67a) The Church Ministering to Itself in Love #1

Introduction: The Corporate Ministry of the Body to Itself

0:02 Now, as we come this morning, brethren, to our second set of lectures in this unit of pastoral theology, we continue to concern ourselves with the broad areas of major aspects of the task of oversight and government in the life of God's people, and we are presently opening up aspects of those ministerial tasks pertaining to the corporate life of the people of God. And today, we take up the subject of directives for cultivating the corporate ministry of the body to itself. And the materials that we will cover will be ranged under three headings. First of all, the scriptural mandate for this duty, that is, the duty of the people of God ministering to themselves in love. Secondly, some guidelines for the implementation of this duty. And then, finally, some concluding warnings and cautions in the light of the current situation among many evangelical and even confessedly Reformed churches.

1:14 Well, then, we begin with the scriptural mandate for this duty. And if you want a subtitle for the lecture, the duty is biblical body life, what it is, and how is it manifested. Now, I use the term biblical body life, because it is the duty of the people of God. I use the term body life, because that was about, oh, 15, 20 years ago, the in terminology.

1:36 It's dying out, like most evangelical fads. But the remnants of it may still be around, and you may encounter the terminology. Now, as we turn to the scriptures with respect to this whole issue of how is the church as body, the church as the family, and as the community of Christ, how is it to relate to itself? The mandates of scripture.

The Scriptural Mandate: Ephesians 4:7-16

2:01 The mandates of scripture are clear that the church in its corporate life is to be a body ministering to itself in love. And here in your notes are four pivotal passages, by no means exhaustive, only suggestive with respect to that duty. First of all, the Ephesians 4, 7 through 16 passage. Now, I'm assuming that most of you are familiar with the overall content of this passage.

2:31 It begins with this ringing call to a walk worthy of our calling. A walk characterized by those graces which contribute to peace and harmony within the one body. And then the apostle goes on, after describing those commodities essential to the maintenance of unity within the body, that this unity, though founded upon these common values of unity, is to be known as a one body. In the Roman realities, verses 4 and 5, one body, one spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. Yet within that body, every member of which is to strive for unity, cultivating the graces productive of that unity and ongoing peace, there is not a plastic, wooden sameness in the body. The unity is to be known in the midst of great diversity. Verse 7. Verse 7.

3:31 But unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. And then some of those diverse gifts are listed, and among them is the gift for public teaching and rule. The ascended Christ gives pastors and teachers for the express purpose of the perfecting of the saints unto a work of service. Lenski's free translation is very helpful.

4:05 He renders it this way, for the complete outfitting of the saints for ministration work, for upbuilding of the body of Christ. You have a pros, and then two prepositions, ice. Christ gives these gifts towards and unto and unto. Jeffrey Wilson's comments on this passage are most perceptive.

4:31 I quote from page 89 of his paperback commentary or distillation of reform commentary on the book of Ephesians. Christ gives these pastors, teachers, and other gifts for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ. That is, to equip God's people for work in his service to the building up of the body of Christ. As the New English Bible's omission of the first comma shows, the purpose for which Christ gave these men is that all God's people should be perfectly fitted for the particular service that each is to contribute to the building up of the body of Christ.

5:15 In other words, Christ has appointed the ministry, the ministry of the word, as the means by which all members of the church are equipped for Christian service in the world. Thus, Christ gave men to be the servants of the word, so that through their ministry his body might be built up. And then a choice quote from Calvin. From this it is plain that those who neglect this means, and yet hope to become perfect in Christ, are mad.

5:46 Such are the fanatics who invent secret revelations, Such are the fanatics who invent secret revelations, such are the fanatics who invent secret revelations, of the spirit for themselves, and the proud who think that for them the private reading of the scriptures is enough, and that they have no need of the common ministry of the church. Now, this passage in Ephesians 4 is critical for several reasons. There will always be, as long as Christ is the architect, and the nurturer and cherisher of his church, there will always be the need for, and the provision of, special class of teachers and guides in the Church of Christ. To put it crassly, the ascended Christ never envisions his body filled with his fullness as rising above the need for pastors and teachers until the consummation. And he feels no jealousy, and it really is an impugning of his wisdom to think that we can attain a state of grace and such governance and such dynamics of the presence of the Spirit that properly recognized pastors and teachers are no longer needed. This passage cuts the nerve of any such thinking, but it also points in a direction that we need constantly to

7:08 remember, and that is, not only is there a constant necessity of a special class of teachers and guides in the Church, but the ultimate end for the church is the end of the church. The end for which they are given is the sanctified service of those who are instructed and guided under their leadership. Pastors and teachers given for the perfecting of the saints unto service work, so that the equipping of the people of God for service, not the negating of the need and function of their service, is the end for which God gives such gifts. So that this passage is a two-edged sword.

7:47 That cuts, on the one hand, against any kind of incipient brethrenism or anti-clericalism. It cuts against that. The ascended Christ sees that his people need pastors and teachers. And if everyone is pastor and teacher, then the text becomes nonsense. But it also cuts against an ecclesiastical professionalism or an evangelical sacerdotalism. That looks upon pastors and teachers as the only holy men who can do the holy things in the holy church. They are given to make the una sancta, the holy one church, equipped unto service. And in the context, and in the larger context of the New Testament epistles, the majority of that service is found as the body ministers to itself in love, and then becomes in the hands of Christ that city set on the hill that demonstrates the alternate lifestyle of the new humanity and validates the

The Scriptural Mandate: Hebrews 6:10 and 1 Corinthians 16:15

8:56 proclamation of the gospel. But then we have Hebrews 6 and verse 10, another pivotal text that sets before us the scriptural mandate for the duty of the church ministering to itself in love. You remember the setting here in the Hebrews 6 passage after that most sober warning concerning apostasy. The writer says in verse 9, but beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love which you showed toward his name, in that you ministered unto the saints and still do minister. And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fullness of hope, even to the end. As the writer is seeking to encourage those who having heard those thundering words of the opening verses of this chapter ringing in their ears and hearts, and perhaps anticipates with pastoral sensitivity that some of them might be shaken, he says, but brethren, we're convinced better things of you, things that accompany not merely the semblance of a saving work of grace, but the same diligence unto the fullness of hope,

10:18 that in time manifest its deficiencies. Those who merely tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come but eventually fall away, we're convinced better things of you, things that accompany a deep genuine work of God's grace and of all the things he could highlight. Isn't it interesting that he highlights this? We're persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation. God is not unrighteous to forget your work and the love that you show toward his name, your work and the love which you showed toward his name now how does a believer show his love to the disclosed character of God in Jesus Christ through the gospel well in many many ways he prays, he fights against sin he mortifies sin he's prepared to bear witness of his faith in Christ a host of ways but the one that the writer to Hebrews focuses upon is this you showed love toward his name in that you ministered unto the saints and still do minister and as he exhorts them now to the perseverance in the way of hope

11:33 and faith he does so in conjunction with an exhortation to persevere in this pattern of demonstrating their love for the revealed character of God in Christ in new covenant blessing by continuing to manifest grace in this area so that this duty of ministering to the saints as a saint ministering to the saints is one of the paramount marks of a genuine work of grace and no little part of the ongoing manifestation of grace consistent with persevering faith and hope in Christ and in the gospel service is glory growing out of relationship to the living God under the canopy of new covenant blessing and is said to find a major conduit in this ministering of the people of God one to another you find a parallel passage and I think you can list that along with Hebrews 6.10 in 1 Corinthians 16.15 in reworking the lecture I added this text but I didn't put it into your notes I should have 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 15 I beseech you brethren

13:01 you know the house of Stephanas that it is the first fruits of Achaia now put yourself in the place of this missionary apostle and would not your first converts in the new area of gospel endeavor always have a special place in your heart as long as God gives me memory I will never forget the name the face of the person at least as far as I know of my first fruits in the Lord having just as it were barely come out of the womb and been washed and put in my diapers God was pleased to use me in the conversion of a fellow classmate in my high school and he's been in the ministry for a number of years manifest all the marks of persevering faith and being the real thing the name of that man the face of that man will always have a peculiarly precious place in my heart just as your firstborn child you who are parents regardless of what the subsequent history is when you first look at that little little life that is the mysterious eternal irreversible product of your union with your wife the mystery of that nothing else you could have a hundred kids you could have a harem and be fathering ten kids a month but that firstborn will always have a unique place in your heart the apostle was made of the same stuff now look at what he says of this firstborn and of all the things that were true of

The Scriptural Mandate: 1 Peter 4:10-11 and Galatians 5:13-14

14:28 Stephanus what does he say I beseech you brethren you know the house of Stephanus that it is the first fruits of Achaia they have set themselves to minister unto the saints of all the characteristics of this household that he could have underscored he highlights this very one as an indisputable mark of the grace of God that came to his spiritual first fruits well then our next text is the first peter four ten and eleven passage here peter is giving us a recent general exhortations in district of this called one of the general creep pistols and among both duties reans in verse ten according as has received a gift they cubby smashing ministering it among yourselves as good you words of the manifold grace of God and then he down on the couple of those get if there any man speak speaking it then he can as he declares good Anthropology Fantasy Pantheon 2013 but then he sits down on the couple of those gifts if any man speaks speaking if any man speaks speaking if any man speaks talking about the brothers whether he policies talk about the ninth chapter two ten two three or four, that's a double If any man ministers or serves as of the strength which God supplies, to what end? Having given the generic directive in verse 10, having descended to two particulars in verse 11,

15:44 what is the great end Peter has in view in exhorting that each who has received his gift is to minister it among the people of God as a good steward? What's the great end in view? That in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. He sees the glory of God mediated through Christ and his work of redemption as finding expression in the new covenant community.

16:14 He sees that glory greatly enhanced and advanced as the charismatic community of the saints ministers their various charisms among God. They see themselves in the power of God and of his grace. Now this text is a watershed text because it underscores several vital things. Number one, each has received a charisma according as each has received.

16:45 The New Testament church is extensively charismatic. And we should not allow the charismatics, in quotation marks, to steal this charismatics. To steal this precious truth from us. And to so capture it as to make it contraband goods for the rest of us.

17:03 Each has received a gift. Secondly, each must use this charisma in brotherly service. That's not the only dimension of it, but that's what's highlighted in this text. Thirdly, each must regard his charisma as a part of his stewardship.

17:22 As stewards of the manifold grace of God. The grace that has brought us. This glorious salvation is the grace that has endowed each member of the body. And in stewardship of that grace, it is to be ministered one to another.

17:39 And fourthly, each is to realize that God's glory in the church is involved in these matters.

17:48 So that no little part of God being glorified in and through Christ in the church is the cultivation of biblical body life. The cultivation of this climate in which we live. The cultivation of this climate in which we live. The cultivation of this climate in which we live.

17:59 The cultivation of this climate in which we live. The cultivation of this climate in which the body ministers to itself in love. And then Galatians 5 verses 13 and 14.

18:08 In an epistle that, like so many, underscores that theology determines ethics. Paul, in defending with white-hot spiritual controlled fury. That's the only way to describe Galatians. The great doctrine of justification by faith alone through the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.

18:29 Shows in these latter chapters. The intimate connection between ethics and theology. Purity of doctrine and sanctity of life. And here in verse 13 he says, For you, brethren, were called for freedom.

18:44 Only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one to another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word. Even in this. You shall love your neighbor.

19:00 As yourself. We could go on to verse 15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another. You see, the apostle understood that only the conscience free from the terrors of a standard that we can never meet.

19:16 And suffused with the dynamics of gratitude for grace. Only such a heart is free to serve others. Come back under the trappings of mosaic law for favor with God. And you've got a legal spirit.

19:29 And a legal spirit is a biting spirit. It's a devouring spirit. A spirit suffused with grace received is a spirit ready to confer grace. And that throbs through the ethical strands of the epistle to the Galatians or the Galatian epistle.

19:47 And so in this passage there is this highlighted duty that through love we are to serve one another. Why? Because the whole essence of evangelical law keeping is loving one's neighbor. And in the context the neighbor is my brother, my sister in the community of the people of God.

20:08 And I'm to take the posture being free in Christ with a conscience cleansed of guilt and accusation. And with a heart suffused with a response of gratitude I'm now free to serve my brethren. There's an interesting parallel with 1 Peter 2.16.

20:27 In that passage. There is liberty unto bond service to God. Notice the similarity of language in 1 Peter 2 and verse 16. As free and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness but as bond servants of God.

20:46 There your freedom is that you might render loving bond service to the God who has liberated you from the tyranny of sin and the devil. Here it is liberty unto service to the people of God. And the two must never be severed.

21:02 One is the taproot of the other and the other is the inevitable fruit of its taproot. Let no man say he is serving others who has not come to bond service to the living God through the power of the dynamics of the gospel of the grace of God. Let no man say he's under the power of the dynamics of the gospel of the grace of God who is not joyfully serving his brethren. These two things in these parallel passages are inseparable.

Centrality of the Duty and Guidelines for Implementation

21:31 Now other passages. Could be pressed into service. But these should suffice to make clear that is surely as the church is called to be a worshipping. A praying assembly.

21:42 It is called to be a serving community particularly serving itself in love. Further it should be plain to us from these passages that this is not a secondary matter. Rather it is a central and dominant reality of New Testament church life. And practice.

22:05 Well now we move from the scriptural mandate for the duty to large letter B in your notes. Some guidelines for the implementation of this duty. Should God be pleased to put you in a place of oversight and shepherding among his people. How ought you to conduct your life as an under shepherd so that this duty is given its proper place.

22:29 Its proper emphasis and some degree of an efficient administration. Of those principles in so far as it lies within your power to administer them. Well here again I've tried to group the guidelines under three major divisions. We are responsible to fulfill these directives first of all by constantly inculcating the scriptural concepts of the church which undergird this duty.

Guideline 1: Inculcating Scriptural Concepts of the Church

23:01 Now to inculcate if you look up the word means to impress by frequent repetition. So by constantly inculcating the scriptural concepts of the church which undergird this duty. As surely as Christians walk before God is to be conditioned by the remembrance of what he is. So his relationship to his brethren comes within this same conditioning complex.

23:30 I hope by the time you leave this place the idea that I'm now seeking to express will be part and parcel. Of your reflexive thinking about the pattern and the motif of ethical instruction in the New Testament and even in the old. God says do this because of what I've made you. You are to be because of what you are.

23:53 That's the pattern not do this to become but this is what I've made you by grace. Now be what you are. For the grace that is made you this is now operative working in you to willing to work of my good. Pleasure.

24:08 This is the pattern in such passages as Colossians 3 8 through 10 and I've listed two passages that in a sense give us the distilled essence of this framework of ethical instruction in the New Testament and here in Colossians 3 8 through 10 put away all of these things anger wrath malice railing shameful speaking out of your mouth. Do not lie one to another why. Seeing you have put off the old man with his doings and have put on the new man that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that created him. Put away all these remnants of what you once were why because you have definitively once and for all put off the old man you have put on the new. Now the new man in Christ is not a perfect new man therefore there is room for renewal and progress. But the. Motif is you have put off you have put on therefore put all these things away.

25:15 Be in your experience what God has made you in his definitive actings and dynamics of grace. Similar emphasis in first Peter 2 9 and 10 where there the corporate concept is more dominant. Here you have the individual concept in Colossians 3 but in first Peter 2 we read in verse 9. You are an elect race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for God's own possession in order that you may show forth that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light who in time past were no people but now are the people of God who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. And here. I say you cannot neuter the corporate emphasis. You can't think of race priesthood nation and people and think in atomistic individual units.

26:21 These are aggregates of individuals. And as such the new humanity is to show forth and declare the virtues the praises the excellency of the God who has called them out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Now in the same way duties relating to our. Dealings with one another grow out of what we are in our corporate life and these realities must be opened up expounded applied and reinforced by constant repetition.

26:53 If you are to see under your ministry any emergence of biblical body life of people who by but to some degree are growing in the outworking of all the duties that come into this general category of the. Body ministering to itself in love. You must constantly inculcate the scriptural concepts of the very identity of the church which undergird those duties and those responsibilities and what are several of them. Number one we are brethren in the same family we are brethren in the same family in Philemon 15 and 16 Paul picks up this strand in dealing. With this whole issue of returning this formerly worthless slave to his master Philemon and he says for perhaps he was therefore parted from you for a season that you should have him forever no longer as a servant but more more than a servant a brother beloved specially to me but how much rather to you both in the flesh and in the Lord. If then you count me.

28:10 Partner receive him as myself what is he saying he's saying Philemon the entreaties I'm making on behalf of Onesimus will make no sense to you nor will you have a framework to implement them unless you think of this man in terms of what he now is you are part of the same family oh yes I'm sending him back as a runaway slave who needs to settle accounts with you and you'll still have the liberty to receive him back as a slave but remember. There are other. There are other factors that have now entered that will condition and radically alter the whole framework of your relationship to this man he's a brother beloved that's what God's made him you think of him in any other way and you're out of touch with reality think of him in that way and I won't need to be writing you a letter once a week to tell you how that will alter many specifics of the way you relate to him there's the principle you see he reminds Philemon that this man is a brother beloved. You have that in second Thessalonians 3 14 and 15.

29:18 Even when there must be discipline that affects certain dimensions of social interaction what does Paul say if any man obeys not our word by this epistle note that man that you have no company with him to the end he may be ashamed you mean the new covenant community suffused with the love of Christ. Is to bully someone by corporate social ostracization. it and bruise the self-image of the offending party? Yes. Yes. But in what spirit and disposition?

29:50 Look at the next verse. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

29:59 You see, Paul doesn't need to give ten paragraphs of conditioning the whole thing. He's not backing off, lessening the stringency of the directive that a disorderly man who has not responded to lesser levels of attempts to restore him to an orderly walk must be dealt with by this loving community, but even when they must deal in a very strident way with him, they are never to forget the nature of the relationship, and that will color and flavor all that is done so that it will be seen as an expression of grace. Tough grace, yes, but grace nonetheless. Hence the predominant word of identity.

30:41 Identity in the New Testament for the New Covenant community is what? Brethren, Adel Phos, lining up behind it, the Hagios, the saints, and then the Pistos, believers. That's the identity of the New Covenant community in what we might call its common terms of identification. Brethren in the same family, believing, holy brethren. Therefore, we're not shocked when we come to such texts. 1 Thessalonians 4, 9, and 10. And we see this emphasis standing on the face of the text. Concerning love of the brethren, you have no need that one write to you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another. For, indeed, you do it to all the brethren

31:29 that are in all Macedonia. End of sentence. End of subject. No. And I can't help but chuckle every time I read that. You say, we don't even need to say anything to you. God has taught you, and you're doing it. But.

31:44 Okay. Impressing by frequent repetition. You're taught of God. You're doing it. But.

31:51 Though we don't need to say anything, we're going to say something. We exhort you, brethren, abound more and more. And then he puts flesh on it. And study to be quiet. Keep your nose in your own business. Work with your own hands. Walk becomingly to those that are without, and you may have need of nothing. 1 Peter 2, and verse 17. Another exhortation that grows out of this framework of reference. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. What a wonderful term for the people of God. Ad elphotes. Love the brotherhood. I'm part of the brotherhood. Isn't it interesting how the world has taken some of these things? That's the term the trade unions use. The brotherhood of united auto workers. Brotherhood

32:41 of this. Brotherhood of that. To express something of this sense of brotherhood. Brotherhood of brotherhood. Brotherhood of this. Brotherhood of that. Brotherhood of that. Brotherhood of corporate identity. And we must underscore this, that we are brethren in the same family. And only as the people of God think of themselves in terms of what God in grace has made them, will they be prepared to even begin to work out in actual experience in their relationship one to another, the manifold directives of scripture to the church ministering to itself in love. But then, another dominant image.

33:15 We are members of the same body. Members of the same body. In the Ephesians 4, 3, and 4 passage, it is the first line of argument to buttress the exhortation to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. After giving that exhortation in verse 1, highlighting the graces essential to have that pursuit in any way realized among the people of God, the first foundational issue that Paul says undergirds all of this, there is one body.

33:53 There is one body. You must think of yourself in terms of what and who you are. And then, later on in the chapter, he uses it again with very strong, practical, ethical implications. Verse 25, wherefore, putting away falsehoods, speak truth every one with his neighbor. Why?

34:14 Because he is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one who is the one because it's a violation of the ninth commandment to do anything less. Well, that's true. But that is what he says. You will bloody your conscience if you do otherwise. That's true. But then what he mentions of all the different things, what does he highlight? For we are members one of another.

34:34 How incongruous if the touch and the sight and the smell of the body begins to lie to the head and false signals are sent out as to what to do. touches a hot stove and the fingers lie and say the stove is stone cold and a man keeps it there until he smells the acrid smell of his own burning flesh you see what he's saying total I wonder who remembers one of them what would happen in your earthly organism called the body if the members begin to be dishonest in their intercommunication it will result in the disintegration and destruction of the body so will it in the body of Christ and then in 1st Corinthians 12 12 and following Romans 12 3 to 8 Ephesians 4 11 to 16 isn't it interesting that the three dominant passages in the New Testament dealing with the diversity of gifts the function of gifts within the church all are top-heavy with emphasis on this imagery of the church as body so that's telling us something if with God given diversity there is to be the recognition of that diversity and yet the constant maintenance and and increasing realization of spirit wrought pneumatic unity the concept of body must percolate through the people of God the Holy Ghost has given a dominant emphasis

36:02 to the imagery of body and certainly we need to go beyond the mere organic relationship that exists among the members one with another and remember acts 9 1 and 4 Saul breathing out threatenings and slaughters against the church only a execute the physical evaluation all theunes a close attentional selection with own own all primary relationship with one another and it's critical that we maintain any other actual self- distress or alienation when we someone will protrude the Divine Now harder to случ spiritual temple living stones in the same spiritual temple and here i've listed these three texts first corinthians 3 16 and 17 do you not know that you corporately are the temple of god and the spirit of god dwells among you if any man destroys that church him shall god destroy ephesians 2 21 and 22 you have there a temple that grows and is filled with the fullness of christ first peter 2 4 and following the imagery again of living stones that are built up into this

37:23 spiritual temple well here again you see as people think of themselves in terms of what they are it will have great implications with respect to ethics great implications with respect to corporate expressions of devotion and love and worship ephesians 4 30 and following grieve not the holy spirit in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption what is the grief spirit he becomes a withdrawn spirit a withdrawn spirit who is the author of all true praise of all true prayer of all true worship when he is grieved and withdraws what are our paltry efforts to worship to pray to preach it all becomes a sham it all becomes a corpse trussed up perhaps by ritual and by form and by habit but no living presence when you see these concepts when they become through patient careful exposition and judicious repetition constant allusion to them it is only in such a setting that the church will make progress in working out the biblical directives concerning its duty to minister to itself in love so you and i have the responsibility then constantly to inculcate the scriptural concepts of the church which are the principles of the church which are the principles of the church which we present to each other which undergird the duty and then

Guideline 2: Emphasizing Spirit-Endowed Giftedness

38:50 secondly by constantly and i'm sorry letter d we are all this is a category that we must emphasize with our people i've already alluded to it but now i want to amplify it we are all spirit endowed and gifted members of the new covenant community now here the abundance of the scriptural materials are abundant a quick reading through the hortatory section of the epistles and gospels will show how the holy spirit can be used to preach to the church and to the that these realities are underscored again and again. And I refer to these several passages that I've listed in your notes. Acts 2, 14-18, quoting from the promise of the coming of the Spirit from the prophecy of Joel, underscores that in the new covenant community, there is no distinction of age and of sex. Old men, young men, upon your handmaidens and upon your servants, I will pour out of my Spirit. In the new covenant community, all are Spirit-endowed and therefore gifted members of that community. 1 Corinthians 12, verses 12 and 13, By one Spirit you are all baptized into one body, and all made to drink of one Spirit.

40:11 Ephesians 4, 7, Unto each one is given a measure of the Spirit, to profit with all. 1 Peter 4, 10, the same thing we've already seen. And here I commend, as I've listed in your notes, Donald McLeod's The Spirit of Promise, pages 39-48, a very powerful treatment of this truth, that all Christians are charismatic. And there he argues very powerfully for taking that term out of the hands of those who have an unscriptural notion of what it means to be, charismatic, that God brings no one into the new covenant community who is to be an inactive, dead member within that community.

40:53 He endows each one with the Spirit. Each is given some measure of giftedness with which to serve the other members of the community and as part of that new humanity to serve Christ in the world. And this must be emphasized to our people. Without in, any way setting aside what we believe to be a biblical understanding of the importance of biblically qualified and biblically scrutinized and biblically recognized leadership God always works through leadership and any group that tries to deny that ends up destroying itself and usually by a very strong leader who pummels all of the non-leadered people into a brainwashed submission it's one of the anomalies of those who cry up most against leadership it's usually a very strong, powerful dogmatic, tyrannical leader who has his following who cry out no leaders but Christ and that's just on the face of church history but while we maintain what I trust is a biblical view of that, it must not be maintained at the expense of underscoring these strands of biblical truth that I've sought to emphasize in your hearing but now let's move on quickly if we are under God to see these principles take root amongst our people we must not only constantly inculcate

Guideline 3: Encouraging Scriptural Attitudes

42:21 the scriptural concepts of the church that undergird the duty but by constantly encouraging the scriptural attitudes essential to the performance of this duty constantly encouraging the scriptural attitudes essential to the performance of this duty now you would think that if all possess the spirit and all have a heart of fundamental gratitude to God for his mercy in Christ loving one another, serving one another forgiving one another would just come as the reflexive response to grace but if that's so, then none of the writers of the New Testament nor our Lord himself understood the power of grace because our Lord and the apostles are constantly inculcating specifically the duties that flow out of God's work of grace so that exhortation, admonition all of these things are a necessary part of the framework within which grace works and don't magnify grace or tolerate anyone who tries to magnify grace by impugning the wisdom of the King of grace the Lord Jesus and his special servants of grace his inspired apostles just take John when you think of aged John 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John what do you think of immediately you think of an old man getting a little senile

43:48 and constantly repeating himself love one another, love one another love one another, love one another love one another, love one another John, I got the message, yeah, you just might have missed it and so I tell you again, love one another what makes you glad when I hear my children walking in truth and when I hear them loving one another what's your great concern, I'm concerned for the truth and the love of the brethren I mean you just find that constantly there, you find it in the ministry of our Lord Jesus in the apostle, and here I've just listed out a litany of text and will not take the time to go through them, but they are there for future reference, I trust you will find them helpful as you seek under God to implement these principles consistent with your own sphere of influence and opportunity, but suffice it to say, these emphases are dominant on the very surface of the New Testament our Lord assumes in the outline of that prayer that he gave to us that these graces will be prominent in our thinking and in our experience yes, they are the fruit of the spirit in that sense they are spontaneous and reflexive dispositions of the gracious heart yet they are commanded and in that area they are to be cultivated they must be emphasized by the official teachers of God's people we must say with Paul, I don't need to teach you to love one another you're taught of God! but I exhort you to do it more and more

45:16 we must speak in a way that we have confidence of what grace has wrought in our people, but that confidence does not lead to indifference to exhort and admonish you see, if all your exhortations grow out of, well, you're a bunch of professing Christians but you're not going to do anything God tells you well, then maybe you need to preach on what it is to be converted, because if they're true believers you can have confidence with respect to the grace of God at work in them and you're not flattering them to tell them that your confidence is not in them but in the efficacy of grace Paul said, you're taught of God he didn't say, you're taught out of the bowels of your own virtues you're taught of God and you're in the new covenant community in which all the community will be taught of God they shall no more say, every man to his neighbor know the Lord, they shall all know me from the least to the greatest so you can assume, not presume, but assume that God's grace is efficaciously at work but it will continue to work by the means he has ordained which is pointed repeated, gracious, specific exhortation that has its tap roots in what God has done and in the dynamics and motivations of his grace which are to be set before the people in order to press them in their God-given privilege and duty but then, thirdly let us see, or no, it's see in my notes but three in yours by constantly directing the members of the church

Guideline 4: Directing to Scriptural Activities

46:44 to the scriptural activities by which they perform this duty you see how we're progressing now? we're setting out before our people continually the concepts that they must grasp that form the framework of the duty we are family we are body we are living temple and then the internal dispositions and attitudes that must produce and suffuse these duties but then we don't leave to our people to figure how they will express their desire to minister to one another in love as one of the old Puritans said love is motivation law is love's eyes and without it, love is blind and law there can be taken in its broadest sense not just the distillation of moral law in the Ten Commandments but all of the corpus of God's precepts how then are God's people to minister to one another in love? and I've broken down the categories into three the spiritual the spiritual the social and then finally the physical or material