Sermon Synopsis for July 27, 2008

“A People Prepared for Service” Ephesians 4:11-16

Maybe you heard …
One Sunday, a young boy arrived to his Sunday school class late. His teacher knew that the boy was usually very prompt and asked him if anything was wrong. The boy replied no, that he was going to go fishing, but that his dad told him that he needed to go to church instead. The teacher was very impressed and asked the boy if his father had explained to him why it was more important to go to church rather than to go fishing. To which the boy replied, "Yes, ma'am, he did. My dad said that he didn't have enough bait for both of us."

Two Elders were talking …
Elder 1: “I didn’t see you at church last Sunday; I hear you went to the races instead of coming to church”
Elder 2: “That’s not true, and I’ve got the fish to prove it”

I asked the children if they ever go fishing. Some went with their dads, others with their grandparents or aunts & uncles. They learned to fish from them. The children explained all about fishing and how to do it.

We talked about the story in Matthew 4:18-28, where Jesus tells Peter and Andrew (professional fishermen) that he wants to teach them to fish. Jesus wants them to use all the gifts, talents and abilities they have for fishing and apply it to catching people.

We’re disciples too. Jesus wants us to fish for people – do you think I can catch a person with a fishing pole? Jesus means we should catch people for God.

We sang, “I will make you fishers of men.”

QUALITIES OF A HEALTHY CHURCH

We want to be a healthy church!

A recent study revealed 8 qualities or characteristics of healthy churches. We begin a journey to look at these qualities and look at ourselves to see how we use these qualities in our church.

Today we will look at the first of these quality characteristics: A healthy church has leadership that empowers the members for ministry.

CHANGING THE SUBJECT FROM FISH TO PLANTS

Jesus often compared Christians to plants. This includes grape vines, fig trees, wheat, mustard plants, etc.

The emphasis was on a healthy plant – one that grows and produced fruit.

PUSHING THE ANALOGY
Plants in different climates grow differently.
Desert – slow, steady, conservative growth
Tropical rainforest – wild, uncontrollable growth

Which plants are healthy? The ones in the desert or the ones in the jungle?

The answer, of course, is both are healthy.

The emphasis should not be on fast growth, but on the qualities of that growth and the context of our growth..

The main principle is that a healthy plant will grow and produce fruit.

A healthy church will grow and produce fruit.

As pastor, Elders, & Leadership Team – we seek the things that will enable us to be a healthy church.

THE APOSTLE PAUL WROTE A LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN EPHESUS

The Apostle Paul was in Rome, under house arrest (early 60s AD). He was thinking about his time in Ephesus.

His first visit was brief, at the end of his second missionary journey, as he was returning home in Antioch. He left Priscilla and Aquila there (Acts 18:18-21).

A year or so later he returned and spent two years giving lectures in a public lecture hall, because he wasn’t welcomed in the Synagogue. Apollos, Timothy and Erastus worked with him there. A strong church was born.

As he wrote from his Roman imprisonment, he didn’t write about any specific problems they were facing, but rather about the difficulties Christians were having in the Roman world.

Nero was Emperor (Caesar 54-68). Nero was known for his persecution of Jews as well as Christians. Paul knew the difficulties of being a Christian in the Roman world. Times were difficult, and getting worse. In a few years Rome would burn and the Christians would be blamed and then banned from the city. God needed a strong and healthy church to endure and persevere during such times.

All of this was going on in Paul’s head as he wrote. The church in Ephesus needed to be the best it could be, to be healthy, so that it could:
- hold together under pressure
- survive the persecutions
- be a witness in a world that needed Jesus

That’s the context of our scripture passage today.

THE APOSTLE PAUL – THE CHURCH NEEDS LEADERS

Ephesians 4:11 – Jesus wants leaders in the church: apostles, prophets (ethics & justice), evangelists, pastors, teachers.

Imagine a church without leaders … (some might like that)
It would be directionless, have an emphasis on existence & survival.

Jesus wants growth and fruit – leadership is necessary for that.

The Apostle Paul knew this – and applied it – he wasn’t the only leader – he was a leader producing machine: Priscilla & Aquila, Lidia, Timothy, Apollos, - to name a few.

Paul didn’t do all the work – he mentored and formed leaders.

It is Jesus’ church - not Paul’s or Apollos’ or anyone else’s (He made this clear to the Corinthians, who showed a tendency to follow a leader instead of following Jesus)

At Maple Grove we have many leaders – each in different areas – each one according to the gifts, talents & abilities he/she has

Leaders are important.

THE PURPOSE OF LEADERSHIP

Ephesians 4:12 – “to prepare God’s people for works of service”

Prepare = “katartizo” (Greek)

Remember Pastor Neilson Asis – Katartizo Healing and Discipleship Center

Uses of the word in the Greco-Roman world:
It was a medical term – “setting of a broken bone”
Jesus used the term (MT. 4:21 James & John were “preparing” their nets when Jesus called them) – “mending broken nets”
Paul (Gal 6:1) – restoration
Heb 13:20-21 – equip
1 Peter 5:10 – to perfect

Paul was telling the Church in Ephesus that Jesus gives the church leaders for a purpose: leaders are to heal, mend, restore, equip & perfect.


THE RESULT OF GOOD LEADERSHIP
Ephesians 4:12 “so that the body of Christ may be built up” (healthy, body building program)

Ephesians 4:13 “until we all reach unity in the faith … and become mature”

Good leadership produces healthy, unified churches. They grow and produce fruit.

FISHERS OF PEOPLE

Jesus wanted fish (people who were brought into God’s Kingdom)
To do this, he needed to “prepare” fishers (heal, restore, equip, build a team)

Remember the old adage “Don’t give them fish – teach them to fish.”

In Jesus’ time fishing wasn’t a solitary thing – it involved teamwork – casting and pulling in nets. Simon Peter and Andrew knew about this, so did James and John.

There’s a lot more to fishing than casting a line.

Jesus calls us to be “Fishers of People”

Pray that the Lord will guide our fishing expedition.

Let’s go fishing this week.