July 15, 2007
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

The Making of a Christian
Ephesians 4:11-16

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, ¹²to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶From 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.”

In nature, it is usually the healthy plants and animals that reproduce and the healthy offspring survive. The sickly tend to die off and not reproduce. The general principle is that vigorous life is reproduced when the conditions are healthy!

The year 2007 at Bradley has been designated “The Year of the Disciples”. How can we be a healthy disciple-making congregation? What forces are present in a healthy disciple-making congregation? Paul lists five areas that are key to developing health and solid Christian disciples.

There should be a witness of all five of these in every congregation, including ours—and each Christian, while having their own area of ministry, should be influenced by all of them.

Healthy congregations:

I. Inspire embracing new arenas for God

This is the work and the spirit of the apostle—meaning, “one who is sent”. The work of the apostle is to be on mission for God, boldly going into new areas to talk God’s witness, inspiring the church to be a living movement not a sedentary monument.

The attitude the apostle brings to the church atmosphere is that we must continue to reach out—there are places to go and people to encounter so we can establish God’s kingdom there! “One who is sent” has trouble just sitting. They are mission, purpose-oriented.

The apostle takes seriously Jesus’ command to the Church to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” They desire to translate God’s message into new cultures. The apostle’s spirit is taking God to people wherever they are in the world. The apostle’s spirit rejects the idea, “Well, they know where we are—if they want us they can come to us.”

Historically, people following Christ have struggled with this and had to be instructed by the apostle’s spirit (Paul). Jesus told the Church that they would be empowered to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem—Ok; and in Judea—Ok—these are familiar people; and Samaria?; and to the uttermost parts of the earth? And the Church tried to ignore that until the Apostle Paul forced to see that the church has the Apostles call to go out into new and different places and claim them for Jesus Christ.

Each Believer at Bradley, whether they have a leadership role or not, should have the sense of being “one who is sent” to make a difference in the world with the life of Jesus Christ in them! And we must all be understanding of those who have this role to play in Jesus’ Church so that we encourage their efforts, not stifle them.

Healthy congregations:

II. Offer beliefs and values that are solid and certain

The work and spirit of the prophet is about, “Thus says the Lord”. The prophet’s drive is that people hear and respond to what God is saying about life. They bring an atmosphere to the congregation of “We must know the mind and heart of God and do our best to obey God.”

That is why the Bible, the written word of the Lord, is valuable and a priority to the spirit of the prophet. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 (GW)-“(Some—Several—Most—NO!) Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval. ¹⁷They equip God’s servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things.” We don’t get to pick and choose. They work TOGETHER—balance.

A prophet keeps reminding us what God has said so that we learn Biblical beliefs and have a Biblical foundation. Like a child who has never been told, “No.” Never been disciplined or shown how to live. They act more like an animal than a person. Eat mashed potatoes with their fingers.

The prophets will lead the congregations to develop and grow Bible study for Christian lifestyle development. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6). Satan, by contrast, is the father of lies (John 8:44). As followers of Christ, we must be committed to the truth. In a healthy congregation there is an atmosphere of affirming the leading of God’s written word, not worshipping it, but honoring it by seeking to understand and obey it. We must have and should encourage the work of the prophets to call us to learn the word of the Lord.

Healthy Congregations:

III. Teach to reach out with the Faith

This is the work of the evangelist, challenging and inspiring us to share God’s Good News. John 3:16-17- Not to condemn but to save.

It has been described as one beggar who has found bread showing other beggars how to get it, too. 1 Peter 3:15-“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

You have Hope and you can encourage others to have Hope, too.

Healthy congregations:

IV. Provide both challenge and healing

This is the work of pastoring (not just pastors) It is like mentors or guides. Like being a true spiritual friend, there to help sort through thoughts, consider activities, and strengthen relationships.

The pasturing spirit “loves people where they are but also loves them too much to allow them to stay there.” We need this influence!

A good friend asks, “Are you sure that you want to do that in this relationship?” Or encourages by saying, “I know that’s how you feel, but remember that God’s word says . . . and we live by faith not feelings. Feelings are fickle and changeable. Faith in what God has said is unchanging and true.”

We need the pastoral spirit to be there for each other and to be spiritual supports in a secular world. Many of you are a part of God’s pasturing ministry and may not know it.

Healthy congregations:

V. Supply training on Christian living

This is the work of a teacher. Teaching is necessary in a congregation to enable the developing life-skills and application. It helps each believer know and apply “here is how you are as a Believer.” Ephesians 1:3-“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” What value is it to have every spiritual blessing in Christ if you don’t know how to appropriate and use those blessings in daily life?

2 Peter 1:3-4-“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Did you see how important application of Scripture is? By it, we can participate in the divine nature and be able to avoid and defeat temptation that come our way.

You may not be an official “teacher” but if nothing else, you can share with people what you have been learning. You can help be an “applier.”

What will you do now?

Healthy Christian-making is not evangelism, but discipleship. Let’s all read our Bradley Mission Statement: “Our purpose is to grow people to magnify God, become members of Christ and his Body, be mature in Christ, minister through Christ, and be in mission with Christ.”

• Where do you fit in helping this body to be a healthy place to grow Christians? Look inside your heart—which one resonates with you?
• Even thought they seem foreign or strange to you, do you encourage others to understand and practice their contributions to the healthy atmosphere of Christian growing here at Bradley?
• Where do you need help so you can grow as a disciple?

To be a healthy congregation producing healthy Christians, we need to encourage each of these works to be developed in our midst so that people can develop in Christ. Let us pray that God will make obvious all these qualities in our congregation so we can be about the word of making healthy Christians at Bradley! Amen.