For this new month and beginning of a new year, we have been thinking about important passages for as we begin anew. There is something special about beginnings. They are an opportunity to renew ourselves and to begin afresh. They are a good time to correct course if we need to and to reach for a new level of maturity and commitment to God. The first two lessons were: Our Concern for the Lost, and When Thou Art Converted Strengthen the Brethren. For this last Sunday morning message of January, I want to present some practical things for us a body of God’s people. Our text is this one:

"But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1 Timothy 3:15-16.)

The whole letter of first Timothy could be read in light of this theme statement. The message from Paul is how the brethren at Ephesus under the leadership of Timothy and the elders should conduct themselves as a local body of the spiritual body of Christ. This included how they should be organized and led, how they should do things "decently and in order" (as he wrote to the Corinthians), some specific doctrinal matters that they should give heed to, and how they should live and relate to one another. We could say that these two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus are practical things for the local churches at Ephesus and Crete. All of these things would apply to us as well and are as relevant today as they were when Paul by inspiration penned these words. They have not gone out of date or have been replaced by new traditions. These matters stand for all time for the church of our Lord.

What are some practical and important matters for us as we begin a new year?

I believe that it is very important to know who you are religiously and spiritually. Many cannot think beyond sectarian terms and party loyalty. Many believers are like Republicans and Democrats of the political parties in our government. Their loyalty is to the party, instead of to the country. Our leaders need to be Americans foremost and to represent all the people. They should be careful not to do things that just please the party leaders and narrow followers who cannot see beyond their party.

It is not possible to understand who you are as a Christian unless you have a good grasp of the Scriptures. Many still do not study and think for themselves. They allow others to think for them. The Gospel that they know is not according to the eye-witness accounts. It is according to the narrow, divisive, and biased views of those who not the Christ.

Would it not be wonderful if all who desire to honor our Lord wore just his name and boasted only in Him? We do not need Church of Christ Christians. We do not need Church of Christ schools, preachers, doctrines, or creeds. We need to be Christians only. In the days of the Restoration Movement, they said we should not be called New Lights or Old Lights or Stonites or Campbellites. We should be Christians only. The concept will never grow old. It is a challenge to understand that concept and live by it.

Especially during times of Gospel Meetings, you can often hear some advertising the meeting by saying, Come hear the Gospel in its simplicity. I believe that there is a simplicity to the Gospel. This does not mean that there are no difficult concepts to understand or meat to digest. The Bible says that such exists.

However, there is a simplicity to the organization of the church. It does not have a complex system, but one that is more like a family. Jesus is the head of his body. He appointed apostles, prophets, teachers, shepherds, deacons and ministers. There is a simplicity to the Christian life. The Gospel applies to the whole of our lives. There is a simplicity to our worship. It is not filled with ritual and ceremony. There is no special dress for us to wear. This year we should seek to restore the simplicity of the Gospel in our practices at church and in our lives.

One clear teaching of the Bible is God’s love for everyone. It is the same for all without respect of persons. Satan always tries to convince people that they are not important and loved of God. He will use ungodly members of the body to tell you that you are not welcome here. But I want to tell you that all are equally loved of God. It is astonishing, perhaps, that we should have to say something like this. Everyone should already know it and practice it.

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." (Acts 10:34-35.)

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" (James 2:1-5.)

One of the unintended and terrible consequences of Calvin’s doctrine of predestination of the saved and the lost is that God loves some lost people, but not everyone. He planned for the salvation of some people, but not for all. Why would God choose one to be saved and not this person? Some-one might say, Because some are better than others. But the Bible says that all have sinned against God. All are unrighteous.

Throughout history, man has always tended to divide himself from others and exalt himself above others. The Pharisees did. Remember their reaction when Jesus ate with the sinners? (Luke 15:1f.) No one should feel in his heart that he is better than or above others. "What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise; for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin." (Rom. 3:9.) Since God is no respector of persons, it is sinful and wrong for us to respect some above others.

There are two sides to the problem of feeling a part of the local congregation. One has already been stated above—exalting yourself above others. The other side is the problem of devaluing yourself below others. As a human being, I am not better than others, but I am not less than anyone else either. Both these issues are at work in any congregation of people. Both are difficult matters to resolve.

Those who devalue themselves will say that others do not love them or want them present. They will blame others for how they feel. The responsibility could be on the part of the one feeling rejected.

Let me make it clear for all. The Bible teaches a position of "no respector of persons." That is what we should all believe and practice. If you think you are better than others, you are seriously wrong. If you devalue yourself, please do not do that. You have both the privilege and responsibility of being a central part of the work of the church. Understand how God feels about you. That is far more important than what a few think or feel. Ignore them. (1 Cor. 12 and Romans 12.) Paul likened the members of the body of Christ to the physical members of the human body. Every part has a function and is needed. But the glory is focused on the body and not the individual members. We should stop thinking so much of ourselves and more about the Lord and his Body.

I am confident that there is a place of service for everyone in the Body of Christ. God places various members in the body and gives to each a gift so that the body might be complete. What if every member of our physical body was a hand? Obviously, we need all the members of a body to be whole and complete. Some are gifted at singing; others are not. Some are gifted at leadership and administration. Some are gifted at comforting and consoling others. Some are evangelists and shepherds. Some were apostles and prophets in the first century.

Every member should not try to be a public teacher of the Word. Some find it difficult to lead public prayers; others are very comfortable expressing our petitions to God. It is not necessary that every man in the congregation lead public prayers. You can go to heaven without ever leading a public prayer. The most important matter is for you to pray privately in your own closet. We do not think less of you if you do not speak or teach or sing or pray publicly. God does not think less of you. He gave you your particular gifts to use. There is a place of service for everyone.

Remember that the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who serves. The apostles were quarreling about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. They wanted positions of power. They misunderstood the very nature of the kingdom. Everyone can wash feet and serve others. This person is the greatest. (Luke 22:24-27.) The greatest is not necessarily the one who speaks to the largest crowds and whose name is known over the brotherhood. The greatest is not necessarily a man. But the greatest is anyone who humbles himself and serves others.

Our theme for this year’s Area Wide Fellowship Meeting is "Worship Scenes in the Bible." The local preachers in the area felt the need for giving special emphasis this year to worshipping God. As a practical matter, we need to grow in our understanding and practice of spiritual worship.

It is possible to attend a worship assembly and not worship God at all. How do we worship? It might be helpful to think about how different groups have practiced it. Think about those who leave the church doors open and people come in all during the week to pray. No one leads them in singing or praying. They come and humbly bow before God. Others practice assembling with a starting point and an ending. Different activities of singing, praying, Bible reading, preaching, and communing are done. When we complete those matters, we are finished with worship and dismissed to go home.

There is a problem with each of these practices. We need the public assembly of the body to commune and worship on the Lord’s Day. We need public teachers and those who lead us in prayer. But it is possible to just observe what is going on and not really worship. Worship on the Lord’s Day is both corporate (all are involved) and individual. We must practice individual devotion and worship of God. This does not mean that we must be in a trance or perfectly still and quiet. But it does help to have some quietness in order to meditate upon the greatness of God. Worship occurs, not just up front and in the pulpit, but primarily in the hearts of those who submit to God.

God is a Spirit, said our Lord to the Samaritan woman. (John 4:24.) This means several things: a) where one worships does not matter, whether on Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem, b) the physical things like how we dress and whether we bow on our knees to pray do not matter, c) worship must be spiritual in nature; it should come from the heart, and d) worship is from the spirit of man to the Spirit of God.

I believe that churches will grow and edify others and all who worship, if the worship is spiritual and meaningful. Participants should sing, pray and commune from the heart. They should think about what is being taught in Bible classes and glorify God. If we have a public assembly and God has not been lifted up among men, if he has not been meditated upon in the heart, if we have not humbled ourselves before the Almighty, we have not worshipped God. We should pay special attention to our worship this year.

"What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. 14:15.)