Body Life at Its Best, Part 3

Today on Insight for living God help us all in the exercise of arguments, no matter how capable, we maybe to so release the control of the spirit of God takes the control wonders you know what will happen world outside won't believe it. They won't believe how you will get even or won't hold a grudge are become revengeful. That's in the last few, countless churches have attempted to grow their membership through entertainment and activities, but how much better to follow the timeless prescription. Paul gave centuries ago to the Ephesians. The coupon said is to deploy your God-given gifts today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll reminds us that nothing is more winsome to an observing world and exercising our spiritual gifts, doing so in harmony and doing so is spiritual, grown-up.

Let's open up our Bibles to Ephesians chapter 4 as Chuck continues the message entitled body life at its best. Why is the Lord gifted the body with these spiritual Sherry could have done if he can do what always God, angels of God.

It absolutely always go to sleep go to their all over us and are everywhere but you didn't do that. He said I want the body to function within itself.

I want the cells within my body to serve the body itself and so all the way through the writings of Paul.

Not all the way. But in many places Paul talks about the body functioning in health and the analogy is the church is the body know why does he do that I want you to look at verse 12 because it is the answer to that question. Why there's an immediate reason there is an intermediate reason progressive reason and there is an ultimate reason the immediate reason is for the equipping of the saints, the intermediate reason is for the work of service, the ultimate reason is for the building up of the body of Christ. Look at the verse he gave some as many names all these gifts here and the reason he did that was to begin with, for the equipping of the saints. Your gift when it is exercise equips saints my gift when it is exercise equips saints.

Your gift may not be as visible as another person's gift is not important.

The Lord looks at the heart, not at the outward appearance, the primary purpose of the gifts.

Unless it is the gift of evangelism is not to evangelize the lost. It is to equip the saints and then the saints evangelize the lost. The church hasn't gotten that message and the result is starving congregations the world over. The purpose of the gifts is to equip the saints so that the saints take up the work of ministry.

Traditionally, people hire staff so the staff will do the work of ministry and we sit back, arms folded, and if something needs to get done. We hire more and we hire more if they didn't get into hire somebody's nothing is said about volunteerism is just hire someone nothing wrong with staff at the purpose of the staff is to do the work is to train others to do the work of ministry. We are not to be a group of spectators watching a few people do the work of ministry. We participate we are engaged in meeting the needs of the flock you with the other prayer with him. He with hammer her with her me with you, you with me. It is a give-and-take. It's like the cells working and when they work together. It's remarkable what a health pervades and we take up the work of service, the word service. By the way, is the word Deacon we Deacon we learn the work of serving one another, and ultimately please observe to the building up of the body of Christ. Think of this as a strong body are you laughing really strong muscle pumping iron able to stand firm, climb mountains, go around the world, and the boat doesn't matter whatever happens or not you not to give up go after it.

Why because you been billed you been prepared. You been equipped when the body functions as it is to function.

The live begins to flow needs get mad and we no longer live like little children look until we all attain to the unity of the faith marked the word unity and of the knowledge of the son of God marked the word knowledge to a mature man marked the word mature. You wonder what that standard, it is to the major of the state of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. He is our standard as a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. But true thing. It marked the word truth in love, we are to grow challenged us to grow up several days ago. Some of you remember being a little stunned when I use those words grow up and there they are right there in the Scriptures. Verse 15 we are to grow up in all aspects. To him who is the head Christ, we grow up we are not adults living like children, we are adults handling ourselves in an adult manner. Now be careful here is nothing wrong with children.

I love children. In fact, often they don't have a clue.

That's what's so cute about being with nothing cuter than little children being clueless.

Few things more tragic than adults living clueless lives. Along comes some slick capable spokesman for the cult and he opens the door of his car and says Gideon and we slide writing and we buy that whole message because we have been deceived by the trickery and craftiness of deceitful scheming.

I have a grown-up.

When you are properly equipped to doctrinally when you are properly equipped, physically and spiritually. You don't give in to the colors you stand against it.

You can sniff it out. You can smell this is wrong and you have the courage to say no thank you. In fact, let me explain to you the truth, and on your own without a pastor nearby, you can open the Scriptures and show them the way that's adult while I'm on the subject. Let me add when you hear of splits in the church and church fights church arguments what you're hearing is children at play in adult bodies.

That's what you see, that's what you hear. That's what's so tragic. Few things are more tragic than a child in an adult body because you have the permission but you haven't the wisdom to handle the role the exercise of the gifts the equipping of the saints prepare you for hard times and you grow up in all aspects. You know, one of the great things about being adult, you're no longer selfish. What is it we remember and love so much about our mother's is it whether it was the day or night, weekends or weekdays when we were sick they were there, is because we know they gave up this so that we might have that. It's called unselfish. It's called maturity came across a little poem called selfishness on parade. I have a little tea party this afternoon at three was very small three guests in all just by myself and me. It was I who lit the candles and drank up all the tea was also alive who ate the pie and past the cake to me. Children love that boy is nothing wrong with that the children they think that is a great party. That's the way to know. But your ears perk up like a Doberman when you're an adult and you see that because you know we haven't grown-up one of my constant prayers for stone bar community church is that we will become increasingly more adult that I will become increasingly more adult is your senior pastor that I will release you would not try to fix everything that I will let you go through the times that you're going through without trying to explain them away or control them that I will not fight for leadership that I will not get my image in my name involved in all the things so that I can keep it under my domination.

This is my work. This is God's work long after our names are forgotten. This work goes right on God help us all in the exercise of our gifts no matter how capable, we may be to so release the control that the spirit of God takes the controls and does wonders. I give you my word I will watch that carefully. I promise you not to pull rank. I promise that I will not abuse and manipulate you. I promise I will challenge you to the nth degree. I will without embarrassment. Talk about your giving to the point of sacrifice because that's adult because I know in these cases it is eternal in dimension, not temporal and you give to what will outlive you give of your sons to bear the message glorious give of your wealth to speed them on their way. Pour out your soul for them in prayer victorious and all you spend Jesus that's adult that's in that we might grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ. You know what will happen to the world outside won't believe it but they won't believe the way you pay your bills because that's adult that's responsible they won't believe how courteous you are. Even when they're not there won't believe how you won't get even or won't hold a grudge or become revengeful when I was away in another country. I heard that this particular nation a particular nation that was brought up lives by retaliation to retaliate but a terrible way to live is not a person listen to me right now they can't blame somebody for something a German skeptic who was a poet, wrote of what it would take to convince him that the church was in fact God's message to the world at large. This is what he said you show me your redeemed life and I might be inclined to believe in your Redeemer is great because chances are good that person will never bother to come to stone bar community church there just watching the church on parade in your neighborhood at work on that ball team in that club among your foursome on the golf course. That's the church that's the gospel that reading from Christ. Verse 16 states the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies is not beautiful. According to the proper working of each individual gift or part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Great bills itself up to stand alongside adolescents saying get taller job alert is to listen won't help him get taller.

The body is to build itself stature and emotional stability come from within, not force from without and did you miss what I read earlier true thing in love. True thing in love. There is the balance John RW Stott put it like this truth becomes hard. If it is not softened by love. Love becomes soft. If he does not strengthen by truth you need both you need both. While we were in Israel. We asked one of our good friends over there. Samuel's module who is a an Israeli man. We have known for years and has a travel agency that helps us with our plan. Samuel, we ask him to give his testimonies a messianic Jew and the student did that. It was so wonderful to hear how he a man born of Israeli parents now come to Christ, the Messiah, and I expected him toward the end of his talk to, refer to the importance of evangelism of the Israelis he didn't go there. You know what he emphasized with a little heavy heart.

Bit of a heavy heart. He said you know how you can pray for us. Pray for the shirt that we will get along.

Pray that believers here will get along. Pray that will grow together and grow up so that as a result, our nation that is looking for the Messiah as we know him will realize he has come and is available in our lives will become so attractive they won't be able to deny any longer. I like you to bow your heads, and the like you to close your eyes since this is an important moment for all of us disclosure Bibles shut out all the interruptive stimuli that could occupy your thoughts and attention just be still, growth is an is an individual matter and some seem to grow rather rapidly.

Others, it seemed to take half a lifetime for even a few biblical principles to get mail down to where you are in that spectrum. You know I had a friend say to me, following the first service we had this morning that he was a recovering alcoholic and I told him how proud I was of import telling me in for when a hard thing and his wife also going through that so I read something in one of our one of our books that really help me and he gave it to me and I asked him to write it down because I want to share with all of you from one of their books, the root of our trouble is selfishness and self-centeredness driven by 100 forms of fear, the root of our trouble is selfishness and self-centeredness driven by 100 forms of fear. It's quite possible that you been abused at another church. It's possible that you been manipulated and taken advantage of in your you're afraid now to give yourself and so you need time to heal. Take time, we need your service and we need your involvement but not to the point of the forcing you to it. You'll know when it's right take the time growth is slow in this and tedious process. The finger going through right now rather than running from it run toward it, toward. It may be the very thing that will help bring you closer toward the level of maturity. The Lord wants you the thing you fear rather than ignoring it, address it admitted it it it just may be that by conquering this fear through the help of a brother or sister or family member you move closer to maturity than you've ever been before. And for you who were so intense about other people's growth. Lighten up.

No one left you in charge of their lives, lighten up release that to the Lord that go genetic. Of course, if you've never known the grace of God in Christ.

If you've never come to saving faith in the Savior you've never received him, and found the joy of a new birth is a great moment to take care that right there where your city right now, Lord, teach us to be comfortable in.

In moments like this gorgeous father from the need to to become almost neurotic about this thing called faith give us an easy style easy to live with easy to be around give us a sense of acceptance of one another, which is true love love on parade allowing others to be adolescent where we once were in and not condemning them give us patience, long suffering and Lord for some stabilize during this time. Minutes of is rocky for some, the future is uncertain, and he ate everything within a screams to get order out of the chaos and it just may not be what you planned. So give us a sense of quiet confidence in you and in this ministry. Lord help us all in leadership to to hold it very loosely to realize that you're doing a remarkable thing is not something to brag about.

It's it for us to brag about.

It's not something for us to promote it just we need to respond correctly to it, whatever that may mean encourage the congregation Lord so that we as a flock as cells in the body do what we can do to help in whatever area needs to be addressed. Thank you on this day in your eternal plan for this message straight from your word. It says one thing to one person something altogether different to someone else. Thank you for fitting it Taylor making it to touch us at a level of need. Finally, Lord I pray that you would help us to get out of our childish ways are selfishness and self-centeredness. Our tendency to overreact to be rational, clueless, help us to be an adult in this thing called Christian life is to take our own responsibility rather than looking for someone to guard us from rationalization we've done what is to admit it like it is to come to your listening to Insight for living in the Bible teaching of pastor and author Chuck Swindoll. Chuck titled today's message body life at its best. To learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insideworld.org this is a good time to remind you that every Sunday morning, you have the opportunity to see the body life at Stone Breyer community church in Frisco Texas where Chuck is the senior pastor. Each weekend we stream Chuck's full-length message live, including the majestic worship music as well to take a front row seat in the worship center go to this dedicated website for all the details Insight.org/Sundays well most of us look forward to putting the year of 2020 in the rearview mirror between the global pandemic and unprecedented unrest.

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