Lessons 12

QUALITIES OF A CHURCH

Rev. Stanley L. Derickson Ph.D.

COPYRIGHT 2004

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EXEMPLARY
(Phil. 4:1-9)

4.1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
3 And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow laborers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Philippians 4.1. Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, [my] dearly beloved.

So, based on all that Paul has said, we are to stand fast in the Lord.

Note that he calls them "dearly beloved" twice. This seems to be a very special group of people to Paul. It would be of interest to know why they were so special to him.

He goes on to tell them that he longs to be with them and he considers them to be his joy and crown. This is a verse which pictures one of the crowns of the New Testament - crowns that we as believers can gain by our works for the Lord. This would be the crown of soul winning.

The term stand fast is also used in 1.27 "Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;" It relates to continuing in that which you are engaged. They are to stand fast in their walk and their conversation with the next life rather than this life.

The term can relate to stand firm, persevere and persist. This isn't something you do on Sunday but not Monday and other days of the week. It is a way of life; it is that which rules your life. This is actually sort of a double statement. We are to stand firm in our conversation - persist in your persistence to live Godly might be the thought.

2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.

Euodias means "fragrant" and Syntyche means "with fate" and both are being besought to be in agreement with one another. It would seem that they were having a difference of opinion on something and Paul was encouraging them to settle it and come to agreement in the Lord. (Constable states, "Euodia ("Success") and Syntyche ("Lucky")" but does not say what he bases this on. The definitions I listed are from the lexicon.)

It is of note that Paul besought both individually - almost as if they are to set aside their differences and just be of one mind. It would also indicate he was not taking sides nor suggesting one is more correct than the other.

This might bring up the question of how we get along within the church. When there are differences, how do we handle them? If sin is involved then the church discipline passages would kick in, however if it is just a difference of opinion then individuals need to work things out.

This is in my mind one of the greatest reasons for having set and achievable goals for the church body. This sets the congregation on the same track, and they most likely will be of one mind heading toward that goal.

The goal needs to be owned by the congregation, not just the pastor or the board. If all are agreed, then they will naturally settle their differences of opinion. If there are differences, then there is giving room for those involved to accept either course because they are both aimed at the goal.

Just an example: If the pastor has not set a church wide goal that aims the church in a set direction and he decides the church needs to expand or find a new building without getting the congregation on board, he will be sure to either run some off or fail in his endeavor.

Jameson Faucet and Brown suggest that the two women were deaconesses, but we have no indication of this other than the fact that Paul would not have bothered himself with minor differences between church ladies. The fact that it was made public would show that the dispute was public and in need of solution.

Stedman assumes that the following verse relates to the two women in verse 2. Paul seems to be asking others in the congregation to assist the pair in finding common ground. Often when there is difficulty there is little listening going on and when a third party enters in and allows both to verbalize their position, common ground can be found, indeed the common ground often becomes quite plainly revealed.

I have for a few years watched our local city council meetings. On many occasions the city staff has laid out their opinion and I find it well thought out and very nicely packaged. The problem comes when the opposition comes to give testimony and all the loop holes, the poorly thought out assumptions etc. come to light. Normally there is a completely apposed pair of positions, but normally as the council works through all the information they find what is more sane and equitable for all concerned.

If you fall into difficulty with others, be sure to listen and then ask them to listen to you and common ground will probably become evident.

3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and [with] other my fellowlabourers, whose names [are] in the book of life.

There are two important truths in this passage. First that those that labor together are as oxen in a yoke two beings pulling together going the same direction sharing the load and most importantly we are directed by another - the Lord. Secondly there is the truth that we are all on one plain - all saved and heaven bound, not in tiers of importance. Paul called them fellow laborers, yokefellow and indicated that all were assisting one another.

The term yokefellow is also translated marriage, thus we know it to be a close relationship of co-laboring toward a common goal. Some suggest that the term translated "yokefellow" could be a proper name, but there is no way of knowing either way.

Anyone that has seen an old western movie with a wagon train probably knows what a yoke of oxen looks like - it is two oxen tied together quite firmly by a yoke - if they don't pull together, they increase their work greatly.

The term translated "help" is much more than just giving a hand now and then. It is in the present tense and it can be used of taking another prisoner - this is taking hold of that one you want to help and make their work your own - kind of like the yokefellow - pulling together.

Clement means mild or merciful. He was a coworker of Paul's and tradition believes him to be the bishop of Rome at the end of the first century.

The least one can come away with from this verse with is that we are to work together - even closely together toward that common goal of ministry. How often in a local church can a person become that involved - involved enough to be accepted by those that run the church - those that need coworkers but don't want them - why share the glory.

If we could gain that level of thought that makes us all on the same level and all going toward the same goal, we might find that the newcomers can be accepted easily into the group to assist with the work that is need to be done.

How often I have seen church buildings filled with people that are gifted by the Holy Spirit to minister in the church - sitting service after service doing nothing and getting very bored with church at the same time.

People are leaving the church in large numbers, and I believe this is one of the main reasons - needing to minister, and not being allowed to by a stiff hierarchy that must control all aspects of their domain.

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.

We seem to be in a list of things Paul wants the people to include in their lives. Rejoice amidst helping one another and moderation - maybe he wanted to be sure that the moderation was directly associated to the helping - I can envision some making that observation even though it is not the thought of the passage.

Paul says rejoice and then in the last of the verse he says he will say rejoice - future. The ASV and Darby translations follow this future tense. "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice." (ASV)

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand.

Dare we relate this to having a good testimony before your fellow man? I think that is the exact point of this verse.

ALL men should know by their knowledge of us that we are moderate or gentle as the word is sometimes translated. “Seemly” is also another possible translation of the word - you live your life in a proper manner.

This thought of - at all times - being a proper Christian is somewhat cumbersome for the believer, but it is something that is needed. At any point in time we want to be perceived as one to be listened too whether we dispense the Gospel or wise council. If you are less than proper then others may not give your words credence.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

I recently was in a Sunday school class where the pastor made the statement several times that if you request it God will do it. He also made the statement that if you don't request it God will not do it.

Now, I would consider those statements at best misleading and at worst false doctrine. The man did not qualify his statements, only elaborated and emphasized them. The listener would have the distinct impression that if he asked for a million dollars for a new church building that God was bound by a promise to deliver it - and in the context it seemed near if not immediately.

The pastor did not allow God the privilege to say no or to say wait when we prayed, only yes and provision were allowed God.

Anyone that has prayed much in their life knows that the answer is often wait and not all that seldom, no. There was no allowance for praying within God's will - only ask and He must do - don't ask and He won't do.

This is totally limiting a sovereign God to the dictates of man - not a God I would care to be in charge of my salvation.

This verse does tell us to make our requests known - this is important - but it is not a guarantee of positive answers only.

Note the stark contrast of wanting nothing but in ALL things pray - from one end of the spectrum to the other. We are seemingly to request those things we need - now we might say want since that is the word that is used - but I don't think that is quite the meaning of the passage.

We are to be careful for nothing - not worried about anything might be the thought of it - if there is a need or concern then pray about it - not that God will automatically remove that which you are anxious over, but you will have the peace of God in the situation.

The term prayer and the term supplication are of interest. The term supplication has to do with making request for needs while the term translated prayer is actually related to a specific place - a place of prayer. It is translated synagogue as well as a place outside the city - some place special where you can meet with God and make your requests known.

This is one of the good points about the Sunday school lesson that I recently mentioned - the pastor was quite emphatic that we need to pray and that we need a specific place to pray - a place that will not find you constantly distracted from your purpose.

Barnes points out another aspect of the word translated "supplication." "The word rendered supplication is a stronger term than the former. It is the mode of prayer peculiarly which arises from the sense of need, or want" Others relate the idea of repetition as well. If you are in great need the repetition will come very naturally most likely.

Note that thanksgiving is to be an integrated part of this activity. All too often we make our requests at church, we make our requests known to God and never bother to give thanks for the answered prayer. The term translated thanksgiving is related to Eucharist - the bread of the Roman Catholic Church - it relates to thanksgiving rather than any meaning that the Roman church has given it.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The term translated "all" here is the same word translated everything in the previous verse. Nothing left out - all of it!

Peace is quite rightly translated - it can relate to the absence of being at war - safety from trouble - at rest with all things. Of course this sort of peace can only come from giving your mind to God for quieting.

Now, you don't suspect that the passage on prayer is related to this peace from God? Since this verse follows right next to the previous passage on prayer we might make that conclusion - as we pray we can know the peace of God in all things.

Heart is the Greek word "kardia" - heart - the pumper of blood and in the usage of the Mid-east the seat of emotion and intelligence. God will keep our hearts and minds at peace through Christ.

I assume that "through Christ Jesus" relates to the fact that in Him we have access to the Father. By Him we have son-ship and qualification to make requests. By Him we have assurance that God will answer.

8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.

Oh, wow, how does that ever relate to the church of our day? In every way - we need to put all of those things back into the church - truth, honesty, justness, purity, lovely things, good things, virtue, and praise. Well one out of nine is good - right - we have praise teams don't we? Not that Paul was talking about such things.

In truth I could illustrate the need of all of these in the churches I have visited in recent days. These are things that are of no value to most believers today.

Honesty is something of the past even for many believers. The white lie is a part of everyday life and living in general.

Let's take a look at these qualities:

Truth: This word relates to truth as well as to speaking and loving truth. Maybe having truth as a way of life - not giving way to falsehood under any circumstance, even when it hurts you greatly.

Years ago we found we had unknowingly misreported some withholding as income tax withholding when it should have been Social Security withholding. We went to an accountant and found that we would owe over a thousand dollars due to the mistake - we were also told by the accountant that we would be totally foolish to report it as there is no way anyone could find the mistake.

It seemed to me that God already knew about it and that He would have us correct it.

Honesty: This kind of looks like a close relative to the truth issue above. The word relates to veneration for honorable character - having a character so honest that one is uplifted for it - a reasonable character trait for any believer, not just a few.

Justness: This indicates someone that keeps the commandments or keeps the laws of the land. Someone that has respect for the law and follows it.

Purity: Purity relates to without sin or immaculate. Hum, a strange word to use in relation to believers today - well Paul didn't know what kind of a world we would live in so he couldn't really mean this - it is probably cultural -- that might be suggested as a foolish ploy to relieve one's self from the clear teaching of the Word.

Purity is what the church isn't necessarily about these days. The divorce rate among believers is the same as, if not higher than the world. God hates divorce, yet believers cling to it as a right of the believer - it is sin and nothing less. In my mind remarriage is willfully walking into a continuing life of sin.

Recently I heard of a video series that was supposed to help people live in the blended family situation - it was basically saying, how can we live in sin and make the repercussions pleasant. It seems to me that chastisement is supposed to be unpleasant, not pleasurable.

Even if you take a lesser stand on remarriage you must admit that leaving a life long relationship for any other reason than death is asking God to bless something less than He desires for your life - not always pleasant.

Lovely things: Things which are acceptable and pleasing. Good works, praise for God, loving one another and that sort of thing would easily fit into this category, as opposed to back biting, gossip, etc.

Report of good things: Simply things you do, or the way you live which results in good reports from others outside the person's immediate circle would be my idea of the word.

Years ago I had lunch after a Sunday morning deputation meeting with a bachelor that lived with his single sisters. They were quite involved in their church as well as many other churches and organizations in the area. As we talked we found that we had many acquaintances in common. It was such a blessing to hear good reports from the man about these saints that God had allowed me to meet over the years. The man had good report of all we spoke of and the testimony of all those people was a tremendous encouragement to me personally.

Virtue: Moral goodness or excellence. This can relate to thought and/or actions. Acting and thinking on a high moral plain - keeping your activities and thoughts on a plain where you would not be embarrassed to have your spouse or pastor or God look in and see where you are.

Praise: Giving of accepting thought - praising God for Who and What He is - this could relate to praise of others as well. Not necessarily the giving of praise to and about one's self.

The term "think" relates to considering the facts as opposed to suppositions, and making a rational evaluation of those facts. It relates to careful consideration rather than a quick once over of thought that results in little thought and/or action based on the thought.

CONSIDER these things carefully as opposed to all the other trash in the world. Just how does this relate to the believer sitting at home watching television - just how much thinking on a high moral plain can be done while absorbing the trash of the world from that machine. There is little on the television that relates to this list of virtuous things that we are to be contemplating.

Just take a week and list all of the television programs you watched that related great moral truths that you can find in this list:

TRUTH
HONESTY
JUSTNESS
PURITY
LOVE
GOOD REPORT OF THINGS
VIRTUE
PRAISE

If you do find something with some truth you will usually find that it is obscured by the lack of virtue and purity.

9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Again, we see Paul setting himself as an example to the believers of how to live. And so should the life of the pastor and missionary and teacher be - an example to all that see them and hear them - someone to be able to pattern your life after.

Paul gives four levels of information - that which is heard, that which is received and that which is learned.

Seen: This has to do with those things which we perceive with the senses, especially sight.

Heard: This word simply means you are hearing and considering something. Comprehension and understanding seem to be a part of the meaning of the word.

Received: This term relates to taking to one's self - something that is accepted into one's being.

Learned: This term has the thought of adding to ones knowledge some new information.

The blaring fact is that they have not applied what they had received from him to their lives or he wouldn't ask them to do so. How often in our churches the pastors/teachers lay out truth upon truth while the congregation does nothing with the information. Not to say that the pastors/teachers shouldn't be doing the same themselves - it is apparent at times that they do not listen to themselves.

Here Paul tells them that not only the peace of God mentioned in verse seven will be with them, but also the God of peace will also be with them. What a promise - to be able to know the peace of the God of peace in your own life. Not that all of us seem to get to that point in our lives.

APPLICTAION:

1. Some suggest Paul confuses the reader by suggesting in chapter three to run a race and here to stand firm. Personally it seems rather like a straw man to bring it up. Paul would not try to confuse people that he was trying to teach, thus it shouldn't be too difficult to see the difference between standing firm in your faith while working your very best in your life to please your Lord. Standing firm can only assist the believer in the running of the race.

2. There is question as to who the person is that Paul speaks about in verse 3. Barnes states "And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow. It is not known to whom the apostle refers here. No name is mentioned, and conjecture is useless. All that is known is, that it was some one whom Paul regarded as associated with himself in labour, and one who was so prominent at Philippi that it would be understood who was referred to, without more particularly mentioning him." He goes on to say that it is presumed that it is one of the bishops at the church of Philippi and this would be a good assumption.

Stedman suggests that verse 3 is a parenthesis to the body of the letter, indeed maybe a comment he made to Epaphroditus, the one that was going to deliver the letter. Paul often dictated his letters to others to write down. This comment may have been made to Epaphroditus and the writer of the letter missed that Paul was changing to another thought in mid stream.

As you read verses 2-4 this line of thinking fits well. Another clear comment of the apostles valuing those around him while instructing them in what he wishes them to do.

3. Verses 6 and 7 just cry forth for a discussion of "WORRY." "6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Our age is full of it, our society is often debilitated due to the worry. Our nation is deep in personal debt and folks are constantly worried about how they will survive what they have gotten themselves into.

If people aren't worried about debt they are worried about money, if not money they worry about not being married, if not about money, debt, and marriage it is something else. It is as if we cannot survive a day without worrying our selves through it.

This passage might well show that worry is sin. If we are to have peace in our life, then to have turmoil from worry must be incorrect - sin.

Christians often worry about many things. The pastor might worry over how the church will pay for the new building, or whether he offended Mrs. Jones with his comment Sunday morning. The Deacon might worry about whether this new pastor the church has called is really God's choice for the church.

The members have their own set of worries at home and at work. Not that the pastor and deacon do not have those worries as well. When we are told we are not to worry, then we face what Stedman relates some of his folks told him. "I've joined the new Don't Worry Club, and now I hold my breath. I'm so scared I'm going to worry that I'm worried half to death." The key is in that prayer and supplication just in case you missed it.

The point is that all of us should concentrate on these two verses until we learn to leave the worry up to God if there is anything to worry about - which I rather doubt there is. If He is not in full control then we gotta worry! Actually that is the basis of our peace - He is in control and there is no need to worry for there is nothing that can go wrong.

I've always liked the comment of someone on television many years ago. The comment went along this line. "I know that worry helps - look at all those bad things that did not happen because I worried about them."

We must learn to face life with the "He is in control" mindset and live our lives in peace. A few years ago my wife was not feeling well. She had a terrible headache that was in its fifth day. She was on the couch so I stood over her and asked how she was doing. She looked up at me and one of her eyes was off in a different direction. Off to the emergency room. While we were waiting for some tests we realized this could be a stroke and knowing her grandmother and mother both died of strokes, that certainly crossed my mind. The next thing that crossed my mind was that since our health insurance was through her job that if she was laid up we were without health insurance.

Now I am not one to brag that I have never worried. I have worried my life away due to my not realizing who is in control. However at this moment the realization confronted me - there is nothing I can do at this point, there is nothing I can do to bring about a good diagnosis, there is absolutely nothing I can do except pray. As I sat quietly doing what I could feel a real peace came over me and I can say that I was not worried. I knew that He was able to bring all this to a good end for His glory and that I was along for the ride.

Within a few days the wife was up and good as new. It was a problem of some blood vessels leaking and the leak fixed itself as the doctor thought it would. Humm wonder if he does pipe leaks?

Christian leave the worry and confess your sin and join into the peace that God offers.

4. Barnes states boldly that "The word life here refers to eternal life;" and indeed it does, but not because of any hidden meaning of the word. The word means simply life, the context determines what kind of life. Here it is evident that we are speaking of the "book of life" and we know that relates to eternal life.

I once heard a preacher make great emphasis that "zoe" the Greek word meant eternal life and contrasted it with another word that was used of physical life. He made great pains numerous times to show that "zoe" was always related to eternal life, when in fact it is not. The word also can relate to the simple life of animals and humans in this life. Viewing of the context is critical in making statements about the meaning of words. (See Luke 1.75; Luke 12.15; Romans 8.38; I Cor. 3.22; I Cor. 15.19; and others.)

5. Verse five states, "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand." Let your moderation be known, why? Because the Lord is at hand. Often I have heard that we should not try to motivate people by fear, by making them consider consequences etc. This passage pictures clearly that we ought to motivate in light of consequences. Paul tells them to do something because the Lord is at hand.

Now, whether he meant at hand as in right with us at all times, which He is, or whether he was speaking of the Lord's coming it mattereth not on this point. He is at hand so act as you ought to act as a good believer is the clear picture.

To tell someone of the Gospel without telling them of the consequences of a negative decision is not the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news that God has provided a way out of hell and punishment.

To evangelize without telling the person about the whole story, is giving only a part of the story and a polluted Gospel.

Moderation is to be shown to ALL men. Not just the church members on Sunday, but to your family, to your friends, and to your coworkers. Well also to anyone else that you might meet.

It is moderation of eating, of talking, of sleeping, of anything that you engage in while in your waking hours.

6. As to the Lord being at hand Barnes relates, "... to keep before their minds a lively impression of an event which ought, by its anticipation, to produce an important effect. Whether, by this phrase, they commonly understood the coming of the Lord to destroy Jerusalem, or to remove them by death, or to judge the world, or to reign personally on the earth, it is impossible now to determine, and is not very material to a proper understanding of its use here."

The term translated "is at hand" was used by the Jews of making a proselyte or to "make nigh" while the word is used a number of different ways relating to closeness at hand. I would assume that it was speaking of the coming of the Lord, but the "always with us" idea should also move us to proper living.

7. Some time dwelling on the admonition to think "on these things" (vs. 8) would be good for any believer. We have mentioned that it is hard to figure how someone watching an "R" rated movie can really think of Godly things. The same thing goes with much of the music available in the world today. Can you dwell on "these things" when sitting in a group gossiping about someone else? Can you dwell on "these things" when you are daydreaming about whatever it is that you daydream about? Can you dwell on "these things" when you are with your friends? Can you dwell on "these things" when you are -- whatever it is that you do with your time in this life.

Paul set the standard - to think on Godly things, if you aren't then you are far from where you should be in your life. Sitting in church is a time to think on "these things" rather than all the other stuff we tend to allow our minds to wonder into.

Some might wonder if we can think on "these things" when we are in church these days. Is the song time something that draws your attention to God and His desires for your life? Does the message draw you to think and consider God's Word in a meaningful way? If not you might should speak to the pastor and see if some changes might be made.

It always amazes me that we sing a couple of songs and start to settle our hearts on the Lord and what do we do - LET'S STAND AND GREET ONE ANOTHER! Ya, right there went the concentration of God and it turns our attention right back where it ought not be - on self. May we start to consider what we are doing in our churches today. It is a time for God not man, yet we seem to dwell heavily upon man.

8. In the area of the conflict between the two women Constable quotes Howard Hendricks. He called verses 2-6 "a five-part recipe for conflict resolution: (1) 'Rejoice in the Lord,' that is, get beyond yourselves and look to the Lord. (2) 'Let your gentleness be evident to all.' In other words speak with kindness to each other. (3) 'Do not be anxious.' Relax, and give it all to God. (4) 'Be thankful.' The simple act of expressing gratitude for our blessings takes the heat out of infection. (5) Present your requests to God. Prayer realigns us and restores peace . . ." Howard G. Hendricks, Color Outside the Lines: A Revolutionary Approach to Creative Leadership.

a. concentrate on God not yourself
b. be kind and gentle to all
c. do not worry about the situation
d. be thankful for your life
e. pray about the situation

Imagine a church full of folks operating under these principles and what they could do for their God.

9. I have recently been watching some video analysis of the rock band ABBA. The purpose was to evaluate and analyze the bands progression through time. On the surface those doing the analysis seem to be quite knowledgeable in their field of music, but I am not sure how adequate their knowledge of the band members minds might be.

The folks on the video tended to speak for the members of ABBA and what they were thinking when they were making their music. This may or may not be true, but the crux of the work was that the group was so very talented, and so very adequate to the task that they set themselves to do.

The Abba group is brought up to relate that these four and possibly more had a total focus on what they wanted to do. They knew what they wanted, they loved doing what they did and they never left that focus in all of their doing. They did not fight among themselves, at least to the detriment of the group, and they always moved forward to accomplish their desire.

If churches would only gain this type of focus! We know we are gifted by God to do His work, and we know we are directed by God to do His work, but all too often we are sidetracked by conflict or by personal wants.

A church focused on God and His desire for their body can accomplish mighty things. Abba at one time was bringing in more money than the Swedish motor company Volvo. They truly accomplished that which they desired to do.

May we each as believers evaluate how we are fitting into the overall work of our local church. May we also be instrumental in motivating our local church to gain a focus on what God might want the body to do. It isn't a pastor's dream for a building, for a large number that should motivate, but the congregation’s directive from Almighty God.