A Leadership Manual (8)

This is the church of the Living God...

The last couple of Sundays, we treaded through some heavy teaching that Paul wanted Timothy to know as he lead the church in Ephesus.

We take a lot of things for granted in the church today. The Bible is translated into many different languages. We have many different translations of the Bible that are in our own language. We not only have the Old Testament, we have the New Testament.

We have the gospels where Matthew, Mark, Luke and John shared about the life of Christ. We don’t just have to try to remember the stories, we can look them up and read them again and again.

in fact, we have so much access to the Bible that we might think we don’t need to memorize it. The day may come when you will be glad you did.

As we look at our Scripture today, Paul told Timothy why he wrote this letter to him, so lets read

1 Timothy 3:14–16 NIV

14 Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

The purpose of the letter...

was that Timothy would know how the people in the church were supposed to live or conduct themselves. This letter would give Timothy clout as he was dealing with false teachers, because Paul was there as the church was being established.

Paul’s plan was to visit Timothy in Ephesus, but if he was delayed, Timothy would have instructions as to how he was to lead the church.

The church of the living God...

You are the church of the living God. The church is not a building. The church is not an organization. The church is not a denomination. The church is comprised of people like you and me who have believed that Jesus Christ is God who came in flesh and blood. He was a man who was mocked, beaten and crucified to become the atoning sacrifice for our sins. He took our place to satisfy the wrath of God.

We believe that He not only died, but rose from the dead. This proves that Jesus was not a fraud but that He is who He said He was.

You are the church.

How do I know this?

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NLT

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Here’s what Paul wrote in

1 Corinthians 6:14–20 NIV

14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

I want to stop for a moment on verses 19-20.

You are temples of the Holy Spirit...

Who lives in you.

When we believe, the Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside of us. God lives in you.

Think about that for a minute...God lives in you.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are the dwelling place of God.

We believe that when we come together and worship, He is in our midst. The God of the universe inhabits, He dwells in the praises of His people.

This is amazing that God dwells in us. That is why we are called to keep His temple holy. When we come to church, we like to see a clean building. We don’t like to see dirt on the floor or trash in the corner. It is important that we respect our place of worship, but how much more important is it that we treat our temples with the same care. That might mean the types of food that we eat so that we can stay healthy. For some that is to be on a stringent exercise plan. These are important, and yet we need to be all the more careful to watch what we are allowing to enter our minds and eventually our spirits.

Philippians 4:8 NIV

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

The old saying is,

“Garbage in, Garbage out!”

Even though this is true, it is also true that if we choose to think about things that are true, things that are noble, things that are right, things that are lovely and things that are admirable, these will come out.

You are not your own...

you were bought at a price.

This goes against the grain of many in our society today. You may hear of people saying that you have the right to choose, and this is partially true, but just because we have the right to choose doesn’t mean that we will make the right choice.

Since we are not our own, we have an obligation not to please our flesh or our sinful nature, we are called to please God.

I believe that we need to be careful not to be squeezed into the world’s mold.

Romans 12:2 NIV

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

You are precious. You have great value. You have been purchased by the precious blood of Jesus. He is the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world.

Because of all this, we are called to honour God with our bodies.

Let’s take a look at the last part of verse 15.

1 Timothy 3:15 NIV

15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

I believe that I’ve established that the church or God’s household is not a building. It’s not a denomination, but it is the people that are children of the living God.

John 1:12 NKJV

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Paul calls the church of the living God...

The pillar and foundation of the truth...

If we misinterpret this verse, it can lead to pride and it can also lead to division within the body of Christ. If we as a church or even a fellowship believes that we are the only ones that have it right, this is very dangerous.

We don’t and can’t make the truth.

The truth has already been established.

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We know that Paul was writing to Timothy, and Timothy was pastoring in Ephesus. This what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus about God’s temple.

Ephesians 2:19–22 NIV

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Who is the pillar?

Who is the foundation?

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Jesus Christ is our cornerstone, and there can be no other. God used the apostles to lay the foundation for the church and each of us are part of that building that is being built to become the dwelling place of God.

How can we know what truth is?

We have a plumbline. We have a measuring stick.

Any doctrine must line up to Scripture. (Period) That is the only way that we can test to see if something is of God or not. It’s not by our feelings, because we can be deceived by our feelings. It’s not by the books, podcasts or videos that somebody has written or made, it’s not even from the early church fathers, it is the word of God. This is what we have been given.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

In verse 16, Paul quotes what is believed to be an early church hymn.

1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

The gospel is a mystery...

It must be received by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

In Greek society, wisdom and knowledge were paramount. Today, science is paramount. We have to try to figure everything out with empirical evidence, unless we are trying to disprove the existence of God, and then anything goes.

The gospel we preach is a stumbing block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who believe it is the wisdom of God and the power of God.

Let’s look at the hymn:

He appeared in the flesh...

John 1:14 NIV

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Some were promoting that Jesus came but wasn’t actual flesh and blood. Today we might have people that would question whether or not Jesus was an actual person. We believe that Jesus, God the son, came in human flesh and bones.

He was vindicated by the Spirit...

Jesus was proven to be righteous.

Acts 2:32–33 NIV

32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

If Jesus was still in Joseph’s tomb, there would be no proof that what He said was true.

Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is alive and He is Lord.

This makes no sense to those who do not believe. First of all, how could a god become man, and how could anybody come to life and never die.

It also takes a lot of faith to believe that everything we see is here by chance and there is no one who has created our world.

He was seen by angels...

In Luke the angels announced Jesus’ birth.

Luke 2:9 NIV

9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Hebrews 1:6 NIV

6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Jesus’ encounters with angels far exceeds His 33 years spent on earth. He created them. How do I know this?

John 1:3 NLT

3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

Angels are ministering spirits, but they were created to worship God.

He was preached among the nations...

Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel.

Matthew 28:19–20 NIV

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:20 NKJV

20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

I personally believe that if the disciples believed that Jesus was still dead, they would never have preached the gospel, much less given their lives.

He was believed on in the world...

The apostles and early church believers preached and people believed. The evidence that we see today is that there are believers all over the world. In fact, the gospel still being preached.

In Matthew 24, Jesus promised it would be preached in all the world.

Matthew 24:14 NIV

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Finally,

He was taken up into glory...

Acts 1:4–11 NIV

4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Praise God for the promise that He will come again.

Brothers and sisters, we are part of the church of the living God, and we have been called to proclaim the hope that we have in Christ. We proclaim what we believe with the words that we speak and by the way that we live.

Matthew 5:14–16 NIV

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Let’s pray!