For All the Wrong Reasons

Friday, October 13, 2023

“These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 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” (1 Timothy 3:14,15 KJV).

Do we behave in “the house of God?”

Once, while driving past a local church building, I noticed their sign: “Hallelujah Night—food, fun, friends.” It was a clever arrangement because it used alliteration and consonance (each item beginning with an “f”), but we wonder if the Holy Spirit’s wisdom is in it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Christians eating delicious food, having fun, or meeting with friends. However, are potluck suppers, entertainment, and social networking the main reasons we go to church?

If we think about the very word “Hallelujah,” we know it means “Praise the LORD” (for so is the Hebrew translated in the Old Testament of our English Bible). Therefore, “Hallelujah Night” should mean “Praise the LORD Night.” Yet, it might also be a misnomer. How can we praise the LORD—admire, pay respect to, worship Him—unless we first know something about Him and what He is doing? We cannot! Someone once rightly observed, “The Christian life does not operate on the basis of ignorance because it cannot operate on the basis of ignorance.” If there is no Bible reading… and no Bible study… and no right division, it is automatic ignorance.

In today’s Scripture, “the house of God” refers to the group or assembly of believers in Christ, not the physical building where they meet. Certain conduct is appropriate in the local church, and Paul’s purpose in writing 1 Timothy was to outline those activities so Timothy and the rest of the Body of Christ (us) could understand how the Spirit of God worked in a grace church. Chapter 4, verse 13 adds: “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” This is a direct reference to Bible reading, godly encouragement, and sound Bible teaching worthy of our trust. Unless these elements are at the heart of our ministry, it is the energy of our flesh and we are wasting our time!