How the Church Grows | Revealing the Mystery of God's Will | Free Gift of Salvation | Not of Works | Unity of the Church is Needed | Work of Holy Spirit | Power of the Father Through the Son | Patience Gentleness & Long-Suffering | Grace was Given to Each One of Us | Oh Death Where is Your Sting? | Jesus Descended & Then Ascended | The Church Grows by 1) Ministry | Jesus Himself Appoints the Offices of Church | Some to Be Apostles - Special Ambassadors for God | Prophets Speak God's Truth | Difficult Job to Speak on Behalf of God | They Were Treated Roughly & Many Times Killed | Evangelists Spread the Gospel | Share & Teach the Good News | Pastor Oversees the Church Yet the Church Belongs to Jesus | Continue Teaching & Learning the Word | Purpose of the Church is Equipping the Saints for the Work of Ministry | Perfecting or Making Complete | Discipleship Is Helping Achieve This | To Build One Another Up | Once Saved We Are Called to Perfection | Developing Mature Spiritual Character | Differences & Diversities of Ministries | Different Gifts of Holy Spirit | We Can See the Trinity Through It | 2) Motives - Based on Unity of the Spirit in the Body of Church | Christian Knowledge ‐ Always Learning Looking to the Finish Line | 3) Maturity - Needing Solid Food not Milk | Don't Be Dull of Hearing | Development & Growth Needed | Deception Can Make Baby Christian Unstable | Not to Be Tossed Around by Different Doctrines | Word of God Provides Us Firm Footing | Inability to Recognize Trickery & Deceit | Know What is Real - Spend Time in Word of God to Understand It | Speak Truth in Love | Don't Allow Sin or Affirm It | Lord Meets Us Where We Are but Doesn't Leave Us There | Truth Exposes Error | Turn on the Light of the Word | Be More Christ-like | Know Who Jesus Is to Follow Him | 4) Means of Relationship to Christ & Within the Church | Christ is the Head Connecting the Whole Body of Christ | Every Part Does its Share | Spiritual Nourishment is Needed for Growth | Ministry is Knit Together | Joints Supply the Strength | Without Them the Body Falls Apart | Care & Accountability | Honesty & Vulnerability Makes Church Stronger | Maturity in Word Will Make the Church Resistant to Outside Pressure | Stay True to the Gospel Through Tough Times | Rely Completely on Jesus - Make Him the Center | We Can Do Nothing Without Him | Recognize Importance of Each Member | God Works Through Members of Church Individually to Effect the Whole Body | Everyone Can Be Transformed by God

Sermon Summary:
Pastor Mark Rich delivers a comprehensive teaching on spiritual growth within the church, focusing on Ephesians 4:11-16. The sermon emphasizes that true church growth isn't measured by numerical size but by spiritual maturity and unity among believers. The message explores how God has appointed various ministry gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—for the specific purpose of equipping the saints for ministry work. Pastor Rich stresses that spiritual growth occurs through the work of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of God's Word, and the interconnectedness of believers. He warns against spiritual immaturity, instability caused by false doctrine, and the inability to discern deception. The sermon concludes with a powerful call for believers to recognize their individual importance in the body of Christ, maintain unity through love, and actively engage in relationships with one another rather than isolating themselves.

Key Points:

- The church grows spiritually through the ministry gifts that Jesus himself appoints (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers)
- These ministry gifts exist for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry and edifying the body of Christ
- Unity within the body of Christ is essential and must be endeavored to be kept through lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering
- Spiritual maturity requires moving beyond spiritual infancy to solid food, not remaining on milk alone
- Believers must guard against being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine through deception and trickery
- Truth must always be spoken in love, exposing error while maintaining compassion
- The church grows through both individual relationships with Christ and interconnected relationships with other members
- Like joints hold a chair together, the connections between believers provide stability and strength to the church

Scripture Reference:

- Ephesians 4:11-16 (primary focus)
- Ephesians 4:3 (unity of the Spirit)
- Ephesians 2:20 (foundation of apostles and prophets)
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 (diversity of gifts)
- 1 Corinthians 9 (Paul's apostleship)
- 1 Corinthians 12 (spiritual gifts and the body)
- Philippians 3:12 (pressing toward the goal)
- Hebrews 5:11-12 (dullness of hearing, needing milk)
- Psalm 68:18 (ascending on high)
- Psalm 119:165 (word as lamp and light)
- 1 Peter 2 (desire the pure milk of the word)
- James (not many should be teachers)
- John 17 (Jesus interceding)