Ephesians 4:1-16 HOW FRUITFUL CHURCHES FUNCTION

 

At the beginning of 2026 we are looking at the subject of being fruitful. Today our subject is, “Being a fruitful church”.

We do this with the help of Ephesians 4:1-16.

We can learn much from Paul’s way of thinking and writing.  Foundationally solid thinking is required for practical living. A house is only as good as the foundations it is built upon.

Churches are only as good as the solid doctrine of the Word which they embrace.  Doctrine is to church life what the skeleton is to the human body.

Doctrine is fundamental to practice.

All of life illustrates this. You cannot be a doctor or nurse, a mechanic, a teacher without the relevant doctrine or training which undergirds each discipline. A pastor cannot be truly helpful in his preaching and counseling and pastoring without a solid, balanced knowledge of Scripture. The Word of God is as the richest of foods (Ps. 63:5), full of good nutrients. We must be fed from the whole counsel of Scripture. I am thankful for the profundity of the doctrine of salvation in the book of Romans, but I am equally thankful for the practical wisdom for living contained in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, the emphasis on God’s holiness in Leviticus, and the heavenly vision and triumph of God over evil in the Book of Revelation. Thank God for the book of Ephesians and its solid teaching on the nature and practice of the local church.

CONTEXT

In Ephesians 1 Paul tells us how it is that people become Christians.

In Ephesians 2&3 he shows that Christians are called to belong to the church- God's mystery (3:3,4,6,9). He shows us that this church consists of both, Jew and Gentile. Both are saved and reconciled to God in one way- Christ ALONE! His church is built upon one foundation. This church has one apostolic and prophetic word and one cornerstone - one Lord, who the Head of the church, which is His body (2:20). 

It is from Christ the true Vine (John 15:1-17) that the church derives her source of fruitfulness. 

Ephesians  4:1-16 describes the inner workings of a fruitful church:

• Unity (4:1-3)
• Trinity (4:4-6)
•   Ability  (4:7 -11)
•    Maturity  (4:12-16)

 1.      UNITY (4:1-3)

 A fruitful church is a church where unity is a reality.  

We are called to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  We do not have to create unity. It has been provided through the shed blood of Christ (2:13). It is applied by the Holy Spirit. We are called to maintain that unity.  Look at the text: “live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called“ (4:1). The underlying graces which produce a church’s unity are  humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to (make every effort) maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace“(4:3). These are  the  fruit of the Spirit  (Gal. 5:22,23). 

The church consists of born again members of Christ which are rooted in Christ, and if rooted in Christ then this church will bear fruit! Good fruit can only come from a good root.  You must be born again in order   to be able to produce fruit in keeping with your repentance.  All those that are born again, share a similar heritage  and the outcome of this is UNITY.

No wonder that Satan works so hard to sow discord, and to introduce  wolves in sheep’s clothing into the flock  (Eph.  6:10-20). Disunity makes a church fruitless.

 2.      TRINITY  (4:4-6)

 A fruitful Church is driven by the Tri-une God

 “There is one body and one Spirit -just as you were called to one hope  when you were called –one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

The key word “one” (implying unity) is used 7 times in 4:4-6.  The theme of the letter to the Ephesians is in a sense all about this unity. This unity is rooted in the work of the  Trinity, the Holy Spirit (4:4); the Lord Jesus (4:5) and God our Father (4:6).

God has formed the members of the church into one body by the means of  one faith, one hope, one baptism – ALL THIS because there is only one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The Trinity is central to the church’s existence and fruitfulness. 

The true church proceeds from God.  We must say this because it is possible for churches to not work from this basis, but from the basis of mere human strength and ingenuity.  They are fruitless. They are Satan’s imitations. As such there are many churches that are not Christ-centered, God-centered and not Spirit directed.

It is essential that the church must be made up of those called by God the Father, saved by the blood of Christ, and called to life by the Holy Spirit, into one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, in order for her to be fruitful.

3.      ABILITY – GIFTEDNESS  (4:7-11)

Fruitful churches  are driven by spiritual gifts

Fruitfulness is obtained through the exercise of spiritually gifted members. In this regard we note that …

• All believers are gifted (4:7a): “But grace was given to each of us …”. The ‘grace’ (Gr. charis) is given by Christ through the outpoured Spirit at Pentecost. It is this grace which we must  extend to each other in the body of Christ – FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUILDING ONE ANOTHER UP. Gifts are not given to play with; they are tools to build with. And if they are not used in love, they become weapons to fight with, as had in fact happened to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12-14). We are saved to serve our God and our people with our gifts.  Spiritual gifts are meant to bring spiritual blessing, and if spiritual blessing, then  spiritual fruitfulness.  
• Believers are gifted in differing degrees (4:7b)“according to the measure of Christ’s gift”[1]. This indicates that Christ gives each believer measured (Gk. ‘metron’) grace.  This is often not understood. All Christian people receive gifts, but all do not receive the same gifts, and neither do all receive them with the same intensity. Our different giftedness is due to an enablement by Christ.  He knows what is good and needed in each body of believers in order to make that body fruitful in terms of giving visibility to the fruit of the Spirit.
• Christ is the Giver of the gifts (4:8-10). This fact is substantiated by an interesting quotation from Ps 68:18. This is a call/prayer to God to come to the rescue of His people as in the days of old. David remembers how God went in triumph before His people after the Exodus (v.7) so that Mt Sinai trembled (v.8) and kings were scattered (vv. 11-14). Then, the king who wanted Mt Zion as his residence (v.16), came from Sinai to his chosen holy place (His sanctuary) (v.17).As he ascended   towards Mt Zion  as the conquering King, he led captives and the spoils of war in his entourage. Along the way he generously distributed the gifts (the spoils of war) to the residents of Mt Zion/ Jerusalem. Paul applies this picture to Christ. Christ had descended to this sinful earth to die for our sins, rising up from the grave, triumphing over the power of death, delivering His people from spiritual exile and  under Satan’s dominion.  Christ not only triumphs over death (Satan’s trump card), but He also plunders Satan’s kingdom, robbing him of   many of his “sin slaves“, redeeming them to be His own people. Then He ascends   to His glorious throne - the spiritual Mt. Zion, with all His captives for His kingdom, sharing the spoils of that battle won against Satan, by dispensing these former ‘sin slaves’, as His gifts to His church. These gifts from God come to us in the form of people, whom the heavenly King uses to bless His church - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor- teachers.  
• Christ has given us foundational gifts to build up the church (4:11-12) This list represents the foundational graces for the  church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. I cannot say much about this now. However, since there is  so much controversy about apostles and prophets in our own day, we have to briefly clarify this. In Eph. 2:19,20 the offices of apostles and prophets are regarded as ‘foundational’ in the church. Foundations do not need to be built continually. We do not need new or more apostles and prophets any more than we need a new Lord Jesus.  The ministry of apostles and prophets in particular is maintained by the faithful preaching of the prophetic and apostolic word.

In summary:  these foundational gifts are essential  for the ongoing fruitfulness of the church

 4.      MATURITY (4:12-16)

The most fruitful church is a mature church

We are now coming to our concluding thought. Why does the church need this unity? Why is the  presence  and enablement  of the Holy Trinity essential?  Why does the church need spiritual gifts?

The answer is given in 4:12-16:  to equip the saints for the work for ministry, for building to build them up…  

All these foundational ministries  are  very important  to the church’s  existence and unity  since through these ministries  God’s people  are prepared  and   perfected   and  equipped- they are made fruitful.

• The word for “preparing /perfecting/ equipping“ is  the Greek word  “katartizo“.  It means ‘fixing something that's broken’ (e.g. torn nets in Matt. 4:21).
•   It can also mean ‘to supply something that is lacking’ (as in 1 Thess. 3:10, "We desire to supply, or equip, what is lacking in your faith"). The work of these foundational ministries is to repair what is broken and to supply what is lacking in and among the believers, who are, in the final analysis called "for the work of ministry".  The fixing and supplying what is lacking is meant to make the saints into fruitful servants.  

And the goal is maturity (5:13). The final exhibition of fruitfulness is mature / ripe fruit. That means, …

•       Being Christlike believers
•       Not immature, tossed about  by every wind of doctrine
•       Speaking the truth in love
•       Growing up in Him – our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ
•     Growing into a body built up in love – the supreme mark of the church 

Do you see what Paul sees? The body of Christ on earth is in one sense perfect already in God’s sight, because He knows what she is finally going to be. On the other hand  she is not yet a perfect entity, but she works for perfection. Right now she is work in progress. And the more she is rooted in sound doctrine, and led by foundational gifts, rooted in the work of the Trinity and the more unity she shows  among her members the  more effective she will be as she  fights this  spiritual war, taking  captives from Satan for Christ’s glory. 

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[1] See also Romans 12:6

John 15: 1- 17 Bearing Fruit for God’s glory in 2026

 

 

Welcome to 2026!  

Everyone longs to live an effective, meaningful and fruitful life. That is the reason why we like making new years resolutions. Nobody wants to waste their life. Everyone wants to create a fruitful legacy and fond memories. And that is good. It is wonderful to remember those whose fruitful lives have enriched us and who have left rich memories for us to cherish.  We owe much to people who have lived fruitfully, and whose legacy we now enjoy. 

We randomly think of people like Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468) who invented the movable-type printing press, the father of modern printing. Michael Faraday (1791-1867) was the father of the electric motor.  Louis Pasteur (b. 27th Dec.1822 d.  Sept. 1895) gave us   the first laboratory-produced vaccine and  is perhaps best known for pasteurized milk.   Alexander Bell (1847-1922) gave us the telephone.  Marie Curie (1867-1934) laid the foundation for modern nuclear physics, cancer treatments, and radiography. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923) a German physicist discovered X-rays in 1895.  All of these were ‘fruitful people’.  Some of these were professing Christians.

Whilst acknowledging that these people have made physical life so much easier for all of us, we must still ask that huge question raised by Jesus in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?  It is very good to live good lives and to make life changing contributions that benefit all of humanity in this life, but what matters ultimately?   

JOHN 15:1-17

Our text directs us to the subject of godly fruitfulness. What is the essence of true fruitfulness? What matters ultimately?  To answer that we must begin by looking at the greater context. I remind you that the most fruitful human being that ever lived is Jesus. He gave His life that we might live...  and that our joy may be full (15:11)

CONTEXT   

John 13-17 contains Jesus’ upper room discourses - things that Jesus did and said to His disciples on the night that He was betrayed. Last words are generally weighty words.  Here we find ...

·       Jesus’ foot-washing and teaching on the nature of servanthood (13:1-20)

·        The great commandment to love one another (13:31-35)

·       Jesus’ personal promise to prepare a place in heaven for His people, and of His return, and of the necessity of believing in Him (13:36 - 14:11)

·        Jesus’ promise that if He left, He would not leave His people as orphans, but that He would send the Holy Spirit to be with them and to empower them (14:16-31)

And now in 15:1-17 we find His vital teaching on being fruitful ourselves (15:1-17). Nothing tells the truth about us as much as this. Here we need to be aware that this fruitfulness cannot measured by mere appearance. Jesus’ own life demonstrates this. His own life and words were appreciated by comparatively few in His day, and yet who can deny His supreme fruitfulness?  Some of the most fruitful people in God’s economy are not those who occupy public office and pulpits, but faithful women and men that display the fruit of the Spirit in quiet and unassuming ways.    

It is very fitting that our key illustration for fruitfulness is a vine - something found in great abundance in the Breede River valley. 

1.      THE SOURCE OF FRUITFULNESS

The source of the fruitfulness is our Tri-une God.  I am the true Vine (15:1a); I am the Vine (15:5). Jesus is the Vine stem. God the Father is the vinedresser (15:1b).  The work of the vinedresser is to prune the branches of the vine regularly so that it may produce fruit. Please note that the Son and the Father are both involved in making the branches fruitful. What about the Holy Spirit?  Well, He is found to the left (14:15ff) and to the right (16:7-15) of our passage. In fact, the fruit that we are called to bear,  eventually are called the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal.5:22).

We draw the strength of fruitfulness by abiding in Christ (15:4)  - the true Vine, pruned and made even more fruitful by God the Father. More about that in a moment...

2.      THE SUBJECTS OF FRUITFULNESS

15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  One of the most essential works that our Heavenly Vinedresser does is to cleanse us from all sin.  Those that are rooted in Christ are called “clean” (cf. 13:10,11).  If you are a Christian, if you trust in Christ, born again (Jn 3:7) then you are clean. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 Jn 1:7).  

The work of the heavenly vinedresser continues as He prunes us from time to time SO THAT we may be more fruitful.  

The subjects of fruitfulness are those that are clean, who abide in Christ  i.e.  who are born again of the Spirit of God (John 3:1-8) 

3.      THE PURPOSE: BRANCHES ARE DESIGNED FOR SPIRITUAL FRUIT-BEARING

Here we want to make a few observations:

(i)                  Branches derive their fruitfulness from abiding in Christ. It comes from nowhere else. It does not come from our own efforts. If we are not abiding 'in Christ', then there is not just no spiritual life within us, but there can also be no spiritual fruit. We must get this clear.  We may be good people; we may be decent and moral people; we may be good citizens and parents in the eyes of our society, but we may not necessarily be fruitful according to God’s Word. The goodness of our fruit-bearing is rooted in Christ. 

(ii)                Branches must be pruned from time to time in order to be more fruitful. 15:2 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful.”  15:4 "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”  15:5. "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

There are two types of branches: those that bear fruit (15:2b,5,8); those that do not (15:2a,6). Fruitful branches are pruned – trimmed to make them even more fruitful – this happens to every true Christian. These can be painful times, but the outcome is always good.  Unfruitful branches (who do not abide in Christ – 15:6) are cut off altogether and thrown into the fire. Does this mean that dead, unfruitful branches are Christians that have lost their salvation?  No, it doesn’t. That would bring us into conflict with the nature and the power of Christ’s salvation. But it does illustrate something that we will easily overlook. There is such a person as the “Almost Christian”[1]. There are at all times people like Judas, of whom Jesus speaks in John 13:2,11,21.  This man has walked with Christ for a while, but he had no spiritual life in him to continue. He has finally proven to be a dead, fruitless branch, while the 11 disciples (unpromising as they look at times) will ultimately display proofs of fruitfulness. 

(iii)              Branches display the glory of the Vine 15:8: "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit showing yourselves to be my disciples".   The ultimate end to which we bear fruit ( the end to which we live) is to give glory to God!

We must assert the importance of fruitfulness. Absence of fruit is a bad sign. The value of the vine depends on the fruit.  If any branches of the vine do not bear fruit that branch is actually useless. It is in danger of being thrown away into the fire (images of eternal hell) See how often the metaphor of an unproductive tree is used in the gospels by Jesus (Matt 3:10; 7:15-20; 12:33; Lk 3:9; 6:43-44)

Applying this to our Christian profession we learn by way of application that this is a “do or die” thing. Fruit is the ultimate   proof of the authenticity/value of a tree.  Spiritual fruit-bearing  of Christian authenticity. The absence thereof proves that we are not (Gal. 5:19-25).

4.      WHAT KIND OF FRUIT MUST WE BEAR TO SHOW OURSELVES TO BE CHRIST’S DISCIPLES?

 i)      We have already considered the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control...

(ii)    Of that fruit in John 15: 9 -17, Jesus mentions joy (15:11) but He focuses mainly on that greatest of fruit which will last into eternity - LOVE (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13).  We will merely summarise what Jesus says here

·       15:9,10 Love is the basis of the relationship between the Father and the Son

·       15:10 Christians are called to imitate that love among one another. To that end they must draw from the strength that they receive not from their own willpower or ability  but by drawing on the resources that God supplies.  PLEASE NOTE the  promise given  if we pray for such strength to love in 15:7

·       15:12-17 This love is not an option for Christians. It is commanded, and if commanded it is possible (because of 15:7). The supreme act of love is laying down our lives / preferences for one another. The manifestation of the fruit of love is the acid test of being a Christian. It is the greatest mark of the church.  The love of believers for one another is not just a nice thought; it is the very essence of discipleship and the most potent tool for convincing a sceptical world of Christ's reality (Francis Schaeffer). This love isn't just a feeling but must be visibly demonstrated in actions like apologizing, forgiving, and serving one another, even when this is difficult. Again, it is possible, because the source of such love is drawn not from ourselves but from God.

BEARING FRUIT IN 2026

·       You want to live a meaningful, fruitful life. Let God define it for you. Not your new years resolutions.

·       If you are powerless, ask: Have I been grafted into Him - the vine,  so that there is this spiritual sap in my life? Am I ‘in Christ’- abiding in Him? (15:4). Have I been born again? (3:3-8). If you are a Christian, and you still feel powerless to love - pray (15:7)

·       Understand that you may need pruning from time to time in order to be more fruitful. The experience may be bitter but the fruit will be sweet.

·       Let your love for God translate into a real, genuine love for that which God loves –  Love for  Jesus, His people (your church 15:12), His Word; His glory and kingdom; Your holiness of life; His Coming.  (all summarised in the Lord’s prayer)

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[1] Matthew Meade

BEARING FRUIT IN 2020 - 1 Timothy 1:17: “The Discipline Of Committing Ourselves To Public Worship”

1. Disciplining ourselves for the purpose of godliness

2. The discipline of hearing God’s Word regularly

3. The discipline of  Public Prayer

4. The Discipline of Public Worship

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17). 

This is a great statement, made by a worshipping heart, the apostle Paul, to his son in the faith, Timothy, who is pastor of the church at Ephesus.

In this, the  last of our January series, we meditate on the nature of corporate worship.What is worship? What does the word mean? 

The word is derived from the English word ‘worth-ship‘.  It means to ascribe ‘worth’ to someone.

The human heart longs to worship. 

The reason for that is that the human race was designed and created by God to worship Him alone (Genesis 1&2).  However, the fall in Genesis 3 has turned every person from a God- worshipper into an idol-worshipper.  John Calvin observed that every human heart is an idol factory[1]. Solomon comments, “See this alone I have found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”  (Eccl. 7:29)

Whilst the world now worships in many different ways (mainly that, which itself creates), we Christians are primarily interested in the recovery of the worth-ship of God. For the Christian, God is of the highest worth. Therefore the Christian pursues the worship of God as his or her highest goal. But where shall we learn how to worship God?   The Bible informs us concerning the essence and nature of true worship. It also exposes the nature and folly and consequences of false worship. Our pulpit ministry at Eastside, in tandem with all the true church in history,   deliberately aims to align our thinking with the Scriptures, and so aims to help us to worship God. This is hard work. It requires, as we have seen, robust training in godliness (1 Timothy 4:7 – see first sermon[2])

Paul’s letters to Timothy are essentially instructions on how the church ought to worship. The church at Ephesus, of which Timothy was the pastor, was born in an environment of strong idol worship. The temple of Artemis or Diana was found right here, in Ephesus. It was once considered to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.[3] But here in Ephesus the gospel had taken root and people were brought back to the worship of the true Creator God. It one thing for people to get out of that environment, but it is never easy to get the environment out of people. The enemy of our souls, the tempter, prowls around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). Paul  frequently draws attention to his work in his letters to Timothy.[4] 

In order to deal with that perpetual problem, namely   allowing our hearts to worship  that which cannot save us,  we have chosen to take   counsel  from Paul’s first letter to Timothy. There we have considered,

1.     The importance of training ourselves in godliness (1 Tim.  4:7-8). By disciplining  ourselves in godliness,  we  honour God; we learn  to  worship God.

2.     The discipline of hearing and reading God’s Word regularly (1 Tim 4:13). The Bible   teaches us  to worship God according to the pattern given to us, and not just according to the fancies of our own thinking.  

3.     The Discipline of Prayer (1 Tim 2:1-4). Prayer is the highest act of worship, for in prayer we declare our dependence upon God.  

4.     The Discipline of Worship. (1 Tim 1:17). This is what we shall consider now

Paul’s statement in1 Timothy 1:17

a.     A statement  that expresses the heart of worship (1:17)

b.     How Paul is lead to make that  statement:  How he became a worshipper  (1:12-16)

c.      What that statement leads to: A life of worship,  expressed in  the corporate life of the church   (2: 1-15 and the rest of the letter)

THE HEART OF WORSHIP (1:17)

Here we find Paul sinking on to his knees before God in worship as he makes this statement  (cf. Romans 11:33-36)

WHAT LEADS HIM TO WORSHIP? (1:12-16)

It is very clear! Here it is the thought of what Jesus Christ (not only his Lord but OUR Lord) has done for him! Paul here thanks God for giving him the strength (Gr.dunamis) for this service of being an apostle (1:1).  The phrase ’because he judged me faithful’ (pistis) needs to be understood in a passive sense. It was not that Paul was a faithful man and that upon this merit God judged him to be faithful, appointing him to this service. No, it is God that empowered him (i.e. gave him that dunamis) to be faithful and THAT is why Paul is  a faithful servant and apostle of the church. The glory and worship therefore belong to God and not to Paul.  Paul knows himself only too well. As he recites his history, he writes ”formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor and insolent[5]  opponent”. He knows that he was anything but faithful to God in himself.  He  knows that it was on the basis of God’s  grace  and love and mercy  in Jesus ALONE that He became what he was – the apostle  by command of God  our Saviour and  of Christ Jesus our hope (1:1).  It is that thought of God’s free, loving, unmerited grace and mercy to him, the foremost of sinners (1:15) ,  that leads  him to express this great  doxology- this utterance of praise  and worship to God. True worship of God begins when we know that we are made by God and kept by God.    

Let us rehearse this question again:  Why can we truly worship the one true God of the Universe?  We can worship Him  because He makes Himself known to us. Paul writes to the Galatians and says that “it pleased God to reveal his Son in me” (Gal. 1:16).   We see that in our text. In his letter to Timothy Paul thinks about the way in which Jesus saved him, despite the fact that he was once a blasphemer, a persecutor and an insolent opponent of the gospel.  And he bursts into that great statement of worship. 

At the extreme end of our  experience of worship  there  can  be  a falling down,  and even  an experience of fear, and even losing consciousness,  or  the ability to see.   The apostle Paul experienced that in Acts 9:3-9. The apostle Peter experienced that in Lk 5:8. The apostle Thomas experienced that in John 20:21[6]. The apostle John experience that in Revelation 1:17.

But many more times we find people just simply dropping on to their knees when they encounter Jesus. The ESV  and NIV  describe this act  simply as kneeling before Jesus, but the  KJV captures the sense of gravitas  better when it  says  that they  worshipped  (proskuneo – lit. to bow down before)  Jesus.  In this sense Jesus is frequently worshipped or bowed down to.  Each time, Jesus accepted the worship.  Here are some examples from Matthew,

·       Matthew 8:2  -   A healed leper knelt before- i.e.  worshipped Jesus.

·       Matthew  9:18- A ruler knelt before (worshipped)  Jesus after He had healed his Son.

·      Matthew 14:33- The disciples worshipped Jesus after He had walked on water. "Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'" (Here the ESV  translates proskuneo as  worship)

·       Matthew 15:25: “A Canaanite woman came and knelt before him (worshipped), saying, 'Lord, help me.'"

·       Matthew 20:20, "Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling (worshipping) before him she asked him for something."

Do we  still worship God when we do not feel  anything?

The giving of  the glory  God,  when  His felt presence is near  is  our best experience, and   yet there may be  times when  we need to worship  in a principled fashion, like...

·       Habakkuk 3:17,18

·        Job  13:15a  “Though he slay me, I will hope in him”

·       Matthew   26: 39,42,44 -  Jesus, now forsaken of the Father  in the Garden, and yet  praying, "Your will be done".

We can worship, because the truth still remains the  truth. I may not feel  God’s love, but that does not prove that He does not love me and care for me. I still worship Him. He is still my Father.  Following the devastating news  of the death of his baby boy, David, sore depressed,  got up from his bed, washed his  face and went to the sanctuary to worship God  (2 Sam 12:20).

APPLICATION: THE CONTEXT OF WORSHIP

We have begun our meditation with the personal encounter of God  that leads to worship. But  private worship is not the highest form  or expression of worship. The highest form of worship  ends in public  worship. 

We have already noted that Paul does not privatise God or the Lord Jesus Christ.  He refers to God our Saviour and Jesus Christ our hope (1:1); Jesus our Lord (1:2, 12,14).  And so, the corporate worship service  of the church is the highest  expression of  human worship, and the highest exclamation of our worship can be   that which  1 Timothy 1:17  reveals, “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only  God,  be honour and glory  forever and ever. Amen.“ 

That is, incidentally the language of the worship of heaven. This is what  the people gathered  before the throne  from all tribes, tongues, languages and nations  are saying:   “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits  on the throne and  to the Lamb… blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. (Rev.  7:10-12).

And so as we survey the greater context of  Paul’s letter to Timothy,  we see the corporate effect of public worship  worked out in 1 Timothy 2,  as Paul  explains  what the church  in Ephesus should be doing  corporately  in worship. The first thing is prayer (2:1-7). The second thing is and  right  and submissive attitudes in worship (2: 8-15).  Furthermore, the  church ought to  be led by  worshipping elders and deacons, leading  the church  by the examples of their own worshipping  lives (Chapter 3) etc …I trust the point is made. The thought of Godleads to practical applications of worship. 

Beloved brothers and sisters.  Let the church worship! Come together regularly and praise  the  Lord, with all that He has given you. Do this in prayer, in song, by hearing the Word together and by doing what it says. Do it in in participating in the life of this body to the glory of God. 

The common worship that we seek is biblical, reverent, joyful, edifying and filled with praise to God.   

One last plea, particularly to the younger parents. Do not let your children miss out on this worship. Let the children worship. There is plenty of biblical evidence that children are included in public worship.  Jesus wanted to see the little children not neglected in our midst. Let them  be present  in the means of grace. Let them hear the Word preached; let them see the Lord’s supper and baptism administered, and let them ask their parents, what do these things mean? Let them be prayed for publically and let them participate in prayer; let them sit with their parents in worship and let them experience what  demonstrates our weekly priority. And God will respond to your faithful worship by giving them true life. Amen.

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[1] https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.xii.html

[2] https://joachimrieck.blogspot.com/2020/01/bearing-fruit-in-2020-1-timothy-47.html

[3] By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments  now remain at the site.

[4] 1 Tim  1:20; 3:6,7, 4:1, 5:15; 2 Tim 2:26

[5] showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

[6]