What does First B Jackson teach about church behavior?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on church behavior is grounded in a simple but demanding claim: the church is a pillar and buttress of the truth, which means how the church actually behaves either holds the truth up or it does not. Both Pastor Ray and Pastor Carl have worked through 1 Timothy 3:14-16 to make this point. Paul wrote the letter so Timothy would have something in hand if Paul was delayed, a written guide for how one ought to behave in the household of God. That household is not an institution or a program. It is the church of the living God, and its conduct is inseparable from its confession.
The teaching presses hard on the connection between belief and behavior. Pastor Carl put it plainly: if someone says Jesus loves you and then cuts you off in traffic, their actions undermine what they claim to believe. The lists of qualifications for overseers and deacons that fill the earlier chapters of 1 Timothy are not a cold rulebook. They serve a larger reality. Who we are controls what we do, and faith comes first, with works following from it.
Both messages landed on the same point at the end: church behavior is not finally about rule-keeping but about Christ. Paul's instructions lead immediately into an ancient hymn about Jesus, from the incarnation to the ascension, which is where the whole argument was always headed. The do's and don'ts are in service of that larger, Christ-centered story, and the congregation's life together is meant to make that story visible.
Taught from 1 Timothy 3:14-16 · 1 Timothy 1 · Matthew 16:18
The passage taught · 1 Timothy 3:14-16
14 These things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;
15 but if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- May 13, 2018 The Mystery of Godliness A Wyoming pastor reflects on 1 Timothy 3:14-16 and an early Christian hymn about Christ, inviting his congregation to share the songs of faith they hold onto in hard times.
- May 13, 2018 Great Indeed Is the Mystery of Godliness Paul's letter to Timothy lands on three verses, a hymn, and a question: what song do you hold onto when life is hard or full of joy?
Mentioned along the way
- May 20, 2018 A Pure Heart, a Good Conscience, a Sincere Faith A look at 1 Timothy on truth, sincere faith, and how the church is called to behave as the household of God, with an update on local children's and youth ministry.