Biblical Leadership (part 3)

Father in heaven, we thank you for this day. Thank you for another opportunity to come and worship you. To be among your people to Look at what your word says. How it applies to us. How we ought to think about you.

How we ought to think about the church. How we ought to think about the relationship between us and the church. Father, I pray that you would bless our time this morning as we ponder these things that we would be convicted of our need to love the church even as you love the church and Lord, we would again.

Thank you for sending your son the Lord Jesus Christ to Die on our behalf to be raised in the third day and father to even Have his promise that he will build his church and father. Would you bless our time in Christ's name?

We pray. Amen. Well, we've been talking about the church and whether we should love it or not and Pastor Mike sent this to the elders this week, and I thought this was a pretty good way to start the class.

This comes from dr. Tom Rainier from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. And he says talking about why people leave churches. Says. But all the research studies of which I am aware including my own returned to one major theme to explain the exodus of church members a sense of some need not being fulfilled.

In other words. These members have ideas of what a local congregation should provide for them and they leave because those provisions have not been met. Certainly we recognize that there are many illegitimate claims by church members of unfulfilled expectations.

It can undoubtedly be the fault of the local congregation and its leaders but many times probably more than we would like to believe a church member leaves a local body because he or she has a sense of entitlements.

I Would therefore suggest that the main reason people leave a church is because they have an entitlement mentality rather than a servant mentality. Look at some of the direct quotes. These are direct quotes from exit interviews of people who left local congregations.

I'm really thankful. We don't have exit interviews by the way. Why are you leaving the church? I'd rather not have those but. How about this one the worship leader refused to listen to me about the songs and music I wanted.

The pastor did not feed me. Neither did he wipe my mouth nor burp me. Oh, sorry that wasn't there. No one from my church visited me. I've heard that when in fact somebody once said that to me, you know.

How come you. I'll put it another way people think that maybe you don't come over their homes all that often. I'm like, well, here's what I know we make our home available. And you know what? People can invite me.

I said, you know how many homes I've been invited to not very many. I'm not asking for it. By the way, I'm just saying this is the flip side, you know, poor me. You're not it. You're not an island. You can reach out you can do something.

Um. Here's a good one. I was not about to support the building program they wanted. Oh, that's that's good. It's a good one. Good reason. I was out two weeks and no one called me. Reminds me of a job I used to have.

Oh, sorry. They moved the times of the worship services and it messed up my schedule. We did that and it seems like people are happy to come earlier. I don't know. I don't know what I Told my pastor to go visit my cousin and he never did.

These are reasons to leave a church. I just find that sad. But it shows something and the reason really I started this series is because I think there needs to be a higher commitment to the local church, you know, we and I entitled on purpose should you love the church because I Think the answer is clearly yes from Scripture.

So we've been going through the nine marks the nine elements that every church should have and Right now we're focused on leadership and we've been we were talking about elders Last week and I'm going to continue that.

Elders as Shepherds and Examples

Let's go ahead and read. Just kind of zoom through this but first Peter 5 1 2 3 we read this last week and I want to read this again. Make a few points before we move on to Titus and I I do think we're gonna have some.

If we don't finish this morning. Even this morning and the the next topic that we'll talk about. I think you're gonna be pretty controversial. First Peter chapter 5 verses 1 to 3. Would somebody read that please?

Russ. Now we're gonna I'm going to get back to that I mean There are some passages that will just come up over and over again. And so we'll be getting back to these things. But I think you know what I want to just underline there is that last phrase being examples of the flock?

Because that's something else we're going to see and it really runs through the qualifications for an elder. That they're not perfect. In fact, I have that in my notes. They don't have to be perfect. But in terms of moral character and godly living they have to be blameless and good examples.

Expositors commentary said it this way Peter's exhortation the elders be shepherds of God's flock is followed by three Contrasting statements that tell how this responsibility is not to be carried out and how it should be carried out.

Serving as overseers because you are willing eager to serve. These remind us of what Paul wrote Timothy if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer he desires a noble task. Same kind of concept but since the Responsibilities of the elder are great and since elders are required to give an account for their work Hebrews 13 17 No one should be forced into this position.

Imagine that all right. We got a shortage of leadership. Nobody really wants to be an elder. So we're gonna just draft a few guys to be the elder board kind of like, you know, we have to have a Board of select men and so if nobody volunteers, we're just gonna draft some guys in we're gonna involuntarily Choose you.

That'd be wrong be unscriptural. What do you do? Let's just Thought experiment for a minute. What do you do if you're at a church, which is too small or It's too new to have elders. What do you do? Hold each other accountable.

Okay. Who's gonna who's going to lead the church. Brian. Okay. Another local church maybe or maybe one not too far away to hold you accountable. Okay I'll tell you what I would want to do. Let's say You know, I was a pastor of a really small church and there wasn't a church like that that we could kind of lean on.

What do you think might be a good way to go? The pastor to just go you know what I can handle this you guys just pipe down. That'd be the temptation, right? I've got the seminary qualifications. Nobody else does so.

What do you think another way to go about it would be? Amelia. Excellent. He should be discipling the other men and really what he what he ought to do. I'll just cut to the chase here is maybe there are men who can't Be elders, but maybe they might be deacon qualified Gets to know them me.

He thinks these are good godly men who might someday be elders. So he's discipling them but also when Difficult decisions come up. It's better for him to have Some kind of a sounding board than to just always assume he's right.

So I think that would be probably the wisest way to go sort of men to hold him accountable and to be Opposing Opinions or have different opinions so that maybe they might come to a consensus. But under no circumstances and I'll talk more about this later what I want to go to well, you know, we're too small.

So let's all just take a vote majority rules. I Just can't see that because clearly as we look at the Requirements for an elder They're to be spiritually qualified because it's a spiritual job. You can't just pick anyone.

In fact getting back to what I was saying earlier another commentary says this about the idea that there needs to be a I'm just gonna say a plethora of elders, but I a Thank you Plurality of elders listen to this the axiom that absolute power corrupts Absolutely has long stood the test of time.

We see it in politics. We see it in business. But according to Peter we should never see it in the church. They're not to be Lords. The elders are not to be Lords over those that are entrusted or allotted to them they're to be Motivated by their love for the Lord and then their love for the people.

And here's another good quote from another commentary. They say those men who exercise the office of elder must always remember that the misuse of their power only Impairs the church it hurts the church.

Instead elders ought to go beyond the call of duty and proving themselves to be examples. Elders ought to emulate Jesus in humility and sacrificial service. Now let's I think I have this on the the deacons for qualifications for deacons.

Deacon Qualifications and the Role of the Wife

We'll go over that Briefly here 1st Timothy. Let's look at 1st Timothy chapter 3 verses 8 to 13. I think we read it a few weeks ago, but I'll read that. And when you hear the word likewise, of course that implies that Just like the elders before before them in verses 1 to 7.

Listen what it says about deacons. Deacons likewise must be dignified not double tongues not double tongued not addicted to much wine. Not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience and Let them also be tested first.

Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified not slanderers, but sober minded faithful in all things. Let deacons be well, let's just stop there.

What does that tell us about a couple a deacon and his wife? What does that tell us about them? When it says here that their wives Likewise must be dignified not slanderers, but sober minded faithful in all things.

They are Essentially what examples to the flock just like the elders they are to be godly again not perfect. But examples of the flock and their wives are to be examples of the flock verse 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife managing their children in their own households.

Well for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith. That is in Christ Jesus. Now we've said this on Many occasions what's the primary difference between deacons and elders?

Teaching elders have to be apt to teach skilled at teaching and Deacons don't have to be although they could be and sometimes it's just that Matter of getting the deacons recognized as being skilled to teach and I think there's The the other thing I think it's almost implied because the word elder we talked about it before kind of refers to age.

And we're gonna I had a question about that. We're gonna deal with you know, whether or not Age is a factor in it. But I will say this that I think there needs to be to borrow a term that was stolen for political purposes a few years ago a certain gravitas to an elder.

You know when pastor Dave was here when he got up to make an announcement it was just like We all knew it was gonna be very important. And so we're just kind of listening and just waiting on what he was going to say.

There there's just a heaviness a weightiness to that. There needs to be a bit of wisdom. You don't want an elder who? Cannot take the Word of God and apply it specifically to life's Situations and that's what you know.

If it knowledge is one thing but being able to apply it having that wisdom I think sometimes a lot of times that comes with age. Want you to flip over to Titus 1 and we're going to get. Go ahead Bruce.

Well, I think there's some truth to that, you know based on acts. Which really doesn't specify Deacons, but I call it the like prototype of deacons where they they're clearing the tables. They're taking care of the more mundane things and I think there's a lot of truth to that.

The elders are to be devoted to prayer and to study so that they can teach. But I I think I'd be wrong to say the elders have no responsibility with regard to the physical, you know. And that the deacons have no responsibility with regard to spiritual issues.

So but but I think I think on balance I'd say that's probably right. Yeah. All right, Titus 1 verses 5 to 9 and who has that? Yeah, go ahead Charlie. I have a confession to make this morning. I never booked anyone for debauchery or Insubordination, I would have liked to that'd be a nice charge, too.

But I never booked anybody from that so sad times what it what is debauchery. Scandalous like I like that scandalous lifestyle. Wild living yeah, I say it's just overtone. I mean really if you look at The parable of the prodigal son I Think you have a pretty good Image of what that sort of lifestyle is or if you know.

You read the tabloids and stuff like that about Hollywood stars. You have a pretty good idea what it is. And this refers to an elders. Children cannot be like that. They cannot be accused of wild living.

They also cannot be accused of insubordination. Rebelliousness. You know, what did they used to do with rebellious teenagers in the Old Testament? Stone them and I I used to tell my kids that too. I mean, I'm sure my kids have a lot of stories about what I used to tell them.

But I I could just remember saying, you know, you're blessed not to be living in the Old Testament right now. They weren't like that all that much but just once in a while I just go, you know, give him the eye and go boy in the Old Testament days.

So the question comes up If an elders children are not believers. Does he need to step down? What does it mean? And His children are believers first, let's look at the word says. The most common Greek definition is or Greek dictionary says this pertaining to being worthy of belief or trust trustworthy faithful dependable inspiring trust or faith.

That doesn't sound quite right. Does it should it say? Pertaining to having faith instead of inspiring trust or faith. Well, let's keep reading. I Have a paper from James White. Whom some of you have heard teach before and I think he's pretty smart guy.

Here's what he says. He says why would he include the next clause talking about Paul the next Clause which we just talked about being. I mean, I think he's using probably the New King James here. He says Not accused of dissipation or rebellion and here it talked about debauchery and insubordination.

Same words just different translation. Says why would that be there if it meant that they had to be believers? Well our believers typically he asks our believers typically accused of Debauchery and rebellion.

In subordination, well, he's a believer, but you know that guy's pretty debauched. It's pretty rebellious for a believer, you know, he says do regenerate people regularly engaged in dissipation or rebellion.

No. Or should we consider the possibility that Paul is defining what it means to be a trustworthy child and obedient child. Which again gets back to the Greek word, which means? To be faithful dependable inspiring trust or faith.

Note Paul's words James White writes. He must be one who manages his own household. Well. Keeping his children under control with all dignity, but if a man does not know how to manage his own household.

This is again his first Timothy. How will they take care of the Church of God here? The emphasis is not on the salvific condition of children. But are they under control? You know, would you look at the elders children and go that one is out of control.

Somebody needs to you know, go slap the cuffs on that kid time to a post. So that's the emphasis and not. That they are believers. It's great if they are but the point is that they need to be under control.

Any questions about that. Again think about that word inspiring trust and faith. It doesn't say it doesn't even apply. It's a different word than the word typically used for believers it would be the Believers would be the verb or the Participle and This is not that it's not actually an adjective.

So it just it means Faithful meaning they're trustworthy as far as their parents are concerned. They listen to their parents. They do what their parents tell them. Any questions about that one? Yep, Charlie he would he was in Crete.

Could have been because certainly I think when he's writing to Timothy He's you know and emphasizing the sound doctrine and all that you just go. Well, what would he expect Timothy to teach and that wasn't always the point it was yes to teach sound doctrine.

But there are others who aren't Teaching that and you need to get rid of those people you need to make sure that they're not teaching the same thing with Titus. So yeah, I would say that that's a possibility that he was trying to make sure that.

Some particular people who had those kind of kids were excluded from leadership. Other questions. Yep. Yeah, Peggy asked the question whether it has to do with a smaller child or an older older child.

You know maybe one who's out of the house and whatnot. I think the question really comes again if we look under the overarching theme. Which is one that we're going to see over and over again. Does he run his household well?

So once the child was out of his house, I mean it still be bad. You know if you know like some country and Western song if the elders Grown son was you know? Accused of some heinous crime, you know murder or whatever.

Splashed all over that would that necessarily reflect on how he was raised? No, but it might be a difficult one to overcome. You know even if even if the kid had been out of the house for 10 years or 12 years or Something like that wouldn't really maybe reflect too well on him.

But again, I think the idea is how does he run his house? If we. If we were in his home, would we think it's chaotic. Would we think his finances are chaotic. Is his personal life chaotic? Is a spiritual life chaotic or is there order?

Control godliness in in the life. Other questions. Okay now the emphasis In Titus on at the end. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine.

And also to rebuke those who contradict it. We read The second chapter of Titus this morning sound doctrine was mentioned. Sound doctrine is mentioned over and over again in the pastoral epistles. Why?

Why is it so important? Why is it so important for young pastors like Timothy and Titus understand? They act. Carmen. Okay sound doctrine eliminates areas. Charlie, okay, so you want to establish a system of sound doctrine a foundation of sound doctrine and then as time goes on you have to Constantly compare what you're doing with that foundation and make sure that you're not straying from and I think that's right Bob.

And I think that's a great point. They were young he didn't want them to be pushed around so he's emphasizing that sound doctrine. So they'll stand firm on a piggy. It's a that's a great point. You know if they're not Pointing true north if they're just off a little bit one way or the other than what comes up behind them.

And I think the reason I think that's such a great point is watch what happens over the next Decades as we see some of these things that just start as innocent little movements and they seem like well, maybe it's a little more man-centered than others or maybe a little more man-centered than we would like but What's the big deal?

Well Generations are going to if you start like this. You're gonna wind up just Over time and this is what we see in so many particularly Seminaries. I had a seminary prophet used to say that liberals never built a seminary.

Which is true, right? I mean think about it. If you don't really believe the Bible would you build a school to go teach the Bible? No. So why are there so many liberal seminaries. Little deviations. All you have to do is read the history of fuller seminary.

Fuller seminary started out as a fundamentalist very strict Seminary and Then they the founder of the seminary. Mr. Fuller. I Can't think of his first name right now, but he was a big radio pastor. I mean he was one of the big shots in early fundamentalism.

And he wanted to make such sure that his son got the very best education. So he sent him To Europe where he got his terminal degree. That's what I call when you get a doctor but it's also you know, it has a little double entendre.

Terminal degree because he came back. Obviously, he was never a believer in the first place, but it came back spiritually dead. He was terminal. All right, and he infected the whole seminary. Well, maybe the Bible isn't literally true maybe there's some and it was.

There's a couple books one called the battle for the Bible and it really was a battle at fuller seminary. And if you look at it now the good guys lost. Bad guys took over the whole seminary and this is what happens.

They don't build them. They take them over. Sound doctrine matters, but you know to put it on a more practical level. What would you think of a parent. Who you know you go over and you go? Oh your your baby seems kind of jaundiced and not doing too well.

And the parent goes well, you know, I just kind of give him table scraps or let him forage in the backyard. You'd be horrified. You go. Well, you know, it's survival of the fittest and these kids just have to kind of deal with it.

The idea of sound doctrine is its nourishment. It brings spiritual life to people. You grow right the Bible tells us you grow there unto. You grow by the spiritual milk you learn by sound doctrine and when false doctrine comes in it has Exactly the opposite effect instead of being healthy.

You are sick and Sound doctrine also acts. Let's just put it this way as an inoculation. You know, there are a lot of illnesses going around right now. I was just hearing the other day about the norovirus.

I mean you could have the flu or you could have the norovirus. I don't know which one's worse. But what this what sound doctrine is it if you if you know the truth if you hear the truth. Then when you hear error, what do you think?

You think that doesn't sound right to me? I was reminded that even this week on Facebook. There was a little discussion about Joyce Meyer and Somebody said well, I don't really see what's wrong with her and so I posted an article from An apologetics ministry there where they just kind of they go through her teaching and then they compare it to scripture like that and you just go.

She is spiritual strychnine. Yeah, Tim. Yeah, I mean, that's a great point if Pastors are to be the shepherds of the flock, you know, the flock is the bride of Christ. Then you know if the shepherds are constantly giving the bride Poison.

She's not gonna be the bride for very long. She's gonna be something else and That's exactly the point that the pastors the elders have to instruct in sound doctrine. They're to build up the church there to protect the church.

Yeah. People do get mad. I mean if you say if you can pay if you make that comparison, you know the federal agents who say. You know how we know what the counterfeits are because we study the real one so well that we know a counterfeit.

Because it's missing something or something's been changed or whatever. It doesn't feel right. We know what a counterfeit is and yet people get upset when you say well, this is a counterfeit. Doctrine this thing.

This is a false teacher. This is that the other and why do they get upset? You know if you were in a math class and the teacher said well, we've got something new to teach today. 2 plus 2 equals 5. You go this is horrible.

I want my money back. But you know people flock into these churches why because they're hip they're happening there now and you don't really have to be so strict about the Bible. You have some flexibility.

We don't have to believe exactly the same thing. I mean just imagine, you know, you're driven by some church. Hey, try us. We have poison every Sunday. You wouldn't go there. Will kill you spiritually.

Oh, I'm there, you know, I'm but when people say things like, you know Jesus went to hell and was tormented by the demons and Then God the Father showed up and said you can't do that anymore to my son.

We think that that's okay. And that's what Joyce Meyer teaches what we teach matters because elders Pastors are not only going to be held to a higher judgment. But we're to rightly divide the word were to feed the flock were to protect the flock and were to refute those who contradict and in this day and age when people are on the television, they're on the Internet and I mean people of more fame and fortune than Pastor Mike or I or any of the elders will ever have they have a lot of influence.

They they're able to do that kind of thing. Is it wrong for us to say? You know this person that you might have heard of is teaching heresy. No, I think we need to do that. We need to protect the flock.

Questions. Need to teach some dr. Bob. Yeah, I mean if you look at the history I mean, this is why the history of the really the 20th century in evangelicalism was so fascinating to me. Bob was talking about Princeton started out as an evangelical Presbyterian very old-school fundamentalist Presbyterian Church or seminary became very liberal.

So Machen starts Westminster and You know the the slide. It doesn't take very long for the slide to start. Why because in seminaries, especially. You know, the emphasis is on academic prowess. It is interesting to me that a lot of the guys who are seminary professors particularly in any number of Seminaries, but they're not really encouraged to be in local ministry and so there winds up being this kind of bifurcation between the academics and the pastors and over time I Think that often turns out not to be a good thing.

You wind up with really novel concepts. Being taught or bandied about in these academic circles. Which the Bible doesn't teach. So, yeah, it usually takes a generation or so and the whole and so you go well, why ever build a seminary?

I I don't know. I mean MacArthur's thing and building the master seminary was to tie it to the local church. So the local elders would have oversight and keep it from. Wandering off, you know, so we'll see how that goes when dr. MacArthur is no longer on the scene.

Tom. It is a good question, how does that happen and you know, we're gonna get a little off base here but I'll just again I'll go back to the Fuller example because I used to like to say, you know The master seminary that if you wanted to hold a certain doctrines you could go down the road and get a fuller education.

But I'm bumps. Once the father had sent his son over. To get his European doctorate, you know and to come back with all the massive letters and all that stuff. Well, you can't fire your son. So, you know the the the the yeast was in the in the mix so to speak, you know, the the leaven was there and over time it spread and You know if there's if there's a crack in the door.

Then Satan kicks it wide open and that's exactly what happened Stephen that that that's such a buzzword to these days. You know, even when you're looking at Seminaries or Christian colleges, you know when they're advertising it's fascinating to read Christianity today mostly for the ads, but some of the articles aren't so fascinating but for the ads why because if you want to go to a seminar you want to go to one that's relevant.

You know that's Current that you know, I mean they've got all these kind of that's incarnational whatever the buzzword of the week is. I don't know so So mark, that's a that's a great point. I mean these things do get expensive.

They're expensive to operate and everything else and to pay all the faculty members and all that. So, you know, how do you kind of keep things going? It's by bringing in more People and what do you have to do?

You have to lower certain standards in order to get more people in I think the master seminary. Thankfully at this point they're capped because of the space constrictions. They can't really build any more classrooms.

So they're just like this is all we have and so they're stuck Charlie boom dead when you redate or when you rename the theology department the The religion department, you know, then you've got troubles, but you know, what's interesting is if you look at We can go down a long roster of not just seminaries but universities.

Harvard Christian University, Yale Christian University, Princeton. We know all this. How about USC? Founded by Methodists, I mean most of the private institutions in this country started as Christian institutions.

But set foot on any of those campuses today and try to preach the gospel and see what happens to you. It's not gonna be pretty one of my nephews is looking at college and You know, he got accepted to whatever college it was and he was like, you know, yay Christian College and I said To my sister-in-law.

I said, well, have you read what they teach about evolution? No, I go. Well, here it is. How does that how does that hit you for the most part? You're better off I would argue with a good solid local church and a secular college than a Christian College.

With maybe not such a hot background because at least in the secular college your kids aren't being you know. They're not being told. This is what the Bible says is what the Bible says. This is what the Bible says and and they can get Lord willing fed on Sunday.

But when you go to a Christian college, you at least expect them to teach the Bible, right? And you're you know in many cases you're going to be grossly disappointed. I think there was a survey of like a hundred and five Christian colleges in the United States a few years ago and there were maybe six that taught Genesis 1 as a literal creation account Genesis 1 and 2 so.

You know, yeah, just like with your food. You have to read the label. You have to get all the ingredients and all that stuff. Well, yeah, it happens if you look at church history, you know, you just go well, how did.

How did this guy come up with this idea? Well, he was responding to Somebody else and you know the pendulum just kind of swings back and forth and it's hard. When you're establishing a seminary when you're trying to keep it doctrinally sound to stop that pendulum from just kind of going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth you want to Just anchor it in the Bible and it's so important for Elders get back to the passage here to teach sound doctrine again, you know I know there are a lot of people that just think we're too hung up on it.

But if you literally think of it as good healthy wholesome food versus poison. Which is how the Bible frames it. You know, it doesn't say have a little portion of gang green to go with. You know, it talks about false teaching being gangrene.

These aren't little trifling things. We want you know, it's amazing. How is it possible that so many people in the United States think of themselves as Christians? It's not because of sound teaching. It's because of false teaching.

It's not because of sound doctrines because of bad doctrine. Yes of living it out. Absolutely I mean you need to you need to live it out. But if you have a Deficient view of what the Bible teaches then you're even less likey, you know.

If you I don't know about you all I I mean, I don't live with y 'all which you should be thankful for. But if you just don't wake up every day and just think God is so good to me. God is so good to me when I think of you know.

All the conditions around me and all the things that are going on in my life. And you know what? I've got this ache and that pain and the other thing going on and I wish this was different than that was different.

But if I look at the overall picture. What's the ultimate conclusion? This is what I deserve and this is what I have and That doesn't make me think I Need to worry. You know more about esoteric doctrines what it makes me think is I need to just be thankful.

I need to live in light of that and how we think how we understand the Bible influences how we live the more grateful we are. The more grateful we should act. The more we think about Christ dying for us the more we should be willing to tell people about Christ dying for us.

All these things should impact the way we live. That's very true. Yeah, Gil, and then we need to close well. There's been such an emphasis it's a good point. There's been such an emphasis on I'll just frame it this way.

Reaching people where they are which is true, right? But the message doesn't change. It's not a message or it's not a question of Accommodating the message to people in such a way that they'll accept it.

It's a question of framing the message in such a way that they'll understand it and whether they believe it or not. It's not the issue the issue is it has to be the truth, but but now I don't want to Necessarily walk up to some kid on the street and start speaking perfect King James English.

Because I believe that that you know that that's the only way that the Bible should be understood. I need to be able to Explain the truth in a way that they will understand it. But I don't have to make it relevant to them because it is relevant to them.

It is literally life and breath and or life and death and we we lose track of that sometimes that these things what the Bible says is Precisely what God meant to reveal to us and it's not to be tampered with altered or made more relevant.

Well, that's archaic. That's no longer true. Yes, it is. God has not changed his standards haven't changed and what he said he meant. We need to pray but we'll pick this up in two weeks father. We just praise you and thank you so much that you have Revealed yourself to us that we might know you Lord, I pray that you would fix in our hearts a desire to obey you to be transformed by your word to be doers of your word and Follow to think of all that you have granted us not just on Sunday mornings for a little while.

But to have that change the way we think every moment of every day. Would you just give us such hearts of gratitude that we literally overflow and That our lives each of our lives Would be reflective of these standards that we keep reading about In the pastoral epistles father.