Body Building in the Local Church

Body Building in the Local Church

Ephesians 4:7-16

Main Point: A local church grows into its mature, functioning reality as each of us speaks the Truth to one another in love.

In this passage we see:

  1. What does a mature, functioning local church look like? 

  2. Where do the resources for becoming such a church come from?

  3. Where does the responsibility lie for becoming such a church?

  4. How does a local church become more mature and functional?

I. What does a mature, functioning local church look like? 

It looks like a healthy, active adult human being.

A healthy, active adult human being is one that can be fully engaged with what it was made to do without giving a thought to itself. In a similar way, the maturing, functional local church is one that can be fully engaged in the work of ministry to which Jesus called it without tripping over itself, getting in its own way.

II. Where do the resources for becoming this kind of local church come from?

  • They come from Jesus as expressions of His kingly rule over the right-now world as foretold in the Scriptures.

  • The two basic resources Jesus provides for His people to become mature functional local church communities are GRACE and “GOSPELIZERS.”  

  • GRACE here is the embarrassment of riches Jesus gives to the local church through the skills and capabilities inherent in the believers who are its members.

  • In addition to this, He has given a cohort of gifted individuals I have lumped under the label “GOSPELIZERS.” 

III. Where does responsibility lie for becoming this kind of local church?

The responsibility for becoming this kind of local church lies with each of us. We are “the saints” who need to be equipped for the work of ministry so that we can build up the body of Christ, which, in this usage, is obviously the local church in Ephesus. (4:12)

Our responsibility is two-fold. We are to:

  1. Arrive at mature adulthood in Christ.

  2. So that we can stop being like immature children.

IV. How does a local church become more mature and functional?

The answer is simple and straightforward: By speaking the Truth to one another in love. 
In context, the Truth Paul has been talking about is the gospel as revealed in Jesus. In other words, the local church’s growth into healthy maturity is directly correlated to the gospel fluency of each and every member of that local church.

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