Dr Shawn Smith -The Teleios Man (Growing Up in Him). Gain insight and grasp the revelation of Christ in an exciting unlearning and learning process.
Dr Shawn Smith -The Teleios Man (Growing Up in Him)
Growing Up in Christ
Eph. 4:11-16
Dr Shawn Smith -The Teleios Man (Growing Up in Him)
Introduction:
God wants His church to grow and is not satisfied with anything less.
Churches grow when individual members grow
God has a plan for our growth, and only when we follow His plan will we grow
We need each other to grow (1 Cor. 12:14-19)
God Gave Gifts Build up the Body (4:11-13)
God gave the church to bless us; God gave us to bless the church
When God gave miraculous gifts, they were to benefit everyone (1 Cor. 12:7 “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
The nature of the gifts:
apostles
prophets
evangelists
shepherds (elders) and teachers
The purpose of the gifts:
for the equipping of the saints
for the work of service,
to the building up of the body of Christ;
The Vision for the gifts: “until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
unity of the faith (Christian faith—all believing the truth)
knowledge of the Son of God (to have close relationship with Jesus)
to a mature man
to be living a life to the measure of Christ (Christ like, walking worthy)
Why God Wants us to be Mature (4:14)
Here Paul contrasts the child/baby from the grown-up
The child:
Wavering: tossed here and there by waves, (culture)
Gullible: carried about by every wind of doctrine, (new ideas)
Easily deceived: by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (Satan’s lies)
The mature person:
Stable and resolute
Grounded
Discerning
Col. 2:1-7
III. How We Keep Growing (4:15,16)
Speak the truth in love
we need the truth in our lives always
we need love in our lives always
Keep your focus on Christ
we are to grow up in all aspects into the head
Col. 3:1-4
Stay closely connected to other members of the body
the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies,
you have an obligation to keep the church united and loving
Eph. 4:1-3
Do your part to serve in the Lord’s work
The proper working of each individual part.
God wants every member working properly
When you fail to do your part, you leave a hole that others must fill.
No one can do what you can do!
Conclusion:
It would be sad to be physically grown but spiritually immature.
