What Every Church Should Do - Part B

The Holy Spirit is saying to you today, whatever ministry, whatever gifts and calling I have for you, discover them and go for it. There are some things every church should do, and today on Connect with Skip Heitze, Skip shares how when churches do what they are meant to do, it should have an impact on how Christians in that church live. But first, your support is making a difference in the lives of others.

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800-922-1888. Thank you. Now, let's join Skip for today's teaching. We're in Colossians 4. God grades churches on do they preach and teach my word. The great commission that Jesus gave to his disciples in Matthew chapter 28 is make disciples of all nations teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. You guys know Acts chapter 2 verse 42? Is that a familiar verse of scripture?

A lot of us know that by heart. It marks the early church. It describes what they were doing when they got together. Acts 2 42 says, and they continued steadfastly, or some translations, they devoted themselves constantly to the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. And the Lord added daily to the church those who were being saved. Did you get that list? First on the list, the apostles' doctrine. That wouldn't be first on a lot of our lists. First on a lot of our lists might be love or singing or service. First on their list was the apostles' doctrine, because once you know the apostles' doctrine, you're going to know how to love, how to serve, how to sing, how to do everything else.

So it's first on the list. Al Mohler writes this, rarely do we hear these days that a church is distinguished primarily by its preaching. What we hear people speak about when we hear people speak about their own congregations, generally they speak about something other than preaching. They might speak of a church's ministry.

They might speak of specialized programs for senior adults or young people. They might speak of a church's music. Sometimes they speak of things far more superficial. But rarely do you hear a church described first and foremost by the character, power, and content of its preaching. This is because few preachers today are true servants of the Word. Paul the apostle was a servant of the Word. And it seems Epaphras, the pastor of the Colossian church, was a servant of the Word. You recall that Paul's last letter, 2 Timothy, he writes to Timothy and he says, preach the Word. Preach the Word.

Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching for the time will come, listen to this part, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but heap up for themselves teachers because they have itching ears. They won't endure sound doctrine. Seems to me that the other church that is mentioned here did not endure sound doctrine. What is that church called?

What's the other church mentioned here? Laodicea. Laodicea. Remember what happened to Laodicea? Revelation chapter 3, Jesus writes a little postcard to the church of Laodicea and he says that they are blind and naked spiritually speaking.

He said, you are neither cold nor hot but you are lukewarm and I will spit you out of my mouth. That's the church that Paul is mentioning here, the church of the Laodiceans. Seems that there was an epic fail in enduring sound doctrine. The Gnostic heresy that we've spoke about in the last several weeks infiltrated that church and won.

Maybe in part to watered-down preaching, to powerless preaching, to giving out pablum instead of truth in the Word of God. So churches should assemble together and churches should study the Scripture. Third activity is churches should share resources. So I love that idea of those two churches in that small town saying, hey let's get together.

You know it'd be great if they could have gotten over the trespasses and debts part but it's a good idea to share resources. So look at verse 16 again. When this epistle is read among you see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. Most of the New Testament letters were circular letters. That is they went to one congregation but they were shared by several churches and for a very good reason. They didn't have Bibles. The pastor couldn't say turn in your Bible too or take out your YouVersion app on your iPhone and go to. They couldn't do that. All they had were letters so what they would do is a letter would come to them. They would copy that letter so they had their own original copy and then they would send the letter that Paul wrote to other congregations which would then be copied.

That's why we have so many different copies of them over the years. They didn't have Bibles. They didn't have CDs. They didn't have music.

Now here's just an interesting factoid. The church of Laodicea got a letter. What is that letter? We don't have that letter. You can't turn in your Bible to turn to the book of Laodicea.

We don't have it. So A, it's a letter that Paul wrote that is missing absent or many scholars believe it's actually the letter called the book of Ephesians. That is the letter that went to Laodicea because of two reasons. The letters of Paul often went to a vicinity.

Ephesus is the capital of Asia Minor. That would include the letter going to Colossae and Hierapolis and Laodicea. Also when you open up the book of Ephesians and it says Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints who are in Ephesus and faithful in Christ Jesus, the oldest manuscript copies that we have of the book of Ephesians do not say in Ephesus. So it would just read Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints who are faithful in Christ Jesus. And so it could very well be that he is saying take the letter I'm sending to you send that to Laodicea and take that book of Ephesians that was sent to them since it's for the whole region and make sure that you read it. So they would swap letters so that each congregation would get all the information. They would copy the letter and then send it on. Now can you picture the church of Colossae getting really stingy with their own letter?

I don't want to share this with a Laodicea. It's our letter. It says to the church of Colossae. We don't want them to have it. Their church might grow bigger than our church if we give it to them.

I don't think you heard any of that. They were happy to have the neighboring town's church grow large because the persecution of the world was so hot and heavy on them that just having other believers anywhere was a blessing to them. Can I just say we should think that way? You know it's like well there's so many churches in town.

Good. May they may they double and triple. Let's have a hundred and fifty thousand more of them over and over and over. We want more believers and I love the idea of these congregations sharing resources. When I first moved to Albuquerque there was a church in California in Cypress, California Calvary Chapel of Cypress that gave to us a thousand dollar check.

They said this is a seed. We want to we want to see that church planted and growing and it's just our way of saying take our resources and and begin with those. And I love that so much. It's a practice that we have done on several occasions with other churches. Churches should share resources.

Fourth activity. Churches should encourage ministry. Churches should encourage ministry. So let's get back to that verse 17 thing that we were looking at. Archippus. Let's just sort of figure this one out and say to Archippus. So you're Archippus in church and your name is mentioned and there read this.

Take heed take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfill it. Now who is this Archippus dude? We only have two mentions of him in the New Testament.

Here is one. The other one is in the book of Philemon. He's mentioned in verse 2 of that short little book. And so it is believed that Archippus was the son of Philemon. Philemon and his wife were both mentioned in that book.

Philemon and Aphia and it was probably their son Archippus that he is referring to. Whatever this ministry calling was we're not told but it seems that because Paul had to say hey tell Archippus and you're going to read this publicly so make sure he hears this to fulfill his ministry. Probably he got stuck and this is Paul's way of unsticking him with this encouragement.

Here's a thought. It could be that since the pastor of the church of Colossae, I don't know if you remember his name, Epaphras, he was the guy who founded the church. He's no longer at that church, at least temporarily. Remember he has gone to Rome to talk to Paul the apostle about the problems in his church. That's why Paul writes the letter. So Epaphras is in Rome. It could be that while Epaphras, the pastor and founder of the church, is in Rome he said Archippus I want you to step up to the plate here. You're the interim pastor while I'm gone.

You can do this. And maybe he told Paul yeah he's a little young, he's a little bit insecure. So Paul says okay let me write a personal note to him. Fulfill the ministry. Fulfill the ministry. And I love this. I love it because Paul has just listed, if you remember a couple weeks back, several people who have fulfilled their ministry.

Remember, Tychicus, Onesimus, Mark, Aristarchus, Jesus, Justice, Luke and Epaphras. And so he mentioned them and then he sort of lays all of them on the neck of Archippus and says, it's your turn buddy. It's your turn. They did it.

You can do it. That's how I started in the ministry just like this. Here's a quick story.

This is how it happened. A pastor was starting a fresh work, a fresh church in Southern California. He had a Sunday night service. He had a Sunday morning, Sunday night and a midweek.

Sunday night he calls me up and he says, next week I want you to fill in for me. I'm going to be out of town. I want you to take the Bible study. Me? Me? I don't know if I can do it.

Yeah you can do it. Just just be there and teach something. So I went and I taught Jonah chapter one.

I remember it vividly because I was so nervous. It's my first time in a church like teaching a Bible study. And so I taught it and halfway through my study on Jonah that pastor walks in the back door and sits in the back row. I'm thinking I thought he was out of town. We'll come to find out he was but he made sure he got back in time to hear what I was given the flock. So after and I'm and now I'm getting more nervous because he's watching me and after the study he comes right up to me he looks me right in the eye puts his hand on my shoulder when he did that I thought oh and he said it would be wrong for you to stop with Jonah chapter one I want you to come next week and give us Jonah chapter two and then Jonah chapter three and then Jonah chapter four. So that's that's how I began with somebody encouraging me that way in the ministry and then it was that pastor's brother older brother named Chuck Smith who would always say to me and to younger guys go for it that was his favorite phrase go for it well what about go for it you can do this enabling ministry now perhaps verse 17 would be more meaningful to you if you took out the name archippus and put your name in it as if the holy spirit is saying to you today whatever the whatever ministry whatever gifts and calling I have for you discover them and go for it so do that and say to Skip put your name there take heed to the ministry which you have received in the lord that you may fulfill it have you ever heard this saying I think you have because I've said it before Christianity is always one generation away from extinction Christianity is always one generation away from extinction as if you don't pass it on to the next generation it's it's going to it you're going to have 1600 churches for sale next year it's always one generation away from extinction so there's a rule that if you're going to pass it on to the next generation it's always one generation away from extinction so there's a rule in most churches it's often called the 80-20 rule it's in a lot of other places in the world but the 80-20 rule is that 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the people it happens to be true in so many cases 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the work you could say well 80 are lazy maybe or maybe 80 are busy there's a number of reasons why that's true but perhaps part of the reason is that the 20 percent doesn't pass it on to the 80 and encourage the 80 instead of saying no this is the right way to do it just say well do it your way in the Lord and fulfill your ministry so that's just encouragement and I think that it goes so far and we could use more encouragement would you agree with that we could all use a little encouragement and we could use being an encourager to somebody else I've always liked this saying a pat on the back only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants is miles ahead in results you'll you'll get far more out of somebody if you encourage them instead of condemning them Jesus did it with Peter Peter failed Jesus Peter denied Jesus when they got together after the resurrection was Jesus over in the corner arms folded shaking his head going you loser no he said Peter do you love me feed my sheep Peter do you love me tend my lambs Peter do you love me he gave him three opportunities because he denied him three times the comeback kid Peter so churches should encourage ministry so we have four things churches should do they should assemble together they should study the scripture they should share resources they should encourage ministry let me give you the last one since it's here and we could go on there are so many things but in the text churches should remember prisoners maybe I should state that differently churches should be sensitive to the suffering but here remember prisoners verse 18 this salutation by my own hand Paul remember my chains grace be with you amen let's just drill down a little bit salutation is a word that means greeting I'm giving you my greeting Paul is closing his letter typically the way letters were written back then was through an amanuensis that is a recording secretary Paul would dictate the letter and that guy would write down the words but always when Paul would close his letter he would write his own name usually he would write with his own hand with a stylus the closing sentence and then sign his own name so the church knew this is an authentic letter from his hand so as Paul stretched out his hand to write this letter he felt the chain that was fastened to his wrist and tethered to a Roman praetorian guard and he says remember my chains why would he write that do you think it's because Paul wanted their pity I don't think so I think he wrote that because Paul wanted their prayers where would they remember Paul's chain if not before the throne of God remember my chain pray for me I want your prayers and I think he's saying I want your perspective I want you to realize that when you follow Jesus wholeheartedly this could happen to you you could be chained because of it and persecuted because of it all of that to say this the church the church all churches should have a soft spot in their hearts for the prisoner for the suffering for the persecuted especially other believers who are suffering for their faith in Jesus Christ listen to Hebrews 13 remember the prisoners as if chained with them those who are mistreated since you yourselves are in the body also you're part of the body of Christ act as if you yourself were in prison in chains now the church has always been known for its compassion church has always been known for its compassion ministries you know where things like hospitals started not from secular organizations not from government organization from church organizations first hospitals were started by churches it was the church that enacted prison reform it was the church that sought to abolish slavery in all these cultures listen to the testimony of pagan Greek statesmen by the name of Aristides speaking of the early church here's an unbeliever speaking if they hear that any one of their number is in prison or in distress for the sake of their Christ's name they all render aid in his necessity and if they can they redeem him to set him free did you know there are stories of Christians who would sell themselves into slavery to free some other brother or sister who was a slave several stories in history of that and here is this pagan statesman saying I can attest to it they're doing that so God's people who live in freedom should help those who don't have it it's the golden rule whatever you want men to do to you do to them it's like J. Vernon McGee used to say every bible should be bound in shoe leather you know what he means by that you should live with your life what you say you believe in your mind and in your heart every bible should be bound with shoe leather of course it was J. Vernon McGee who said it so he said every bible should be bound in shoe level he was a Texas preacher and now we close this letter he closes it with that beautiful apostolic benediction grace be with you amen this is a trademark of Paul Paul began the letter with grace grace and peace that's how he started it now he ends the letter with grace trademark of his letter you know I like this I never know when the last time it is that I'm going to preach one day it will be my last sermon but I love the idea that I could possibly leave the savor the taste of grace in the hearts of hearers he's saying may God's unmerited undeserved favor rest upon you and boy this church needed to hear that to a church where grace was threatened by legalism they needed to hear that to a church where grace was threatened by mysticism and asceticism they needed to hear that to a church where God's favor was usurped by man's formalism they needed to hear that parting word grace so let me leave you with this question does grace mark your life when people are around you do they pick that up grace when you get up in the morning and see your spouse grace when you go to the office are you a person of grace when you get behind the wheel of your car and get onto the street in Albuquerque grace or jerk God is a God of grace we're his people that concludes Skip heitzig's message today and his series always only jesus find the full message as well as books booklets and full teaching series at connectwithskip.com right now we want to share about a special resource bundle designed to bless you or a mother in your life betty white said it's not easy being a mom if it were easy fathers would do it that's not a sly shot at dads it's a compliment to the wonderful work of mothers here's a great way to show your appreciation for a mother in your life it's the heart songs package which features a teaching series on the psalms led by lenya and janae heitzig psalm 45 is a love song and in it you're going to find a groom and a bride and it's their wedding day and it includes an ornate dress and bridesmaids and perfume and gifts and guests the heart songs package also includes a beautiful sheology quiet time journal and a bag of skips library roast coffee it's a great gift to honor a special woman in your life with encouragement and strength as she studies god's word and spends time in prayer all while enjoying a delicious cup of the coffee pastor skipped loves the heart songs package is our thanks for your gift to help share biblical teaching and encouragement with others through the broadcast ministry of connect with Skip heitzig so be sure to request yours when you give online securely at connect with Skip dot com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 join us again tomorrow as Skip begins a new series keep calm and marry on and explores what god has to say about the institution he invented marriage because god invented it only god can regulate it if man invented it then we would have the right to end it terminate it negate it marginalize it do anything we want with it but if god invented it then i think jesus was right when he said what god has joined together let not man separate it's god's institution we want to find out what he says about it is a presentation of connection communications connecting you to god's never changing truth in ever-changing times