Jimmy Davis's Blog, page 2
May 9, 2013
SERMON: Grace-Filled Leaders - A Job Description
My latest sermon "Grace-Filled Leaders: A Job Description" is now online.
In Titus 1:9, Paul is giving us the job description or the calling Grace-Filled Leaders are to fulfill. These are the responsibilities of Grace-Filled Leaders: EMBRACE the Gospel, ENCOURAGE believers with the Gospel, and EXPOSE false teachers/teaching with the Gospel. Titus 1:9 answers the question, “What are Grace-Filled leaders to DO?”
Grace-Filled Leaders EMBRACE the Gospel
“Hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught . . . “ (Titus 1:9)
Leaders who EXEMPLIFY Christ will be CONTINUALLY SHAPED by the gospel of Christ. I need to be daily putting myself under God's gospel stylus to be carved and shaped . . . to have His character written on my heart, in my relationships, in my conduct.
Grace-Filled Leaders ENCOURAGE with the Gospel
“So that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine“ (Titus 1:9)
Just as Christ through others has used the stylus of the trustworthy word of the gospel to mark leaders with the character of Jesus, so leaders must be used by God to use that same gospel to mark others.
Grace-Filled Leaders EXPOSE with the Gospel
“So that he may be able to . . . rebuke those who contradict it“ (Titus 1:9)
If the gospel is “sound doctrine,” healthy truth that makes God’s people healthy, then we must protect ourselves and our people from FALSE GOSPELS. From “religious” gospels (see Galatians 2:11-14), and from “irreligious” gospels (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).
The church needs Grace-Filled Leaders who have been marked with character that EXEMPLIFIES the Gospel, and who fulfill their calling to be characters in the Gospel Story who EMBRACE the Gospel in order to mark others by ENCOURAGING people with the Gospel and to EXPOSING those who teach false gospels.
In Titus 1:9, Paul is giving us the job description or the calling Grace-Filled Leaders are to fulfill. These are the responsibilities of Grace-Filled Leaders: EMBRACE the Gospel, ENCOURAGE believers with the Gospel, and EXPOSE false teachers/teaching with the Gospel. Titus 1:9 answers the question, “What are Grace-Filled leaders to DO?”
Grace-Filled Leaders EMBRACE the Gospel
“Hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught . . . “ (Titus 1:9)
Leaders who EXEMPLIFY Christ will be CONTINUALLY SHAPED by the gospel of Christ. I need to be daily putting myself under God's gospel stylus to be carved and shaped . . . to have His character written on my heart, in my relationships, in my conduct.
Grace-Filled Leaders ENCOURAGE with the Gospel
“So that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine“ (Titus 1:9)
Just as Christ through others has used the stylus of the trustworthy word of the gospel to mark leaders with the character of Jesus, so leaders must be used by God to use that same gospel to mark others.
Grace-Filled Leaders EXPOSE with the Gospel
“So that he may be able to . . . rebuke those who contradict it“ (Titus 1:9)
If the gospel is “sound doctrine,” healthy truth that makes God’s people healthy, then we must protect ourselves and our people from FALSE GOSPELS. From “religious” gospels (see Galatians 2:11-14), and from “irreligious” gospels (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).
The church needs Grace-Filled Leaders who have been marked with character that EXEMPLIFIES the Gospel, and who fulfill their calling to be characters in the Gospel Story who EMBRACE the Gospel in order to mark others by ENCOURAGING people with the Gospel and to EXPOSING those who teach false gospels.
February 12, 2013
Craving Christ (Psalms 42 and 43)
Here's a resource that I mentioned in my latest sermon, "Craving Christ" . . .
Download the PDF "Using Psalms 42 and 43 To Examine Your Soul" and spend some time alone with Jesus asking questions that may help you uncover your craving for Christ.
Download the PDF "Using Psalms 42 and 43 To Examine Your Soul" and spend some time alone with Jesus asking questions that may help you uncover your craving for Christ.
January 31, 2013
Mighty Mercy
Today I was pondering the mighty mercy of Jesus, the Lion and Lamb . . . first a passage of Scripture, then related thoughts from Jonathan Edwards, and finally, a poem/song from my heart.
"And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain . . ." Revelation 5:4-6
"Thus Christ appeared at the same time, and in the same act, as both a lion and a lamb. He appeared as a lamb in the hands of his cruel enemies; as a lamb in the paws, and between the devouring jaws, of a roaring lion; yea, he was a lamb actually slain by this lion: and yet at the same time, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, he conquers and triumphs over Satan, destroying his own devourer; as Samson did the lion that roared upon him, when he rent him as he would a kid.
And in nothing has Christ appeared so much as a lion, in glorious strength destroying his enemies, as when he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. In his greatest weakness he was most strong; and when he suffered most from his enemies, he brought the greatest confusion on his enemies.—Thus this admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies was manifest in Christ, in his offering up himself to God in his last sufferings."
- Jonathan Edwards in "Discourse V: The Excellencies of Christ" in The Complete Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume One (bold highlights mine)
"Mighty Mercy"
You are the Lion
Your holy roar shatters every evil
To tear it all apart
You are the Lamb of God
Silently You shed Your blood for my evil
To tear it from my heart
Oh, I praise You, Lion Lamb
Jesus, Messiah, The Great I Am
On the cross You crushed the sin
The sin that should have cursed me
Oh, Yours is a mighty mercy
Oh God, how mighty is Your mercy
©2013 Riverheart Resources
"And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain . . ." Revelation 5:4-6
"Thus Christ appeared at the same time, and in the same act, as both a lion and a lamb. He appeared as a lamb in the hands of his cruel enemies; as a lamb in the paws, and between the devouring jaws, of a roaring lion; yea, he was a lamb actually slain by this lion: and yet at the same time, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, he conquers and triumphs over Satan, destroying his own devourer; as Samson did the lion that roared upon him, when he rent him as he would a kid.
And in nothing has Christ appeared so much as a lion, in glorious strength destroying his enemies, as when he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. In his greatest weakness he was most strong; and when he suffered most from his enemies, he brought the greatest confusion on his enemies.—Thus this admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies was manifest in Christ, in his offering up himself to God in his last sufferings."
- Jonathan Edwards in "Discourse V: The Excellencies of Christ" in The Complete Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume One (bold highlights mine)
"Mighty Mercy"
You are the Lion
Your holy roar shatters every evil
To tear it all apart
You are the Lamb of God
Silently You shed Your blood for my evil
To tear it from my heart
Oh, I praise You, Lion Lamb
Jesus, Messiah, The Great I Am
On the cross You crushed the sin
The sin that should have cursed me
Oh, Yours is a mighty mercy
Oh God, how mighty is Your mercy
©2013 Riverheart Resources
October 31, 2012
Reformation Day Kindle Sale!
In celebration of Reformation Day, my publisher
CruciformPress
is offering my book
Cruciform: Living the Cross-Shaped Life
plus 5 other excellent books for ONLY 99 CENTS each on KINDLE!
Sale ends in a few hours! http://bit.ly/RefDaySale
Please spread the word in your social networks! Thanks!
Sale ends in a few hours! http://bit.ly/RefDaySale
Please spread the word in your social networks! Thanks!
October 16, 2012
Real Grace for the Cross-Shaped Life - Part 1 (1 Peter 3:13-22)
The latest sermon from the
1 Peter series
is now available.
"Real Grace for the Cross-Shaped Life - Part One" AUDIO HANDOUT
Here's a schedule of the series "so far" and "to come" . . .
"Real Grace for the Cross-Shaped Life - Part One" AUDIO HANDOUT
Here's a schedule of the series "so far" and "to come" . . .
October 11, 2012
Excuse The Mess - Renovations Under Way
One of our churches here in town is renovating their worship area to make room for more seating. I was there for a meeting recently and was drawn to this sign posted in the hallway:
"Trinity Presbyterian Church - Excuse the mess while renovations are under way."
A sign like this should be posted on the front door of every church, don't you think? After all, isn't this a fitting description of every church? No, not the church building, but the real church, the people. Every congregation is a mess because every congregation is undergoing renovation. And for that matter, every church member is a mess because every church member is undergoing renovation.
I just began teaching a Sunday morning class on 1st Corinthians. Talk about a mess! The church at Corinth had quite an assortment of problems that Paul needed to address: divisions among members, unbalanced loyalty to celebrity teachers and preachers, immaturity, sexual immorality, Christians dragging Christians to court, abuse of the sacraments, prideful boasting about spiritual giftedness, dysfunctional worship, confusion about the roles of men and women, and a faulty understanding of the resurrection. A mess indeed. So messy, in fact, that one might wonder if these folks were really saved at all. (Ever had that thought about yourself? Yep, me too.)
However, the mess among the church at Corinth didn't cause Paul to doubt their salvation. It only served to show they were still in need of renovation . Here's how he opened his letter to them in chapter one, verses 4-9:
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge -- even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you -- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord."
There's no doubt these people were truly saved. Imagine how encouraging these few verses would sound after the next 15 chapters of Paul's gentle, and not-so-gentle, rebuke! If it were me, I'd go back to those verses again and again to remind myself that the Apostle who is hammering away at my heart really is convinced that I'm a child of God. (Sometimes I wonder if Paul wrote those words to remind himself that he was dealing with true believers before he launched into correcting them!)
Paul would later remind this church that they are "God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in" them (3:16). And so, it seems that he is telling them, "Since God's temple is holy, and you are that temple, then you should expect that there will need to be continual renovations taking place as you wait for God to present you guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (3:17 and 1:7-8).
[Think about it . . . nearly every New Testament letter dealt with some problem in the church to which it was written. Each church was a mess undergoing renovation by the Spirit! If it weren't for imperfect, messy churches, we wouldn't have the New Testament.]
What good news for every church and every church member! Although things are a mess while renovations are under way, Jesus Christ "will sustain you to the end" as He knocks down the old and builds up the new so that He might present us "guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:7-8). Be encouraged, my messy brothers and sisters, the God who called you and the people in your church into to fellowship with His Son "as you are", loves you and your church too much to leave you "as you are" . . . He will be faithful to renovate your heart and your church (1:9).
A sign like this should be posted on the front door of every church, don't you think? After all, isn't this a fitting description of every church? No, not the church building, but the real church, the people. Every congregation is a mess because every congregation is undergoing renovation. And for that matter, every church member is a mess because every church member is undergoing renovation.
I just began teaching a Sunday morning class on 1st Corinthians. Talk about a mess! The church at Corinth had quite an assortment of problems that Paul needed to address: divisions among members, unbalanced loyalty to celebrity teachers and preachers, immaturity, sexual immorality, Christians dragging Christians to court, abuse of the sacraments, prideful boasting about spiritual giftedness, dysfunctional worship, confusion about the roles of men and women, and a faulty understanding of the resurrection. A mess indeed. So messy, in fact, that one might wonder if these folks were really saved at all. (Ever had that thought about yourself? Yep, me too.)
However, the mess among the church at Corinth didn't cause Paul to doubt their salvation. It only served to show they were still in need of renovation . Here's how he opened his letter to them in chapter one, verses 4-9:
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge -- even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed among you -- so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord."
There's no doubt these people were truly saved. Imagine how encouraging these few verses would sound after the next 15 chapters of Paul's gentle, and not-so-gentle, rebuke! If it were me, I'd go back to those verses again and again to remind myself that the Apostle who is hammering away at my heart really is convinced that I'm a child of God. (Sometimes I wonder if Paul wrote those words to remind himself that he was dealing with true believers before he launched into correcting them!)
Paul would later remind this church that they are "God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in" them (3:16). And so, it seems that he is telling them, "Since God's temple is holy, and you are that temple, then you should expect that there will need to be continual renovations taking place as you wait for God to present you guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (3:17 and 1:7-8).
[Think about it . . . nearly every New Testament letter dealt with some problem in the church to which it was written. Each church was a mess undergoing renovation by the Spirit! If it weren't for imperfect, messy churches, we wouldn't have the New Testament.]
What good news for every church and every church member! Although things are a mess while renovations are under way, Jesus Christ "will sustain you to the end" as He knocks down the old and builds up the new so that He might present us "guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:7-8). Be encouraged, my messy brothers and sisters, the God who called you and the people in your church into to fellowship with His Son "as you are", loves you and your church too much to leave you "as you are" . . . He will be faithful to renovate your heart and your church (1:9).
Real Grace for Church Life - Part 1 (1 Peter 3:8-12)
Latest sermon in the 1 Peter series "Real Grace for Real Life" is now online.
"Real Grace for Church Life - Part 1" (1 Peter 3:8-12)
Links to the entire series so far can be found HERE.
Here's a chart of the series so far and what's to come . . .
"Real Grace for Church Life - Part 1" (1 Peter 3:8-12)
Links to the entire series so far can be found HERE.
Here's a chart of the series so far and what's to come . . .
September 28, 2012
6 Foundation Stones for your Sanctification
Sinclair Ferguson
shares six foundation stones for our sanctification from
1 Peter
. These notes are from the first in a series of lectures called
"Studies in Sanctification."
All of the 9 lectures are well worth listening to.
Foundation Stone #1: Our sanctification is the purpose of God, the Trinity. 1 Peter 1:1-2
“God has chosen you because He means to sanctify you . . . God’s people, saved by God’s Son, will be sanctified by God’s Spirit . . . this is what God has set His heart on since before the foundation of the world . . . the whole Triune Godhead devotes Himself to sanctifying Christian people . . . God the Trinity has determined to put all of His energies into making little, poor me like Jesus Christ.”
Foundation Stone #2: Our sanctification, or holiness, is the commandment of God the Father. 1 Peter 1:15-16
People will respond to our holiness similarly to how they react to God’s holiness because we are to be holy as He is holy . . . “Christian people who are becoming holy will always create a two-fold impact on those around them. Part of that impact will be . . . an irresistible attraction because here is life as it was meant to be lived, but also part of that will be at times an almost equally irresistible distaste for what belongs entirely to another world . . . When Peter got hold of this, it transformed the whole of his thinking about what holiness was, and he felt the weight of the commandment of God the Father.”
Foundation Stone #3: Our sanctification is the effect of the work of Christ the Savior. 1 Peter 1:17-19
“Our sense of the importance of holiness, and our incentive to grow in holiness will always be rooted in our understanding of and our appreciation for the work of Jesus Christ. Why should we live our lives as strangers here? Because we were redeemed, he says, by Jesus Christ.”
Foundation Stone #4: Our sanctification is the fruit of the Spirit’s ministry. 1 Peter 1:2, 3-5
We've been brought to new life through the Word, brought as adopted children who have an inheritance. “The Spirit is one brings us into God’s family and shares with us God’s nature . . . The reason we grow in holiness is that that is the chief family characteristic of the new family into which we have been born again by God’s Spirit and into which we have been adopted so that we share in this glorious inheritance.”
Foundation Stone #5: Our sanctification provides us with one of the great reasons for the trials of life. 1 Peter 1:6-7
“The great thing about God, Peter is saying, is that He is not slow to test the work that He is doing . . . Suffering is one of the chief instruments that God uses in the process of sanctifying His people. He throws them into the fire like gold being thrown into the refiner’s furnace in order on the one hand that the impurities may come to the surface and be dealt with, and also on the other hand in order that all the graces that He builds into our lives may be thoroughly cleansed and purified. And why does He do this? He does this because this is what He did with His Son. He made His Son everything He was through suffering (Hebrews 2). If the Holy One Jesus is made perfect for His life and service only through suffering, how much more is that likely to be true of unholy ones like ourselves? . . . If we are going to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, one of the instruments the Father will use in our lives is the purification of our lives through that suffering.”
Foundation Stone #6: Sanctification (holiness ) is our destiny in the world to come. 1 Peter 1:6-9
“He mentions this in several places, but especially when he emphasizes the grace and the glory that is to be revealed, the hope that is in our hearts of the future resurrection . . . that salvation is simply holiness completed . . . glory is the consummation of the sanctification that God has already begun . . . And there is surely no area of our thinking in which we can deceive ourselves than this: to imagine that we will be happy pursuing holiness in heaven if we are singularly unhappy pursuing holiness on earth. The Apostle Peter rather sees a great continuity between these two things. We rejoice in the prospect of the future because all the future will bring us will be a greater and more intense holiness than God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are bringing to us already. There could be no greater confusion in my mind or delusion in my life than to imagine that I will enjoy holiness there and then if I’m not pursuing holiness here and now.”
Summary: “And it’s in these ways that Peter knocks down into the foundation of his gospel the great foundation stones of the sanctifying of Christian people:
God Himself, the Holy Trinity is devoted to it.God the Father has commanded us to pursue it.Christ the Son has died to effect it.The Spirit works in our lives to bring forth the fruit of it.God sends trials into our experiences in order to produce it.And heaven itself is a world that is full of it.And on these foundation stones our holiness may well be built.”
Foundation Stone #1: Our sanctification is the purpose of God, the Trinity. 1 Peter 1:1-2
“God has chosen you because He means to sanctify you . . . God’s people, saved by God’s Son, will be sanctified by God’s Spirit . . . this is what God has set His heart on since before the foundation of the world . . . the whole Triune Godhead devotes Himself to sanctifying Christian people . . . God the Trinity has determined to put all of His energies into making little, poor me like Jesus Christ.”
Foundation Stone #2: Our sanctification, or holiness, is the commandment of God the Father. 1 Peter 1:15-16
People will respond to our holiness similarly to how they react to God’s holiness because we are to be holy as He is holy . . . “Christian people who are becoming holy will always create a two-fold impact on those around them. Part of that impact will be . . . an irresistible attraction because here is life as it was meant to be lived, but also part of that will be at times an almost equally irresistible distaste for what belongs entirely to another world . . . When Peter got hold of this, it transformed the whole of his thinking about what holiness was, and he felt the weight of the commandment of God the Father.”
Foundation Stone #3: Our sanctification is the effect of the work of Christ the Savior. 1 Peter 1:17-19
“Our sense of the importance of holiness, and our incentive to grow in holiness will always be rooted in our understanding of and our appreciation for the work of Jesus Christ. Why should we live our lives as strangers here? Because we were redeemed, he says, by Jesus Christ.”
Foundation Stone #4: Our sanctification is the fruit of the Spirit’s ministry. 1 Peter 1:2, 3-5
We've been brought to new life through the Word, brought as adopted children who have an inheritance. “The Spirit is one brings us into God’s family and shares with us God’s nature . . . The reason we grow in holiness is that that is the chief family characteristic of the new family into which we have been born again by God’s Spirit and into which we have been adopted so that we share in this glorious inheritance.”
Foundation Stone #5: Our sanctification provides us with one of the great reasons for the trials of life. 1 Peter 1:6-7
“The great thing about God, Peter is saying, is that He is not slow to test the work that He is doing . . . Suffering is one of the chief instruments that God uses in the process of sanctifying His people. He throws them into the fire like gold being thrown into the refiner’s furnace in order on the one hand that the impurities may come to the surface and be dealt with, and also on the other hand in order that all the graces that He builds into our lives may be thoroughly cleansed and purified. And why does He do this? He does this because this is what He did with His Son. He made His Son everything He was through suffering (Hebrews 2). If the Holy One Jesus is made perfect for His life and service only through suffering, how much more is that likely to be true of unholy ones like ourselves? . . . If we are going to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, one of the instruments the Father will use in our lives is the purification of our lives through that suffering.”
Foundation Stone #6: Sanctification (holiness ) is our destiny in the world to come. 1 Peter 1:6-9
“He mentions this in several places, but especially when he emphasizes the grace and the glory that is to be revealed, the hope that is in our hearts of the future resurrection . . . that salvation is simply holiness completed . . . glory is the consummation of the sanctification that God has already begun . . . And there is surely no area of our thinking in which we can deceive ourselves than this: to imagine that we will be happy pursuing holiness in heaven if we are singularly unhappy pursuing holiness on earth. The Apostle Peter rather sees a great continuity between these two things. We rejoice in the prospect of the future because all the future will bring us will be a greater and more intense holiness than God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are bringing to us already. There could be no greater confusion in my mind or delusion in my life than to imagine that I will enjoy holiness there and then if I’m not pursuing holiness here and now.”
Summary: “And it’s in these ways that Peter knocks down into the foundation of his gospel the great foundation stones of the sanctifying of Christian people:
God Himself, the Holy Trinity is devoted to it.God the Father has commanded us to pursue it.Christ the Son has died to effect it.The Spirit works in our lives to bring forth the fruit of it.God sends trials into our experiences in order to produce it.And heaven itself is a world that is full of it.And on these foundation stones our holiness may well be built.”
September 6, 2012
When "Ministry" Trumps Community
I remember a little rhyme about the church from my younger years:
"Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the door and see all the people!"
We all know the Bible teaches us that the Church is not a brick and mortar building with a steeple on top, but a building built with "living stones" who are flesh and blood people (1 Peter 2:4-5). But sadly sometimes we care more about the steeple than the people, don't we? It's easy to let the organization become more important than the organism. Too often, we allow the so-called "ministry" of the church (the policies, programs, and property) take precedence over the real church . . . the community of God's people.
The Apostle Paul knew this problem all too well, and he addressed it in 1 Corinthians 12-14. But before we get to chapters 12-14, a little background will help set the stage: In the beginning chapters of his letter Paul acknowledged that the Corinthian church is “enriched in [Christ] in all speech and all knowledge . . . not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1 Corinthians 1:5, 7), but he also warned that they had allowed their gifts to become a source of division among them (1 Corinthians 1:10-12, 3:3, 4:7, 12:25, 14:12).
Two forms of pride were cropping up in the church: the obvious pride of those who think their gifts are not only most important but also the only ones needed (12:21-26), and the more subtle pride that looks like low self-esteem or humility, but is actually selfishly saying “if my gifts aren’t going to be noticed, I just won’t use them,” much like the school kid who says “If I can’t be the quarterback, I’ll just take my ball and go home” (12:15-20).
So, Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be a community unified by the gospel for the sake of their gospel mission (1:10-31, 3:1-23; 12:4-13, 12:25-27, 14:5, 12, and 25). Paul’s instructions reflect Jesus’ desire for the church to be unified, both in their relationships and their ministry, and so show the world the unified persons and purpose of the Trinity (see John 17:20-23). In essence, Paul was concerned that the church was putting “ministry” before relationship to the degree that the ministry (aided by the use of spiritual gifts) was fracturing the community and as a result was hindering true ministry.
Because of Paul’s earnest desire to see the Corinthian church become a unified community on mission, it is significant that he dropped chapter 13, the “love chapter,” smack dab in the middle of a discussion about the purpose and practice of spiritual gifts. Paul seems to be urging them to get their priorities in order: spiritual gifts are nothing without the spiritual fruit of love . . . because the mission TO love flows from a community OF love. It’s as if he’s saying to them, “Your lack of love for one another is thwarting the mission you’ve been given to share and show Trinitarian love to the world! Your spiritual gifts were meant to run on the fuel of loving service to God and others (13:1-3), but you’re using them to get God and others to serve you. Your spiritual gifts were given to you so that you might use them build up the entire body of Christ, but have allowed your concern for 'your' ministry to trump your concern for your brothers and sisters, thus destroying the body of Christ.” Ministry without community is noisy, empty, and unhelpful (13:1-3). In our day we might say “people ought to take priority over programs.”
In the first half of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that the spiritual gifts are pointless without love, and find their power in love (13:1-3). In the second half of the chapter he says that the gifts are partial, while love is permanent (13:7-13). The heart of chapter 13 is verses 4-7, a beautiful description of Trinitarian love as it is expressed in human relationships. Loving one another is the priority, Paul says. Jesus didn’t say, “A new command I give to you, make sure your spiritual gifts get used and noticed,” but rather “A new command I give to you, love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). Nor did he say “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you are recognized for your ministry gifts,” but rather “if you have love for one another.”
Are today’s churches like the church in Corinth, too often willing to sacrifice community for the sake of successful "ministry”? The American church is gifted, no doubt, but how are we with relationships? Are we in danger of spending lots of time and effort creating and designing programs that run well while leaving little time or energy to disciple people who relate well? Perhaps it's time we begin to measure the quality of our church's ministry by the quality of our church's community.
We all know the Bible teaches us that the Church is not a brick and mortar building with a steeple on top, but a building built with "living stones" who are flesh and blood people (1 Peter 2:4-5). But sadly sometimes we care more about the steeple than the people, don't we? It's easy to let the organization become more important than the organism. Too often, we allow the so-called "ministry" of the church (the policies, programs, and property) take precedence over the real church . . . the community of God's people.
The Apostle Paul knew this problem all too well, and he addressed it in 1 Corinthians 12-14. But before we get to chapters 12-14, a little background will help set the stage: In the beginning chapters of his letter Paul acknowledged that the Corinthian church is “enriched in [Christ] in all speech and all knowledge . . . not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1 Corinthians 1:5, 7), but he also warned that they had allowed their gifts to become a source of division among them (1 Corinthians 1:10-12, 3:3, 4:7, 12:25, 14:12).
Two forms of pride were cropping up in the church: the obvious pride of those who think their gifts are not only most important but also the only ones needed (12:21-26), and the more subtle pride that looks like low self-esteem or humility, but is actually selfishly saying “if my gifts aren’t going to be noticed, I just won’t use them,” much like the school kid who says “If I can’t be the quarterback, I’ll just take my ball and go home” (12:15-20).
So, Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be a community unified by the gospel for the sake of their gospel mission (1:10-31, 3:1-23; 12:4-13, 12:25-27, 14:5, 12, and 25). Paul’s instructions reflect Jesus’ desire for the church to be unified, both in their relationships and their ministry, and so show the world the unified persons and purpose of the Trinity (see John 17:20-23). In essence, Paul was concerned that the church was putting “ministry” before relationship to the degree that the ministry (aided by the use of spiritual gifts) was fracturing the community and as a result was hindering true ministry.
Because of Paul’s earnest desire to see the Corinthian church become a unified community on mission, it is significant that he dropped chapter 13, the “love chapter,” smack dab in the middle of a discussion about the purpose and practice of spiritual gifts. Paul seems to be urging them to get their priorities in order: spiritual gifts are nothing without the spiritual fruit of love . . . because the mission TO love flows from a community OF love. It’s as if he’s saying to them, “Your lack of love for one another is thwarting the mission you’ve been given to share and show Trinitarian love to the world! Your spiritual gifts were meant to run on the fuel of loving service to God and others (13:1-3), but you’re using them to get God and others to serve you. Your spiritual gifts were given to you so that you might use them build up the entire body of Christ, but have allowed your concern for 'your' ministry to trump your concern for your brothers and sisters, thus destroying the body of Christ.” Ministry without community is noisy, empty, and unhelpful (13:1-3). In our day we might say “people ought to take priority over programs.”
In the first half of 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that the spiritual gifts are pointless without love, and find their power in love (13:1-3). In the second half of the chapter he says that the gifts are partial, while love is permanent (13:7-13). The heart of chapter 13 is verses 4-7, a beautiful description of Trinitarian love as it is expressed in human relationships. Loving one another is the priority, Paul says. Jesus didn’t say, “A new command I give to you, make sure your spiritual gifts get used and noticed,” but rather “A new command I give to you, love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34-35). Nor did he say “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you are recognized for your ministry gifts,” but rather “if you have love for one another.”
Are today’s churches like the church in Corinth, too often willing to sacrifice community for the sake of successful "ministry”? The American church is gifted, no doubt, but how are we with relationships? Are we in danger of spending lots of time and effort creating and designing programs that run well while leaving little time or energy to disciple people who relate well? Perhaps it's time we begin to measure the quality of our church's ministry by the quality of our church's community.
September 3, 2012
Real Grace for Family Life (1 Peter 3:1-7)
The latest sermon in my 1 Peter series is now online.
Click the sermon title to listen or download: "Real Grace for Family Life"
Click the sermon title to listen or download: "Real Grace for Family Life"
