September 29, 2025 • 29 mins
What happens when a church shifts from dependency on a few leaders to equipping every believer for ministry? Transformative growth that honors Christ's design.
Pastor Timothy Mann launches a powerful new series called "Growing God's Way" with a challenging examination of Ephesians 4:11-16. This foundational passage reveals that God's blueprint for church growth isn't built on professional ministers doing all the work, but on leaders equipping every saint to fulfill their ministry calling.
The uncomfortable truth? The most significant barrier to healthy church growth isn't space, staffing, or budget—it's our fundamental understanding of ministry. When only 20% of members carry 80% of the responsibility, we're operating contrary to God's design. As Charles Spurgeon boldly declared, "Every professing Christian is either a missionary or an imposter."
This message confronts the consumer mentality that has infected modern Christianity by revealing three vital steps for authentic church growth: stepping up to be equipped, stepping in to minister with maturity and unity, and stepping together to build up the body in love. Each component works together to create a community that reflects Christ and impacts the world.
Whether you're feeling disconnected from meaningful ministry or wondering how your spiritual gifts fit into God's larger plan, this message offers practical wisdom for discovering your role. Pastor Tim challenges every believer to move beyond mere attendance to active engagement in Christ's mission through His church.
Ready to discover how God has uniquely equipped you and where He's calling you to serve? This message might just be the catalyst that transforms your understanding of church and your place within it. Listen now and take your first step toward growing God's way.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Ephesians, chapter 4, we're going to pick up in verse
11 and read down through verse16.
The Apostle Paul is writingthis letter to the church at
Ephesus under the inspiration ofthe Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, and he himself,that's talking about Christ.
Jesus and he himself gave someto be apostles, some prophets,
(00:45):
some evangelists and somepastors and teachers for the
equipping of the saints, for thework of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ,till we all come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledgeof the Son of God, to a perfect
man, to the measure of thestature of the fullness of
(01:07):
Christ, that we should no longerbe children Tossed to and fro
and carried about with everywind of doctrine by the trickery
of men and the cunningcraftiness of deceitful plotting
, but speaking the truth in loveMay grow up in all things into
(01:27):
him who is the head, christ,from whom the whole body joined
and knit together by what everyjoint supplies, according to the
effective working by whichevery part does its share,
causes growth of the body forthe edifying of itself in love.
We'll stop here.
(01:47):
This is God's word.
So this morning we arebeginning to starting this new
preaching series, calling itgrowing God's way.
Growing God's way, preparingfor a new season of fruitfulness
.
This isn't just a sermon series.
It really is a spiritual resetin some ways, or a new set.
(02:08):
It's a.
It's a realignment, a freshvision, a call for us, as
providence church and asindividual christians, to think
very deeply, pray boldly andrespond faithfully to what God
is doing among us and where heis leading us.
(02:28):
Next as a church.
With all my heart, with all myheart, I believe that God is
preparing to lead this churchinto a new chapter.
Fifteen years this year as achurch in existence and I
believe he's preparing to leadus into a new chapter, not for
our reputation, but for hisglory.
And if we want to see the kindof growth that lasts, that
(02:50):
really matters and changes lives, then we need to stay in his
word, we need to seek his willand we need to revisit his plan
for church growth.
British pastor of the 19thcentury in England, charles
Spurgeon, once said everyprofessing Christian is either a
missionary or an imposter.
Every professing Christian iseither a missionary or an
(03:14):
imposter.
He believed in equippingordinary people to do
extraordinary ministry, and sohe started a pastor's college in
London and he understood thatthe church's future didn't
depend on a single preacher buton the multiplication of
faithful servants.
And I believe that convictionremains as accurate now as it
(03:35):
was then, because from the verybeginning in Acts, chapter 2,
when the church really properchurch visible was birthed in
Acts 2, we see that God doescare about church growth, but
not just in numbers, in depth.
He's not interested in crowdsfor the sake of counting heads,
(03:57):
he's interested in changed lives, he's interested in discipled
believers and in a church onmission.
And so a truly growing churchactively reaches the lost,
raises leaders and reflects thecharacter of Christ in the world
(04:17):
.
I believe that spiritual growthand numerical growth are not
opposed.
When both spiritual growth andnumerical growth are driven by
the gospel and rooted in god'sword, they go hand in hand.
And so, as your pastor and as aman who loves this church
deeply, I really want to speakfrom the heart this morning.
(04:38):
I always attempt to do that,but I just want you to hear me.
Uh, I, but providence.
Church is a special and, Ibelieve, consequential work of
God in this community.
I've seen His faithfulness overthe years in the hunger for the
Word, in the prayers of ourmembers, in how God has provided
(05:00):
in the warmth of worship and inthe steady flow of lives being
changed by grace over the last15 years.
And I believe we're on thebrink of a new season, and so we
have a vibrant community ofover 500 members and around 450
(05:22):
people gathering here each weekYoung families, retirees,
students and everybody inbetween.
And growth brings challenges.
And one of the most significantbarriers to healthy church
growth isn't space, it isn'tstaffing, it isn't budget.
(05:42):
One of the most significantbarriers to healthy church
growth is how we understandministry.
How we understand ministry, toomany churches really get caught
in a pattern where only a fewtake on the work while the rest
stand on the sidelines.
But that's not how God intendedhis church.
(06:05):
The church isn't built on justa few professionals.
It's built by the entire body,guided by the word, empowered by
the spirit and involved in themission.
And that's exactly whatEphesians chapter 4 shows us.
The apostle Paul presents aspirit-inspired, spirit-led plan
(06:26):
for growing a church, forgrowing Christians individually,
and that's not by depending onone or a few leaders, but by
every believer stepping up,being equipped and serving in
love.
So over these next five weeksin particular, including today,
we're going to open the Word andwe're going to lean in together
and serving in love.
So, over these next five weeksin particular, including today,
(06:50):
we're going to open the Word andwe're going to lean in together
into this concept of growingGod's way.
And in Ephesians 4, to growGod's way, we have to activate
what he's already placed withinus.
This isn't going to be abouthype, it's going to be about
obedience, and I would say toyou that when we get this right
and we are equipped to multiply,then everything changes, not
(07:11):
just here, but out there as well.
How does this happen?
Let's look back at Ephesians,chapter four.
We're going to work our waythrough this passage this
morning.
How does this happen?
Well, the first thing that hasto happen is we have to step up
and be equipped to equip others.
Step up and be equipped toequip others.
(07:33):
The Bible says in Ephesians 4,verse 11 through 12, and he
himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists and some pastors andteachers for the equipping of
the saints, and some pastors andteachers for the equipping of
the saints for the work of theministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ.
Now, this is a Christ-centeredmessage and passage from
(07:54):
beginning to end.
He himself gives, he himselfgives.
So the Lord Jesus is the onewho offers gifts, he's the one
who gifts the church.
He's the one who offers gifts,he, he's the one who gifts the
church.
He's the one who gifts you as achristian.
He's the one who builds thechurch.
He's the one who grows thechurch.
And ministry isn't somethingthat we just invent, uh, it's
(08:17):
something that we receive fromhim and serve through his power.
And he.
He gave various leaders,apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers, not to doall the work.
But what does the passage say?
To do what?
To equip the saints.
To equip the saints.
(08:38):
What does that mean?
That means preparing everybeliever to fulfill their role
in the church's mission.
The Greek word that'stranslated equipping.
It conveys the idea of mending,or preparing, or outfitting.
It's like, from my militarybackground, my army days it's
(09:00):
like getting soldiers battleready, kind of like basic
training.
Or it could be the idea ofrestoring tools to usefulness.
So the point is really clear andit's this that the work of the
ministry does not rest in thehands of a few.
It belongs to the entire bodyof Christ, every Christian.
That includes you, not justpastors, not just de deacons,
(09:25):
not just bible fellowship groupleaders or staff.
Every single believer who ispart of providence church has a
role in this body and thequestion isn't whether you're
called to ministry but whetheryou're walking in it.
That's the question.
We're not trying.
We're not trying to be a churchwhere 20% of the people carry
(09:48):
80% of the burden.
That's not biblical, it's notsustainable and, frankly, it's
not honoring Christ.
Right now, in the life ofProvidence Church, god has
really placed us in a specialseason over the last two years,
especially With over 450 peoplegathering each week young
(10:08):
families, retirees, students andeveryone in between.
This church cannot functionproperly if large parts remain
inactive.
It can't.
The health and the growth ofthis church long term.
Do you know?
(10:28):
These last 15 years have flown.
If you've been the whole 15,you know that well, the last
five years have flown.
Let's just be honest.
The last seven months haveflown and the next 10 to 12
years are going to fly by aswell and in real possibility, by
the end of that time, 10, 12,15 years I may not very well
even be the pastor anymore.
You may not be here anymore forwhatever reason, and so we have
(10:56):
to begin to think about, notthis moment, but what are we
going to leave behind?
What's next?
And so the health and growth ofthis church long term depend on
the full participation of thepeople that god has already
brought here.
Now.
You may not see yourself as aminister, but if you belong to
christ I mean if you're savedyou've been gifted by him and
(11:20):
you've been called into hismission.
And so the work of ministrydoesn't only happen on a stage
or behind a pulpit.
It occurs in various settingsall the time, including
classrooms or prayer groups orhomes, restaurants, hospital
visits, nursery parking lots,lobby conversations, on and on
(11:44):
and on.
Nursery parking lots, lobbyconversations, on and on and on.
And it's all for, according tothe scripture here, for the
edifying of the body of Christ.
That word edifying is anarchitectural term.
It means to build up.
The purpose of this isedification.
The purpose of ministry, thepurpose of the saints being
equipped to minister, to serve,is for the edifying.
Purpose of the saints beingequipped to minister to serve is
(12:05):
for the edifying, the buildingup of the body of Christ.
The image here is architectural.
So when believers and membersin particular are equipped and
engaged, the body isstrengthened, it becomes solid
and healthy and fruitful.
We don't want to be a churchthat doesn't just grow wider,
(12:26):
but also deeper, strong in theWord of God, active in service,
rooted in love.
You might say, well, thischurch is already like that.
Yeah, some are, some are, somearen't.
And that won't happen withprograms alone.
It happens through people.
It occurs through people,including you, if you are a
(12:49):
follower of Jesus, especially achurch member.
I mean, imagine a crew workingon a home renovation.
Anybody ever had your homerenovated at all, whether it's
yourself or somebody else.
Imagine a home being renovated.
Progress really slows down ifonly one or two have tools and
the rest stand around watching.
(13:09):
I mean, you'd think they'reworking for the government.
But transformation happens wheneveryone is equipped, when
everyone understands their roleand works together.
That's exactly what thispassage envisions Every believer
engaged in the mission, everypart of the body doing its part
(13:33):
at providence.
We do not want to be apersonality driven church or a
program dependent ministry.
We have to be a local church,shaped by people rooted in the
gospel, empowered by the Wordand the Spirit of God.
We don't just want volunteers,we want disciple makers.
(13:54):
We don't just want servants, wewant surrendered lives.
That requires equipping.
That requires intentionality.
That means you saying I'm notjust going to attend, I'm going
to engage.
Let me be direct.
Can I be direct?
I'm going to anyway.
(14:15):
Let me be direct.
There are gifts in this roomthat are sitting unused and the
rest of the body feels the loss.
You are not a spare part andyou're certainly not here for
decoration.
You're not here just fordecoration.
Christ has placed you in thisbody for a purpose.
(14:36):
For a purpose.
Don't bury your gifts and don'tunderestimate your value.
Now is the time to step up.
So let's think a minute.
What is one area, just one?
I'm going to ask a lot of youright now what is one area where
god has gifted you just one,and how are you using that gift
(15:02):
to strengthen the body of christ?
Let's make it even morepersonal.
Is there someone nearby in yourlife, a younger believer, maybe
a newer member in the church,maybe a student, a teenager, a
neighbor, whom you couldactually start investing in this
(15:25):
month?
You might say I don't think I'mspiritually gifted.
And if I am, how can I know?
Well, we have a spiritual giftsassessment on our website.
Go to theprovidencechurchorg,click the Connect tab at the top
, click the Spiritual GiftsAssessment and follow the
prompts.
Or, if you're a little bittechnology challenged like me,
(15:49):
you can also pick up a printedassessment in the lobby.
And so, whether you use theonline form or the printed form,
follow the instructions.
Men, did you hear me?
Follow the instructions to geta solid assessment of how God
has gifted you spiritually, stepup, be equipped and then step
(16:13):
in Minister with maturity andunity.
Let's look at the next passage,verse 13 through 14.
The Bible continues this visionof growing a church in verses
13 through 14.
He says till we all come to theunity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, toa perfect man, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness ofChrist, that we should no longer
(16:36):
be children tossed to and froand carried about with every
wind of doctrine.
So there's a clear progressionhere.
Did you see it?
Clear progression Equip thesaints.
So you have equipped saints,and then that leads to a unified
maturing body.
Equipped saints leads to aunified maturing body.
(16:56):
So that's the goal of equipping.
Not just activity, but maturityspiritually, not just
participation.
Spiritually, not justparticipation, but
transformation.
He says to the unity of thefaith, to the unity of the faith
.
That's not about uniformity ofpersonality, it's not about
(17:16):
uniformity of preference, but ashared conviction in the gospel.
When the Apostle Paul speakshere of the faith, he's
referring to the core ofChristian truth, the unshakable
foundation of what we believeabout Christ, about the need for
salvation, about the cross, hisresurrection and the call to
(17:37):
follow Him.
And so true unity in the churchis never achieved by watering
down the truth, but it's builtby holding tightly to the truth
together.
Unity of the faith, knowledgeof the Son of God, it says.
This isn't just head knowledge,it's relational, relational.
(18:01):
The word that's translated,knowledge here in our English
Bible, epignosis, is the Greekword.
It really suggests deep,experiential understanding.
In other words, we don't growby merely learning about Christ.
A lot of churches are real goodat that, some not so much, but
some are really good aboutlearning about Christ.
(18:21):
We don't.
We don't grow by merelylearning about christ.
We grow by walking with him, bywalking with him spiritually.
A christian and a church thattruly knows jesus will be
characterized by love, by truth,obedience and spiritual depth.
(18:45):
He says to a perfect man thestature of the fullness of
christ.
God's word envisions christians, the church, developing into
spiritual maturity, not juststaying immature, but being
shaped into christ likeness.
That's the standard, notpopularity, not cultural
(19:10):
relevance.
Lord knows we don't want that.
Christ is the measure, jesus isthe measure.
God desires that kind ofmaturity for me.
God desires that kind ofmaturity for you, if you're a
christian.
He desires that kind ofmaturity for providence church
not just superficial attendance,but profound transformation in
(19:32):
your life, in our life, in thechurch.
Verse 14, that we should nolonger be children.
Well, the contrast is clear,because children are unstable.
They they just kind of go withwhat they want.
It's all about their desires.
Look, I'm excited.
Tomorrow we start the first dayof Providence Church Academy.
(19:53):
Here in the life of ProvidenceChurch, you'll be praying for
those teachers.
You'll be praying for thosekids and those families.
But we're also going to have alot of.
Our largest group is ourkindergarten and our first grade
.
They will be a challengebecause they're very young,
they're immature, they want whatthey want and they want it.
How quickly Now you know.
(20:14):
They're learning, they'regrowing.
Children are easily deceived,children lack judgment.
That's the Apostle Paul'swarning here.
And immature believers,christians, immature Christians,
are like ships without rudders.
In other words, they're tossedabout.
He said, tossed to and fro.
They're tossed about by everynew teaching, every new trend,
(20:37):
by every persuasive voice onsocial media or YouTube.
Lord, you probably ought to getoff that stuff.
Truthfully, stop listening toall those people.
Lord, you probably ought to getoff that stuff.
Truthfully, stop listening toall those people.
But maturity leads to doctrinalstability and doctrinal
stability enhances ministryeffectiveness In Providence.
(21:03):
We're not trying to grow anemotionally stirred crowd, but
yet who are still biblicallyweak crowd, but yet who are
still biblically weak.
No, we want a body of believersrooted, discerning and unshaken
by false teaching, by falsedoctrine.
Over the last 15 years, we'veseen firsthand how the Word of
God, when it's taught clearlyand applied faithfully in grace,
(21:24):
brings stability to lives.
We've seen young believerslearn how to test every idea
against scripture.
I've seen long-term membersgrow in humility and a hunger
for truth.
That's what maturity looks likeGrounded in truth, growing in
love and focused on Jesus,focused on Christ, on the gospel
(21:46):
, not all this other nonsense.
I mean.
Think of a symphony orchestra.
Each musician has a differentpart, a unique tone and precise
timing, and the harmony fallsapart if one plays out of tune
or, worse, tries to follow adifferent sheet of music,
different conductor even, butthe result is breathtaking when
(22:10):
every instrument follows thesame score under the conductor's
guidance the conductor beingJesus in this example, obviously
.
And that's what happens when achurch grows in unity and
maturity.
We begin then to reflect thebeauty of christ to a watching
world.
In a church our size becauseyou know, uh, you all in this
(22:36):
room right now are just a port,a portion of this church body
there's folks all over thiscampus right now meeting in
groups, and there's a, there's awhole crowd of people that's
going to come in the second hourand there's going to be people
who don't meet in groups.
About 50 of our regular sundaymorning attendance don't meet in
groups I'll be addressing thatin coming sermons, by the way
(23:00):
and so there's a lot more herethan what you see just in this
room.
And so, in a church our size,it's easy to assume that
spiritual maturity is happeningsomewhere else.
In other words, someone else isdiscipling, someone else is
serving, someone else is takingresponsibility, but the Bible
says right here in this passagewe all, we all, not some, not
(23:24):
most, even we all.
So unity and maturity areshared goals and they belong to
every single member of the body.
So let me ask plainly a coupleof questions.
First of all, are youincreasing in your knowledge of
(23:44):
Christ?
I'm not talking about headknowledge, I'm talking about
experientially.
Are you seeking to walk withchrist spiritually?
Experientially, are you holdingfirm to the truth of god's word
?
Are you swayed by every newteaching that comes down the
pike, every new trend in thechurch?
(24:05):
Are you helping to build thechurch's unity, or are you just
consuming content withoutengaging in community?
Unity is delicate and maturityis costly, but both are
(24:31):
essential.
So where is the spirit of godprompting you to grow in
maturity right now in your life?
Where do you need to grow inmaturity spiritually?
Is it in the word?
Is it in prayer?
Where do you need to grow inmaturity spiritually?
Is it in the Word?
Is it in prayer?
(24:51):
Is it in commitment to the bodyof Christ?
Is it in prayer or how youserve, how you speak, how you
submit to the truth?
What would it mean?
Let's take it a step further.
What would it look like for youto take a genuine step forward
(25:15):
in spiritual maturity this month?
What would that look like?
What would it mean?
I would say that it's time tostep in and minister with
maturity and unity.
And then what do we do?
Well, we not only step up, wenot only step in, but we step
(25:36):
together.
We step together, we build upthe body in love.
Look at verses 15 and 16.
But speaking the truth in lovemay grow up in all things into
him.
Who is the head?
Christ, from whom the wholebody joined and knit together by
(25:59):
what every joint supplies.
You see that what every jointsupplies, according to the
effective working by which everypart does its share, causes
growth of the body for theedifying of itself in love.
So the image here in thescripture really depicts for us
a mature church truth and love,united, christ, jesus as the
(26:23):
head and every part contributing.
Let's break this down for justa few minutes.
We got time.
Speaking the truth in love,speaking the truth in love, you
know, some churches speak truthwithout love, mean it's sharp
doctrine but it's cold at heart.
Others, other churches,emphasize love without truth.
(26:45):
It's warm affirming, but it'sdisconnected from the Word.
But in God's design both mustwork together, both have to work
together.
We grow by speaking God's truthwith Christ-like love.
One without the other causesdistortion, but together they
(27:09):
build disciples.
And so this represents genuinerelationships, real
accountability and truediscipleship.
It involves being a part of acommunity where you're known and
others speak into your life notto hurt you but to build you up
(27:29):
.
This means being a member ofthe body.
It goes on to say may grow up inall things, into him.
Who is the head?
Christ.
Christ, jesus is the goal ofour growth.
He's not just a model, he's thehead.
He directs the body, suppliesthe strength.
(27:52):
He's the one who defines theshape.
And so a church quote-unquote achurch disconnected from christ
and his word is no longer achurch, but everything.
When everything grows in theright direction, when we stay
connected to him.
It goes on to say from whom thewhole body causes growth, from
(28:16):
whom the whole body causesgrowth.
Don't miss this critical phrasethe whole body causes growth.
The church grows not by just afew doing everything, but by
everyone doing their part.
The language here is active, itis participatory.
It is growth fueled by everyjoint scripture, every joint,
(28:39):
every part and each one doingits share.
This is not an optional vision.
It's God's design.
It's God's design and this hasto be what we embrace in the
life of Providence Church.
This is our application.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning into theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the Bible
teaching ministry of PastorTimothy Mann and Providence
Church, ormond Beach, florida.
Providence Church is a localassembly of followers of Jesus
Christ dedicated to helpingpeople become committed and
mature followers of Jesus Christ.
Now here's Pastor Timothy Mannteaching the Word.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Ephesians, chapter 4, we're going to pick up in verse
11 and read down through verse16.
The Apostle Paul is writingthis letter to the church at
Ephesus under the inspiration ofthe Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, and he himself,that's talking about Christ.
Jesus and he himself gave someto be apostles, some prophets,
(00:45):
some evangelists and somepastors and teachers for the
equipping of the saints, for thework of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ,till we all come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledgeof the Son of God, to a perfect
man, to the measure of thestature of the fullness of
(01:07):
Christ, that we should no longerbe children Tossed to and fro
and carried about with everywind of doctrine by the trickery
of men and the cunningcraftiness of deceitful plotting
, but speaking the truth in loveMay grow up in all things into
(01:27):
him who is the head, christ,from whom the whole body joined
and knit together by what everyjoint supplies, according to the
effective working by whichevery part does its share,
causes growth of the body forthe edifying of itself in love.
We'll stop here.
(01:47):
This is God's word.
So this morning we arebeginning to starting this new
preaching series, calling itgrowing God's way.
Growing God's way, preparingfor a new season of fruitfulness
.
This isn't just a sermon series.
It really is a spiritual resetin some ways, or a new set.
(02:08):
It's a.
It's a realignment, a freshvision, a call for us, as
providence church and asindividual christians, to think
very deeply, pray boldly andrespond faithfully to what God
is doing among us and where heis leading us.
(02:28):
Next as a church.
With all my heart, with all myheart, I believe that God is
preparing to lead this churchinto a new chapter.
Fifteen years this year as achurch in existence and I
believe he's preparing to leadus into a new chapter, not for
our reputation, but for hisglory.
And if we want to see the kindof growth that lasts, that
(02:50):
really matters and changes lives, then we need to stay in his
word, we need to seek his willand we need to revisit his plan
for church growth.
British pastor of the 19thcentury in England, charles
Spurgeon, once said everyprofessing Christian is either a
missionary or an imposter.
Every professing Christian iseither a missionary or an
(03:14):
imposter.
He believed in equippingordinary people to do
extraordinary ministry, and sohe started a pastor's college in
London and he understood thatthe church's future didn't
depend on a single preacher buton the multiplication of
faithful servants.
And I believe that convictionremains as accurate now as it
(03:35):
was then, because from the verybeginning in Acts, chapter 2,
when the church really properchurch visible was birthed in
Acts 2, we see that God doescare about church growth, but
not just in numbers, in depth.
He's not interested in crowdsfor the sake of counting heads,
(03:57):
he's interested in changed lives, he's interested in discipled
believers and in a church onmission.
And so a truly growing churchactively reaches the lost,
raises leaders and reflects thecharacter of Christ in the world
(04:17):
.
I believe that spiritual growthand numerical growth are not
opposed.
When both spiritual growth andnumerical growth are driven by
the gospel and rooted in god'sword, they go hand in hand.
And so, as your pastor and as aman who loves this church
deeply, I really want to speakfrom the heart this morning.
(04:38):
I always attempt to do that,but I just want you to hear me.
Uh, I, but providence.
Church is a special and, Ibelieve, consequential work of
God in this community.
I've seen His faithfulness overthe years in the hunger for the
Word, in the prayers of ourmembers, in how God has provided
(05:00):
in the warmth of worship and inthe steady flow of lives being
changed by grace over the last15 years.
And I believe we're on thebrink of a new season, and so we
have a vibrant community ofover 500 members and around 450
(05:22):
people gathering here each weekYoung families, retirees,
students and everybody inbetween.
And growth brings challenges.
And one of the most significantbarriers to healthy church
growth isn't space, it isn'tstaffing, it isn't budget.
(05:42):
One of the most significantbarriers to healthy church
growth is how we understandministry.
How we understand ministry, toomany churches really get caught
in a pattern where only a fewtake on the work while the rest
stand on the sidelines.
But that's not how God intendedhis church.
(06:05):
The church isn't built on justa few professionals.
It's built by the entire body,guided by the word, empowered by
the spirit and involved in themission.
And that's exactly whatEphesians chapter 4 shows us.
The apostle Paul presents aspirit-inspired, spirit-led plan
(06:26):
for growing a church, forgrowing Christians individually,
and that's not by depending onone or a few leaders, but by
every believer stepping up,being equipped and serving in
love.
So over these next five weeksin particular, including today,
we're going to open the Word andwe're going to lean in together
and serving in love.
So, over these next five weeksin particular, including today,
(06:50):
we're going to open the Word andwe're going to lean in together
into this concept of growingGod's way.
And in Ephesians 4, to growGod's way, we have to activate
what he's already placed withinus.
This isn't going to be abouthype, it's going to be about
obedience, and I would say toyou that when we get this right
and we are equipped to multiply,then everything changes, not
(07:11):
just here, but out there as well.
How does this happen?
Let's look back at Ephesians,chapter four.
We're going to work our waythrough this passage this
morning.
How does this happen?
Well, the first thing that hasto happen is we have to step up
and be equipped to equip others.
Step up and be equipped toequip others.
(07:33):
The Bible says in Ephesians 4,verse 11 through 12, and he
himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists and some pastors andteachers for the equipping of
the saints, and some pastors andteachers for the equipping of
the saints for the work of theministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ.
Now, this is a Christ-centeredmessage and passage from
(07:54):
beginning to end.
He himself gives, he himselfgives.
So the Lord Jesus is the onewho offers gifts, he's the one
who gifts the church.
He's the one who offers gifts,he, he's the one who gifts the
church.
He's the one who gifts you as achristian.
He's the one who builds thechurch.
He's the one who grows thechurch.
And ministry isn't somethingthat we just invent, uh, it's
(08:17):
something that we receive fromhim and serve through his power.
And he.
He gave various leaders,apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors and teachers, not to doall the work.
But what does the passage say?
To do what?
To equip the saints.
To equip the saints.
(08:38):
What does that mean?
That means preparing everybeliever to fulfill their role
in the church's mission.
The Greek word that'stranslated equipping.
It conveys the idea of mending,or preparing, or outfitting.
It's like, from my militarybackground, my army days it's
(09:00):
like getting soldiers battleready, kind of like basic
training.
Or it could be the idea ofrestoring tools to usefulness.
So the point is really clear andit's this that the work of the
ministry does not rest in thehands of a few.
It belongs to the entire bodyof Christ, every Christian.
That includes you, not justpastors, not just de deacons,
(09:25):
not just bible fellowship groupleaders or staff.
Every single believer who ispart of providence church has a
role in this body and thequestion isn't whether you're
called to ministry but whetheryou're walking in it.
That's the question.
We're not trying.
We're not trying to be a churchwhere 20% of the people carry
(09:48):
80% of the burden.
That's not biblical, it's notsustainable and, frankly, it's
not honoring Christ.
Right now, in the life ofProvidence Church, god has
really placed us in a specialseason over the last two years,
especially With over 450 peoplegathering each week young
(10:08):
families, retirees, students andeveryone in between.
This church cannot functionproperly if large parts remain
inactive.
It can't.
The health and the growth ofthis church long term.
Do you know?
(10:28):
These last 15 years have flown.
If you've been the whole 15,you know that well, the last
five years have flown.
Let's just be honest.
The last seven months haveflown and the next 10 to 12
years are going to fly by aswell and in real possibility, by
the end of that time, 10, 12,15 years I may not very well
even be the pastor anymore.
You may not be here anymore forwhatever reason, and so we have
(10:56):
to begin to think about, notthis moment, but what are we
going to leave behind?
What's next?
And so the health and growth ofthis church long term depend on
the full participation of thepeople that god has already
brought here.
Now.
You may not see yourself as aminister, but if you belong to
christ I mean if you're savedyou've been gifted by him and
(11:20):
you've been called into hismission.
And so the work of ministrydoesn't only happen on a stage
or behind a pulpit.
It occurs in various settingsall the time, including
classrooms or prayer groups orhomes, restaurants, hospital
visits, nursery parking lots,lobby conversations, on and on
(11:44):
and on.
Nursery parking lots, lobbyconversations, on and on and on.
And it's all for, according tothe scripture here, for the
edifying of the body of Christ.
That word edifying is anarchitectural term.
It means to build up.
The purpose of this isedification.
The purpose of ministry, thepurpose of the saints being
equipped to minister, to serve,is for the edifying.
Purpose of the saints beingequipped to minister to serve is
(12:05):
for the edifying, the buildingup of the body of Christ.
The image here is architectural.
So when believers and membersin particular are equipped and
engaged, the body isstrengthened, it becomes solid
and healthy and fruitful.
We don't want to be a churchthat doesn't just grow wider,
(12:26):
but also deeper, strong in theWord of God, active in service,
rooted in love.
You might say, well, thischurch is already like that.
Yeah, some are, some are, somearen't.
And that won't happen withprograms alone.
It happens through people.
It occurs through people,including you, if you are a
(12:49):
follower of Jesus, especially achurch member.
I mean, imagine a crew workingon a home renovation.
Anybody ever had your homerenovated at all, whether it's
yourself or somebody else.
Imagine a home being renovated.
Progress really slows down ifonly one or two have tools and
the rest stand around watching.
(13:09):
I mean, you'd think they'reworking for the government.
But transformation happens wheneveryone is equipped, when
everyone understands their roleand works together.
That's exactly what thispassage envisions Every believer
engaged in the mission, everypart of the body doing its part
(13:33):
at providence.
We do not want to be apersonality driven church or a
program dependent ministry.
We have to be a local church,shaped by people rooted in the
gospel, empowered by the Wordand the Spirit of God.
We don't just want volunteers,we want disciple makers.
(13:54):
We don't just want servants, wewant surrendered lives.
That requires equipping.
That requires intentionality.
That means you saying I'm notjust going to attend, I'm going
to engage.
Let me be direct.
Can I be direct?
I'm going to anyway.
(14:15):
Let me be direct.
There are gifts in this roomthat are sitting unused and the
rest of the body feels the loss.
You are not a spare part andyou're certainly not here for
decoration.
You're not here just fordecoration.
Christ has placed you in thisbody for a purpose.
(14:36):
For a purpose.
Don't bury your gifts and don'tunderestimate your value.
Now is the time to step up.
So let's think a minute.
What is one area, just one?
I'm going to ask a lot of youright now what is one area where
god has gifted you just one,and how are you using that gift
(15:02):
to strengthen the body of christ?
Let's make it even morepersonal.
Is there someone nearby in yourlife, a younger believer, maybe
a newer member in the church,maybe a student, a teenager, a
neighbor, whom you couldactually start investing in this
(15:25):
month?
You might say I don't think I'mspiritually gifted.
And if I am, how can I know?
Well, we have a spiritual giftsassessment on our website.
Go to theprovidencechurchorg,click the Connect tab at the top
, click the Spiritual GiftsAssessment and follow the
prompts.
Or, if you're a little bittechnology challenged like me,
(15:49):
you can also pick up a printedassessment in the lobby.
And so, whether you use theonline form or the printed form,
follow the instructions.
Men, did you hear me?
Follow the instructions to geta solid assessment of how God
has gifted you spiritually, stepup, be equipped and then step
(16:13):
in Minister with maturity andunity.
Let's look at the next passage,verse 13 through 14.
The Bible continues this visionof growing a church in verses
13 through 14.
He says till we all come to theunity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, toa perfect man, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness ofChrist, that we should no longer
(16:36):
be children tossed to and froand carried about with every
wind of doctrine.
So there's a clear progressionhere.
Did you see it?
Clear progression Equip thesaints.
So you have equipped saints,and then that leads to a unified
maturing body.
Equipped saints leads to aunified maturing body.
(16:56):
So that's the goal of equipping.
Not just activity, but maturityspiritually, not just
participation.
Spiritually, not justparticipation, but
transformation.
He says to the unity of thefaith, to the unity of the faith
.
That's not about uniformity ofpersonality, it's not about
(17:16):
uniformity of preference, but ashared conviction in the gospel.
When the Apostle Paul speakshere of the faith, he's
referring to the core ofChristian truth, the unshakable
foundation of what we believeabout Christ, about the need for
salvation, about the cross, hisresurrection and the call to
(17:37):
follow Him.
And so true unity in the churchis never achieved by watering
down the truth, but it's builtby holding tightly to the truth
together.
Unity of the faith, knowledgeof the Son of God, it says.
This isn't just head knowledge,it's relational, relational.
(18:01):
The word that's translated,knowledge here in our English
Bible, epignosis, is the Greekword.
It really suggests deep,experiential understanding.
In other words, we don't growby merely learning about Christ.
A lot of churches are real goodat that, some not so much, but
some are really good aboutlearning about Christ.
(18:21):
We don't.
We don't grow by merelylearning about christ.
We grow by walking with him, bywalking with him spiritually.
A christian and a church thattruly knows jesus will be
characterized by love, by truth,obedience and spiritual depth.
(18:45):
He says to a perfect man thestature of the fullness of
christ.
God's word envisions christians, the church, developing into
spiritual maturity, not juststaying immature, but being
shaped into christ likeness.
That's the standard, notpopularity, not cultural
(19:10):
relevance.
Lord knows we don't want that.
Christ is the measure, jesus isthe measure.
God desires that kind ofmaturity for me.
God desires that kind ofmaturity for you, if you're a
christian.
He desires that kind ofmaturity for providence church
not just superficial attendance,but profound transformation in
(19:32):
your life, in our life, in thechurch.
Verse 14, that we should nolonger be children.
Well, the contrast is clear,because children are unstable.
They they just kind of go withwhat they want.
It's all about their desires.
Look, I'm excited.
Tomorrow we start the first dayof Providence Church Academy.
(19:53):
Here in the life of ProvidenceChurch, you'll be praying for
those teachers.
You'll be praying for thosekids and those families.
But we're also going to have alot of.
Our largest group is ourkindergarten and our first grade
.
They will be a challengebecause they're very young,
they're immature, they want whatthey want and they want it.
How quickly Now you know.
(20:14):
They're learning, they'regrowing.
Children are easily deceived,children lack judgment.
That's the Apostle Paul'swarning here.
And immature believers,christians, immature Christians,
are like ships without rudders.
In other words, they're tossedabout.
He said, tossed to and fro.
They're tossed about by everynew teaching, every new trend,
(20:37):
by every persuasive voice onsocial media or YouTube.
Lord, you probably ought to getoff that stuff.
Truthfully, stop listening toall those people.
Lord, you probably ought to getoff that stuff.
Truthfully, stop listening toall those people.
But maturity leads to doctrinalstability and doctrinal
stability enhances ministryeffectiveness In Providence.
(21:03):
We're not trying to grow anemotionally stirred crowd, but
yet who are still biblicallyweak crowd, but yet who are
still biblically weak.
No, we want a body of believersrooted, discerning and unshaken
by false teaching, by falsedoctrine.
Over the last 15 years, we'veseen firsthand how the Word of
God, when it's taught clearlyand applied faithfully in grace,
(21:24):
brings stability to lives.
We've seen young believerslearn how to test every idea
against scripture.
I've seen long-term membersgrow in humility and a hunger
for truth.
That's what maturity looks likeGrounded in truth, growing in
love and focused on Jesus,focused on Christ, on the gospel
(21:46):
, not all this other nonsense.
I mean.
Think of a symphony orchestra.
Each musician has a differentpart, a unique tone and precise
timing, and the harmony fallsapart if one plays out of tune
or, worse, tries to follow adifferent sheet of music,
different conductor even, butthe result is breathtaking when
(22:10):
every instrument follows thesame score under the conductor's
guidance the conductor beingJesus in this example, obviously
.
And that's what happens when achurch grows in unity and
maturity.
We begin then to reflect thebeauty of christ to a watching
world.
In a church our size becauseyou know, uh, you all in this
(22:36):
room right now are just a port,a portion of this church body
there's folks all over thiscampus right now meeting in
groups, and there's a, there's awhole crowd of people that's
going to come in the second hourand there's going to be people
who don't meet in groups.
About 50 of our regular sundaymorning attendance don't meet in
groups I'll be addressing thatin coming sermons, by the way
(23:00):
and so there's a lot more herethan what you see just in this
room.
And so, in a church our size,it's easy to assume that
spiritual maturity is happeningsomewhere else.
In other words, someone else isdiscipling, someone else is
serving, someone else is takingresponsibility, but the Bible
says right here in this passagewe all, we all, not some, not
(23:24):
most, even we all.
So unity and maturity areshared goals and they belong to
every single member of the body.
So let me ask plainly a coupleof questions.
First of all, are youincreasing in your knowledge of
(23:44):
Christ?
I'm not talking about headknowledge, I'm talking about
experientially.
Are you seeking to walk withchrist spiritually?
Experientially, are you holdingfirm to the truth of god's word
?
Are you swayed by every newteaching that comes down the
pike, every new trend in thechurch?
(24:05):
Are you helping to build thechurch's unity, or are you just
consuming content withoutengaging in community?
Unity is delicate and maturityis costly, but both are
(24:31):
essential.
So where is the spirit of godprompting you to grow in
maturity right now in your life?
Where do you need to grow inmaturity spiritually?
Is it in the word?
Is it in prayer?
Where do you need to grow inmaturity spiritually?
Is it in the Word?
Is it in prayer?
(24:51):
Is it in commitment to the bodyof Christ?
Is it in prayer or how youserve, how you speak, how you
submit to the truth?
What would it mean?
Let's take it a step further.
What would it look like for youto take a genuine step forward
(25:15):
in spiritual maturity this month?
What would that look like?
What would it mean?
I would say that it's time tostep in and minister with
maturity and unity.
And then what do we do?
Well, we not only step up, wenot only step in, but we step
(25:36):
together.
We step together, we build upthe body in love.
Look at verses 15 and 16.
But speaking the truth in lovemay grow up in all things into
him.
Who is the head?
Christ, from whom the wholebody joined and knit together by
(25:59):
what every joint supplies.
You see that what every jointsupplies, according to the
effective working by which everypart does its share, causes
growth of the body for theedifying of itself in love.
So the image here in thescripture really depicts for us
a mature church truth and love,united, christ, jesus as the
(26:23):
head and every part contributing.
Let's break this down for justa few minutes.
We got time.
Speaking the truth in love,speaking the truth in love, you
know, some churches speak truthwithout love, mean it's sharp
doctrine but it's cold at heart.
Others, other churches,emphasize love without truth.
(26:45):
It's warm affirming, but it'sdisconnected from the Word.
But in God's design both mustwork together, both have to work
together.
We grow by speaking God's truthwith Christ-like love.
One without the other causesdistortion, but together they
(27:09):
build disciples.
And so this represents genuinerelationships, real
accountability and truediscipleship.
It involves being a part of acommunity where you're known and
others speak into your life notto hurt you but to build you up
(27:29):
.
This means being a member ofthe body.
It goes on to say may grow up inall things, into him.
Who is the head?
Christ.
Christ, jesus is the goal ofour growth.
He's not just a model, he's thehead.
He directs the body, suppliesthe strength.
(27:52):
He's the one who defines theshape.
And so a church quote-unquote achurch disconnected from christ
and his word is no longer achurch, but everything.
When everything grows in theright direction, when we stay
connected to him.
It goes on to say from whom thewhole body causes growth, from
(28:16):
whom the whole body causesgrowth.
Don't miss this critical phrasethe whole body causes growth.
The church grows not by just afew doing everything, but by
everyone doing their part.
The language here is active, itis participatory.
It is growth fueled by everyjoint scripture, every joint,
(28:39):
every part and each one doingits share.
This is not an optional vision.
It's God's design.
It's God's design and this hasto be what we embrace in the
life of Providence Church.
This is our application.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word
of God stands forever.
That's Isaiah 48.
Thanks for tuning into theFoundations of Truth podcast
with Pastor Timothy Mann fromProvidence Church in Ormond
Beach, Florida.
Join us next time and untilthen, keep building your life on
God's eternal truth, the Bible.
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