Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:13-15
In this passage we get some ideas of what the Church should be. First of all, it's a household. It makes me think of a family. As Christians, the church is a place where the family gets together and does the "one anothers"
POSITIVE COMMANDS Love one another (John 13:34 - This command occurs at least 16 times) Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10) Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10) Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16) Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5) Accept one another (Romans 15:7) Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16) Greet one another (Romans 16:16) Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25) Serve one another (Galatians 5:13) Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2) Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13) Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13) Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25) Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32) Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19) Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5) Consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3) Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4) Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13) Teach one another (Colossians 3:16) Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18) Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13) Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24) Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9) Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10) Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5) Pray for one another (James 5:16) Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
NEGATIVE COMMANDS (how not to treat one another) Do not lie to one another (Colossians 3:9) Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13) If you keep on biting and devouring each other...you'll be destroyed by each other (Galatians 5:15) Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26) Do not slander one another (James 4:11) Don't grumble against each other (James 5:9)
When Paul says, "Those who serve well get an excellent standing...", maybe he is referring to their role in the family of God. When my family gets together for Thanksgiving, I get to be the one that sits at the head of the table, blesses the food and the people, and oversees the day. The elders and deacons get to be in charge of the one anothering.
Secondly, it's called "The church of the living God." In other words, the church is a place where God shows up. Do we go to church with the expectation of His presence? When we do corporate singing and prayer are we focusing in our minds that He is there and we are talking to Him, adoring Him, praising Him, magnifying Him, glorifying Him, or are our minds elsewhere? Are we honoring God with our lips but our hearts are far from Him? I think so many people focus on the preaching but the first part is like an intro or a prelude to the message. The church is half full when the singing starts and people trickle in during the worship. We should be there early in eager anticipation of the Living God being in our midst!
Lastly, the church is "the pillar and foundation of the truth". In other words the Church is a place where we learn the truth. The elder who has shown himself to be in excellent standing has the privilege and responsibility of opening God's word, which is truth, and sharing its' depths. When we leave the church service, we should have been challenged by the truth that we are in the world but not of it and live accordingly. We should be convicted of how far we fall short of the Holiness of God yet with a growing appreciation of His grace and mercy and a stronger desire to please Him flowing from that not from guilt. And it should encourage us to privately grow in our relationship with God and not selfishly withhold the cure for all mankind.
This is the purpose of the church from 1 Timothy 3. So vital! Are you in one?
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