House Church - Holy Spirit Guided Participation

I can see that this series of posts on house church life is going to exceed my original plan of ten. So be it. So far I've discussed the attempt to follow the biblical model, gathering in homes, and seeking community.

In today's post I'm discussing some of what happens when the house church gathers together. In particular I'll be talking about the weekly gathering (which for us happens in Sundays). In a later post I'll focus on the purpose of the gathering; for now the topic is the participation of the body.

In keeping with the attempt to follow the biblical model, the house church seeks to follow what we see in the bible of the church gathering. The difficulty is that the scriptures do not speak in bulk about this topic. However, that is not to say that the bible is silent. We can learn a great deal from a few places.

House Church - Seeking Community

One of the core aspects of the house church is community.

With Jesus Christ as its head, the church seeks to live in community with one another. The people truly desire to share in each others lives. This is much more than surface level relationships; I'm instead talking about Christians acting like family - real brothers and sisters. This, of curse, can get messy because people's lives are messy. However, it is also wonderful because we can know so much better how to build one another up in Christ.

As we look at the book of Acts in particular, we see much community:

Questions on Stewardship

Since it is January, many churches will soon be embarking on a sermon series that focuses on stewardship. I've been told by more than one pastor that giving tends to drop in January (probably due to money spent on Christmas gifts). Because of this drop, the stewardship series becomes a must. Here is one example from a large SBC church here in Savannah.

As I ponder these sermon series, a few questions come to mind:

You Too Can Be a Young, Hip Mega-Church Pastor

This morning Alice was looking at the website of yet another new church plant (sigh) here in Savannah. The church has one of those glossy websites where everything looks pre-packaged and businesslike. As usual, the website makes a big deal of the pastor.

Alice asked me what I thought the pastor looks like. That got me thinking. What do almost all young, hip mega-church hopeful pastors look like these days? It strikes me that there are three aspects of their appearance that are critical to success.

First, the hair must be gelled.

Second, funky glasses must be worn whether needed or not.

Third, facial hair must be present on at least the chin (full goatee is optional).

Even if you are not young, you can still aspire to be a hip mega-church pastor if you will simply follow the above steps.

By the way, when Alice showed me the photo of the new church planter/pastor in Savannah, he met all three criteria.

House Church - Gathering in Homes

I suppose it should be obvious by the name "house church" that the gatherings generally occur in homes. I use the word "generally" because there may be times when a house church decides to meet somewhere else - like a park, the beach, etc.

In keeping with the main idea of the first post in this series, house churches gather in houses because this was the general practice in the New Testament:

Romans 16:5, "Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia."

I Corinthians 16:19, "The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord."

Colossians 4:15, "Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house."

Philemon 1:1-2, "Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house."

House Church - Trying to Follow the Biblical Model

I have written a great deal about what I believe is wrong with many of the institutional church practices of today. Frankly, I'm tired of doing this.

A friend of mine has lovingly told me that he knows what I believe the church should not be, but that I haven't been as clear about what the church ought to look like. In light of this, I want to spend some time writing about both what I believe the bible says about the church and how we are currently trying to live this out.

This is the first of a ten-part (gasp!) series that will be two-pronged in nature. My hope for this series is to discuss house church life first from what the bible says, and second from how we are attempting to work this out as the church. I'll use the term "house church" to carry the same meaning as "simple church" or "organic church." Some people use these terms differently, but I basically use them interchangeably.

I apologize in advance for making some over-generalizations. It's almost impossible to avoid this when talking about this issue. There will always be exceptions to the statements I make; therefore, I'm not describing every single house church. Rather, I'm discussing general practices.

Let Us Be Careful About Questioning Motivation

As is obvious by now, I like to ask questions about the church. In particular, I ask questions about pastoral ministry. I read many others doing the same thing.

We must be careful in how we go about this. There is both what we should question and what, I believe, we need to avoid questioning.

We can and should call into question church practices that do not line up with scripture. This obviously applies to pastoral ministry as well as numerous other things. We can see practices. We can read what is in the bible. When these two things do not match up, then we both can and should ask, "Why?"

Where we must be very careful is calling into question the motivation behind the practices. The reason for this is that we cannot see the heart of the person who may be doing something that we believe does not line up with scripture. Concerning pastors, we have no way (other than asking them directly) of knowing why they do what they do.

Let's take an example: the traditional sermon that involves no group discussion. The practice of a pastor preaching a sermon to a church with no discussion involved is foreign to the New Testament. It is fair for us to call this into question. However, it is unfair for us to call into question the motivation of the pastor who does this. Instead of questioning his motivation in the blog-o-sphere, we should ask him why he does this. We may find that he believes this is the best practice for the edification of the church body. We may find that he is trying to gradually move toward opening up a discussion time after the sermon. We may discover that his church is transitioning to evening small groups that will talk over the morning sermon.

I'm troubled by the tendency in the blog world to openly question the motivations of institutional church pastors. I fairly frequently read very broad statements about how these pastors desire power, want the church people to think of them as "an expert," crave Pope-like status, seek domination of all aspects of church life, etc.

It strikes me that when we question pastoral motivation in sweeping brush strokes we are at the same time violating Matthew 7:1-5, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

I've written about this subject before so I'll stop now. Please let me close by exhorting you (and myself) to ask good questions about any practices we see that do not correspond to biblical standards. In doing this, we do well to begin with self, for we can judge both our own practices and motivation.

We simply do not know the motivation behind most pastoral practices. We have no right to stand in judgment over their motivations. We must avoid doing so.

Resolved: To Read the Bible More Simply

I have made one resolution for 2011: To read the bible more simply. I'd like to read it like a child.

I still desire to understand the great truths of scripture. My hope is that by the end of 2011 I will also have a better understanding of the depths of the bible.

What I'm referring to in this post is the danger of not reading scripture for what it simply says but rather for what we think might lie behind the words on the page. An example of what I'm talking about can be found in John chapter 13:13-17. After Jesus washes His disciples' feet, He says, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

My tendency in the past has been to read this passage and then try to determine the principle behind it. I've always come to the conclusion that this is an example of servanthood. I'd then think about how I can serve others. What I didn't do was actually do what the passage says - wash others' feet.

My desire this year is to read a passage like the one above and understand it simply. My hope is to come to a conclusion something like this, "Jesus washed feet as an example to us. Therefore, I should also wash feet as an act of service." Of course, it's also appropriate to ask about the broader principle of serving others. I just don't want to miss out on the simple, straightforward meaning.

What I'm not going to do is walk around randomly asking people if they need their feet washed. However, if the opportunity presents itself I'm going to take it. We'll probably do this as a church family sometime.

I have absolutely no desire to engage in the discussion of whether or not foot washing is a third ordinance of the church. I'm tired of arguments that amount to little good. Rather, I simply want to be obedient to the words of our Lord Jesus.

I'm resolved to read differently. My hope and prayer is that this leads to a fuller, more meaningful, more profound, and more accurate understanding of the bible.

May the attempt honor Christ. It will only happen through His grace.

Words of Hope From the Beginning

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

And So It Begins

Most of you know by now that I resigned from a salaried pastoral position at the end of October. The church where I pastored, Chevis Oaks Baptist Church, was gracious enough to continue supporting us financially through the end of December. Well, we all know that the new year has come. As of today my only employment is some part-time janitorial work. That's not going to pay the bills by itself.

So this is where it begins. By that, I mean the test of our faith. So far it hasn't really been that tough. But now I have no idea how we will make our mortgage payment in February, etc. I know I should be thanking God for this trial, but I'll admit that I haven't been too appreciative so far. My prayer is that my attitude will change.

God has made clear that He will provide. The test is to believe and not be anxious.

Matthew 6:25-34 says, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Alice and I have chosen to believe that God will provide. We are not able to do this on our own power; even this faith is a gift. We are deeply thankful that God is gracious and merciful because our faith seemingly wavers from day-to-day.

When will this test/trial end? I have no idea. Employers aren't exactly knocking down my front door to get my job application.

I do know that I was supposed to resign from salaried ministry. I don't know where God's provision will come from.

I greatly appreciate your prayers at this time for faith, patience, and guidance.

Thank you!

New Wineskins

As we think about reform that needs to take place in the life of the church, we should consider something Jesus said in Matthew chapter 9.

Matthew 9:16-17, "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

We see that Jesus' way of doing things went far outside the status quo. The norm of the day would no longer be effective or acceptable. Jesus' message was so radical that the Pharisaical system had to be rejected completely.

How do these verses apply to how we think about the church today? I believe they challenge us to think beyond many of our current practices and dare to ask the question, "Why?" In doing so, we will likely find that some of what we are doing is right on target, some needs a little tweaking, and some needs to be rejected outright. This applies both to how we live as individuals and how we live as the church as a whole.

Of course, if we are going to ask challenging questions about the church, we must have some sort of objective standard to aspire to. We need to look somewhere to show us how things should be.

The fascinating thing is that as far as the church is concerned, the new wineskins we are looking for are also very old ones. We see them in the pages of the New Testament. The church we see there is the standard. We learn what the church is, how it should function, and what its purpose should be. We even see many things not to do and/or to do differently (many thanks to the Corinthians for this).

You and I may disagree somewhat on exactly what this means, but I'm sure we would agree on some things. For example, the early church had a deep sense of community. As we look at church life in this country, community is frequently lacking. Regardless of what local church family you are a part of, the community aspect of your church could probably be improved. This may require some large structural changes or it may simply be a change in attitude on the part of the people. The quickest change we can often make is to begin with self.

My hope is that as the church we will look to the very old church and see it as new wineskins. How can we emulate the things we see there most effectively to reach the lost with the gospel, mutually edify one another, and ultimately bring glory to our Lord? Let us learn from the new wineskins of the old church.

Maybe We're Elbows

I've been thinking a lot lately about the biblical metaphor of the church as a body. Paul tells us very clearly that all parts of the body are needed in order for the body to be healthy. The apostle makes this clear in I Corinthians 12.

I Corinthians 12:12-20, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body."

I find verse 18 to be particularly encouraging. We see that God Himself did the arranging of the body. Considering that this passage falls in the broader context of the use of spiritual gifts, we can take comfort in the fact that God has determined which body parts are which. In other words, it is God who dispenses spiritual giftings. This means that as believers we all have exactly the gifts that God wants us to have.

This falls nicely in line with the fact that Christ is the Head of His church. We all know that the head controls the other parts of the body. In the church, the Head (Jesus) tells all the other parts what to do and gives them the ability to do it.

What does our Head desire that we do? His desire and command is that we serve others within the church family. After all, Jesus left us an example when He said that He came not to be served but to serve. Whatever our gifts, we as the body must use these for the betterment and edification of the church family.

What body part am I? What are you? I'm being a bit silly here, but maybe we should think of ourselves as elbows. Elbows aren't particularly nice looking and they get dry easily; if we think of ourselves this way it might help us be humble.

Despite their homeliness, elbows are important to the life of the body. Just go through an hour without using one of your elbows. It's nearly impossible. Regardless of who we are, the church needs us and we need the church. The church even needs its elbows.

Of course, Paul also says in I Cor. 12 that the body wouldn't function if we were all the same body part. Therefore, let's not all be elbows. Instead, let's trust Christ to determine what parts we actually are. Let's just be sure to think humbly about ourselves. We are indeed needed by the church. We are important. We're just not important enough to think highly of ourselves.

Have a Wonderful Time Today

Since it is Sunday, I'm guessing that you are gathering with your church family today. If you are traveling, you may be meeting with other Christians who you do not normally get to see. Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful time today.

I'm serious about this. When we get together with other followers of Jesus Christ, it should be a wonderful, special, joyous, good time. I'm not writing this to burden you; rather, I want to encourage you to anticipate a terrific time of growth in Christ through the edification of your Christian brothers and sisters.

My hope for you is that regardless of what type of church you are a part of (you know the labels I'm talking about), that you very much enjoy gathering together. Of course I'm not talking about enjoyment in the same sense as, for example, enjoying a movie (yesterday we enjoyed watching the 1977 version of Star Wars). Instead, I'm referring to the unique and supreme joy that comes from knowing and growing in Jesus Christ.

Despite what our Western culture says, we are not primarily individuals. God made us to be communal people. We depend on others, take comfort from others, and need others. Specific to Christianity, we need others to grow most effectively in Christ. As we gather as the church, we have the privilege of building up and being built up - all in the joy of knowing the King of Kings.

My last name is Carpenter. This has been misleading for most of my life since I'm not particularly good with tools. However, I can build up others in Jesus. And, I can be built up in Him. The great part is that this building up is not drudgery. Instead, edifying others and being edified is pure joy. Yes, it is work. It can even be difficult and painful at times. Despite this, it is joyful.

So, have a great time today. Set your goal on building up others in Christ. Take joy in Him as you grow in Him and help others do the same. Have a wonderful time!

Three New Books!

My sweet family has given me three new books. I'm looking forward to reading them all. But where to find the time? And which order do I read them in?

Anyway, here they are:

Generous Justice by Tim Keller

The Rabbit and the Elephant by Tony & Felicity Dale and George Barna

From Eternity to Here by Frank Viola

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? (I'm sure Alan has read at least two of them).

What if Worship Was Like an NBA Game?

I especially like both the tailgating with communion cups and the pastoral staff starting lineup.

A Few Thoughts on Sunday's Gathering

This past Sunday we gathered with three other families. Here's what happened:

On Saturday we all decided to meet together. One of the other families has a larger home than we do so that became the gathering place.

We arrived on Sunday morning at about 10:30. I was happy to meet one of the wives for the first time; we had heard about each other's existence but had never met. After we entered the house, took off our shoes, and put the food down on the counter we all just talked informally for 20-30 minutes. It was great to be able to simply spend time with these other people. I generally had conversations with the other men, but some with the ladies and kids as well.

At some point along the way we gathered the kids from the recesses of the house and came together in the living room. This family is blessed with a living space that can comfortably seat close to thirty people. Some of the folks sat on the floor while others took spots on chairs and couches. I got to sit between my wife and son. Our daughters were close by.

One man began by saying a prayer. We then spoke words of encouragement, read scripture, sang some songs (one man brought his guitar which was nice), spoke words about what God is doing in our lives, prayed some more, challenged one another, and asked questions of one another. We then turned to Revelation chapter 14 and studied it together (a couple of these families have been going through Revelation together for a while). As we studied it, we commented, asked questions, turned to other relevant passages, and discussed application.

After a while we all heard and felt our stomachs growling. This was a good sign to move the twenty feet to the kitchen. The moms went into food-prep-mode (which was quite impressive). We then joyfully partook of the Lord's Supper. We had bread, juice, and lots of other scrumptious food such as pot roast, chicken and cheese casserole, mashed potatoes, and garlic green beans. For dessert - apple crisp, brownies, and ice cream. I'm hungry right now thinking about it.

After the meal the kids scattered again. I went with a couple of other dads to sit back in the living room. We talked for a while abut family, jobs, and church. We encouraged one another with various struggles that we are having. Alice later told me that the ladies were doing much of the same. Interestingly, we didn't segregate by gender for any particular reason; it just sort of happened that way.

After much fellowship and food, we decided to leave for home at about 2:30. No one really wanted to go but we were getting tired. It was nice to be able to go home and rest for the remainder of the day.

What Would Happen if Seminaries Began Teaching Biblical Ecclesiology?

I loved my four years at SEBTS. I learned a great deal and was deeply impacted by professors, fellow students, and other friends. Although the time at seminary was stressful, I have no regrets about those four years.

As I think back on the classes I took, there is one aspect that was lacking: an in-depth study of what the bible has to tell us about church life. The church was more assumed than examined. We touched on it in almost every course, but we never studied it in detail. Even in Systematic Theology we only spent a few weeks on the church.

The question I've been pondering lately is this: What would happen if seminaries began teaching biblical ecclesiolgy?

By biblical ecclesiology, I'm referring to what the bible teaches us about what the church is and how it should function in the world. I'm talking about detailed study of every aspect of church life.

I'm not naive enough to think that everyone would come to the same conclusions about what the scriptures say about the church. For example, two well-intentioned Christians could read the bible and come to differing conclusions about baptism, the Lord's Supper, fellowship, leadership, community, missions, giving, polity, gatherings, worship, edification, etc.

Despite these differences, it could only be healthy for everyone in seminary (and all Christians for that matter) to take a long, hard look at what the bible tells us. So, keeping all this in mind, what would happen is seminaries began teaching biblical ecclesiology? I can think of then things:

1. It would generate healthy discussion.

One problem with evangelical seminaries is that everyone agrees on almost all the important stuff. Therefore, conversations often focus on minor details that don't really matter. Concerning church, a big area of discussion is music style. Can't we do better than that by talking about issues of substance? A study of biblical ecclesiology would spur this on both in and out of the classroom.

2. It would teach that asking tough questions and challenging tradition are acceptable.

If we ignore important issues then we will simply do what we have always done. It is far too easy, especially in denominational seminaries, to go with the flow of thought and not ask why we believe what we believe about critical issues. Tradition carries the day when we simply assume truth. A biblical study of the church would force certain uncomfortable questions to be asked and answered. It would also put some aspects of tradition in danger.

3. It would lead to better biblical interpretation.

An in-depth analysis of the church would teach how to study the bible in general. Tough questions would be asked such as, "Is this merely descriptive or is it also prescriptive?" Another key question is, "Is this passage unique to that culture or should we be doing that as well?" These sorts of issues get at the heart of biblical interpretation. This, in turn, would increase the interpretation skills of those involved in the discussions.

4. It would lead to an increased emphasis on community, edification, participation, and unity.

A study of scripture shows the importance of community participation in church life. We also see edification as the primary reason for gatherings. Unity is stressed in all things. Despite this, these aspects of church life are not generally stressed at the seminary level. A study of biblical ecclesiology would force these issues to the forefront.

5. It would lead to a decreased emphasis on the pastor and preaching.

Much time is spent in seminary focusing on two things: the pastor and his preaching. A study of scripture shows us that no one man is the focus of anything (other than Christ). Therefore, at least some of the emphasis on the pastor could be dropped from the curriculum.

As we study scripture we also see that the preaching of sermons did not take place in the early church. Therefore, this could be de-emphasized. In its place, the public proclamation of the word in the marketplace could be stressed.

6. Because of numbers 4 and 5, it would lead to significant changes in the seminary curriculum.

Some classes would remain basically the same (such as the original languages and church history). However, many others would have to change if the seminary was going to take biblical ecclesiology seriously. Such classes would include Expository Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, Pastoral Care and Counseling, Systematic Theology, Administration and Education, Evangelism, and Missions.

7. It would cause denominational difficulty.

Seminaries that are owned by denominations are in a bit of a tough spot. If they teach biblical ecclesiology, they will necessarily challenge at least some of the structures, traditions, and functioning of that denomination. I can't see that going over very well. Will any leadership within the seminaries have the backbone to challenge the powers-that-be? I don't know. Most likely the non-denominational seminaries will have more freedom in this area.

8. It would lead to an increase in church planting.

Many who study scripture to see what it says about the church come to the conclusion that the traditional model of the church cannot function as the bible describes (count me in this group). Therefore, instead of trying to battle for change within the existing structure, they plant new churches after the biblical model. I'm all in favor of this. With our country becoming increasingly secular, most lost people have no desire to visit any sort of church building. However, they are much more likely to respond positively to friendship and an invitation to a home. Church planting also costs very little, making it much more effective for reaching the lost here and overseas.

9. It would lead to an increased zeal for sacrificial missions.

The bible shows us a church that sacrificed to get the gospel to the lost. Will we do the same? This is a challenge for all of us - including me. If we are to take the biblical model seriously, we will do whatever it takes to get the gospel to all parts of the globe. One encouraging thing is that new church plants require so little money that these churches should be able to give much more toward international missions.

10. It might lead to a decrease in seminary enrollment.

I don't know about this one. On the one hand, some people might look in the scriptures, see no seminaries, and conclude that they shouldn't attend. On the other hand, others might be attracted to a seminary that actually dares to ask hard questions and encourage biblical answers about church life. So few seminaries do this that if one did it might see an influx in certain types of students.

In the end it can only be a healthy thing for seminaries to teach biblical ecclesiology. Right now I know of none that do so. Of course they may in specific classes related to church planting, but I'm referring to teaching it as part of the general curriculum.

As I have said, those taking classes (in biblical ecclesiology) would undoubtedly come to differing conclusions about these issues. That's fine and probably healthy. At least the issues would be raised, thought through, discussed, and debated. People would know why they believe what they believe about the church.

Let's pray that God will bring about these changes in our seminaries.

One for the Big Guys

I love this. An offensive lineman almost scores a touchdown on a kickoff return. It's good to see a big guy run.

New Blog Design

I've changed the look of the blog because I wanted to make the design more Christo-centric. As I was perusing the Blogger designs, I came across this one that looks remarkably like Lord's Supper elements. Although it does not show the rest of the feast, I believe it's still a reminder of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross. The bread is even Matzo and the cup appears to contain (gasp!) wine.

My hope is that when we glance upon the blog we will remember Christ's substitutionary work on the cross.

Preaching for Edification

II Timothy 3:16 - 4:2, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

Ephesians 4:29, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

The above familiar verses are interesting when we view them together.

In the II Timothy passage, Paul instructs Timothy about the inspiration and usefulness of the scriptures. The apostle continues by charging Timothy to preach (or proclaim) the word. We can see from these verses several specific uses for the preaching of the word: teaching, reproof, correction, training, rebuke, and exhortation.

We know that some type of false teaching was occurring in the church at Ephesus. This most likely led to unbiblical beliefs and practices. Timothy, whose specific role in the church at Ephesus is unclear, is commanded by Paul to preach the truth of the scriptures to the church. This is significant because it shows us preaching taking place within the context of the church. The goal of Timothy's proclaiming was the promotion of truth and correction of this false teaching.

As we read this passage we must be careful about what we know and don't know. We know that Timothy was to preach to the church. We do not know that he was a pastor or that he preached sermons to the church body as a whole (I mention these here because I've heard them many times before).

Paul obviously hoped that Timothy would preach the truth in Ephesus and that the people would embrace this by following the truth and changing whatever needed to be changed in terms of both what they believed and how they lived.

Keeping all that in mind, we turn to Ephesians 4:29. We see that all our speech is to be for the building up. Especially in the context of the church, our words are to be filled with grace in order to help others mature in Christ. This was essentially what Paul was telling Timothy to do. Paul desired that Timothy's preaching would counteract the false teaching in Ephesus and build up the church in Christ Jesus.

How does all this apply to us today? As we speak to others within the church, our goal should always (in one way or another) be their edification. Our hope should also be that we will be edified.

One way we can edify others is by preaching the word to them. We need to "think outside the pulpit" in discussing this form of preaching. Simply put, we can powerfully edify others by preaching to them. This can take the forms of teaching, reproof, correction, training, rebuking, and exhorting. All these build others up in the faith.

I believe that God desires that we all preach to one another on a regular basis. The foundation and content of this proclaiming should be the word. I think we've all experienced the power of the spoken word from other Christians. We all have the joyful responsibility of preaching this word to one another in order to bring about mutual edification.

In light of all this, as Christ-followers we are all preachers. Let's all preach the truth to one another.