221 - MENDING THE SAINTS
May 29, 1960
Henry F. Kulp
Ephesians 4: 11 - 15 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 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: 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; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Here we have the resurrected Christ giving gifts unto men. And these gifts are certain men who are provided for the church for a specific purpose. The purpose of this is that the church or the saints might be perfected for the work of the ministry. We are told the word, perfecting, means to prepare or equip, so these men have been given as gifts to the church so that the body of Christ might be equip or prepared to go forth proclaiming the ministry that God has declared unto them.
1/ Just a short while ago, I found this Greek word that is translated, perfecting, in the English has another translation.
Mark 1: 19 And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
Here we have a Scripture that tells us just Jesus Christ had called Simon and Andrew to be His disciples, and as He walked by the sea of Galilee, He saw James and John in a ship mending their nets. The nets became torn and full of holes by constant use, and they needed to be repaired to do the job they were required to do. The word that the Apostle Paul uses in Ephesians 4: 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
For the perfecting of the saints, comes from this same word, translated, mending. And the original word means to mend, to repair, to equip, and then to restore. So actually we can say that these things have been given to the church, not only to equip, but to mend the saints.
2/ I am sure we are all acquainted with the necessity of mending or repairing various articles. A refrigerator, or the radio goes out of order, we call a mechanic, and he fixes it. Our automobile breaks down, we call the garage, and an article of dress is torn, we send it to the Taylor, and so it is with various items. In the course of time they wear out or breakdown, or need repairing or restoring. Believers, the saints are much the same, they often break down and they need spiritual repairing, spiritual mending, spiritual restoring.
3/ Mending the saints for the work of serving. Unless our lives are constantly repaired, mended, restored, and unless we can continually say, as the Psalmist did,
Psalms 23: 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
He restoreth my soul, we shall not be able to perform our God-given task of serving and giving the ministry of reconciliation out to the world so God has given talented men to the church in order to fully equip His people for the work of preaching, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
4/ Some of the saints, in fact, all the saints from time to time are like broken nets and need mending. That is exactly what Paul tells us in Galatians 6: 1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Here he says, Brethren, if a man be over-taken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, notice the next word, restore—that is the same Greek word, to mend—such a one in the spirit of meekness.
So God has given these men to the church for the benefit of mending those who are torn nets—those who are full of holes like nets. This is one of the main reasons, I believe that God has said we are to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. Hebrews 10: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
God has given these men as gifts to the church, so that they might help to mend torn and broken believers.
5/ How long is this program to continue? It is necessary that we always rightly divide the Word of Truth. Many of the problems of the day, the conflict between teachings that men are putting forth all claiming to believe the Bible, all claiming to love the Lord Jesus Christ, can be centered in the fact that men do not rightly divide the Word of Truth, they do not see the change in the program of God. If you do not see the difference between the kingdom and the Church, you will run into trouble. If you do not see the difference in the Law—that the Law at one time had a purpose, but now it has been set aside, and God is dealing with man, without the Law. He is dealing with man, with pure grace. Oh that we might understand the program of God.
This program that we have here in Ephesians 4 is God filling up His eternal purpose. We told you from the first chapter of Ephesians that God’s eternal purpose is to have Heaven and earth filled with those who love, worship and adore Jesus Christ, and God, at this present time in gathering out His heavenly body. Those who will be in Heaven throughout all eternity, glorifying, magnifying and worshiping Jesus Christ. This program is to come to a conclusion – it is to come to an end and God will then deal once more with the earthly people. This program according to vs. 13 will go on until the perfect man, the fullness of Christ. That means the time when the Church will be gathered in Heaven.
Ephesians 1: 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
He tells us that Christ is the head of the Church, and we are members of his body. Do you realize that a head without a body is incomplete? Jesus Christ is incomplete without us, so the Church, the body of Christ, those who make up that body make the completeness of Christ. Think of it, Christ is incomplete without us. We poor lost sinners of the Gentiles, deserving nothing but the judgement of God, are now made members of His body, and we complete Him. This program will go on until God catches the church up to be with Him and at that very moment it will be complete. Then God will again turn to the nation Israel, and deal with that earthly nation.
6/ Ephesians 1: 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Then we have the gifts, these talented men given to the Church for the purpose that they be no more children. We told you that word children, is the word for infants who are not able to talk. And He wants us to be able to talk. Then we are not to be carried about in circles, with every wind of teaching that comes along by the dice-playing of the gambling of men.
7/ Then notice that last part of the Ephesians 4: 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;
They lie in wait to deceive. Lie in wait to the deliberate planned system. Our word method, comes from this Greek word. So Satan has a very definite program where he tries to disrupt the believer. And he loves to get a hold of immature believers. The sad part is that many people who think they are strong in the Lord are really immature, they are weak—they are ones who are easily carried about by these different doctrines. They are the ones who are deceived by these dice-playing religionists.
8/ Ephesians 4: 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Paul said that we ought not to remain children. Immature, and untaught, but should permit the spiritual gifts that the resurrected Christ has given to the church to set them on a straight course. But now in verse 15 he exhorts the believer to grow up. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him, not to grow up is a very sad thing in the physical world. It is a monstrosity. A child that does not grow, we say there is something wrong with that child. A believer that does not grow, there is something wrong with him. Oh, he is a child of God, all right, but he is a pitiful child of God, God wants the believer to grow up. Are you growing up in the Lord, are you any more mature today than you were yesterday, or last week, or last month, or last year? Are you really growing in the things of the Lord, or are you still a child not able to be used of God?
9/ What are we to do then? We are not to be children, we are to grow up and be able to speak the truth. Contrast this with the word, children, in verse 14 and you see what he is meaning. Those who cannot speak. If we are growing up we should be able to speak. To be able to speak, we must know the truth, we must have confidence in the truth, we must have reliance upon the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our lips, but we are commanded to speak the truth. You are not growing up if you do not speak the truth.
How often I have come across mothers who have been disturbed, they have children, and they get to be two years old, but they seem unable to speak—no interest in speaking. I can remember a while back talking to a mother who had a little boy just about two years old, and she was quite concerned about this boy. She said, this boy is not learning to talk, because he can get whatever he wants without talking, just by gestering, just by going and getting it himself. He is self-reliant, so therefore he does not need to speak, and he just does not take time. But we all like our children to speak, and when they talk real early, we brag, Well, my child was able to speak at the certain age. God wants us to speak, a sign of growth in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the fact that you can speak the truth.
10/ Now, it is often difficult to speak the truth. It gets us in trouble when we take a stand for Jesus Christ, and we have to say, this is what the Word of God has to say, this is the truth. But it is not just enough to know and speak the truth. And this is more difficult—to speak the truth in love. There is a subtle temptation to be harsh and unkind in proclaiming the truth, or to be unloving or critical, always looking down upon those who do not have the truth. I believe the truth must always be spoken in love. This is a sign of maturity. When I see people who take the truth and they become harsh and bitter with it, I recognize that they haven’t grown up in the Lord. They have never matured in the Lord, they are still somewhere between infants who can’t speak, and being a full-grown person who can speak—they are somewhere in between. One can be fearless in standing for the truth and at the same time be gentle and kind. I believe we must ever keep in mind, I Corinthians 13: 1 - 3 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Where Paul says, tho’ I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love, it profiteth me nothing – actually it profiteth the Lord nothing. The truth proclaimed other than in love is usually valueless. It can be forceful and still be in love, but there must not be antagonism, there must not be a critical harsh viewpoint as it is preached or presented.
11/ Do not have the opinion that this is just a preacher in the pulpit for that is not what this portion of Scripture is about. It is about everyone that is a saint, everyone who is saved. It is your job to speak the Word in love.
Notice a beautiful story in the biography of G. Campbell Morgan. He had four sons, all of whom, were preachers. The youngest son, Howard, considered a great preacher, was over here in the United States. One day while he was in the drawing room, someone came in and wanted to find out what Howard was made of, so they asked him this question—Howard, who is the greatest preacher in your family? Howard, who had a great admiration for his father, but without a moment’s hesitation answered—my mother. And Howard was right. Sometimes men and women who never have the privilege of standing on a platform or fill a pulpit preach the greatest sermons as they proclaim the truth in love. They can tell others the story of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection in such a wonderful loving way, that men and women can’t help but want to hear and accept it.
12/ Ephesians 1: 16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Then Paul talks about the church and its relationship to Jesus Christ and he says it is figured like the human body, as every part of the human body, even the smallest gland all work for the good of the body, and all is controlled by the head. So the mystical body of Christ, everyone that is saved is a member, no matter how small that member is in relation to the body, and should be working in harmony with the other members of the body, so that Christ will be glorified, and of course, every member must be controlled by the head, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The one thing I want to drive home at this point is that there is no giftless, and useless parts. But that each part is gifted and useful for some purpose in the Body.
I walked into a drug store in Huntington a few years ago with another member of our church, and as we were talking, this man had been ill, he had been on a picnic, the druggist got talking about the physical body, and he said the appendix was of no use, he said he doesn’t know why it is in the body. I don’t believe him regardless of what men say, I believe every part of the physical body has a purpose. It is to work toward a certain end, and just so it is in the body of Christ. Every one who is saved has a purpose. God doesn’t save you just to sit around. He saves you to work. You have some talent that is to be used in the body of Christ.
13/ Notice, the words, fitly joined together and compacted. Two present participles, showing that this is an ever-present process and not an accomplished fact. In other words, the body is in the process of being properly knit together, and then notice, this is only according to the effectual working in the measure of every part. Every part has to work together to have this accomplished.
AMEN
Ref: 05/29/1960 / 221 - MENDING THE SAINTS / 08/04/2020
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