Protecting the Church

Many churches worry about their safety today. They form committees and develop action plans. Some install alarm systems and cameras in an effort to protect themselves. But the greatest dangers facing the church do not come from bullets or fires but from words.

Paul’s primary concern for the church of Ephesus had to do with its doctrine. This is especially noteworthy since Paul knew that he would soon face physical danger (vv. 22–24). False teachers would come in from the outside while others would arise from their own number (vv. 29–30). This dual threat of false teaching prompted the Apostle to urge the church’s leaders: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (v. 28).

Paul had modeled the kind of shepherding he had in mind through his own teaching and ministry. “You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you. . . . I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” (vv. 20–21). Paul’s pastoral strategy was both gospel-centered and personally involved.

Paul’s deep concern about the danger of false doctrine can feel absent from the church today, which is often mostly interested in numerical growth. Some may argue that Paul’s determination to declare the gospel to both Jews and Greeks is proof that he was interested in numerical growth as well. But a desire for increased attendance does not automatically mean that we are interested in the gospel. We may be tempted to reduce our message to the lowest common denominator in order to attract a following.

Pray with Us

Please include in your prayers the rest of Moody Radio’s programming staff: Deb Solomon, Judy Kron, Kurt Goff, and Stephen Johnson. May the message of God’s love and hope they help broadcast also encourage their hearts daily.

BY Dr. John Koessler

John Koessler is Professor Emeritus of Applied Theology and Church Ministries at Moody Bible Institute. John authors the “Practical Theology” column for Today in the Word of which he is also a contributing writer and theological editor. An award-winning author, John’s newest title is When God is Silent: Let the Bible Teach You to Pray (Kirkdale). Prior to joining the Moody faculty, he served as a pastor of Valley Chapel in Green Valley, Illinois, for nine years. He and his wife, Jane, now enjoy living in a lakeside town in Michigan.