Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12: For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 

Introduction

Last Lord’s Day, we were reminded that God has a plan and purpose for the church and what is it? It is to grow and to mature. This growth is not so much about growth in numbers, but about growth in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not so much about numerical growth, but spiritual growth. That is not to say that numerical growth is not important. It is important but our focus must be growth in quality, not just in quantity. We see this truth in the verses we looked at last Sunday. Grace was given, gifts were given, gifted leaders were given to the church, so that each one of us might perform the work of ministry that builds up the body of Christ. The church is built up and grows into maturity as the people with speaking gifts equip believers, who then go forth and do the work of the ministry. This is both the provision for church growth and the process of church growth.

Now, in verses 13 and 14, the apostle Paul talks about the purpose of church growth. He begins verse 13 with these words, “Till we all come.” Here the apostle Paul is conveying the idea of believers arriving at their destination. He speaks of the end-goal of church growth and maturity. And, what's the goal of our growth? That’s what Paul is addressing in the passage we read and that’s what I want us to focus on this morning—the Purpose or the Goal of Church Growth.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 

Now the goal that we are headed towards, the final end, the destination of all the equipping and the building up of the body of Christ is four-fold.

1. Unity of the Faith

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The first goal that the apostle Paul mentions here is unity. Till we all come in the unity of the faith. Paul already mentioned this in the first six verses of this chapter. One goal as we grow is unity of the faith. The word “faith” here does not refer to the believers' faith in Christ, because notice the words Paul uses here, “unity of the faith.” “The faith” refers not to the individual trust or one’s belief at salvation, but to the whole body of revealed doctrinal truth contained in the Scriptures. It refers to the body of Christian truth God has revealed in His Word.

The first use of the phrase “the faith” referring to the body of truth believed is found in the book of Acts where Luke writes that “the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7). Luke uses the phrase “the faith” as referring to the gospel, the faith system.

The apostle Paul uses this phrase in similar way in his letter to the Galatians and to Timothy.

Galatians 1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

1 Timothy 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

1 Timothy 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

In a similar use, Jude writes, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3).

The first goal of growth is unity, but not just unity, but unity in the faith. And how is this achieved? It’s when those who have been called with speaking-gifts faithfully expound and teach the Word of God. It’s when the believers are properly taught and faithfully obeying Christ, then the result is the unity of the faith. As we grow and mature in grace and knowledge, we become more and more united in the essentials of Christian doctrine.

2. Unity of the Knowledge

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God …

A second goal here in the growth process is knowledge. Till we all come in the unity of the faith but also unity of the knowledge of the Son of God. Again, note that not just knowledge, but knowledge of the Son of God—the great object of our faith. True unity of the faith is when we increasingly grow in our knowledge of Christ, the true object of our faith. The way to grow in unity of faith is to know more of Christ. In fact, we cannot have unity of faith unless we, at the same time, are growing in our knowledge of Christ. We are to be striving to grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not just about knowing facts about Christ, though that is important too. It involves not just knowledge about Him, but knowledge of Him which comes through the Word of God. It has its beginning at salvation. Our Lord Jesus says in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” The true knowledge of Christ begins when we first get saved but it does not stop there. We are to be growing in that knowledge. In 2 Peter 3:18, the apostle Peter writes, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

So, the issue in this statement is not about knowledge of Christ by which we were first saved but about a deeper, more intimate, and experiential knowledge of Christ. It is about a growing relationship and encounter with the Lord Jesus Himself, so that we come to know Him more and more—not just intellectual knowledge of facts about Him but a personal and intimate knowledge of Him. Our knowledge of Him, our relationship with Him is to be growing.

3. Maturity

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man …

A third goal in the growth process Paul lists here is maturity. Till we all come … unto a perfect man. This does not mean that believers will become perfect or sinless in this life. The word Paul uses here for perfect is ‘teleios’ which simply means complete or mature. So, the third goal of growth that Paul listed is maturity. Salvation is described in many different ways and one of the ways it is described is New Birth or Born Again. When we first got saved, we are newborn babes in Christ. But what does Peter exhort us to do in 1 Peter 2:2? He says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” Believers were born again as ‘babies’ so to speak but we are not to remain babies. We are not to remain as we used to be. We are to grow and mature. By the way, we are not just to grow old, but to grow up and to mature. And this is the goal for both the individual and the church. It is impossible to have a mature church without mature individuals. So, individual Christians in the body must grow if the church is to grow.

Now, how is maturity reached? It is through the Word. So, if you are to mature in the faith, you must desire the sincere milk of the Word. And the means that God has ordained for spiritual growth is the constant and consistent exposure to the Word of God. It is allowing the Word of God to renew our minds that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Again, quoting from the apostle Peter, “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Knowledge of the Son of God and maturity are closely related with each other. The more you and I come to know the Saviour, the more we grow in maturity. The more you know the Saviour, the more you become sanctified. The more you know the Saviour, the more you will manifest the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance in your life. And this growth will manifest in our relationships with one another and in the way that we love one another as we work together for the cause of Christ.

4. Christlikeness

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The fourth goal the apostle Paul lists in this growth process is Christlikeness. This is the ultimate goal of growth—Christlikeness. God's purpose for us has always been that we should become like Christ.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

God is not interested in just saving us from hell and taking us to heaven. He wants to conform us “to the image of His Son.” This is the growth that God wants to see in our lives—conformity to Jesus Christ. Earlier in verse 13, Paul tells us to grow in the knowledge of the Son of God, but now he tells us to grow in the likeness of Christ. These two growths are closely related to each other. As someone has said, “Before you can be like Christ, you need to know what Christ was like.” But how do you come to know who Christ is and what Christ is like. Our Lord says in John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” According to our Lord one of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit is to testify of Him, to bear witness of Him, to reveal Who Christ is and what He is like. How does the Holy Spirit reveal Christ? Through the Scripture. This is why our Lord says to the unbelieving Jews John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

The Holy Spirit through Scriptures, especially in the Gospels, reveals who Christ is and what He is like which help us to grow in “the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” So, if you want to grow in Christlikeness, seek to know Christ more. Seek Him through His Word and prayer. Don’t let others tell you that Bible reading, and Bible study is a waste of time. No! It’s not a waste of time. Reading and studying the Scripture is profitable. It’s not only profitable, but it is also essential, because we are only able to become more like Jesus Christ as we learn more about Him through Scripture. But as you go daily to the Scripture, above all, seek His face, behold Him. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” As you behold the glory or our Lord, you will be conformed and transformed into His image—into Christlikeness.

Look at our text again.

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The phrase “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” gives us the standard that God sets for maturity. This is how we can measure our maturity. The standard of maturity for the church is conformity to Christ. This is the ultimate standard. This is the ultimate goal. You cannot go higher than this. Everything we do, think, and say as individuals and as a church should be patterned after Jesus Christ. And as we pattern ourselves after the model of Jesus Christ, the world would see the Lord Jesus Christ and not us.

Closing Exhortations

Here is the fourfold goal of growth—unity of faith, unity of knowledge, maturity, and Christlikeness. As individual members of Christ's Body, we all have a responsibility to contribute to the growth and health of the Body. The question we need to ask as we close is, “Am I doing my part?” First, are you feeding and nourishing yourself daily with the Word of God and prayer? Our growth individually impacts the growth corporately. So, are you growing or are you staying a child? Second, do you make the gathering of God’s people around the Word of God your priority?

Look again what Paul says in verse 13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith.” Note that he writes, “We all,” not “each one of us.” Meaning that the fourfold goal of growth is not a goal that is to be attained by individual believers isolated from the rest of body of Christ nor just by few select Christians, but by all believers together in the corporate body. It profits the church nothing, if you and your Christian neighbor are content to row the boat in different directions. With Christ as our Head, and with love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive together towards unity of faith, unity of knowledge, maturity, and Christlikeness. AMEN!

Now, to those who are still not in the faith—the exhortation to you is not grow unity of faith, unity of knowledge, maturity, and Christlikeness. No, not yet. Because growth implies life. Growth is only for those who are alive. You must first be made alive before you can experience the fourfold goal of growth. And in order to live, you must have the source of life in your life which is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Our Lord invites you to come to Him that you might have life. He that hast the Son

1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12: He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13: These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

AMEN!