What We Do

As John Stott puts it: “The church is essentially a worshipping, praying community. It is often said that the church’s priority task is evangelism, but this is really not so. Worship takes precedence over evangelism, partly because love for God is the first commandment and love for neighbor the second. [Worship takes precedence over evangelism], partly because long after the church’s evangelistic task has been completed, God’s people will continue to worship Him eternally. [Worship takes precedence over evangelism], partly because evangelism is itself an aspect of worship, a ‘priestly duty’ where converts ‘become an offering acceptable to God’ (Romans 15:16).”

Worship takes precedence.

Our church mission statement is simple: We exist to worship, proclaim, and serve.

Those three words are important, each a large part of what, I believe, we’re meant to be about. But there’s a reason ‘worship’ is first. Worship is and must be first in what we do and in who we are. We must be marked by worship.

What we do as a church (which is where Paul’s letter to Timothy turns now)—what we do as a church must give priority to worship. After urging Timothy to counter false teaching in chapter 1, Paul writes to Timothy about the public worship of the church (all of chapter 2).

Paul likes to urge Timothy. Maybe that’s what it takes. Maybe Timothy is so timid that he needs a kick in the seat of the pants to get going, to do what needs to be done. I’m just thinking out loud here; it could be that Paul merely wants to highlight the importance of what he’s writing.

He urged Timothy to stay there in Ephesus to combat theological error. And now Paul urges Timothy to give priority to public worship.

The emphasis here in chapter 2 on the priority of worship has particular importance for us who are called ‘evangelical’ people.

If we fail to take public worship seriously, if we treat this time flippantly, if we meet this moment with casual commitment, we are less than the fully Biblical Christians we claim to be.

If worship is low on our list of priorities, then our time of corporate gathered worship will be disorganized and thoughtless, dull or repetitive, unreflective and even disrespectful.

When’s the last time we thought about what we do here as we gather for worship? The order of things, the goings-on of Sunday morning? Why do we do what we do? What is indispensible and what could we do away with? Must we have a, b, c, d, and e every week? And must a, b, c, d, and e be in the same order each week?

We really should give serious thought to our public worship. Again, we’re not holding on to the past way of doing things and the only way to do things, nor are we jumping into the future in some lame attempt to be trendy. We are striving to be faithful to God and to His Word in this moment.

In 1 Timothy 2, Paul alludes to two main parts of the local church’s worship; these two parts divide the chapter in half. Paul considers the scope of our worship first and then considers the conduct of our worship.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to 1 Timothy 2. If you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

1 Timothy 2:1–7 NIV

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

May the Lord add His blessing to the reading of His Holy Word!

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As I read, I tried to vocally highlight an important theme throughout these 7 verses. You likely picked up on it without my attempt to help. What sticks out in this paragraph is the scope of the church’s responsibility; God’s plan and our duty concern everybody. Four times, the same truth is highlighted:

Prayers are to be offered for everyone (v. 1)

God desires everyone to be saved (v. 4)

Jesus died for everyone (v. 6)

We must proclaim the gospel to everyone (v. 7)

There’s no doubt in my mind or in anyone else’s that this repetition is deliberate, inspired and deliberate. These four truths belong together in Paul’s mind. Because God’s desire and Christ’s death concern everyone, the church’s prayer and proclamation must concern everyone, too.

The Church—local and global—is responsible to worship the Triune God. The beginning of doing this means:

WE PRAY FOR EVERYONE

Paul mentions four (4) different kinds of worship in verse 1: petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.

These are almost synonymous; they can’t be neatly distinguished from one another. What we know is that each of these words concerns prayer: making request for specific needs, bring those in view before God, appealing boldly on their behalf, and thankfulness for them.

Paul uses four different words, but to one end—that these prayers would be made for everyone.

For everyone—this is a less-than-subtle rebuke to tribalism or nationalism or racism or supremacist thought of any kind. If our church’s prayers focus only on our church or on those closest to us and most like us and not those far away from here and separated from us by any number of factors, we’re missing something.

For everyone...

In particular, Paul directs the churches to pray for kings and all those in authority.

This was a remarkable instruction since, at that time, no Christian ruler existed anywhere in the world.

When Paul tells Timothy and the churches to pray for kings, the reigning emperor was Nero. Nero! Nero hated Christians, met them with cruelty and hostility and systemic persecution; he’d nail them to crosses or light them on fire for funsies, sometimes burning Christians for streetlights or to light up his gardens.

Paul says, “Pray for kings and all those in authority.” It’s clear, the early Christians are instructed to pray—for all people—even for Nero. “Pray for these pagan leaders. Pray for the king you suffer under. Pray for the leader you don’t agree with. Pray for the ruler you don’t approve of.”

This is a startling command, a jarring order, especially in the hyper-politicized climate of today. 2020 is upon us and all I can manage is an “ugh” in light of the upcoming election season.

However, if you are a Christian living in the good ol’ U.S. of A. you must pray for the President, regardless of what you think of him or his policies.

Some of you are nodding your heads, but I have to wonder if I was preaching this sermon 4 years ago if it would have been as easy for your head to move in that direction. Did you pray for the previous president or the one before that or the fella before him? Is your praying for our next president contingent upon what political party he or she belongs to?

We can’t pick and choose when to obey the Lord’s command; we can’t take it when we like it and ignore it when we don’t. We are not a partisan people; we’re a praying people.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 NIV

For all people—for kings and all those in authority...

We are called to pray for all those in authority. So we pray for President Trump, just as we were meant to pray for presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Truman, Roosevelt, Hoover, etc.

We need to pray for our president, our vice president, our governor, our congressmen, our representatives, our mayor, our city council, all our government officials—no matter who they are and no matter what you think about them personally.

We do this so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

We pray for kings and all those in authority so that they would preserve peace. As they preserve peace, we’ll be granted religious freedom to exercise our faith, freedom to evangelize, spreading the gospel without interruption. Our hope is in Christ, that He would grant us peace in whatever land we live. Our prayer is for our leaders, that they might administer justice and pursue peace.

We pray for everyone:

BECAUSE OF GOD’S DESIRE FOR EVERYONE

The reason the Church should reach out and embrace all people in its prayers is that it’s reflective of God’s desire.

Of course, we know that prayer must be directed to the God who hears and answers and is powerful to act. We can’t pray to the piano and expect anything to happen.

We pray to God for others and we pray for everyone—all people, from all backgrounds and socio-economic strata—we pray for everyone, motivated by God’s passion for everyone.

We read in verse 3 that our praying is good and pleases God our Savior. Our concern is not only to please Him but to find our motivation tied to His heart.

When you begin to pray for all kinds of people in the world to be saved—Jews and Gentiles, friends and enemies, Republicans and Democrats, reached and unreached people groups— when you pray for everyone your heart is coming in line with the heart of God Himself, for God Himself desires their salvation.

1 Timothy 2:3–4 NIV

3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

We need to be clear about what this does and doesn’t mean. This doesn’t mean that all will be saved.

We are not universalists. This isn’t a verse supporting universalism. Neither this passage, nor any other verse in the Bible, teaches such a thing.

The Bible is clear: we are only saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9) and only those who trust in His salvation will experience eternal life (John 3:36).

All will not be saved, but this does not mean that God’s will has somehow been thwarted. From beginning to end, the Bible is clear: God is sovereign over all things and His will cannot be thwarted.

Job 42:2 NIV

2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

We're about to get into some really deep theology here. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

In the Bible, there is the doctrine of election—God’s choosing individuals or people to inherit salvation through Jesus Christ. God’s election is clear throughout the Bible. God chose Israel to be His people in the OT. And Jesus said as plain as day in John 15: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

There’s the doctrine of election and there’s also the universal offer of the gospel.

Jesus Himself invited all to come to Him (Matthew 11:28). And then He said that His ministry was limited to those whom the Father had given Him out of the world (John 17:6).

On one occasion, Jesus said, “You refuse to come to me,” and on another, “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.”

So why is it that some people do not come to Christ? Is it that they will not or that they cannot? Jesus taught both.

Divine sovereignty and human responsibility, universal offer and electing purpose, the all and the some, the cannot and the will not.

Both parts of the un-resolvable paradox are true, but we confess our little minds are unable to resolve it.

What we know for certain is that God loves all people, every kind of person; people from every station and class, every nation and tongue.

2 Peter 3:9 NIV

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Ezekiel 33:11 NIV

11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’

Because of God’s love and God’s desire for everyone, we pray. We don’t know who will or who can; only God does.

There is one God and He desires the salvation of all people. There is not one god for one group of people, and then another god for a different group of people, so that all kinds of people can worship all kinds of gods. No, one God (the Triune God of the Bible) deserves the praise of all people.

We gather together to declare that there is one God. Our God is greater, stronger, higher than any other. We pray for and long for the day when people from every tribe, nation, language, and tongue bow down and worship Him.

We pray for everyone because of God’s desire for everyone,

AND CHRIST’S DEATH FOR EVERYONE

What Paul writes to Timothy here probably seems pretty basic to us. This is elementary stuff, but it’s as incredible as it is simple.

1 Timothy 2:5–6 NIV

5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.

There is only one Savior God and only one mediator between Him and us, and therefore, only one way of salvation, only one way to be rescued—and that’s through the man, Jesus Christ, who willing gave Himself to be handed over to death for our sake.

The word ‘ransom’ refers to the price that would be paid for the rescue, or release, of a prisoner.

God, the One who is completely holy in all His ways and completely just in all His judgments, stands over against us sinners, who are completely deserving of all His judgments. We cannot rescue ourselves. To pay the price of the ransom would cost us our very lives. Because of this, we desperately need a mediator who will pay our ransom.

Enter Jesus.

Jesus is, alone, able to identify with both parties. No one else is qualified to represent both God and man. Jesus can identify with God because He is fully God. And Jesus can identify with humanity since He is Himself human.

Jesus came to pacify God’s wrath toward sinners and replace it was God’s blessing and favor. Jesus stepped into an infinitely wide gap and removed the cause of the separation by paying an infinite price, an act that made moving mountains look like mere child’s play.

He is uniquely qualified to stand in the middle and to bring us together. Jesus is the only go-between.

Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all men.

The man gave Himself. Born to die; born to die for us.

Jesus is the mediator, the man, the ransom. There is no other. No one else possesses or has ever possessed the necessary qualifications to mediate between God and sinners.

We do not pray to Mary—she was a mere mortal, sinful and just as needy for Jesus as anyone else. We don’t pray to this religious leader or that. We don’t pray to saints. We don’t worship anyone but Christ—the mediator, the man, the ransom. No one else in the entire universe is qualified to mediate between God and man

We pray for everyone, because of God’s desire for everyone and Jesus’ death for everyone,

WE PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL TO EVERYONE

This is the obvious implication of everything Paul has said so far, and it’s the goal and the outworking of our theology and worship. Our gathering is not an end unto itself.

If we gather for worship once a week (or maybe twice, counting youth group or midweek Bible Study) and then after we meet we go home unchanged, unmotivated, uninspired, we’ve missed the point and missed our purpose.

Our worship, our prayers, our theology should motivate us and move us out of the pew into the places where people live and work and play.

1 Timothy 2:7 NIV

7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.

Paul is all three of these—herald, apostle, teacher—but nobody is all three today.

Apostle is a term designated for the eyewitnesses of the historic Jesus, especially of His resurrection. Paul was an apostle, though one abnormally born.

There are no apostles today, but there are heralds and teachers.

The apostles formulated, defended, and commended the gospel to the Church through their writing and teaching, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

It’s the task of heralds to proclaim it; the task of teachers to give systematic instruction in its doctrines and ethics.

We don’t use the word herald very much today. It was used to refer to someone who would make an important announcement—like an announcer at an athletic event or a political messenger in a royal court.

We are heralds. You, Christian, are a herald. It’s on you to announce, to proclaim, to tell the world that Jesus Christ, the God-man, our mediator, gave Himself as a ransom.

You, Christian, are a herald. Announce to people who are lost and dying in their sin that there is a Savior, One who conquered death, One who bestows eternal life on those who would believe. This is the logical end of your worship.

Teacher is a lot more common a word. Teacher makes sense to us; we just have to do it. We must teach; the need is urgent. We are commissioned to teach the nations everything [Jesus] commanded us.

The Son of God was born to us, He died for us, was raised from the dead before us. This great gospel, this great good news must be made known—both heralded and taught, throughout the world.

We herald the truth and teach the good news, as Paul did, to the Gentiles (ta ethne), to the people, to everyone..

This is our worship—praying and preaching, petitioning and proclaiming, interceding and inviting, thanking and telling.

What is the primary task of the church? It’s this. This is what we do: we pray because of God’s desire and Christ’s death; we pray and we preach in order to add worshippers to the number of those worshipping the One true God.