One Goal for Equipping the Saints

Posted on by Terry Enns

One Goal for Equipping the Saints
1 Timothy 1:3-5
November 12, 2023

I hate to rush right past Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in a few weeks you will be thinking about new goals for a new year.  What kinds of things might you consider?  One writer has some suggestions for you:

  • Read less. It makes me think too much.
  • Gain weight. At least 30 pounds. 
  • Stop exercising. It’s a waste of time.  (Because I really should…)
  • Watch more TV. I’ve been missing some good stuff.
  • Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow.
  • Spend my summer vacation in cyberspace.
  • Get further in debt.

Obviously (or I hope it’s obvious), those are folly.  But there often is great confusion about what we should be doing — as individuals, as families, as a country, and as a church.  Almost a century ago, Albert Einstein said, “We live in a time of excellence of methods and a confusion of goals.”  That’s far more true today (culturally).

As we think at the end of this year about the function of the church and our desire to Equip the Saints, I want to think with you this morning about one primary task for the church — for our church. 

Our ministry at GBC is one of teaching and discipling.  We are known for handling the Scriptures well.  But we must ever remember the intent of handling the Scriptures well — it is to keep out of one problem and to cultivate one reality (meet one goal).  Turn with me to 1 Timothy 1, and let’s rediscover together the wonder of discovering the truth about truth —

We teach Scripture so Scripture can train our hearts to love.

Our goal is to train and equip with the Scriptures — but even more, our goal is to train one another to love — to love Christ and love one another from the overflow of that love for Christ. 

Paul identifies three facets for training hearts to love — 

  1. Prioritize the Urgency of Ministering the Word (v. 3)
  2. Beware of the Temptation to Misuse the Word (v. 4)
  3. Be Faithful to the Goal to Love from the Word (v. 5)
  • The goal is love…
  • The goal is love from a pure heart
  • The goal is love from a good conscience
  • The goal is love from a sincere faith

Download the rest of this sermon on 1 Timothy 1:3-5.

The audio will be posted on the GBC website by tomorrow.

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Published by Terry Enns