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Today we mark a turn in the book of Ephesians; there are six chapters in the book.  The first three are doctrinal and deal with the foundational understanding of the work of Christ’s sacrifice.  The last three are practical and deal with the way that believers ought to conduct themselves.  Last week we closed with the prayer that closes the first three chapters and today we round the corner.  It’s as if Paul in chapters 1-3 says, “Let me tell you about Christ,” he prays and then says, “Let me tell you what you need to do in response.”  So, you’ll find that these next three messages are much more hands on for us the readers.

This turn is started with verse one which says, “I I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”  In other words – “Be who you already are!”

We exist as one body. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

1. The defining moments of salvation don’t just bring about personal salvation, they bring about corporate inclusion.  You won’t get to heaven and have a private room on a quiet cul-de-sac.  You’ll be part of the great family of God that celebrates together.
2. What are the things that unite us?
   1. “One body” – We all belong to the church, the body of Christ.
   2. “One Spirit” – We all share one Spirit.  You don’t get a Spirit of God and me another, we share the same one.  Which means the same Jesus lives in my heart and yours!
   3. “One hope” – We all hope for the same thing and that is the salvation of all.
   4. “One Lord” – We submit to the same authority.
   5. “One faith” – We share one hope and certainty
   6. “One baptism” – We are baptized the same and share the same experience of salvation.
   7. “One God and Father” – We are part of the same heavenly family.
3. We get divided when we forget this, that we are part of the same body, animated by the same Spirit hoping for the same thing – that the world we come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We are gifted for one body. (Ephesians 4:7-16)

1. Ephesians 4:8 makes it clear that we were set free by the captivity of Christ (as we examined last week).  Here we see that part of this liberating process is that Christ gives us gifts.  The imagery here is that of a victorious general or king who after defeating a people leads the prisoners out in a train following them.  Here we follow God and are the testimony to his victory.
2. Normally the victorious king receives gifts, but here he gives them!  What gifts are these?  The gift Christ gave to the church was people!  You are Christ’s gift to the church and as such Christ has given you a gift to share!
3. We have so much talent within this congregation and so many of you work so hard for this church and its people.  Thank you.  Others of you contribute greatly financially to our work.
4. Many of you do both!  Yet, I know that there are many of you who don’t give anything or don’t give what God is calling you to.  I look at the home improvement industry’s growth in America, the cosmetic treatment and plastic surgery industry growth, the burgeoning industry of spas, the explosive growth of auto sales and I think of the words of Haggai.
5. Haggai 1:1-7, We are called to build God’s temple – contribute to his work before our own.  Yet, we use our own gifts for our own purposes.
6. There isn’t a need in this church that can’t be met by the resources that are held by the individuals in this church.  But we can not build up this body until you make a personal sacrifice.  We can not grow while I hold back on my gifts.
   1. Part of the maturing process is being prepared for works of service (4:12).  Are you serving the church?  If not then how mature are you really?
   2. We as a church only grow as we grow as a body.  As the church, the ligaments, the pieces, the organs and the parts grow into the head of Christ we grow together!  Otherwise we have a deformity. (4:15-16)
7. Notice, in Haggai God doesn’t condemn paneled houses, he doesn’t condemn Home Depot, spas or luxury items.  What God is saying however is this – “First things first!”
   1. For too long the people of the church have said, “I’ll get involved, I’ll contribute, I’ll volunteer – when my life is settled, when my house is in order.”
   2. God tells us something different, he tells us the truth when he says, “Until you take care of my house, until my body is in order, your will never be.”  This is why what we earn is blown away or falls out through the holes in our pockets.  It’s because God’s priorities have not been met.

We choose unity by personal sacrifice. (Ephesians 4:17-5:1)

1. Paul talks about some of these sacrifices:
   1. Ephesians 4:18, We must grow!  Refusal to grow in knowledge (this is not ignorance, it’s refusal to know see: Romans 1:28).
   2. Ephesians 4:22-24, You give up selfish sinful pursuit in favor of corporate godliness.
   3. Ephesians 4:26, Give up your right to sin in anger – give up your right to be right.
   4. Ephesians 4:28, You give up your right to work for yourself, now the body has a claim on you and you have a responsibility for the body that is in need.
   5. Ephesians 4:29, You give up your right to tear others down – now it is your job to empower and  build up the other believers.  As Kenny Boles says bluntly in his commentary, “If you can’t build up – shut-up.”
   6. Ephesians 5:1-2, Give up the right to self glory – you exist to glorify God by sacrifice.
2. What happens when a spouse holds back in their marriage is that distance grows in that couple until one day they realize they don’t know each other anymore.
3. What happens in a team when one player holds back, they want to save themselves for the playoffs – they never make the playoffs because they didn’t all give.
4. Too long we have said, “I’m going church shopping and I’m going to find the one that best fits my needs.”  We neglect to say, “I’m going to interview churches where I can grow and help them grow.”  The relationship is mutual, you are not consumers, I am not a performer, we are partners together.

Today I want to call you to deeper commitments at the church in sacrifice and service.

1 Peter 2:21, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.”

Bishop, overseer, episcopate, presbyter, elder…all come from two Greek words presbuteros and episcopos.  These words in the NT are used virtually interchangeably and are used to discuss what our church refers to as elders.  Historically speaking Jesus appoints the Apostles and the Apostles appoint elders, Acts 15 we see that the elders are already moving into a place of prominent leadership, Paul establishes elders at the churches he plants (Acts 14:23) and commands Titus to do likewise (Titus 1:5).  These men were placed to govern and guard the church.  He selects elders in every church, not a delegate or a singular leader but multiple leaders for every church.  Why?  Because these men were godly and they knew God’s will, but more importantly they knew their church and community.  So, they were the best equipped to handle problems in the church God’s way.

Elders are discerned not decided.

• We live in a democracy, but we do not worship inside of one. The church and the family of God has never been open for election or campaigning.
  • In the Old Testament God spoke to his people directly through the priest or the prophet.
  • In the New Testament God is able to speak through all of us through the Holy Spirit in the name of Christ. To this extent there is a much greater sharing of leadership. But, it’s still about God. What is God calling us to? Who is God calling to certain purposes? When we vote or deliberate we’re not trying to get out our best choice, but God’s.
• God’s call should be evident through our gifts (Ephesians 4:7,11-16). God’s call is also evident through our passion (Jeremiah 20:9). Some people have these gifts and passion for leadership and with those gifts they have diverse and complimentary gifts. In our eldership the gifts are diverse which makes for a very good team.
• God’s call is recognized and made known through the church’s call. We are not to decide who is an elder, but rather discern who is already being called an elder by God. Acts 1 describes the call of Matthias who replaces Judas and this serves as an example of the church affirming God’s call as is the sending of Paul and Barnabas Acts 13:1-3.
• The reason for ordaining elders is because it officially denotes them as a leader, like a wedding officially blesses a union. This is why Timothy was told to be careful in his ordaining of elders, 1 Timothy 5:22. We may be called by God, but we are called to a church. So, you could be called by God – just not here. That’s why the church must affirm the call.

Elders are competent alone and complete together.

• Elders are not perfect, you might have already known that. They are imperfect men, imperfect examples and models. Although we would consider them to be examples and models for us. What are they modeling? What does it take to be an elder? We have two lists: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.
  • These two lists have some differences in them. For instance Titus’ list includes “self-control,” “a firm grasp of the word,” and “devout,” while Timothy’s doesn’t. Does this mean Timothy’s elders didn’t need self-control? Titus’ list omits “sensible,” and “respectable,” while Timothy’s includes them. Does this mean Titus’ elders didn’t need to respect? No, these lists are not exhaustive, nor definitive. They outline for us the kinds of men that God is calling into leadership.
  • These lists serve as the foundation for the qualities of elders today. They are not exhaustive; they are our guidelines for selection. Seeing the difference between the lists leads me to believe that elder selection to some extent depends on the individual church, not their preferences, but their needs and God’s preferences. These lists serve as our touchstone to ensure our selections are within the will of God. Churches might have additional criteria. For instance we believe God has called us to a specific mission, so we believe he will send us leaders who believe in that mission.
• There are few things in these lists that cause some added friction today…
  • The material I quoted in regards to marriage and children come from Matt Proctor, “The Top Ten Questions for Potential Elders,” Christian Standard, 8/5/2007
  • An elder with a godly and healthy marriage is one who understands love. He understands what Paul is talking about when he says, “Christ loves the church, like a groom does his bride.” We need elders who love the church that much.
  • Based on historical witness of the Sanhedrin, the Qumran community and the ministry of Jesus we see that around 30 is a good minimum age, although it’s not hard and fast. Paul gave us a specific age for widows to be included on the widow’s list (1 Timothy 5:9) it’s sixty, but there is no specific age for elders.
  • This concept of age is more accurately defined by the scriptural requirements of “managing his household well” (Timothy’s list) or having “believing children” (Titus’ list).
• Competent Elders make a complete eldership and n order to have the whole counsel of God we need the whole council of elders.

Elders aspire to a vocation not a position.

• Elders are called to be established and permanent leaders in a congregation. Scripture never describes long-term, travelling preachers, prophets or even Apostles “elders.” I believe primarily because of their itinerant nature. We need long-term committed leaders to do the work of elders.
• What is it that the elders do?
  • Care for the flock of God which includes directing, feeding and guarding. (1 Peter 5:14)
  • Function as the final say in matters of congregational doctrine and practice. (Acts 15)
  • Pray, particularly for the sick. (James 5:14)
  • Live lives that are examples. (Hebrews 13:7)
  • Set people apart for specific tasks and ministry. (1 Timothy 4:14)

Being an elder is difficult, if we had put a Beatles song with this it would have been, “We Can Work It Out.”  And living at peace with each other should be our response to godly leadership.  1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NRSV), “But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labor among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you;  esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”

A friend forwarded this article by Michael Spencer at the Christian Science Monitor wrote an article titled, “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.” This is article is a great critique of the modern western evangelical movement and a pretty well thought out prediction about the future of this movement – only time will tell if he’s right.

He believes that the foundation of this evangelical failing will consist of the following:

1. That the evangelicals have lost their credibility by tying their message to political poles.
2. Our youth have not been introduced to their faith (although they have a great Christian subculture).
3. Evangelical education has failed to counter secularism.
4. Evangelical social agenda will compete with their faith and be valued above the faith.
5. Money will disappear

He lists others but these are the primary reasons and reasons that I think are valid.  He then goes on to list what will be left of the evangelical movement which is accurate if his foundation is solid.  What he considers next is if this is a bad thing?  Is the collapse of evangelicalism a bad thing at all?  He and I part ways with this because I believe that evangelicalism is worth saving.  Evangelicalism has at its core a belief that the most important part of Christianity is its spread.  It has failed in the methods but its intent is right.  Perhaps what we need is not a new movement, just a new expression.

Discipline is never pleasant and church discipline is something every church leader dreads.  Church discipline of a leader or staff member is the absolute worst!  It is rarely handled well and is always painful.  The greatest challenge is caring with the person with grace and the situation with truth.  A little over a year ago a popular and prominent minister at Saddleback Church resigned (read as disciplined).  This brought to the surface Saddleback’s staff discipline policy and philosophy.  As our church staff is presently going through a discussion on staff values I found this article very timely.  I must admit as I read it I was amazed at the care and grace with which it was written.  No church leadership can discipline everyone perfectly, but this policy is a great foundation for any church to adopt as a guide.

If you go to church you may want to read this, if you lead a church you need to read this.  The article is “What Happens When A Staff Member Falls.” This outlines their policy for dealing with errant staff, but I believe it is applicable to all church leaders (elders, deacons, teachers, etc) and even to some degree for every church member.  I’d love to hear any of your thoughts on this article and any experience you’ve had with this situation.