Chapter 7: Community Sermon-Testing

Genuine fellowship fosters accountability in the church. And accountability is an important aspect of preserving both the practical righteousness (Matt 18:15–17) and the doctrinal purity of the church. Regarding the latter, we sermon-listeners have a responsibility to be involved in community sermon-testing. The Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). In other words, we are charged with the task of checking the content of any man’s teaching to confirm its biblicity.  In 1 John 4:1, the word “Beloved” is plural and the two imperatives, “do not believe” and “test,” are both second person plural commands. The point being that the entire church has the responsibility to evaluate the preaching. This is a corporate responsibility.

We often trust that our pastor has done his study and his teaching can be trusted. And if you’re in an evangelical, Bible-teaching church which places a high priority on expository preaching derived from literal, contextual, grammatical exegesis, then you can trust your pastor has the same conviction as you do. But that doesn’t remove our sermon-listening responsibility when it comes to testing the spirits. As a community of Christians concerned about sound doctrine, we’re to respond to sermons like the faithful Bereans of Acts 17:11, examining the Scriptures to ensure the teaching is correct.

It’s not sufficient to be passive in the sermon event, because a faithful pulpit is as much dependent upon a faithful congregation as it is dependent upon a faithful pastor.

So we’re responsible to conduct community-wide discernment, but be careful to not let this process stray into demanding that your preferences also be taught. Some Christians become overly pedantic on every little side issue that they can’t seem to get along with anyone. This isn’t testing for biblical accuracy in the essentials—it’s expecting preferential agreement in the non-essentials.

Tim Challies counsels us wisely:

Christian fellowship is an integral part of the Christian life and one that we are not free to ignore. And yet many people who emphasize discernment find themselves increasingly unhappy in their local churches and may soon find themselves hiding away, either participating only grudgingly or attempting to replace church with sermons on CD or downloaded from the Internet. But discernment does not give us license to ignore Christian fellowship and to separate ourselves from other believers. A discerning person will know and affirm the value of the local church, of accountability, and of Christian fellowship. He will heed the words of Hebrews 10:24–25.[1]

How then do we know what is important and what isn’t? Which truths do we vigorously defend?  Which areas of disagreement do we choose to just live with? When should we leave a church? When should we stay? Al Mohler suggests that when it comes to upholding doctrinal truth, it’s necessary to acknowledge three levels of agreement and/or disagreement.[2] For instance, first-level doctrines are those that are fundamental and essential to the Christian faith. These include doctrines such as the full deity and humanity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of atonement, and essentials such as justification by faith alone. Where such doctrines are compromised, the Christian faith fails. If community sermon-testing is practiced and there are enough people in the church who agree that the pastor has compromised in these essential doctrines then you will be able to replace your pastor. Of course, this process will need to be led wisely by the elders of the church. But, if after conducting fair evaluation, you believe your pastor and elders are in heretical agreement in these first-level doctrines, you must leave the church. Sheep can’t live in the same pen as wolves, else they’re devoured.

Second-level doctrines are those that are essential to church life and necessary for the ordering of the local church, but in themselves, do not define the gospel. That is to say, one may hold to a different doctrine at this level and still be fully accepted as a believing Christian. Nevertheless, such doctrines are directly related to how the church is organized and its ministry is fulfilled. Doctrines at this level include those such as believer’s baptism versus infant baptism. Those in either camp can acknowledge each other as genuine Christians, even though these differences have such immediate practical implications that it would be difficult to function together in a single church. In such cases, if you’re an elder or ministry leader you may be able to have some influence in bringing about necessary discussions and eventually see change toward biblical understanding, but this needs to be done with great patience and wisdom. If there’s no chance of change, then it may be best to attend a different church more in line with your own biblically-defined conviction, if one exists in your area.

Third-level doctrines are those that may lead to fruitful theological discussion and debate, but don’t threaten the fellowship of Christians within a congregation. For example, Christians who agree on an entire range of theological issues and doctrines may disagree over the timing and sequence of events related to Christ’s return. Yet such debates, while still deeply important because of their biblical nature and connection to the gospel, don’t constitute a ground for separation among believing Christians. When it comes to defending doctrine at this third-level, our argumentation can be robust and full of conviction, but we should never create division over such issues. Genuine love for one another and the desire for Christian fellowship should be able to handle this kind of diversity.

Wisdom is required to determine which category of doctrinal agreement and/or disagreement your particular concerns fall into. This is why you don’t want to undertake the discussion alone. Allow the community-testing aspect of Christian fellowship to assist you. Ultimately, you’ll need to rest on your own convictions after studying Scripture, but make sure you test your understanding in the public arena before you make a serious move.

Summary

Sermons are meant to be heard in the context of a gathering of believers. That’s where there is mutual accountability and genuine Christian fellowship. We need to make it a priority to be there to hear the Word of God, and encourage others to be there with us so that we can hear the Word together. Left to our own devices we might not want to hear the Word of God corporately. It takes humility to acknowledge we’re still learning, still imperfect, still confessing sin, still needing help, still learning to love others and to love God. We must pray for a deep love for our fellow Christians and a Spirit-given desire to sit together under God’s Word.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve covered some of the biblical mandates concerning sermon-listening and fellowship. In the weeks to come, we’ll discuss practical ways in which to carry out these commitments. Keep reading. This is where the rubber actually hits the road.

Questions for Group Discussion

1.     Find some New Testament commands in your Bible and determine whether they’re singular or plural imperatives. Use Bible software to do this. Discuss the implications of your findings.

2.     Look around the room and tell each person why they’re needed in the church. Reflect on each other’s spiritual gifts and ministry strengths. And when someone expresses their appreciation for your spiritual gifts, respond by telling them how you are (or, plan to be) involved in the church.

3.     Discuss which “one another” commands you struggle to apply in your own life. Pray for one another in this regard.

4.     Read Acts 2:42-47 and discuss the elements of fellowship in which you can grow.

5.     Do you love to hear preaching? Discuss your commitment to listen to Bible-centered sermons in church.

6.     Do you listen to sermons ready to be trained? Do you see yourself as a student of God’s Word? Is your approach academic or practical? Discuss how you might be better positioned to take advantage of the equipping ministry of your pastor.

7.     As a group, how do you encourage your pastor to preach sound doctrine? Discuss how community sermon-testing can be carried out to either support your faithful pastor or confront an unfaithful one.

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[1] Tim Challies, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2007), 150.

[2] The three levels of doctrinal agreement and/or disagreement are offered by Albert R. Mohler, He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2008), 109–11.

Chapter 6: A God-Designed Church Is a Training Center

So-called church growth experts draw on statistical data, business methodologies, survey information, marketing strategies, and personal experience to plan the progress and success of local churches. Ministerial competition drives pastors and church leaders to employ all manner of secular techniques in order to keep up with the “success-storied” churches down the road. Sadly, there’s great temptation to treat New Testament church-growth principles as if they’re passé, outdated ideas of a bygone era and move onto more progressive church-growth theories designed to meet the needs of a technologically advanced time. As a result, even the goals and purposes of the church can be lost in the milieu of trendy ideas that come and go. What is the church to be about? How did God design it to function?

The Apostle Paul defines one aspect of church-growth in his letter to the Ephesian church:

And [God] gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Eph 4:11–16).

Note in this passage that God has provided the church with leaders. These leaders exist for the purpose of equipping the saints. Today, this is seen most significantly in the ministry of the pastor-teacher whose task it is to train people to serve in the church. As the saints are equipped to serve in the church the body of Christ is built up. This is an ongoing process—it continues until every believer knows Christ, is mature in Christ, and looks like Christ. Church-growth is all about becoming like Christ and the pastor-teacher’s task is to equip saints until they attain this goal.

Note also that the instrument of this training is doctrine. That is how the fully trained believer can stand strong in the face of false teaching. His faith is fully informed by sound doctrine. He’s been trained to discern truth from error. He’ll not be tricked by crafty heretics who couch their anti-gospel, anti-Christ, and anti-biblical philosophies in “Christian” terminology. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15), but the mature and fully equipped saint recognizes false teaching and is able to avoid its deceitfulness. Instead of succumbing to error, the equipped believer speaks the truth in love, and in doing so, both the individual and the corporate body of Christ grows up and is built up in love.

Unfortunately, some Christians don’t view themselves as learners. The idea of being trained is humiliating to them. They’re either too comfortable with their current spiritual state and level of obedience, or they’re too proud to admit that they have further to go in the process of becoming like Christ. Either way they refuse to acknowledge the pastor-saint relationship is also a teacher-student relationship. They argue that the church isn’t meant to be a classroom. Underneath, they simply don’t want to be tested on their knowledge of God.

Now of course, the church isn’t a lecture hall and church services don’t end with written examinations. And it’s true that our pastor is much more than just a teacher. He’s a shepherd, a worship leader, a father figure, a counselor, a reformer, a priest, an evangelist, and a chaplain. But don’t overlook his role as a trainer-equipper. Since God has gifted us with pastor-teachers, we must see ourselves as learner-trainees and we should listen to our pastor’s sermons with that in mind. If we want to grow, we need to maximize the sermon event by purposefully listening as a trainee who desires to learn how to better serve the body of Christ.

Note also the context of this relationship in Ephesians 4. The “saints” are to be equipped—the “body of Christ” is to be built up—and, these activities continue until “we all” become mature, like Christ. The context is the church where believers gather, learn, and fellowship together. Speaking the truth in love necessitates a community of believers where speaking and loving can occur. Christians can’t grow when they isolate themselves, so we need to learn and apply biblical truth alongside other Christians. Therefore, we must submit ourselves to the equipping ministry of a faithful pastor-teacher.

C. J. Mahaney believes,

When personal issues spring up in a believer’s life, there is no substitute for the anointed and discerning care of a pastor who has been entrusted with that soul (1 Pet 5:2–3). However, in a world of television ministries, Christian counseling centers, and mission agencies, we can easily forget that God has called pastors to be our primary source of spiritual oversight.[1]

So when you attend church this coming Sunday, see your pastor as your equipper—your trainer. View yourself as a trainee. And view your Christian friends and your family as fellow trainees. You’re all there to be equipped to serve in the context of the church. You’re there to learn. God has given you your pastor for this very purpose. He’s God’s gift to you all. This is God’s design for the church.

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[1] C. J. Mahaney, Why Small Groups? Together toward Maturity (Gaithersburg, MD: Sovereign Grace Ministries, 1996), 103.

Chapter 5: Let The Sermon Be

Years ago, I sat in an auditorium full of Christian college students waiting for a visiting preacher to arrive. The preacher was Chuck Swindoll. We heard a distant rumble and turned to the rear of the building to see a leather-clad man ride into the auditorium on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The “Sermonator” had arrived. He preached the Bible that day to a group of 800 students. Our lives came under the power of the preached-Word. It was a great sermon, not because of the unusual entrance, but because he opened the Bible, explained the text, and encouraged us to apply its truths to our lives. God spoke to us that day through His servant.

But there are some today who argue that preaching is dangerous and shouldn’t be practiced. In spite of the fact that Jesus Himself preached to multitudes, just as many other men did throughout Scripture, these Emergent Church leaders believe that one-way communication—monologue—namely, a sermon—isn’t appropriate for today’s audience. In his book Preaching Re-Imagined, Doug Pagitt argues, “Preaching doesn't work,”[1] “Preaching is a tragically broken endeavor,”[2] “Preaching suffers from a relationship problem,”[3] “Speaching damages our people,”[4] and “to make a regular practice of speaching may well be an act of relational violence, one that is detrimental to the very communities we are seeking to nurture.”[5] Pagitt replaces preaching with progressional dialogue—a conversation between people that discovers truth in the moment.

The dustcover of Pagitt’s book reveals his misplaced presuppositions. The front cover depicts a man shouting through a megaphone at a disinterested person—a picture of so-called dysfunctional preaching. The back cover shows the same man on a sofa listening to the formerly disinterested person—a picture of progressional dialogue. Unfortunately, the dustcover presents a false dichotomy. Shouting through a megaphone at a disinterested person is not at all a fair picture of what preaching is, and sitting on a couch listening to someone is not an accurate picture of preaching either. Read any biblical account of a sermon preached by Moses, Jesus, Peter or Paul and neither of these two images come to mind. That’s because neither picture represents the preaching which took place in the Bible, nor do they fairly represent the great preaching which is practiced in many good churches today.

Pagitt’s Emergent book claims that preaching needs to be re-imagined. But what it really does is treat biblical preaching with disdain. Pagitt fires the sermon and hires pseudo-fellowship. He propagates the idea that conversation is all that is needed in the church.

Now, of course fellowship is important, but it’s a fellowship that works in tandem with sermon-listening, not one that replaces sermon-listening. As already seen in Acts 2:42, the early church devoted themselves to “the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Each of these elements are critical to the other. We should never give more attention to one while neglecting the other three. We need to be committed to all.

The following commands make the preaching of God’s Word a necessity in every church today:

·      Jesus commanded His disciples, “Going therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28:19–20).

·      Paul instructed Timothy, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim 4:13).

·      In his second letter to Timothy, Paul said, “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2), and “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim 4:1–2).

·      Paul instructed Titus, “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).

·      In the Jerusalem church, the Apostles said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:1–4).

·      Paul taught, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14).

These commands and the example of every preacher in the Bible lead us to conclude that preaching is vital in the life of the church, and therefore listening to preaching is equally as important. Jesus preached sermons and thousands of people listened. Don’t be fooled by those who tell us Jesus practiced “progressional dialogue.” He didn’t. He preached to the crowds with authority and they listened and responded to His words. Throughout the Bible, preaching is the medium God used to engage His people and nothing has changed. Let the sermon be.

Do you embrace sermon-listening as a primary responsibility in the church? Do you allow that preaching to form the basis of your fellowship activities? May our communal response to preaching be just as God designed it to be.

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[1] Doug Pagitt, Preaching Re-Imagined: The Role of the Sermon in Communities of Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 2005), 18.

[2] Ibid., 19.

[3] Ibid., 21.

[4] Ibid., 22.

[5] Ibid., 25–26.

Chapter 4: Interconnected Lives

In Acts 2:42, Doctor Luke says the Christians in the Jerusalem church were “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These were the four essential activities of church life—learning, partnership, eating together, and prayer. But just to identify these four activities is insufficient—note also their constancy. The early church believers devoted themselves to these practices “continually.” They didn’t compartmentalize their Christian experience. They didn’t live out the “one anothers” on just one day a week. There were constantly involved in corporate Christian activity.

They learned together. Remember that the New Testament manuscripts hadn’t yet been penned. The saints couldn’t conduct personal Bible study on subjects such as the gospel and the purpose of the church. Instead, they gathered and listened to preaching. They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching. It was a communal affair. Steve Lawson observes, “These spiritual babies—all three thousand of them—were constantly coming to the apostles to be fed spiritual truth. There was no need for gospel gimmicks or spiritual sideshows to entice them to come, for these starving souls were craving the pure milk of the Word.”[1]

Rather than run to the mountains to discover private spirituality these saints ran to public preaching. They regularly gathered in order to position themselves under the sound of God’s Word and to be transformed by it. They knew the repetitive washing of God’s preached Word was the key to their cleansing. They understood that frequent feasting on hearty servings of God’s preached Word would cause spiritual growth.

Are you following their example? Are you continually being exposed to Bible preaching? While you may remember a handful of memorable sermons that transformed your thinking, it’s actually through the constant, week-in-week-out preaching of God's Word that lasting change really happens. Christopher Ash explains,

The Bible is not designed to give me a series of instant fixes. It is God’s instrument to shape and mould my mind and my character into the likeness of Christ. And that takes time. . . . So we need, not a random series of sermon fixes, but to sit together regularly, week by week, under the systematically preached word of God. And as we are taken through the teaching of the Bible by patient exposition, gradually Christlikeness is worked in our characters, our affections, our desires, our decisions and our lives.[2]

That’s why Peter says, “Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you” (2 Pet 1:12). It’s that constant reminder to us of who God is, what the gospel is, and how we ought to live in light of our salvation, that really brings about change. We are forgetful people, and we need those regular reminders. That’s why meeting together often is so essential. We need both the repetition of biblical truth via preaching and the practice of those truths via the “one anothers” in order to keep growing. Joshua Harris writes:

It’s more than listening to preaching on the radio or chatting on the phone with a Christian in another city. Yes, you could get a teaching or fellowship ‘fix’ in those contexts. But none of them can substitute for a local church that displays the distinct qualities of a God-honoring community. None can provide an individual believer with the leadership of a pastor or the care and encouragement of a many-textured, but mutually committed, church family.[3]

According to John MacArthur, “All preaching in the church is meant to create a human fellowship, rising spontaneously out of the divine fellowship.”[4] That’s why the believers in Jerusalem didn’t stop with listening and learning—their fellowship continued the learning process.

Partnership in gospel-living is essential. According to Proverbs 18:1, isolation indicates a person’s selfishness: “He who separates himself seeks his own desire.” The opposite of isolation is partnership—the desire to undertake a joint venture—a devotion to one another. Luke explains that the Jerusalem church devoted themselves to fellowship and describes the practicalities of this Christian fellowship in Acts 4:32–35:

And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles' feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.

The church looked like a family. The believers cared for one another. They looked out for one another. There was a communal aspect to their lives like that which they had never experienced before. It involved the sharing of money, food, homes, prayer, love, spiritual blessing, and teaching. This partnership was all encompassing.

But don’t miss the fact that this fellowship arose out of church-wide learning. It was the preaching ministry of the Apostles that prompted and facilitated their fellowship. John MacArthur notes, “Fellowship occurs when Christians get together to discuss the Word of God and share concerns in the power of the Holy Spirit.”[5]

Today, it seems some Christians value preaching as an intellectually motivated pursuit of Bible-knowledge and undervalue the kind of Christian fellowship that energizes righteous living in the corporate sense. Surely, our commitment to truth and sound doctrine is very important, but as John Stott recognizes: “The church will flourish and Christians will be strong only when there is fellowship.”[6]

Other Christians enjoy their friends like they enjoy entertainment. They pursue social activity on a purely superficial level. They call it “fellowship” but forget that genuine fellowship is framed and directed by the “one anothers” of the New Testament which are learned in community sermon-listening. J. I. Packer writes: “It is not a good sign when a person sees no difference between sucking sweets and eating a square meal. Equally it is not a good sign when Christians see no difference between social activities in Christian company and what the New Testament calls fellowship in Christ.”[7]

Sadly, some Christians attend church like a visitor. They arrive late so as to avoid personal contact. They sit anonymously in the crowd not wishing to be known. They listen to the sermon with selective ears, hoping they’ll not need to comment on it. They leave promptly at the final “Amen,” rushing to their car so as not to be cornered by an inquisitive church member. And they repeat the routine, week after week, convincing themselves that their “fellowship” is working out just fine. To this, John MacArthur replies: “God never intended the church to be a place where lonely people come on Sunday, sit alone among the crowd, and leave, still lonely and hurting. Rather, in the church warm, intimate fellowship takes place. Fellowship is essential both for the church as a whole and for each individual member.”[8]

Fellowship is that essential partnership in which we share our lives with one another. Devoted believers eat together as much as they can. And they are always praying together. This kind of intense kinship means that we get to know each other very well. It means that we enjoy closer relationships inside the church family than we do with unsaved family members. It means our Christian relationships are the most genuine and transparent we know. It means our spiritual journey is a coach-ride with a group of devoted friends and not a solo parachute jump watched by no one. Are you walking with others? Are you sharing your life with devoted Christians who care for you? Are you also caring for them?

If we are to grow, two things are needed: genuine fellowship and preaching.  Next week’s blog will challenge you to develop a healthy appetite for the latter.

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[1] Steven J. Lawson, Famine in the Land (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2003), 42.

[2] Christopher Ash, Listen Up!: A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons (New Maiden, Surrey, England: The Good Book Company, 2009), 16.

[3] Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church (Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2004), 49.

[4] John MacArthur, Jr., The Body Dynamic (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1996), 115.

[5] Ibid., 117.

[6] J. I. Packer, God's Words: Studies of Key Bible Themes (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1981), 194.

[7] J. I. Packer, “Body Life,” Tenth 11:3 (July 1981): 63.

[8] John MacArthur, The Keys to Spiritual Growth: Unlocking the Riches of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 160.