The Body of Christ part 2

Introduction

I have often asked myself, “How would my life have been different if Christ Jesus hadn’t come into my life when He did?”

Of course, this is ridiculous question because there’s no way for me to know and I believe that Christ came into my life at the exact moment that God ordained.

However, I’m not immune from pondering the ridiculous, so I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if Jesus hadn’t come into my life.

I imagine I would be doing what I was doing back then: groping for meaning; seeking happiness and contentment in relationships that couldn’t provide what I wanted; living for momentary comfort, leisure, and pleasure instead of a life of substance; spending most of my time with my head in the clouds, dreaming of glory but doing very little to achieve much of anything.

Basically, the worst parts of me would likely be the main parts of me.

But praise God, He had a different plan! The Gospel of Jesus Christ made all the difference!

Last week we started a series dealing with biblical church leadership.

However, as I said last week, before we wade into the biblical church leadership roles, we need to understand how the body of Christ is built up to maturity in faith and practice.

This is because our main premise when it comes to biblical church leadership is this:

Biblical church leaders are responsible to God to build up the body of Christ to maturity in faith and practice.

Last week we saw that biblical church leaders build up the body of Christ to maturity in faith and practice by guiding the church to maintain the unity of the Spirit.

This week we are going to see the second non-negotiable when it comes to the calling of biblical church leaders.

Body:

Verses 12-14 - God’s Grace to Paul

In the preceeding verses Paul warns Timothy about false teachers.

One of Timothy’s main responsibilities in Ephesus was to ground the people in sound doctrine so they would not be pulled away from the faith.

This begins with a clear understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In these verses Paul uses his own story to tell of the power of the Gospel to extend forgiveness and mercy.

Look at the words Paul uses about himself here: blasphemer, persecutor, insolent opponent, and acting ignorantly in unbelief.

An insolent opponent means a person with a high level of hubris or arrogance that treats others with offensive disrespect.

Look at what Paul’s biographer, Luke has to say about Paul, then known as Saul:

Acts 8:1–3 ESV

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 9:1–2 ESV

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

Saul made it his purpose in life to destroy the church of Jesus Christ in it’s earliest days.

But, a funny thing happened on the road to Damascus!

Look at how much different Paul was after meeting Jesus and being confronted by the Gospel:

Judged faithful by God (He was not judged faithful because he had shown faithfulness, but because God knew he would be faithful…man, it’s good to have a God who knows what we can be, not necessarily what we are right now!);

Appointed for His service (Given a mission to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles!);

Recipient of mercy (He did not earn mercy, he was shown mercy!);

Recipient of overflowing grace (Watering the chickens…dripping water on my sock! The picture here isn’t of a little grace dripping on our socks. This is grace pouring out on us that makes Niagara Falls look like a small trickle!);

That’s exactly what the Gospel does for all who believe!

So, understanding what the Gospel is and it’s implications for life is by far the primary importance in life!

And, praise be to God, it is not hidden from us!

Verses 15-16 - The Gospel of Grace

Here we find the Gospel in it’s simplest form: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

We are all sinners.

The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God.

Christ Jesus (or Jesus, the Messiah) came into the world to save sinners from the eternal consequences of our sin.

We are called to repent of our sins and believe in Christ Jesus alone to save us from our sins, bringing us new life and eternal life.

Of this, Paul says that it is both trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

That’s the nature of the Gospel. We either agree with Paul that the Gospel is trustworthy and to be fully accepted, or we don’t. There are no partial measures here.

Looking back on his old life, Paul sees himself as the foremost of all sinners.

Of course, that is hyperbole. All of us, who truly understand the gift that is grace, believe we are the foremost of all sinners!

And just like Paul, we are an example to everyone of the power of grace!

If God could save a sinner like me, then He can save any sinner.

God’s grace found in the Gospel of Christ Jesus leads Paul to praise God.

Verse 17 - Paul’s Praise

Paul recognizes and acknowledges that it is only God who could do something as great as this!

And honor and glory should be given to Him constantly for what He has done to save sinners.

Verses 18-20 - Paul’s Charge to Timothy

After laying the foundation of the Gospel, Paul has a vital charge for Timothy: to wage the good warfare by holding faith and a good conscience. What does Paul mean?

Wage the good warfare =

Fight the good fight. What fight? The spiritual warfare that all Christians and especially all Christian leaders must be engaged in.

Here’s how Paul explains it in his letter to the church where Timothy was ministering to:

Ephesians 6:10–12 ESV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Throughout the rest of this letter Paul will lay out exactly how the warfare is fought (holding the faith, maintaining a good conscience, prayer, an ordered church, and godly living).

Holding faith =

Holding to the faith begins by not just knowing the Gospel, but understanding that the Gospel is foundational to everything we believe and all that we practice as Christ followers.

It’s what Timothy needed to do if he was to both build the faith of his people and to combat the FTs in Ephesus.

This is the belief part of the fight. We must fight the fight by holding doctrinally to that which is true.

Good conscience =

This means to morally distinguish between right and wrong.

As hold faith is the belief part of the fight, holding good conscience is the practical side. We must fight the fight by doing that which is right.

It also means striving to live so that others cannot bring a legitimate charge of intentional, unrepentant sin against you.

Paul goes on to share about two men who didn’t hold faith and a good conscience: Hymenaeus and Alexander.

We don’t know what they did. Paul just implies that they are blasphemers (meaning they treated that which is holy in an irreverent and dishonoring manner).

Paul’s response was to send them out of the church into Satan’s realm, i.e. the lost world, in hopes they would repent.

Paul doesn’t want Timothy or anyone else in the church in Ephesus to have to learn this hard lesson like these two men.

So he challenges Timothy personally, and to teach the importance of holding faith and having a good conscience to his people.

So What?

Biblical church leaders are responsible to God to build up the body of Christ to maturity in faith and practice.

They do this by: Developing Gospel-centeredness in all areas of their lives and the lives of those they are serving.

We must teach the Gospel continually and without apology.

Paul followed up his warning against false teachers with the Gospel, because there is nothing more important for Timothy to lay before the church constantly than the Gospel and it’s implications.

This hasn’t and will not change, until the end of all things.

We teach the Gospel because it is the only way that sinners can be saved.

We teach the Gospel because it is the reason we have life today and a hope for the future.

We teach the Gospel because it is the true source of our praise.

All we do when we gather together should testify to the Gospel’s power in our lives, celebrate the Gospel’s impact in our lives, point others to the hope that can be their’s in the Gospel, and find out guidance in the change that the Gospel has wrought in our lives!

Our songs should preach and teach the Gospel. Our giving should be a result of the Gospel’s impact in our lives. Our prayers should both look to and celebrate the Gospel’s promises in our life. When God’s Word is preached, the Gospel should be clearly seen as what the Bible builds to. When we fellowship together we should take joy in the multitude of examples of God’s grace all around us.

What about non-leaders?

Know the Gospel

It will never be enough for the pastor alone to know the Gospel. Or, for just a handful of leaders to know the Gospel.

We all must know it, share it, celebrate it, and find our life and hope in the Gospel.

Be Bereans

Acts 17:11–12 ESV

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

The preaching and teaching of the Word can no longer be a passive activity we sit back and appreciate. We need to always examine the Scriptures daily!

This isn’t simply to make sure the preacher or teacher isn’t a heretic. It’s more so in order to see lives changed by the preaching and teaching of the Gospel; ours and others!

We must exemplify Gospel-centered living.

Look back at verse 16. Paul understands that he received God’s mercy so that Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example.

What this means is that Paul knew that his life was a testimony to the power of God.

Specifically in salvation; saving a ignorant, blasphemous, persecuting, enemy of the church.

And, additionally, the power of God to change the trajectory of someone’s life.

All leaders within the church, regardless of their position, are called to be an example of godly living.

Not perfect. But Gospel-centered in that they are actually setting out to live like the Gospel is true and changed the trajectory of our lives.

And this too isn’t just for leaders. Paul’s charge to Timothy was to be an example for others to follow.

The expectations there is that others would indeed follow that example.

So, are you truly striving to be Gospel-centered in all areas of your life?

The church doesn’t need more country music Christians…we need to men and women, boys and girls, who are truly Gospel-centered in all areas of their lives.

What would God do with a congregation full of people like that? Let’s test Him and find out!