Bible Study
Don’t just take our word for it . . . take His! We would encourage you to spend time examining the following Scriptures that shaped this sermon: 1 Timothy 3:1–16; John 1:14–18.
Sermon Outline
- Gospel constitutes Church
- Stewardship requires order
- Order serves mission
Application Questions
- What has been your experience of church leadership? Has it included both the upward dimensions and downward dimensions considered in this sermon? Have you experienced these when being led? Have you demonstrated these when leading in any capacity?
- What three words describe the evangelistic pattern we find in 1 Timothy 3:16?
- When others ask why you “go to church”, how do you respond?
- Of the three patterns of church life mentioned in this sermon — care for the least, healthy conflict, and gospel articulacy — where do you need to grow? How will you respond to this recognition?
Select Resources Consulted
- Alistair Stewart-Sykes, The Original Bishops: Office and Order in the First Christian Communities (Baker, 2014)
- C. Kavin Rowe, Leading Christian Communities (Eerdman’s, 2023)
- Robert H. Gundry, “The Form, Meaning and Background of the Hymn Quoted in 1 Timothy 3:16,” W. Ward Gasque & Ralph P. Martin (eds.), Apostolic History and the Gospel. Biblical and Historical Essays Presented to F.F. Bruce (Exeter: Paternoster, 1970), 203-222.
- John Webster, “The Self-Organizing Power of the Gospel of Christ: Episcopacy and Community Formation,” IJST 3.1 (March 2001), 69–82.
You can listen to the sermon by using the player below or via the St Andrew’s Sermon Podcast.
Questions?
Do you have a question about today’s sermon? Email Sam Fornecker (SFornecker@StAndrews.Church).
Audio & Video