Activities and Life
A Sermon on Ephesians 4:14-16
Originally preached Jan. 19, 1958
Scripture
14That 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; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, …
Sermon Description
It is a grave error to think that Christian unity is primarily concerned with denominations and social gatherings. In this sermon on Ephesians 4:14–16 titled “Activities and Life,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones proclaims that this misses the main point of Christian unity found in the Bible. Because the unity of faith is concerned with those who have been saved and adopted into the family of God, each and every believer is a part of the body with Christ Jesus as the head. When the church fails to understand this and thinks of itself as an institution or other social organization, it loses sight of its mission and calling as God’s people. Or, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones continues, when unity is thought of as everybody belonging to one church or denomination, correct doctrine and biblical faithfulness is inevitably minimized so that the church can have the appearance of being something that God never intended it to be. This is the great danger of many ecumenical movements that do not care about the truth as long as they can get many Christians to say that they are a part of the same church. The biblical answer lies in the correct understanding of the church as unified in the body of Christ, because it has been redeemed by His blood and sanctified by His Spirit.
Sermon Breakdown
- Unity is essential for the church but the nature of unity must be properly understood. Unity should not be thought of mechanically or organizationally.
- Unity is the result of something else - the nature of the church. Unity should not be the first thing or an end in itself. The body is most important, unity is just one characteristic.
- True belief and doctrine must come before unity. Speaking the truth in love. Love does not come before truth.
- Right relationship to the Lord and union with Him is essential. Fellowship depends on being in Christ.
- Life must come before unity. Life produces unity. The life of the church is Christ. Without Him there is no life.
- Activity is not the same as life. The church has confused the two. Works are like a machine, fruit is the result of life and growth.
- The church has been preserving the institution, concerned with appearances. But it has been dead, like the preserved body of Tutankhamun.
- Numbers are not the most important thing. A remnant, a few people truly devoted to God, is what really matters.
- It is the Head (Christ) who acts, not the body (the church). The body acts through the direction of the Head. The church has failed to remember this.
- The difference between an evangelistic campaign and revival is in the approach. Campaigns organize activities, revivals examine the spiritual state and seek God.
- The call of the New Testament is not primarily to do but to be - to be usable by God. Men used by God realized their own impotence and relied fully on Him.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Ephesians 4:15-16
What is the primary focus of Ephesians 4:15-16 according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Ephesians 4:15-16 focuses on the church as the body of Christ and the vital relationship between Christ (the head) and His church (the body). He emphasizes that this passage reveals "this unique relationship between the church and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is comparable to the relationship between the body and the head, or the head and the body as parts of the body." This relationship is essential to understanding the nature of church unity and life.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe the question of unity in the church is being approached incorrectly today?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones believes modern approaches to unity are misguided because they start with organizational structures rather than with fundamental doctrine. He states: "People start by saying, 'Now, here are these big denominations.' You see at once they're starting in terms of organizations, and they say, 'The question is, now, how can all these be brought together?' Now, if this analogy of the body is right, we've already gone wrong, because a body is not a collection of parts." He argues that true unity is not achieved by "removing divisions" or through "mere external or mechanical or organizational manner," but must be rooted in truth and relationship to Christ.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say must come before unity in the church?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists that truth and doctrine must come before unity: "Speaking the truth in love. You don't put love before truth. You speak the truth in love. You don't merely speak lovingly. You're not simply nice and friendly and matey. No, you speak the truth in love. The truth must always come first." He argues that there can be no meaningful unity without agreement on fundamental doctrines like the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, and atoning death. Unity is a result of shared truth, not an end in itself.
What is the difference between "activity" and "life" in the church according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones makes a critical distinction between mere activity and genuine spiritual life. He states: "The church has confused between activity and life, and there's all the difference in the world between activity and life. It's the difference between what a machine does and what a man does." He uses the example of someone describing a church as "full of life" because it has many programs and activities, but argues this is not true life. True spiritual life comes from Christ himself flowing through the church, similar to how a vine gives life to its branches.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones illustrate a church that is preserved but not truly alive?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses the example of Tutankhamun's body to illustrate a church that may appear well-preserved but lacks life: "They found the body of Tutankhamen perfectly preserved. Yes, but the body was also perfectly dead. There were no obvious signs of decay and decomposition. No, but if you'd asked him a question, he couldn't have answered you. Quite useless." He suggests many churches have been merely "preserving the institution" with good finances and buildings but without true spiritual life, comparable to a perfectly preserved but completely dead body.
What is the difference between evangelistic campaigns and revival according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones distinguishes between evangelistic campaigns (human-initiated efforts) and revival (God-initiated transformation). He explains that campaigns start with people saying "we must do something" and organizing events to "put the church on the map again." In contrast, revival begins with repentance and self-examination, asking "why is the church in this condition?" He observes: "In a revival more happens in one day than can happen in 50 years of our own activities and efforts." Revival comes when the church acknowledges its dependence on Christ rather than relying on its own strategies and abilities.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the primary call for Christians in the New Testament?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that "the call of the New Testament to us primarily is not to do anything, but to be something." Rather than focusing on activities and strategies, Christians should focus on being usable vessels through which Christ can work. He emphasizes: "One thing that is necessary is that you and I should be usable. It is you and I who are hindrances to his working." The priority is not doing more activities but being filled with Christ's power and yielding to His headship.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say we should address the current state of the church?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges believers to pray for revival rather than merely organizing more programs. He exhorts: "Pray for revival. Don't simply pray that God will bless some enterprise that you are engaged in. Don't simply stop at praying for the missionaries. Pray for revival in this country." He believes the solution is not better organization or more activities but a return to fundamental dependence on Christ as the head, allowing His life to flow through the church, and waiting on Him to act through yielded vessels.
The Book of Ephesians
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.