Grow Up

With JD Greer's purpose was to fill you with himself to let you experience moving inside for you to love the world, like he does it to be a conduit of his great power through you. So he feels it gives you spiritual gifts whereby you experience him, not just working for you and not just working in you back another day.

Life after JD Greer.

I'm your host Molly made a batch to the moms and dads for a second when your kids are babies. It's okay for them to wear a diaper on a pacifier and be completely dependent on you for everything right but at some point it's going to be time to move past that phase can't exactly shout to high school, holding mom's hand with a pacifier hanging out of your mouth right in today on Senate life pastor JD Greer reveals that the same is true of our faith, we can't be spiritual babies forever. We need to grow up and experience God in new ways and trust him more each day were moving into Ephesians chapter 4 so like everyday. It is time to grab our Bible and ANOVA and let's see what God has to say about growing up. There's pastor JD Paul's message to the new Ephesian believers in Ephesians 412 16, this court will that's literally what he says.

First thing I want you to grow in every way. Verse 14. I want you no longer be children in the face. This really communicates to me it speaks to me deeply, dad of four kids know what I love my kids as kids really want to grow up so you are older tell me to cherish this time as I think you forgot what it's like a real human have to change the sheets on the bed is nothing to cherish.

There say that yeah I know I should cherish this time I realize that I was a grow too fast. With that said, there's nothing worse than a kid not growing up we should know what he wants to be around a 10-year-old who still act like before I decided to have lots of kids so they could take care of me in my old age.

Not so I can take care of them forever kids in their younger years brought you ragged today men for many of our parents other bills I get older they become a little more useful your kids again.

I have I have for because I thought the chances of four of one of them. Miriam Rich is really good. Just will have a lot of hyper gravity.

Working on each seven years. My. You are your parents going through at age 7 kids become a zero-sum in other words, what they take out from you. They are putting back into the other kids and so I feel like now that Terrace is almost 7 total to seal the night of the groom was seven. The major almost worth it. Now write your almost in the block your firm for for us to sell this obviously joking. If your new year to guess this is not about what is bad, but the point I'm making is that there's nothing worse than an adult who still live child. No girl wants to marry a 35-year-old guy who has no job and still lives in his mom's basement place of war craft until 3 AM each morning. I will close the home of your summary. You guys need to grow up and start taking some responsibility in the same way some you desperately need to grow up spiritually.

You come here you do a lot of taking. You need to start giving you need to become useful social the chopper for dinner.

You should notice is very important how this chapter opens. Paul says in verse one. I therefore, she therefore connects what is about to say. With all the stuff that is just said that Raymond would bring about the church. Paul has just given Ephesians 1 into one of the clearest explanations of what it means to know God anywhere what he saying is if you get that if you really understand it to be involved actively in the church? Can you grow in Christ and be a good Christian, apart from active involvement in the church, 81% of Americans say yes. The Bible clearly, emphatically and without exception says no you cannot be growing in Christ, MBA what God wants you to be without their part of the church believing real believing always leads to belonging.

I therefore Paul says urge you to walk in a manner that is worthy of the calling worthy of the calling. In other words, I want you to walk in a way that is a proper response to what God has done in you. I want you to live in a way that is a proper response to the gospel to talk about today is a response to this great and glorious gospel and if you don't do the things that I'm telling you today that Paul is saying here. Ephesians 4 is you don't get the gospel verse two he expelled a little bit of what that looks like that you should walk with all humility, if you get the gospel at all, but your righteousness to God what a filthy rag that you had to be rescued from doubt that you weren't even seeking God and God stepped in your life intervene to begin to seek you if you get all that you will look down on other people's feelings of superiority or self-righteousness.

How could you is nothing to brag about humility to response to the gospel and gentleness, with patients bearing with one another in love. If you're aware of how God treated you. What's gentleness and patience that God has used you will treat others that way till all times. I think about this when I want to get harsher impatient with people discuss their goals or their lazy thinking I wonder how God looks at me because I'm pretty sure that they are no more goal and lazy to me that I was the God when you are harsh or impatient with others. That is a clear demonstration that you're not in touch with how patient and gentle. God had to be with you. It has to be with you. Yes, I'm talking to married couples.

You are harsh and impatient with each other what you were demonstrating that you were not aware of the gospel. Verse three you should be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is if you kept the gospel, you will be eager to see peace, you will not love controversy or division or strife or hatred. If you've experienced the gospel Ukraine unity. You hate conflict to me. By the way you unity at the expense of truth is possible say later speak the truth in love, you desire unity in the body of Christ that would maintain verse three is really important to Paul.

Speaking of is not something that we find or create something we maintain, we will create the unity of the gospel created the unity that means is that when we lose the unity it's because we've lost the gospel guys if you relish a fight. You do not know the gospel. If you love to gossip.

You do not know the gospel. If you don't naturally want to connect with others and be involved in their lives and minister to them. You don't know the gospel to every verse four just like you were called to the one hope that belongs to that word belongs to your call. It's all inherits in your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all was rolling through all and all. Number seven, Paul shifts and starts to talk about with the fact that God lives inside of you means or how you relate to the church in the world right just read the next few verses in entirety mimic some comments on them altogether for seven graciously, Paul says, was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it the Old Testament says in the quote from Isaiah when he ascended on high, let a host of captives. That's us any day gifts to men.

This is an Old Testament prophecy that Jesus rose from the dead he would put his spirit into the people that he left behind.

That's us and he would give us supernatural spiritual gifts verse nine insane he ascended, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions of the earth. He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things that verse 11 and so he gave the apostles, the prophets, the banjos, the shepherds of the teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ all maintain the unity of the faith and to the knowledge of the son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning craftiness in deceitful schemes rather speaking the truth in love to each other. We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped when each part is working properly makes the body grows so that it builds itself up in love. God's purpose in salvation get this with not just to save you and take you to heaven. God's purpose was to fill you with himself. She was to the whole point of Christ. Work was that he might fill all things. God's purpose was to fill you with himself for the whole point of all this is to let you experience moving inside of you, for you to love the world, like he does it to be a conduit of his great power through you. So he feels you and gives you spiritual gifts whereby you experience him, not just working for you and not just working in you, but working through you know this is truly one of the most exciting things about Christianity really is and sadly many don't know anything about it really should never experienced it personally. You feel like Jesus saved you, yes, but there is so much more that God wants for you. God wants to do some things through you. It would blow your mind really does want you to be amazed at how he feels you with himself and how you speak and you say the very ministry of God in you the prayer that Paul prayed in Ephesians 1 we said this a few weeks ago, one of the components about what she prayed that the church might be acquainted with her might understand the power that was at work in them and through them so this is what he was talking about right here he was talking about becoming familiar with the spiritual gifts that God had put inside of them that God was going to minister his very power through them or the prayers that I have prayed for you in this message of printed all week long, is that you would not leave here feeling beat up by me because you're not more involved but you would leave with a sense of eager anticipation as you had your mind blown at how much God wanted to do in and through you. I have prayed that God would literally change nations through this message not because the nations are sitting right here because some of you are going to realize how much God wants to use you that it would blow your mind and you would go out from here, you would go to somewhere where God would use you to literally change somebody's that has been my prayer. This is what Paul is going after here so I want to look at three questions really briefly I think from this passage.

Here they are, what our spiritual gifts and how do I know what mine is your first question, and secondly were going to ask why is it so crucial that I know what mine is and after that I want to give you a quick word about what all this means for our churches philosophy to make a personal challenge to you what our spiritual gifts and how do I know what mine is to give you a definition that I think comes out of this passage.

It is spiritual gifts are an experience or inability God has given to you that he intends to use to build up others like it that were seven.

Grace was given to each one of us.

Verse 12 Y for the building up of the body of Christ. Verse 13 until we all attain to the knowledge of the son of God. In other words, I come to know God better through your gift. It may be an experience that you had with Christ that you share with me that helps me see him better.

Or maybe it is an ability to helps that helps me know the truth about Christ helped me see that truth in my own life. Some of you are gifted to speak for Christ. I know because I've experienced it. Some of you have given the words that God was saying to me, you have spoken over my life. You spoke into my life and suddenly I came to know something about God or my life better. Some of you are equipped to minister the compassion of Christ. And when you touch somebody they feel more than just one human touch. Another they feel the very spirit of God. Jesus himself ministering his compassion through them to you. Some of you it's and how you your mind thinks. When it relates to ministry. You were just gifted at seeing what ministries need to be done and how to get them done. God gives you a special awareness of me and goes to work in your mind showing you what he wants to do their some youth I could pray when you pray God gives you a gift of knowing exactly what he wants to do in a situation and you pray those things that God wants to do into existence.

Verse 16 says what each part is working properly makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Nothing.

God built it up in love.

It builds itself up as his God-given them. This is how Christ administers to his people. Spiritual gifts is how we experience his power prescriptions 12. Another place where Paul talks about spiritual gifts.

All spiritual gifts, a manifestation of Christ.

Now, a manifestation is been something that is invisible is suddenly made visible.

For example, if I was really angry at you that's invisible. That's an emotion that you can't see. You can't see that I'm angry if I punch you in the nose. That is a manifestation of my anger, you now know that that which is invisible. My anger has become visible in my fist encountering her face, but you got that. That's a manifestation in the same way, how Christ who is invisible becomes manifest in the world how he ministers and makes his power known is through the gifts that he's put into the church that is a question lobby will ask Butler how are these gifts different than just talents by me. For example, the JV exposure gift is preaching or teaching that we do hope that you build your life on but you seem to me to be a naturally talented speaker. If you didn't do this, maybe you could sell vacuum cleaners or use cars or ring is a lie that child is different than a natural talent that's a great question and answer that comes from a theologian in JI Packer. Honestly, I could not improve on this on the recording ability to speak or act in a certain way is only a spiritual gift if and as God uses it to build up the body. Some natural abilities or talents that God is given us. He never uses in this way while sometimes.

He chooses to build up his body and performances that in our I've seen substandard. Some dogs really good at something and I just choose not to use that in his body like you proud about another time she'll take up a grade C+ performance for his spirit out on that and use that his body. Packer goes on to say, it's only what ask what makes something a spiritual gift is not the quality of the performance, but the blessing of God. What makes your talent to give if God uses it to reveal himself to others. Talents are what God gives you when you're born, gifts, or what he gives you when you are born again. Sometimes gifts are given to you on top of your natural talents and sometimes are given to you despite your natural talents and all you know Christ old you have one.

I know that verse seven says it to each of you was given a measure of risk there's nobody anywhere who knows Christ that does not have 123 maybe 10 spiritual gifts, but how you know what your spiritual gift is here so you on times you feel it on things you could sense the spirit of God working you right sometimes and usually it's because other people tell you about it how God used you in their lives. By the way, one of the reasons we want to have a culture around the church. We affirm the work of God in each other's lives, and we tell people God used you this way my life is to become the nose gifts when God is using you other people tell you about those things's number two. Why is it crucial that I know what mine is our second question, what is your uniquely gifted. See you have a particular gift a particular part of Christ that only you can display. There are certain things that only you can do in ministry and that means there are certain ways that only you can reveal Christ in certain people only you can influence to come under the Lordship of Christ and you told use your gifts. There will be people that God intended to reach through you will otherwise never berates you to embrace. Ephesians 210.

This a few weeks ago so that God has preordained works for you to do. There are people that he wants you to reach and bring to the kingdom that nobody else can reach what you can't. There are there are there are those of you in here that God intends to use your mouth to speak words of deliverance and freedom to captives who otherwise would how you were going to stay in prison bound God to use you to minister his healing to certain people who otherwise would not go to experience their some of you can hear the God intends to take his power with certain people group a certain nation. That's the work that he has preordained for you and God is going to use your mouth and your ministry to set people free and if you don't use grace your part of the body.

It's never going to get done. That's why you got to find your gift right your part of the body. This is how Christ does his work, Miller.

The mention of this is I know that you never really experience fulfillment until you find your gift God saved you so that you can be filled and used by him. Do you know what that is like listen a lot, you know that Jesus is saved you, but do you live daily with the knowledge of his fullness. The knowledge that he's using you for most of you. The answer is no release that happened a long time you know Jesus as Savior. But you don't know him as the power surging through you.

I remember the first time I thought God ever use me somewhere about 15 years old I was, so my front porch with a guy friend of mine that they lived in the neighborhood as a plaintiff who God wasn't what God was doing in my life.

I remember when discussing I can understand that now when he bowed his head.

He put his trust in Christ. I remember that sensation that God the eternal God of the universe to just use me in somebody else's life. It was a life finding moment for me and I have never been the same to the point, as many of you feel unfulfilled and bored, spiritually, you never experience the power of Christ surging through you, but I know my sermons will never be entertaining about you coming back here week after week you have tailor-made ones of you to come here be committed are the ones who have an awareness that God has no time to how are you growing up spiritually. How is your church going deeper and wider because of your involvement you're listening to Summit life with pastor Arthur and theologian JD Greer. If you have missed any part of this teaching series through the book of Ephesians. You can catch up free of charge on our website. Visit JD Greer.com today to help you gain greater clarity into the mystery of God's life. We've created an exclusive new resource based on our current study here on the program, the personal Bible study, mystery and clarity. The book of Ephesians interactive questions in insightful commentary will help you walk. Verse by verse through the book of Ephesians. Plus, we've even included a Scripture memory component in this resource to help solidify those truths in your heart to be sent back in January we wanted to make committing Scripture to memory priority this year. One of the best ways to allow Scripture to speak into our lives is to commit to memories that we can dwell on it constantly, so jump back on board and let God's word to our heart here in 2020 when we left for you to request a book of the Ephesians Bible study today and you donate to support this ministry suggested level of $25 or more. You can help us continue reaching your fellow listeners by joining the team of gospel partners makes ministry cost gospel partner commit to regular monthly getting because they believe in ministry in their gas companies pretty and distribute these gospel centered messages as a token of our thanks when you become a gospel partner will send you monthly resources, including the current resource mystery and clarity will show you the mystery and majesty of the gospel to demonstrate even though God were to blow our minds. He also (maybe becoming a gospel partner give today and be sure to ask for your copy mystery and clarity. Ephesians, 866-335-5228 663-3524 go online. JD Greer.com Molly that event gladhanding with this. Be sure to listen Wednesday when cancer JD reminds us to not forget tomorrow right here on Senate life JD Greer 1980. Your ministry