Often during my career as
a pastor I wondered if the reason more people were not coming to our churches
was the churches. At the end of the
First World War and on into the 1920s many people believed the churches just
weren’t dealing with the real world.
They were caught up in controversies over issues no one cared about and
neglecting issues very much on the minds of those same people.
The problem was few
people—either in the church or out—really knew what the “real” world was
about. They didn’t know the problems
that created the Great War, the moral confusion of the age, the conflicts
between races, and the greed that helped set the world up for the Great
Depression were spiritual problems.
Problems needing spiritual resources.
Remember that in Ephesians
Paul is explaining how in Christ God has created one new people to live for him
and work for him in the real world. In Ephesians
4:1-7, he is laying out a picture of how that ideal finds its expression in the
church. Paul’s wishes for the church
are describe the kind of churches we need.
[Some of you will recognize
this as a revision of my sermon posted in December 2014. If so, you know “Final Wishes” was the last
sermon I preached as pastor of the Worthington Baptist Church. That sermon contains more personal material
than usually finds its way into my sermons.
If you want to read it, go to it in the blog; otherwise, I hope you enjoy
this revision.]
We need churches possessing those
qualities unquestionably marking you as Christ’s people.
He begins by underscoring
those traits that ought to be found in every Christian. Christians are to live “with all
humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love.”
We can’t look at each trait
in detail but, taken together, they describe a remarkable person. Such a person does not scramble to be the
Alpha dog; but is willing to do the menial if it benefits the church. Such a person meets you without assuming you
want his undivided opinion. Such a
person is a soothing presence in potentially explosive situations. Such a person has marked “retaliation” out of
the dictionary and written “patience” in the margins. Such a person shows a dogged determination to
start once again from square one with that spiritual slow-learner. Such a person ties up all these qualities
with Christian love. At the same time,
because the Spirit intends these qualities to make us Christlike, not nice,
such a person will not allow bullies to go unchallenged and error to go
uncorrected.
Imagine what church would
be like if each person possessed and demonstrated these qualities. Imagine the impact that church would make.
Every Christian would be a living defense of the faith. It’s why I wish it for you.
Of course, Paul’s own words
remind us this vision is sometimes thwarted.
These qualities are too often missing from my life. But I offer this wish because, we ought to
aspire “to live worthily of the calling with which [we] have been called.” I think Paul is reminding us we have been
called to be part of a redeemed people, a changed people, a new people; a
people whose lifestyle testifies to the fact God has been at work.
We need churches that celebrate their
unity as God’s People.
As Paul wished for the
Ephesians, I wish you would “be eager to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Division in churches is one
of the reasons so many are disgusted with churches. Instead of seeing love at work in our
churches they see pettiness.
Let me point out something
that seems clear from Paul’s language.
If the Ephesians were “to maintain the unity of the Spirit” it’s
reasonable to assume the unity was already a reality. We know of churches were unity is gone; only
animosity remains. I believe better
things of this church. So, I want you to
celebrate your unity. But let me be very
clear. The unity worth celebrating is
“the unity of the Spirit,” that unity produced by the Holy Spirit. Since the Day of Pentecost the church had
known the unifying presence of the Holy Spirit.
In Paul’s view, unity is the natural state for the church. It’s a unity that manifests itself in “the
bond of peace.”
Peace is a big theme in
Ephesians. In the second chapter Paul
speaks of the impact of Christ’s work on the cross: “Christ
himself is our peace,” he says, “Christ came and preached peace to you who
were far away from God, and to those who were near to God.”
We Christians are bound
together because we have peace with God and peace with each other.
So, celebrate your
unity. Learn from each other. Let yourselves be inspired by the testimonies
of those who don’t share your background.
When you look around and see someone whose accent is different than
yours, whose political affiliation differs from yours, whose experience differs
from yours, remember Christ is in the business of tearing down walls.
But let me remind you,
there is one whose business is building walls.
So, let me add a footnote to this particular wish. For, I wish you might understand the threats
to your unity are many and you must be diligent to resist them. Peace—even peace generated by the Spirit—can
be fragile. Paul’s words imply maintaining
demands commitment and work. Here’s the
Amplified Bible’s rendering of the command:
“Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the
harmony and oneness produced by the Spirit.”
The threats to unity may
take various forms. Be on guard against
interpersonal relationships getting out of control. Watch out for parties forming. Pray you don’t allow jealousy and ambition to
make you a pawn of that great Divider, Satan.
Be on guard against that happening.
Hold onto the vision of being a united church.
Remember, there may come a
time when you must take the mantle of peacemaker.
We
need churches that treasure the essentials of the faith without obsessing over
the non-essentials.
Some believe Paul might
have been citing an early creed as he says,
There
is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your
calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is
over all and through all and in all
In this list Paul cites
those things that ought to bind us together.
We are united in “one Body” for Christians in a local church shouldn’t
behave like they belong to different churches.
We are united through “one Spirit” for the we are all received the
Spirit and become more like Christ as the Spirit works within us. We are united through “one hope” for we
should share the common yearning for God to complete the work of salvation
within us. We are united through “one
Lord” for it is Christ to whom all of us owe our allegiance. We are united through “one faith” for each of
us is saved “by grace through faith,” none of us can claim any other basis for
our salvation. We are united through
“one baptism” for though the stories of how we may have come to that place may
differ, we have each declared our allegiance to Christ. We are all united through “one God and
Father” for we are doubly privileged to be part of God’s family and to call him
Father.
I think Paul is telling us
that the Faith is to be experienced not just talked about. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t essentials
of the faith. There are core elements on
which our hope stands or falls. Yes, we
are united through “one Lord,” but we must be absolutely clear who that Lord
is. He was more than a wise teacher
reputed to have done a lot of good things. He alone could claim that anyone
wanting to know what God is like should look at him. Ignore that and you have jettisoned much of
the Christian message.
Just a few verses later,
when Paul speaks of the varied ministries of the church, he stresses the
importance of being grounded in these essentials. The ministry of the church has its goal for
us to
all come to such unity in
our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord,
measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
Then we will no
longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every
wind of new teaching. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in
every way more and more like Christ…
I wish for you to treasure
those essentials.
But be careful you don’t
get caught up with non-essentials. Watch
out for those who claim to know more than they can possibly know. Avoid, as Paul warned Timothy, those who have
“an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words.” (I Timothy 6:4)
Remember, churches are hurt
when they treat every doctrine as non-essential. They are hurt as much when they treat every notion
as essential.
We need churches where believers
exercise their spiritual gift so they might work together to accomplish
Christ’s purpose for them as his people wherever they might be.
Once again I’m going to have to
be content with broad strokes, leaving it to you to fill in the fine
detail. Listen to what Paul says:
But
to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. It was he who gave some as
apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and
teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry…
In Paul’s discussion of
spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12, he focuses on the nature and character of
the gifts. Here, we might say he focuses
on the gifted within the church, those who are both gifted and gifts. But what’s more important than the contrast
between these passages is what they have in common.
Both make it clear Christ
provides what his churches need to do his work. Do you get what
that means? Because of Christ’s
provisions a small church doesn’t have to wait until it is big to do his work;
a poor church doesn’t have to wait until it is rich to do his work. And, remember, those provisions are
manifested through the lives of individual Christians. In both passages Paul tells us each believer
possesses some gift (a charisma) from the Spirit. Ironically, that means we are all
charismatics but I don’t intend to pursue that notion on my last Sunday with
you.
Keep in mind how Paul uses
“grace.” It is the “unmerited favor”
that opens the way to salvation but it is also a God-given enablement. The Expanded Bible translation gets to
the point: “Each one of us has been given
the special gift of grace,” where the phrase refers to a “graciously bestowed
divine endowment.” Those who possess
such “gifts of grace” have no more earned them than they earned the gift of
salvation.
The proper response to Christ’s
gifting his people isn’t pride but an eagerness to discover and use those gifts
in ways that will honor the Giver and accomplish his vision for the
church.
What’s important now is for you
to understand you possess—by God’s grace—the capacity to do the work of the
church even as you search for a new pastor.
Let’s try to relate this to the
text. Good Christians differ over
whether there are still “apostles” and “prophets” in the church. We won’t resolve that this morning. But it’s not impossible for one of you to
have an apostle-like ability to so testify to your experience of Christ that
new doors are opened for the gospel, doors that no “professional” minister
could open. Or maybe, in the days to
come, the church will need someone with a prophet-like ability to apply the
insights of God’s Word to some challenge.
Maybe that will be you.
I don’t think it’s off base to
suggest that the work of these individuals Paul lists may been done by
Christians who never have the title.
You may be one of them.
While there’s no doubt an
individual like Billy Graham can wear the title “evangelist,” you may discover
that if you ever once ask God to help you overcome your fear, you might be able
to help a friend or neighbor toward faith.
Of course, in doing this work of evangelism you will discover that some
might trust Christ the first time you offer the gospel. Others, probably most, will be brought into
the Kingdom through a measured process.
All of us are to be witnesses, but you may discover God has specially
graced you to do that kind of midwifery.
Many believe when Paul speaks
of “pastors and teachers,” he uses the phrase in a way that calls for a hyphen,
that he is describing a single office, that of the “pastor-teacher.” Once again, while Paul is certainly speaking
of an individual who holds a specific office or role in the church, the
pastor-teacher’s work is not exclusive to that office. Obviously, the Sunday school reveals the
pastor is not the only teacher in the church.
Then, too, even if you are not the pastor, you may be so gifted that you
are able to relate pastorally to others.
You may be the person God uses to “shepherd” a confused believer, to
comfort a broken-hearted fellow Christian.
