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.