My dear readers,

(Extracts from RPG Workbook Vol II No. 7 June 12 – July 9 1983, edited by Dr SH Tow)

1.  PRESERVING CHURCH UNITY (EPHESIANS 4:1-16; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27)

Attitudes for Unity:

1. Lowliness or humility. Not considered a virtue by the Greeks, neither by many today. But our Lord was lowly (Matt 11:29).
2. Meekness is mildness, non-retaliation when wronged. Read the story of Moses (Num 12:3). Not to be confused with or mistaken for weakness.
3. Longsuffering is patience and endurance of irritation, suffering wrong without taking vengeance.
4. Forbearance is putting up with other people’s weaknesses or faults. It is maintaining sweetness in the face of the disagreeableness of others.

All these qualities are the outworking of love (4:2) and are possible only if we are entrenched in the love of Christ (3:17).

Bases for Unity: Whereas some try to create or organise oneness, God’s Word says we are rather to “keep (preserve or guard) the unity of the Spirit” (4:3). Paul’s doctrinal bases for true unity are:

1. One God and Father
2. One Lord Jesus Christ
3. One Blessed Holy Spirit
4. One hope (of Heaven)
5. One body (i.e. membership in the true invisible Church of our Lord Jesus Christ)
6. One baptism (spiritual baptism into the Body of Christ, 1 Cor 12:13, and not the mode)
7. One faith (in God and Christ)

Beware of false ecumenical unity (i.e. organisational man-centered unity). Beware of charismatic unity which is carnal. Beware also of basing unity on allegiance to a man or an organization which is cultic. Unity must be in our LORD JESUS CHRIST.

THOUGHT: If a person truly professes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord and is going to the same Heaven, he is my brother!
PRAYER: Lord, let me do my part to keep the unity in my church.

2.  TOWARDS CHRISTIAN MATURITY (EPHESIANS 4:1-16; 1 PETER 5:1-4)

God not only expects unity amongst believers, He gave gifts to ensure that we grow unto Christian maturity as well as oneness in the Lord Jesus Christ. And these gifts are men.

Agents for Maturity

1. Apostles were those who had seen the risen Lord Jesus and were sent out by Him (1 Cor 9:1) to write Scriptures. There are no such Apostles today.
2. Prophets were those who spoke on God’s behalf to the people (Rom 12:6) and to write Scriptures. There are none today.
3. Evangelists were literally messengers of good. Today, they include missionaries and all believers and preachers of the Gospel.
4. Pastors and Teachers: These two gifts were probably in one person.

The pastor is the shepherd whose duty is to spiritually feed and protect the flock from spiritual danger. Pastors must not only be “apt to teach” (1 Tim 3:2), but also willing to protect the flock (1 Pet 5:2). Do you heed your pastor’s advice to attend Bible study and prayer meeting, and warnings to beware of being unequally yoked with unbelievers in marriage? The true pastor always has your spiritual good at heart. He cares for you and will one day have to give an account before God (Heb 13:17). Learn to relate to him better. To ill-treat or ignore your pastor is to do so at your own spiritual peril.

Goals of Maturity

The immediate goal of God’s agents is the strengthening of the saints, to fully equip and bring the saints into a fit condition so that they could reach the intermediate goal, which is to do the work of the ministry (i.e. practical or menial service in the church), until they reach the ultimate goal which is the edifying (or the building up) of the Body of Christ.

THOUGHT: Do I acknowledge my pastor as God’s gift to me for my spiritual good? Or do I reject his spiritual ministry in my life?
PRAYER: Lord, help me to appreciate the ministry of my Pastor.

3.  EVIDENCE OF CHRISTIAN MATURITY (EPHESIANS 4:1-16; 2 PETER 2:1-3)

One evidence of Christian maturity is unity in the church. True unity is only possible in the faith of the Lord Jesus. Relationships in the church based on any human will always bring conflict. But when Christians focus on the Lord Jesus, there is little room for disunity.

The second evidence of maturity is likeness to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must stop measuring ourselves by our spiritual leaders or anyone else. Let us measure our spiritual stature by the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ to see how much we are like Him.

Another evidence of spiritual maturity is stability. We are not to be like “children” (4:14), i.e. infants incapable of speech. This is indicative of spiritual babes, unskilled in God’s Word (Heb 5:13). Do you see the importance of Bible study?

The spiritually immature will be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine (4:14). They will be influenced by every new doctrine that blows into town, and be victims of spiritual “dice-players” who gamble with their souls. “Sleight” is trickery and fraud associated with deceptive hand movements in dice-playing, akin to the English word “sly.” Such spiritual crooks are crafty according to the wiles of their error. They themselves are doctrinally wrong and so they in turn trap others. For your own spiritual good, get into God’s Word, join a sound church and be guided by Word of God through the faithful teaching of the pastor! There are lots of false doctrines and false teachers around nowadays (2 Pet 2:1-3). Beware!

The fourth evidence of Christian maturity is cooperation, or the ability to work together. Christians are not just to seek their own individual spiritual growth, but the growth of the whole Body. Just as limbs on a body cooperate with the head, Christians rightly united to Christ must work together for the good of the Church.

THOUGHT: Am I a spiritual infant? Or am I growing in unity, stability, and cooperation with my church members?
PRAYER: May I study Thy Word that I may mature spiritually.

God bless you dear readers.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,
Dr SH Tow, Founding Pastor