1.     I want to speak this morning on “God’s Building Program.”  I am not talking about paving our parking lot or finishing up the renovation work on our building, though that is certainly very important.

2.     When the Bible uses the word “church” it is not talking about brick and wood and sheetrock.  It is talking about people.

3.     Our Lord said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

4.     Jesus is the builder.  He is building His church.  It is His building program.

5.     In his epistles, the apostle Paul often refers to the church as “the body of Christ” (cf. Eph. 1:22, 23; 4:12, 16; 5:29, 30).

6.     These are just a few examples.  In fact there are about 25 references to the body of Christ in Paul’s epistles.

I. GOD PROVIDES THE WORKERS (4:11).

1.     Students of the Bible have compared Ephesians 4:11 with the spiritual gifts mentioned in Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12.  We do not have the time to study those gifts this morning, but there are some noticeable differences.

2.     In Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12, the gifts are bestowed upon believers.  Here in Ephesians 4, gifted believers are bestowed upon the church.

3.     In I Corinthians, the gifts are distributed by the Holy Spirit.  First Corinthians 12:11 says, “But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.”

4.     Whereas in I Corinthians, spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit, in Ephesians 4, gifted men are given by the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:11).

5.     Let us look at these workers provided by God for His building program.  First there were those given for the apostolic church.  “Apostles and prophets” were provided to the apostolic church for guidance. 

6.     The apostles and prophets were part of the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:19-22).   This was the early stage of God’s building program for the church.

7.     The apostles and prophets disseminated NT truth before the NT was completed.  This gift died out with the end of the first century and the completion of the NT canon of Scripture.

8.     Gifts used for revelation or authentication of the new message are temporary gifts. Gifts used for edification are permanent gifts. In Ephesians 2:20, the Bible states that we are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Thus, these gifts are foundational in nature and not needed for today.

9.     The “prophet” (both in the OT & the NT) was not only a foreteller, but he was also a “forthteller” (preacher). 

10. Then next, after apostles and prophets we see “evangelists” (Eph. 4:11).  It is generally understood that the evangelist is mostly concerned with winning souls to Christ.  

11. The apostle Paul told young Timothy in II Timothy 4:5, “Do the work of an evangelist.”  A preacher who does not “do the work of an evangelist” is not doing his job.  Gospel preaching is evangelistic preaching.  A pastor who does not win souls is a slacker.

12. Preachers, whether they are pastors or evangelists, should stress that heaven is real and that hell is real.  We must warn sinners that unless they turn to Christ they will spend eternity in hell.

13. But evangelists must do more than preach sermons about hell.  According to Ephesians 4:11 and 12, the evangelist is given to the church, along with the pastor, for “the perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry.” 

14. This “perfecting” means preaching about revival, the Holy Spirit, soulwinning, holiness, and the great doctrines of the Bible, etc.

15. Therefore, an evangelist has a twofold ministry: to evangelize and to edify.  The evangelist plays a big part in God’s building program.

16. All evangelists are itinerant preachers but not all itinerant preachers are evangelists.  In Acts 21:8, Philip is called an evangelist. 

17. If you study this, you will notice that each time Philip is mentioned in Scripture, he is ministering in a different location. In Acts 6, he is in Jerusalem. In Acts 8:5, he is in Samaria; and in Acts 8:27, he is in the desert. In Acts 8:40, he is at Azotus. Then, Scripture says, “he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea” (where we find him in Acts 21:8).

18. The Gospel message has been proclaimed by great evangelists these past 2,000 years.  Some of their sermons are still widely read.  Their biographies are a blessing to read. We honor their memory.

19. George Whitefield crossed the Atlantic Ocean thirteen times. 

20. John Wesley traveled more than 100,000 miles on horseback, preaching at least three times a day, and was responsible for starting the Methodist denomination.  Historians tell us that it was the fervent preaching of John Wesley that helped save England from the blood bath that wrecked France during the French Revolution.

21. And what shall I more say?  For the time would fail me to tell of Charles Finney and D.L. Moody and RA Torrey, Gypsy Smith and Billy Sunday, Sam Jones and Bob Jones, and John R. Rice.

22. I thank God for all of the wonderful Spirit-filled evangelists that have preached in our church over the years, and I am looking forward to some great meetings in the months ahead.

23. Next Paul mentions “pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11).   The word “pastor” means shepherd.  Sometimes pastors are referred to as “elders” or “bishops” (cf. Acts 20:17, 28; I Timothy 3; Titus 1; I Peter 5).

24. In Philippians 1:1, the apostle Paul refers to the “bishops (pastors) and deacons.”  These are the two officers of the church.   When Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (II Tim. 4:5), he did not mean that Timothy should leave his church and start traveling all over the world.  He meant Timothy should fervently preach the Word. A pastor should be a soulwinner.

25. Which brings us to my next point.  First, God provides the workers.   Secondly, these workers train more workers.

II. THE WORKERS TRAIN MORE WORKERS (4:12 a).

1.     Some have pointed out that Ephesians 4:12 might be easier to understand if the comma after “saints” was removed.  (There are no punctuation marks in the original Greek text.)

2.     The word “perfecting” suggests bringing the body of Christ to its full potential.  Our Lord said in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

3.     The Scofield Study Bible says this word “perfect,” “implies full development, growth into maturity of godliness.”  This is the essence of God’s building program – full development, spiritual growth and maturity, and godliness.

4.     Romans 8:29 says it is God’s purpose for you and me to be conformed to the image of Christ.  This is God’s building program.

5.     Numerical growth is important but spiritual growth is far more important.  Many churches are growing but their congregations are full of lost and worldly people.

6.     Let me stress that this new “Purpose Driven Church” program is contrary to God’s building program.  God’s building program is based on holiness (Eph. 4:22-24), but the “PDC” program is based on worldliness.

7.     We see the word “perfect” again in II Timothy 3:17.  Christians are built up (edified) and perfected through the word of God.

8.     The Word of God must be diligently taught by pastors, evangelists, Sunday School teachers, Children’s Church workers, etc.   This is how Christians are trained and discipled.

9.     Today many churches are getting away from strong Bible teaching and preaching, and they are replacing it with entertainment and worldly worship music.  This does not build strong Christians.

10. Evangelists, pastors and teachers equip church members to do “the work of the ministry” (Eph. 4:12).

11. And it is work.  It is a wonderful work.  It is exciting work.  It is enjoyable work.  But nevertheless it is work.  And unfortunately some Christians do not want to work.

12. My job as a pastor, and Pastor McGowan’s job as a pastor is to “perfect” the saints and to equip the saints and to train the saints.

13. “For the work of the ministry” (4:12).   The word “ministry” is often used in reference to full-time pastors, evangelists, missionaries, etc.   Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:12, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (cf. Eph. 3:7).

14. Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 4:5, “make full proof of thy ministry.”

15. But ministry simply means “service,” and it is not just for full-time “ministers” (servants).  All Christians should be involved in some ministry.

16. In too many churches, you have a handful of people doing most of the work.  If we can improve upon that here at BBC, then I will feel like I have successfully done my job.

17. Harry Ironside said, “Do not be content to come to a meeting and just be a spiritual sponge.  Fill up, and then let the blessed Lord do some squeezing.  Give it out to somebody else, and then you will be carrying out the true principle of NT ministry” (Ephesians).

III. THE BODY IS EDIFIED (4:12b)

1.     We know that the “body of Christ” refers to the church.   “Edify” (Eph. 4:12, 16) means “build up.”  So we are talking here about God’s building program.

2.     God’s program calls for us to continue building until we display something of “the stature of the fulness of Christ” (4:13).  Ultimately this goal will not be realized until the rapture, but it can be met in some “measure” here and now (4:13). 

3.     Pastors must train their members so that Christians are not “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (4:14).

4.     There are plenty of false religionists lying “in wait to deceive” (4:14).

5.     Some people do not like it when a pastor comes down too hard on false prophets and religious cults but a pastor must do this.  A pastor not only must feed the sheep, he must also protect the sheep from wolves (cf. Acts 20:26-30).

CONCLUSION:

1.     Our Lord said in Mark 16:15 & 16, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

2.     The duty of the church is to evangelize the world.  We must preach the Gospel to every creature.  For this to be done, every Christian must be trained and equipped to win souls.

3.     This is God’s building program.