Call to Worship Joshua 24:24
Hymn JBC # 327 Lead on, O King eternal
The Lord’s Prayer
Offering
Scripture Ephesians 4:11~16
Prayer
Sermon “Build up the body of Christ”
*audio data is not provided today due to equipment malfunction.
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 236 What can wash away my sin?
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
The Christian faith is built on the truth that Jesus who is God was born into the world as a man, spread the word of God’s Kingdom, God’s love and forgiveness and, in his final moments, took everyone’s sins upon himself and died on the cross, then rose to life again.
Jesus entrusted the mission of sharing God’s Kingdom firstly to his own disciples. After Jesus’ death, His disciples gathered together and, over time, built the church, focused on the church and protected the faith, and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ out into the world.
That mission is the one each and every Christian alive today now shares. Of course that mission is one we also share as a church.
While Jesus is no longer living as a man, he lives inside us who believe in Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit.
We also receive the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ here as a church. The Holy Spirit binds us together, guiding us as one body through faith in Christ.
This is why, when we pray, we ask that this be a church that follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit that goes before us, and that the Holy Spirit would work freely and fruitfully among us.
All kinds of people gather here in Christ’s church. And, to each of us gathered here in church, God has granted us each our own gifts.
Just as we are all different as people, so too do we each have different gifts. This diversity is very important for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our church.
In the first verse of today’s passage (Ephesians 4:11~17), we see that God has given Christians different roles according to their individual gifts.
The first role is that of apostles. Apostle refers to the first 12 disciples who were chosen by Jesus to become his direct disciples. (Later, people who fulfilled great responsibilities in the church also came to be called apostles)
Jesus’ first disciples, the 12 apostles, lived alongside Jesus, seeing first hand how Jesus lived and hearing his teaching.
The reason the teachings of the first apostles is so important is that they engaged directly with Jesus, hearing his words and seeing his actions first hand.
This is why the lessons and teaching of the apostles were important to the early Christians, and to us today as they are passed on to us through the Bible.
This is not to say that the first apostles were remarkable people who were more important than anyone else. They were just ordinary people.
However God chose these first disciples according to His divine will, to work together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ even after His death.
Even today we as Christians have been chosen by God to become people who believe in and are alive in Christ. It is not as though there is anything particularly remarkable about us compared to anyone else.
That is why when we look up to Christ and think of Him, let us give thanks from the bottom of our hearts that we were chosen only by the grace of God.
And as we thank God this way, let us be more and more humble, becoming people who live in humility before God and others.
With all of us gathered here in Church being different, and each of us having received different gifts from God, there is one clear purpose for this.
That purpose is written in verse 12, and is also in the title of today’s message “Build up the body of Christ”.
The “body of Christ” is the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. Just as our bodies are made up of many parts, so too is the Church which is the body of Christ made up of many parts.
The parts of the body of Christ (the church) are each and every one of us who are connected to this church. The church is made by all the parts working together to form one body.
In this way “we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13).
Let me read that again.
“We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve.
Even though we are same Christians, I think it’s true to say that we each have our own ideas and convictions, our own preferences that make it hard to achieve unity.
But even so, I still have hope.
Our church theme for this year is “Give your service with love”. We chose the related scripture from Galatians, chapter 5 verse 13.
This was chosen by the church (or more accurately by the Deacons who were selected by the church) out of a desire to serve the church with the love we receive from Jesus, to not seek our own happiness but to give our service to God with love.
During the time of the Coronavirus there were many restrictions on the activities of the church and on opportunities to serve each other. But, as this new year started and this idea was expressed, it was a very memorable moment.
It was not just “let us serve” but “let us serve with love”, and within that is the belief that “the love we receive from Jesus (Jesus Christ’s love) is the foundation for our service”.
The motivation for our service is the love of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ love is so amazing, and we give our service out of gratitude for that love.
We do seek not our own happiness or our own glory, but we come to seek the glory of the whole body (the Body of Jesus Christ) that we are a part of.
Let us look at verse 16 of today’s passage.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The part about “the whole body” is vital. It is not just one part of the body, or each individual in the church, that grows.
If one part of the body is cut off, there is no way that it can survive apart from the body. In the same way, if we are cut off from the Body of Christ that is the Church, there is no way that we can continue living spiritually.
And so, if we lose someone from amongst ourselves, that does not lead to the growth of the whole body.
Just as it says in verse 16 that the whole body supports each other, growing and building itself up in the love of Christ, let us take this commandment of faith upon ourselves seriously, and go on supporting each other.
As the whole body, let us hold on tightly to the faith that we are all building the body of Christ that is the church.
When thinking about gifts and service, you may think of the kinds of gifts and service that stand out in other people’s eyes.
But even if they aren’t the kind that stand out, as long as they are based in the love of Christ, no act of service is better than any other.
Even if it is not the kind of service that is listed in the worship service volunteers list, as a member of Christ’s family of believers, coming to the worship service or prayer service and worshipping and praying together is the first and important act of service.
And even those who cannot come to church due to various circumstances, they are remembering the church in their prayers and making offerings. That is also an important act of service.
When we believe in and love God, there is nothing that can keep us from serving God no matter what our circumstances may be.
This is from the verse before today’s passage, but in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 7 it says “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
God has given grace to all of us through Christ. The word grace means it is not a reward or something we have earned through great deeds of our own.
God’s grace is given to us only by God’s love and compassion, regardless of our human achievements and good deeds, through the cross of Jesus Christ.
To us who have received such grace, let us give our service in thankfulness for that grace. Shall we not go forward giving our service with the love of Christ?
Let us start within our own church, seeking unity in the faith, maturing and growing together as one body
Earlier in this sermon I said “I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve.” However, as long as we have faith and continue to stand in Christ’s love, I have no doubt that will happen someday.
This is because faith in Jesus Christ is not something that is “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” like it is written in verse 14.
Faith in Jesus Christ is built on the Word of Jesus Christ that is the same yesterday, today and forever, on God’s everlasting love, and on the promises of God. That is why no matter how long it takes, it will come to pass some day.
As long as Christ dwells among us, as long as we are rooted in the love of Christ, we will surely reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, just as it is promised in today’s passage.
As each of us with our various gifts believe in the Word of God and offer our various gifts based in the love of Christ, we get closer and closer to unity in the faith and maturing in our faith.
Let us give thanks for being a part of the Body of Christ, that God himself holds us firmly in the faith based on the love of Christ, and let us go forward rejoicing in “giving service with love”.
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 236 What can wash away my sin?
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
The Christian faith is built on the truth that Jesus who is God was born into the world as a man, spread the word of God’s Kingdom, God’s love and forgiveness and, in his final moments, took everyone’s sins upon himself and died on the cross, then rose to life again.
Jesus entrusted the mission of sharing God’s Kingdom firstly to his own disciples. After Jesus’ death, His disciples gathered together and, over time, built the church, focused on the church and protected the faith, and spread the teachings of Jesus Christ out into the world.
That mission is the one each and every Christian alive today now shares. Of course that mission is one we also share as a church.
While Jesus is no longer living as a man, he lives inside us who believe in Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit.
We also receive the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ here as a church. The Holy Spirit binds us together, guiding us as one body through faith in Christ.
This is why, when we pray, we ask that this be a church that follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit that goes before us, and that the Holy Spirit would work freely and fruitfully among us.
All kinds of people gather here in Christ’s church. And, to each of us gathered here in church, God has granted us each our own gifts.
Just as we are all different as people, so too do we each have different gifts. This diversity is very important for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our church.
In the first verse of today’s passage (Ephesians 4:11~17), we see that God has given Christians different roles according to their individual gifts.
The first role is that of apostles. Apostle refers to the first 12 disciples who were chosen by Jesus to become his direct disciples. (Later, people who fulfilled great responsibilities in the church also came to be called apostles)
Jesus’ first disciples, the 12 apostles, lived alongside Jesus, seeing first hand how Jesus lived and hearing his teaching.
The reason the teachings of the first apostles is so important is that they engaged directly with Jesus, hearing his words and seeing his actions first hand.
This is why the lessons and teaching of the apostles were important to the early Christians, and to us today as they are passed on to us through the Bible.
This is not to say that the first apostles were remarkable people who were more important than anyone else. They were just ordinary people.
However God chose these first disciples according to His divine will, to work together to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ even after His death.
Even today we as Christians have been chosen by God to become people who believe in and are alive in Christ. It is not as though there is anything particularly remarkable about us compared to anyone else.
That is why when we look up to Christ and think of Him, let us give thanks from the bottom of our hearts that we were chosen only by the grace of God.
And as we thank God this way, let us be more and more humble, becoming people who live in humility before God and others.
With all of us gathered here in Church being different, and each of us having received different gifts from God, there is one clear purpose for this.
That purpose is written in verse 12, and is also in the title of today’s message “Build up the body of Christ”.
The “body of Christ” is the Church. The Church is the body of Christ. Just as our bodies are made up of many parts, so too is the Church which is the body of Christ made up of many parts.
The parts of the body of Christ (the church) are each and every one of us who are connected to this church. The church is made by all the parts working together to form one body.
In this way “we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13).
Let me read that again.
“We all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (Christ) and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve.
Even though we are same Christians, I think it’s true to say that we each have our own ideas and convictions, our own preferences that make it hard to achieve unity.
But even so, I still have hope.
Our church theme for this year is “Give your service with love”. We chose the related scripture from Galatians, chapter 5 verse 13.
This was chosen by the church (or more accurately by the Deacons who were selected by the church) out of a desire to serve the church with the love we receive from Jesus, to not seek our own happiness but to give our service to God with love.
During the time of the Coronavirus there were many restrictions on the activities of the church and on opportunities to serve each other. But, as this new year started and this idea was expressed, it was a very memorable moment.
It was not just “let us serve” but “let us serve with love”, and within that is the belief that “the love we receive from Jesus (Jesus Christ’s love) is the foundation for our service”.
The motivation for our service is the love of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ love is so amazing, and we give our service out of gratitude for that love.
We do seek not our own happiness or our own glory, but we come to seek the glory of the whole body (the Body of Jesus Christ) that we are a part of.
Let us look at verse 16 of today’s passage.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
The part about “the whole body” is vital. It is not just one part of the body, or each individual in the church, that grows.
If one part of the body is cut off, there is no way that it can survive apart from the body. In the same way, if we are cut off from the Body of Christ that is the Church, there is no way that we can continue living spiritually.
And so, if we lose someone from amongst ourselves, that does not lead to the growth of the whole body.
Just as it says in verse 16 that the whole body supports each other, growing and building itself up in the love of Christ, let us take this commandment of faith upon ourselves seriously, and go on supporting each other.
As the whole body, let us hold on tightly to the faith that we are all building the body of Christ that is the church.
When thinking about gifts and service, you may think of the kinds of gifts and service that stand out in other people’s eyes.
But even if they aren’t the kind that stand out, as long as they are based in the love of Christ, no act of service is better than any other.
Even if it is not the kind of service that is listed in the worship service volunteers list, as a member of Christ’s family of believers, coming to the worship service or prayer service and worshipping and praying together is the first and important act of service.
And even those who cannot come to church due to various circumstances, they are remembering the church in their prayers and making offerings. That is also an important act of service.
When we believe in and love God, there is nothing that can keep us from serving God no matter what our circumstances may be.
This is from the verse before today’s passage, but in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 7 it says “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
God has given grace to all of us through Christ. The word grace means it is not a reward or something we have earned through great deeds of our own.
God’s grace is given to us only by God’s love and compassion, regardless of our human achievements and good deeds, through the cross of Jesus Christ.
To us who have received such grace, let us give our service in thankfulness for that grace. Shall we not go forward giving our service with the love of Christ?
Let us start within our own church, seeking unity in the faith, maturing and growing together as one body
Earlier in this sermon I said “I think it is safe to say that this is something we have all yet to achieve.” However, as long as we have faith and continue to stand in Christ’s love, I have no doubt that will happen someday.
This is because faith in Jesus Christ is not something that is “blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” like it is written in verse 14.
Faith in Jesus Christ is built on the Word of Jesus Christ that is the same yesterday, today and forever, on God’s everlasting love, and on the promises of God. That is why no matter how long it takes, it will come to pass some day.
As long as Christ dwells among us, as long as we are rooted in the love of Christ, we will surely reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, just as it is promised in today’s passage.
As each of us with our various gifts believe in the Word of God and offer our various gifts based in the love of Christ, we get closer and closer to unity in the faith and maturing in our faith.
Let us give thanks for being a part of the Body of Christ, that God himself holds us firmly in the faith based on the love of Christ, and let us go forward rejoicing in “giving service with love”.
