Read Textual Sermon from John K. Jenkins Sr
The Body of Christ: Equipped to Build
Ephesians chapter 4 is the passage I’ve been in for the past several Communion Sundays, and I’ve entitled this series for these few moments “The Body of Christ.” We’ve been starting to preach from chapter 4, verses 11 through 16. Let me read it to you:
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
(Ephesians 4:11–16, NKJV)
I’ve been talking during these Communion Sundays because I want people to understand why the Church is important. There is a contingency of people who think they don’t need the Church. People need the Church. That’s the whole purpose of this—to kill the spirit and attitude of folks who don’t think the Church is important.
You cannot be everything God wants you to be by staying at home and watching online. You cannot become everything God wants you to become apart from the Body. Our prayer and encouragement is to get people connected and involved.
God put gifts in the Church (v. 11): apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Why (v. 12)? For the equipping of the saints—to equip you to do the work of ministry so that the Church does the work of ministry. I’m trying to make everybody understand: it’s not the pastor’s job to do all the work. You’re not going to kill me—Jesus already died for the Church!
There was a time in my life when I thought I had to do everything, but I have since learned that is not the best model. We want to equip the saints. The Church functions best not because the head does everything, but because the hands, the feet, the fingers, and the other parts of the body do the work.
“For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry”—so that the Church can be edified. That word edified means “built up.” The Church can only be built up when the people in the Church do their role and do their part.
How long do we have to do this? Verse 13 says: till we all come into the unity of the faith. We haven’t reached complete unity yet, nor have we come into the full knowledge of the Son of God. We have not become a perfect—or mature—man to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
No Longer Children: Growing Beyond Petty Things
Verse 14 says we should no longer be children. Look around your row—somebody on your row is still a child, acting like a child. You do know Church people can act like kids. We argue and bicker over stuff that doesn’t really matter: who sits where, who parks where, who leads this song or that song. By the way, you’re not the only one who can lead a song. And just because you led it doesn’t mean it’s “your” song. It might be your season to lead it now, but somebody else has that testimony too.
We should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine. Too often we are unsure of what we believe and get fooled and tricked by people—“by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (v. 14).
And then we come to point four today, verse 15: “But speaking the truth in love…” I love it when God puts His “but” into my situation. No longer tossed, no longer carried about—but here’s the shift: we learn to speak the truth in love. That’s what I want to talk about for a few moments today in this part four: God has called us to be those who are learning to speak the truth in love. Look at your neighbor and say, “Learn to speak the truth in love.”
That’s important, because according to verse 15, it’s the only way we “may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head—Christ.” God wants us to learn to speak truth in love.
Why We Need Each Other: Honest Community
One of the benefits of being in Church is that you have relationships with people who can be honest with you—people who will tell you you’ve got something hanging from your nose, that your breath stinks, or that you need to freshen up. We’ve got to learn to speak the truth in love. That’s why you need the Church: you need somebody to be honest with you. That’s the only way we can grow up—relationships with people who can tell us how weak we are and where we’re jacked up. The struggle is we are not always ready for the truth.
Here’s what we practice at First Baptist Church of Glenarden: when we give the truth, we deal with behavior—not motives, not intentions. The truth is, you don’t know a person’s motives or intent. When you start telling people what their motives and intents are, you’re entering into a realm you can’t prove. What we can deal with is what we saw and what we heard. God has called us to help people grow up by being honest with them.
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
(Proverbs 27:6, NKJV)
Over my 33 years here as pastor, people have honestly spoken to me in ways that helped me grow and mature—words that sharpened me.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
(Proverbs 27:17, NKJV)
Some told me my preaching needed to go higher, and it challenged me to study, learn, and bring it up to another level. I’m trying to do better—I believe I’m doing a little better than I was 33 years ago.
At times, leaders in our Church have challenged me. I didn’t want to do what they asked, but because I’m submitted—and because they spoke honestly—I did it, and in retrospect it was the best decision I could have made. Many of you lean to your own understanding, but there are life choices that are better than how you see it.
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
(Hebrews 10:24–25, NKJV)
We must tell each other the truth. You may not want to hear it, but open your ears and let people tell you the truth.
Shared Leadership, Shared Perspective
We also grow when we welcome perspectives we don’t naturally have. When an elder challenged me that it was time to bring women onto the elders’ board, I wasn’t quite there—but he spoke what he believed, and our Church is better because we listened. Women bring perspectives to the table that men just don’t have. In generosity, compassion, and practical wisdom, they often see dimensions others miss. Our body is stronger when every part does its share (Ephesians 4:16).
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
(1 Corinthians 12:27, NKJV)
Here’s my challenge today: let people speak truth to you. Let them challenge your behavior and attitudes. That’s the only way you can grow up. If you keep resisting—holding on to your opinions and perspectives—you’ll never grow. Growing up means changing your perspective.
Speak the truth in love—and learn to hear the truth in love. Say it boldly to your neighbor: “Learn to hear the truth in love.” The word love here is agapē—what is in the best interest of the whole, not just what is in your personal best interest. When you learn to hear in love, you can “grow up in all things.”
Invitation and Call
Father, I thank You today for Your Word. Help us grow up. Help us hear the truth and embrace it. Help us to be all You want us to be. I’m praying for hearts that think they don’t need the Church—help us recognize we need other believers who can be honest with us and speak truth to us.
And Father, if there’s anybody here today outside the Body of Christ—not connected—I ask that You draw them today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Everyone, stand for just a moment and ask your neighbor: Are you saved? Are you born again? Do you belong to a Church? Are you backslidden? If not, let’s get it straight with God right now. Don’t put it off. Tomorrow is not promised. While you have life in your body, make the choice today. Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so your sins could be forgiven and you could have eternal life. If you need Him, now is the perfect time to come, to rededicate, to gain assurance, or to join a Bible-believing Church. We will receive you with open arms, in Jesus’ name.
“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.”
(Ephesians 4:15, NKJV)
Questions This Sermon Answers
- Why is active participation in a local church essential for spiritual growth?
- What does it mean to be “equipped” for the work of ministry?
- How do we avoid being “children” tossed by every wind of doctrine?
- What does “speaking the truth in love” practically look like?
- How does each member’s contribution cause the Body to grow?
