4. Conforming the Church to Godliness and the Pattern of the gospel

THE JOB DESCRIPTION OF THE PASTOR
4. Conforming the Church to Godliness and the Pattern of the gospel:
1 Timothy 3:14-16

Introduction

As we have discovered together in the last few weeks, Acts 6:1-6 gives us a pristine picture of the organizational formation of the apostolic church. Acts records the controversy that arose between the Hebrew and the Greek Christians that resulted in them having to go to the Elders of the Jerusalem church- the Apostles. Important as such matters were- the Apostles did not have time for them.

They set the standard for biblical Eldership by separating themselves to pray and minister the word. So they appointed the task of electing Deacons to the congregation.

In that snapshot of the primitive church we have the blueprint for non-hierarchical leadership in the 21st century church. This is how it looks:
1. the Elders perform the role of shepherds and overseers;
2. the Deacons are the administrators and ministers;
3. and the congregation:
i. forms the pool from which the Elders and Deacons are drawn;
ii. Is the final court of arbitration in the church.

That is why, within the historic Baptist faith, all ecclesiastical power resides equally among the members of the congregation. And because of that, the Baptists have historically been the exemplar and the inspiration for democracy.

Not only that, but the Baptists’ strong conviction regarding shared congregational authority has often placed it ahead of the culture in terms of recognizing the equality of all believers.

For instance, in the South where Baptist churches were often composed of masters and slaves, the slaves were given an equal vote in matters of the church long before they had a vote in secular matters. The masters and slaves were brother and sister to each other in the church.

A hundred years before shared suffrage with women even became an concern in society, women were counted equal to men in voting rights in Baptist churches. The biblical doctrine that “There is now neither male nor female, slave nor free, [because] all are one in Christ” was the driving force for the spiritual egalitarianism of Baptists since the days of the Puritans.

Let’s read what Paul has to say to Timothy about conforming the church to the pattern of godliness and the truth of the gospel: reminding us that we are reading a personal letter from Paul to Timothy, Paul writes in verse 14 (Read 1 Timothy 3:14-16).

Timothy’s Conduct
I. First, Paul is writing to Timothy in order to lay out a pattern for Timothy’s conduct in the church- a job description for the pastor. He says, “these things I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God” (v. 15).

I want to point out that the term “ought” as in, “what ought I do to be saved (Acts 16:30) and “men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1) is an ethical term; not a suggestion but a command for right living.

Godly pastoral conduct is a matter of conscience. “the testimony of our conscience,” Paul writes, “[was] that we have conducted ourselves… especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God's grace” (2 Cor 2:12). A church has a right to demand godly conduct from its pastors and Elders.

Likewise the Elders and pastors have a right to demand godly conduct from its members. Read 1 Peter 1:13-19

Conduct at Church
II. Second, Paul is talking here about our conduct in the House of God, the church. He uses two words to describe the believers: 1) House of God; and, 2) the Church or ekklesia of the living God.

1. House:
House is used in various ways in the New Testament to refer to the church. It the most general way, it can be used for the descendants of a patriarch as in the “house of David” (Luke 2:4).

It also refers to the House of God- the Temple in Jerusalem. It was a shadow of the true temple, the church: “16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1 Cor 3:16). And if we are the true temple, then Jesus is our priest “since we have a great high priest over the house of God” (Hebrews 3:1).

This brings us to the critical subject of the need for church membership. Peter gives us a good metaphor for membership when he writes “you also, as living stones are being built together as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5). A temple was built very precisely by carefully fitting stones together and fixing them permanently in place with mortar. Likewise Jesus the true architect, builds his temple by carefully fitting each unique individual together for the benefit and the strength of the whole household.

It is imperative that we do not fit this house together with substandard materials. We must maintain the utmost spiritual integrity of our membership the same way that a builder must maintain the structural integrity of any house or building.

When we walk into a high rise apartment we tacitly put our faith in the competence of the builder that he chose sound building material. Likewise when someone chooses to join our church, they make the same assumption about its members and have every right to expect a rigorous membership process.

Light must have no fellowship with darkness. Membership in the church is a privilege that is reserved for believers. Otherwise, we are just an incorporated society of share holders.


Mark Dever, list five good reasons to join a bible preaching church.
1. It is an Assurance for ourselves and a testimony to others that we truly are Christians. Because in joining the church we put ourselves in a position of accountability for what we believe and the church testifies to the world that our life gives evidence of regeneration.
2. Evangelizing the world: as a collective unit we can achieve far more for the advance of the gospel then any individual Christian. The sum is greater then the parts.
3. Exposing False Gospels: Not only can we present positively the gospel of Jesus Christ, but we can also dismantle bad, confusing, perverted images of Jesus as well.
4. Edification of the Church: God has uniquely gifted each one of us for the edification of the entire Body. We can minister to one another. How can we meet your needs if we never see you?
5. Glory of God: so that we can live our lives among pagans so that, though they accuse us of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us (1 Peter 2:12, cf. Matthew 5:16). Jesus said, “all men will know you are my disciples if you love one-another.

What a privilege it is to be a member of the household of God.

2. Church:
The other phrase used to describe believers in community is the “Church of the Living God”- the Ekklesia- the same word used in the OT to describe the nation of Israel.

Jesus said two things about his Church. The first thing has to do with how we get into the church. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus commended Peter for Perceiving that Jesus identity. He said, “you are Peter, and upon this rock (upon this truth) I will build my church.”

Membership in the Church of the Living God requires that we confess that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. This confession is always tied into Baptism, which signifies the confession.

The second thing that Jesus said about his church had to do with how we share in preserving its purity. Look at Matthew 18:15.

Is Jesus giving authority for church discipline into the hands of the some ecclesiastical authority? The final court of arbitration in the New Testament church is the congregation.

Does that mean that the church is infallible? Hardly, look at the church that fired Jonathon Edwards before he became one of the greatest Christian scholars of all time. And Paul warns of congregations who in the last days will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires they will seek out teachers who will tell them what their itchy ears want to hear (1 Tim 4:3 ff.).

Jesus never intended it to be considered that the church could expel a believer from the Kingdom of God, He Nevertheless intended us to preserve the purity of local fellowships through biblical church discipline. Judgment begins in the house of God.

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? (1 Cor 6:2-3).

For the sake of the gospel, the Church must remain steadfastly pure. Church discipline is for the integrity of the whole church and the sanctification of each believer. Without purity, unity is just a pretense. Unbelief is at the heart of apathy towards sin in the church.

Standing for the Truth
II. The final thing that Paul says about the church is that it is the pillar of the truth. In other words, the church stands for truth- it upholds the truth. Let’s look at why it is so important for the church to be steadfast and immoveable in upholding the truth:

1. Attracting people to Christ: “He who practices the truth comes to the light” (Jn 3:21). In other words, true seekers of truth will be drawn to us. “Everyone who is of the truth hears [Christ’s] voice” (Jn 18:37).
2. It is how we love each other: “Little children, let us not love with words, but in deeds and truth” (1 Jn 3:18).
3. It reveals what we really believe about Christ: that he is “the way the truth and the light” (Jn 14:6).
4. Purity: When we know the truth, we can more readily spot false believers who go from church to church, always learning, but never coming to the truth.
5. It makes us into the image of Christ by bringing us into submission to the Bible: Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth, your Word is truth” (jn 17:7).
6. Liberty: The Truth shall set us free (Jn 8:23). Conversely, lies bring us into bodage.
7. Worship: God is Spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship in spirit and in truth (Jn 3:21).
8. Because true believers can do no other: “For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth” (2 Cor 13:8). “He who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error” (1 Jn 4:6). The truth abides in true believers forever (2 Jn 1:2).

What a privilege to be the guardians who are entrusted with the deposit of the truth of God! That’s a picture of what our church must become.