Sermon Tone Analysis

If you’re a Christian parent, what do you want for your kids?

If you’re a Christian kid, what do you want for your family?

Probably you want a number of attributes to increasingly mark your family: love, joy, holiness, unity, and reverence before the Lord.

You can probably think of a number of items.

But let’s try to sum up all those qualities with one not very exciting word: healthy.

You want a healthy family—a family that works and lives and loves together as God designed the family to do.

So it is for our churches.

I propose that Christians, whether pastors or church members, should aspire to have healthy churches.

Maybe there’s a better word to describe what the church should be than “healthy.”

After all, we’re talking about the people purchased by the blood of the eternal Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords—is “healthy” the best that I can come up with?

Yet I like the word healthy because it communicates the idea of a body that’s living and growing as it should.

It may have its share of problems.

It’s not been perfected yet.

But it’s on the way.

It’s doing what it should do because God’s Word is guiding it.

I often tell my congregation that when it comes to battling sin in our lives, the difference between Christians and non-Christians is not that non-Christians sin whereas Christians don’t.

The difference is found in which sides we take in the battle.

Christians take God’s side against sin, whereas non-Christians take sin’s side against God.

In other words, a Christian will sin, but then he will turn to God and his Word and say, “Help me fight against sin.”

A non-Christian, even if he recognizes his sin, effectively responds, “I want my sin more than God.”

A healthy church is not a church that’s perfect and without sin.

It has not figured everything out.

Rather, it’s a church that continually strives to take God’s side in the battle against the ungodly desires and deceits of the world, our flesh, and the devil.

It’s a church that continually seeks to conform itself to God’s Word.

Imaging God’s character as it’s been revealed in his Word means, quite naturally, beginning with God’s Word.

Why should we turn there, and not to “whatever works” (pragmatism) in determining what our churches should do and be?

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he told Timothy that the Bible would “equip him for every good work.”

— 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 other words, there are no good works for which Scripture would not equip us.

If there is something our churches think they should do or be that’s not found in God’s Word, then Paul was wrong, because in that case Scripture couldn’t be said to equip us for “every good work.”For

example: in 1 John (chapter 4 specifically) we learn that “loving one another” is a distinguishing mark of a true Christian.

In letting the Scriptures (not tradition nor “what works”) be our guide, what will a portion of our gatherings look like each week?I’ve spoken to some of you, we are seeking to establish some small groups that will meet here at the church and in our homes for the explicit purpose of joyfully carrying out the command of God in loving one another, thereby showing that we love God.

Let me give you a more precise definition, and then we’ll look at several passages of Scripture that support this definition: A healthy church is a congregation that increasingly reflects God’s character as his character has been revealed in his Word.

What Christian Doesn’t Want That?

Imaging God’s character as it’s been revealed in his Word means, quite naturally, beginning with God’s Word.

Why should we turn there, and not to

“whatever works” (pragmatism)

in determining what our churches should do and be?

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus, he told Timothy that the Bible would “equip him for every good work.”

— 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 other words, there are no good works for which Scripture would not equip us.

If there is something our churches think they should do or be that’s not found in God’s Word,

then Paul was wrong, because in that case Scripture couldn’t be said to equip us for “every good work.”

For example: in 1 John (chapter 4 specifically) we learn that “loving one another” is a distinguishing mark of a true Christian.

In letting the Scriptures (not tradition nor “what works”) be our guide, what will a portion of our gatherings look like each week?

I’ve spoken to some of you, we are seeking to establish some small groups that

will meet here at the church and in our homes

for the explicit purpose of joyfully carrying out the command of God in loving one another, thereby showing that we love God.

So if a healthy church is one where the congregation is one that is more and more reflecting God’s character and nature as revealed in Scripture,

then the membership of the church is going to more and more reflect that definition.

There are many words spoken in Scripture that define the task of pastors in leading the church to transformation to Christ-likeness.

In fact there’s three books (the pastoral epistles) written directly to pastors on how to lead the church and what their role is in the body.

These messages are going to be geared towards addressing you, the people that I’m supposed to be leading

and I want to help you play your role in helping your local church to increasingly reflect God’s glory!

So instead of thinking, “What are you going to do pastor Joel to fix our church?”

I’m not sure if anyone even thinks that way, but just in case you do

Let me ask you how do we reconcile these verses from .

Which we’ll read after we spend a moment in prayer.

O Sovereign Lord, we beseech you to bless your people with an unusual humility, unity, joy, peace, and care for one another.

We pray that you would increasingly make all of your people spiritually healthy and fruitful, not only as individuals but as one body, one new man, laboring together to grow up into Christ, even the fullness of his stature.

Bless the reading, hearing, and study of your word for the glory of your name.

And, O Lord, be pleased to use even this little message in some way to advance your kingdom and beautify your bride.

Father, we ask these things knowing that nothing is too hard for you, with the full assurance of faith, in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

There are many words spoken in Scripture that define the task of pastors in leading the church to transformation to Christ-likeness.

In fact there’s three books (the pastoral epistles) written directly to pastors on how to lead the church and what their role is in the body.

These messages are going to be geared towards addressing you, the people that I’m supposed to be leading

and I want to help you play your role in helping your local church to increasingly reflect God’s glory!

So instead of thinking, “What are you going to do pastor Joel to fix our church?”

I’m not sure if anyone even thinks that way, but just in case you do

Let me ask you how do we reconcile these verses from .

That the risen Christ gave pastors and teachers to: “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” —

So I’m called to equip you for the “work of ministry”.

Christ gifts leaders (v.

11)

so that they can train believers to exercise their own respective gifts (v.

7)

for ministry rather than do all the work for them.

so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Spiritual gifts are ultimately for the edification of the church,

not for self (; ).

These gifted leaders and the body of Christ are working towards maturing and building herself up in love by speaking truth.

So that we may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ

— 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.

Paul continues to use the imagery of the body to describe church growth.

From him.

Christ, as head of the body, is the source of sustenance for the church (cf.

).

whole body… together … every … every.

Shows the necessity of each member utilizing the gifts that Christ has given them (v.

7) for the corporate growth of the body.

love.

Its repetition (vv.

2, 15) emphasizes its importance for maturity and unity.

So if a healthy congregation is one that is increasingly, more and more reflecting the image of God and coming into conformity to Him.

Then what does a healthy church member look like in light of Scripture?

How can you, an individual member of a local church, contribute to the positive health of your church?

By quitting because you don’t agree?

By gossiping?

By, on your way out of the service, roasting me in front of everybody so that everyone around you knows that you disagree?

By gossiping?

By, on your way out of the service, roasting me in front of everybody so that everyone around you knows that you disagree?

Are those things that mature healthy members of the body of Christ do?