All show notes available at: https://mwlisten.wordpress.com/
Special Thanks for this episode:
Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Music used under Creative Commons, adapted from:
Only Knows, by Broke for Free https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Layers/Only_Knows
Shownotes:
Bob interviews Jake about one of Maywood’s vision passages:
Ephesians 4:7-13
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Here’s google’s attempt to transcribe the episode:
More it’s great to be it is good at some point but I’m able to interview me already geez. I thank you for this beautiful weather that you’re giving us thank you for Maywood and I thank you Jesus that you gave us this calling that we’re gonna read about today and Ephesians and I pray you’d help us to grow in our understanding.
Of it as we talk about it and listen to it and Jesus prayed up was to grow in our living it out as we go on from here since you say we pray amen.Jake the last podcast that you and I did together. I mentioned this professor friendly edge who was a friend of the pastor.
I served with in Louisiana and heated voted his whole career as a professor and as a speaker worldwide actually wrote a lot of books to trying to get the church to do what you’re trying to get made what to do.And he ran across some really hard obstacles because the church moves slowly people like to come give their money and let the professionals do the work while they sit back and as they say in the old South they sit and soak and so you have a passion that may would fulfill Ephesians chapter 4 and I know if you want to read that to us or tell them about that but let’s look at that and let you talk about it yeah, so this passage the whole book of a fiance really gets me excited and this passion is kind of this passage kind of.
Of it for me and so, you know storing fusion chapter 4 starting verse 7 and we’ll read down to verse the end of verse 13.Paul says but to each one of his grace has been given as Christ the portion did get to this idea that we’ve been gifted by Jesus and it says this is why it says when you send it on high took many captions and gave gifts to his people want to see ascended moon except for lady also descended to the lower earthly regions, he descended is the very one who has sent it higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.
The potential to talk more about that a little bit if you want to Bob but basically there is Jesus came down for us he came down to get us and Jesus goes higher than anybody else. Jesus is the biggest the best he’s over everything in verse 11, so Christ himself give the apostles the prophets the evangelists the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so the body of Christ will be built up until we already unity in the faith and then the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature teaming to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, so theRule of the leader according to verse 11 and 12 is to equip people at church.
And then when everybody in the church is using their gifts and service we can be built towards a unity be built to become a sure eventual we’re shooting for is the B Jesus’s fullness together so that there’s a lot packed into that little passage right a few years ago.
Jake I did in fact several years ago. I did a big study of the book of Romans and Romans has all of this theology in it. I mean, it is just jam-packed with theology and I as I read through a couple of really good books on it one of theAuthors said, why did Paul write Romans he wrote Romans to have a unified church to carry the gospel to Spain he wanted to start a new campaign in Spain and he needed both Jews and Gentiles unified together they were not unified so they would care the gospel and so we build up the body of Christ in order.
For God to use us to make a difference if they would Baptist Church in Western independence maybe beyond so why don’t you tell us what is the what is the biggest thing out of those verses that impresses you when you read what is the thing it really grabs you the most so the the most is this idea that ever only were together as a whole group every single person using their gifts look like Jesus that’s the only pathway to really be the fullness of Jesus is that you have a team of people working to.
Together with their gifts, it’s not a superstar it’s not one great professional person, it’s a whole team and that we need each other together yeah absolutely yeah if people listen to this have not watched last Saturday nights worship service and sermon go there because there were testimonies given by people who highlighted us working together people who got free people who helped other people get free people involved in ministry, they were.
Only able to do that because of other people working in their lives together, that’s a that’s a huge point.
Out of all of that to come down into the muck and Meyer a mess of the earth right and to pull us up to where he wants us to be yes, so this idea that Jesus came down for us right and so that’s for what I would highlight with that descended idea, absolutely yeah, so what am I spiritual?
Spent from 1910 to 1920 in prison and in the middle of that prison sentence, he met the Lord in this such a profound way that he he’d be in writing articles for Atlantic magazine from prison and they were being published he became friends with some of the best known preachers in the area while he was still in prison and there was a just a really really tough inmate who hated him and he tried to go to him so he pulled out a passage like this and he says, what does it mean that he descended?
And a guy said he came for us he met me in my cell and he changed me, if you look at the crowd at Maywood he came for us now that includes me includes you but also concludes the guy that thinks there’s our includes the guy that thanks to the lady that thinks there’s no hope for me he came he descended to reach into us and pull us out yeah thank thank God for that yeah we have to play what role do all the different people who have gifts what is our world to play at all this so the very first step is to believe that first verse that Jesus has given you.
A gift by grace that if you don’t whatever you think of yourself for your past if you’ve accepted Jesus Jesus has given you something that he hasn’t given to Bob that he hasn’t given to me and you have to believe that you have to believe that Jesus has put something into you that’s worth sharing with other people right and if you believe that peace in the next step is to say to Jesus, how do I use it and may what is all all of our leaders who always trying to push them to be a clippers, so typically you can go find somebody and may with it wants to help you use that gift figure that gift out.
So that would be a first step absolutely absolutely so Saturday night and I’ve already talked to you about this but I’m gonna talk to you about again, yeah Saturday night I was blown away by Mark Baker’s testimony and Mark is friends with a guy in a homeless camp gave the guy a Bible and then a guy in the homeless camp came out of his tent and started preaching to the other folks who were in the camp Jake you and I could never do that right in fact people would look at us and think oh yeah, of course let’s arrive, but they’re looking markets that he’s one of us he can relate to us so he.
Was a gift that we and I don’t have he’s able to exercise and that’s true for lots of others thank God for that so horse out of that passage just really grabs you so I love this simplicity of the passage when it describes these leaders it says there’s different types of leaders that guy gives to a church what they’re supposed to accomplish and as pastor may would we get this idea of calling the pastor’s coaches out what a pastor is of pastors and a quicker and so I when I read this verse I think about that challenge to myself as the leader of Maywood andI do what Jesus has asked me to do which is to be an equipper of other people and so great sermon or I go do some spectacular thing on my own.
That doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve done what Jesus asked me to do as a leader may would I see a more thinker for the lightbulb camera him?That’s my investment as a leader. I see other people taking hold of what Jesus has for them shown to other people in the great is.
There’s a lot of folks willing to engage a lot of folks willing to get started and know it’s full of diamonds in the rough these folks who.Given a little bit of attention a little bit of time with Jesus they can do amazing things God’s gift to them and so many different ways and I don’t just be diamonds in the wrath of you know, somebody that has got a couple years of sobriety or a couple months of right at even folks who’ve been Christians a whole life, so maybe was just full of a lot of folks who with a little bit of polish they suddenly shine in these amazing ways for Jesus right so you talked about long-term people per second let’s talk about that, so you’ve invited some people with the coronavirus that would not be healthy.
For them to be in a service and you’ve asked them to pray for the Saturday services talk about that little bit yeah, so one of the things people it’s always about.How does God want to use this person to lose dynamic of they can really be present physically on Saturday nights but they have amazing so several and for whatever reason.
I was also thinking about this idea of the story about Charles Spurgeon his services.People and.He fell a spiritual difference at church on Saturday night different NFL all summer long and it was powerful and I attribute a piece of that in a unified way during the service for what was going on so it’s just one example of all sorts of ways that people can use their gifts and they start to work together and that’s what that feature passes talks about when we’re using our gifts they start to float together, right?
I’ve had people particularly who are.We we call them almost home, they’re they’re no longer able to fulfill the job that they used to have in the church and I’ve had them say to me just I just don’t have anything to do anymore and I always say to them, but you can pray your prayers are so important that I have that.
You.
Do Taylor yeah.
When it comes to our worship team tell me what is Daniel involved right what sort of people are on on that team involved a good example and the worship is a good example of.I will call it a gift space development so rather than saying, oh we need age rumor there’s a hole for a drummer let’s find a drummer and then we put a hole we’ll move on to our next hole.
Daniel’s approach is I want to bring whoever wants to come. I want to teach them about worship and then when as they’re worshiping I want to equip whatever gifts they have so if they got a knack for sound and he tries to equip them in that they love guitar tries to equip them in that and if they have a gift for worshiping tries to equip them.
Is to get off of the stage. Daniel doesn’t want to be the best worship leader ever and have a concert of people listening to him. Daniel is to raise up other leaders who would then he would be off the stage coaching them on how to do even better and and then even at some point he’s living like on other places or things like that.
Let’s worshipers so we can lead other people there’s actually less time given to let’s just make sure we have everything ready for for Sunday or Saturday because we’re met.Exposure for something like that, so it’s driven and they want to lead folks into real warship but it’s a lot of ways it’s not trying to just recreate something and feel holes right so somebody really wants a real up close and personal contact with God.
Thursday night is good night actually just expand it even starts, so what’s the time to believe?
It’s really more about just engaging with God studying some lessons and things like that as well, so you can necessarily know just being part of the team.
I want to be a part of this team and I’m available and Daniel will help you on figure out what’s your guess and how can you use it but then some help along the way and how can you use it?
Today.Is pretty good, right?
S.
But it’s this opportunity to say as we take steps forward how do we hold on to what’s most important how do we stay faithful to Jesus and see a lot of people engaging with that right yeah right so if you had something just to say people who are listening to this this is the thing you could do this week to get started what would you say to them, so this very likely to start with is where you read that password just read it features four seven through 13, but you pray Jesus.
I believe you’ve given me a gift and I believe that you will give me the right leaders to help me use my gift so you just you give that to Jesus. I’m giving you my faith right and then coming to myself for the coach or coach. Justin coach. Daniel coach Wayne or even a small group or teacher maywood draw to after you pray that prayer and say I want to use my gifts for two weeks for even if you’ve been a Christian for any years.
Say yeah I want to plug you into the work with you we’re not perfect people but but that’s what we’re all striving to do and so if you will come to Jesus this week and say, I believe you’ve given me a gift. I believe you’ve given me what the leaders to equip me and then just go to a leader and say show me what to do next absolutely yeah yeah good deal why we pray about this what he says thank you for joining me, thank you for his leadership and I thank you holy spirit you gave us this vision, this was not something we found other of something you wrote in the word you illuminated us to us.
We see it and I pray that you’ll help us to respond to it completely bless I pray Jake and his leadership and the other leaders bless them. Lord we ask that you use Baptist Church to fulfill everything you desire for us in Jesus name amen, amen guys this with a nice nice standard.
Maywood Listen 