EPHESIANS OUTLINE #25 of 35

I. The Duration of the Ministry (4:13)

A. The church and its ministers are not inconsequential and temporary. They continue until the goal of its calling is reached.

B. what is the ultimate goal of the church?

1. Arrive at a perfect unity. (4:13)

2. Progress toward the stature of Christ (4;13)

3. Reduction of spiritual casualties (4:14)

C. A Perfect Unity.

1. Note the words of our Lord (John 17:11,21-23).

2. Cod has gifted servants whom He has sent to His church.

(a) Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors.

(b) They were sent in order that fragmented. self-centered humanity, by Cod's grace, get together and unite for the purpose of serving Christ..

(c) Our theme as Christians must be: " Let's get together".

d) We need to get together more often, not less.

(e) As we get closer to Jesus and to one another we will want to The core active in the fellowship.

3. That unity is based on a growing, personal knowledge of Jesus Christ

D. The Stature of Christ.

1. A perfect man (perfect means nature, ripe, full grown).

(a) when used of a person, its meaning is adult. one who has reached full development as a person.

(b) when applied to a Christian it means one who has advanced toward the end of his development as a Christian.

2. what does the stature of Christ mean?

(a) The standard of perfection for the church is complete conformity to Christ

(b) The aim of Christ is to produce in this world a group of people like Himself.

(c) The task of the church is to produce men and women who have in them a reflection of Christ.

(d) Believer. the standard of the church is set. it is our business to accept it. and adjust our

lives to the achievement of it.

(e) Maturity is nothing less than the Lord Jesus living in and through our personalities.

E, Reducing spiritual casualties (4:14)

1. In every church there are certain members who must be protected.

(a) There are those who are like children, they are at the mercy of the latest fashion in religion.

(b) They are always under the influence of the last person to whoa they talked.

(c) People like this seem to lack interest in concentrating on the great essentials of our faith

(d) They really are not interested in studying the Word and growing- They want novelty and entertainment

(e) This is extremely so today. Individuals who in the name of our Lord charge $500 - $7000 per night

(f) Pastors and church groups pay it in order that they can provide better entertainment than their competitors.

2. It is the lesson of history that popular fashions come and go but the church that really builds its ministry on preaching and teaching goes on perpetually.

(a) We are not to continue as children but we are to be constantly advancing toward maturity.

(b) This can only he done as we base our faith on the Word of God. Study it devour it, and you will certainly grow by it.

3. The Picture Presented.

(a) He pictures spiritual children as being unstable.

(b) A ship baring no rudder is unstable being tossed to and fro by the heaving waves

(c) winds of doctrine picture for us the shifting and unstable character of the wind.

(a) Another characteristic of spiritual children is their gullibility to what is being taught.

(e) Cod wants His children rooted and grounded in love and in His truth

(f) We are to test the spirits and doctrines that people are trying to shove upon us.