor Jack preached last Lord's Day, is a united one. A church that is united, a church that has been humbled by the gospel. They are aware of the precious reality that prior to Christ, We all were dead in our sins and our trespasses. We all were following the God of this world. We were all children of wrath. And now we're aware that it is God and God alone who has made us alive, seated us with Christ, that by grace we have been saved and that not of ourselves. It is a gift of God. And that truth humbles us. And one of the fruits of that truth, of understanding the gospel, and that is why Paul has spent so much time underscoring those realities, is because it humbles us, and what humility does is it unites us, right? We realize that there is equality beneath, underneath the cross. We are all in desperate need of what the cross provides, what Christ provides. And so committed to this unity that the church experiences, Paul would say that a thriving church guards and protects this sweet spirit of unity. This is why he says in verse three that we do this with gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. This is an attractive church. This is a life-giving church. It is a gospel-saturated church. This is the very church that we ought to strive for, to pray for, to work toward, to commit ourselves to be faithful to. A thriving church is one that walks in a manner worthy of our calling. In other words, it walks in a manner that reflects the transformational effect of the gospel. The fact that the gospel changes people. We were dead, not anymore. We were following the course of this world, not anymore. We were children of wrath, not anymore. And that changes us. The gospel does that, and it unites us, as Paul reminded the Ephesians in chapter two, that those who were hostile and had enmity one to another, the Jews and the Gentiles, both throwing their animosity in different directions to one another, that they have been made one new man, that they've been brought together. That's what the gospel does. And so a thriving church is one that is saturated with Christ, it is united. It's not a perfect place, but as Paul reminds us in this passage, it should be a flourishing place. It should be a place where men and women and children are growing and maturing. They are flourishing. They're coming to understand who they are and who Christ is and what Christ has done for them. And Paul's thought here is that in light of all of that, all that Christ has done, that ought to govern the way that they conduct their lives. And that's the real thrust of verses, or from chapters four through six, that we are to walk a certain way. that what ought to govern our day-to-day living is the reality of what has happened in the gospel, the glory of our calling. So according to Paul, a thriving church is one where Christ is being exalted, where unity is being experienced. Now this morning, as we look at verses 7 through 16, which very easily could be a series of messages. So I'm not gonna get to every little detail, but I want us to notice two more marks or characteristics of a thriving church. The first one is this, a thriving church is one where gifts are being exercised. Gifts are being exercised. I suppose you could say it this way, a thriving church is one where everyone is serving. Everyone is utilizing their Christ-given, Christ-purchased gifts. If you look at verse 7, we see, but to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Gifts described by Paul in verse 7 are those that are grace-given gifts. One of the things that we see about the grace of the Lord is that grace always gives. It's the nature of divine grace to give. Grace gives what is necessary. It gives what is needed. It gives what is undeserved. And it's grace that saved us, chapter 2 verse 5. Paul says of his own ministry and calling as an apostle to the Gentiles that he says in verse 7 of chapter 3, I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me. I didn't appoint myself to this position. This was a gifting, a grace that God himself had bestowed upon me. And then he adds in verse eight of chapter three, to me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the unfathomable riches of Christ. Again, notice how Christ punctuates everything about Paul, but even this, Paul recognizes this was a gift that was distributed to him. It was something he was given. It's all grace, all of it. Salvation, faith, our ministry, our gifting, it's all given by him by his grace. You don't earn them, you receive them, right? Notice verse seven, that specifically, in fact, you see it in chapter, or verse seven, you see it in verse eight, you see it in verse 11 as well, this concept of giving, notice. But to each one of us, grace was given. Verse eight, he gave gifts to men, quoted from Psalm 68, verse 11, and he himself, that being Christ, gave some as apostles, and then he gives the list of these leaders, given, gave, gave. These are from the Lord. And they are to be exercised and utilized as exactly that, grace, gifts. So let's highlight several details that Paul gives concerning these gifts that are to be exercised. First, notice, as Paul often does, notice the distributor of these gifts. Notice the distributor of these gifts. Notice that it says verse 7, according to the measure of Christ's gift. And then in verse 8, he uses and alludes to an Old Testament passage, Psalm 68. Now, if you look at Psalm 68, you quickly realize that this is a psalm of triumph. This is a psalm of It's composed by David as he celebrates Yahweh as a triumphant victor. As a king who does not fail. A king who blew the enemy away like smoke and melted them like wax. Now, if you read the Old Testament, you know that it is full of events. battles where incredible victories that are crystal clear that those victories are the result of Yahweh defending them, Yahweh fighting for them. He even describes himself in that way. Great victories, really, when you look at the totality of the Old Testament, were nothing new to Israel, for God had been with them from the very beginning, right? We look at his deliverance of them from the hands of the Egyptians, we see his provision as they move into the wilderness, and then even as they go into the Promised Land. The historical context of this particular psalm likely had to do with the Jebusite battle that we read of in Samuel and Chronicles, where Jerusalem is captured and Jerusalem becomes kind of the highlight. He gave Mount Zion and he dwells there. That's something that we see. So Israel has a history of victory and it's victory that is because it is directly connected to Yahweh. He's the one who has secured it. And so Paul quotes in verse 8, therefore it says, in reference to Christ and His gifts, when He ascended on high He led captive a host of captives. That's verse 18 of Psalm 68. And He gave gifts to men, though there's a little variation there. And then he talks about Christ's incarnation, His coming to earth, His victory, right? The big question that comes about because of Paul quoting from Psalm 68 is how does this exactly fit with the context of the psalm? Paul seems to employ this verse, I mean the simple explanation is because it's in a similar way it summarizes the historical parallel between between God's actions in the psalm namely his triumph as a victorious king and then those accomplished by Christ. I mean we can't forget what Paul has already said in Ephesians 2 about the exaltation and victory of Christ. We see this especially at the end of chapter 1, where this power that is at work in us is described and seen by raising Christ from the dead and seating him in his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." So Paul has already spoken of the victory, the exaltation, the triumph, of Christ. And so Paul uses this Psalm 68 to say, in a similar way, just as Yahweh has been triumphant historically, so Christ also has been triumphant over every earthly power that he has conquered. And He has, as a result, just as Yahweh received the gifts of His spoils, which is what Psalm 68 talks about, and if you keep reading, then the women are the ones who give it, right? They give those spoils away. But in a similar way, Christ took the spoils of His victory and He has distributed those to the people. Christ distributes the spoils of His So, it's not really a huge discrepancy. After all, the one who receives gifts is certainly in a position to then give and distribute those gifts. It's his prerogative. If anything, this is demonstrating that it is Christ who paid the price. It is Christ who secured the victory. He secured the spoils and they're His to distribute. And once again, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. Why? Because of Him. Right? Because of him. It's not because of anything in us that we're given these gifts. It's because he was victorious. It's because he has secured these things. And so the picture is one of grace and triumph. The head of the church is a triumphant king who returns on high and blesses his people. And these gifts to the church that are to be exercised are just another example of how we've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is a great victorious king. This is a savior. And he's the distributor of these gifts. But second, notice not just the distributor of those gifts, which is Christ, which, by the way, is a little bit unique because when Paul speaks of spiritual gifts, for example, in Romans 12 or in 1 Corinthians 12 through 14, It's the distributor is usually the spirit. And so you wonder, well, which one is it? Well, yeah, it's both. Again, this is a triune God working on behalf of his church that he has purchased through the redemptive work of Christ, but the triune God is at work. And so he's the distributor of these gifts. Now notice secondly, the diversity of the gifts. It says to each one of us, These are Christ's gifts to his church, and he has not overlooked anyone in the distribution of those gifts. Each member, each saint, has been given one. Now Paul will zero in on a select few of those gifts, and I think there's a reason for that, because his focus, Paul's focus, is primarily upon the equipping, the building aspect of the church as it pertains to teaching, and those particular gifts do that, right? But if you look at, for example, 1 Corinthians 12 through 14, or Romans 12, or even 1 Peter 4, the teaching on spiritual gifts is very clear. It's very consistent. Spiritual gifts are not elitist in the church. There are not a select few who are given gifts and kind of everyone else is overlooked. Rather, we are one body with many members and those members, according to Romans 12, those members have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. And so these gifts, even the expression of these gifts, you look at a gift like teaching, there's many teachers in this particular body of believers, but they all vary, they're all different. And so there's these variation, there's multiple dimensions to all of these gifts, they differ by God's grace for the encouragement of the church. In the context of what Paul has just said in the first six verses, it is this giftedness of each one of us that kind of underscores the unity that we all possess. And at least one of the dimensions of diligently preserving or protecting unity, which is what Paul talks about in verse three, is for each one of us to live out the giftedness that we have received, to exercise those gifts. It's hard to be divided when everyone is serving. It's hard to be divided when everyone is doing their part. It's hard to be divided when everyone understands that they belong and serve an intentional, purposeful, God-given, Christ-given position and place in the local body, in the church. That every member is functioning in some capacity. I love what John Calvin says about this. He says, no member of the body of Christ is endowed with such perfections as to be able, without the assistance of others, to supply his own necessity. Translation, you can't do this on your own, nor were you ever intended to. The body is to function in this unique way that unites us, that every member, every part, the hand, the feet, the legs, Right? That is playing their part and that everyone is exercising those gifts. The reality is that we need one another. Right? And that is what unites us. I think that's an important thing, especially in our current church setting. And I just mean Church Big C in the United States, where going to church is oftentimes viewed as a spectator event. After all, someone is up here and you're down there. It's very easy to become disengaged. It's very easy to even wonder what part you play in all of this. There's got to be more to it than just listening, though listening is a good thing, right? It's important. But a lot of times, that is exactly what you see. That's exactly what is happening in many churches. You show up, And nobody has to do anything, right? You just kind of give your money, you join in on the singing, and then that's it. But true believers in a kind of spectator environment, would languish terribly in that particular setting because they understand the vital nature of each member using their gifts. Each believer is critical to the church's well-being, and that is what we will find exactly what Paul says. Paul tells the Corinthians that no believer can say because of their particular gift and its apparent insignificance that they can't say, I'm not really part of the body. They're not able to say that. They've been given a gift. It's to be utilized. It's to be used. It's to be exercised. And no believer in the church ought to say of another member with a different gift, I have no need of you. Because you do, right? you do have a need of one to another. It is the diversity of these gifts that unite us. And when we recognize that every member functioning with their diverse gifting is vital to the life and well-being of the church, we are going to be better for it. There should be nothing more disconcerting about a local church than to see a group of spectators or a group of you know, consumers, which is a very American thing, you know, we've often been consumers, you will, you're probably going to go to lunch, right? You're a consumer, drive-thru consumer, right? You do nothing but pay and they give you something, right? That's not the picture of the church. And that's a real possibility in the way that we conduct ourselves. You want to see a thriving church? Show me a church where everyone is working in some capacity, various gifts, various expressions of those gifts, where there's mutual encouragement that's taking place, not just up here on a pulpit, which again is necessary and we'll see that, but one in which each member is encouraging and building up with their particular gift Whether that's in service or words of encouragement, exhortation, whatever it might be, those gifts are vital to the church. We are dependent on one another for our own growth in Christlikeness. And Christ gives some very specific gifts to ensure that his church, his people, are being equipped for that kind of service. Equipped and built up and growing in Christ's likeness look at verse 11, and he gave Some in other words not everyone is this apostles and some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers now We're gonna talk more about those particular gifts in a moment, but notice that these leadership and guidance and teaching gifts are given specifically for what purpose? To equip the saints, that is to equip believers for what? For the work of ministry. These are gifts to fortify his people. These are gifts that will protect and nurture his people. These are gifts that are going to establish his people. But so that they would exercise those gifts, that they would exercise their place in the church. And that's a third thing I want you to see, not just the distributor of the gifts, not just the diversity of gifts, but notice the dividends. of exercising these gifts. What are the dividends? What are the blessings? Well, look at verse 16. From whom the whole body being joined and held together. In other words, Christ is the glue that holds the body together. He is in the process of working in us through his word. He is joining us together. That's that same imagery that we had earlier in chapter 2. He's joining us, you know, realizing the ancient world, stones would need to be smoothed over. They need to be made so that they fit, right? That they're fit together to form that building. And so Jesus is that skilled builder of his church, which he has said that's what he will do. And he distributes these particular gifts for his church to grow and flourish. He's the source of the body's growth. We are knit together by the truth and by the gifts being utilized. Our hearts and our minds are being aligned and there's unity where that's done. But notice the corporate emphasis here. Jesus is doing that, and then he says, by what every joint supplies, according to the properly measured working of each individual part. That's what causes the growth. So in other words, as each part of the body is in contact with the other parts, the body works together as it was intended to, as it was designed to. that focus of being together, of being connected, of being formed. These are corporate things. You're not simply growing as your own independent island as a believer. There is a corporate aspect where believers are being built up as a result of your using your gifts. All are to contribute. Each member applies the measure he or she has been given by Christ to make the body work well. I mean, one of the things that we see in this section is that it really undercuts any kind of sharp distinction that I think historically in the church, and still at times is present, any sharp distinction between clergy and layperson. as if there is a sharp distinction between the priest or the clergy or the pastor and those members. We need to realize, biblically speaking, that elders, teachers, vocational ministers are only part of the body. They're only part of it. And they're important parts, no doubt about it. Verse 11 highlights that, but they are one of many parts that need to function properly and effectively. Every joint or member supplies an essential ingredient that makes up the church. You contribute to the building up of the church, and so don't underestimate that. Growth is stifled. The body's growth and flourishing and thriving is hindered when its members aren't utilizing and serving the church. We actually grow and mature as each one does his or her part. And notice that is exactly what Paul says, that growth is the result. Look at the end of verse 16. It causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. The growth of the church is not the result of clever methods or gimmicks or even a high social media presence. The growth of the church is connected to every member of the body serving and functioning as it ought. A thriving church is not one in which the pastor or the vocational leaders do the work of the ministry and the people sit back and watch. Rather, the thriving church is where those ministers who are given the task of equipping the saints are using their gifts to fortify and establish the rest of the church so that in turn the saints might do what they are intended to do. If you've not thought of yourself as a minister, The concept of the priesthood of all believers, right? You need to. You are a minister. Now, that doesn't mean you teach, right? But that's not the only gift. You do the work of the ministry as you serve and love and care and comfort the rest of the body through using your gifts. And so go minister. Use your gift to bless and build up the church by what every joint supplies. about each individual part that's causing growth in the body. And as we do that, the body itself will be built up in love. Again, John Calvin on this particular section of Ephesians 4, he says, that man is mistaken who desires his own separate growth. For what would it profit a leg or an arm if it grew to an enormous size? Or for the mouth to be stretched wider? It would merely be afflicted with a harmful tumor. So if we wish to be considered in Christ, let no man be anything for himself, but let us all be whatever we are for others. Isn't that the very definition of what love is? Right? Love is the seeking to benefit others. Calvin says, this is accomplished by love. And where love does not reign, there is no edification of the church, but a mere scattering. He's right. A thriving and loving church is one where every member is serving and using their Christ-given gifts. And that really brings us to the second mark that I want to highlight here of a thriving church. Every member is utilizing their gifts. Gifts are being exercised. But secondly, and we've really alluded to it already, a thriving church is a place where saints are being established, where saints are being established. And we see this in verses 12 through 16. Now, the mission of the church is to make disciples. We see that in Matthew 28. And Paul really exegetes one aspect of the Great Commission, namely to equip the saints. Kind of what Jesus said, make disciples is what you do. How do you do it? By going, by baptizing, and by teaching. And Paul focuses and highlights that one aspect of teaching or the equipping of the saints. That is the aim of the church. Disciples who are equipped. Disciples who are fully grown is the idea. Mature, complete, perfect. Paul said that very thing in Colossians, that the thing that he labored at, you know, blood, sweat, and tears, he told the Colossians, I do that so that I could present every man mature in Christ or complete in Christ. That is what motivated Paul. that men and women would be formed into Christ, that they would become more and more like Jesus Christ. That is what motivated his teaching. It's what motivated his admonition, is that Christ would be being formed in that particular person. There's a church out in Charlotte, North Carolina, You may have heard of it. I mean, again, it has a high social media presence. It's a church called Elevation Church. You might even have heard some of their music. It's pastored by a guy named Stephen Furtick. You can find him on YouTube. As a general rule, I would say mark and avoid this guy. He's a false teacher, so I'm not encouraging you to go and listen to him. There are way better preachers to listen to. But I was looking on their website and there's a link of a guy that's talking about the vision and the mission, I think he's on the pastoral staff there, about the core values of Elevation Church. And one of the things that we say, this is a direct quote, it says this, we need your seat. We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach this city. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. That is the exact opposite of what Paul is saying here. Now, don't get me wrong. The church has a scattering part. We gather here and we scatter out to be witnesses and a testimony of God's abundant grace. We are concerned with the unbelieving world. That is a burden that we have. There is no doubt about that. So that's not an ill-placed desire to want to see sinners come to know Christ. But the idea that you'd be more concerned with those who are not in your church than you are those who are in your church, namely their well-being, that is the very opposite of what Paul says in these verses. Now, don't get me wrong, again, We scatter, we go, as the Great Commission tells us. But listen, when we assemble, this is the gathered church. When the church gathers, and you need that seat, right? That's why we're having a discussion about pews and chairs, right? You need that seat. We care about that seat, not because of the seat itself, but because of you. We want you established and built up. We are concerned that you would be growing in Christ's likeness. We want the word of God to fill your heart and your mind. We want Christ to be your greatest treasure. We want him to punctuate your heart and your mind. We want your affections for Christ to grow and to flourish. And there's a clear pattern here in these verses. And so I want to unpack that of how it is that saints are established in the church. Notice again, verse 11, Christ himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers. And so Christ gives these gifts to the church And what we could say about these are these are skilled leaders. These are skilled leaders. These are gifts that build and fortify. It fits the view of Christ as the triumphant king and his church as an army. And these apostles, prophets, evangelists, they are the drill sergeants. They are the ones that are equipping and encouraging and building up and fortifying the church so that she will be ready, that she will be growing in Christ-likeness and be ready to be a witness to the world. These are gifts, you'll notice, that include teaching and guidance and revelation. It's not that the other gifts don't also build and fortify, but these particular gifts prepare the church for battle. They prepare the church for warding off attacks of deceitful scheming, false teachers. That's why I don't be offended if occasionally a false teacher, we name someone, right? Someone who's on YouTube, someone who's well-known, and we call them out. Why? Not because we find any joy in calling that person out, but because we care about you. We want you to fill your mind with gifted, skilled leaders, preachers who believe the Word of God, not those who are deceitful, those who are scheming, those who cause the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, to go off track. And so these particular gifts that are mentioned involve leaders, teachers who guide the church as a catalyst to its internal growth and maturity. I'll only talk about these for a moment. Apostles and prophets we've already talked about in Ephesians 2. foundational to the church. They are, if you will, the base of the new temple, right? That is the church. They also had the mystery revealed to them, chapter 3, verse 5. These were often the men who planted churches and who mediated revelation from God as God's spokespersons. I would actually argue that these particular gifts are not ones that have continued. They laid the foundation. You only need one foundation and then you build upon that foundation. And so the apostles and the prophets laid that foundation of revealing the words of Christ. And then you have evangelists. It's kind of a rare title. We don't see it very often. Philip is referred to as the evangelist. And Timothy in 2 Timothy 4-5 is told to do the work of an evangelist. And basically what we can conclude is from the word itself, right? These are good newsers, right? These are those who go and proclaim and herald the gospel. Now, there's a real sense in which all of us are to do that, right? But there are those, and you know when you've met them, that they are just driven by and gifted in sharing the gospel, proclaiming the gospel. They evangelize. They may even train others and call others along in evangelism. Then there are the pastors or the shepherds and teachers. They may be the same office. There's some discussion on that. But generally, these are the ones that teach and train and shepherd concerning the faith, concerning sound doctrine. And all of those gifts that are mentioned are for the purpose of stabilizing and growing and equipping the saint for the work of God. ministry. So there is this pattern, Christ gives skilled men as leaders to equip the saints, who in turn do the work of the ministry. But what are they equipping these saints with? And that really leads us to the second kind of aspect of the pattern or the second ingredient, and that's sound doctrine. Notice in verse 13, Paul says, until we all attain to the unity of the faith. He's talking about a collective or the full knowledge of the Son of God. In verse 14, the very reason they're equipping the saints is so that believers wouldn't be tossed and carried about by every wind of what? Doctrine. In that context, it's false doctrine, but the idea is that you counter false doctrine with true doctrine, with sound doctrine. That's why we speak the truth in love, so that we might grow up in all aspects into Him who is head, that is Christ. So the foundation of the church is divine truth. It's the unity of the faith. It's the once-for-all delivered-to-the-saints faith. The very thing that unites us is theological, right? Paul's list of seven in verses three through six, right? Of chapter four, one body, right? One spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, that's all doctrine. And so the unity that Paul envisions here is one of unity of the faith. One where there is agreement upon the foundation of our faith. The aim of the equipping is, again, maturity and growth, but it is divine truth that provides that. Sound doctrine. If you read through the book of Acts, you see the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. Acts 2.42, the apostles gave themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Acts chapter 6, Paul told Timothy and Titus as leaders and pastors in the church to teach sound doctrine. Because Paul knows the key to spiritual vitality and spiritual strength is sound doctrine. This is why Paul tells Timothy to preach the word. Now, he does say with all patience. Why? Because it's a building process, right? We don't all attain to the measure of Christ right away. It is a season of patterns and habits and growth. Paul adds the full knowledge of the Son of God. Now, that's not simply intellectual knowledge. That you can tell me about the hypostatic union, which great if you can, that's great. I'm glad. But the full knowledge of the Son of God in Paul's mind to know Christ is to love Christ. To have strong affections for Christ. For Christ to dwell in their hearts and their minds. And that is the very aim of teaching sound doctrine, that there might be more love for Christ, more affection, more adoration for him and his church and his ways. And so there is this pattern. You have skilled leaders teaching sound doctrine, which finally leads to stable saints. Now by stable, I don't just mean firm and fixed and settled. I also mean mature. You want to see a thriving church? A thriving church is one in which you see a maturing that takes place in the lives of people, that you actually see. You knew them from the time that maybe before they were in Christ, and then as they first knew Christ, and then 10 years later, you see how Christ has changed their thinking, changed their behavior, The result of sound teaching, sound doctrine, is stable saints. Verse 13, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. How do you like that for a job description? That basically means, you know all those gifts, pastors, teachers, evangelists? Yeah, it's not going to end. On earth, these gifts are going to continue because the goal is that they would be like Christ and we won't be like Him until the very end when we see Him face to face. But if you want to gauge or measure a thriving church, it ought to be that there is a growing Christ-likeness. The measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. that the church would know Christ and become increasingly more and more like him. That's a thriving church. That has nothing to do with numbers, right? And again, that's not a hit on the large church. There are a variety of different sizes of churches, but a thriving church is one in which Christ is being formed in the hearts of men and women. This is why we speak the truth in love, to grow up in all aspects into Him. It's why every member serves and utilizes their gift. Why do we teach? Why do we serve? Why speak the truth in love? Well, because we want everyone to become more and more like Christ. And yet, isn't it interesting, tragically ironic that when you're struggling as a Christian, the tendency is to stay away from the church. When the reality is you're probably struggling because you're not there. And there are huge areas of your life where you need people to minister their gifts to strengthen you. You know, when we were talking about the church gathering and how COVID had a place, you know, how COVID played a place in us not assembling, that is one of the biggest reasons why online church isn't effective ultimately, because you need life on life, right? You need to assemble. You can't do the one another's online, not effectively, right? You can try. Talk to anyone who's been online for any measure of time, and they'll tell you there is something missing, and that's exactly it. It's the hand on the shoulder. It's the hug. It's the handshake. It's the, I'm praying for you. It's the, hey, let's pray together. It's the encouraging word when going through a trial, face to face, right? Brother to brother, sister to sister. It's those things that strengthen us, that stabilize us, that when we are reminded, when we remind one another of Christ and his work and his promises, you can't get that online. Not to that degree. And so, thus the call to not forsake the assembling. It's the pattern, the program that he has established, that he's given to the church for her growth. This is exactly why. If a church is nothing but a smoke and light show or a concert, that you can attend the event and that's all, that's really never going to produce spiritual growth. Spiritual growth happens as a result of life on life. body life, people using their gifts for the edification and the building up of one another. Now there's one additional thing I want to point out, I'll do that quickly, and that is that it does provide stability. Have you weathered a storm before? Like a trial? Have you come out on the other side of it strengthened? I would argue that is the direct result of sound doctrine. That is the direct result of being a part of a body of believers that are encouraging you, fortifying you, pointing you to Christ. Paul says in verse 15 that one aspect of this teaching ministry of these pastors, teachers, and evangelists is so that we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine. by the trickery of men. Listen, there are a lot of false systems. There is a lot of false teaching. There has been throughout church history and there will continue to be. So how do you protect yourself from the trickery of men and the schemes of evil? How do you handle the waves of false doctrine? Well, here's one way, Paul says, you grow up. Right? That you don't always remain a child, a toddler, because you can't continue as a toddler Christian. The church cannot just center on those who they are trying to reach or cater to the new believer or the seeker. Why? Because their job is to fortify and stabilize to bring that toddler believer to adulthood. Why? So that they're not tossed to and fro. So they're not easily deceived. Let me just tell you, there's plenty of it on social media. It's only become more accessible. And so there is a real encouragement. Men, let me encourage you to come to Doctrine and Donuts because there is a need for becoming doctrinally mature. Doctrinally mature so that you're not ensnared by the crafty schemes of deceiving false teachers. So that because you know the real deal so well, you're not blown away by a counterfeit. Don't minimize false teaching. Paul doesn't. I mean, Paul is giving the imagery of powerful winds and waves that can shipwreck the faith. He has known people who have been shipwrecked in terms of their faith. Paul's solution is preaching the word. It is sound teaching that produces stability, that produces discernment, right? That's what it does. So that you're able to discern from what is not just right and wrong, but what is right and almost right, right? To use Spurgeon's definition. Or as John Murray said, the difference between truth and error is not a chasm, but a razor's edge. It's true. It's true. Skilled leaders teaching sound doctrine produces stable and mature saints. That's the pattern that we see. That's the mission of the teaching and instruction ministry of the church. Teaching that matures and stabilizes and fortifies, and that is a mark of a thriving church. So let me just simplify this message. If you hear only two things, here they are. A thriving church is a place where every member is serving and every member is maturing. And so if we want to take this to an application level, we have to ask ourselves those tough questions. How am I serving the church? Am I serving the church? How are others in the body benefiting from my intentional actions to stir them up, as Hebrews 10 says, to love and good deeds, to encourage them in Christlikeness. How am I serving the church? How am I utilizing that Christ-given gift? Another one to ask is, how am I ensuring my continued growth in Christlikeness? How am I stabilizing my faith? Am I filling myself with sound teaching, sound doctrine? Am I making use of the ministries of the church as far as edification and building up with sound doctrine as the center? Am I making use of those? Because I certainly ought to be. That's how I'm going to thrive individually, and that's certainly how The church is to thrive and will thrive. May we be given to those things, serving and maturing. May the Lord help us to do that. Amen. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. I know a lot was said as we look at this passage, and even more can easily be said, and yet how simple it really is. Lord, are we serving? How are we serving? Lord, I pray that you would put in our own hearts a deep desire to serve the church, to be with the church, to edify the church, and to sit under the sound teaching of the church so that we might become mature in Christ. Lord, build your church. Use your people. We pray in Christ's name. Amen. Let's stand together. We're going to sing a closing song. Based on what we just heard, just ask everyone.