Life in the Local Church Shows the Power of the Gospel: Walk in a manner worthy of God and His gospel
Last week, I discussed the apostle Paul’s exhortation to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel, and I tried to show this exhortation includes an appeal to live a local-church-centered life. A life that shows the worth and value of the gospel is a life centered on the local church. You could say it this way: If your life is gospel-centered then it must be local-church-centered. Let me tell you what I mean with several practical, pointed statements:
- If you aren’t a part of a local church, you are not living a life worthy of the gospel. You are making the gospel look cheap.
- If you aren’t characterized by meeting the material and spiritual needs of members of your local church, you are not living a life worthy of the gospel. You are making the gospel look cheap.
- If you are not emotionally involved with members of your local church, you are not living a life worthy of the gospel. You are making the gospel look cheap.
- If you treat the members of your local church the same way you treat your co-workers and neighbors, you are not living a life worthy of the gospel. You are making the gospel look cheap.
A gospel-centered life must be a local-church-centered life.
We saw all that in Philippians and Ephesians. Go back and read it if you need to. I want to build on that foundation right now.
I said last time that a life that shows the worth and value of the gospel is one that is lived in intimate connection with brothers and sisters in a local church. But, what does this intimate connection with other believers in the local church look like? How, exactly, can Christians show the power of the gospel as they live life together in the local church? I’ll make an effort to describe what an intimate connection with other believers in the local church looks like.
The power of the gospel in Romans
In Romans 1:16, Paul tells us where he is going for the rest of the book. Look at what he says.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Paul writes to show us the power of the gospel. Paul considers the gospel to be valuable and weighty - the “power of God.” It is certainly nothing to be ashamed of! In fact, it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes! Paul directly describes the gospel - its power, it saving quality, and its quality of revealing the righteousness of God in the first 11 chapters of this epistle. Then, in chapter 12, he tells us - directly - how to live in light of this powerful, wonderfully saving, and God-glorifying gospel.
Romans 12:1-2
(1) Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
(2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
In those two verses he says, in essence, “In light of the gospel, live a life that is pleasing to God. Don’t be like the world, but be transformed in your thinking.” But, what does that look like?
What does gospel-transformed thinking look like?
He goes on to describe life in the local church .
Romans 12:3
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Don’t be proud. Be humble. Recognize that you have been given a wonderful gift of faith just like every other believer.
Romans 12:4-6
(4) For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
(6) Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; [continues through verse 8 to make the same point.]
Recognize that every member of the local church is important. Everyone is needed since not everyone has the same gifts. Recognize that we are members one of another. We were saved and gifted to be interdependent on one another. We were NOT saved to be a body part that can survive on its own. Body parts cannot survive on their own. Their livelihood depends on the other members of the body. So, we must use our gifts to serve others in the local church, and we must position ourselves within the body so that we benefit from the giftedness of others.
Romans 12:9-17
(9) Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
(10) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
(11) not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
(12) rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
(13) contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
(14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
(15) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
(16) Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
(17) Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
Be devoted to others in the local church. Outdo each other in honor. Be diligent and fervent in these matters. Serve the Lord. Give in order to meet the material needs of others in your local church. Show hospitality to others in your local church. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who 
weep. Don’t show favoritism to others in the local church.
When we use our gifts in the church to serve others, we are not doing something “extra.” We are simply fulfilling our responsibility - demonstrating transformed thinking - showing the worth of the gospel. When we give to meet material needs of others, we are not “Super-Christians” who should where an “S” on our shirt along with a cape. We are simply fulfilling our responsibility and showing the worth of the gospel. When we encourage others day after day, we are simply “being responsible.”
So, the gospel is powerful! It radically transforms people. The gospel aims to change sinners into…church members. Not just any church members either. It aims to make church members who are…
- devoted to the other members of the local body
- emotionally involved with the other members (weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice)
- zealous and fervent in serving the other members of the body
- characteristically contributing to the needs of other members of the body
- characteristically showing hospitality to other members of the body.
Is that you? What is your life saying about the gospel…and its power?
Are you helping others to walk worthy?
The apostle Paul challenged others to live this kind of life.
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12
(10) You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers;
(11) just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children,
(12) so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
Members of the body who are not striving together with the church for the faith of the gospel - who don’t serve in the church, who aren’t devoted to the church family need to be exhorted and encouraged and implored.
Folks who spend years of their life on the fringe of the church - without making biblical commitments to the church - need to be exhorted and encouraged and implored to walk in a manner worthy of God who has called them.
Elders (shepherds, pastors, overseers) need to be exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one under their charge as a father would his own children so that those under their charge would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls them into His own kingdom and glory!
I like how this article shows the message of involvement. The sence of beeing involved with fello believers in a church is also a greate fact and reality. Church is a place to involve your self and share what we as christans live monday through saturday, aswell learn from fello believers. However if church is the only place one is involved in, one is not worthy of the gospel. The gospel is something we live and convinse our intermost beeings that it is the onlyl way trouth and life through our savior Jesus Christ. . As a family of believers that we are, I think we must understand that we as much people within the world are in need of the same God that is living in us. We show the love to our brothers and sisters in christ but it is also critical to show it to the unbeliever, for we know that in this we are sowing a seed of hope and we prepare the ground for non believers to recieve the gospel with arms open wide.
Along the freeway dryving one day my dad and I were dryving as usual to church and had saw a man asking for money on a cardboard sign, as many of us have probable seen befe, my dad reached in to his wallet and gave the man some money, my mom who was also in the car said “IMay that man use it for good and not bad” imidiatly responding my father said “It is not our job to judge, but to do what the bible sais, and give to those who ask”…(Meeting the needs of people)…. to all those who may be hopeless within the world. As christans we need to do to others as we would like God to do with us. I believe the Gospel is a life style that is lived day by day, the important thing is to be connected to God then meet the needs of people. To a believr we can meet the spiritual and material needs, and to a non believer aswell. For the light is to light up the world. We should encourage both believers and non believers.The Gospel is measured by your hearts connection with God and a life stylle, and there is nothing that reflects more Royalty that a christian life lived within a church but most importantly and most crirically lived outside the walls of a church.
January 16th, 2008 | #
Carmen, thanks for your comment! Thanks, also, for your words of encouragement.
You say, “However, if the church is the only place one is involved in, one is not worthy of the gospel.” We don’t disagree here (though it seems you think we do). With this blog post and the one it follows, my intention is merely to explain how heavy involvement in the church is absolutely necessary to walking in a manner worthy of the gospel. It is not the only requirement. In the first blog post on this, I listed a couple other examples. Life in the church is one commonly neglected. In your comment you emphasize the importance of showing love to unbelievers. I agree that this is an important part of walking in a manner worthy of the gospel.
You mention a couple of things that indicate you haven’t fully understood my main point. You said, “Church is a place to involve yourself and share what we as Christians live Monday through Saturday, as well as learn from fellow believers.” This statement leads others to believe that “church” is a “Sunday thing.” It is not, however. It is a 24/7 thing…see my comments on Romans 12, for example. Consequently, there is no way for a Christian to live “outside the walls of a church.”
It’s important to understand that giving to unbelievers is NOT more important than the Christian’s relationship with other believers in the local church (contra - according to my understanding - your statement, “…there is nothing that reflects more Royalty than a Christian life lived within a church but most importantly and most critically lived outside the walls of a church.”). Life in the church is not more or less important than sharing the gospel with unbelievers. I don’t believe Scriptures makes such a comparative statement. The closest thing to it would be Galatians 6:10 which tells us to do good to all people, but especially to church family members.
So, every Christian should ask himself, “Do I prioritize unbelievers (showing love to them by meeting needs) over believers in my local church? If the answer is “yes” there needs to be a change (repentance).
January 16th, 2008 | #