Growing Together • 9.18.22

Perris Valley Church

Sermon Manuscript: Ephesians 4:1-16

Series: Text Messages

Title: Growing Together

Date: 9/18/22

Location: Perris Valley Church

Ephesians 4:1-2 (NLT)

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Luke 14:8-11 (NLT)

“When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

1 Thessalonians 2:7 (NLT)

As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.

Ephesians 4:3-6 (NLT)

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Point Number One:

The Lord’s Church is designed to be united as one, not divided into many.

Psalm 133:1 (NLT)

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!

Ephesians 4:7 (NLT)

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Romans 11:29 (NLT)

For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.

Ephesians 4:11 (NLT)

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

Ephesians 4:12 (ESV)

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Ephesians 4:12 (NLT)

Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

Point Number Two:

Your Pastor’s Job Description is to Give You the Tools To Do Ministry.

2 Timothy 4:2 (NLT)

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (CSB)

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Ephesians 4:13-14a (NLT)

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children.

Point Number Three:

A united healthy Church body is continually growing deeper in their Christian walk together.

Hebrews 5:11-14 (CSB)

We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. 12 Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. 13 Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil.

Ephesians 4:15-16 (NLT)

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Point Number Four:

A body will not function properly if the parts are not growing in unison and in unity.

1 Corinthians 12:12 (NLT)

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.