UNDERSTANDING THE CHURCH-THE FRUIT OF FAITHFUL SHEPHERDS AND TEACHERS

[Vs12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ]

Last week, we saw the great responsibility that pastor-teachers have in the church⁠⁠—to equip the saints for the ministry that God had given to them. So it is important that believers are part of a Biblical church so that they may be equipped for their ministry by their pastor teachers.

[Vs13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ]

This week we will look at Vs 13.

Pastor teachers have to be diligent students of the word of God, so that when they speak, they will not be giving their own theories but rather teach from the word of God. This verse gives us the outcome of faithful Bible-based teaching in the church.

UNITY IN CHRIST

[until we all attain to the unity of the faith]

Church unity has been taught and preached much in the church over the last 2000 years. In recent times, in the last century, the Ecumenical movement tried to bring together evangelicals, catholics and even the liberals. The expected unity never came. What fellowship has light with darkness! Unity must never be at the expense of truth.

Our text is not speaking of the unity of 'faiths', nor is it the unity of 'a faith'. This unity of THE faith is spoken about in many scriptures like these below:

Acts 6:7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to THE FAITH.

Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in THE FAITH, and they increased in numbers daily.

1 Tim 1:2 To Timothy, my true child in THE FAITH: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Philemon 1:5 because I hear of your love and of THE FAITH that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints.

Jude 1:3 . . .  I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

This "The faith" is something unique. It is the true faith and the only faith. It is the faith that is spoken about when the Bible says 'By grace you are saved through FAITH.' This faith cannot be tampered with.

The unity spoken of is the unity that comes along with such a faith.

Eph 4:3-6 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one FAITH, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We are told that doctrine divides and that we ought to steer clear of doctine. We are told that instead of divisive doctrine, we can focus on loving fellowship. Doctrine divides.

The Lord Jesus said in Mat 10:34-35 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Biblical doctrinal truth is beautiful and is of God, but Jesus said that it will bring divisions. It is a hard fact but a real one. But it is also good, as it divides truth from falsehood and the converted from the unconverted. We should love our beloved unconverted ones and pray for them, but the division is real.

Ps 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

Acts 2: 44-46 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Those early Chriatians had this sweet unity that comes from God. They were brought into the one family in Christ and were nourished by the teaching of the apostles and prophets. Satan hates this unity and does all in his power to destroy it. But this is how the church ought to be. God's people will become more united when they sit more and more under the preaching of the word.

We do not want more numbers at the expense of truth. That will only result in superficial unity. Faithful teaching by faithful pastor-teachers will bring about unity in Christ.

KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST

[and of the knowledge of the Son of God]

All teachers ought to be Christ-centred teachers. How else will the church grow in the knowledge of Jesus?

1 Cor 2:1-5 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Phil 3:8-10 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. . . that I may know him and the power of his resurrection . . .

Paul already knew Christ, who he met on the Damascus road. But he wanted to know Him more. Like spouses get to know each other more and more, so we too grow in our knowledge of the Lord, that we might love Him more and serve Him more.

MATURITY LIKE UNTO CHRIST

[to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ]

New born Christians are like new born babies. They are born, and they grow to become mature Christians. The New Testament speaks of this.

1 Pet 2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.

1 Cor 3:1-2 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready

1 Cor 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

Heb 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2 Pet 3:17-18 . . . take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . .

We may have heard people say: "I am a simple Christian; I cannot handle the meaty teaching well."

Would parents not be concerned if their child is drinking only milk, morning, noon, and night? The elementary and foundational teachings are important, but we expect growth. Should not the pastor-teacher not be concerned about members who do not want to progress to the meatier teaching?

The outcome is that they become more and more like Christ, as we go on to read in Vs 14 and 15.

[Vs14 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, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

Vs15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ]