The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 that pastors are given to the church to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Though it is tempting for us to define “ministry” our own way, the context would suggest that the work of the ministry Paul has in mind in Ephesians 4 is speaking the truth in love to one another. This leads to the maturation and stability of the body. We are to pursue this goal “Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:13)
I’m struck by the phrase in verse 13 “until we all attain…” In our individualistic culture that reinforces our self-centered ways of reading the Bible, we might expect to read “until you attain…” But, the Bible renews our thinking and reminds us that, as believers, we are in this together.
A few years ago, my family and I were finishing up a hike in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota when my three boys wanted to race back to the truck. They set the rules: This was to be a team race, the teams were to be kids versus parents, and the whole team had to touch the truck before they could be declared the winner. I wasn’t all that interested. I was recovering from an illness and was struggling enough with the hike as it was. My wife however, immediately took off and beat all the boys back to the truck. But, as you know, this was a team race, and since I was the last one back to the truck, my team lost. We hadn’t “all attained” the goal and therefore had fallen short.
We are accustomed to hearing about the Christian life as a race, but I think we would do well to adopt this team aspect of the race. We haven’t truly won the race if our teammates have fallen down behind us. The goal is not to beat others to the line, but to ensure that we have all crossed the finish line together.
If this is true, biblical counseling is not simply a program that we can add to the church to help individuals, but a culture of care to be cultivated in a local church.1For more, see Johnson, Dale, The Church as a Culture of Care: Finding Hope in Biblical Community (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2021). What characteristics should we be looking to cultivate in the local church if this mentality is to move past the leadership level and impact the whole church? That question is the burden of this article.
A Gracious Church
There are few things that can destroy a culture of spiritually caring for one another quicker than legalistic self-righteousness. Legalism breeds a competitive spirit and undermines love for God and others. Paul warns against legalism in Colossians 2:16-23 urging his readers not to let anyone disqualify them on the basis of Old Testament Laws that have found their fulfillment in Christ (see v. 16). Further, he commands them not to allow anyone to disqualify them on the basis of man-made regulations and practices (see v. 18). Add to this his command not to submit to regulations like “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” (v. 20) and you see the Apostle Paul harshly condemns any practice that diminishes the work of Christ and His place as the head of the church. For Paul, legalism is not just “extra zeal” that is commendable but needs to be toned down a bit. Legalism is a turning away from the Lord Jesus as the one who has authority to direct his people and empowers them through the Holy Spirit to be conformed to his image.
Therefore, a church that desires to create a culture of speaking the truth in love to one another must keep looking to Christ as the source of life and spiritual growth. Legalistic self-righteousness might look like wisdom, but it cannot help anyone truly transform from the heart (see v. 23). Therefore, pastors and teachers must be careful not to place demands on the people that the Word of God does not. Biblical counselors must distinguish clearly between those times when we are clearly pointing to the commands of Scripture and those times where we are offering our own, perhaps wise but still not authoritative, suggestions. Church members must be taught how to discern their own preferences from biblical requirements. When Christ is our all and all and the Word of God is our source of authority, then we are in a position to love and care for one another instead of seeking to outdo one another.
A Pastoral Church
To create and or maintain a culture of care in a local church, pastors must have a sense of their responsibility to care for the sheep. Pastors are keeping watch over the souls of those they shepherd and will be required to give an account to God for their ministry to the saints. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account …” The church-growth movement has unfortunately helped many pastors to view people as nothing more than a means to the end of growing a large congregation. Pastors must reject this idea and shepherd their people.
As indicated earlier by Ephesians 4, much of this shepherding is the work of equipping the saints to minister to one another by speaking the truth in love. This not only involves instruction, but pastor’s must model stirring up others to love and good works. When I came to the church where I currently serve, the lay people were in the habit of asking one another regularly, “how can I pray for you?” I learned quickly that it became a habit because the pastor who preceded me did such a nice job of asking that question often. His concern for others permeated the whole body and became part of the DNA of the church.
An Accountable Church
Jesus said in Luke 17:3, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him…” In giving this command, Jesus assumes that there is a certain quality in the relationship amongst his disciples that will allow for this type of loving, gentle, humble confrontation that will not completely destroy the relationship. That quality is that we are brothers and sisters in Christ who share a common commitment to Christ and a common pursuit of righteousness that makes us comfortable submitting ourselves to mutual accountability. In the church I serve, we have formalized this idea as part of our membership covenant. It reads: “We will respond humbly and immediately to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the love of the family of God when confronted with sin and failure.”
A “One Another” Church
In order for a culture of care to take root and flourish in a church, there must be a wide-spread acceptance that we exist for and need one another in the body of Christ.2 For more, see Scott, Stuart, 31 Ways to Be a “one-Another” Christian: Loving Others with the Love of Jesus, (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 2019). Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Notice the kinds of activities that surround meeting together in that passage: Holding fast to our confession of hope, stirring up one another to love and good works, and encouraging one another more and more. This responsibility to encourage one other in the faith and in good works is the responsibility of every member of the body. The members of a local congregation all have a role to play in the body of Christ and when one part of the body is not functioning it harms the rest of the body.
A Dependent Church
Every member engaging in caring for one another can feel like an overwhelming responsibility. The hope we have is that, though we have a role in this work, the growth comes from the Lord. He is the one “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:16). He empowers the working of the body such that it builds itself up in love. We must not rely on our charisma, our degrees, our experience, or our techniques. We rely on Christ, who brings about that which he commands us to do, to build up the body in love.
When the parts of the body are functioning properly, equipped by the pastors, speaking the message of Christ, empowered by the Spirit of Christ, the whole body grows up. And the Lord will finish what he has begun in us. We will, one day, all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. We will one day all attain to mature manhood; we will one day all attain to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Until then, we counsel.
