Becoming Part of the Church || Now What? || Part 4

How many of you have experienced the transformative power of accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? How many of you have committed to living a life of repentance, knowing that it leads to a new, purposeful life? How many of you believe that the only path to heaven is through Jesus? If you have, it’s a testament to the hope and inspiration that Jesus brings. If you haven’t, no worries. The Bible says you need to say that you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and turn away from your sinful lifestyle into the one God has created for you. If you’re interested in doing so, this series will help you.

Once you make the decision, you may feel like nothing has changed. Your next question may be “What’s next?” or “What now?” That’s what I intend to answer in this series. I hope this series has been able to answer those questions for you. This series has been about the new things you can do with the Holy Spirit living inside your heart. We’re wrapping up our series today called “Now What?”

We’re landing the plane in Ephesians 4:12-13 by discussing how to become part of God’s plans to build the church.

Ephesians 4:12-13

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

13          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.

God has given his church a massive responsibility – to make disciples in every nation. His church is the body of believers, not specifically church buildings or religious organizations. Doing this involves preaching, teaching, healing, nurturing, giving, administering, and building, among other tasks. We often refer to these things as the spiritual gifts God gives all his believers to accomplish his plans for us. If we had tried to fulfill this goal by ourselves, we might as well quit before we begin because it’s impossible for one person.

As members of the body of Christ, we each have unique strengths and abilities. When we come together, we can achieve far more than we could alone. It’s a reminder that we often overestimate our individual capabilities and underestimate the power of collective action. As a community of believers, we can accomplish more than we could imagine alone. Through our collective efforts, we can better reflect Christ’s character and the importance of a personal relationship with him. This sense of unity and collective action is what makes our church community so powerful and meaningful.

This is a lot of what Paul talks about in his different letters to the church. Here’s what he says in his letter to the Ephesians. We will focus on verse 23, but 22 is added for contextual purposes.

Ephesians 1:22-23

22          God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

23          And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

Christ fills the church with his gifts and blessings. In return, the church should fully express Christ and fulfill his mission. When reading Ephesians, we must remember that this letter addresses the church, not individuals. Christ is the head of the church, and we are the body of the church. Paul uses this imagery to show that the church has many parts that work together. As members of the body, we need to work cooperatively with each other to do Christ’s work on earth. We should only attempt to do it with others.

This reminder that Ephesians is addressing the church is essential. Christ being the head of the church means Christ is the brains of the operation. Christ leads the church in what to think, what to say, and what to do. Christ leads the church in its emotional processing and reaction to certain stimuli. Some churches and denominations have forgotten that and have been so wrapped up in the legalisms and polity of their own identity that people have felt like Christ has been pushed aside. It’s up to the body of believers that make up the church to resolidify, reframe, and represent the message of Christ to the world. This isn’t a one-person job. This isn’t a young-person job. This is a combined effort of willingness to hear the issues, adapt to the times, and work together to share the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Sharing that message is something Paul talks about in Colossians 1:28. Verse 29 has been added for contextual purposes.

Colossians 1:28-29

28          So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

29          That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

The word “perfect” in verse 28 means “mature” or “complete.” Paul wants to see each believer mature spiritually. We must work at this diligently and persistently like athletes. Still, this maturity is something that we shouldn’t strive to become on our own. This doesn’t happen without the Holy Spirit. We need to tap into the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit that works in us. From there, we can learn and grow daily. We can live a life motivated by love, not fear or pride. We can do this knowing that Christ is the source that gives us the energy to become who God created us to be. This message here is for all people. We must share that message properly and meticulously to fit the audience and person we speak to. How we share the message matters, for we must include proper teaching and understand the consequences of rejecting this message. Use your story to share this message with others, always remembering to do so with love and compassion.

Some people will not want to hear this message, and that’s okay. Some people will think the message is wrong, stupid, unbelievable, among many other things, and that’s okay. “Marc isn’t this going against scripture. I thought we were to share the message and make believers.” Yes, but we cannot force the relationship to happen. We can plant the seed of what a relationship with Christ looks like. Still, it’s between them and God to have the relationship cultivated. We can answer their questions, discuss their concerns and unbelief, and walk with them in their discovery. They are still human at the end of the day and must be treated with the same love and compassion that you want to be treated with. God will handle their heart, but you can open their door.

This is what it means to be a Christian. I hope you enjoyed both the series and the mini-series! This was an intense one or at least one of the more intense series I’ve written in a while, but sharing this has been on my heart for a while now. Our next series will start soon, a four-part series on lustful thinking. I still need a working title, but lustful thinking has yet to be adequately taught after studying this. There’s more to this than just inappropriately thinking about people and money. We’ll talk more about that then. Until then, stay blessed!