PERFECTING THE SAINTS

SERIES ONE
FELLOWSHIP FOR THE CHINESE-SPEAKING SERVING ONES IN NORTH AMERICA – 02.15.2026

Message Nine

The Importance of a Pattern in the Church Life

Scripture reading: Matt. 20:26; Acts 20:18, 35; 1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Cor. 1:8-9, 12, 18-19; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Pet. 2:21; 5:3

I.First Corinthians reveals that we must live Christ for the church; but it is in Second Corinthians that we have a pattern of living Christ for the church; Paul is a pattern of living Christ for the church—1 Cor. 5:8; 6:7; 2 Cor. 1:8; 6:1-10:

A.First Corinthians dealt with many problems, and these problems can be divided into two main categories: problems in the realm of human living and problems in the realm of divine administration—1 Cor. 7:2-5; 12:14-27.

B.Christ is the factor for solving the various problems in the realm of human living, and the church is the factor for solving the problems concerning divine administration—1 Cor. 1:5-9.

C.Paul’s word in 2 Corinthians 1:8 is not a matter of doctrine or revelation but of personal testimony; this testimony is part of the pattern—2 Cor. 1:8.

D.The wonderful revelation of First Corinthians needs the pattern set forth in Second Corinthians—2 Cor. 3:6, 8-9.

II.In Second Corinthians Paul presents a concrete pattern of living Christ for the church, becoming our model—2 Cor. 1:8-9, 12, 17-23:

A.Paul continues in 1:9 to speak of not trusting in himself but in the God who raises the dead; to trust in the resurrecting God and not in ourselves is to live Christ; in this matter, he is a pattern of living Christ—2 Cor. 1:9.

B.Paul goes on in verse 12 to say that his conscience testifies that he lives in simplicity; to play politics was not his way of life; however, Paul did not live his own simplicity and sincerity, but the simplicity and sincerity of God—2 Cor. 1:12:

1.The expression “the simplicity of God” implies that God Himself is this simplicity; likewise, the term “the sincerity of God” actually means that this sincerity is God Himself—v. 12.

2.Paul also says in 1:12 that he conducted himself in the world not by fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God; the grace of God is God; therefore, grace is not something of God, grace is God Himself—v. 12.

C.Paul did not play politics, nor did he act lightly; Paul’s Yes was Yes, and his No was No; whatever he purposed, he purposed by being one with the unchanging Christ of the faithful God—2 Cor. 1:17-18:

1.Paul was absolutely one with Christ, God’s Anointed, so he could say, “But as God is faithful, our word to you is not Yes and No”—v. 18.

2.Christ is God’s Anointed, and Paul was firmly joined to this One; Paul was a person who lived Christ, and he was one with the unchanging Christ of the faithful God; if we want to live Christ, we also must keep ourselves one with Christ—vv. 21-23.

III.We need to see that all that is recorded in the book of Acts are patterns for us to follow; at the beginning of the church life, we have the pattern of distributing responsibility to others—Acts 6:1-7:

A.The selection of seven deacons to care for special needs is a very good pattern, and we need to follow this pattern in the church life today—Acts 6:1-7.

B.Because Peter and the other apostles were responsible for the ministry of the word, they distributed the serving of tables to other saints; this is a pattern we need to follow today—Acts 6:2-4.

C.According to this pattern, we should not take all the responsibilities upon our own shoulders but should distribute the responsibilities to all the saints; this is an important principle—Acts 6:3-6.

IV.Elders need to be examples for the saints to follow, establishing a proper pattern in the service of the church—Matt. 20:26; 1 Pet. 5:3:

A.Elders must be pioneers and trail-blazers, opening the way for others; however, they should not act like “bosses,” not doing the work themselves but only giving orders to the saints; on the contrary, the elders should be servants and examples of the saints—Matt. 20:26; 1 Pet. 5:3.

B.Elders should do things with their own hands in the service of the church, thereby establishing a pattern for others to see and follow; their pattern will stir up the spirit and heart of the saints to participate in the service of the church—1 Cor. 4:12; 1 Thes. 4:11.

C.To build up the church, the elders should not only preach the gospel and teach the truth but should also labor to establish a proper pattern for the saints to follow—Acts 20:18, 35:

1.A mother who raises a family not only teaches her children to do things but also does things together with them; because the children respect their mother, they follow her example and pattern—Acts 20:28; 1 Thes. 2:1-12.

2.Likewise, the elders should be examples to the saints, taking the lead in serving and caring for the church so that the believers can follow—Acts 20:28; 1 Thes. 2:1-12.

D.The elders should avoid lording it over others but rather be among them, taking the lead in everything related to the church life, becoming patterns to the flock—Matt. 23:8, 10-11; 20:25-27; 1 Pet. 5:3.

V.To us Christ is not only life but also a pattern; we learn from Him according to His pattern, not by our natural life but by Him as our life in resurrection—John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21; Matt. 11:29:

A.In His earthly life, He set up a pattern, as revealed in the Gospels; afterward, He was crucified and resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit so that He could enter into us to be our life—Eph. 4:20.

B.Having learned Christ, we are being conformed to the image of Christ in the mold of Christ as the pattern—Rom. 8:29.

C.Philippians 1 is about magnifying Christ and living Christ; chapter 2 is about taking Christ as our pattern and model; this pattern is the standard of our salvation—Phil. 1:20-21; 2:5.

VI.The sisters’ position and function in the church life are extremely important, and they need to become a proper pattern—Gen. 2:21-22; Luke 8:1-3:

A.In Christ as the Head of the Body, there is no distinction between male and female; but in the Body, there is a distinction between male and female, that is, between brothers and sisters—Gal. 3:28; 1 Cor. 12:13.

B.If we read the entire New Testament, we will realize that in the church life, from a certain perspective, the sisters’ position and function are even more important than the brothers’—Luke 8:2-3; Rom. 16:1-3, 6, 12-13.

C.If the Body of Christ is to be strong, healthy, and sound, the sisters must be proper; whether a local church is strong or weak, healthy or sick, depends mainly on the sisters—Rom. 16:1-2; Phil. 4:2-3.

D.The sisters are a crucial factor in the church life; they are the root of the church, the source of the church—1 Cor. 11:12; Rom. 16:1-4, 6, 12-13.

VII.Today in the Lord’s recovery, there is a desperate need among us to experience Christ as our pattern; we desperately need to experience Him as our crucified life—Phil. 2:3-8:

A.In the church life, if we do not take the crucified life as our pattern, we automatically live a life of selfish ambition and vainglory; there is no third way of life—Phil. 2:3.

B.We must be honest with ourselves and consider the kind of life we have been living in the church; whenever we do not take the crucified life as our pattern, we live a life of vying for vainglory—Phil. 2:3-8.

C.When this pattern becomes the believers’ inner life, it becomes their salvation; only this will make the apostle’s joy full—Phil. 2:12.