The following Bible exposition was given at SGBC on Sunday, March 22, 2009.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A MATURE CHURCH
Ephesians 4:11-16
INTRODUCTION
According to our worship service record, we’ve spent six Sundays on this particular text of Ephesians, largely expounding on why God gives his ministers to his church. This morning I want to conclude our examination of this text by tying all the loose ends if you will and give you an overall look on what a mature church looks like based on what is provided for us here. Hence, I titled this message Characteristics of a Mature Church. With that in mind, let me offer eight characteristics of a mature church.
1. A Mature Church Has God-Ordained Ministers.
Here I’m making a distinction between God-ordained ministers and man-ordained ministers, and the difference between the two is wide as the ocean. And one way you can tell the difference is to examine whether the ministers equip the saints biblically. According to verses 11 and 12, equipping the saints is a fundamental duty of ministers. If that is not happening, such ministers are not God-ordained ministers.
Thomas Watson, one of my favorite Puritans, gave this exhortation to fellow ministers during 17th century:
First, let me crave liberty to speak a word the Elishas, my reverend and honoured brethren in the ministry. You are engaged in a glorious service. God has put great renown upon you. He has entrusted you with two most precious jewels, his truths and the souls of his people. Never was this honour conferred upon any angel to converts souls! What princely dignity can parallel this? The pulpit is higher than the throne, for a truly constituted minister represents no less than God himself. ‘As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to god’ (2 Corithians 5:20). Give me leave to say as the apostle, ‘I magnify my office’ (Romans 11:13). Whatever our persons are, the office is sacred. The ministry is the most honourable employment in the world. Jesus Christ has graced this calling by his entering into it. Other men work in their trade; ministers work with God. ‘We are labourers together with God’ (1 Corinthians 3:9). O high honour! God and his ministers have one and the same work. They both negotiate about souls. Let the sons of the prophets wear this as their crown and diadem.[1]
2. A Mature Church is Biblically Well-Equipped.
A church may be well-equipped with everything but biblically. A church may be well-equipped psychologically, socially, and even spiritually, but not biblically.
The key word here is biblically. A church that is biblically well-equipped generally has a high view of God’s word. Such a church strongly affirms that Scripture is inerrant, sufficient, and authority for both faith and living.
· NAU Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. 10 They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
Now, a mature church is biblically well-equipped. But to do what? According to verse 12, toward the work of ministry.
Maturity means you grow in knowledge and understanding of God’s truth. In addition, maturity means growth in wisdom, meaning how to apply God’s truth. According to one NT scholar, maturity entails integration of character and a long-term stance toward responsibility and hope.[2] In other words, a mature church continually grows in God’s truth toward knowledge and wisdom, transforms by God’s truth toward godly character, and applies God’s truth toward committed service to build up the local church.
3. A Mature Church is Unified in the Biblical Gospel.
Grammatically, verse 13 speaks of the unity of both the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God. In NAS there is a footnote to the word “knowledge,” which says “true knowledge.” The translating committee wants its readers to be absolutely clear on the quality of knowledge, namely true knowledge, as oppose to false knowledge.
In other words, there is undivided relationship between the genuine saving faith and truths (or the true knowledge). In fact, this particular word “knowledge” (epignoskow) refers to “definite information, to know definitely about, a degree of thoroughness.” Hence, you do not have the genuine saving faith, if you do not have the true knowledge. That is why precision matters in pursuing truth and sound doctrine.
So when it comes to the essential aspects of the saving faith, a mature church is unified. As a saying goes: on essentials unity, non-essentials liberty, but all things, charity.
One of the Puritan theologians, John Owen said the following, concerning the purpose of knowledge:
God’s purpose in giving us any knowledge of Himself is that we may glorify Him as God. That is, that we love Him, serve Him, believe and obey Him, and give Him all the honour and glory that is due from such poor sinful creatures to a sin-pardoning God and Creator.[3]
4. A Mature Church is a Doctrinally Discerning Church.
This is because a mature church finds its foundation, its anchor, and stability in the sound doctrine. Notice various instruments that are used for deceptions in verse 14 – by waves, by every wind, by the trickery, and by craftiness.
According to John Calvin, “There will always be impostors, who make insidious attacks upon our faith; but, if we are fortified by the truth of God, their efforts will be unavailing.”[4]
Scripture is full of exhortations to discern:
· NAU 2 Corinthians 11:14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
· NAU 1 John 4:1 ¶ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
5. A Mature Church is Truthful in Love.
The verb “speaking the truth” is a unique NT verb that is found only twice in the entire NT – here and Galatians 4:16. Although many translations have “speaking the truth,” the best rendering is “being truthful” because Christian maturity is not only in speech but also in deeds.[5]
What needs to be strongly pointed out in verse 15 is that love is never isolated from the truth. If it is, then it is not love. If I say I love you, but refuse to confront your obvious sin because I’m afraid you won’t like me, then that is not love at all. It’s like a doctor who notices tumor in your head, but doesn’t want to hurt your feelings by simply prescribing you to take a Tylenol instead. It’s a sham.
· NAU Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
According to Francis A. Schaeffer, “If an individual Christian does not show love toward other true Christians, the world has a right to judge that he is not a Christian” (source unknown). In other words, do you love your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ enough to be truthful to him and her? That is to say, do you love him and her enough that you are open to correct and also, be opened to receive correction?
When someone corrects you, be quick to hear and slow to speak. This is especially true as you listen to preaching of the word. According to Geoffrey W. Bromiley, “Sermons fail more often through bad hearing than through bad preaching” (source unknown). Likewise, Thomas Watson said, “If ministers must take all opportunities to preach, you must take all opportunities to hear.”[6]
6. A Mature Church Seeks Quality, Not Quantity Growth.
This particular verb “to grow up” in verse 15 is not a reference to numerical growth, but qualitative growth.[7] For example, the same verb is found in 1 Peter:
· NAU 1 Peter 2:2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.
There, Peter is not talking about quantitative growth, but qualitative growth. The same verb is also found in Ephesians 2:
· NAU Ephesians 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.
Again, the verb refers to qualitative growth.
This particular truth needs to be strongly reiterated over and over again in a culture where success is often determined by numbers. This may be true in a business world, but in the church such notion needs to be challenged and rejected. If the ministry of Jesus is viewed in terms of a numerical growth, his ministry was a failure since almost everyone bailed out on him at the end.
Many of you have attended churches with a large numerical size. But honestly, did the numerical size affect your growth? If anything, it was the pulpit, not the size of the pew has contributed to the growth.
7. A Mature Church is Under the Lordship of Christ.
Verse 15 states that we are to seek qualitative growth in all aspects into Him who is the head, Christ Jesus.
Just as the body does not function independently from its head, so the church cannot function without being under the headship of Christ. What seems like a no-brainer is unfortunately too common in our days when the head and the body are detached.
When I traveled Israel and also visited the Seven Churches in the book of Revelation in Asia Minor, it is a common site to find statues of Roman emperors without the head. This is because the emperors often did not rule for a long period due to assassinations or what have you. And since there were often changes of new emperors, they would change the head in the statues while the body remained.
That image is what I think of today’s churches. They may have the appearance of the body of Christ, but its head is not Christ. Their headship may include the influential people who often control the church according to their opinions and likings, unsound teachings, and/or traditions. The fundamental characteristic of submission to the lordship of Christ is obedience.
· NAU Luke 6:46 ¶ “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
This aspect of lordship and headship is so critical to Paul that he pointedly points out that this particular headship is the fountain and source where everything flows to the church body – “from whom the whole body…”
8. A Mature Church is Fully and Wholly Functional.
Notice Paul’s usage of human anatomy in the entire verse 16: the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies…
The key words are every and each. The point is every member within the body needs to function the way it should. For instance, nose needs to smell, not try to see. Mouth needs to taste, not try to hear, and so on. You get the point? Every member within the body needs to function the way God designed and gifted. All that is to say, proper pressure is on every member within the body to function faithfully and responsibly. A proper functioning body naturally grows to be strong and healthy. Hence, the goal of every church member is to work toward building up the local church in biblical love.
[2] Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 263.
