In Colossians 1:24-29, we see Paul’s purpose for laboring and striving.  Pual describes himself as a minister, who through many sufferings and afflictions labour and strive for one goal.  This then you could is the goal that we the church all labour and strive for.  Notice that the goal is not simply evangelism – not simply missions – not simply that we do good work or follow a moral law.  But the goal is (verse 28) to present every member mature in Christ.  The goal is maturity in Christ.  That every one reaches their full potential as a child of God – fullness of faith.  Fullness of life. Fullness of assurance.  Fullness of obedience.  Second it is that we together grow to grasp the great mystery of God – that Christ is both in and among us us.  As the Spirit of Christ takes residence in our hearts, Jesus in a very real way is the center of our worship together, the center of our life – he is with us.  Maturity is not about following a set of rules, its about having your heart set on and enlarged by Jesus.  Paul says I labor and strive for this. 

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Throughout the book of 1 Timothy, we have seen the purpose to which Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus spring up time and time again, and that is to set things in order, to reboot the church and particularly to set in line the teaching ministry of the church, rescuing it from the hands of false teachers: the men of whom Paul spoke of during his final meeting with the Ephesian elders at the beach of Miletus (Acts 20:29-30):

“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

Lo and behold, Paul’s words came to pass.  These teachers did rise up from within themselves. In Paul’s correspondence to Timothy, then, his final word is this once again: watch out. 

What are the marks of a good minister? Really for me – but also for you, because it is the natural temptation to follow teachers that either tickle our ears, or that draw a crowd, or that have a natural charisma. 2 Timothy 4:3-4.  It’s important for both you and I to know the fickleness of our hearts and to know what God’s mark of a good minister are.  Also, there are some of you here that are considering whether or not God is calling you into this sort of ministry. Finally, just as the marks of an elder were marks that we all should emulate, the marks of a good minister we do as well. 8 Marks each flowing into the next.

The implications of the family structure in relation to leading the church

Big Idea: the church is to be overseen by faithful and mature husbands and fathers, who shepherd the church as they shepherd their wives and kids.

Last week we saw that Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to reboot the church – to kind of hit the reset button on it.  Timothy’s job there was to train the teachers to teach toward love.  Now Paul is writing him to give him further instructions regarding how to stabilize the household: he writes as much in chapter 3:14-15: I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth. When He says “ought to behave in the household” he is not talking about for example when I once got yelled at by a nun for walking on a pew.  The word suggests a broader understanding of how the church goes about its business, how we order and conduct ourselves.  And this is important: how we conduct ourselves as a church is ultimately important because it is the church that is the pillar and support of the truth of the gospel within a community.  The church stays after the missionaries leave, raising the banner of truth.  Which is why, Paul take Timothy off of the mission field and sends him back to an already established church, so that they won’t lose that territory.  Today, in North America, we are losing territory.  Churches are not well-established – they are focused on fighting over theological trivialties, that our ministries are managed, or on making sure our programs are all running smoothly – I guarantee that more people are interested in these things, than that we are a house of prayer, or that our spiritual leaders be good husbands and fathers, or that we are caring for our elders – all things that Paul focuses on in this letter.  We have, in fact rejected or ignored the Word of God in the pastorals, and I think we suffer as a church accordingly.

I want to start at the end of 1 Timothy chapter 1 with a phrase I want to focus on.  In verses 18-20 Paul is encouraging Timothy to not shrink from the difficult task he has been placed in Ephesus to do, but charges him to fight the good fight.  For there are some, Paul writes, who have pushed aside the instruction of Paul and through their own teaching ministry in the church, have literally (v. 19) made shipwreck of the faith. (some English translations say “their” but it is not in the text).  Apparently Paul has removed these teachers, Hymenaeus and Alexander, from their positions of authority in the church and exercised appropriate church disciple in line with what Jesus said about any causing the little ones to stumble in their faith. 

Today, we are going to finish the book by talking about “Heaven”.  This is an exciting topic.  People – everyone - sing songs about it. Everyone.

• In the 80’s Canadian Bryan Adams found it hard to believe that he had found “Heaven” in the arms of a girl, while hair band Warrant reminded us that “Heaven isn’t too far away”
• Led Zepplelin climbed a “Stairway to Heaven” while Guns N’ Roses were “Knocking of Heaven’s Door”, Eric Clapton wondered if there’d be “Tears in Heaven”.  The Talking Heads grumbled that in “Heaven” – nothing ever happens.
• A band called Los Lonely Boys wondered “How far is Heaven” The singer frets guiltily over his past and promises to reform, but wants to know just how good one has to be to attain paradise. "I know I have to change my ways of living," he says, "I just want to know how far."
• One of the moving performaces many people have ever seen came after 9/11 when the band U2 sang about “Where the Streets Have No Name” during the Superbowl with the names of the victims scrolling behind.
• The most recent song I could find revealing a longing for heaven is by an orthodox Jewish Reggae rapper called “One Day” in which he longs for a day when there will be no more fighting, “no more wars and our children will play”

Yet at the same time we sing about heaven – we don’t talk about heaven much.  Either it seems too mysterious, or we may guiltily have a deep down suspicion that it doesn’t seem that exciting to us.  Heaven, the way we envision it, seems tame and, dare we say, boring.  We can’t imagin eternity.  What will we do all that time?  Will we be bored? Like the farside cartoon – “I wish I’d brought a magazine.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is a pilgrim.  He starts out in the outback and makes his way to Jerusalem.  Luke 1:3 – not chronological order, but geographical order.  We looked last week at how Luke structures his two books Luke, Galilee of the Gentiles to Jerusalem; Acts, Jerusalem to the Gentiles.  Much of the book is Jesus’ long journey – pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  The book moves.  The Christian life has been called a journey.  We are all, as we go through this life walking with Jesus.  In the book of Luke, that journey is literal.  Along the way we meet three would-be disciples who wish to walk with Jesus.

We sometimes think that eschatology – the study of the last things is impractical and has no bearing on our lives as Christians.  That is not the case. What you believe about the millennial kingdom will translate into practice. 

We have a deep need for vindication and justice.  I believe it is grades two-four that this need is expressed most through the whining of “Its not fair!” We feel this need even after attempts to educate us out of it.  The most ardent moral pluralist, who denies any absolute right and wrong, gets upset when someone takes their seat.  No father, no matter how tolerant and relativistic they may be in their own philosophy will sit by and allow his daughter to be raped.  We live in a culture that denies absolutes, but gets absolutely infuriated when we feel as though we have been wronged.

Some fight back.  Take matters into their own hands. Arguments turn into fights, turn into skirmishes, skirmishes turn into battles and battles turn into wars.  Retribution leads to escalation leads to devastation. It’s true for you personal relationships, its true for nations. I get my sermon title today from the old Bugs Bunny cartoon, when after getting hit with a blueberry pie to the face, he turns to the camera and says, “Of course you realize, this means war.”