Growing Side By Side
We read in Ephesians 4:11-16
“ 11 And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 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 fulness of Christ; 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. “
“Why does the church exist? What is our purpose?” First and most important our purpose as a church is to seek to win the lost. And I’m convinced that as long as we recognize that our ultimate purpose, the reason we exist, is to reach the lost, then as a congregation we will grow.
In the 2nd chapter of Acts, the church in Jerusalem began on the Day of Pentecost with 3,000 members, and by the 4th chapter it had grown to 5,000 men, not counting women and children. Acts 2:47 tells us that “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” It was a growing church, and they had a concern. “How do we take care of all these new Christians?” One of the most exciting times in life is when a baby is born. The parents rejoice, and we all “ooh” and “ah” over it. Then they take the baby home, and reality sets in. They’re changing diapers, losing sleep and trying to figure out what’s wrong with the crying child. The joy of new birth is followed by the responsibility of caring for that child.
It’s the same way in the church. People come to the Lord and we rejoice. But then comes the responsibility of bringing these baby Christians up in the Lord. Who is going to nurture them? Who is going to teach them and pray with them? Who is going to counsel them? Who is going to encourage them? The early church evidently did a fairly good job of that, because we read in Acts 2:42, that these early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” You see, there is a second part to our purpose, and that is to nurture, to build up the Christians, to help them be all that they can be in this life. With that in mind, listen to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:11-16.
That is an important passage, and I hope you noticed some key words and phrases like “growing up,” “no longer children,” and “building each other up.“
Let’s talk about that, about “building each other up” and growing as Christians. Here are some reasons why it is vitally important that we grow.
First of all, it is vitally important that we grow as Christians because growing Christians are less vulnerable to temptation. Just as Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness following His baptism, when you give your heart and soul to Jesus, Satan will attack you, too.
In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus told a parable about wheat and weeds. He said that a farmer went out and sowed good seed. But that night an enemy came and sowed weed seeds, and they started growing, too. At first you couldn’t tell the difference. But soon it became obvious that weeds were growing among the wheat. So a servant suggested, “Let’s pull up the weeds.” But the master said, “No. If we do that we may root up the wheat also. Let them grow side by side until the harvest. Then we’ll separate the wheat from the weeds.” Now that parable gives an important truth, “Until the harvest, until Jesus comes, good and evil will be growing side by side in the world.” And it’s true. We live in a world where evil is growing. No one questions that. Now here is the point, “If Christians are going to survive, good seed must be healthy and growing in our lives. If not, the weeds will choke it out.
Again, it is vitally important that we grow as Christians, because growing Christians are full of joy. If you’re grumbling and complaining and you’re not joyful in the Lord, it is probably a strong indication that you’re not growing in the Lord. On the other hand, growing Christians are excited about what the Lord is doing. You know that He is coming again, and you’re excited about what He is going to do in your life. It is vitally important that we grow as Christians because growing Christians are willing Christians, ready to serve. Finally, it is vitally important that we grow as Christians because growing Christians will have a faith that doesn’t collapse in a time of crisis.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that some seed fell in shallow soil. At first, the seed gave every sign of life. But then worries and troubles came, and since it had no roots it withered and died. There are a lot of people who flirt with Christianity. They have a shallow faith, and whenever something tragic happens, their faith withers and dies.
Maybe things are not going your way and you’re not sure what the future holds. Is your faith deep enough to see you through all that? if we have a deep and growing faith, nothing that happens in this life will be able to uproot us. So it is vitally important that we grow as Christians.
Pastor Ralph