Sensitivity: Relationships are Purposefully Abrasive

Ephesians 4:11-16

I used to watch dad sharpen knives and listen as he told me why that’s important. If you just want to cause damage, any piece of hard metal will do, but if you need a precision cut, you need sharpness. Our text today is in Ephesians—Paul had just finished explaining to the them who they were as believers in Christ and how that brings them all together in a unified bond of peace. To give this gift, Christ descended into death and then ascended into the heavens. To keep the gift sharp and working, He left us The Spirit and each other.

Spiritual Gifts are Purposeful

In this series, we are discussing the components of spiritual health – a spiritual wellness check, if you will. Precision is important; think about sharpening a knife – the sensitivity of the metal scraping against stone. It is violent and painful, yet necessary. He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers… This is quite a list. Note that this is not an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts. Neither is 1 Cor 12-14 or Romans 12. The lists in each section must be understood in light of the main idea Paul is trying to get across, which is that God equips us with everything we need to achieve spiritual maturity and corporate unity – all of which leads to fruitfulness in the harvest. You can’t harvest grain with a dull sickle. These people are given to us from God to sharpen us for harvest work – to make us better and more prepared. They are not there to entertain or coddle us, but to be our sharpening stone.

Whether it is prophets who see, teachers who hear and listen, evangelists who speak, apostles who sniff out the staleness of life and urge us forward, or pastors whose touch connects us to the hand of God through tears, laughter, and life – we need connectivity to these senses so that we can be aware and move when the Spirit calls. The key here is equipping – reaching the point of maturity in our faith, which we do with the help of proper leadership. Now, leadership doesn’t have to mean a professional. A shepherd could be a church member who lives out that lifestyle – maybe visits the sick and is very engaged with many different people at church. An evangelist doesn’t have to be Billy Graham, but someone who sees and seizes the opportunities God puts in front of them by sharing the gospel with others. You get the idea. Paul is talking about those with the gifting to help others grow in their faith. That applies to any of us in here.

People Equip People

These people challenge us and point us in the direction of the Holy Spirit as we learn to follow His call. As we grow up, we begin to work properly and become a useful part of the church family. In this gathering, today, we have everything we need for God to accomplish His purpose with us. That also means that you play a role in that. You are here for a purpose, designed by God and that means you are important to our gathering today! Because by rubbing shoulders together, by conversing, by encouraging one another, by disagreeing and even challenging one another, we are working out the abrasive process of sharpening each other. With each encounter we learn and grow and become sharper. One time I got upset at my college friends– I had pushed on how being late was a sign of disrespect then was late getting into church b/c I was talking to others – they called me out on it. I was upset, but they were right. I should have been there with them, present and engaged. Being challenged is abrasive.

This is exactly what the meaning of Pro. 27:17 says. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Being in a church family is not about platitudes and golf comparisons; it’s helping each other be sharp and ready for the harvest! We’ve had a few conversations in our governing board that’s been a bit tense at times. Mind you, everything was worked through fine and with respect, but please hear this – it’s ok that disagreements and even sometimes some abrasive situations happen! Sharpening each other is not always or even usually a comfortable experience! We need to allow others to sharpen us and we need to be faithful to sharpen others – all with respect and love.

Next Steps

This is but one of the many reasons why it is vital that you are here and engaged with the church family. You are a sharpening stone for LW Alliance Church! You are the grace-filled sharpening stone that is a gift from Christ to us! Be that sharpening stone and allow yourself to be sharpened.

1. Submit to spiritual authorities and accept that God is using others to work in you for your growth and for the world.
2. Commit to being at church consistently and building close relationships.
3. Explore spiritual gifting and your place as a sharpening stone for others.

With any relationship, the closer you get, the more you challenge each other. Active and growing discipleship is the same. It’s not easy or comfortable. But if you want to be effective, it is necessary. How can you be a grace-filled sharpening stone today?