1. Building Up the Church Ephesians 4:11-16 Eph 4:11-16
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ — 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Building Up the Church
Ephesians 4:11-16

2. “Edify”: A Short Word with an Important Meaning
To edify is to build up
The goal in this text is to build up the body of Christ
Christians Are to Build Up the Church
The church is the body of Christ
What can we do to build up the church?

3. We Can Put Away Our Differences
“Till we all come to the unity of the faith “
Unity is vital for a church to be effective
Those in the upper room were of one accord (Acts 1:14)
On the day of Pentecost all were of one accord (Acts 2:1)
Power flows through a united church
Grace enables us to forgive those who have wronged us (Mat 18:21-22)
Matt 18:21-22
Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Acts 1:14
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Acts 2:1
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place

4. We Can Focus on Jesus
“To the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”
People may fail us but Jesus never fails (Lam 3:22)
This is the secret of consistent Christian living
Three life changing words are, “Looking unto Jesus” (Heb 12:2)
These words eliminate all excuses for failure
No hiding behind the hypocrites allowed
Christ, the perfect One, leads on to higher ground
Our relationship with Christ is revealed by how we live
Lam 3:22
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail .
Heb 12:2
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

5. We Can Get Back to the Basics (v. 14)
1 John 4:1-3
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
2 Tim 4:1-5
4:1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
We Can Get Back to the Basics (v. 14)
Many flaunted efforts to build up churches flounder
The emphasis may be on programs rather than on people
Some search for a strategy other than saving sinners
We must build on sound doctrine, not supposed new revelations (1 John 4:1-3)
The winds of false doctrine are ever blowing
Cunning counterfeit characters are waiting to deceive
How can we counter false teaching and build up the church? (2nd Tim 4:1-5)
Eph 4:14
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

6. We Can Speak the Truth in Love (v. 15)
Truth and love make a dynamic combination
The gospel is the truth; let’s get back to it
Presenting the gospel in love brings sinners to Christ
New converts build up a church and bring new life
Speaking demands time, love demands concern
Eph 4:15
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ

7. The Goal of a Church Should Be to Edify its Members
The Church is an Organism; All Grow as Each Grows
Edifying a Church Results in Evangelizing the Community