The Church of Eleven22

"Mortification and Vivification" – 1 Timothy, Week 7

Date: February 17, 2025
Speaker: Pastor Joby Martin
Series: A Field Guide for the Family of God

Episode Overview

This week, Pastor Joby continues the "Field Guide for the Family of God" series with an exploration of 1 Timothy 3:14 through chapter 4. The central theme is how to be the church—addressing not only personal holiness (mortification: putting sin to death; vivification: coming alive to Christ), but also embracing the church as a supernatural family and movement. Joby unpacks Paul's instructions to Timothy, challenges today's believers to active participation in God's family, and grounds the church’s mission in the unchanging, life-transforming gospel.

1. The True Nature of the Church

[00:03–21:15]

• Context: Paul writes to Timothy, pastor at Ephesus, to instruct "how one ought to behave in the household of God."
• Not Going to, but Being the Church
  • The New Testament never talks about simply "going to church," but rather about being the Church.
  • The church is not "a little holy huddle" but a movement called "to be about the Father's business."
  • Quote:

    “The idea of going to church is nowhere in the New Testament. The idea is that we are to be a church. And the moment you begin to trade in being the church for going to church, then you've missed the whole game.” (Joby, 06:00)

• Origin of ‘Church’:
  • "Church" comes from Greek "ekklesia," meaning a gathering of called-out people on purpose—a movement.
  • Early church called "the Way" or ekklesia; became "kirche" (the Lord's house) only after joining with Roman state power, changing the focus from people to a place.
• Paul and Jesus’ Love for the Church
  • Jesus calls the church His bride—criticism of the church is dangerous territory.
  • The church is:
    • The household of God (not a building; a belonging)
    • The church of the living God (a supernatural gathering)
    • A pillar and buttress of truth (upholding and pointing to the truth of Jesus)
  • Quote:

    “Be careful about how you talk about the bride of Christ. … If you talk about my wife the way a bunch of people talk about the bride of Christ, I ain’t got no love for you.” (Joby, 13:00)

2. Belonging and Participating in God's Family

[21:15–29:20]

• More Than Attending—Join the Family:
  • The church is a family: "not simply an event to attend, but a people to belong to."
  • Encouragement to move beyond rows to circles: join a disciple group, serve, go on a mission trip.
  • The value of community—knowing and being known, praying and caring for each other.
  • Memorable moment:
    On family quirks—

    “Every family's got that weird cousin and that strange uncle. Of course. … Here’s what’s great about making fun of weirdos. They don’t know they’re weird.” (Joby, 25:20)

• You’re Saved Into the Church:
  • Not saved by the church, but saved into it.

3. The Church: The Place of God’s Presence

[29:20–34:00]

• Supernatural Gatherings:
  • When believers worship, it is not mere performance—God Himself “inhabits the praises of his people.”
  • Miracles, healings, restored marriages, and transformed lives happen in the true gathering of God's people.
  • Covid taught: “the church must gather always.”
  • Quote:

    “Church is not just like karaoke and a TED Talk. … We’re going to war against the devil in hell itself.” (Joby, 31:30)

4. The Mystery and Mission of the Gospel

[34:00–39:43]

• The Mystery of Godliness:
  • God’s great plan is the gospel—Christ revealed, crucified, resurrected, and glorified.
  • The purpose of the church is to declare and carry this gospel to the world.
  • Early Christian hymn (1 Timothy 3:16): It’s supernatural, eternal, global, practical, and final—but Jesus left it “unfinished” for the church to complete.
• Quote, on the Gospel:

  “The mystery of the gospel is that God, the almighty perfect sovereign King of the universe, … is willing to lay down his life to draw imperfect, rebellious people like me and you into his presence—not merely forgive us, but to adopt us and then indwell us with the very Spirit of God.” (Joby, 37:00)

5. Warnings: Legalism, Demonic Teaching, and Drifting

[39:43–56:20]

• Warning About Departing from the Faith:
  • Some will depart by "devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons" (1 Tim 4:1).
  • Real danger in replacing the gospel with legalism or religious performance (e.g., requiring abstinence or forbidding marriage).
  • Quote:

    “Any group, religion, parachurch organization that does not consistently point [to the gospel] is demonic.” (Joby, 46:30)

  • Legalism is “demonic” when good advice is made salvific.
  • The Last Thing the Devil Wants: For you to believe in grace.
  • Paul says: everything God created is good—legalistic denials of God's gifts are contrary to the gospel.

6. Mortification and Vivification Explained

[56:20–01:07:00]

• Mortification:
  • Put to death anything that shrinks your love for Jesus (sin, even things that are unwise or distractions).
  • Quote:

    “Sin in your life is like an apex predator. You think you can make it a pet … but one day it’s going to rise up and kill you.” (Joby, 59:10)

• Vivification:
  • Come alive to the things that stir your affections for Christ. Example: gathering, studying, praying.
• Hebrews 12:
  • Lay aside weights and sin. Get “off me” those things that entangle.
  • It's not just about stopping sin; it’s about feeding your affections for God.

7. The Primacy of the Word and Sound Doctrine

[01:07:00–01:12:00]

• Put God’s Word at the Center:
  • The main thing to “put before the brothers” is “the word of faith and the good doctrine.”
  • Don’t adapt the Word to fit your life; conform your life to the Word.
  • Avoid getting sidetracked by “irreverent silly myths”—including social media, podcasts, or secondary theological rabbit holes.
  • Funny aside:

    “People be preaching nonsense and people be taking notes, mooing like a cow. Mmm. Oh, it’s so deep. What’s he mean? I have no idea. It must be spiritual.” (Joby, 01:10:00)

8. Godliness: Anti-Earning, Not Anti-Effort

[01:12:00–01:20:00]

• Train Yourself for Godliness:
  • Spiritual growth requires intentional effort, not passivity. The gospel is anti-earning, not anti-effort.
  • God saves in a moment; sanctification is a process.
  • Prioritize what is eternal over temporary (physical exercise vs. spiritual training).
  • Encouragement to take a next step: “Growth Track” is offered to help people discover and deepen relationship with Jesus.
  • Quote:

    “You will never drift into a deep abiding relationship with Christ where the fruit of the Spirit is just bubbling up all over the place.”

• Eternal Life Starts Now:
  • Godliness is valuable for both now and eternity.

9. Calling, Giftedness, and Obedience

[01:20:00–end]

• Paul’s Charge to Timothy (applies to all):
  • Don’t let anyone look down because of your youth; be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, purity.
  • Devote yourself to Scripture, exhortation, teaching.
  • Don’t neglect your spiritual gift; practice, immerse, and persist.
  • Everyone in Christ is “gifted” and assigned a role in the family of God.
  • Memorable illustration:

    “If Jesus were to walk into our church right now and say, ‘all the gifted people come with me,’ everybody that has put your faith in Jesus Christ, we would get up and go to the gifted class.” (Joby, 01:28:50)

  • You discover your gift by "practicing" it in the body—serving, joining in, taking next steps.
• The Power of a ‘Yes’—Ripple Effect
  • Joby tells the story of “Coach Lee,” a JV football coach who prioritized eternal things and whose obedience resulted in thousands coming to Christ.
  • Quote:

    “You have no idea what hangs in the balance.” (Joby, 01:38:00)

  • Challenge: “If you could do anything for the glory of God, and you knew it wouldn’t fail, what would you do? … Then why aren’t you doing it?”

10. Concluding Call: Step Into Your Identity and Mission

[01:40:00–end]

• God’s Invitation:
  • God calls everyone—regardless of age, background, or gifting—to active participation in the family and mission of God.
  • Prayer for courage to take a next step; assurance that everyone is valued, gifted, and called to a unique role.
  • Encouragement to ask: “Lord, I want to do all that. I want to kill the sin that’s killing me. I want to vivify the things stirring my affections for you. I want to step into whatever the calling is—make that clear.”

Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the gospel’s priority:

  “The last thing the devil wants you to believe in is grace. … If anybody teaches that some religious activity leads to a right relationship with God, that is demonic.” (Joby, 47:05)

• On giftings:

  “You’re gifted. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God dwells in you. And every believer has at least one spiritual gift. And no believer has all of them. That’s why we need each other as a body.” (Joby, 01:29:22)

• On the church’s mission:

  “God didn’t save you just to get you to heaven.” (Joby, 01:43:00)

Key Takeaways

• The church is a supernatural, living family—don’t just attend, belong.
• The gospel of grace is central; legalism and religious performance are demonic distractions.
• Spiritual growth is a process—mortify sin, vivify love for Jesus, and train for godliness through action.
• Every believer is uniquely gifted and necessary for the mission.
• Eternal impact starts with obedience in everyday steps.
• Discover and deepen your relationship with Jesus by stepping into community, service, and the ongoing mission of the Church.

To take your next step:
Text “growth” to 441122 to join Growth Track and discover your role in God’s family.