4 Pillars of the Church: Doctrine, cont'd
The 4 Pillars of the Church: Doctrine, cont’d, or It Takes All Kinds of Kinds
Last week we began our look at the final pillar—doctrine. It is the pillar that keeps the others balanced in our lives, and so we explored its relationship to Worship and Mission. Unfortunately, we did not have time for Fellowship, so today, let us look at how learning more about Christ can help us live in fellowship better.
Before we begin, I wanted to share a story. You see last week, Brandy and I were discussing the next series following this look at the 4 Pillars. We will be gone next week, so she suggested I should share the story of St. Valentine in honor of his day today rather than begin a new series right away. To be honest, I had no desire to do such a thing, one because we’re Baptist—we don’t do ‘saints’—and two, Valentine’s Day is not on my list of favorite holidays—I am horrible about being romantic, and I taught High School for entirely too many Valentine’s Days. But the story of Saint Valentine brings up an interesting observation.
We have come to celebrate this beloved saint with cards, hearts, and puppy dog romance. It is Hallmark’s second favorite holiday. (No “12 Days of Valentine’s Day,”Hallmark?) Ask any teenager and, if they even know it’s for a saint, they’ll probably have some story about it being made for love. Here is the short version of the Tale of Saint Valentine.
Around 270 AD, Emperor Claudius II of Rome re-enacted an old law that forbade soldiers from getting married. At the same time, he began what amounted to a draft in order to raise the number of soldiers in the Roman armies. He wanted to continue a series of campaigns across Europe, but there was a shortage of available men. (Rodney Stark has a compelling case for why this was so, but that’s another story.) At the time, also, many Christians were pacifists, wanting nothing to do with the army. Not only did they seek peace rather than war, but serving in the Roman military was inextricably linked to emperor worship and pagan worship. Well, with Claudius II’s new decrees, the only way for men to avoid serving was to be married before they were drafted, but Claudius had also put a damper on the ability of churches and temples to perform weddings. So, young Christian men would seek out wives in order to be married before they could be drafted, and then go to Valentine to perform what amounted to an illegal wedding.
It didn’t take too long for Claudius to catch word of this romantic rebel, and so he had Valentine arrested and sentenced to be beaten with clubs and his head cut off.
Now, some will tell you Valentine is honored for his allegiance to love and helping young couples live together rather than being torn apart by an emperor’s desire for conquest. But the truth is, Valentine was martyred for helping Christians live as better Christians. Helping them get married was just one act. He also went to those who had been arrested and ministered to them in the prisons. At the time of Claudius II, any aid toward a known Christian was illegal. Valentine was arrested and beheaded for his many acts of kindness toward his brothers and sisters.
So, I suppose my wife was right (again) in suggesting we look at the story of Saint Valentine. Valentine was martyred for following the very commands Christ gave us. His relationships and fellowship with his Christian family was more important to him than his very life.
Today, let’s finish looking at the 4 Pillars with our last look at Doctrine and how it informs our fellowship, and love, for one another.
Once again, we begin with Matthew 28:18-20 in order to remember the context of our series.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The ‘Doctrine’ Pillar is this part of the Great Commission, teaching disciples to observe all that Jesus commanded. And it is noteworthy, as I have said before, that the majority of the New Testament has to do with how Christians relate to other Christians. This is one reason I chose to break up ‘Doctrine’ into two parts. In fact, we could spend probably the rest of the year on what the Bible says concerning the topic of our fellowship. Come to think of it, every week is really about learning more of our relationship with God and how that affects our relationship with one another!
But for today, we are going to look at how doctrine affects our fellowship in light of Spiritual Gifts. The Holy Spirit gives every believer a set of gifts which are used to build up the Body of Christ—the Church. The more we learn about these gifts, and the more we learn how to use these gifts, the better we live with one another.
To begin, let’s return to Romans 12. The first two verses will remind us of last’s weeks lessons, and then we can continue reading the chapter for the main point:
Learning doctrine helps us to live together better.
The reason learning doctrine helps is because it helps us live together better. Today, we will look at three aspects of this fact:
We learn to live as individuals better.
We learn to serve together better.
We learn to lead better.
We learn to live together better—fellowship.
Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Before we continue reading, let’s look again at this pivotal verse. Paul is telling us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, which is our “spiritual worship,” or you may have “reasonable worship.” That adjective which Paul uses to describe this type of worship is logikos which shares the same root as logos, the word used for the Word of God. There is quite a bit of Greek baggage with this term, but the gist of it is Paul is telling the Romans what the highest form of worship truly is. For the Greeks and Romans, the goal of their philosophers was to develop and discover the highest form of reason. They believed what separated man from the animals was his ability to use reason. For a culture addicted to reason, Paul is saying, “If you truly want to use your brain for good, do not be like this world, be like Jesus!”
Learning doctrine is a step toward renewing our minds and becoming more like Christ.
The remaining chapters in Romans center on how Christians can be more like Christ. For today, we will only look at verses 3-8, but notice the first thing Paul says in describing how to become more like Christ.
Living as individuals better
Romans 12:3-8
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
First, Paul tells us to think of ourselves as we actually are—not as we may wish we were. Notice the measure of a person is the measure of their faith.
We are only as good as our faith in God.
At the end of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher summarizes his findings. After seeking wealth, pleasure, and wisdom, at the end of his life, this is what he concludes:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The end of the matter, all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Ecclesiastes is a sobering book to study, because it reminds us our wealth is fine, but it will pass away like everything else. The pleasures of this world are fine, but they don’t last nor do they bring fulfillment. Even wisdom and knowledge are useful, but they will not fulfill the soul. To balance our sermon today, it helps to look at the preceding verse. The Preacher says, “much study is weariness to the flesh.” Learning is highly useful, but even spending too much time in study is burdensome.
So, no, wealth is not the measure of a person. Ability to enjoy life and all its pleasure is not the measure of a person. And knowledge can help you win Jeopardy!, but it does not make you a better person. We measure ourselves based on the measure of faith we have in Christ. The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. Everything else in this life is gravy.
Now, how do we fulfill our duty? Paul turns to the spiritual gifts.
Each of us has been given a set of gifts to use in the Body of Christ. “Thinking of ourselves with sober judgement” entails understanding our role in the Body of Christ. It is not a matter of who is better or more important, but who is gifted to do what. Paul lists 7 here, each as necessary as another.
Prophecy: the ability speak on behalf of God. This gift is used ‘in proportion to faith.’ The stronger the faith, the stronger the prophetic gift. Now, prophecy can be either ‘foretelling’ or ‘forthtelling.’ For the Christian to head into the supernatural realm of prophecy requires far greater faith than most people are comfortable with. But, even the novice prophet can look at the Bible and say, “This is what God has said to us.”
Service: the ability to provide for others when others step out. Everyone can serve in some way, but there are those who are gifted to serve in ways the rest of us shy away from. Do you need convincing that it takes a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit to enable people to serve? Just ask who would be willing to serve in the nursery.
Teaching: the ability to impart knowledge in a way others understand. Do you understand the mysteries of the Christian faith? Have you dug deep into the wonders of God? Excellent! Now explain them to a five year old. The Lord has specially equipped some for the purpose of teaching.
Exhortation: the ability to encourage and build up others. I find it interesting that serving, teaching, and exhorting are typically found working together in the best of humans. Exhortation is probably a gift in which we are in dire need for today. It is not just ‘encouragement.’ It is helping others find the best in themselves and encouraging them to share it with the world. It is the coach who drives his team to become the champions he knew they were all along.
Giving: the ability to concern yourself with the needs of others over your own. It takes a measure of faith to give, and the larger the faith the more generous the person is able to give. When the truth of Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want” sinks into the soul, we become more generous. I can give what God calls me to give, because He will take care of me.
Leading: the ability to administrate a group or organization. People love the flashy, charismatic leader whose presence can command the magazine rack, but it is the gifted leader that keeps things working. The one who can handle the logistics and problem-solve the issues that everyone else ignores is the one God calls to lead with zeal.
Mercy: the ability to empathize with those around you. It is difficult enough for humans to show empathy with other people, but it takes a supernatural gifting from the Holy Spirit for us to empathize joyfully.
Now, before we move on to our next list, notice that in each of these gifts, Christians are called to display them to some degree. Each of us are called to listen to the voice of God and share that message. Each are called to serve in some capacity. Though James warns us not to jump too quickly at becoming a teacher, each of us are to teach our children at a minimum. Likewise, all of us can encourage, give, lead and show mercy to some. What is exceptional about spiritual gifts is that God has given us varying measures of these gifts. Some of these we may find easy, but others will be difficult. That is why Jesus calls us to be ‘perfect,’ because we will lack some of these, but we can lean on other Christians to help us grow in these gifts.
Learning to exercise your spiritual gifts helps grow our faith and shows other Christians how they can grow in their faith.
I did not realize how little mercy I had in my life until I watched one of mentors demonstrate great mercy in her life. I learned to give sacrificially by watching older Christians give. I learned to build others up when others built me up. We all must learn these skillsets to grow in our faith, and praise the Lord for sending gifted Christians in our lives to help us see the way its done.
Serving together better
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Here Paul has listed 8 gifts which help us further understand how God gifts believers and helps us grow together. Notice in Romans the gifts are listed under the main point of individual believers understanding their own status. The Roman capital was a hotbed of self-service and seeking honor at the expense of those under you. Corinth had a similar problem, but Paul is addressing a church at the height of its disfunction. In Corinthians, Paul is listing the gifts as part of his argument they need to cooperate better.
Learning to exercise your spiritual gifts helps the church function better as a unit.
Notice how he begins the list in verses 4 & 5—“same Spirit…same Lord.” We are one people under one Lord given a variety of gifts in order to accomplish His mission for us.
Utterance of Wisdom: the ability to give a better course of action in a given circumstance.
Utterance of knowledge: the ability to speak new information into a situation.
These two gifts are similar, but the difference between the two is the subtle difference between knowledge and wisdom. We live in an age where knowledge is fairly easy to come by. What this age lacks is wisdom—the ability to take that knowledge and develop a beneficial course of action. But notice the same Spirit gives both gifts. That means the same Lord who gave the world the Internet is the same Lord who can help us tame it.
Faith. Have you ever thought of faith as a gift? It really is the key to all the gifts, but it is also the ability to trust God equally in the calm and the storm. Consider how calming to our own fears and doubts it is when we come across the quiet faith of the gifted Christian.
Gifts of healing: Be sure to note that ‘gifts’ is plural. God has gifted many Christians with a variety of healing abilities, so no, this is not talking about ‘faith-healers.’ Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.” Adrian Rogers once said, “Jesus said if you’re sick, go to the doctor. I think that’s pretty good advice.” Whether your heart, head, or body is busted, God has given someone around you a gift to help you out.
Miracle working: being a vessel for God to do the supernatural. Does God still work miracles? Absolutely! Does He do it all the time and put on a good show for all to see when He does? Not normally…and biblically speaking, you usually didn’t want to be around when it happened. The parting of the Red Sea, the 10 plagues, when the earth opened up in the wilderness…these were all amazing miracles to watch, I’m sure…unless you were an Egyptian. Or think of the time Elijah called fire down from heaven. I’ll bet that was some sight for the Israelites…not so much for the prophets of Baal.
In all seriousness though, it is also helpful to recognize the pattern of God’s miracles. They are far more frequent around the times when God is about to transform the world. The miracles in the Bible are grouped together at specific times—the time of Moses, the time of Jesus, and in Revelation we see many miracles at the climax of this age. When we begin to see a heavy increase of miracle activity (actual miracles), you can bet the clock toward Jesus’ Return is about to run out.
Paul once again lists prophecy, but he also lists ability to distinguish between spirits. Discernment is another important gift for our time. There are lots of good things in this world, and there is much to celebrate and use for God’s glory. Unfortunately, there are also spirits who would abuse those good things and drag us away from God’s plan for us. Many times it is not enough to distinguish between the good and the bad. It takes gifted Christians to help us distinguish between the good and God’s actual calling.
He then lists tongues and interpreting tongues. These have come under more scrutiny in the last 100 years because of the Pentecostal movement. I have two simple remarks. First, God does gift linguistic abilities to Christians, and I have heard missionaries speak about times when language barriers disappeared miraculously. Does God still use the gift of tongues. Yes, but God does not gloat about His abilities like pagan demons. Second, has much to say about speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians, but the short version is this: Don’t be so quick to concern yourself with speaking in tongues when there is much more constructive uses of your time.
The remainder of the chapter, and really the entire letter, is Paul directing the Corinthians to use their gifts in order to benefit and build up the church. Rather than fighting with each other, they are called to love one another. God has given them special abilities to work as a cohesive unit, and Paul tells them to quit squandering their gifts!
So, from Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, we see two lists of spiritual gifts with a very similar message. The Romans wanted to be the most honored in others’ eyes (a flaw that continued into church history…ahem), so Paul is explaining the gifts from the vantage point of “Know your place.” The Corinthians were a highly dysfunctional people, so Paul explains the gifts from the vantage point of “Work together!” Our last list is in Ephesians, and Paul gives only four gifts. These four are named, because they represent the different types of church leaders. Paul wants the Ephesians to pay attention to sound doctrine and listen to their leaders. Let’s read it now.
Leading better
Ephesians 4:11-16
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Apostles: Leader with the appointed task of starting new churches. We tend to shy away from calling anyone today an ‘apostle’, and rightfully so. However, we still have those with an apostle-like gifting. We call them ‘church planters.’ These are guys whom God uses to begin new churches and plants, but they rarely will stay in one congregation for very long. Many missionaries have this gifting as they go into completely lost areas to bring the light of the Gospel.
Prophets: Leader with the appointed task of directing the local church through the Word of God. Again, rarely do we find someone willing to call themselves ‘prophet,’ but God continues to speak to His people through appointed mouth-pieces. They may or may not lead a congregation, but their gift and appointing is not in their title—it is from their God.
Evangelists: Leader with the appointed task of reaching lost people. Unfortunately, many false teachers have tainted the title of evangelist, but the fact remains God has especially equipped some for the task of reaching the lost. Again, they may never hold an official title, but the true evangelist isn’t worried about titles. He is concerned with souls.
Shepherd Teacher: Leader with the appointed task of teaching and building the local church. This last one, you may have heard, tends to be regarded as a compound—pastor-teacher, rather than pastor and teacher. It’s possible to argue either from the Greek, but it helps to also consider the role of a pastor and the role of a teacher. There are many things a pastor must be able to do, and teaching is one of those things. There are many things a teacher must be able to do, but pastoring is not necessarily one of those. But, if we consider this list as leadership gifting, and not official titles, then it makes sense to put together in the Greek. It is the gifting to help people along in their faith journey.
In fact, Paul is specifically telling the Ephesians to walk in unity growing in Christ together. God has given the Church leaders to help the Church grow into unity. These four are the types of leaders Christians should look for in their midsts, so that the church can grow properly.
So, as we conclude our series, consider these lists of gifts. Where have you seen God use you already in these areas? What gifts do you lack? When we discover where God has gifted us, and where we lack, the next step is not to avoid attempting those tasks. It is to partner with someone who is gifted in that area and help them accomplish a ministry together.
The Church has been given the task of reaching nations by making disciples, baptizing them in Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all the commands of Christ. This task will not be accomplished by some super Christian, or a group of God’s elite. It will be accomplished by every single Christian using their God-given gifts in unity. If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, today is the day to discover your gifts and get to work!