A. REVIEW
The Church of the Saviour at Myersville, Maryland was founded by a group of believers whose goal was to establish a New Testament church in this community, one fully engaged in the ministry of "equipping the saints for the work of the ministry."
We concluded our study last week by reminding ourselves that, in order for this communio sanctorum to effectively work toward that goal, two sets of commitments would be required.
1. C.O.S. leadership must be committed:
a. to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God through p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ the Word and the ministration of the s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of Communion and Baptism;
b. to provide instruction through the t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of sound doctrine;
c. to commit our resources to the meeting of people at the points of their n __ __ __ __;
d. to assemble regularly for corporate w __ __ __ __ __ __; and
e. to foster an atmosphere conducive to authentic f __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
2. All those who attend C.O.S. must be committed:
a. to l __ __ __ __;
b. to c __ __ __;
c. to w __ __ __ __ __ __;
d. to f __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ together; and
e. to the "one accord" u __ __ __ __ modeled by the first local church in Jerusalem.
Of course, these commitments must be:
1. undertaken by the p __ __ __ __ of the Holy Spirit;
2. exercised under the a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of God's Word;
3. strengthened through faithful, fervent p __ __ __ __ __; and
4. dedicated fully to the g __ __ __ __ of God.
B. TEXT
1. This morning we want to examine that which must form the essential core of the local church if it is to be, in fact, "A Community of Faith." That essence is, of course, the W __ __ __ of God.
a. "The word of God reveals the truth of God: His faithfulness, the genuineness and reality of His presence for people. The word of God actualizes salvation. When God comes in His word, then by that token He has turned in love toward people; then He has acted on behalf of people; then He has communicated with people. When God comes in His word, then by that token salvation is there; then people are being healed and situated in the peace, the righteousness, and the life of the Kingdom." -Jacob Firet: Dynamics in Pastoring
b. Hebrews 4:9-13 [ NKJV ]
There remains a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
c. John 17:14-17 [ NKJV ] (Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane:)
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
d. Psalm 119:11 [ NKJV ]
Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
e. Psalm 119:105 [ NKJV ]
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
f. 2 Timothy 3:14-17 [ NLT ]
You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know that they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.
2. Note in 1 Timothy 3:17 that the apostle Paul makes reference to the fact that the Word of God is the vehicle which God has designed for "p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ us in every way, fully e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ for every good thing God wants us to do."
a. When this passage is read in the light of our Series "base" text, Ephesians 4:11-16, wherein we first read that the purpose of the local church is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, it becomes clear that any church which pursues that purpose must do so by staying fully focused on the Word of God.
b. It should not surprise us, then, to read elsewhere in his second letter to the young pastor, that Paul exhorts him in this very matter.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 [ NIV ]
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears far away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
3. There are three ways by which the local church minister the Word of God:
a. p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( Greek kerygma, "proclamation" );
b. t __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) Greek didache, "instruction" or
(2) Greek katechein ( rarely ), "repetition"; and
c. the s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( a.k.a. "ordinances" )
(1) the Lord's Supper ( a.k.a. "Communion," and "Eucharist" ) and
(2) Baptism.
"Why do we have the sacraments? Isn't the Bible enough? The answer to the second question is yes and no. Yes, the Bible contains all the truth we need for salvation, but at the same time God has chosen to institute sacraments as additional confirming signs of His truth.
The Reformers sometimes said the Word of God is primary and the sacraments are secondary. This has been misunderstood, as if the Word were important and the sacraments were not. That was the farthest thing from the minds of the Reformers. By 'secondary' they meant the sacraments are effective when done in the context of the Word." - R.C. Sproul: "The Sacraments Purpose" in the November 1990 issue of Tabletalk magazine
"One role of a sacrament is to be a nonverbal message from God. It does not ever stand apart from His Word or against His Word, but with the Word it communicates, and communicates powerfully." - R.C. Sproul: "The Message of the Sign" in the November, 1989 issue of Tabletalk magazine
4. In Ephesians 4:11-13 we are presented with five Spiritual gifts -- in the form of gifted persons -- whose purpose in the local church is the ministry of the Word of God.
a. a __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) N.T. definition: "one who is sent with a commission"
(2) "Jesus had many disciples, but He selected twelve apostles ( Matthew 10:1-4 ). A disciple is a 'follower' or a 'learner,' but an apostle is a 'divinely-appointed representative.' The apostles were to give witness of the resurrection ( Acts 1:15-22 ) and, therefore, had to have seen the risen Christ personally ( 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 ). There are no apostles today in the strictest New Testament sense." - Warren W. Wiersbe: Be Rich
(3) The apostles ministered the Word of God in a way unique to their times: they brought a "new t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __," one which had not yet been put into written form. To authenticate their message, God equipped the apostles with the ability to perform miracles. When the Book of Acts makes mention of the performance of "signs and wonders" by those in the early church, it is always specifically noted that they were performed by the apostles.
b. p __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) Definition: "one who proclaims the Word of God" in the sense of one speaking with his mouth that which God has revealed directly to him -- proclaiming "new revelation" from God
"New Testament prophets conveyed special revelation to the early church. Their functions included prediction, exhortation, encouragement, warning, and explanation ( Acts 15:32 and 21:9-11; 1 Corinthians 14:3 )." - Study Notes on Ephesians 4:11, The New Geneva Study Bible
(2) Prophets could, but did not necessarily, predict the future. Literature of the early church seems to indicate that they traveled from town to town and from church to church, proclaiming the will of God as God had told it to them. Their ministry, like that of the apostles, was vital to the church in that time period before the inspired New Testament of God had become canonized and established as God's Word.
(3) The Book of Acts mentions several prophets specifically:
- the four daughters of P __ __ __ __ __ the evangelist ( 21:8-9 );
- A __ __ __ __ __ ( 11:28 and 21:9-11 ).
(4) In 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Paul indicates that both men and women prophesied in church meetings.
(5) It is widely held that, since the formation of the New Testament canon, all "new" r __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ has ceased; God now speaks to each believer through His Word, providing "spiritual sight" ( I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ) by means of the Holy Spirit.
ref: John 15:12-16
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
(6) "The teaching of the New Testament prophets and apostles laid the foundation of the church, and certain aspects of their work related to that unique task have been discontinued." - Study Notes on Ephesians 4:11, The New Geneva Study Bible
ref: Ephesians 2:19-21 [ NKJV ]
Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
c. e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) Definition: "bearers of the Good News"
(2) "The term evangelist requires some rehabilitating in our day because of its common connotation of flamboyant TV preachers with a craving for money. In the New Testament evangelists conveyed the "good news" about Jesus Christ. This good news, the gospel, centered on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, especially the fact that Christ 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures' ( see 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ). Those who were gifted as evangelists did more than witness, which is expected of all Christians. Witnesses openly acknowledge their faith in Christ and testify to what Christ has done for them; evangelists declare the gospel seeking converts.
"The inclusion of evangelists in Ephesians 4:11 makes the important point that the function of evangelists is to help in the building of the church. We might say that the other gifts are for the edification of the church, whereas evangelism is for the augmentation of the church. God did not intend for evangelism to be carried on without regard to the local church and its ministry." - Walter F. Liefeld: Ephesians ( Volume 10, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series )
(3) "The evangelists, too, were wanderers. They correspond to what we would call missionaries. They were the bringers of the good news. They had not the prestige and authority of the apostles who had seen the Lord; they had not the influence of the Spirit-inspired prophets; they were the rank and file missionaries of the Church who took the good news to a world which had never heard it." - William Barclay: The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians
(4) ref: Acts 8:26-40
Acts 13:1-3
2 Timothy 4:5
d. p __ __ __ __ __ __ and t __ __ __ __ __ __ __
(1) The fact that the pronoun "some" has not been inserted before "teachers" is seen by some Bible scholars as indicative that what Paul refers to here is a single church office which is responsible for two separate ministries in the body.
(2) The Greek noun translated here as "pastor" is poimen. Only in this passage is it so rendered, being translated in sixteen other instances as "shepherd." In Acts 20:28 the office seems to be the same one as "overseer" or "elder" ( Greek episkopos ). There Paul encourages the elders of the church he planted in Ephesus to "shepherd the church of God."
The apostle Peter addresses the same group in his first epistle.
A shepherd has three basic responsibilities toward his flock:
- l __ __ __;
- f __ __ __; and
- p __ __ __ __ __ __.
God willing, we will examine the office of "elder" in next week's study. This morning we want to remain focused particularly on the ministry of the Word in the local church, so we will concentrate on the "teacher" end of "pastor-teacher."
(3) As was stated earlier, the ministry of the Word through verbal communication falls into two categories:
- p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __, or "proclaiming" the gospel -- usually from the pulpit;
- t __ __ __ __ __ __ __, or "applying the truth" to the lives of the church members.
(4) Certainly the apostle Paul saw teaching as the most important ministry in the church.
ref: Romans 12:7
Colossians 3:16
1 Timothy 3:2, 4:11, and 6:1-2
2 Timothy 2:24
Titus 2:1-3, 15
5. In Ephesians 4:11-13 it is clear that God has provided to His church gifted leaders who are responsible for preparing others. Three constructions are included which pin-point the specific goals of such preparation:
a. the e __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of the saints;
b. the w __ __ __ of the m __ __ __ __ __ __ __; and
c. the b __ __ __ __ __ __ __ u __ of the body.
Debate has been offered for centuries over whether these constructions should be understood as being "in parallel" or "in sequence."
a. If they are "in parallel," then the leaders are expected to accomplish all three by themselves, equipping the people, do the works of service, and build up the body. Many churches today function with a single elder -- a lone "professional Christian" -- who does everything. No wonder recent polls indicate a high rate of "clergy burnout!"
b. If theses constructions are understood as being "in sequence," then the gifted leaders equip the people, who in turn do the work of the ministry, which in turn results in the building up of the body of Christ. Our study of the Book of Hebrews, which presented the notion of the "priesthood of all believers," would seem to support this view. It is certainly the one held by the leadership of this church.
6. The four observable outcomes of the effective preparation of the saints for the work of the ministry are listed in Ephesians 4:12-13:
a. Spiritual m __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
b. Deeper k __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of the Son of God; and
c. U __ __ __ __ of the f __ __ __ __.
7. According to 4:14-15 these outcomes will be manifested in the local church in the following ways:
a. C __ __ __ __ __ - l __ __ __ __ __ __ __;
b. S __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __; and
c. Genuine l __ __ __ for one another.
C. Conclusions
1. Christianus est in fieri ( "To be a Christian is to Be In the Making" ).
2. This process is designed by God to be a radical t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ -- the complete "renewal of the mind" for the purpose of becoming a "New Creature."
ref: Romans 12:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:17
3. God's vehicle of choice for this transformation is the ministry of His Word ut veritas moveat ( "In order that the Truth may Persuade" ).
4. It is accomplished in the local church by a three-part process.
a. First, the Word is preached and / or taught.
b. The Holy Spirit must be fully engaged: both the lips of the preacher / teacher and the ears of the hearers must be anointed by Him.
c. The hearer must both listen to and r __ __ __ __ __ __ the Word.
"When the word of God comes, the human ear must be ready to hear. Then the word 'works,' and is a power of God. Our Lord makes this very plain in the parable of the sower. 'As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit' (Matthew 13:23 ). 'There is,' says R. Schippers in reflecting on this parable, 'a mysterious correlation between seed and soil...' The word of God is not powerful apart from the human heart which hears and keeps it." - Jacob Firet: Op. cit.
5. Sitting still and listening is a matter of the w __ __ __.
Hearing -- concentrating on what is being said -- is a matter of the m __ __ __.
Understanding Spiritual truth is a matter of the h __ __ __ __, and only a regenerated one -- quickened by the Holy Spirit -- can pull it off.
Are you listening?
Do you truly concentrate on what is being said?
Do you understand -- is the Holy Spirit illuminating you?
Colossians 1:9-12 [ NKJV ]
We...do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
