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This week, a very significant anniversary in my life passed
by. It was 8 years ago on a Friday night, August 5, that I first met most of
you, and on Sunday, August 7, 2005 I preached my first sermon in this pulpit,
after which you graciously affirmed me to become the tenth pastor of Immanuel’s
rich history. As I thought about that day, I went back into my files and pulled
out the sermon I preached on that Sunday, and the more I thought of it, the
more I felt God leading me to revisit that text and message on this Lord’s Day
as we take up the task of nominating our next group of deacon candidates. Though
my official “anniversary” date here is not until September 11, I’ve spent this
past week reflecting back on that first time I ever entered the sanctuary for
worship eight years ago this week, and how delighted I have been every Lord’s
day since to be with you. It is my earnest prayer and desire to spend many more
with you. We have walked with many of you through good times and bad, and you
have walked with us through our own good times and bad times, and we have never
been more grateful than we are today to call you our church family and to call
this place home. You all have been our church family longer than any other in our
lives. So, I want you to know that at the Reaves household, when we say the
word “church,” we think of “you.”
So, what comes to mind when you think of “church”? Maybe you
remember learning at a very early age a little rhyme where you join your hands
together and say, “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open it up and see
all the people.” But that isn’t what Scripture teaches. If we were to use our
hands to depict what the biblical understanding of church is, we would join
them together and say, “Some have buildings, some have steeples, but if you
really want to see the church, then you have to look at the people.”
The Apostle Paul first traveled to the Greek town of Philippi sometime around
50 AD. That journey is detailed for us in Acts 16. There, he and his traveling
companions led three individuals to Christ, and two of those individuals saw
their families come to faith as well. This small group of people became the
core of the first church on European soil. This fledgling church in Philippi would become a great source of encouragement,
blessing and joy in the life and ministry of Paul. Some 10 years after his
first visit, after receiving an offering from that church, delivered to him at
his place of imprisonment in Rome
by one of their members named Epaphroditus, he is writing them to thank them,
to encourage them, and to challenge them to preserve the unity that had been
such a joy to him.
He begins this letter like most did in that day. He begins
with his name, then he addresses the recipients, and then he gives them a word
of greeting. But the Apostle Paul is writing under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit and is not wasting words on small talk and the shallow exchange of
pleasantries. Even his introductory greeting gives us a picture of what the
church is. In these rich words, we see a portrait of the church of Jesus Christ
I. The Church Should Be Understood In Regard to Its
Composition
The church consists of people. But not just any people. Paul
mentions here the church’s saints and the church’s servants.
A. A Church
is composed of saints (To all the saints
in Christ Jesus)
When we hear the word “saint” today, it is likely to cause
confusion. Most people, upon hearing this word, would immediately think of a
football team in New Orleans ,
or of some dead Christian who is depicted in a statue somewhere. Others may
think of a sweet grandmotherly type who never said a cross word to anyone (or
if she did we don’t remember it) and made delicious cookies. “Now she was a
real saint.” None of these reflect the biblical meaning of the word “saint.”
The word saint, as we see it used biblically, is a word that
applies to every follower of Jesus Christ. These are the members of His church.
It is the customary word used to describe Christians. After all, the word
“Christian” only occurs three times in the New Testament – and it is never used
by Paul. Paul uses the word saint
some 60 times to refer to Christians—not to dead ones, but always to living
ones. They are not the Christians who live in heaven, but the ones who live in
places like Philippi, Rome , Colossae ,
Corinth , and Greensboro . In the eyes of God there are two
categories of people in the world: saints and sinners, or as J. Vernon McGee
says, “Saints and Ain’ts.” And the saints are the sinners who have been saved
by the grace of God. Every person experiences life as a sinner; some encounter
Jesus Christ and are transformed to be saints.
The Greek word underlying this word “saint” in the New
Testament means “holy, separated, consecrated.” It describes someone who has
been separated from sin, and set apart for God’s holy use. This is not a title
that is earned by self-effort. It is bestowed to those who are in Christ. This is a positional reality
for all believers in Jesus Christ. In addressing the Corinthians, the Apostle
Paul referred to those who are saints by
calling. The one who has turned from sin to place his or her faith in Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior – God has called him or her “saint.” This is the
theological reality of justification. At the very moment one gives his
or her life to Jesus, that individual’s sins are forgiven, they are declared
“not-guilty” before God, and they are credited with the full righteousness of
Christ. God no longer sees the justified soul stained crimson by their sins.
Rather, He sees them clothed in impeccable righteousness of Jesus.
Though this is a positional reality, it is not always a
practical one. After all, Paul referred to the Corinthian Christians as saints,
and then went on to describe some of the sinful activity that they were engaged
in. The Colossians are called saints, though Paul goes on to confront heresy
that is beginning to spread through their ranks. But certainly we do not want
our beliefs or practices to be the cause of one doubting the integrity of our
Lord. He has called us saints; therefore we should live and believe as if we
are. He has declared us holy; we should conduct ourselves accordingly.
It is interesting that saints are spoken of in the plural in
all but one occurrence in the New Testament, and even that one singular use is
in the context of all the members of the group. God does not show preferential
treatment to those who come to Him. The old gospel song said, “The ground is
level at the foot of the cross.” At Philippi, there was Lydia , a
wealthy Gentile business-woman who had come to embrace the true and living God
of the Jews. On the banks of the river, she was quietly converted as she
responded to Paul’s message of salvation in Jesus. There was the poor
demon-possessed slave girl, whose sole purpose in life seemed to be to fatten
the pockets of the charlatans who marketed her on the streets. She was quickly
converted as Paul cast out the spirit which was controlling her. Then there was
the Philippian jailor – a working-class family man, loyal to his government,
diligent in his workplace. He experienced a “quaking” conversion as the
jailhouse got rocked, and he sought out those rejoicing Christians to ask them
how he could be saved. There were the families of Lydia and the jailor. Different
people, different stories, different walks of life, different genders,
different ages, different social and economic standings – but all saints in
Christ Jesus.
You see the same thing as you look at Paul and Timothy,
whose names appear in these verses. Paul had been a zealous and patriotic Jew,
persecuting the Christians even to death. But when he saw the light of Christ,
he was knocked off his high-horse on the Damascus
road, and he was dramatically converted. Timothy was the son of a Greek father
and a devout Jewish mother. One writer says he was half-Jew, half-Greek, but
all-Christian. His name means “He who honors God.” In 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul
comments on how Timothy was taught the Scriptures from a young age by his
mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois. We might say he was developmentally
converted as his family members sowed the gospel seeds into his heart, before he
finally came to faith in Christ through Paul’s preaching in Lystra.
But it doesn’t matter how you came to faith in Christ –
quietly, quickly, quakingly; dramatically, developmentally. What matters is
that you have come to Him. If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we
stand together on level ground before Him. We are saints in Christ Jesus and
members together of His church.
When we think of the church, we have to think of its
composition, and that includes its saints. But also,
B. A church
consists of servants
The call to salvation in Christ is a calling to serve
Christ. There is no Christian who has not been called and equipped to serve.
Some serve as a vocation, and some serve as volunteers. Some are in the
spotlight, some are backstage, but all are necessary. The Christian church has
always wrestled with the temptation to elevate those who hold positions or
titles to be more important in the church than others, but this is a
misunderstanding of biblical teaching and it has crippled the church at times.
All of us have spiritual gifts, and all of us have a ministry calling. Some are
called as pastors and some as deacons, but these are not more important than
any other in the body of Christ.
In the passage before us, Paul mentions overseers (or
bishops as your translation may have it) and deacons specifically. Several New
Testament passages make it clear that the overseer or bishop is the same
individual referred to elsewhere as an elder or pastor. In Acts 20, for example,
Paul uses all three titles (pastor/shepherd, overseer/bishop, and elder) to
refer to the church leaders in Ephesus .
Peter does the same in 1 Peter 5. So the overseer or bishop here is the pastor.
But notice that it is plural as it is in all New Testament churches. The idea
of one individual being singularly responsible for the work of the ministry is
foreign to the New Testament. In modern times, it is often necessary for a
church to have only one pastor for logistical reasons, but whenever possible,
having a plurality of elders or pastors is more reflective of the biblical
ideal.
And then there are the deacons. Their ministry began in Acts
6, when the ministry needs of the congregation threatened to overshadow the
important tasks of prayer and the ministry of the word. Biblically, deacons
should see their ministry as the administration of caregiving to those in need,
liberating the pastors to focus on prayer and the proclamation of the word.
They are not the financiers or the church administrators, but the caregivers of
the congregation. And their ministry is very vital in the Kingdom of God
These positions are pretty important. After all, they are
mentioned here by name. But lest we get carried away, we should mark the fact
that this is the only letter in the New Testament where these positions are
mentioned in the address. But the most important word is not bishop or overseer
or pastor or deacon. The most important word here may well be the little word “with.”
The pastors and deacons are not over
the saints; they aren’t under the
saints; they aren’t better than the saints.
They are with the saints.
Neither is more important than the other. All have a part to play in the
church.
No one is allowed to pull rank on another. Look even at how
the Apostle Paul speaks of himself. Here, there is no mention of his
apostleship. He describes himself as a bond-servant of Christ. We might expect him to say “Saint
Paul to the servants at Philippi .”
Instead he is the servant and they are the saints. He could have gotten away
with pulling rank on anyone in that church or any other church since. Instead
he only wants to be known as Christ’s slave. Paul is God’s property, and his
life purpose is to please the Lord Jesus.
Paul is telling us in his humble introduction that position
or title does not make one great. All who are in Christ Jesus are saints in
Him. Therefore, though some serve in specific ministry roles with specific
titles, none are more important than any other – all are bond-servants of
Christ, serving one another in the church. This is the church as it is
understood in regard to its composition.
But then we also find that …
II. The Church Should Be Understood in Regard to Its Location
Last February, I visited Starbucks in four different
countries on three continents in a two week span of time. I was in Starbucks
here in Greensboro ; I was in Starbucks in London , England ;
I was in Starbucks in New Delhi , India ; and I was in Starbucks in Manama , Bahrain Bahrain . It’s
like being in two places at one time. Well, when Paul addresses this letter to
his friends, he is writing to the saints who are in Christ Jesus in
Philippi . It’s like being in two places at one
time.
You know, God could have arranged it so that at the moment a
person is born-again, they are instantly transported to heaven. But He didn’t
do that. He has chosen to save sinners, make them saints, place them in Christ Jesus, and then leave them for
a little while in places like Philippi,
or even in places like Greensboro as
the case may be.
Philippi was built on a major highway that united Rome with the east called
Via Ignatia. You can visit it today
and see the ruins of the forum, the markets, its gymnasium, library, its many
streets and baths. You can see the ruins of a temple built 2400 years ago for
the worship of Apollo and Artemis. It was a city rich in history, associated
with a Who’s Who of Western Civilization: Philip II of Macedon, and his more
famous son, Alexander the Great; Julius Caesar; Antony and Octavian; Brutus and Cassius. The
people of the city were an ethnically diverse blend of the native Thracians,
Greeks, and Romans, living along side of those from many other places and
backgrounds.
Religiously the town was very complex. Ancient Thracian
cults were barbaric, sacrificing humans, worshiping animals, and carrying on in
sexual perversion in the name of worship. The Greek and Roman gods were
worshiped there, along side of the deities of ancient Egypt and many
other civilizations, including the worship of the Roman Emperor. It is
estimated that when Paul visited the city around 50 AD that there were more
than forty different varieties of religious practice. Why would God leave His
people in a place like that? Well, you see, these saints are not just in Philippi – they are in Christ Jesus. They are saved,
sealed, and empowered by Him for the task of being salt and light in places
just like Philippi . Places like that need to
hear the message that the church has to announce – Jesus is Lord, and Jesus
Saves!
When I think of Philippi ,
it reminds me of another city I know: one that is rich in history, situated on
a major interstate, with a culturally diverse population, a complex religious
climate. And I know if God had a purpose for a church in Philippi 2,000 years
ago, He certainly has one for a church in Greensboro
today. We are in Greensboro ,
and we are in Christ! It is like being in two places at one time. Wherever the
Church of Jesus Christ is found, there is always a struggle to keep the church
from being infected by its surrounding culture. But rather than being infected
with Greensboro ’s values, we have the privilege
and opportunity to infect Greensboro
with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. That is the mission of the
church. That is the reason for the church’s existence. That is why we are two
places at one time – in Christ Jesus and
in Greensboro
In closing I would like to say one thing further about what
the church is –
III. The Church Should Be Understood in Regard to Its
Possession (v2)
A. What the
church possesses:
Typically Greek speakers would begin their letters with the
word of greeting, charein. It means
“joyful greetings!” Paul transforms the word to make it more significant for
Christians – charis – Grace! Hebrew
speakers would greet one another with Shalom,
a greeting of peace. Paul uses the Greek equivalent word. Reflecting the
diversity of the church – Jews and Gentiles united in Jesus Christ, Paul
combines the greetings of those respective cultures and greets these saints
with “Grace and Peace.” These two words – grace and peace – describe what
Christians have.
Grace is the undeserved gift of God. While we were yet
sinners, deserving of nothing but judgment and wrath, God demonstrated His
great love for us, incarnating Himself to dwell among us – God the Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ. And He died for us, in our place, taking our sins upon
Himself, so that we might be forgiven and have eternal life. We don’t deserve
it – that is why it is grace.
Having received God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we have peace.
Romans 5:1 tells us that because of Jesus Christ we have peace with God through
Jesus Christ. We are no longer positioned against Him in sin. The good news of
the Gospel is that, because of Jesus Christ, the war is over between us and
God. The angels announced peace at Christ’s birth. He promised peace to His
followers before the cross, and Peace
was His first word to them after His resurrection. Having received God’s grace
in salvation, we are now at peace with Him. That is what the church possesses:
grace and peace. But notice not only what the church possesses, but also …
B. Who
possesses the church:
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These two
statements differentiate Christianity from every other philosophy in the world.
We proclaim that God is there, and that He is our Father. Among the many other religions of Philippi ,
deities were depicted in many ways, from the sublime to the ridiculous. But it
was only in the Church
of Jesus Christ
And we proclaim to the world today the Lord Jesus Christ.
This Jesus, born in Bethlehem ’s
stable so long ago, was more than just a good moral man, more than a great
teacher or a noble prophet. He is the Christ – the Messiah – God’s anointed one
to bring about the redemption of humanity. And He is Lord. Do you realize how
radical and dangerous those three words, “Jesus is Lord” are? I’m in the midst
of reading a fascinating book called The
Insanity of God, written by one of your Southern Baptist missionaries
writing under the pseudonym of Nik Ripken that chronicles the advance of the
Gospel in hostile cultures. In describing his observations and interviews in
modern-day China ,
he writes,
“Any religion that called for
obedience and commitment to Someone (seen or unseen) who was above and beyond
the government would be calling the power of the government into question. Such
a threat could not, and would not, be tolerated. I suddenly realized how
dangerous it would be simply to speak the words: ‘Jesus is Lord.’”
Indeed! And this has not just been true in modern China . It has
been true in countless cultures throughout Christian history. That simple phrase
“Jesus is Lord,” has been the cause of more Christian persecution and bloodshed
in the history of the church than any other factor. Saying that “Jesus is Lord”
places our allegiance with Christ over country, over king, over council, and
over culture. When we say that Jesus is Lord, we are declaring that He is the
object of our worship and adoration, the object of our obedience and service,
and the object of our complete and total allegiance. Paul tells us in Romans
10:9-10 that if we will confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the
dead, we will be saved. When we say He is Lord, we are establishing Him as the
sole authority and King over ourselves. And when more than one person makes
that declaration together and stands united under His Lordship, there the Church of Jesus Christ
As we bring this to a close, I want to concentrate our
attention on some specific points of application:
·
First, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ,
God has called you a saint. Does your lifestyle affirm that? Are you living out
practically what God has declared you positionally? If not, then during our
closing time today, I would encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit’s convicting
work to take place in your life as He indicates to you those things He wants to
change in you. I would also encourage you to really evaluate your faith in
Christ. Nearly every week I speak with someone who says, “I always though I was
saved, but one day I just realized I never really was.” If you are uncertain of
your salvation, why not find assurance today. Whether you were ever really
saved before or not—you can know today that you are by affirming your
commitment to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The grace and peace that
flows from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ is available to you today.
You can possess it, if you will give over possession of yourself to Him by
turning to Christ in faith.
·
Second, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ,
God has placed you in the church to be a servant. Together today, let us give
up unbiblical notions of hierarchy, power, and position, and covenant together
to serve the Lord in the way that He has gifted and called us all. Yes, we have
pastors and we have deacons. We need them. Today we will nominate more to serve
in those roles. We need to be prayerful as we consider who those may be. But we
must understand that there is nothing but level ground here at the foot of the
cross. All of the saints are servants, with or without titles, and the church
advances as we join together with one another in united effort to serve,
worship, and proclaim Him. There can be no spectator spirituality, but there
must be each one committed to serving the Lord and building up one another.
·
Third, ask yourself how God is using your life
to reach this city? Why did God leave you here when He saved you? Is this city
any different with you in it than without you? How about this church? Is the
church doing all it can to reach the community? If not then we need not marvel
at the depravity we see surrounding us. We need only to commit ourselves afresh
to the task of taking the message of Christ to those who need Him.
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