MidTree Church
The sermon audio of MidTree Church in Harris County, Ga. BEHOLD // BELIEVE // BECOME
MidTree Church
Every Christian as a Minister: Building a Unified and Mature Church Community | Pastor Will Hawk | January 19, 2025
The episode emphasizes the importance of church community and the call to actively shepherd one another through life's challenges. It discusses the roles of church members and leaders, the value of church membership, and the necessity of speaking truth in love to foster spiritual growth.
• Exploring the divine call to shepherding within the church
• Understanding the roles of leaders and members in ministry
• The significance of church membership for accountability
• The relational dynamics of speaking truth in love
• Encouragement for members to engage actively in community
• Emphasizing spiritual maturity amidst cultural challenges
• The collective commitment to grow and develop as a unified body
May we celebrate the delights and the difficulties of life. May we be mature and held firm when the world around us is not, would You fill our voices with truth against all of the lies of the world?
If you want to learn more about the MidTree story or connect with us, go to our website HERE or text us at 812-MID-TREE.
Good morning guys.
Speaker 1:All right, please turn in your Bibles to Ephesians 4, 11 through 16.
Speaker 1:And if you're following along in a pew Bible, it's going to be on page 977. Follow along as I read God's Word. Follow along as I read God's word. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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, 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 and deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, 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 grow so that it builds itself up in love. This is the word of the Lord.
Speaker 2:Well, guys, a couple of places you can feel free to flip in your Bibles where we're going to be camping out Acts, chapter 20, and then Ephesians 4 that Natalie just read out of. While you guys are flipping there, let me remind you we have interrupted our series in the Gospel of Luke for a period of time. This will be the last Sunday that we interrupt our walk through the gospel of Luke, and so what we are trying to accomplish is sort of, as we begin this year, answer the question what is it that makes us us? What is it that makes mid-tree, mid-tree Guys in the back? I know you're looking at me, I'm fixing it right now.
Speaker 2:So what we have been looking at in Acts 20 was that Paul goes on this missionary journey sort of around the Mediterranean. He lands in a couple of places and he swings around Ephesus. The reason he swings around Ephesus is because of his great love for them, and he knows if I step foot there, I'm not going to continue on the mission that God has called me to. So when he finally lands in his last step, he calls the pastors, also known as elders in the text. He calls them to meet him and he shares something with them and then they sort of walk him to the ship and I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago similar to the soldier who boards the train not knowing if, and, paul would say, fully expecting he is never going to see them again. We see these pastors who are trying to lead this brand new thing called the church, watching him go off into the distance and look around and say what is it that we are going to do? And their answer to that question is what makes us us?
Speaker 2:Now, every church should have a couple of things that are true of them Gospel, mission, community. That should be true of every church. We now have a sign. I can point to it. How great is that? All right. So every sign that has capital C church. Those three things should happen. But churches are like people. They're not all the same called to different things, given different strengths and weaknesses, and so, when we look at ourselves mid-tree, what God has called us to be are these three things Solid theology and warm community Hit that two weeks ago. A family where everyone has a place and pitches in, and this week, members that shepherd one another through the delights and difficulties of life.
Speaker 2:This is why I wanted you to hear Josh's story. Not just that you individually would be reminded of God's goodness when you are navigating difficulty, not just that you would be reminded that whatever the difficulty is that you are walking through is not a surprise to God, but is desired by him to be used for his glory. He don't want to leave you alone in that, but also that you would realize we're supposed to delight together and this one anotherness is God's plan for the church and we think it's one of the biggest marks of our church. If you look in Acts, chapter 20, this is what I was referring to earlier. Now for Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and he called the elders of the church to come to him and when they came to him he said now notice, I'm jumping from verse 18 to 28. The reason I'm doing that is because we've covered the other in the past two weeks. So what is it that he wants to make sure that these pastors do as the church is starting to get its footing for the very first time? As the church is starting to get its footing for the very first time, he tells them. I want you to pay careful attention to yourself and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. You are not the one who chose to be a pastor. The Holy Spirit has called you, elders, to do this. He has made you overseers to care for the church of God, and God cares about that church because he obtained it with his own blood. This is not terribly different than what we see Jesus say in verse 21 to Peter, who will also be one of the bedrocks of the early church. Peter says, lord, you know that I love you, you know everything. And Jesus says then you're going to have to take care of my family, you are going to need to feed my sheep. So I was on the screen for a minute, if you don't mind. If God's first call to the pastors is pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock. Attention to yourselves and to all the flock. If Jesus says in John 21, feed my sheep.
Speaker 2:There is this question that is begged by the text who exactly is the flock? Who is the flock of God? Now, there are a couple of different ways that you can answer this, but I want you to know why it's so important that you know how to answer this question. Notice the word exactly. I'm not just saying who is the flock? Well, anybody who's following after Jesus is a sheep and therefore they're in the flock. No, who exactly is the flock? Who exactly is the group of Christians, of believers, that make up this particular body, that are called to this particular place, expected to do particular things? Who exactly is the flock? And we want to do this right at mid-tourney, and, if I can be honest with you, it's not even just for your sake. We want to do this right because Jesus gives us this model. Hey, when it comes to leading sheep, you're never going to meet anybody better than Jesus. Okay, psalm 23, pointing to him.
Speaker 2:John 10, this is just a little excerpt of Jesus saying hey, you want to talk about shepherding, I can talk to you about shepherding. I am the good shepherd. And then just please notice this what is the first qualifier of a good shepherd? I know my own, my own know me. The first qualifier of a good shepherd is you know who your sheep are. What do you call a guy who goes to his neighbor's house and grabs one of his sheep? You don't call him a good shepherd, you call him a thief. So, to be a good shepherd, you must know who your flock is. Additionally, if you really want to go into the paint on this.
Speaker 2:The writer of Hebrews says this. This is written to the church Obey your leaders and submit to them. I'm not about to get on a hobby horse there. There's a whole sermon in that. For our purposes today, just know, this is what God's word says Moving forward. Why? Because they're keeping watch over your souls. Why is it that you should follow, that you should be led? Why is it that you should submit to somebody who may not perfectly know your life and your intentions? Well, I think it's because of this, because they will have to give an account. So, if possible, let them do this with joy and without groaning, which would be of no benefit to you. By the way, this is one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible, and I think it's brilliant to know.
Speaker 2:If you are ever going to or feel called into pastoral leadership, to be an elder at this church or another church, to be a missionary or a church planner, you want this one memorized and in the back pocket, easy to pull out. And it is not because of the first seven words, it's because of the freedom that comes when you know I don't answer to you. When you know I don't answer to you. Do you know how freeing it is to know that you can get as frustrated, as angry, as disillusioned, as whatever with me? Please don't take this the wrong way. I don't really care, so long as when I give an account to God, he says well done, good and faithful servant. And may it like. If you ever wanna preach, if you ever wanna teach, if you ever wanna lead people, please put this in your back pocket, because it makes it easy to talk about hard things. Look, don't get me wrong. I want you to like me. I wanna go hang out for coffee and talk about good things and not just grievances. I want to pray with you. I want to enjoy life together. But here is the freedom I get to give an account.
Speaker 2:I must give an account to God and to God alone, and so when we ask this question who exactly is the flock? I think there are two different ways you need to answer that. Who exactly is the flock? I think there are two different ways you need to answer that. Number one if you're a Christian and you're in this room, I think you need to be asking this question If God's word calls me to submit to my leaders. Who are they exactly? Which leaders am I supposed to submit to and obey? Is it just the pastor? Is it the pastor that baptized me, or is it the pastor who officiated our wedding? Is it all the pastors at a given church? Is it all the pastors in the area in which I live? What about non-pastor leaders who are in the church that I go to? Am I supposed to obey and submit to them? What about solid teachers, locally and online? Who is it specifically that I'm supposed to, according to God's word, be led by? And then I think a second question needs to come up, especially if you are in this room and your name is Will, greg, trent, larry Scott or Stokes, and maybe if, by the grace of God, thomas or anybody in the room who feels called to some type of spiritual leadership and please hear me, there are a bunch of you in this room, whether you realize it or not, in this room is an embarrassment of riches, of people who are able to rightly handle the word of God, who are able to maturely stand in a world that spins around them and hold their ground for who God is, for what he says and for what he calls them to.
Speaker 2:One of the great anemic realities of the church today is that far too few are being called into ministry. It's because our call to ministry primarily looks like this Think it through, man. Like think it through. You probably don't want to do it, you're going to get a lot of complaints, you don't usually get paid very much, it's not going to be a very fun. Like we talk people into the ministry, like we're talking them into the cross. It's like didn't Jesus do that for me? Yes, are you interested in that as well? Feel free. Can I just tell you ministry is a wonderful thing as well. It is a gift, it is a blessing.
Speaker 2:I think if you are beginning to feel, or if you're even open to praying for God calling you into ministry, men and women in this room this is the way I would probably pitch it for you Expect your lows to get lower and expect your highs to get higher. If you have a bandwidth for that, if you have a desire for that, please lean in. But when I look at this, at the end of the day, what souls do I actually answer for? I know that Greg's sitting right over here. I know that Larry's sitting right over there. You're throwing me a little bit this week, though I'll be honest. I'm used to you on the right. I know that. Trent's in the back, scott, not only if I am them, but if I'm doing church with them.
Speaker 2:Here are some things I would want to know. Which souls am I going to give account for when I stand before God? Do I give account for the every weekers, like they're here every week? So certainly they must exactly be our flock. What about if they're around for four months? Or they're around for six months? Certainly if they're around for a year. What if it's just those who serve? Because I mean, that really is sort of the family mentality. And on that note, thank the many, many, many of you who last week grabbed a piece of paper and said hey, I'm willing to be a part of a family where everyone has a place and pitches in. If serving is not something you are doing, it is not our desire to find free labor. It is our desire to free you from consumerism and self-indulgence and find true life in Christ. I hope you will find that. Is it everybody who shows up, lord? I hope not. I'd be a little embarrassed to stand before Jesus and some guy walk through the gates and point to me and Jesus say okay, let's talk about you being accountable for this and me be like Jesus. I felt like this was going to end before I got to heaven. I can't remember his name. I don't know who that is. I will say he's on this side of the gate, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Speaker 2:Who is the flock exactly when it comes to these texts? John 10, I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. Hebrews 13 is those who will have to give an account. When I pointed out to you what we're looking at today, we kind of slide right through. Remember it said shepherd, one of the delights and difficulties, and our heart lands on difficulty. But I don't want you to miss this Now. I know for a fact there are some people in this room that do not like the word that I just circled. You have navigated difficulty, church hurt, frustration. You might even use the big A of abuse in your past.
Speaker 2:All I'm going to ask of you, what I'm going to plead of you today, is, if you don't like that word, come up with a word that can still execute what the Bible is calling us to in knowing and being known by someone who's expected to give an account for how your soul is led. We believe we are called to create a place where members can shepherd one another through the delights and the difficulties of life and when it comes to who exactly is the flock, church membership clarifies who is shepherding and who is being shepherded. If nothing else, it is a kindness to your pastoral leadership team to know that you are raising your hand and saying that I am a part and, quite honestly, I think churches do this quite poorly. I think churches do this quite poorly. I think I do this quite poorly. So let me not do it poorly in this moment.
Speaker 2:If you have been coming for weeks and months and years but you have not checked out a roots class where we kind of tell you who we are as a church, if you have not pursued membership, I do not love you any less. I do not want good things for you any less. I want you to know the Lord and serve the Lord and find hope in broken places in your world, to be set free from anxiety and depression, to navigate life in the way that God would have you. But I just need you to know this I don't feel responsible for your soul. I feel responsible for your soul in this four foot square span and for me it expands a lot. Right? This is where I feel like, if nothing else, I may not know that name. I may not know that person or that situation. I will be faithful to what this text says.
Speaker 2:But if you have been coming for a long time and you feel like a part but you haven't pursued membership, just know that as a pastoral leadership team we do not have your name necessarily on our prayer list. We are not working through asking questions how is that person navigating life? We do not have built in accountability for your soul. The only way that we know that is if you pursue church membership. You can call it partnership, you can call it family, you can call it whatever you want to call it. But if you are calling Midtree home, please tell the guys who are overseeing the home that you are looking at it that way.
Speaker 2:And, by the way, let me also say this it's also easy to preach church membership One, because I'm about to prove to you that it's biblical. If I don't, don't join my church or any other church or whatever I don't, it's not gonna be a hard lift, okay, but the other thing is this I don't wanna sound, I'm just being honest with you guys this morning the more members a church has honest with you guys this morning the more members a church has. It doesn't make my life easier, okay. So it's not like this big church growth strategy. Our church is bigger than we ever expected it to be. We're at two services full now, trying to plant and praying like sort of, like Josh said. Well, if you're calling us to plant a church, why isn't there a church planner and 45 people who are like we want to leave? Okay, like we don't know. We're praying about it, trying to figure it out.
Speaker 2:The reason I'm preaching to you this concept is because it is good for you, it is helpful for us and ultimately, it is biblical. But it isn't just members. It's members that shepherd one another, and this is where some of you may throw the flag. Okay, membership, but shepherding one another isn't that the pastor's job? I mean, that guy gets paid, true, false, false, false, right, most of our pastors do not get paid. What I will tell you is when it comes to shepherding one another, that is the pastor's job and it does start that way. Is the pastor's job, and it does start that way, but it doesn't end there. Told you to go to Acts 20. We will pick up there now In Acts 20, 20, paul reminds us hey, I didn't shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, didn't matter if it was hard to say, because I have to give an account to God. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not going to cut any corners, I'm just going to give you the truth. And I did this, please note, by teaching you in public that one's kind of a no duh and from house to house, which means shepherding was not just at church.
Speaker 2:Pastors aren't just a pastor from a pulpit or in public. The early church had a gift it experienced day-to-day living, where in every nook and cranny you would find conversations about Jesus Pause. This is one of the things you are prone to miss if you're trying to build your kingdom in this world. One of the things that you are prone to miss if you're trying to get your Roth IRA figured out and your housing and how much equity that you have in your children's school and your job and you want to have Alexa automate your lamps so that they turn on and off at just the right time and you want your phone to not give you spam calls. All of those comfort seeking things make all the sense in the world, but it's a carrot on the end of the stick trying to tell you you can find happiness here, you can find contentment here. It's just one decision away, it's just one hard push of the boulder over the hill. Please hear me when I tell you this.
Speaker 2:This world was built to make you long for things. It was not built to fulfill your longings. When Christ came and lived, he was longing for what was next. When he died, he was longing for the resurrection. When he was resurrected, he was longing to go back to be with the Father. When he went back to the Father, he was longing that the Holy Spirit would come and be with you. And when the Holy Spirit came to be with you, he was longing that the church would grow and build itself up. And he continues to long for these things. This world is not built to fill you. It's built to point to the emptinesses in you so that you would find the thing that ultimately fills. And the early church experienced this because most of their stories were sad stories. Most of their stories were walking through difficulty as this fledgling idea of the church was born. And so, day to day, in every nook and in every cranny, you would find conversations about Jesus, and that is how they shepherded one another.
Speaker 2:In Matthew, we see Jesus begin this work. He says hey, I'm going to tell you, you're Peter. His name meant rock, but there was a little more tucked into that. And on this rock please just hear these words of Jesus I will build my church, promise Ad infinitum, forever and evermore. Christ, this is a promise you can bank on it. The church is one of the healthiest things you can know is going to make it to the end. Will every church make it to the end? No, it's full of people like me and you, people who are one sinful step away from shipwrecking our lives and hurting the people around us. There are going to be lots of churches whose doors close, never to be opened again. But the church Christ will build, and the gates of hell aren't going to prevail against it.
Speaker 2:Jesus looks to Peter. Remember members who shepherd one another? Isn't that the pastor's job? Well, it's going to start this way. And here it begins Peter, you are going to build this thing. In fact, we see almost the exact same thing with Paul.
Speaker 2:This is Paul recounting his testimony of how he came to faith and I said who are you, lord? He just got knocked off his donkey. Bright light shines. He's blind. He's calling out. Friends are next to him. Who are you, lord? And the Lord said I'm Jesus, who you're persecuting, but rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, paul. There's a reason, buddy, and here's the reason. We're about to build something and you are going to be a big part of what we're building. I'm going to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen. You're about to be a storyteller, paul, and a really, really good one. You didn't know that you were going to all those schools. You didn't know you were persecuting all those Christians. Because I was building this beautiful story for you to extinguish, your life to tell, and I am sending you. You're going to open eyes. You're going to turn people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, and Jesus begins building his church Now.
Speaker 2:If God tells the pastors what it's supposed to look like in Acts 20, that's great for the folks in this room who are pastors or called to be pastors one day. But what if you're not Great news? This guy named Paul wrote a letter to a church. The church was Ephesus. I'm sticking with Ephesus because he loves them dearly, and if you hadn't figured that out by the end of these three weeks, I probably can't teach you basic arithmetic at this point. He loves these folks and here is what he would say to them, to the church Ephesians 4.
Speaker 2:He, being God, gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. And you're looking at that and some of you are like I'm not on the list. Great, I hope you're not on this list, because this list gets so much better when we look at the next verse. He gave these things apostles, leaders, prophets, those who are looking ahead and hearing the word of God. Evangelists who are going into places where Christians do not exist and watching the birth of light come out of darkness. Shepherds who are caring for folks. And teachers to equip the saints. There you go. All of these roles exist. Remember, you may not be called to be a pastor, preacher, shepherd, teacher, etc. But we are called to shepherd one another. And here is where you see it happen.
Speaker 2:Why is it that you have this guy yelling at you one time a week. Do you want to know why? To equip the saints for the work of the ministry? Why do you have people teaching regularly? Why do you show up to small groups and MCGs? Why do you have people teaching regularly? Why do you show up to small groups and MCGs? Why are you in a women's Bible study walking through the book of Romans? Why do you show up to prayer groups? So that the saints would be equipped for the work of the ministry?
Speaker 2:If there's nothing else that you learn from this morning, if you don't already know it, please make it this it is God's expectation, 100% of the time, that the church equip every single believer for the work of the ministry. All of you who are Christians are ministers, every one of you, every one of you who is a Christian doesn't matter to me if you're eight or 80 years old. This is how the word of God sees you, and that ministry is for the building up of the body of Christ. And so Jesus shares this with Paul. Paul shares this with the church in Ephesus. God's way of growing his kingdom is by growing his people to become shepherds and disciple makers and servants. And if this is a new concept. This is a new reality.
Speaker 2:If you've been going to church your whole life or this is your first time walking into the church and you have never heard somebody say every Christian is a minister, lean into this concept. Lean into this idea, because this is where life takes meaning. This is where you can do something that ripples for all eternity. I have no clue what your day-to-day is. Most of you I do, that's not true. Most of you, I know I don't know what you're going to do tomorrow at 11 30 am, but I will tell you this. Know I don't know what you're going to do tomorrow at 11 30 am, but I will tell you this. This echoes for all eternity, and not only that. You are Christian, only talking to Christians right now.
Speaker 2:You are built for this, designed for this, knit together in your mother's womb by the hand of God. For this. Hope's life, albeit short, was built for this. Josh and Mercy's life was built for this. Your life is built for this as well, because Jesus doesn't just gather sheep, he raises shepherds, and every sheep is expected to shepherd in some kind of capacity.
Speaker 2:Why is it that when we become a Christian, we don't immediately go to heaven Because God thinks it's better for you to be here for a period of time To do what? Go work a nine to five? I don't think so. Why does Jesus say I'm gonna go prepare a place for you instead of just bringing you now? Why is it that Jesus goes and leaves us here? Why does he tell us he's going to send the Holy Spirit? Because it is better. Why let sheep shepherd? Because it is better.
Speaker 2:And if you want to dig into this and smile and laugh and feel sad all at the same time, I'm not going to flip to this, but Philippians 1 is the place to go. Paul's looking at the Philippians and he's like here's the deal. I'm not exactly sure how this is all going to pan out, but at the end of the day, there are two things that I want to happen. I really want to go to heaven. I like I've been in this place for a hot minute, would not be the worst thing if I blew out a tire, ended up dying in a car accident. Paul didn't have a car, I'm being facetious. Whatever had another donkey blow out a leg or whatever it was, and it just goes poorly for me.
Speaker 2:Philippians 1 is him saying I just want to go to heaven, but I'm split. It would be better for you, philippian church, if I remained here. And he then says I'm torn between the two. I just want to go be with Jesus. Everything in this world causes me to long for something else. I just want to go to the place where my longings are met, but it's better for you that I remain here. Why is it better for you that I remain here?
Speaker 2:Because he's called to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, because somebody equipped him for the work of the ministry, because somebody equipped him for the work of the ministry. And so, while you may not be an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a shepherd or a teacher awesome, that's great what does it mean to be equipped, the outcome of being equipped? I'm going to give you a very fast and furious short list, because I want us to sing over these realities. The first thing that you will see is the outcome of being equipped as a Christian is we operate off of, we, us. I don't have to do a lot to prove this to you until we attain unity of the faith. By the way, these are the verses that follow what I just read to you so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way to him who is the head.
Speaker 2:The concept here is that we would navigate off of we us, not I me. When I walk into this building, it is we, us, not I me. It is not. Do I want coffee? Do I want to do this? Do I want to drop off? It is what do we need to have happen when it comes to us? What do we most need In humility?
Speaker 2:God's word calls us to consider others more significant than yourselves, not even equal. This is the call of the gospel to you. It would be a pretty emphatic claim for the Bible to say, hey, I want you to care about people as much as you care about yourself. But the Bible says actually, this is the way we're called to care about people, so we're not even trying to hit the 50-50 split here. We want to love people, consider people as more significant than we see ourselves. We're going to look out not only to our own interest but to the interests of others. I'll tell you one way that happens that makes me smile, that you may not realize. Did you know that Stokes changes the songs you sing from the radio version.
Speaker 2:He's a sneaky guy. Sometimes that song says and I will declare something, something I don't know, songs, something, something, something. And when you're not looking on a Tuesday or on a Wednesday, he comes up to this computer and he backspaces over the eye and he types in little we's and little us's and they throw up all over the screen and all of a sudden, without even realizing it, he is shepherding you to see life in a we us mentality. This morning my wife walked in and I was talking with her about this. She said one of my favorite examples about this is the security team and I was like I do tell. She said they're here for security. They're like they've got earbuds in. They're making sure that the children are secure. If somebody was going to try to cause harm, they are there for that.
Speaker 2:And whenever we talk to my brother-in-law and he's not complaining, we have to draw it out of him. He's here to like stand still with his head on a swivel. Our question is how many spills did you wipe up today? And he was doing it as I walked in today. What? How many spills did you wipe up today? And he was doing it as I walked in today. What's happening there? He's already serving. Now he's serving on top of serving because somebody's walking hey, what's up, man, how you been. And then there are coffee spills I'm gonna assume none of you know it when it happens and he's like I don't want somebody to slip, and then it happens three minutes later, and then it happens three minutes later, and then it happens four minutes later. He's not there for that, but he's there for we. He's there for us.
Speaker 2:This is one of the outcomes of being equipped Christian. This is the way you are called to navigate your world. Second thing that we see out of this text we are stable when the world around us is not. You see this right out of the text Until we all attain unity of the faith, knowledge of the Son of God, hold on to that word in your mind for just a minute. It's going to matter To mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we would no longer be children, children who were tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. When I think about being tossed to and fro. I think about life difficulties, I think about a car breaking down or I think about a difficult conversation with a parent. That's what I tend to think about. But I just want you to notice what God's word is actually pointing to. Mature people have a knowledge so that when they would be tossed to and fro by winds of doctrine, new beliefs, human cunning, craftiness, deceit and schemes, they stand firm. It's true about things that happen in life. A mature person will stand firm when the world around them is not.
Speaker 2:But what Paul is actually writing to the church is I'm more concerned with what's going on in here. When you hear a fancy new teaching, when you hear some new gospel or new idea on the text, when somebody would try to be cunning and fool you, when they're craftiness and they are being deceitful, when you live in a world Christian that wants to watch you fall. And guys, if I can be honest with you, I would just point this out this is true of every Christian, but men, the expectation here is that you've got the 51%, 51, 49, if nothing else. Men, you are called to lead your families. Men, you are called to lead in unique roles in the church and for that reason, paul in writing to all Christian. He looks at the men and he says when the world around you is shaken, when new ideas come along, when the world would want to fool you, trick you, scheme you and be cunning with you, do you stand firm on what you know is true, because your wives need it and your children need it. If you're a woman in this room and you are single single, not married single used to be married can I point to this and tell you? This is one of the reasons God calls pastors to look over the widow and the orphan. I'm not calling you a widow, but what I'm saying is you are in a more vulnerable position. The expectation here is that the majority of our eldership things is helping men be men and watch out for the vulnerable, and it is a joy to do so.
Speaker 2:Maturity does not mean that you're old. It means that you're stable, that you know what is true. Maturity in Christ is being stable when the world around you isn't, and sometimes it means being mature enough. Let me get your eyes for this to look at somebody else and say I feel my feet beginning to shift. Hold me here. I've just gotten this news from my dad. I've just gotten this news from my daughter. I've just heard this, or read this, or work has just told me this God has called me to be stable. My strength is not enough. Hold me here. Hold me in God's faithfulness while I'm navigating this in my marriage. Hold me in God's faithfulness while I'm navigating this tragedy. Hold me here.
Speaker 2:You can't do that if you're not a member of a family, if you're not a member of a family that shepherds one another through delights and difficulties. This is why elders have to keep up with cultural drift, new ideas, homosexuality, sexuality, life not life, what it is, prosperity, gospel. This is why we are stronger when our phones are built to give us an algorithm of lies to hold on to a book that doesn't change. The other thing that we see is we speak and receive true things from one another. And you see this because in verse 15, it says rather you know, if you wanna see what's going on in the world, if you wanna see all these schemes and craftiness and cunning, all these doctrines, rather, instead of that, the contrary to that man we speak the truth in love. We wanna grow up into Christ. This is not flashy.
Speaker 2:This is parents looking at their children and saying, hey, we need to have a little heart to heart, but I'm a little too frustrated to do it right now. This is my wife last week saying I know that you're having a very stressful week, don't be mean. That was one of the most loving things my wife could have said to me. I'm generally not a very mean person, but I was struggling with it last week and it would have been very easy for her to just sort of write it off. This has been a really unusual season. This isn't normal. No, the loving thing for her was to look at me and say hey, your kids are looking up to you, don't forget about that. You have every. The world would accept every excuse that you have, but the word of Christ would not, don't be mean. It's realizing that truth becomes hard if it's not softened by love. But love becomes soft if it's not strengthened by truth, and you need both of them for maturity in Christ.
Speaker 2:One of the greatest examples of that we had a family this was years ago in the church. They're both still families in the church. Family A went to family B and said hey, we're not sure exactly how to navigate this, but somebody alleged that there was abuse going on in the family. That family could have done one and two things. When it comes to your parenting, that's hands-off ball. Don't you tell me how to parent my kids? Okay, they could have either said, okay, I'm offended and I'm done and I'm out, or they could have opened the door and family two opened the door. Let them come in, walk through things. And those two families are still incredibly close today.
Speaker 2:Do you know how unusual that is For somebody to walk toward messes, to not let awkwardness cause you to walk away? This is what it means to speak the truth to one another, because if we're in a culture where we don't speak truth, we're not going to grow up, and that's the other thing that we see in Ephesians. Going to grow up, and that's the other thing that we see in Ephesians An equipped Christian will grow up. We are to grow up. Get ready for it in every way, which means all right. This is going to be one where a bunch of you probably need to be convicted. All right, me too. I'm fine with it.
Speaker 2:Don't write off immaturity as personality. If you have ever said out loud or thought in your mind I'm just an impatient person. No, no, no, no, that might be true. You might be impatient today, but if you are a Christian, your personality is never a write-off, because it is God's expectation that we would grow in every way into the likeness of Christ. So look inwardly at the excuses that you have made which, by the way, the people around you will probably buy, because they don't mind writing an occasional excuse as well and refuse to write off immaturity as personality.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite examples this happened when we were at Crosspoint. We had a youth leader who was gonna help out in kids' ministry, except he had tons of tattoos. I don't have a problem with tattoos. His tattoo was of Satan himself. Okay, that matters Changes things just a little bit. And he was like look, I mean, I made some decisions in my early life. Does that mean I can't serve the church in my current life? We said no, wear long sleeves. Easy peasy, it doesn't get that hot in Georgia anyway. Right, serve the Lord. It doesn't have to always be easy. And this guy showed up and he served while he scraped together to save up enough money. So that part of his sanctification was turning that satanic tattoo into an octopus that the children loved, and this is the beautiful thing. He was serving them by showing up, but he was serving them in serving them, by wanting to show up the right way, and those eight-year-olds had no idea. This is what it means we grow up. This is what it means we grow up.
Speaker 2:Finally, I'll tell you this An equipped Christian is a builder. They build the church and they build the faith of those around them, around him, and this is what I would want you to see. I've sort of pointed to this a few times. Are we really called to shepherd one another? Isn't that the pastor's job? Yeah, it starts that way, but it never finishes that way, because the church becomes the pastors. The church become the ministers.
Speaker 2:You who are being served, are expected to one day serve. You who are being taught, are expected to one day teach. You who are struggling, are expected to one day hold others who are in the midst of the struggle. And it is not a bug in the system, it's the point. It's the reminder that this is how it was always meant to be, that in these first words Matthew 16, by the way, these are the first words on the church in the Bible when Jesus says I will build my church by the time we get to Ephesians 4,. Here's what we realize when each part's working properly, it makes the body grow so that it builds itself up. So, yes, christ builds the church, but he builds a church that builds itself, so that there would be no division in the body, that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, we all suffer. If one member is honored, we all rejoice. I could have saved you an entire sermon and just read you verse 26. But I didn't, because I wanted you to know what it looks like. I wanted you to know what God expects and desires.
Speaker 2:And my favorite example of that happened a month ago. It happened a month ago when Bear walked through those doors for the kids' telling of the Christmas story. He'd been in America for like six or seven months at the time and I reached out to Josiah and Ashley and I said, hey, like this is what I think of when I think of members who shepherd one another through delights and difficulties. I said, do you got some stories? And she said, oh, I've got some stories. I've got stories about the fact that Bear came to us with a cavity in every single tooth. He came with a cavity in every single tooth and then somebody at the church made it work to where every one of his teeth was taken care of, without pay. By the way, this is how we enter into the delights and the difficulties of other.
Speaker 2:Somebody said, hey, we'd like for Bear to participate in the Christmas. Of other, somebody said, hey, we'd like for Bear to participate in the Christmas story. And mama said okay. And then they said it's a speaking role. She said, oh boy, his English has been growing a lot but, let's be honest, it's still a little bit broken. What's the role? Shepherd number three. It's a lift Shepherd number three. But he was included. He was proud of himself. The boy never stopped smiling, but it felt just a little bigger when he opened the door and walked into please hear me family, family that he had never known, family whose names he may not have realized, but they were his family. After the play in the car, he said thank you, mom, thank you, thank you. And Ashley said why? Why, thank you? And he said thank you, you adopt me. It would have been easy to give the kid with broken English a role where you don't have to use it, but he was included because he was family and now he can tell you the whole story of Jesus' birth, which is a plus too.
Speaker 2:God is calling us to things that are bigger than us, and it would be unloving and unkind for me not to teach this to you, because one day I have to give an account for this At Midtree. We are called to be members that shepherd one another through the delights and the difficulties of life, and I would not have you miss out on that. The lows will be lower and the highs will be higher, but the life will be well lived. So whether today for you is a day of celebration or a day of difficulty, don't let this place just be your place, because it's the place you go to on Sunday. Become a part of the place that you are physically a part of, so that we know that you're here and you know that we're here for you as well. Please stand as you stand.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna briefly pray for us. Thomas, you'll take that side. If anybody has praises or prayers, you can head that way. Larry, greg, if y'all will take that side, father, we are going to lift our voices. May we celebrate the delights and the difficulties of life. May we be mature and held firm when the world around us is not, would you fill our voices with truth against all of the lies of the world? And may we not settle to try to find satisfaction here. May we sing forward and lean forward to the satisfaction that exists in you and in you alone. Amen.