Worthy of Gods Call

August 4, 2024 Ephesians 4:1-16 Year B Worthy of God’s Call Prelude Call to Worship Come, let us serve the Lord with gladness! In Christ we are united as beloved members of the family of God. We are called to serve in larger ways for God than one alone can do. We are also united with all the saints of history. Let us celebrate how nothing across the ages can stop the church. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Invocation Feed us, O God, in this time we spend together, with bread that is eternal. Unite us in a faithful response to your saving activity through Jesus Christ. Open us now to hear and experience, deep within, the word you intend for each one of us. Amen. Song the Churches One Foundation UMH 546 Children’s Sermon Bible Lesson: A Worthy Walk Ephesians has taught us that believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph.3). (For our class I created a visual with the following statements and put a blank for the words that are underlined.) Reviewing what we have learned, help me complete the following statements: • Believers have been chosen before the foundation of the world. • Believers have redemption through Jesus’ blood, the forgiveness of sins. • Believers have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. • Believers are God’s workmanship created to do good works which God prepared in advance. • Believers can do God’s work through the power of the Holy Spirit. If you and I are believers these statements should affect the way we live our lives. Let’s turn in our Bibles to Ephesians 4 and read verse 1. Paul urges believers to live a life worthy of the calling they have received. What does worthy mean? (Dictionary.com “deserving of, fit for”) Paul is urging believers to live a life that is fit for the high calling of being a believer in Christ. Believers have been bought with a high price with the death and shed blood of Jesus. (1 Cor. 6:19) The five statements we just reviewed should affect what we believe and how we walk or live in our private and public life. Ephesians 4 tells us what a worthy walk of a believer looks like. To help us visualize a worthy walk we have the two paths of life, the righteous life and the wicked. We said that a believer is righteous because of their faith in Jesus. However, when a person becomes a follower of Jesus they still have two natures, the Spirit-filled righteous nature and the sinful wicked nature. Remind me again what a believer needs to do to live a Spirit-filled life and not live a sinful life? (Walk daily with the Lord Jesus having a personal quiet time, reading His Word, praying and obeying what He teaches.) On the two paths we will put the brown footprints on the path of the wicked/sinful and the red footprints on the righteous Spirit-filled path. When we complete our study of Ephesians 4 we will clearly see steps of what a worthy walk that pleases God looks like. Choose volunteers to read verses 2-6. What does Paul say are attitudes that a worthy walk includes? (Humble, gentle, patient, enduring love, pursues unity) Paul tells us what unifies all believers in verses 4-6. What are the seven things that Paul says all believers should be unified or in agreement with? (One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all) Let’s read verse 8. What did Jesus give to men (believers)? (Gifts) When you arrived we worked on a spiritual gifts survey to help you identify the areas that God has gifted you to serve. Let’s read verses 11-14. Why does Paul tell us these spiritual gifts were given? 1-to prepare God’s people for works of service 2-for the Body of Christ may be built up until everyone reaches spiritual maturity If you discovered what your spiritual gifts are who are you to use them for? They are to be used for God’s service not for your own desire for fame. Read 15-16. How are believers to speak truth? (In love) A worthy walk for believers includes speaking the truth with love. Ephesians 4:17-32 gives us the picture of how a worthy walk for a believer includes putting away things that are from the wicked path of life and putting on attitudes and actions that please God. Read 17-24. What does Paul tell us we need to put off? (Old self) Why? (It is being corrupted by its deceitful desires) What are believers to put on? (New self) Why should believers have a different attitude? (We were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness) A worthy walk for believers includes a renewed mind with Christ-like attitudes. How do you think a believer is able to have a mind that is renewed with the right attitudes that please God? (Spending time daily in His Word and prayer) Responsive Reading Psalm 51:1-12 UMH 785 Scripture Ephesian 4:1-16 Sermon Worthy of God’s Call If you went to Wall Street and asked the question: "What is the secret of greatness?" Wall Street would say: "Money, and lots of it." If you were to go to Washington and ask: "What is the secret of greatness?" They would say, "Political clout." If you were to go to Hollywood and ask: "What is the secret of greatness?" Hollywood would say: "Fame." But the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus Christ, had a different answer. He said, "Whoever wants to become great must be a servant to others." (Mt. 20:26 GWT) Success and greatness in the kingdom of God is far different than what it is on planet earth. In the kingdom of God there is no easy way; there is no easy elevator to the top. To get to the top in God's eyes you've got to take the stairs of service. Jesus said again, "For even I didn't come to be served, but to serve others and give My life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45 NLT) The secret to greatness in the kingdom of God is not how many servants you have, but what kind of a servant you are. You remember the story in John chapter 13 when Jesus approached the disciples in the Upper Room where they were going to have the Last Supper? To their surprise He was wearing a towel around His waist and carrying a bowl of water. Peter said, "What's going on?" Jesus said, "It's time to wash feet." Peter sneered and said, "I'm not washing feet, not even yours." Jesus said, "I know, I'm washing yours." Recently I was flying into Washington, DC, and as always I immediately saw the Washington Monument which towers above the entire city. It is 555 ft. 5 1/8 in. high. From the lobby to the observation level it is 50 stories. To get to the top you could either take the elevator, which is the easy way up, or you can take the stairs, 896 of them in all, which is the harder way to the top. As I was gazing at that monument I remembered my good friend Zig Ziglar telling the story of going to Washington, DC and visiting the Washington Monument. He said as he approached the Monument there was a line that seemed like it was a mile long. He walked up to the front to hear what the guide was saying, and the guide announced that there would be a two hour wait to ride the elevator to the top of the Monument. Then with a smile on his face, the guide said, "There's no one waiting to go to the top if you're willing to take the stairs." Sometimes being a Christian can be a challenge, when you are listening to the world. But when we listen to God, it defintitely has its rewards. God also intentionally gives us tools to make the journey easier. We are given the church as a place of support and growing, we have the bible to read how others did it, it also teaches us how to live in a spiritually healthy way. We have teachers and guides, most importantly, God sent Jesus into the world to show us the pathway to getting closer to God. I have been visiting fairs for the last few weeks. One of my favorite things to do is to browse the exhibits. There has always been a few churches within the exhibits. And maybe I just look like a bad person, or maybe the church assumes that all people who attend the fair are bad. One asked me if I died tomorrow if I was sure that I was going to heaven, and I said I certainly hope so since I am a pastor. Another saw me walking by and immediately asked me if I knew the gospel. I told him yes, I think so, I am a pastor. He looked at me still doubting my character and then said, but do you know the gospel of Jesus Christ. I asked him if there was any other kind of gospel out there. The only person who wants to tell the good news to the people is Jesus. The conversation got a little better once I convinced him that I was a United Methodist Pastor. And he was okay once he realized that I indeed did know the bible, and what it teaches about eternal life. That is the message of our scripture today. Even in the midst of all of our differences, even within the church, There is only one Jesus Christ. Epesians says that there is only one Lord, One faith, one baptism, one God who is over all, through all, and in all. Today’s verses are a continuation of last week’s lesson of what God expects of us. Today, Paul gives us words of encouragement to keep the faith, to nurture and take care of one another, to bring others into the fold, and to always be willing to grow in God. I heard about a pastor who gathered his congregation in a circle and told them to picture God at the center of the circle. Then he instructed them to move forward to God. The group complied but at one point they came shoulder to shoulder with each other and stopped. This pastor then said, “You can’t get closer to God without at the same time getting closer to one another.” (5) Maybe we ought to do that exercise some time to emphasize that we are a unit, we are the body of Jesus Christ. You cannot split a body asunder, and have that body carry out its task. We are called to be Jesus in earthly flesh to the world, and it is important that we work together and love one another. So St. Paul says that our unity is critical. Ephesians gives us a list of 7 things that give us strength and support in growing in God. Conduct yourself with humility, gentleness, patience, accept the spirit of peace within you, preserve the unity, have hope,builf up yhr body of Christ, the church. The church grows when you grow. Today we sing a song, One Lord, One faith, one baptism – it is believed that these words are part of a baptism ritual. We all become one with Christ and with the purpose of the gospel when we are baptized. The Episcopal ritual captures this purpose beautifully. It ask - will you strive for justice and peace amongst all people and respect the dignity of every human being? The response is with God’s help I will. In the Methodist tradition we are asked to renounce the forces of wickedness, to remember our faith, to support the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. When we are baptized, we become a part of the faith – and we live the gospel in everything that we do. I think I just told this story, but it fits perfectly here. There were a group of kindergarteners, who were doing a painting assignment. There were allowed to paint anything that they wanted. Usually when I would get those assignments, I would draw a story and then just pain over it and cover the whole page, One little girl was drawing a picture like that, she was very intent on her masterpiece, so the teacher asked her what she was painting. She said a picture of God. The teachers said but no one has ever seen God, they don’t know what God looks like. She reported weel they wiil when I am finish. Our lives are the maspterpiece that reveals God for the rest of the world. Bishop Prince Taylor is one of my favorite people. I always look forward to seeing him at our meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Methodist Council. Though retired as a bishop, and also, as chairman of the Council, he is always present at our meetings. Recently he told me one of his marvelous stories. He was visiting a tribe deep in the interior of Liberia where he served for a period of time as a bishop. When he arrived after a long, hard journey, the old chief welcomed him formally. Then he said, “Bishop, we believe in God. But sometimes He seems so far away. You be God for us today.” People everywhere are asking that of us. They may not speak it verbally, but their lives cry out for it. We are to be living reminders of the Kingdom, by being living reminders of Christ’s spirit - the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, self- control, - he fruits of the spirit, expressed in ministry to others. Gifts are given for that purpose - to minister and then Paul adds the second purpose for our gifts - he edifying of the body of Christ.” That’s the reason this last truth must be sounded boldly: Four pastors were discussing their favorite Bible translations. One liked the King James because of its beautiful language. Another liked the New Revised Standard version. A third liked the contemporary version The Message. The 4th minister said, "My favorite translation was my Mother's." The other preachers said they didn't know his mother had translated the Bible. "Yes, she did," he replied. "Every day she translated the Bible into life and it was the most convincing translation I ever witnessed!" (3) Our actions tell God’s story for the world. WE are God’s team. When we work together, we not only build up one another, but we also build the kingdom of God. Anglican Bishop James Cruckshank was once asked by a student, “What is the first thing we should do when we start with a new church?” Bishop Cruckshank immediately replied. “Once you arrive, go to your office, sit down and remain there until you realize that what your church is doing is the most important mission in the community. And then give thanks that Christ has called you to be part of it.” (2) The “most important mission in the community” I ask again: how important is church to you? Do you believe that God has a plan for our church? Do you believe that what we are doing, preparing this world for the coming of the Kingdom of God by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the most important work any group of people can do? Do you believe that or do you look at the church as just another organization that you belong to because it is good for the children or, perhaps, good for business? What makes out church so special, what makes our mission so special? It has you and me in it. When we work together, it changes the the world. Unity laced with love, grace, justice, holiness, prayer and peace, can work miracles and transform the world. Let us pray….. Song In Christ there is not East or West UMH 548 PASTORAL PRAYER It is easy for us to go through the motions of spirituality. We want to say the "right" prayers, and think that we have found the magical key to make holiness appear in our lives. But we are empty, Lord. We hunger and thirst for something that will sustain us through all the times of our lives. We chase after things that will disappoint and hurt, and look past the very thing that will heal and cleanse our lives. Christ is your Bread of Life, the Manna from Heaven, which was and is sent to feed and sustain us in all the wildernesses through which we travel. Help us to stop running after the glitz and glitter, the easy wealth; help us to look truly for the one who will quench our thirst and nourish our souls. As we have lifted up names of people and situations which lay heavy on our hearts today that need your healing touch, help us to remember that we stand continually in need of your healing mercy. Bring us to you, with open and repentant hearts, for your loving care. As we receive the wondrous gift of bread and wine, may we truly be reminded that Christ nurtures and feeds u s with his own life. When we have been nourished, may we go from this place in renewed commitment to serve you, O God, with our very lives. AMEN. (United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Lord’s Prayer Offertory Invitation (do not print) As we have been fed, we are sent to feed others. Whatever their need, we now the source of food to nourish them. God supplies the resources we have to give. Let us participate in God’s redeeming activity through our offering of self and substance. Offertory Prayer May our gifts be a worthy response to your call, and our service be a faithful reply to the love we have known in Christ. May these offerings and our lives be poured out in all lowliness, meekness, and patience to communicate your love and your peace. Amen Communion Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook Hunger. Thirst. Death. They have nothing do with us! For we have tasted the bread of life! Feed on this true bread from heaven today, tomorrow and forever, and you will learn the meaning of eternity. Amen. Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction The Bread of Life has called and fed you. Now go forth into God’s world to nourish others, bring God’s love, hope and peace. AMEN. ( United Methodist Ministry Matters, Nancy Townley) Additional Illustrations The pace of living in our society is causing everyone to become less patient, more demanding. The Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, discovered that those people scoring high in hostility or cynicism have a higher mortality rate. Cynical, hostile people are constantly on the lookout for trouble, so they are more likely to find it. Some of these people will never change. There isn't a lot the church can do to help the irrational, ignorant, hostile person who is always looking for the worst in others. Today, you may not be the husband, the wife, the son, or the daughter you ought to be, but it's never too late to be the person you can be tomorrow. We have received a calling. That's just what it is, because it recognizes that this may not be who you are today. It is calling you to become someone different: completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Amen. CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (Middle Third): Sleeping in on Sunday, by Thomas Lentz The body is not confined to any one denomination. A Lutheran once visited the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and walked up to Dr. W. A. Criswell after the service, and said, "Dr. Criswell, you are so narrow-minded, I bet you think only Baptists are going to heaven." Dr. Criswell said, "I'm more narrow minded than that." The man said, "You are?" Dr. Criswell said, "Yes, I don't even believe all Lutherans are going to heaven." The only people that are going to heaven are born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one body. There is one Spirit. (v.4) This one Spirit, of course, is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that creates the body. It is the Holy Spirit that coordinates the body. It is the Holy Spirit that consecrates the body, both corporately and individually. That one Spirit indwells every believer, whether Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, or Charismatic. That indwelling of the Spirit is the basis of our spiritual unity. There is an old parable I read years ago of some Tools that were having a meeting. Brother Hammer was presiding, but the Tools had decided they no longer wanted Brother Hammer to lead. As a matter of fact, they wanted him kicked out of the Tool Chest because he was rough and always made a lot of noise. Brother Hammer heatedly responded: "Well, if I have to go, Brother Screw will have to go too, because he is so lazy you have to turn him over and over to get him to do anything." Brother Screw jumped up and said, "Well, if I have to go, Brother Plane has to go. All the work he ever does is just on the surface. He never gets down to where the deep hard work is." Brother Plane stood up and replied, "Well, if I have to go so does Mr. Saw." He has so many rough edges that he's always doing things that are very cutting." Brother Saw jumped to his feet and said, "Well, if I have to go Mrs. Sandpaper has to go. She's so rough and she's always rubbing people the wrong way." The Tools were at one another's throat bickering and arguing until the Carpenter from Nazareth took them all to his work bench, using each Tool. He made a pulpit from which to preach the Word of God. Then the Tools discovered that when they were yielded to the hands of the Master Carpenter, they could be used working together to build something no one Tool could build alone. Mr. Hammer addressed the Tools again, and said, "It seems to me that when we work together, each doing what we were made to do, the Master can use us." Then all the Tools cried out, "Mr. Hammer, you hit the nail right on the head!" We all need to learn one lesson since we are a part of the same body, and members of that body: It does not matter who gets the credit as long as the job gets done, and God gets the glory. Where love is the proof of maturity in the body, likeness is the purpose of maturity in the body. The ultimate test of my ministry is not how many people we have in Sunday School, not how much money we take up on a given Sunday, not how many buildings we build, not how many parking spaces we pave, not how many acres of land we own. The ultimate test of my ministry is how much you are becoming like the Lord Jesus Christ. When you become like Jesus you want to live for Jesus, and you want to live for Jesus because you fall more deeply in love with Jesus. Back during World War II the Nazis incessantly bombed London, and in the process destroyed a beautiful cathedral. In front of that cathedral was a statue of the Lord Jesus Christ that was badly damaged. Some students got together after the bombing stopped to rebuild this cathedral. After they finished rebuilding the cathedral they decided to rebuild the statue of Christ. They put the entire statue back together except his arms and his hands, which were so badly damaged and destroyed they could not be replaced. Then they came up with a brilliant idea. The inscription at the bottom of the statue read originally "Come unto Me." But they simply changed that inscription to read, "Christ has no hands but our hands." Jesus is the invisible part of the visible Christian, and we are to be the visible part of the invisible Christ. We are to be His eyes that see a lost and dying world; His ears that hear the cries of the hurting and the hopeless; His hands to help the poor and the weary; His feet to go to the ends of the earth, and His mouth to share the gospel of eternal life. When we do that, motivated by love for the Savior, a love for the saint, and a love for the sinner, that is body building at its best. There is one body. (v.4) This means there is one true church made up of all believers of all the ages who have trusted Christ alone for salvation, been washed from their sins by His blood, and have been born again. This body is not denominational, geographical, ecclesiastical, or racial. The body is not confined to any one denomination. A Lutheran once visited the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, and walked up to Dr. W. A. Criswell after the service, and said, "Dr. Criswell, you are so narrow-minded, I bet you think only Baptists are going to heaven." Dr. Criswell said, "I'm more narrow minded than that." The man said, "You are?" Dr. Criswell said, "Yes, I don't even believe all Lutherans are going to heaven." The only people that are going to heaven are born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is one body. There is one Spirit. (v.4) This one Spirit, of course, is the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that creates the body. It is the Holy Spirit that coordinates the body. It is the Holy Spirit that consecrates the body, both corporately and individually. That one Spirit indwells every believer, whether Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, or Charismatic. That indwelling of the Spirit is the basis of our spiritual unity. When that one Spirit fills every believer, you will then have practical unity. You see, the Holy Spirit has one desire to glorify the Son of God. The Holy Spirit leads in one direction to identify the will of God. The Holy Spirit has one design to magnify the Word of God. The Holy Spirit has one determination to edify the church of God. To the extent that every believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, there will be Spirit-filled unity. There is one hope. (v. 4) This one hope is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Titus said we should be "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13) We may disagree on the facets of the second coming, but not the fact of the second coming. Everybody has an opinion about the exact details of the second coming of Jesus. You have people who are amillennial; they don't believe in a millennial reign. Then you have people who are pre-millennial; they think Jesus is coming back before the millennial reign. You have people who are post-millennial; they believe Jesus is coming back after the millennial reign. Then you have pan-millennialists; they just believe it is all going to pan out. Then you have pro-millennialists; they're for it. But regardless of where you may fall, the one thing to remember is, none of us are on the program committee, but we all can be on the welcoming committee. The thing we must rally around is the fact of the second coming of Jesus Christ. There is one Lord. (v.5) That refers to none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. As we look back in time, and up to the present, there have been a lot of religious leaders who have come and gone. The hallways of history have been littered with so-call prophets, messiahs, soothsayers, and oracles. But there has only been one Lord who has ever walked down the hallways of human history, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. We may belong to different denominations, we may differ on certain areas of worship, work, and witness, but there is only one confession of the true church Jesus Christ is Lord. As Paul said in I Cor. 8:6, "Yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." There is one faith. (v.5) Now faith here is not describing the act of believing in the Lord Jesus. It is talking about the body of truth as revealed in the Bible. There is one faith. Jude said that we are to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." (v.3) The Bible is our source of truth, doctrine, and conviction. There is one baptism. (v.5) There is only one physical baptism. That is, baptism by emersion. At the time this was written, the idea of infant by sprinkling had not even been invented. There was only one baptism the early church knew, and that was believer's baptism, after salvation, by emersion. That is the only true baptism. But there is also only one spiritual baptism the baptism of the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. You can join the visible church by any type of baptism. But only the Holy Spirit can place you into the invisible church. For to be a part of that church you must be baptized into that body by the Holy Spirit. There is one God and Father of all. (v.6) There is only one God, and that is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. That Father is your Father if Jesus Christ is your Lord. If He is our Father, then we are brothers and sisters. If we are brothers and sisters then we are family. We are family because we have one Father and one God. I agree with that song that says, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God!" GATHER, NURTURE AND EQUIP • That's the mission we exist for. (Oops!—the mission for which we exist.) • To gather men and women, children and youth into the Body of Christ • To nurture individuals to become living, growing disciples of Jesus Christ • Then to equip the body for ministry and mission in the world …so that, through the life of this congregation, lives would be changed and we would model what it means to be a 21st century New Testament church. Mid-course, he shifts to the image of a household built on the foundation of Christ Jesus, and he encourages them to "maintain the unity of the Body in the bond of peace." One spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and in all and through all. Then he says that within that household, we have all been given various gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And I would expand the list to include: I am sure you are familiar with the amazing story of the migration of the monarch butterfly, a lovely little creature who blesses our gardens and forests in the summer. Every autumn, millions of monarchs from all over the eastern United States and Canada migrate thousands of miles to a small handful of sites in Mexico where they rest for the winter. Then in the spring, they begin their return trip to the north. The amazing thing is that no individual monarch ever makes the trip to Mexico and back. A butterfly that leaves the Adirondack Mountains in New York will fly all the way to Mexico and spend the winter. In March, it begins the trip northward, but after laying eggs in the milkweed of Texas and Florida, it will die. Those butterflies will continue northward, laying eggs along the way until some of them, maybe three or four generations removed from the original, make it back to mountains of New York. But when August comes, they will head south, aiming for the exact place their great grandparents visited, a place they have never been. Sue Haplern says: "The monarchs always migrate in community and depend on each other. Although a single monarch may make it from New York to Mexico, it is the next generation who completes the journey." Now here is the word for the church. She says: "No one completes the journey solo. It is only as a community that we discover the fullness of God's plan for us." [1] Let me give you another example from the animal world. In Compass, we have been talking about the difference between "sponge evangelism" and "octopus evangelism." For the most part, we are pretty good about sponge evangelism—soaking up folks who come by, get close, walk in the door. But octopus evangelism is something else. It means reaching, stretching, finding, touching, drawing in those who are in need of the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and may not have even realized it yet. Are we actively reaching, actively inviting, and actively gathering all into the body of Christ? An old story tells about a man who called the church office one day and asked to speak to the "head hog at the trough." The secretary was a little taken aback by this guys attitude and told him that was no way to talk about their pastor. He in turn replied, "Well if that's the way you feel, then I guess I won't give this check for $10,000 I was going to give." To which the secretary replied, "No, no. Wait. I'll see if the big pig is in his office." Have you ever noticed that for some reason, pigs and money seem to go together. We save money in a piggy-bank. We work to "bring home the bacon" so we can "live high on the hog." We don't ever "buy a pig in a poke" because we don't know what we're getting. When we spend a lot of money on frivolous things we've gone "hog wild." When someone puts us down for having too much money they call us a "Capitalist pig." Even in the life of the church, pork meets penny. The term STEWARD traces back to the medieval English title "STY-WARDEN" Or "STY-WARD." Yep, a pig-keeper. Jesus talked a lot about stewards and stewardship. Fortunately, the Hebrew word for steward had nothing to do with pig farming (which, after all, just isn't kosher). Never the less, stewardship of money was a very important topic to Jesus. The only subject he talked about more is the Kingdom of God. (6) A. To do our work, we need a set of tools. Any time you build anything, you need tools, don't you? At minimum a carpenter needs a hammer, a saw, a tape measure, a level and a square. A mechanic needs a set of metric and standard wrenches. A seamstress needs needles, thread, scissors, straight pins, a sewing machine and cloth. An Ice Cream man, needs ice cream, a freezer and a scoop. Paul tells us in this passage that as Christians, part of our job is to be builders. We're called to build up the body of Christ by equipping the saints for the work of ministry. All tools in our tool box have one purpose: "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" B. Let's briefly look at some of those tools. 1. Bible: Of course the first tool in our tool box is the Bible. Scripture paints the background for and tells the reason and purpose behind everything we do. It's the Foundation of the Building we call Faith. It tells us Who WE are and Whose we are. It reminds us from the very beginning words that all we have and all we are comes from God. Four pastors were discussing their favorite Bible translations. One liked the King James because of its beautiful language. Another liked the New Revised Standard version. A third liked the contemporary version The Message. The 4th minister said, "My favorite translation was my Mother's." The other preachers said they didn't know his mother had translated the Bible. "Yes, she did," he replied. "Every day she translated the Bible into life and it was the most convincing translation I ever witnessed!" (3) The Bible is an important Tool because it shapes and molds us into the people God would have us be. And when we are the people God would have us be, we make a difference in the world. 2. Vision: The second tool in the tool box is Vision. You can't build anything unless you've got an idea or a vision about what should be built. Remember the Vision notebooks that Rick Heidman put out at the very beginning of our Building Program. Before we ever started raising money; before we ever started drawing plans, we had to have a Vision of what this building would look like. We had to have a Vision of what we felt God was calling us to do. Someone asked Helen Keller, "What would be worse than being born blind?" She replied, "To have sight with no vision." When we give to God's work, whether it's to support the ministries of the Church or to the Building Fund, we are saying that we have a Vision for what God can do with that money and what God can do with us because we've given that money. (4) 3. Hope: the third tool is Hope. When there is Vision there is Hope because Vision engenders Hope. That Hope comes through Christ Jesus. We have obtained access to the Grace of God through Jesus. He is the only letter of recommendation we need. We don't need any other references but his. His Signature, his Word, his nail-scarred Hands are all we need. He is our letter of introduction, our entrance fee, our resume, and letter of recommendation. He is all we need. His very presence fleshes out the Vision and gives us Hope. 4. Faith: And when we have Hope, then we can have Faith. Which is the next tool in the toolbox. I got a phone call from IRS the other day. They called and wanted to know if I would help them. Not wanting to get in trouble myself, I told them I would, if I could. First the man asked if Woody Mathews was a member of our congregation and I said, "Yes he is." Then the man proceeded to tell me that for the last three years Woody Mathews has claimed that he has donated $20,000 to the church. Then the IRS agent asked: "Did he really write those checks?" And I answered the only way I could. I said: "He will." (5) That's called Faith. You see I have faith that if that really happened, A.J. / Woody would write those checks. The point I'm really trying to make is: Going to church and giving to the church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes you a hamburger. Or jumping into a swimming pool will make you an Olympic Swimmer. You need Faith, faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God as your Savior. He's the one who offers chances and the one who changes everything, so we can live that second chance. Our job is to bring people to the Master. But when we bring people to the Master, our job is not finished, it is just beginning. Because then we are to bring them to maturity and also to ministry. That job description comes right out of the word of God. Ephesians 4 tells us that our job is not just to help sinners become saints, but to lead saints to become servants. From the moment a person becomes a Christian, it becomes our responsibility to help that Christian finish what he starts, and to finish well. This passage tells us how that is to happen. I think I know why most Christians are not growing. They are like a man that walked into a doctor's office with a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear, and a banana in his right ear. He said, "Doc, what's wrong with me?" The doctor said, "Simple, you're not eating right." But the question still remains: where do we grow from here? So, another truth emerges. We must discover our gifts. Look at the scripture again. Put verse 7 with verses 11 and 12 and listen: Each is gifted, that’s one facet of the truth Paul is sharing. Another facet is that there is a variety of gifts. Did you hear the story of the art teacher who was introducing second graders to the world of creativity? She wanted them to draw and paint as they saw and imagined things. So, as an exercise one day, she “turned them lose” and urged them to paint anything they wished. As she moved around, she was baffled by the efforts of one little girl. The teacher asked her what she was painting. Without hesitation, the girl answered, “God.” “How can you do that?” the teacher asked. “No one has ever seen God. No one knows what God looks like.” “They will when I finish”, was the confident reply. I like that. The confidence of being gifted. Pay attention to Paul: “And (Christ) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers...” The message is clear: a variety of gifts is given, needed gifts befitting every believer, enabling Christian to make his or her own contribution. A seminary professor of another generation retired early because of his health, and died at the age of 58. The last ten years of his life were spent in and out of hospitals. Toward the end of his life this teacher traced the steps and stages of his ministry. He said: “When I began I thought of myself as standing upon the bank of the stream of life, shouting instructions to the swimmers who were down below. I was the expert. The second stage of my ministry, I thought of myself as the rescuer. If I saw someone going down for the third time, I would plunge into the water, rescue them, get them started in the right direction again, then I would return to the bank. But the last ten years of my life, I was in the water, and we were fellow-strugglers with arms around each other, trying to help one another make it to the shore.” I submit to you that that’s what Christ is calling for – from you and me, from this church, to put our arms around each other in the waters of life and swim together to make the Kingdom of the world the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is one body and one Spirit, ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism ... (Ephesians 4:4) A man named Stephen was walking alone one night, out by the bridge which crosses the river on the outskirts of town. As he came up to the bridge, though, he saw a man standing on it as if he were ready to jump off. It was a long way down to the river - jumping would mean certain death. Stephen decided he would try to stop this suicide. He figured that if they started talking and found something they had in common, perhaps the other man would decide he wanted to live. "Tell me something," said Stephen, "are you a religious man?" "Yes, I am," the man said. "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Are you of the Christian religion, or the Jewish religion, or perhaps some other?" asked Stephen. "I am of the Christian religion," the man said. "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Are you a Protestant Christian or a Catholic Christian?" The man answered, "I am a Protestant Christian." "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Do you belong to the Methodist wing of the Protestant Christian church, or the Baptist wing, or some other?" "I belong to the Baptist wing of the Protestant Christian church," replied the man on the bridge. "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Are you Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" "I'm a Northern Baptist," the man said. "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Are you an independent Northern Baptist or a denominational Northern Baptist?" "I am a denominational Northern Baptist," the man said. "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "Are you a fundamentalist denominational Northern Baptist or a liberal denominational Northern Baptist?" The man said, "I am a liberal denominational Northern Baptist." "Good," said Stephen, "so am I." "As a liberal denominational Northern Baptist, which creed do you subscribe to - the New Hampshire Confession of 1833 or the Abstract of Principles of 1859?" "Why, I subscribe to the New Hampshire Confession of 1833." "Die, you heretic!" cried Stephen, and he pushed the man off the bridge. It's fun to laugh at the silly ways Christians divide themselves from one another, but upon deeper reflection the disunity of the church is no laughing matter. John's gospel says quite plainly that Jesus died in order "to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad" (11:52). My friends, if Jesus suffered and died on Calvary's cross to make all believers one (John 17:20-21), how do you think He feels today as He looks upon the fractured and fractious church which bears His name? One of my favorite poets, Archibald Rutledge, wrote a poem entitled “Final Proof.” If you want to score a great hit on Valentine’s Day, just get a copy of my sermon and write these words on the back of your Valentine card. “I do not need some tremendous miracle to give me faith in God: A violet would do, or a spire of goldenrod, or a daisy or two. But if I had to have a magic and a wonder, to rend my doubts asunder, To prove God true -it would be you!” Friends, that’s what I mean by sending a good message! • “Therefore” pushes us to review last week. Paul is making a statement here based on what came before. o V. 20-21 “Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all we could ask or imagine by his power and work within us; glory to him in teh church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.” • Now, after the therefore, is the action: o “Our actions are to be godly and that we are to ‘walk worthy of the calling’. To walk worthy defines the type of life we are to live so as to please and honor God for we are chosen to do good works. That is God’s calling, and our calling is to uphold god’s laws. God desires faithfulness and obedience.” ( Abingdon Preaching Annual, 2018 , 2018, p. 103) • ng within God’s victory means something. This begins the “So what?” section of Paul’s letter. • V. 1-10 Live as a people worthy of the call… o Live right - gentleness, humility, and patience o Accept each other • o  th is the goal of Christian faith.  God wants us to mature - to move somewhere, to grow. This is not about ecstatic conversion and enthusiastic experience. This is about a life of moving toward God - sanctifying grace over time. o An integral part of ‘building up’ the church, of course, is bringing about and maintaining its unity.  Unity over Justice?  Unity over holiness?  Any disunity is evidence that the church is immature.  Careful though, because it is easy to see others as causing the disunity, and they are immature.