1 Timothy 4:15-16; Acts 20:28

June 9, 2019

Lord’s Day Worship

Sean Higgins

The sermon starts at 16:35 in the audio file.

Or, Above All and Most Basic

Series: The Marks of a Maturing Church – Redux (Part 1)

If you were here at the graduation ceremony last Sunday evening you heard this quote from swiss-born philosopher Alain de Botton:

“Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.”

“Embarrassed” might not be the best word, but all Christians should be able to see progress in their spiritual lives. Peter commanded his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ“ (2 Peter 3:18). Paul told Timothy to let his progress be evident to all (1 Timothy 4:15). The author to the Hebrews criticized his readers for still be immature when they should have grown up, at least some (Hebrews 5:11-13).

The Christian life is one of growth in Christlikeness (Colossians 1:28), of growing up in respect to salvation (1 Peter 2:2). The apostle Paul himself said the “one thing” he didn’t do was think that he had arrived, but he pressed on toward the goal (Philippians 3:12-14).

What is true for individuals should also be true of the whole body. We are collectively to be built up “to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children” (Ephesians 4:13-14).

As a local church we have as a tag line on our website: “Reformed and still reforming.” This is a theological statement, but it is also a reminder that we’re not finished. The name of our men’s meeting: “Men to Men” and of our small groups: “Life to Life” have double meaning, that men meet with men but that each man is becoming more of a man, that we have life and are coming to have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Our church mission statement says that “we are laboring in joy to cultivate a Trinitarian community of worshipping, maturing disciples….”

In August of 2011 I preached a short series on the marks of a maturing church. Mark Dever has an entire ministry called 9 Marks based on his teaching on the 9 marks of a healthy church. Those marks are good, but with a hat tip to his work I put forward a different set of marks with a different emphasis. It’s almost eight years later, and though I’m not octagonally embarrassed by that list, I think it’s time for both a refresher and a refining. This is Marks of a Maturing Church Redux.

Some of you weren’t around in 2011. Some of you who were don’t remember the marks. And all of that is fine. But the first mark is still applicable, the one that is above all and most basic. A maturing church has leaders who are godly and growing.

Two preliminary details before the guts:

First, leaders is plural. There is only one Head of the Church: the Lord Jesus. Under Christ there were multiple apostles, plural evangelists, and many pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). References to elders in a church assume more than one (Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5), likewise, with deacons (1 Timothy 3:8). Even if only one leader exists for a time, a maturing church will increase the number of leaders.

Second, leaders includes more than elders. I mean this mark to apply first to elders/pastors/shepherds/overseers, but not only to that group of men. Elders should be the primary example and we’ll see some of the specific requirements addressed to them. But the example is meant to be followed. Deacons too have requirements. So the mark of godly and growing leaders starts with the elders, but it branches out through every man, husband and father, who leads his home.

A maturing church will have a plurality of men, from the elders up, godly and growing. Let’s consider the adjectives godly and growing.

Leaders who are godly.

“Godly” can be a word of pretense, but it is a fine descriptor used numerous times in the New [...]