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Colin Smith: This whole letter has been given by God to tell us what he is looking for in a local church. The real question that matters is not what you're looking for in a church, not what I'm looking for in a church, but what is God looking for in a church? That's the question that ought to matter to us.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. And Colin, we start with the fairly obvious question right there: What does matter to God as it relates to the local church?

Colin Smith: Yeah, that's a really important question. And of course, it's very easy for us to come up with our own list of what we think matters in a church and then of course it's very easy to say, well now once I've got my list I assume that that's God's list as well.

But here's what's been very striking to me, Steve, in the first letter of Timothy, the Apostle Paul specifically speaks about how people ought to behave in a local church. He says, "I'm writing you these instructions so that if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God."

So here we have scripture in which the apostle is actually writing to us the very word of God about what matters to God himself in a local church. And I've found that that has really opened up this first letter of Timothy for me in a very special way. Somehow, if you find what a letter in the New Testament is about, then it begins to open up. And this is about an issue that's really important. We all know what we would like to see in churches, but what does God want to see? That's what we're going to be looking for in the first letter of Timothy.

Steve Hiller: All right, so let's do that. The first seven verses is where we're headed today. Grab your Bible, join us there as we begin a message called "Gospel Faith." Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now, the idea for this series, I began a year ago in the Outback Steakhouse on Lake Cook Road. I was there because a very dear friend who comes to town from time to time and is in many ways a mentor to me was here. We took the opportunity of an evening together. And as we got into the meal, he said to me, as a way of asking provocative questions, he said, "Well, Colin, what do you think is the single most important thing that you need to do for The Orchard right now?"

So I gave one or two thoughts that were in my mind and then did what I try to do when I'm in the company of wiser people. I said, "Well, what do you think?" And he said, "You need to spell out what it means to be a gospel-centered church." So I said, "Well, how do you think I would do that?" And he said, "Well, identify the distinctives of The Orchard and then find scripture that relates to each of them and lay it out."

And I said, "You know, I honestly don't think I could do that." Understand, folks, there is a great difference between starting with a pre-existing message and finding scripture to support it and starting with the scripture and letting it give you its message. So we enjoyed the steak and moved on in the conversation and touched many other wonderful and helpful things.

Then, just a few weeks later, Karen and I had three days off, and we decided we'd nip up to Door County. We wanted to set aside some particular time for reading and prayer. And I just said to Karen the evening before, "Hey, let's take a short Bible book. We've just got three days, and we'll read it and use it as a basis of prayer together. What book do you want to pick?"

So she said, apparently randomly, "Let's do 1 Timothy. It's nice and short." Well, off we went to Door County armed with two copies of John Stott's excellent little commentary and enjoyed three very wonderful days. About halfway through, as we were reading this part of the scripture, I noticed that Paul tells us precisely what 1 Timothy is about.

You'll see it in chapter 3 and verse 14. Paul says, "Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing these instructions so that"—so here's why this letter was written—"I'm writing these instructions so that if I'm delayed, you will know how people should conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God."

In other words, this whole letter has been given by God to tell us what he is looking for in a local church. In other words, 1 Timothy does exactly what my friend had been saying I need to do. It spells out what a church is for, what we are to pursue, how we are to behave, what it is that we are to be about. And folks, that got me going. That was in the fall of last year.

Because you know as I do that there are folks all over the country who talk incessantly about what they are looking for in a church. "What are you looking for in a church?" Well, whatever it is, good for you. The real question that matters is not what you're looking for in a church, not what I'm looking for in a church, but what is God looking for in a church? That's the question that ought to matter to us.

So I give you the background of this because I want you to understand one thing, and then as we move through the scriptures, many more things that are important or should become increasingly important for us at The Orchard. It is not for us to decide what matters and then look for a few texts to support what we've already decided in advance. We want, as best we're able, to start from the Bible where God tells us what is important to him so that we can follow after his passion.

In other words, we never come to the Bible as masters of this word. We come to the Bible in order to be mastered by it. We do not come as those who can pore over the Bible. We come as those who want to place ourselves under the Bible, to be challenged by the Bible, changed by the Bible, because it is the word of God. We want the Bible to be our critic. We want the Bible to tell us where we need to adjust course.

We want to be living under the Bible on a constant and a continuing kind of basis. That is what it means, folks, to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. It means that we come to Christ's word without preconditions. We come in the spirit, individually and together, of saying, "Lord, whatever you say, we will follow, so help us God."

So please understand that when we talk about 10 distinctives of a gospel-centered church, when we speak from the scriptures about those things that matter to God that therefore must be defining for us, we're not coming to this saying, "Hey, look at who we are and we've got it all worked out." No, nothing could be further from the truth.

We are coming to the scriptures as a body of believers together with open minds and open hearts to find out what matters to God so that we can pursue his passion. That's what I want to be about. I think you're here because that's what you want to be about as well. So let's jump into this together, shall we? And I hope you have your Bible open at 1 Timothy and chapter 1.

And you notice that it begins with Paul introducing himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope. Notice straight away that Paul, who is writing this letter, is an apostle and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Apostle simply means one who is sent, and he is an apostle of Christ, which means he was sent by Christ.

Therefore, Paul is one who is specially sent by Christ to speak on Christ's behalf. Rather like an ambassador is officially sent by a government to speak the words that are given by the government and on their behalf. And then Paul tells us here that he is an apostle by the command of God. Now, folks, that is an extraordinary statement. An apostle by the command of God.

Now, folks, I have had the privilege and have the privilege and joy of serving as the senior pastor of The Orchard, and so I could describe myself as Colin, a senior pastor. But I could never, never say, "Colin, a senior pastor by the command of God." The best I could say, folks, would be, "Colin, a senior pastor because you guys invited me to come." I could say that.

Of course, I discerned God's hand in that for my life, but it did not come by direct revelation. Paul's apostleship did. He was an apostle not by the invitation of the churches. He was an apostle by the command of God. No pastor could ever say that. If you ever hear someone saying, "I am here by the command of God," you're probably in a cult.

No pastor could say, "I am here by the command of God." No missionary can arrive in a country and say, "I am here by the command of God." We are called by the churches or sent by the churches and operate under their authority. But Paul said, "I'm an apostle by the command of God." Christ appeared to him on the Damascus Road. God appointed him as the apostle to the Gentiles.

See, we pastors and missionaries serve under the authority of the word and under the authority of others who God places over us. But Paul was given authority. That is why he is able to write the word of God with authority for the churches, not just the church where Timothy was pastor, but for all churches everywhere. Given authority as an apostle of Christ by the command of God.

Now, folks, this is very important for us to understand the uniqueness of the apostles and of the prophets. God's word does not come to us directly. God's word comes to us through them. Very important to remember that. So when we read this letter, we are not reading the opinions of Paul. Can't get halfway through Timothy and say, "I don't really like that. That just sounds like Paul's opinion." No, we are hearing the word of God and the will of Christ, as we do everywhere in the scripture.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called "Gospel Faith," part of a larger series called "10 Distinctives of a Gospel-Centered Church." And if you ever miss a broadcast in the series, you can listen online at openthebible.org or order a copy of the entire series on CD. Ask about "10 Distinctives of a Gospel-Centered Church" when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365, or you'll find ordering information online at openthebible.org. Back to the message, here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now I want you to notice right from the outset—we're going to keep finding this—that this whole letter is full of Christ. These are the words of the apostle to the Gentiles sent by the command of God our Savior. Isn't that a beautiful statement? God our Savior. Don't you thank God that he's our Savior and Jesus Christ our hope, our hope.

So whatever you are facing in your life right now, you can take even these words from the Lord and you can say there is hope for me in Jesus Christ. There is hope for you in Jesus Christ, whatever you're facing, for we're looking at the words of God our Savior and of Jesus Christ our hope.

Now, I hope that sets the framework for us to open this letter and over these next weeks for us as a body of believers to place ourselves under the authority of the word of God. The letter, of course, is for the whole church. It was read publicly; it's for the entire congregation. But I want you to notice that it begins with a personal word from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, the pastor.

And he says in verse 3, "As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus." Now, the church of Ephesus had been planted with great difficulty. You can read the story in Acts chapter 19. Paul took the gospel there and there was a riot after he preached. Great difficulties and yet a church was born. Paul spent three years in this city.

He says in Acts chapter 20 when he says goodbye to the Ephesian elders, he speaks about how day and night he had taught them, and he taught them even with tears, he said. So Paul was emotionally invested in this group of believers because of his personal ministry there, and he had appointed Timothy as the pastor to continue the work in this wonderful church.

And in Acts chapter 20, when Paul's saying goodbye to the leaders, he says, "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. In fact, even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw disciples away after them. So be on your guard."

In other words, Paul is telling the elders there in Acts chapter 20, the elders of this same church where Timothy was the pastor, that leaders need to protect the church from people who would make the church more about themselves than about Christ. That's the point. That even from within a congregation, even within a local body, the church needs to be protected from folks who will rise up in order to draw away disciples after themselves.

That is what Paul is saying. Leaders, elders, pastors need to protect the church from people who would make the church more about themselves than about Christ. And that is what Timothy had to do as the pastor. And that is why Paul says in verse 3 back in 1 Timothy, "Stay in Ephesus. You've got to stay there because you've got to do this important work, Timothy."

In particular, you must command, verse 3, "certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer." Now, folks, when Paul speaks about false doctrines, it immediately tells you that even at this earliest stage of the church, there were certain doctrines taught by the apostles and received by the churches as true. And the Bible speaks about this.

It describes the body of truth that was taught by the apostles and received by the churches in different ways. It describes it as "the faith" once delivered to the saints, Jude 3; "the pattern" of sound teaching; "the good deposit" that was entrusted to you. If you want this in one word, or maybe it's two words, it would be "the gospel."

The gospel. That's what it is when we talk about the gospel: the deposit, the faith, the apostolic doctrine, the pattern of sound teaching, that which has been entrusted. And Timothy, here's what you need to do as the pastor of this church: guard the gospel. Keep it front and center of the church. Preach the gospel, live the gospel, advance the gospel, if necessary, die for the gospel, Timothy, because that is the trust that is given to you and to the elders of the church and to everyone who bears the name of Jesus Christ.

And notice what Timothy is to protect the church from. Not only those who will deny the truth, but secondly, those who will distract from the truth. "Certain men," verse 3, "devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies." Now, the word myths simply means stories. And Paul is describing here men within the church who just love to tell stories. They're devoted to it, notice that word. In other words, they have an affection for this.

They want to tell stories that'll make people cry, they want to tell stories that'll make people laugh, they want to give the congregation chicken soup for the soul. And you know that that's still widely the case: tell them stories. And there are whole congregations that are saying to their pastors, "If you get up on the platform, just tell us some stories. Make us laugh, make us cry, tell us stories."

And Paul says there will always be folks within the church and that is what they've been brought up on, that's what they have an appetite for, that's what they think is the best thing in all the world, that's what they love. And Timothy, don't let the church go there, because no one will become deeply rooted in Christ that way. Then there'll be others who have a different turn of mind. They're into, notice the phrase, "endless genealogies."

By the way, the New Testament begins with a genealogy, Matthew chapter 1. And the genealogy brings us to Jesus. What's being talked about here is endless genealogies, and an endless genealogy never gets you to Jesus. And Paul says, Timothy, you have got to protect the church from that kind of stuff, because there will always be people, and some will rise up even from within the church, who will want to get involved in all kinds of stuff that does not have Jesus Christ at the center. You've got to protect the church from that.

Steve Hiller: Well, that's where we have to pause today. We're going to continue this message called "Gospel Faith" next time. Our message is the first in our series, "10 Distinctives of a Gospel-Centered Church." And if you ever miss a broadcast in our series, come and listen online at openthebible.org.

Open the Bible's a listener-supported ministry, and as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of John Stott's book called *The Incomparable Christ*. And Colin, who is this book for?

Colin Smith: Well, it's for anyone who wants to know the Lord Jesus Christ better, and it's written by one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century. John Stott was a faithful preacher, a pastor, and a scholar for over 60 years. He's one of my heroes of the faith. I love to read his writing, and never more so than when he's writing on the most central subject of all, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And you know, this book, *The Incomparable Christ*, if you've never read a book by John Stott, this is a great place to start. It's a deep dive on who Jesus is, and it comes in four parts. We see Jesus as he is presented in the New Testament, Jesus as he's been presented by the church over the centuries, Jesus as he's inspired various figures in history, and Jesus as he's presented to us in the Book of Revelation.

It's just a glorious snapshot of who the Lord Jesus Christ is. And I think anyone who reads this book is going to feel that they come to a deeper worship of Jesus, a deeper love for Jesus, and a deeper trust in Jesus too.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That's 1-877-673-6365, or our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again, and I want you to know about Watch Your Life. Watch Your Life is a six-session course that is geared for leaders but accessible to every believer. The six sessions will show you how to grow in godliness, how to feed on Christ, how to pray in the spirit, how to battle temptation, exercise faith, and discern God's will. There are questions at the end of each session, and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend. For more information, visit openthebible.org/courses. That's openthebible.org/courses.