BODY BUILDING

 BODY BUILDING

It’s only in the last few years that we have felt the Lord lead us to adopt a theme for the year. The year before last our them for the year was redemption. Last year, before many of us went into lockdown in our homes, we had felt the Lord put on our hearts the theme, welcome home. This year, we have felt the Lord lead us to focus on the theme, grow. The word ‘grow’ conjures up different emotions in me. There was a time, quite early in my pastoral ministry at Legana, when it was recommended to me that I engage a ministry coach. It was my desire to do all I could to see our small church grow. The ministry coach agreed that numerical growth should be my focus and share how he had helped other churches our size experience dramatic growth. It just so happened that at this time I was in the throes of my doctoral studies which were challenging and stretching me personally. Despite the coach’s insistence that I focus on the numerical growth of our church, we had not grown to the extent that the ministry coach had intimated that we should have. After a year or so of this professional ministry coaching which had involved some rather cold, analytical, surveys including developing a strategic plan and being subject to a dubious thing called a DISC analysis, the ministry coach said that there was nothing more he could offer me.

This reinforced in me that for some church leaders ‘growth’ only comes in one form – numerical. and often overlooks that the kind of growth that God calls us to comes in more than one variety. In fact, according to the passage that we are basing our understanding of growth theme on, there seems to be at least five varieties of growth encouraged in the Scriptures, and only one of them is achieved by evangelism.

And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
Ephesians 4:11-12

 

HOW PASTORS ARE TO GROW BELIEVERS

God has given certain ones to be shepherds (or, ‘pastors’) of God’s people, ‘the body of Christ’, the local church. These called ones are to do the things that Jesus described of a true shepherd in John 10 — to care, protect, feed, lead, train and encourage.

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
John 10:2-5

Pastors (shepherds) are called to grow those God charges them to shepherd. This Christian growth is described as the same kind of growth that a newborn child experiences as they are nourished and nurtured.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation — if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
First Peter 2:2-3

The first kind of growth described in Ephesians 4:13 presupposes physical growth, but also links this growth to maturing which involves growing in the second way — emotionally.

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:13

To grow emotionally involves being able to empathise (understand what someone else is going through), and sympathise (identify with and relate to how someone else is feeling in the midst of their circumstances).

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Romans 12:15

Being healthy emotionally involves the ability to laugh when things are humorous, cry when things are sad, get angry when something is unjust, forgive when others hurt you, appreciate and admire beauty, wonder at the marvels in creation, gladly serve another without the prospect of receiving anything in return, and applaud the achievements of those given the limelight of honour. Pastors are called to model emotional health and help those they shepherd to grow emotionally. But there are also other forms of growth that pastors are called to lead others into.

So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.
Ephesians 4:14-15

Thirdly, every believer is expected to grow spiritually. Pastors are responsible to help followers of Jesus to grow in their knowledge of Christ (theology) through a deeper understanding and application of God’s Word. A mature believer grows in the knowledge and application of God’s Word partly by being grounded in sound doctrine so that they can detect the falsehood of every wind of doctrine. This involves knowing what Scripture actually says and how to interpret it within context. Perhaps the primary job of a pastor is to teach, explain, apply, and model the Scriptures. It is by studying the Scriptures that the believer comes to behold Christ and in beholding Christ they are transformed into His likeness. This is the essence of spiritual growth.

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Second Corinthians 3:18

There remains two further forms of growth described in Ephesians 4. 

from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:16

Fourthly, there are certain aspects to being part of a local church which require growth that can only come from training. Pastors are responsible to both model and implement ongoing skill growth. This is referred to as equipping in Ephesians 4:16. This is why pastors and church leaders are responsible to train believers to better serve others and use their gifts more effectively.

and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Second Timothy 2:2

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace
First Peter 4:10

for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
First Timothy 4:8

 

HOW WE ARE TO GROW TOGETHER

Discipleship (“growth”) involves growing in the four ways mentioned above. As each believer grows as a result of the shepherding of their local church leadership, that church grows stronger and healthier. This is the essence of body building and it equally applies to the body of Christ. Each believer is then growing through the nurturing that occurs within the gathering of the whole church each Sunday where the whole church family gathers together to worship, to celebrate holy communion, to be reminded that the body of Christ in which the Lord has placed them involves others, and to receive the preached Word of God. 

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-47

And each believer grows when they gather in their small group because the church also gathers in small groups through the week whereby connections with others are made stronger, prayers are more personal, the Scriptures are studied and questioned leading to practical application. Both gatherings are important for the believer’s growth for these different reasons. As we read through the Apostle Paul’s exhortation for churches in Romans 12, we notice that the first half applies to the larger corporate (all together) gathering of a church, and the last half has greater application within the small group gatherings of a church.

But there is a another growth that also happens as each member grows and serves each other with the gifts, talents, and energy that God has given them and it is referred to in both our key passage of Ephesians 4, and the Acts 2 passage cited above — numerical growth.

Numerical growth happens in three ways:

(i) those believers whom God calls to be a part of our church (this is called transfer growth);

(ii) those who born to parents who are part of our church (this is called biological growth); and,

(iii) those who are won to Christ and discipled as part of our church (this is called evangelism/new convert growth). 

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

I have just spent the past five Sundays introduce the doctrine and role of the Holy Spirit. I think that we have good reasons to believe that the Holy Spirit is cares about all five varieties of growth. In fact, as we yield to Christ through the Holy Spirit we too begin to share in the heart of Christ through the Holy Spirit to see and experience growth.

¶ Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.
First Thessalonians 3:11-13

If the Lord delights to grant us all three types of numerical growth, it will come with some very predictable challenges. I know this, because I am the father of four children. With the arrival of each of our children, there was upheaval, insecurities experienced by the older child/ren, intentional reassurance required from the parents, extra attention given to the new-born, physical adjustments to the home to make room for the new arrival, and new responsibilities for each family member to contribute to the running of the family. The same challenges face a church that also experiences numerical growth. It is my hope that as we walk together with the Holy Spirit in our surrender to Christ, that we will grow and that each of us will be involved in Christ’s body building.  

Your pastor,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.

HOW TO ADULT

 DEPENDENCIES

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
First Corinthians 13:11

If COVID has taught us anything, its taught us just how much we need each other and probably (for many of us) how much we didn’t know it! When we’re born we are utterly dependent. As we grow up we increasingly become independent. When we become an adult we learn to get along with others and become interdependent. But adults also experience seasons where it is necessary to be temporarily dependent upon others. These are times when we need the help and care of others. Ironically though, its often the people who are called upon to help and care for others that are the least likely to accept help and care themselves.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

DEPEND > INDEPEND > DEPENDABLE

‘Adulting’ does mean that you have to manage your various dependencies. This means that when you become an adult, there are times when you have to maintain your independence; then, there are other times when you have to cooperate with others in interdependence; and, then there are those seasons when you need the help of others and you must accept your dependency. But adulting also means that you have to be dependable so that you can help others.

¶ Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
First Corinthians 14:20

BECOMING A DEPENDABLE CHURCH

COVID has indeed reminded us how much we need each other. But COVID has also caused us to adapt. For many of us, it has led us to trying to adapt to social isolation, lock-downs, social distancing, working from home, travel restrictions, and repeated hand sanitising. This has resulted in loneliness, psychological stress, and even spiritual dryness. And while we have all individually tried to adapt to these challenges, we, as a church, have also had to learn how to adapt. It has required learning how to be innovative, flexible, and adaptable. And we are still learning. We are prayerfully thinking through how we can connect everyone in our church with a small group of caring people where everyone can share, be cared for, pray for each other, discuss Scripture and its application together. That’s why I’m looking for a team of ordinary and dependable adults who are prepared to be a coordinator for one of our new small groups (of 3 to 5 people). These groups can be via ZOOM or in person — or a combination of both. They could be weekly or fortnightly. Small Group coordinators won’t have to sweat over preparing study material as that will be supplied. If you’re interested in being a SGC (Small Group Coordinator), let me know. This is why it’s important for us to understand the various “dependencies”. 

Growing from  dependent to independent to interdependent is the journey that every Christian is on to Christ-like maturity.     

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Ephesians 4:13

As we continue to navigate how we adapt and respond to COVID, we hope we can figure out how we can evangelise, disciple, train leaders, and speak out against injustice and evil in the public square. Along the way we hope to help those who are depending on us. Along the way we hope to encourage those who are prepared to grow toward maturity. And along the way we hope to work together cooperatively (interdependently) to reach people for Christ and disciple them into disciple-makers. This is why I am dependent upon your prayers.

Your pastor,

Andrew

WHAT IS LACKING IN YOUR FAITH?

When Paul arrived in Thessalonica (northern Greece) he went straight to the local synagogue and “reasoned with them from the Scriptures” each Sabbath for three weeks (Acts 17:2). The result was staggering. Many of the Jews whom he reasoned with were persuaded to convert to Christianity. This tells us that being religious is not what brings reconciliation with God after all (God is not a Universalist). In between the Sabbaths he shared with the local Greeks, and, “a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” were also converted to Christianity (Acts 17:4). Being a good pagan is not grounds for automatic entrance into God’s eternal kingdom either (God is not an Inclusivist). In fact, so many people converted to Christianity in the three weeks that Paul was there, that the existing religious authorities felt so threatened that they instigated a riot to have Paul and some of these converts expelled from their city (Acts 17:5-8). But what is even more remarkable is that in those three weeks Paul established the Thessalonian church! This fledgeling congregation of new Christians had taken their first steps into the light of God’s salvation for them. But, there was something lacking that even the greatest apostle couldn’t give them in the three short weeks he had with them, and perhaps it’s missing in your life as well.

 

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?
First Thessalonians 3:9-10

WHY FACE TO FACE IS IMPORTANT

I wonder why the apostle Paul thought it necessary to see the Thessalonians again “face to face” to supply what was lacking their faith? Couldn’t he have just written to them with a step by step guide for completing their faith in Christ? It seems that God has ordained that certain spiritual qualities necessary for establishing a believer’s “heart as blameless in holiness” (1Thess. 3:12) can only be imparted face to face. 

If you’ve ever been misunderstood over some digital communication you’ve had with another person, you might appreciate why God has ordained that authentic spiritual growth can only happen face to face. How often have you responded with a text message, or an instant message, and someone has completely misread what you intended? This is why we encourage people to not use email or text messaging to communicate something important. It also explains why God has ordained the preaching of His Word face to face as the primary focus of our weekly worship together. 

DELICATE MATTERS NEED TO BE DEALT WITH IN PERSON

But Paul does layout some of the things that he needed to address with the Thessalonians. You might wonder, why didn’t he do it when he was with them? He may have reasonably thought that he could have – but then the riots broke out and he had to flee immediately. He tells us in chapter 2 of First Thessalonians that he had begun to address the lifestyles of these Thessalonians. 

For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
First Thessalonians 2:11-12

But why did he only begin to deal with their lifestyles? Why didn’t he use his authority as an apostle and just tell them to behave like mature Christians? This might be a lesson we have to learn too. Paul describes his nurture of these brand new Christians – recent converts who worshipped the pantheon of Greek mythological gods – as being “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.” (1Thess.2:7) In other words, he was being patient with them as the Holy Spirit convicted them of what needed to be repented of, and reforming their identities as ambassadors of the sinless Christ. Nevertheless though, we see in his brief epistle to them, a kind of table of contents for what he felt was still lacking and needed to be addressed with them – face to face. First Thessalonians 4:3-7 gives us a fairly detailed clue into what the apostle Paul felt was a vitally missing aspect to the faith in Christ. I wonder how many people today – how many people who identify as Christians – also see what the apostle Paul saw as an indispensable aspect of spiritual growth? 

SEX AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The morality of first century Roman citizens was quite different to what is prescribed in the New Testament. This is why the sexual ethics of the Gospel was such a shock to first century Gentiles. This understanding would go a long way to explaining why Paul was ‘frying the big fish first’ with the Thessalonians – the nature of the True God, the Person/Ministry/Work of Christ, the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the resurrection of the dead at the return of Christ, eternal judgment, the Kingdom of God – before dealing with the implications of this Gospel: pure-love and holiness. 

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
First Thessalonians 4:3

Sanctification has two aspects. Firstly, in the legal sense – God’s perspective – it has already happened in the life of the authentically born-again follower of Christ. Secondly, it has a here-and-now aspect – our perspective – where it is our growth as child of God and follower of Christ. It is this second aspect that Paul is deeply concerned about for the Thessalonians. You can tell when someone is undergoing the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. They change. The way they speak changes. Their conscience becomes re-awakened. The heart for others is enlarged. They feel guilty more readily over secret and hidden sins, like pride. They increasingly delight in spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading, prayer with others, fellowship with their church family, giving to the work of the Lord, fasting, sharing their faith in Christ with others, being corrected, serving humbly. But before this sanctification process could advance, the Thessalonians needed to repent of their sexual impurity (‘immorality’). 

There can be no mistaking what Paul meant by sexual immorality. It’s listed in the six categories of sexual sin found in Leviticus 18 and repeated throughout the New Testament. This is why no-one questioned Jesus about what He meant by sexual immorality when He stated that it would eternally defile a person (if not repented of, refer to 1Cor. 6:10-11) in Matthew 15:19!

that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
First Thessalonians 4:4-7

If this is what Paul was prepared to write to the Thessalonians, one wonders what he intended to say to them face-to-face! While some Christians pull a verse or two out of First Thessalonians to pad their favourite end-times theory, perhaps they’ve missed the big picture of what Paul actually said to these fledgeling believers about the need to grow up into Christ by not giving in to the passions that seek to control our minds and even bodies? The way he went about this is also a challenge for us who serve as leaders within a local church. He was patient with new believers – even when they continued in their sinful lifestyle for a time. And within his closing remarks he urges the mature believers among them to be patient, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all (1Thess. 5:14). So what is lacking in your faith and sanctification? May Paul’s benediction be ours as well. 

¶ Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
First Thessalonians 5:23-24

Pastor Andrew Corbett