Truth #231 - The Church is to be a place of Truth - 1 Timothy 1-3

1 Timothy 3:14-16
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 the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.

Truth:  The Church is to the be the place of truth

You might argue much about "how" a church ought to approach a certain ministry, or "what" is the best style of worship service, or "when" church should meet, or "where" church should meet, and even "who" should be the leaders of the church.   However, one thing you can't argue, based upon the above passage is the "why" we have a church to begin with.  In these three verses Paul is telling us the reason for writing this letter to Timothy (a "Pastor" at the time in the church of Ephesus).   Certain people had entered into the church at Ephesus and were starting to teach a doctrine that was not the doctrine Paul delivered to the Ephesians, not the one he wrote about in the letter entitled Ephesians, not the one he taught to Timothy and not the one based upon the fact that all we need in life is Christ!!   In fact, Paul is so on a mission to make sure Timothy doesn't let these false teachers persuade and delude the church, he even names the publicly:

1 Timothy 1:20
among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Paul, in our above three verses, tells us that the "why" we have a church is to speak the TRUTH, and that TRUTH is the Christ is the Mystery of Godliness.    The Church of Christ is to speak the truth about Christ.   Men were slipping into the body and were adding things to the Gospel and subtracting things from the Gospel. Paul is telling Timothy that I am writing this to you so that you will know how to "behave" and know your job: To be the "pillar and buttress of the truth."   Today's church seems more interested in political correctness, popularity, attraction and customer service than they do speaking and holding up the truth.   Like in retail, "the customer is always right," the church has taken on a similar mantra and fashioned ministry and message to attract and retain, rather than challenge with the truth.  Every year we slip closer and closer to the Church of Ephesus ... but not the one Paul started ... the John, almost 30-years later, will write about in Revelation:

Revelation 2:4
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.

The church did not listen to Paul's instruction to Timothy, they stopped speaking the truth in fell in love with the world.  This was what Paul was trying to prevent.  Today's church is on a similar tract.