Preventing Muscular Dystrophy of the Church Body

A terrible spiritual disease has crept into the church body. It is what I call “Muscular Dystrophy of the Church Body.” If you are familiar with the disease Muscular Dystrophy, it is a disease in which the body has all of the proper equipment (brain cells, neurons, dendrites, muscles), but they are not functioning in unity with one another. In fact, the brain operates perfectly fine. It sends signals/messages out to the rest of the body. The problem is found between the nerves and the muscles. The nerve conveys the message sent from the brain, but the muscle is unresponsive.  Clearly, Christ is the head of the church and no fault can be found in His message to the church. Unfortunately, some within the church have developed a spiritual Muscular Dystrophy and have become unresponsive to His call to serve.

Ephesians 4 offers a snapshot of the treatment to cure or prevent this spiritual disease.

I.  The “Who” of equipping and church ministry. (Eph. 4:7-12)
Christ has gifted the church with leaders who are to equip the saints for works of ministry that will bring glory to God and build His church.

1. Christ: Equipping and ministry always begin with Jesus. He has given gifts to His church. Those gifts are people who are committed to serving others.
2. Leaders: While there are many different opportunities for leadership in the church, they all have two essential roles: equipping others and proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.
3. Believers (Saints): All believers have been called to the work of ministry. Ministry is not the task of a few people in the church, but everyone is called to serve.

II.  The “Why” of equipping and church ministry. (Eph. 4:13-14)
When the church has been properly equipped for ministry we will be unified in our focus on Christ, we will become more like Jesus, and our beliefs will have stability on the word of God.

1. Unity of the Faith: When we are properly equipped to serve, we are united in our faith and mission as a church.
2. Christlikeness: When we are properly equipped to serve, we become more like Christ.
3. Discernment of True Doctrine: When we are properly equipped to serve, we are able to discern truth.

III.  The “What” of equipping and church ministry. (Eph. 4:15)
Truth spoken in the context of loving relationships is Christ-honoring.

1. Speak the Truth: Equipping and serving others must always be centered on the truth of God’s word.
2. Speak in Love: Equipping and serving others must always be done in a spirit of love.
3. Speak in the Context of Relationships: Equipping and serving others must always strengthen healthy relationships.

IV.  The “When” and “Where” of equipping and church ministry. (Eph. 4:15-16)
The more equipped we are as a church the more we will look like Jesus and the more effective we will be in ministry.

1. When: Anytime
2. Where: Anywhere
3. End Result: We become more like Christ and the church grows!