Second Presbyterian Church

"To Equip the Saints"
August 3, 2003

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2003 » Sermons for August 2003

18^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
by The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• Psalm 51: 1-12
• Ephesians 4: 1-16
• John 6: 24-35

One of the images Paul creates in this passage from Ephesians is the image of a boat floundering about in a storm with strong winds. Indeed, that is just what Paul experienced when he traveled to Rome as a prisoner. The story is recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 27, when the ship that Paul was aboard got caught in a Nor' Easter and was driven all the way to the island of Malta. Toward the end of the ordeal, the sailors were throwing everything overboard to lighten the ship and as they threw away the anchors, they disconnected the rudder and were soon beached on a reef. Many of you know what power a Nor' Easter has and what damage it can do. It is definitely a storm to avoid.

A ship caught upon a storm-tossed sea is a good example for us. Paul stated that we are to strive for Christian maturity, so that every wind of doctrine doesn't toss us about, like a ship gets tossed in a hurricane.

I'm a great believer in fads. What I mean is that every major component of our society has fads. We all know how fads govern what clothes we wear. I have noted with some delight that today's youth wear bell-bottom jeans/pants. Bell-bottom jeans haven't been in style since I was a youth!

Psychology has fads. During my ministry SOME of the fads in psychology have been: Freudian Psychoanalysis, Behavior Modification, Client Centered Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Solution Focused Therapy - just to name a few.

Fads exist even in the field of Christian theology! Over the past 100 years we have had had Social Gospel, Charismatic movement, Neoorthodoxy, Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology. And right now one of the most popular fads in theology, at least in some circles, is called Deconstructionism. Basically the goal of Deconstructionism is to challenge every aspect of Christian doctrine and break it down. This "theology" challenges the validity of God, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the church, the doctrine of the resurrection - everything. Personally, I don't see the difference between Deconstructionism and Destructionism. The design is to tear down, to destroy.

So the question that concerned Paul in his day is also very important for us today: Are we mature enough in our faith as Christians to keep the different winds and fads of belief (or disbelief) from tossing us about in a sea of confusion? Let's explore, briefly, what Paul states in this passage.

Paul talked about Christian attitude and behavior. In many of the letters that he wrote he would urge Christians to behave in ways that were consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the love of God.

Our passage is no exception. Here he talked about the unity we have in God. Paul used this to lay the foundation for what he had to say about the gifts of Grace we received from Christ and for what purpose our gifts are to be used.

There is the unity of the Holy Spirit within which we maintain our unity as the church, as congregations. Paul described the unity in Jesus Christ: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism. And he proclaims one God, "the Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."

After Paul briefly described what unifies us: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, he described how we each have been given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. After a brief digression, Paul mentioned the gift of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

And it is in the individual gifts where we see the diversity in the unity that comes from God. We are all given different gifts, gifts from God - by way of the Holy Spirit - to use in order for us to build up the body of Christ.

We do not teach Sunday School in order to gain personal satisfaction, though the latter could happen. We teach Sunday School in order to strengthen the body of Christ, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS.

We do not work on the church building in order to gain personal satisfaction. We work in the building in order to strengthen the body of Christ, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS.

As your pastor I do not preach for my personal satisfaction, even if I get some. I preach in order to equip you in your journey of faith, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS.

Our goal is to grow as people of God, people of strength and maturity. People who constantly seek to grow in their faith and to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. We are to become the body of Christ and to prepare ourselves for the winds that threaten to toss us about like ships caught in a Nor'easter.

Storms happen. We experience loss. We experience tragedy. We could even experience catastrophe. These storms can strike us as individuals. They can strike us as a community. They can strike us as a congregation. Storms of personal and congregational tragedy are not the only storms.

There are even more dangerous storms to face congregations, such as: storms of strife, storms of gossip, storms of deceit; storms that tear down the body of Christ and destroy vulnerable people. When these storms come upon us they really toss the church about, like a ship in a hurricane. These are the storms that destroy faith, rather than equip the Saints.

As we grow in our faith, as we mature as Christians, we begin to address these storms directly. We address them with firmness, gentleness and - above all - with love.

Are we anchored in our faith in Jesus Christ? Have we asked ourselves, is there anything that would destroy our faith in Jesus Christ? If your answer is "yes," then you need to review your faith. You need to examine how your faith can mature in order that the storms, the winds of life won't toss you about.

It is the job description of your pastor, and your Elders - all who have been ordained Elder - TO EQUIP THE SAINTS. We are called to help and to encourage, with tremendous amounts of patience and love, to grow and to mature in our journey with Jesus Christ. To Equip the Saints: Paul desperately wanted the Ephesian Christians to grow in Christ. It is also our goal: to grow in Jesus Christ, TO EQUIP THE SAINTS.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.