Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Today we’re kicking off a brand new series called Church 101. For the next four weeks, we’re going to dig into the New Testament book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy was a letter written by Paul to his young protégé, Timothy. Timothy was building the church in the city of Ephesus, and Paul’s letter is full of direction and vision for Timothy. In this letter, Paul really gives us a glimpse of God’s heart for the church.

As I wrote in our email newsletter this week, the hope of the world is the local church. The hope of the world is not government or money or science or medicine or “going green” or alternative energy.

Jesus Christ came to this world and died on a cross to pay the price for your sins and for mine. And then, he commissioned the church to carry his message to the world. He died for the church. His message is delivered through the church. He is coming back for the church.

In God’s view, the church is plan A, and there is no plan B. And yet, we often see the church quite differently. Some of us see the church as optional. Some of us see the church as irrelevant. Some of us see the church as something that exists to please me. Some of us see the church as nothing more than a religious game.

Most of us have some preconceived notions of what the church is all about. In this series, we’re going to put all of our preconceived ideas of the church aside and we’re going to get back to the basics.

Paul’s instructions to Timothy are going to guide us right to the heart of God. His heart beats for the local church, and we’re going to make sure that our hearts are beating in tune with his.

Let’s pray as we dive into this new series.

As we open up the Church 101 series, God’s first message for us is simple: get to the point. This is where the book of 1 Timothy begins. Right after Paul’s greeting to Timothy in this letter, he immediately drills the message that the church has got to get right to the point. We don’t have time to mess around. The mission is too critical. It’s too urgent.

Picking it up in 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul tells Timothy, “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.

These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (1 Timothy 1:3-7, NIV)

Paul opens his letter by pleading with the church to get to the point. And he starts with this simple but dangerous truth.

It’s easy to miss the point. You don’t have to look very far in the church world today to see how many people are completely missing the point because they are so caught up in minutiae. That’s not a new thing in the church. Paul called it out when he wrote 1 Timothy.

Look at the first couple of verses in our text again. “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4a, NIV)

Let’s break these verses down a little bit. Paul tells Timothy to “command” these people to stop teaching this stuff. This text was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word that is translated command was originally a military term. It was used when a commanding officer passed on orders to his subordinates. In the strongest possible terms, Timothy was to command, to order these people to stop.

What were they teaching that was so bad? They were teaching “false doctrine.” In other words, they were teaching things that were not in line with God’s truth.

But then Paul says that they were also devoting “themselves to myths and endless genealogies.”

We have to remember that the church was still in its infancy. People were still holding onto a lot of Jewish traditions. And one of those traditions was tracing out their genealogies ad nauseum. People would trace out intricate family trees because they thought that would improve their spiritual pedigree. “My family is greater than your family, therefore I am superior to you.”

It’s a ludicrous idea, but that’s what was happening. This caused all kinds of disputes and divisions in the church. And they got so caught up in this infighting that they missed the point of the gospel.

If we’re not careful, the same thing can happen in the church today. We don’t necessarily argue over family trees and genealogies, but we can still miss the point when we focus too much attention on what Romans 14 calls “disputable matters.”

A few years ago, I met a lady who initially seemed to like me. She seemed to enjoy my preaching, which was cool. But then, I said something in a sermon that sent her into orbit. She was livid, and she made a point of letting me know that she was livid.

But the thing was, I didn’t say anything heretical. I didn’t suggest that Jesus dressed in drag or the apostles used drugs. (By the way, there are some people who teach those things.) I simply mentioned a detail that she disagreed with, and she was ready to go Jack Bauer on me.

I finally told her that the conversation was over. She looked at me in disbelief and said, “But I enjoy arguing about things like this.” That’s a quote.

I simply said, “Well, I don’t. And I’m not going to do it anymore.”

I could not believe that I got barbecued over something like this. It wasn’t a big, major doctrine. It was a tiny detail. And yet this person blew sky high over it.

This is exactly what Paul is talking about in 1 Timothy when he talked about not focusing on “endless genealogies.” The word “endless” is a great way to describe this. There is no end to the disputable matters that can distract us from our main mission, if we let them.

There are people in the body of Christ who focus far too much time and energy on disputable matters. For example, how many people spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the end times teaching Revelation? Gang, that is, for my money, the most difficult, confusing book in the entire Bible.

And yet, so many people believe that they have every detail in that book completely figured out. They’ve got it. And if you disagree with them, you’re wrong.

They’ll ask questions like, “Are you pre-millenial? Are you post-millenial? Are you amillenial? Are you? Are you? Are you?”

They spend so much time worrying about the details in Revelation that they miss the point. The point of Revelation is that Jesus is coming back. Jesus wins. Satan loses. You have to decide which team you want to be on. That’s the point!

So when someone asks me, “Are you pre-millenial, post-millenial, amillenial” you know how I answer? I tell them, “I’m pan-millenial. It’s all going to pan out in the end.” I just refuse to get caught up in the minutiae that would cause me to miss the bigger picture of what God is all about. And this is incredibly easy to do. It’s really easy to miss the point.

And when that happens, God’s work suffers. So often, the church seems to major in the minors. We get caught up in endless disputable matters. And when that happens, God’s purposes suffer.

Look at what Paul said to Timothy. People were focusing on these myths and genealogies, all this minutiae stuff, and Paul said, “These promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:4b, NIV)

The reason Paul had no time for focusing on these things is because he saw the end result. The end result was controversy and division instead of the work of God.

Back to my discussion with angry lady. I’m not trying to pass any kind of judgment on her, but just think about it logically. If I had continued in that discussion, which in her mind was already an argument, what would it have accomplished for God’s Kingdom? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. The only thing it would have produced is controversy over something that didn’t amount to diddley squat. As God’s church, we’ve got more important things to do than that.

This is why God is such a stickler for church unity. Because when we have a unified focus on the work of God, incredible things will happen. When we are divided over disputable matters, nothing will happen.

Check out what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6, NIV)

I want to slow things down a little bit and give us some time to really chew on what God is saying to us in this passage.

He starts by saying, “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1b-2, NIV)

We are commanded by God to relate to one other with humility, gentleness, patience, and love. And that definitely applies in the realm of disputable matters. When you disagree with someone over a minor issue, humility, gentleness, patience, and love still have to rule the day.

Then look at what Paul says in the very next verse. This is critical. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3, NIV)

Unity in the church doesn’t just happen. We have to be intentional about it. We have to make every effort. Do everything we can to be unified.

That means that we have to allow liberty and freedom on matters that aren’t clearly spelled out in Scripture. Now, there are essentials that we can’t bend on.

In the very next verse, Paul goes on to say, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:4-6, NIV)

You know what Paul just listed? Essential truths. There is no bending on these truths. There is no room for disagreement on these truths. These aren’t gray areas. They are written in black-and-white.

There is one body of Christ. The church

There is one Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit, given to all believers.

There is one hope: Jesus Christ. Apart from him, mankind is utterly lost and hopeless.

There is one Lord: Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth.

There is one faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way we can be saved.

There is one baptism. We are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sealing our hope of eternal life.

There is one God and Father of all. In an age of tolerance when more and more people believe that truth is relative, we hold unswervingly and unapologetically to the one and only God and to the absolute truth of His Word.

I don’t normally do this, but if you believe all of that, then say “Amen.”

These are the essentials. There is no gray area here. You can call me narrow-minded. You can call me old-fashioned. You can call me a fundamentalist. You can call me politically incorrect. I don’t care, because I know these things are true. And I love you too much that I can’t water down the truth, even when it would be easier. These are bedrock principles of our faith where there simply is no room for negotiation.

But what do we do when an issue arises that does not fall into this category? What do we do when it’s something that is not clearly spelled out one way or another in Scripture?

We go back to the previous verses. “…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1b-3, NIV)

Unity doesn’t just mean agreeing on the majors. It means giving one another room to disagree on the minors.

There is an endless list of issues that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. You can take your pick. From our views of end times issues, to style of worship music, style of dress, abstinence vs. moderation in regard to alcohol, which translation of the Bible is best, you can go on almost infinitely. These are issues where there is no black and white, “thus saith the Lord” Scriptural command.

We can never be guilty of turning what is Biblically black & white into a gray area. And we can never turn what is Biblically gray into a black & white issue.

In the 16th century, there was a tremendous amount of infighting and backbiting in the church. It grieved a German theologian named Rupertus Meldenius. So Meldenius wrote what amounted to a rallying cry for unity in the church. And 400 years later, his words have not lost their power.

Meldenius said, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.”

There are certain non-negotiables. We will not compromise on them. They are black & white Scriptural principles and commands.

Then, there are other issues that are not black & white. And our view of the gray areas should never cause disunity because God has given us freedom, liberty in these areas.

But in all things, regardless of what it is, there is charity. Can we love each other despite our differences?

Remember what Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:4. If we get bogged down on non-essential issues, it will “promote controversies rather than God's work—which is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:4b, NIV)

When we major in the minors and minor in the majors, God’s work is what suffers. The church gets off-mission. Division creeps in. Instead of fighting against Satan, we end up fighting with one another.

This is the reason that Paul opens up his first letter to Timothy with this issue. It’s why it’s our first step in getting back to the basics, Church 101. Because there’s all this damage that can be done if we major in the minors, if we get too caught up in Scriptural gray areas. Isn’t there a better way? Yes there is.

We simply have to get back to the point.

Paul told Timothy to command the people of Ephesus to stop teaching falsehoods and devoting themselves to non-Scriptural issues.

Then Paul writes in verse 5, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5, NIV)

Paul calls us to get back to the point, and the point is love. Jesus told us that the two greatest commands are to love God and love others. Love is the point. Love for God. Love for those in the body of Christ. Love for those who haven’t yet come to Christ.

In our focus of getting back to the basics of church, it begins with this. The heartbeat of the church is love. And in this verse, Paul gives us a three-pronged principle to solidify this love in our lives and in our church.

First of all, it starts with purity. Love emanates from a pure heart. A heart that is purely devoted to the things of God. A heart that is humbled in obedience to God. A heart that loves God above all else.

Purity means that I have to agree with God. For me to live a life of purity, I have to submit myself to the Lordship of Christ. In other words, if God says that something is wrong, then it’s wrong. Purity means that I can’t barter with God about right and wrong. I definitely can’t ignore God’s standards of right and wrong. I have to bring my heart into agreement with God. If it’s a black and white Scriptural principle, then I have to accept it and live it. That’s purity. I have to agree with God.

Secondly, Paul tells us that love comes from a good conscience. When you study Paul’s writings in the New Testament, he talks about our conscience a lot. More than any other Biblical writer. And when Paul talks about our conscience, he’s referring to our inner moral compass. It’s a lot bigger than a Jiminy Cricket kind of thing. If we’re walking with God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, Paul teaches that our conscience will guide us when we’re in the realm of a Biblical gray area.

In fact, he teaches that it is sinful to violate your conscience. Later on in 1 Timothy 1, Paul writes, “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (1 Timothy 1:19, NLT)

When you willfully violate your conscience, your faith will be shipwrecked. You’re ignoring the inner moral compass, prompted by the Holy Spirit.

But, in conjunction with that, Paul also teaches that believers can come down to different decisions on these gray areas, based on their conscience. And he specifically commands us not to judge people who have a different view than we do.

He writes in Romans 14 that we are to love and accept one another, “without passing judgment on disputable matters.” (Romans 14:1b, NIV)

Simply put, his call in conscience matters is for liberty. Purity means that I have to agree with God. Liberty means that you don’t have to agree with me. That’s love at its best in the body of Christ.

And finally, Paul tells us that love comes from sincere faith. Love is not going to happen if there is not sincerity. Authenticity. A genuineness to our faith.

Sincerity simply means that we all genuinely agree that Jesus is our only hope.

You know what? On some of the gray areas, you’re wrong. And you know what? On some of the gray areas, I’m wrong. None of us are perfect in our understanding and none of us are perfect in our obedience. That’s why we need Jesus.

It’s time to get back to the basics of church, and the basic principle of the church is love.

Love that is based in purity. I have to agree with God.

Love that is based in liberty. On a non-essential issue, you don’t have to agree with me.

Love that is based in sincerity. We all wholeheartedly agree that Jesus is the only hope that we have. He is the only way for us to be made right with God. His death paid the price for our sins that we could never pay on our own. His love that calls us to a new life where we live to please and serve him instead of ourselves.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: Church 101, 1 Timothy 1, disputable matters, Ephesians 4, love, non-essentials, unity