Daily Scripture Reading – 1 Peter 4

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:17
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind…

Devotional Thoughts
“This I say, therefore,” – what is the therefore there for? In the context of Eph. 4:1-16 we are to walk worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus and walk in unity. Therefore, as a result of walking as we are expected and empowered to walk, we will not be walking like the rest of the Gentiles, but will walk in a distinct manner! We will walk in truth.

These next few verses this week tell us how not to walk, how not to live, think, act, and speak. We find here insight into how those who hate God live and think. Let us start then with identifying who it is we are not to walk like.

The verse says that we are to “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles”. The Greek word here is ethnos, which is translated quite obviously as “ethnic.” It is used to compare ethnicity.

Usually when the word is used it compares the Jewish people to the Gentile peoples. At times the word is translated “nations”, referring to those kingdoms and nations that are not part of the nation of Israel. But there is also a usage, determined by context, that reveals the use of this word to differentiate between the saved and the lost. Those who are in Christ are heirs to the promises made to Abraham and as such are the true Israel of God. (see Galatians 3 and especially Romans 9:6-7). In Abraham, all the nations of the world have been blessed as God’s people are called and redeemed from out of every tongue, tribe, and nation of the earth.

In other words, salvation does not belong to one “race” of people. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Rom 1:16). The Scriptures in fact are full of evidence that God from before the beginning had determined to save people from many ethnic backgrounds and cultures. The gospel was meant for both Jew and Gentile.

And here it makes it clear that there is an “ethnic” difference between the saved and the lost, the righteous and the unregenerate! Our citizenship is no longer in a Jewish state or a Gentile nation, but in heaven. Our nationality has changed in Christ. And as such, there should be no distinction to us between Jew and Gentile. In Christ we are one Body, one people, one church.

Many church planters are taught first to work up a demographic profile for those that they wish to reach with the gospel message in planting a new church. Well I have news for them – there are only 2 demographics that matter. The saved and the lost. And the saved are to preach the gospel to the lost. What demographic is the church supposed to focus on and reach out to? Those who need the gospel. Sinners. And “all have sinned.”

It is high time that we in the Church of Jesus Christ learned that Jesus has indeed “broken down the middle wall of separation” that existed between Jew and Gentile. Listen to what Paul wrote earlier in Ephesians 2 about this very thing:

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

We, who were “once Gentiles in the flesh”, not Jewish, but Gentile by birth, we were without Christ, aliens to the Kingdom of God, strangers to God’s working in the Covenants of Scripture, being without hope and without God. We were the world, in the sense that we were not His people.

“But now” it says, now in Christ we were we afar off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. There is the distinction. Those who have been forgiven through the blood of Christ and those who have not. This is the only classification of ethnicity that we are to ever be concerned with now.

Paul continues:

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

He is our peace. Where once was racial enmity and wars and fighting, now we are one people. He has broken down any walls that separate us. He has made peace between men, reconciling sinners to God, giving us peace with Him and with each other.

We now as one people, as one body, have access to God together through one Spirit – the Holy Spirit who indwells us. Above all nationalistic patriotism, above all commitments to our governments and lands, above all that this world has to offer us we are to understand that we who are members of the Body of Christ are part of a Kingdom, a nation, a people whose citizenship is in heaven. We belong above all else to God first, and then to each other. Our first concern, far above nationalism, should be concern and love for the church around the world wherever we find it.

Paul also tells us:

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We are fellow citizens in the household of God. He is our Father. And His house is being built upon the foundation of the gospel and the Word of God given by the apostles and prophets, of which Christ is the cornerstone.

And look at the wording here – “being fitted together” and “in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit”. Sound familiar? It is no wonder then when in chapter 4 Paul instructs us concerning church growth, as we have studied, that he uses the same terminology. We are being fitted together, growing in grace, being built up in Christ.

The church, the people of God, the redeemed – we are being fitted together from out of various different nationalities and ethnicities. Though different and at times even enemies to each other before salvation, Christ in His Body has abolished the enmity, He has removed that which separates us, and we are ONE people.

It is indeed time that the church came to see that we are one family, one body, one church. Not at the expense of doctrine or truth, for it is the truth of sound doctrine that gives us our only true foundation for real unity. But we must look beyond our nation, our earthly citizenship, and we must stand up for the church around the world. Of course the best and most effective way to stand up for them is to kneel in prayer for them as we plead with God to protect, embolden, and to grow His people wherever they are.

The bottom line for us today is that there is no place in the church for racism, prejudice, bigotry, national pride, or hatred for those of another ethnic group. For the only ethnicity we are to be concerned with is the difference between the saved and the lost. And in love for the lost we are to live and preach before them the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Evangelism gives us the opportunity to watch Christ break down those walls that so often separate people. To bring from every tribe, tongue, and nation His people, our fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Christianity and Culture by J. Gresham Machen
Class, Culture, and Ethnic Identity in Christ by John Piper

Bible Reading For Further Study
Gal 1:15-17; 2:8-9; 3:8, 14
1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 4:17

Recommended Songs for Worship
One There Is Above All Others
All Creatures of Our God and King

Daily Scripture Reading – 1 Timothy 1

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:16
…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.

Devotional Thoughts
As we have studied through Ephesians 4:1-16 in this series Learning to Walk we have seen that it is Christ who builds His church. We have examined the tools and methods that He has chosen to use to accomplish the building of His House. In fact, we learned that the term “edification” means “to build a house” and we have seen how He edifies His church.

Before we move on then to the next section of text and begin the next part in our series Walking in Truth (Eph 4:17-32) I wanted to look for one more day at Ephesians 4:16. There is so much here in this verse that shows us just how it is that Christ accomplishes the edifiying of His bride. So today let’s take this verse apart phrase by phrase and see what we can learn about God’s program for real church grwoth.

…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.

the whole body

It is the whole body that is growing! The whole body is edified. We often only think about the church on the local level. While it is true that much of what we have studied these last few days applies specifically in the practice of local congregations we cannot forget the rest of the body.

We see the evangelical scene here in the West and we wonder sometimes if the church is dying. We wonder how she can go on so infested with weak doctrine, apathetic practice, and heretical traditions. On a smaller scale we may also wonder how there can be a church on every corner in our town and also at the same time wonder how 90% of them can even call themselves a church and keep a straight face.

But let us remember that the church is bigger than just our own local congregations. And just because a group of people put a sign on a building that identifies them as a church does not mean that they are a part of the body of Christ. And to make the point we see from the text that the true church, the real body of Christ is growing and bearing fruit. If a group of people called a church is not growing and maturing in the faith and is not bearing good fruit then they prove that they are not a church, for Christ is building His whole church.

Let us also never forget those other congregations around the world with whom we share this relationship as adopted children of God. I am pleased to be able to interact with churches of like faith in places in England, Malaysia, Signapore, Australia, India, Canada, and in other nations all around the planet. And let us never forget those members of the body of Christ who live and worship where it is forbidden by the local governments and others hostile toward Christ. Let us pray for the persecuted church as we all together grow in grace.

joined and knit together by what every joint supplies

We, the whole body, and we on the local level, are joined and knit together. This means literally that we in the church are being fitted together. Technically speaking it is being taught and learning together in a way that brings us together in our understanding of truth. We are fitted and united around the truth, around what we believe.

Notice too that this fitting and uniting comes by means of what every joint supplies. The term joint there means “bond”. Every place that we are joined, or bonded, is a further step we have taken in unity. It is a deeper relationship, a closer walk, a more intimate trust between members of the body of Christ.

Our obedience, our love, our fellowship, our service, our sacrifice – these are all “bonding” experiences where we are used to grow the church. If your church is divided, or splitting, or breaking into factions then it is likely that the members of the church are failing to do their part in the work of church growth. Because growth here is referred to as being fitted and united, and this takes time and effort, willingness and teachability.

according to the effective working by which every part does its share

It is reiterated here that every part does its share when it comes to being fitted and united. This reminds me of a few verses. The Bible is clear that we are not to be troublemakers or busybodies, but instead we are to be at peace with others (as much as it depends upon us) and we are to bear one anothers burdens and even put up with each other! We are to be quick to forgive and eager to reconcile.

The phrase here also tells us that each part does its share effectively if we are to grow. Ineffective work is just that, ineffective. But here each part does its share working effectively – accomplishing what we are equipped to accomplish.

A church member cannot work effectively without being properly equipped. And who does the equipping? Remember? Elders and teachers in the church are given by Christ to equip the saints. And equipped saints who actually do what they have been taught to do work effectively when it comes to unity and growth.

The opposite sadly is all too true, where pastors do not equip but instead entertain, and where members do not work effectively but instead just act as spectators the church does not really grow. It dies. The truth is abandoned. And the Spirit leaves! Church growth is not a reference to having more people this week than last week come and sit to see the show!! Church growth is about every member being equipped to do the work of service, the work of ministry to God and to each other, and then effectively doing it.

causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love

And why then does the church grow? So that the church can be built up in love. There is the goal, the aim, the purpose, the meaning of it all. Church growth is about the body of Christ loving Him with all that they are and loving each other as themselves. Church growth is in fact proof that we are His for as we hear and obey His Word the body is matured and united and fitted together for this one ultimate purpose – to love and glorify God.

Paul wrote to Timothy and told him that “the purpose of the command is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5). The law has been given for this purpose – so that as we are empowered and motivated to obey the Word of God we may then love Him and love others with a maturing love – a love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

The end result of true church growth is a church that really and unreservedly loves Jesus Christ. And as the Word is used to equip us and motivate us, as we obey it, then we see that the result is that our love for Christ and each other is a true unconditional and lasting love. It is a love that comes first from a pure heart (forgiven) and is magnified by a good conscience (free from indwelling sin and guilt) and is ultimately expressed in an unfeigned faith (absolute and unfailing trust in Christ).

Let us not ever forget that to love Christ is to obey Him! So a growing church is an obedient church and an obedient church is a church that loves God and each other in word and deed. Are you doing your part?

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

THIS IS A MUST READ —>Preach the Word by John MacArthur as posted on Steve Camp’s blog.

also see: The Ties that Bind by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study
Matthew 24:34-40; Mark 12:28-33
John 14:15, 21; 1 John 2:3-5; 5:3; 2 John 1

Recommended Songs for Worship
What Wondrous Love Is This?
Whatever My God Ordains Is Right

Daily Scripture Reading – John 8

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:15-16
…but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 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.

Devotional Thoughts
As the church grows the Body is growing up in Christ. This means of course that church growth starts with people coming to know Christ. To “know Christ” – as I look back through the devotions over the last few weeks I keep seeeing this phrase appearing in our studies. And I think that before we move on we need to make a point very clear. It is not enough to know about Christ. We must know Him. This is a personal, intimate relationship based on trust (faith) and love (obedience).

Often people today think that it is enough to know about God or about Christ or about the Bible. But those who only know about do not really know Jesus! Do you know the difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus?

I want us today to read an excerpt from AW Tozer’s book The Pursuit of Man, from chapters 5-6 (pages 55, 66-71, 74). Listen to how he writes about this distinction:

“In religion more than in any other field of human experience a sharp distinction must always be made between knowing about and knowing. The distinction is the same as between knowing about food and actually eating it. A man can die of starvation knowing all about bread, and a man can remain spiritually dead while knowing all the historic facts of Christianity. ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ (John 17:3) We have but to introduce one extra word into this verse to see how vast is the difference between knowing about and knowing. ‘This is life eternal, that they might know about thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ That one word makes all the difference between life and death,for it goes to the very root of the verse and changes its theology radically and vitally.

“God made man in His own image and placed within him an organ by means of which he could know spiritual things. When man sinned that part of him died. ‘Dead in sin’ is a description not of the body nor yet the intellect, but of the organ of God-knowledge within the human soul. Now men are forced to depend upon another and inferior organ and one furthermore which is wholly inadequate to the purpose. I mean of course, the mind as the seat of his powers of reason and understanding.

“Man by reason cannot know God; he can only know about God. Through the light of reason certain important facts about God may be discovered. ‘Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shown it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.’ (Romans 1:19-20).

“Through the light of nature man’s moral reason may be enlightened, but the deeper mysteries of God remain hidden to him until he has received illumination from above. ‘But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.’ (1 Corinthians 2:14).

“When the Spirit illuminates the heart, then a part of the man sees which never saw before; a part of him knows which never knew before, and that with a kind of knowing which the most acute thinker cannot imitate. He knows now in a deep and authoritative way, and what he knows needs no reasoned proof. His experience of knowing is above reason, immediate, perfectly convincing, and inwardly satisfying.

“‘A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven’ (John 3:27). ‘A man can receive nothing.’ That is the burden of the Bible. Whatever men may think of human reason, God takes a low view of it. ‘Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? (1 Corinthians 1:20). Man’s reason is a fine instrument and useful within its field. It is a gift of God and God does not hesitate to appeal to it, as when He cries to Israel, ‘Come now, and let us reason together.’ (Isaiah 1:18). The inability of human reason as an organ of divine knowledge arises not from its own weakness but from its unfittedness for the task by its own nature. It was not given as an organ by which to know God.

“The doctrine of the inability of the human mind and the need for divine illumination is so fully developed in the New Testament that it is nothing short of astonishing that we should have gone so far astray from the whole thing. Fundamentalism has stood aloof from the liberal in self-conscious superiority and has on its own part fallen into error, the error of textualism, which is simply orthodoxy without the Holy Spirit. Everywhere among conservatives we find persons who are Bible taught but not Spirit taught. They conceive truth to be something which they can grasp with the mind. If a man holds to the fundamentals of the Christian faith he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. The most brilliant intellect may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original act which inspired the text.

“‘Except it be given him from heaven.’ Here is the other side of the truth; here is the hope for all, for these words do certainly mean that there is such a thing as a gift of knowledge, a gift that comes from heaven. Christ taught His disciples to expect the coming of the Spirit of Truth who would teach them all things. He explained Peter’s knowledge of His Saviorhood as being a direct revelation from the Father in heaven. And in one of His prayers He Said, ‘I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.’ ( Matthew 11:25).

“By ‘wise and prudent’ our Lord meant not Greek philosophers but Jewish Bible students and teachers of the Law. This basic idea, the inability of human reason as an instrument of God-knowledge, was fully developed in the epistles of Paul. The apostle frankly rules out every natural faculty as instruments for discovering divine truth and throws us back helpless upon the inworking Spirit. ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

“The passage just quoted is taken from Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians and is not lifted out of context nor placed in a setting which would distort its meaning. Indeed it expresses the very essence of Paul’s spiritaul philosophy and fully accords with the rest of the epistle, and I might add, with the rest of Paul’s writings as we have them preserved in the New Testament. That type of theological rationalism which is so popular today would have been wholly foreign to the mind of the great apostle. He had no faith in man’s ability to comprehend truth apart from the direct illumination of the Holy Spirit.

“I have just used the word rationalism. Otherwise stated, rationalism is confidence in the ability of the human mind to do that which the Bible declares that it was never created to do and consequently is wholly incapable of doing. Philosophical rationalism is honest enough to reject the Bible flatly. Theological rationalism rejects the Bible while pretending to accept it, and in so doing puts out both its eyes!

“From this mortal error fundamentalism is slowly dying. We have forgotten that the essence of spiritual truth cannot come to the one who knows the external shell of truth in his mind unless there is first a miraculous operation of the Spirit within the heart. Those overtones of religious delight which accompany truth when the Spirit illuminates it are all but missing from the church today. Consequently we have been forced to look elsewhere for our delights and we have found them in the dubious artistry of converted opera singers or the tinkling melodies of odd and curious musical arrangements. We have tried to secure spiritual pleasures by working upon fleshly emotions and whipping up synthetic feeling by means that are wholly carnal. And the total effect has been evil.

“Conservative Christians in this day are stumbling over this truth. We need to reexamine the whole thing. We need to learn that truth consists not in correct doctrine, but in correct doctrine plus the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. We must declare again the mystery of wisdom from above. A re-preachment of this vital truth could result in a fresh breath from God upon a stale and suffocating orthodoxy.”

I think that is enough food for thought today. What do you think about that?

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Trusting Jesus by Pastor Way
Do You Know Him? by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study
Psalm 23; John 10
Hebrews 8

Recommended Songs for Worship
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
I Know Whom I Have Believed

Daily Scripture Reading – Matthew 16

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:16
…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.

Devotional Thoughts
Church growth and growth in the Christian life is growth in Christ. We abide in Him, He lives in us and through us. He is the Vine, we the branches, and without Him we can do nothing. He is, after all, the Head of the Church, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Creator and Redeemer. And He told us He would build His church.

And there we get at the root of the problem with 99% of the “church growth” schemes out there in books and seminars, etc. They forget that it is Christ who will build His church. We are involved in the process as He uses us in the building. But ultimately we must come to hear and understand this truth – Christ does the building. We are not the Architect. We are not the Builder. We are not Contractor or the Building Inspector. We are the building.

Even as in evangelism we sow the seed, and water the seed already sown, it is God who always gives the increase. He harvests. He builds. Church growth is not about what we can do for God. Listen, this is serious! Church growth is not about what we can do for God to expand His Kingdom.

Too may wrongly think that Christ empowers us for the work and that we do the work – that we make disciples and we win converts, we build the church and we reach the world with the gospel. Yes He empowers us to obey. He gives us by grace the ability both to will and to do His good pleasure. But Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. It starts and ends with Him. He seeks and saves that which is lost. He died. He rose. He saves. He builds.

It is time that we understood this and applied the truth by doing the ministry (work of service), and in so doing get out of the way so that He can do what He does – build His church. He has given us His program. He has given us a blueprint to follow. Why do we think that we must circumvent the Word of God and find new and innovative ways to do what He tells us HE WILL DO? Why do we try to do His job? Is that not where Lucifer first sinned?? (“I will be like the Most High….”)

Christ says to us, “I will build My church.” So let us see how He does this.

In order to build the Body, a spiritual entity comprised of the redeemed coming to maturity in the faith and in service to God and one another, we must find the source of spiritual power. How is this going to be done? In reality it is very simple. We do what the Apostles did. We do what Spurgeon did and encouraged other preachers to do. We do what the Bible tells us to do.

We preach Christ.

So from where does this spiritual power come?

From Christ – Col. 2:18-19

Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

Christ, as our Head, provides life and power. He holds the Body together and enables it to function. It is He who perfectly equips the Church.

According to 2 Peter 1:3-4 we are told that Christ has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” If Christ gives us everything we need to live and everything we need to be godly, what do we need outside of Christ?

There is nothing to covet. Nothing to lust after. Nothing to envy or crave after. Christ is all in all. With Him and in Him we have all of our needs met – He is our Shepherd so we “shall not want.” And from Him comes the power (the desire and ability) to mature. He grows us as we abide in Him.

He gives us through the Word the things that we need to be equipped as His saints.

This power also comes:

By Christ – Gal. 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

He facilitates proper (healthy) function and growth by what we each supply as we do the good works He has prepared for us from beforehand. He gives us what we need so that we can pass that supply on and give what is needed to fulfill His requirements for growth. He serves us so that we may serve each other.

Remember what it is that we are equipped for in the Body? For the work of ministry. By giving us the Holy Spirit, by indwelling us, God lives in and through us and we are now able to obey Him where before we had not even the inkling of a desire to know Him or follow Him.

This is Romans 8:9-11 in action:

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

And why then have we been given this power?

For Christ – John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

We, having been equipped for the work of service, do now by use of our spiritual gifts, in obedience to our Lord, minister to one another, causing edification in love which brings about growth. Growth comes as a result of an inward supply and an inward process, not because of outward methods or forces.

He edifies His Church and grows it. The equipping, the ministry, these He uses to work out the process of edifying the Body – building His House!

Church Growth is not about numbers, money, buildings, influence, political reach or power. It is about obedience and surrender to the Lord Jesus who is Head of the Body. As we love Him and love each other we find that the ultimate expression of love is summed up for us in 1 John 1:5; 3:16-19:

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

So the spiritual power necessary for church growth is from Christ, by Christ, and for Christ! Our lives, our worship, our church, our family – everything we are and have should be centered around Jesus Christ!! We do not preach self – we preach Christ. We do not grow the church – Christ grows His Church. We do not have the ability in and of ourselves to desire, believe, please, or obey God – but Christ enables us!

We see then that for the Church to grow properly, in a spiritually healthy manner, we must have:

1. Christ as the Ruling Head

2. Unity in the Body

3. Intimacy (love) in our relationship with Christ and with others

And for us to maintain intimate relationships will require:

1. Honesty with God and each other (about sin, ourselves and our needs)

2. Trust (Faith) in Christ and each other, complete and real faith (1 Cor. 13:7)!

3. Unconditional Love enabled by the Holy Spirit, lived in daily life

Interesting then that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Our all in all. So in response, where is our love? Is it found either in 1 John 2:3-6 or later in verses 15-17?

Our love is either evidenced here:

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Or it is found here:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

What does your life say about what you love?

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

The Sufficiency of Christ by John MacArthur
Christ Our Life by Thomas Brooks

Bible Reading For Further Study
Acts 2:46-47; 9:31; 14:23; 16:5
Acts 5

Recommended Songs for Worship
Christ Above All Glory Seated
Christ Is Our Cornerstone

Daily Scripture Reading – Ephesians 4

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:15
…but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Devotional Thoughts
One of the five results of proper church growth that we studied previously was that a growing church speaks the truth in love to one another. In fact, built upon the foundation of sound doctrine and sanctification, this is not only a result but a necessity for spiritual progress. If the church is to grow then the saints must be equipped to serve each other and speaking the truth in love is an integral part of serving one another.

If we do not tell the truth how will others know our needs? And if we do not tell those in need the truth then how will they be able to trust God to meet that need?

And then there is the point that if we tell the truth without love then we can hurt and damage one another. While we must only ever tell the truth it is so very important that we do so filled with love for those to whom and about whom we are speaking. Truth can truly be used as a weapon. But the maturing, discerning believer knows discretion – that art of being wise as a serpent but harmless as a dove.

As we examine verse 15 today we see that we begin with a contrast. We have the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edification of the body – a work that leads to unity around the gospel and to the prevention of young of immature believers being tossed around by the ever changing winds of false doctrine. And we see that there is a contrast. Some are being tossed around and deceived by false teachers and false teaching, but – and there is the key word for verse 15 -but, when the church works like it should then the saints are speaking the truth in love. What a contrast indeed. Speaking deceitful lies and false doctrine versus speaking the truth in love.

One is deceptive, the other revealing! One is a lie and the other unvarnished truth. One is selfish and even hateful, the other full of love.

So if the church is being equipped and sound doctrine is being taught and practiced then we will be speaking the truth in love. The love we have in our hearts for God and for our neighbbor will be made manifest in the words we use. Too many discussions between people at church are shallow. Let’s face it, sometimes we do not want to talk to people. Sometimes we would rather remain in the shadows. And often we fake it – we lie by pretending to care when we do not. But if we are speaking the truth in love we are edifying the church. We are being real and gentle and compassionate.

How then do we speak the truth in love? How is it that we actually do this and make this a practical part of our conversations? The Bible gives us several ways in which we have opportunity to speak the truth in love towards one another. Let’s look at a few today.

Prayer

One of the most loving things we can do for each other in the church is to pray for one another. Intercession – taking the needs of another before the Throne of Grace – this is one way in which we are able to speak the truth in love. We can plead, praise, and persist in prayer until God answers! We should always be ready and willing to pray for one another and we should never tell someone we will pray for them when we have no intention of actually praying or if there is a good chance we will be lazy or forgetful and neglect to keep this promise.

There really is nothing more intimate spiritually that a church can participate in together than praying with and for each other.

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. – James 5:16

For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers – Romans 1:9

Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me – Romans 15:30

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel – Ephesians 6:17-19

Encouragement

We may also speak the truth in love to one another by encouraging one another. The word used for encouraging means literally to admonish, encourage, comfort, and strengthen one another. In fact we are commanded to encourage one another and one of the best ways to do this is to tell people the truth about God when they face trials and tests!

Encouragement is a matter of lovingly telling people the truth so that they might look to God for help and be delivered from doubt, worry, and fear. It is coming alongside them and helping them carry their burdens. It is sacrificing for others so that they might find hope.

When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. – Acts 11:23

Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. – 1 Thess 3:1-3

Counsel

Another form of speaking the truth in love is giving sound and Biblical counsel to each other. The Bible tells us that there is safety in wise and good counsel. And in truth, to receive bad counsel doesn’t help anything at all. Some try to lie and distort circumstances in order to make someone feel better – but telling the truth in love always helps in the long run, even if it hurts for a while.

Counsel is opening the Word of God and helping each other deal with problems, with sin, with struggles, with blind spots, or with serious temptations. And trust me, one need not have an advanced degree in order to counsel from the Word of God. We need to know the Word and we need to be filled with the Spirit and sensitive to His leading. He enables us to use the Word to solve problems and suggest solutions.

There is a role in the church for pastors and elders to counsel with the Word. And some do go on to earn degrees in the area of Biblical Counseling. Part of their role as shepherds involves giving sound counsel to those who need it and ask for it. This is another way that we speak the truth to each other in love. Every pastor should be a counselor – applying the truth of God’s Word to the circumstances that the congregation encounters in daily life.

We took sweet counsel together,And walked to the house of God in the throng. – Psalm 55:14

A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel – Prov 1:5

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. – Prov 11:14

Rebuke

Some might think that rebuke is not speaking the truth in love, but what more loving thing can we do when a brother or sister sins than to tell them their sin! To confront, not to scorn or humiliate, but to reconcile and to bring repentance and restoration. Too many people in church do not deal with sin at all. They ignore it in their lives and the lives of others. But we in the church are commanded and expected to rebuke each other when there is a need.

The term rebuke means to charge with a fault so that the fault may be corrected. This is indeed a loving act if done correctly, with humility and gentleness. We need people around us who are willing to risk hurting our feelings by telling us the truth about our sin.

Let the righteous strike me;It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. – Psalm 141:5

Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. – Prov 9:8

He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. – Prov 15:32

Worship

You might be inclined to wonder about these last two categories of speaking the truth to one another in love – rebuke and worship may not be our first thought about speaking the truth in love. But we see that rebuke preserves us and rescues us from sin and likewise we are told to speak to one another in worship!

Colossians 3:16 tells us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

We are to speak the truth about God in sound theologically based songs. Singing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to the Lord gives us an opportunity to teach one another. There is no better method of learning that to put a subject to music! And putting sound Biblical truth to music and singing it to the glory of the Lord both exalts Him and also lets us each hear the truth sung so that we through the worship of God might teach each other!

We teach and admonish each other when we worship. That is why, by the way, the content of the songs we sing for worship is so crucially and vitally important. For a song full of bad doctrine displeases God and spreads false doctrine through the church. We must be very careful about the songs we sing because this is not a performance, it is not a recital, it is not a competition – it is the worship of God and a useful tool for building each other up in the Lord.

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God. – Eph 5:18-21

In the congregations I will bless the LORD. – Psalm 26:12

Praise the LORD!I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation. – Psalm 111:1

There are other ways that we can effectively speak the truth in love to one another, but whatever ways we find we must keep these basics in mind:

1. Tell the truth – always.

2. Tell the truth – motivated by love.

3. Tell the truth – at the appropriate time and place.

4. Tell the truth – for the glory of God.

This is a result of proper church growth. A church full of people who cannot tell each other the truth in love is not a growing church. Go and practice speaking the truth in love today!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Cases Of Conscience, and Directions Against Backbiting, Slandering, and Evil Speaking by Richard Baxter
Buying the Truth by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study
Psalm 15:1-3; Proverbs 8:7
2 Corinthians 12:6; Ephesians 4:25

Recommended Songs for Worship
Thy Wondrous Testimonies Lord
Wonderful Message

Daily Scripture Reading – Matthew 7

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:13-15
…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; 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, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ…

Devotional Thoughts
Why is it that the church should long for unity? Why did Christ pray that we would be unified? Why does God hate those who cause division among the brethren? What is the purpose of unity?

Many want unity because unity means peace. Unity brings with it the absence of strife, fighting, competition, and rivalries. When we are unified we are all on the same side, working together to accomplish common objectives. We are standing behind one another. There is encouragement and support. But are these the real reasons that we should want unity?

Others say, rightly so, that if there is strife or division, any lack of unity, then the cause is sin – and of course we want to hate sin and the fruit it bears. That is why unity must be faith-based, founded solidly upon Christ and the gospel. Any other foundation will fail and be washed away in the storms and trials of life.

But has this answered our question? What is God’s purpose for unity?

I think we find the answer here in Ephesians 4:13-15. As Christ has appointed men in His Church to lead and serve, giving them as gifts of grace to the church so that the saints might be equipped for the work of the ministry for the edification of the body, He has done so in order that the church may indeed be unified. And we see then the results of unity as we have begun to examine five results of proper church growth.

Unity of the faith – THE FAITH – opens the door for an increasing intimacy with and knowledge of Christ. The more we know Christ and the more we love Christ the more we are conformed into His image, the more we are matured. The word used is that we through knowing Christ are perfected, that is we are sanctified. We are made more and more holy, more and more like Christ, more and more fruitful, and more and more obedient.

Then as we are sanctified we soon realise that we have grown up in Christ! The verse that answers our question – what is the purpose of unity – is verse 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

There is our answer. There is the purpose of unity. There is why we should desire and strive to be unified in the faith. It is for our own protection.

Think through this with me. I hear all the time from people who have been in churches that fail to make disciples. These churches just don’t do what they are called and commanded to do. They are glad that people come to faith in Christ but there is no prayer, no discipleship, no mentoring, and no real teaching.

As Del Fehsenfeld, Jr., used to preach, too many churches have one plan: Win ‘em, Wet ‘em, and Work ‘em. They take new converts (baby Christians) and baptize them and try to plug them in to work in the church – usually in a position that other, more “mature” believers find loathsome or beneath them.

But the church fails to make disciples. There is no feeding going on. No real care and concern, no true fellowship or accountability. And think about this – how many of us would take a baby and send them to work tomorrow to work at our job in our place? You think that the baby would show up much less know what to do?? They are BABIES for crying out loud.

And yet we have grown so lazy and so complacent and so apathetic and so disobedient and so self-centered in the church that when we see the zeal of a new believer we mistake that zeal for ability and we send them to do a grown ups job.

Mind you, I mean no offense whatsoever to newly re-born Christians. It is just a matter of truth that they, at this stage in their development spiritually, are just that – infants! They need nuturing. They are not equipped to do the work of mature believers. God intends and purposes for those who are mature in the faith to teach those who are new and young and immature. In fact, when Paul wrote to Titus he told Titus that one of the characterstics of a sound church is that the older more mature believers will invest themselves in the younger less experienced believers.

And what happens? What happens when we send a child to do a man’s work? What happens to the faith and the spirit of that new Christian? They soon burn out. They soon become overwhelmed. They cannot find the answers they need to the questions no one is hearing them ask. And that is sad and sinful on the part of the elders and the conrgegation!

When we fail to have true unity built on the gospel and when we as a result are not being matured and sanctified, then the result is that these new Christians end up being tossed around by every wind of doctrine, every fad and program and whim available out there for new believers to stumble upon or be enticed by.

Babies cannot usually discern the difference between right and wrong or between sound and unsound doctrine. They must be taught. And while we mistake a newborn’s zest for eternal life for maturity we hand over the work of ministry not to seasoned equipped saints, but we force it upon those who are spiritually incapable of doing what we want them to do.

Books come and go, fads blow in and out, and those who do not know any better get caught up in the moment – and without a guardian, without a mentor, without a discipler, they can get worked up over false doctrine and not even know that they are embracing lies. False teachers are smooth. They are tricky. They fool even mature believers if they don’t keep our guard up. And we who are older in the faith should be walking in unity with those who are younger, walking in unity founded upon the common faith that we share, walking in unity so that we might protect them from error or heresy!

There are deceitful plotters out there wanting to make as much money as possible off gullible people. And sometimes those who are the most naive are simply too young to know the difference yet. Who watches our for them? Who guards them? Who protects them?

Unity, true unity is the means God uses to protect His children from error. When we stand together it is more difficult to scatter the flock. The sad truth is that a lack of unity is a symptom of a lack of love and if we fail to love each other then we may not even realise that there are believers in our midst who are in danger from error and false teaching. Unity provides us with the opportunity to defend our flock, our congregation, from those wolves that seek to steal, kill, and destroy.

To close, I am reminded of a great illustration from wildlife for this lesson. Have you ever seen footage or pictures of a herd of bison that are being attacked? When a pack of wolves attacks and tries to prey on the young, the older buffalo gather in a circle and keep the young ones in the middle. They stand shoulder to shoulder and lower their heads – armed with horns – and defend the herd from the attackers. That is the purpose of unity.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Feed My Lambs and The Children’s Shepherd by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study
Matthew 10:16; Luke 10:3; Acts 20:29
2 Thess 3:3; 1 Tim 6:20

Recommended Songs for Worship
Watchman, Blow the Gospel Trumpet
Shepherd, Show Me How To Go

Daily Scripture Reading – John 12

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:13-15
…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; 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, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ…

Devotional Thoughts
When members of the church use their gifts (both individually and corporately), the saints are equipped to do the work of the ministry and thereby edified in the body. This is church growth. It is the maturing of the Body of Christ through the means He has provided and prescribed. And when the church grows there are certain things that the Bible tells us will happen within that Body. This then is another snap shot, a picture of what church growth really looks like.

We need to pay attention because so much of what we see today that is said to be church growth really is not about the church, or about growth! It is about marketing. It is about drawing people in and enabling them to use God as a mystical ATM machine that bestows blessing whenever they feel a need. It is about giving the people what they want.

But when the church truly grows, as people mature in the faith and learn how to live the Christian life certain markers are there that we can see and measure. If these are there then the church is growing. If they are not there, then the church is not growing, no matter what things look like on the outside!

Ephesians 4:13-15 gives us five results of proper church growth. We will look at them briefly today and then take a more in depth look in the days to come. This is what a church looks and acts like when it is really growing:

…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; 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, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ…

The Unity of Faith – The Message of the Cross

When a church is growing and maturing there will be a unity around and in the faith! Faith here is the sum of all Christian Doctrine, specifically the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is our foundation, remember? And this will be the starting point of all true and lasting unity.

A church may be unified around many things. There may be unity about liturgy, music style, and even the personalities that lead a church, like the pastor. If one of these things changes people may no longer be in unity! But these are all surface issues really.

True unity is found only as we fellowship in the gospel. The Message of the Cross must be central and foundational or there can be no true or lasting unity. Whatever else we may agree or disagree upon, we can and should be unified around the truth of the gospel, and if the gospel is our primary concern then there surely will be less fighting and strife about some of these hot button secondary issues.

A church that is growing will have the gospel right, and there will be unity around the preaching and living of that gospel. Otherwise there is no foundation for growth. Without the gospel there is no church, only a religious social club. Without the gospel the only unity to be found is a unity in rebellion to the Word and Will of God!

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:10-18

The Knowledge of Christ – Intimacy

Beyond the gospel, after saving faith, this is full and correct knowledge of the person of Jesus Christ. Our goal in the Christian life is to know Christ as we are known. Jesus even defined eternal life as knowing Him.

This is personal and intimate knowledge. It is a real and lasting relationship. We know Him just as He knows us. This intimacy is developed by communication, spending time together in prayer and reading the Word. Too often when we pray, we talk and then leave. We need to learn the discipline of listening when we commune with God!

It is hearing His voice in the Word, recognizing what He is leading us to do, and obeying! His sheep hear His voice, He has told us. And they follow Him. Do you hear? Do you follow? Obedience is a mark that we are His in the first place.

A church that is growing is a church that is more and more in love with Jesus Christ. A church that is consumed with love for Him. It is interesting then that a church that is not growing is accused by Christ in Revelation to have left their first love! (Rev 2:4). It is not that they lost it. They left it. They abandoned it. They forsook Him.

Growth requires intimacy. It requires knowing Jesus. How well do you know Him?

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. – John 17:3

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. – John 10:27

John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. – John 3:27

Spiritual Maturity – Sanctification

A growing church is a church that is being sanctified. There is spiritual maturity. The phrase here in Ephesians is that we are being made into “a perfect man.” We are being made complete. This is not sinless perfectionism, though that is in fact where our salvation will conclude at our glorification. But for now, even though we struggle against sin, we are being matured and perfected.

This means that a church that is growing is a church that is being built up and edified. They are more and more like Christ. Salt. Light. A witness with a strong testimony.

This means too that the church should be known more for what they are for than for what they are against. In other words, too often churches that are not really growing are just expanding their presence in the community as they gain a reputation for the things that they are against! But a growing church is making a positive impact on lives through the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of saints. And that means that as we are sanctified, conformed into the image of Christ, we should be known for what we stand for and believe in because that is how we live!

Sanctification is evidence that we are being saved. It is the outworking of grace as we do the good works He has prepared for us. It is fleeing sin and embracing righteousness. It is bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

Simply put, a growing church looks like Jesus. And simply maddening is the truth that most “churches” today would not recognize Jesus if He walked in the door! Evidence to the fact that for many, He is indeed standing at the door, locked out, knocking for the door to be opened.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: – 1 Thess 4:3a

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. – Romans 8:29-30

Sound Doctrine – Understanding

Notice that this is next to last in the list! We come to properly understand doctrine as we are equipped, serve, and edify. We grow up into it. And while doctrine is very important, it is even more important that we teach people how to know Christ! The Christian life is about a relationship. It is about knowing Jesus. And the trap that has been set in churches that do not grow is the trap that says that we can know about Christ and that is enough. But knowing about is not the same as knowing!

We should teach the babes in Christ first about Christ! As an illustration from school we do not teach calculus in kindergarten! We start with the fundamentals.

We need to teach babes how to feed themselves (read the Word) and how to talk (prayer) and how to walk (obedience). Sound doctrinal understanding will follow sound practice. Let me say that again. Sound doctrinal understanding will follow sound practice. When new Christians imitate mature believers, they learn mature behavior! As they then grow, they come to understand the reason behind the behavior (sound doctrine).

Too often we expect people to pass a pop quiz on the church confession of faith or to be Bible trivia champions before we embrace them as fellow church members and co-heirs with us in Christ. But the first test, the first question, the first requirement is knowing Jesus. And if we teach people sound doctrine but do not model it for them then they may know the truth in their heads but they will not live it in their lives.

The bottom line here is that sound doctrine will work its way out in how we live. So a growing church is a church that believes and practices sound doctrine, beginning with the gospel, which is after all the foundation of all sound doctrine. Get the gospel wrong and nothing else can be sound or right.

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine – Titus 2:1

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. – 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Speaking the Truth in Love – Growing up in Christ

Finally we see that a church that is growing is a church that is full of people who speak the truth in love. Sound doctrine, the gospel, the Word of God is not just something that they pay lip service to, but it is in their hearts and comes out of their mouths!

This is the lesson titled “Knowing, Doing, Being.” It is not enough to know the truth. It is not enough to do the truth. We must be true!

People in our churches can know the truth. They can know how a Christian is supposed to act and talk. And with proper motivation they can do the truth, even if it is just a good imitation of real believers. But the Christian life and church growth is not about what we know or even what we do! It is about what we are. What have we been called to BE?

We are to BE salt and light, to BE like Christ, to BE filled with the Spirit. We are to BE TRUE in every respect. What we think, say, and do should be altogether true because these things flow from what we are.

Listen to the way people in a family talk to each other. That will tell you all you need to know about the relationship that they have with God and with each other.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. – Gal. 2:20

We see then that these verses give us five results of proper church growth. A church that is missing these things cannot claim to be growing. No matter what else they have, no matter what else they know, no matter what else they do, if they do not follow this pattern then they are fooling themselves if they think that their church is growing. They really do need to grow up!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Love the Lord Jesus Christ by Thomas Brooks
How to Know if You are a Real Christian by Jonathan Edwards

Bible Reading For Further Study
Titus 2
2 Timothy 4

Recommended Songs for Worship
Sanctifying Power
Satisfied with Thee, Lord Jesus

Daily Scripture Reading – Acts 2

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:12
…for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…

Devotional Thoughts
In the coming days we will continue on in Ephesians 4 and look at the results of proper church growth. In other words, we will see that the Bible tells us to expect when the church is actually and truly growing. What does a growing church look like? What does it do? But before we get there we need to take one more look at verse 12 and work to define the cycle of true church growth.

All that we have learned the last few days can be summed up in a cycle of activity that gives us evidence that a church is alive, healthy, and growing. When members of the church use their gifts (both individually and corporately), the saints are equipped to do the work of the ministry and thereby edified in the body. And in truth, it is part of the job description for pastors to oversee the growth of the Body.

If a church is not growing as it should be then the pastor is the doctor who makes the diagnosis and takes the congregation to the Word of God for the treatment and cure to the ailment. Instead, too often, the pastor is just the CEO and as long as the church is making and spending money there is no evaluation, no check up, and no worries about the true condition of the body!

If the church was your body wouldn’t you want to know if there was a deadly disease present, even if your body was dressed in nice clothes driving a nice car and being envied by other people? And yet so many churches are not truly growing. They are expanding, getting obese when it comes to budgets, bodies, and buildings, but there is no maturity, no stability, and no depth. And no one is concerned because as long as we are entertained and as long as we feel good about church then there is no need to change how we are doing anything. As long as my needs are met then I am content. Frightening, isn’t it?

So what is this cycle? What does a healthy, growing church look like and live like? A healthy growing church will:

1. Evangelize.

Evangelists, and indeed all believers, preach the gospel at every opportunity. This is how the lost are saved and how people are added to the church. It is how the cycle of growth begins, with new birth, with re-creation, with the conversion of sinners. If there is no evangelism in and out of the church then the church really cannot claim to be a church! For the church exists to exalt and worship and serve God while taking the gospel to the world.

Do you evangelize? Does your church? This does not mean that an evangelistic sermon at church means that we have met the obligation you know. It means that there is to be a way of life, a walk, an attitude of evangelism in everything that we do. If we are not constantly thinking about how to witness to those who need to hear the gospel, if we are not burdened for the lost, then perhaps we need to ask ourselves if we even understand the gospel ourselves!

2. Equip.

Pastor-teachers and mature believers teach and equip the new converts in the church, discipling them as they mature and learn and grow. Is the church body being equipped? It is being nurtured to maturity?

Too many sermons are preached that do not equip. They inform. They teach. They convict. They motivate. They inspire. They challenge. But do they equip? Do the sermons preached by your pastor feed you, nourish you, and equip you when it comes to bearing fruit, overcoming sin, and glorifying God?

I am disturbed by the number of people I meet that claim to know Christ and yet live like the world. You would never know they were a follower of Christ unless they told you and were adamant that this was not a joke! But this is a symptom of a greater problem. People in our pews are not being equipped. Listen to this carefully – too many people in our churches do not know how to live the Christian life! All they know is what God can do for them. Their faith is focused on what God can do or has done for them instead of what they can do and should do for Him! Their faith is about fixing their marriage, their kids, their finances, or some other problem that needs attention. God is not a Sovereign Master, He is spare tire to be used when we have a blow out in our lives!

This kind of selfish faith is not saving faith. And it is evidence of a church that is not being equipped! And since equipping the saints is the basic duty of every pastor then an unequipped church should truly think about firing their pastor!! I don’t say that lightly. But I do say it because most of the pastors I know who have been fired were fired when they tried to equip the church but the “church” wanted nothing of it!

3. Esteem.

New converts learn to esteem others by doing the work of ministry and service, imitating older, more mature believers. If a person claims to be a Christian for any length of time and their focus is still on themselves instead of on others then not only have they not been equipped, but they are quite ignorant of God’s Word and His purposes for the church!

The Christian life, if presented truthfully, is a life of suffering, sacrifice, and service. At first glance we think these are all bad and demeaning things. But in truth, it is a privilege and honor to suffer for Christ. It is a duty to sacrifice for God and each other. And it is an requirement that we serve each other if we are truly His children! After all, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

How do you esteem others? Does your attitude and actions and words about others demonstrate that you are being equipped at church or do they identify a need for repentance and renewal in your faith?

A church that does not suffer, sacrifice, and serve is not growing, and possibly is not even a church. No matter the number of people present, this is a non-negotiable. Proud, covetous people cannot claim with a straight face to be a Christian, because to follow Christ is death to self and life poured out for others. If you are #1, you are killing your church!!

4. Edify.

The church is built and grows and matures so that it can with confidence do its main work (which is seen in the next step). But first, we need to see that a church that is really growing is a church comprised of people who are obedient to the Word of God – that is, they look and act like saints instead of sinners (not that they are perfect, but they imitate Christ).

Too often today people think the church should be full of sinners – meaning people who actively sin often. Yes we are sinners. Yes we will sin. But sin should not be tolerated or excused. It should be forsaken, confessed, and repented of immediately!

In reality, a church that is growing is a church that looks more and more like Jesus. They are being sanctified. Transformed. Revived.

If a church claims to be growing and cites numbers as proof then we really should just dismiss their claim. The Bible tells us more about the numbers of those who left Jesus than of those who followed. Beside that, growth is not about numbers. It is about faithful obedience, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and building the Body up.

Ask any person right now how big their church is and someone will make a judgment – as soon as an answer is given someone will make up their mind and jump to a conclusion about how healthy that church is. Is this not true? Seriously. I mean it.

Let me tell you about two churches and you tell me what you think. These churches are across the street from each other. Both were founded in the last 10 years. Both are from a historically reformed and evangelical tradition in their denominational affiliation. One has around 200 people in attendance every week. The other has 14.

What conclusions did you just jump to?

Which church is growing?

Which is truly being edified and equipped?

Hopefully you will say that you do not have enough information to make a decision. But many who drive past on Sunday morning would say that one is growing and the other dying! All that to say, when it comes to edification, numbers do not automatically equal growth.

Now remember where we started on this point in our cycle? The church is built and grows and matures so that it can with confidence do its main work which is seen in the next step.

5. Evangelize.

Here then is a summary of the puposes of the church:

In answer to a question about the purpose of the church, one of our elders wrote this statement:

The purpose(s) of the church can be understood as the immediate, intermediate, and ultimate purposes that follow:

The immediate purpose of the church is to evangelize the lost. The intermediate purpose of the church is to stimulate one another to love and obedience. The ultimate purpose of the church is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Evangelism is not inviting someone to Mainstream Fellowship Church in order to get them into an environment where the talented pastor may elicit from them an emotional response for Christ. Telling people the truth about themselves (Rom.3:20,23,5:12), the truth about God (Isa.53:4; 1Tim.1:15; Heb.2:2-3,12:29; 1Pet.3:18), and the reason for the hope that is evident within you with gentleness and reverence (1Pet.3:15, Heb.6:17-20; Titus2:13-14) is evangelism. Living your life in a manner that evidences the power of God in obedience to Christ is evangelism (Mat.5:14-16; 1Cor.2:3-5; 1Pet.3:1-2,16). Communicating God’s message of mercy to sinners by virtue of the atonement of Christ is evangelism (1Cor.2:1-2). Secondly, the verse that often gets left out of the great commission is verse 20; after baptizing them, we are to be “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mat.28:20).

The intermediate purpose of the church is to teach and rouse one another to love and obey God. This involves teaching, learning, sharing, and fellowship. The early church was “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship” (Acts 2:42). Hebrews exhorts us to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Heb.10:23-25). We are to meet not only the spiritual needs but also the physical needs of the church (1John 3:17; 2Cor.8:3-4, 13-15, 9:12; 1Cor.16:1-3; Acts 11:29-30; Rom.15:25-26). We are to use our spiritual gifts to equip one another and build up the church (Eph.4:12), and we are to admonish and teach every man with all wisdom “that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Col.1:28). We are to nurture one another to maturity. One day, there will be no more lost people to evangelize and no more immature Christians to teach, admonish, disciple, and nurture. We will all be glorified; “we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

The ultimate purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This purpose of the church began at creation and will never end. We are to live “to the praise of His glory” (Eph.1:12). We are always to be rendering a proper opinion of God. Our worship is to be reverential, sincere, and pure. Jesus taught that “the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). We assemble together to worship Him, praise Him, sing to Him, and pray to Him. The church is commanded to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col.3:16). Similarly, the church is commanded to “be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Eph.5:18-19). We are to meet with God in corporate prayer. The early church was continually devoting themselves “to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).

The immediate, intermediate, and ultimate purposes of the church are all commanded by the Lord in Scripture; no church should stress one to the neglect of another.

Amen.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Faulty Premises of the Church Growth Movement (pdf) by Bob DeWaay
Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats? by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading For Further Study
2 John
3 John

Recommended Songs for Worship
That I Might Grow
In Homes Where Pride and Splendor

Daily Scripture Reading – Romans 14

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:12
…for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…

Devotional Thoughts
“And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” These are the verses we have been working through the last several days in our devotional time. Verses that show us how Christ has given gifts to the church in the form of ministers and elders who lead, protect, guide, and serve the church. These men have given us the Word of God written and teach us that Word so that we might be equipped for the work of the ministry, that is, matured so that we might effectively serve God and each other.

And now we come to the last phrase in Ephesians 4:12 which tells us about the end result of the outworking of these gifts within the body. The work of the Apostles, Prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers is to bring the saints to maturity so that they might serve because in their service to God and each other the church is built! Even as Jesus tells us that He will build His church (Matt 16:18) this is the formula He uses. This is His program. It is an equipped, serving Body that makes disciples, first through evangelism and then through the ongoing process of discipleship within the Body.

In fact, we can go so far as to say that no matter what else a church is doing, no matter the evangelism programs, Bible classes, mission events, or even worship services, if the church is not being equipped (brought to maturity) for the purpose of humbly serving God and each other then the church is not being built!! If we skip any part of this verse we miss God’s purpose driving church growth!

So if we are talking about church growth what exactly do we mean? What does the Bible say about building the Body? Church growth is the process of “edification”, translated from the Greek word oikodome which means literally “building a house.” And here it is the House of the Lord being built. Christ builds His Church using equipped, serving believers.

The process, if we can call it that, is not the subject of any best selling church growth book. It is not the emphasis of any program for reaching hundreds or baptizing millions. It is not a blip on the map of anything emerging from the latest fad driven mega mess purposeless seeker sensitive worship theme park. Then what is God’s program for growing His body?

We learn about church growth, remember this is not church expansion, in the terms of building a house. In our study we will see what the Bible teaches and break it down into three stages. These involve the foundation, the framing, and the finishing of the building. So let us look at how it should be done by the Book.

Laying the Foundation – Christ and the Apostles and Prophets

The foundation for true church growth, the means Christ uses to build His body, starts with the cornerstone, Jesus Himself. He is the anchor around which the foundation is built. And that foundation has already been laid and is complete. No new foundation needs to be laid, for it is the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and the written Word of God that they received and recorded from the Holy Spirit. So God’s work through them gives us the foundation – the Word of God, Written and Living.

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. – 1 Cor 3:11

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. – Eph 2:19-22

Paul tells us then that we are to build upon that foundation. What is it that we build with? The gospel. The Word of God. We make disciples. That brings us to the next step in our building.

Framing – Evangelists

The house of God, as it were, is framed by evangelists. This is the work of preaching the gospel to the lost. It is a matter of being salt and light as an ambassador of Christ, working to reconcile the world to God. Paul refers to it as planting, watering, and harvesting. One may plant the seed, another water it, but it is always God who gives the increase.

The conversion of sinners is His gracious work. We do not persuade, convince, or argue people into accepting Christ. We are to plant the seed, sowing it everywhere we go. And we are to water the seed that has been sown by teaching and preaching and living the Word of God. And through this process God uses His Word to accomplish the purposes for which He sends it out – without fail, without exception. He is the One who gives the increase.

It is the Holy Spirit who convinces men of sin, righteousness, and the judgment to come. It is the Holy Spirit who draws men to Christ, without which drawing they would never come on their own. It is the Holy Spirit who calls us effectually to new life through regenerating sinners. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts, comforts, and then as we repent and believe, He indwells us, sealing us for the Day of Redemption.

But notice what He uses in every case to accomplish these things. It is the Word of God. And that is where we work along side the Spirit to “impart grace to the hearers.” We spread the Word. We sow the seed. We preach. We teach. We encourage. We counsel. We speak the Word of God and the Spirit uses that Word to save sinners! Faith after all comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And Paul makes the point in Romans 10 that people cannot hear without a preacher, without you and me to proclaim the truth to them with our words and our lives?

Finishing – Pastor-Teachers

Once converted, the process of making a disciple has just begun. This new born now needs to be nurtured and taught the Word of God by older more mature believers. This is the finishing stage. It is making the house habitable and comfortable! And this is the role of pastor-teachers. They equip us to serve one another. They feed us and nurture us and protect us and lead us.

In disciple making we are to teach each other all that Christ has commanded – again we are right back at the Word of God. And here the pastor is required, and even held to a higher standard of judgment because of this, to rightly handle the Word of God. He must be careful and diligent for he claims to speak for God! He interprets and teaches the Word of God to those who he is charged with leading. And he will give an account to God for those in his care.

This part of the process is what we studied two days ago – the equipping of the saints. Using the Word to enable them and empower them to live the life Christ has called them to live – so in reality they can walk worthy of the calling with which they have been called. And this is a part of the job that never ends. As long as we remain in this fallen body on this fallen earth we need to be built up. And it is the building up of one another, the edification of Body of Christ, that forms the true focus of church growth.

To close out our study today let us look at the stages of building in another light. This hopefully will help us get a good mental picture for how church growth really works. Here we will break it into 6 stages:

Death – John 12:23-25

Church growth starts with death. It is our death. In one way it is the fact that we are born dead in sin and incapable of loving or obeying God. In another sense it is that we are called by the first word of the gospel to repent, to die to self! It may also be noted that the growth of the body is possible in the first place because of the death of Christ on the cross. So any way we look at it, true growth starts with death.

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

New Birth – John 3:3

Then from death comes life! This is the new birth, being “born again”, regenerated, brought to life, raised from the dead. It is entering into life eternal. The Spirit accomplishes this as He wishes when He wishes for His purposes. But without the new birth there is no life and no salvation and therefore no growth. That which remains dead does not grow or bear fruit, it is useless and will only be gathered and burned in the judgment.

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Hunger & Thirst – Matt. 5:6

One thing we know about a newborn is that it takes them no time at all to learn how to express themselves when they are hungry or thirsty! And one mark that Jesus gives us that demonstrates our new life after being born again is that we hunger and thirst after righteousness.

In the Be-Attitudes this “blessed are” means that if we are spiritually alive and have been saved then we will have a basic need, a craving in fact, for being right with God. It is like hungering and thirsting. It is basic. It is fundamental to life. For without hunger and thirst we would surely die a quick death!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

Satisfaction – Matt. 7:7-11

A result of hunger and thirst, when the need is met, is that we are satisfied. The term in Matthew 5:6 is that when we hunger and thirst after righteousness we will be filled and the word filled means literally satisfied. Our need will be met. So part of what proves we are alive and growing is hunger and thirst that is fulfilled and satisfied.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Nourishment – John 6:35-58

And as we hunger and thirst and are filled and satisfied we gain nourishment for growth. We have energy to burn and we burn it is bearing fruit! We must note that a dead body cannot be hungry, fed, satisfied, or nourished. For a dead body does not even know what hunger is! But as we are alive in Christ, a new creation in Him, we do hunger and thirst for righteousness, we are filled, we are satisfied, and we are nourished. We benefit from partaking of the Word of God.

A malnourished Christian is a believer who is starving to death while sitting at a full to overflowing banquet table. It is there for the taking. The trouble is, too many pastors are failing to feed the flock. They are giving them cotton candy – pretty fluff that is worthless when it comes to true nourishment. These pastors should instead be feeding the flock on the milk and meat of the Word of God.

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

Growth – John 15:1-17

Growth, bearing fruit, maturing – this is a part of life, it is living. If we do not grow, we are dead. If we do not bear fruit, we are dead. If we are not hungry or thirsty, we are dead. But the seed that falls on good ground sprouts into plants that bear measurable and useful fruit.

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Think of it this way – as those God has called and equipped fulfill their role and equip the saints for service to God and each other then we grow. And as we grow the church is built. This is why we can say with assurance that church growth is not church expansion. For adding more people to the roll proves nothing about the growth of the church. The church is not being built if people are not growing. And if people are not being equipped to serve then they are not growing.

And a “church” full of dead, stagnant, lukewarm, backslidden professors is not really a church at all. For Christ builds His church!!

Let us conclude then today with Hebrews 12:1-2:

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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.

When nourishing the souls of men, ministers must always remember the importance of not introducing any false teaching or misleading doctrine. According to Scripture, false teaching is poison to the growing believer! We must be fed truth without apology. And our contentment must be with Christ and Christ alone. “Jesus is all the world to me, my Light, my life, my all.” To finish the race, our endurance is found also in Him. He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. He started it. He will bring it to completion. Trust Him.

Grow and bear good fruit!

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

Purposeful Interference by Tim Challies
What’s Wrong with User-Friendly? by John MacArthur

Bible Reading For Further Study
1 Thessalonians 5
2 Corinthians 13

Recommended Songs for Worship
The Church’s One Foundation
Full Surrender

Daily Scripture Reading – Hebrews 13

Verse of the Day – Ephesians 4:12
…for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…

Devotional Thoughts
Christ has given spiritual gifts in the form of gifted and qualified men to lead the church so that the church then might be equipped. We learned what it means to be equipped, being taught and led to maturity and completion. But the question remains, for what are we being equipped? Well, since the question has been asked, the answer is given in the very same verse. Ephesians 4:12 tells us that these men have been given to the church as a free gift of grace from Christ so that we, the saints, might be equipped for the work of ministry.

“Ministry” can also be translated service, as it is the Greek word deacinos. This is the same word translated elsewhere as “deacon” and as we know the root of this word is the act and attitude of service. John MacArthur said regarding this word, “The entire church is to be aggressively involved in the work of the Lord.” And that work is a work of service.

Is it really that simple? We are to be equipped by our teachers and leaders so that we might effectively and efficiently serve one another? Then what has gone wrong in the church today? So much of the programs and activities are built around meeting my needs instead of giving me the necessary resources to serve others! Let us take the time then to look at how the church should be working, whether it is or not.

The first question we must ask then is, “Why serve?” Why it is that we are to be equipped to serve others in the body? Here is what the Word of God tells us:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. – 1 Cor 15:58

…you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 2:5

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:10-11

The contrast to service of course is found in 2 Thessalonians 3:11, which states, “For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.” This then is our choice. Service to God and others or self-service. Sacrifice on behalf of others, or self indulgence. If we are to walk as He has taught us to walk, to walk in unity, then we must be walking a walk of service to each other within the church. In fact, no service to each other equals no church, for if we do not serve then we have become only a religious club, a social group of religious people motivated by pride and self gratification.

So how do we serve one another? To understand this we must have the right focus, function, and fruit.

The Focus

The focus, the motivation, the attitude necessary for service to one another is simply put a right perspective toward God, self, and each other! Here is what the Bible tells us about our motive for service within the Body:

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”

Above all else in this world we are to love God with all that we are. This is the greatest command. And when we add the second greatest command to it, we see plainly why service is necessary in obedience to and love for God.

“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

And then as we expand our search and look at the rest of the testimony of Scripture it becomes difficult to miss what God expects of us in relation to one another. Take a few verses from Philippians as an example:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

We are to do nothing with a motive of selfish ambition or pride. We are instead to do everything from a perspective of lowliness, esteeming others as better than ourselves. We must look out for the interests of others. We truly are members of one another and as such we are responsible for how we interact and even how we think about others in the church! There is no room in a sound and growing church for condescention, pride, arrogance, or contempt!!

So to serve with a right attitude we must first have the right focus, that being a focus on God and on others.

The Function

The focus leads us to the function then. To living this out in day to day life. How is it that we serve one another?

Here are a few verses that make the point about our responsibility to one another in the church. Just read the verses and think about the lesson being taught here – these all focus on our function – serving one another:

Romans 12:9-21
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion. 17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

Romans 15:1-6
1 We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. 5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 16:17-20
17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. 18 For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Proverbs 6:16-19
16 These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

James 4:1-6
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “ God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

1 Cor. 6:1-11
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Cor. 16:1-4
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. 4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

2 Cor. 8:1-7
1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.

2 Cor. 9:6-15
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “ He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

1 Thess. 5:14-15
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

In this text in 1 Thessalonians we are given a list of 4 things we are responsible to do for each other within the body. They are:

1. Warn the Unruly – to “reprimand” those “out of ranks” (in Greek this refers to one who does not show up for work! We are to admonish those not doing the work!)

2. Comfort the Fainthearted – to “speak calming words” to the “discouraged”. Discouragement speaks of a small mind in matters of faith; in other words, discouragement is often a lack of faith!

3. Uphold the Weak – “support” (pay attention to) the “newborns”. This refers to weak, young, immature believers. Support them.

4. Be Patient with All – Patient here comes from 2 words, “macro” which means big, and “thumia” which means sacrifice! We are to make big sacrifices for all!

How often do we fail to obey the command to esteem others as better than ourselves? Often we look at others at church and try to figure out if they measure up to us instead of seeing them as better than us in the first place. Doing the work of the ministry means being humble and setting aside self no matter the cost!

The Fruit

Romans 1:8 gives us an example from the life of Paul, where he writes to the church in Rome and tells them, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all.” His first thought was that of thankfulness to God for them. This is the fruit of gratitude. It is a motive and a reality – Paul loves the church!

In Phil. 1:1-11, 27-30, we see a similar truth. What fruit do you see in what Paul writes here?

1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. 29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

And then in Col. 1:1-8 we read:

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

We really do not even need to take the time to explain this, do we? It is here in all of the Scripture we have read. God’s program, God’s plan is a plan of self denial and service to others. The reason so many churches are full of people starving for truth is that so many pastors are not equipping the flock for service. We think the ministry is something others do for us, but in reality true ministry is being equipped and prepared and taught and motivated to serve others! Ministry is service, to God and His Church.

So to do the work, to minister effectively, to serve, we must have the proper focus, proper function, and we must be bearing proper fruit! We cannot do any of this without the help of the Holy Spirit or without abiding in Christ.

Today, where is your focus? Are you serving? Is your day structured around service to others? If not, have you been equipped for this work or not? If not, you need to talk to your pastor. His primary responsibility is spending time in prayer and the Word so that he might equip you to serve God and others.

Links for Further Study
(links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time)

The Condescention of Christ by Charles Spurgeon
Directions for Loving Our Neighbour as Ourselves by Richard Baxter

Recommended Songs for Worship
Servant of All, To Toil for Man
Behold the Glories of the Lamb