'The Doctor and the Church'
Many doctors become ambivalent about church involvement because they are busy, want to spend time with their families at weekends and sometimes feel that they cannot be the leaders in that environment. Indeed most people in our society regard churches as out of date and largely irrelevant buildings that are attended by relatively few people. The New Testament apostles teach that God’s church is his key institution.
Paul summarises the central theme of his first letter to Timothy in these words,
“Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you with these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct yourselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
‘He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.’ I Timothy 3:14-16
Timothy is helping to lead the churches in Ephesus and here Paul, exercising his apostolic authority, is helping to steer the direction in which the young churches are moving. He has already described the sort of people who should be given responsibility to lead God’s churches. Paul is clearly looking forward to a return visit to Ephesus; he repeats this longing again later in the letter (1 Tim 4:13). However in his absence he still longs for the church to be established on apostolic principles. Paul uses three very helpful expressions to describe the high status of God’s church.
2. God’s household
In this chapter the word used for church clearly refers to the people in it (see 3:4,5,12,15). We become members of this body simply because we have put our faith in the Lord Jesus. The previous verse stresses this - “great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus”. If I am a Christian, a member of God’s family, I must live as such - even if I am a doctor..
2. The church of the living God
Today it is all too easy to lose the importance of involvement in the local church. We are so busy and have to manage our own family responsibilities so there seems to be little time left over for the household of the ‘living God’.
Unfortunately this can mean that there is too little time for God himself and personal Bible reading and prayer can also be squeezed out with the same excuses. Our present day idols of money, career, sports or television are transient and certainly not ‘alive’ as the ‘Living God’ is.
In the Old Testament the concept of the ‘living God’ who lives amidst his people is central. Thus Joshua could say,
“The living God is among you.” Joshua 3:10
The New Testament emphasis is the same, we are -
“The temple of the living God.” 2 Corinthians 6:16
“ . . . a temple in which God lives by his Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22
Too many have lost this concept of where God lives. This is why making a regular habit of meeting with other members of the church is vital. This is not a new problem, it is one the early church faced,
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we possess, for he who promised is faithful. and let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25
We meet to acknowledge and express our worship of the Living God who is there with us. We hear his word read and explained. We enjoy communion with both our Lord and Saviour and his people. What a disaster it is when ‘taking communion’ is regarded as my religious duty or a means of getting something from God. Rituals may give a spiritual lift but if people leave without interacting with others in the fellowship something is wrong. This fellowship is a sign of the true communion we should be having with both our Lord and Saviour and with his people. When unbelievers come to our services they should sense that we are a caring community.
“. . . exclaiming, ‘God is really among you.’” 1 Corinthians 14:25
3. The pillar and foundation of the truth.
The temple of Diana in Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the world. It stood high above the surrounding city so indicating its importance to society. The temple’s foundation was solid rock. It had one hundred 18 metre high columns that lifted its marble roof high in to the air. This temple could not be missed. Paul uses this picture to say that this is what God’s people should be like. Yet what is it that draws people to admire God’s people? It is their stand on God’s truth, found in God’s word, the Bible.
If the foundation is God’s truth, we must ensure that this remains the church’s foundation. It is all too easy for loving social actions to become the foundation of God’s church. In a sermon a vicar said, “Doctrine is divisive.”
That view opposes the teaching of Jesus and his apostles, It is only by clearly teaching God’s truth that the church holds together. To downgrade this priority and just emphasise loving action will both emasculate and eventually kill God’s church. Christianity without Christ and his word is nothing. His truth is the foundation of his church, his new creation. God’s word was the means by which his first creation, the universe was formed. So it is the means by which his new creations are formed. We hear and respond to what God has said. We must never hold that the church is the foundation of truth. Church history clearly reveals that too often senior church dignitaries have deserted what Jesus and his apostles taught. It is Christ and the teaching he has given us through his Old Testament prophets and his apostles that is the only foundation for God’s true church. Paul wrote:
“Consequently you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple to the Lord.” Ephesians 2:19-22
If the strong foundation of the church is the word of God, the pillars remind us that we must also make its message clear to everyone around us. All Christians have been chosen by God to help sow the word in peoples hearts. There are many roles within God’s church by which this will be achieved. Not many will be public teachers of God’s word but nearly all can share what they have learned and invite others to come and hear the Bible’s message being well taught. It is surely in this respect that church is the bastion of God’s truth. The church is the means by which the world will hear this. Doctors are specially trained to talk comfortably with people and relate well. What better training is there for naturally pointing people to the Saviour?
This truth centres on Christ Jesus. How many universities and hospitals were originally established to be the means by which the gospel of Jesus Christ would be made known, yet have now deserted that original goal. Harvard, Yale (originally Puritan) and Princeton (originally Presbyterian) once had rich Christian pedigrees.Harvard was named after a Christian minister. Yale was started by clergymen, and Princeton’s first year of class was taught by Reverend Jonathan Dickinson. Princeton’s crest still says in Latin for “Under God she flourishes.” Yet now these foundations no longer have their foundations in the Scriptures, the foundations they were built on. The same may be said about many hospitals both at home and abroad. The early London teaching hospitals were all based on Christian principles with the word of God as their foundation. They still aspire to practice medicine on Christian principles but the foundation for these is fast being eroded.
Who is a Godly person?
The phrase Paul uses, ‘the mystery of godliness’ means ‘the revealed secret of true holiness’. What is the secret to being a holy person? He goes on to explain that it is none other than Jesus Christ. Having a close relationship with him is the secret of godliness or ‘god-likeness’.
The incarnation of the Lord Jesus is both the foundation and ever-present focus of a true Christian’s life. This is why it is such a disaster for churches or Christian organisations to suggest that it is what we do for God that is the real secret for a church’s success. No, we must teach about Jesus and how he can give us regeneration or rebirth, both for ourselves and for our societies. It is a very limited love to care for others and not also to explain how they can become right with God by surrendering to Christ.
The ‘mystery of godliness’, Jesus Christ, is ‘great’ and must never be sidelined either in our personal lives or in the lives of our churches or the Christian societies we are involved in. Worshippers at the temple of Diana used to shout out together, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” (Acts 19:28). Christians need again to proclaim, “Great is the Lord Jesus, the God of all the world.” Yet we must do so in such a way that his attractiveness is not lost!
Paul is probably quoting from an early hymn about Jesus when he emphasises this doctrinal climax in I Tim 3:16. The six lines have a beautiful symmetry in the original Greek. They describe the life of Jesus and centres the Christian’s life on him.
Jesus ‘appeared in the body’ refers to his physical incarnation. Jesus was a real human being who was also the pre-existent Son of God. The phrase Son of God is often misunderstood. Just as the son of a lion is a lion, the son of a monkey is a monkey so the Son of God is God. Jesus was ‘vindicated by the Spirit’ surely refers to how he lived. Jesus healed the sick, performed other miracles and rose from the dead through the power of God’s Spirit. Jesus was ‘seen by angels’ who attested to his real nature at his conception, birth and at his resurrection.
The consequence of this conviction about Jesus is that Jesus ‘was preached among the nations’. Showing the love of God is no substitute for sharing the message about God’s Son. The great commission given to God’s church (Matthew 28:19), repeated throughout Scripture is to go and share the message about eternal salvation, salvation that can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ.
Whenever this message or seed is sown in peoples’ hearts it produces fruit. Jesus ‘was believed on in the world’. This still happens today. When we don’t see fruit, it is nearly always because we are either not sharing God’s word or not praying for it to produce new life.
The final line is another reminder who the object of our faith is. He ‘was taken up to glory’ reminds us that Jesus has left the troubles of this world to bask in his Fathers’ presence in heaven. This is surely meant to be an encouragement to all of us that living for Christ will be met with a similar reward.
If we are to see a spiritual renewal in the world we surely need to rediscover these fundamentals. Because we are Christians, God’s household, his church, should be a major priority for us and our families. We are the church of the ‘living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth’ that the world desperately needs to hear. When we glory in the Lord Jesus we will inevitably glorify him. Being a doctor does not excuse us!
The role of doctors in the church
Doctors tend to be leaders so they will naturally be attracted to leadership roles. So we need to encourage Christian leadership in young medics. Becoming one-to-one Bible teachers and small group Bible Study leaders whilst students and junior doctors are ideal preparations. If we have not come to know our Bible’s when young, it will be difficult to be a Christian leader later. And unfortunately without being given leadership roles doctors may tend to drift. Having Bible teaching skills means that we are both able to teach and are more likely to be trusted with more senior leading roles in the church.
One danger associated with being a doctor is arrogance. Senior doctors who have forgotten how to be servants of others will seldom be a great encouragement to others in the church. The best way to avoid this temptation is to be a servant of Christ’s church from the earliest days.
In medicine we are taught to be leaders, to be key-players. Jesus reminded us that there is another essential characteristic of Christian leadership:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 26:25-28
All churches desperately need leaders who love the Word of God and who set good examples of living for the Lord Jesus - people who love him and long to serve him. We doctors can either be a great help or a great hindrance in helping others decide on their priorities in life. When we were baptised or confirmed we were actually ordained to spend our lives living for the Lord Jesus in whatever role he calls us to.
