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We continue on with our sermon series that we've been in for the last month now. Simple Church 2
Back to Basics. So far, we've tackled the questions of what is a church.
We've tackled the question of the purpose of the church. Last week, we talked about does the
Bible teach church membership? And this week, we are picking up a subject which can be somewhat controversial as we think about the issue of leadership in the church.
As we begin, I'd like to invite your attention to two passages of Scripture as we get started. So if you have your
Bibles, and I hope you do, take them and turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 1 through 7.
Actually, I'm going to expand that first reading. We're going to read through to verse 13. So 1 Timothy chapter 3, 1 through 13. And Titus 1, verses 1 through 9.
So 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 through 7, and Titus 1, verses 1 through 9.
If you grabbed one of the red hardback Bibles at the back on your way in, that will be page 1052 and 1058.
Pages 1052 and 1058. 1 Timothy chapter 3, and then
Titus chapter 1. 1
Timothy chapter 3, and beginning in verse 1. If you're able to do so, would you stand with me out of reverence for God's Word as we read it?
1 Timothy chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, and reading through to verse 13, instead of verse 7.
Brothers and sisters, these are God's words. This saying is trustworthy.
If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work. An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach.
The husband of one wife, self -controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy.
He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity.
If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God's church?
He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil.
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil's trap.
Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
They must also be tested first. If they prove blameless, then they can serve as deacons.
Wives, too, must be worthy of respect, not slanderers, self -controlled, faithful in everything.
Deacons ought to be the husbands of one wife, managing their children in their own households competently.
For those who have served well as deacons acquire a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
Kind of like to join me over in Titus chapter 1. Titus and chapter 1, and we will read the first nine verses.
Paul writes again. Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.
In the hope of eternal life, that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
In his own time, he has revealed his word in the preaching with which I was entrusted by the command of God our
Savior. To Titus, my true son in our common faith, grace and peace from God the
Father and from Christ Jesus our Savior. The reason
I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.
An elder must be blameless, the husband of one wife, with faithful children who are not accused of wildness or rebellion.
As an overseer of God's household, he must be blameless.
Not arrogant, not hot -tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable.
Loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self -controlled.
Holding the faithful messages taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.
The glass withers, the flower fades, but this Word of God will abide forever. Join with me as I pray, ask for the Spirit's help, and we get to work in God's Word this afternoon.
Blessed Savior, we would ask that as we open up your word now, and as we hear you speak to us, your precious people, that you would grant both clarity of thought and clarity of expression for me as I preach and clarity of hearing and clarity of understanding for your people as they hear.
Fathers, we pray for ourselves. We take a moment to pray for our friends at Cornerstone Christian Church. Thank you for them and for their faithful ministry in our town and so much that they are doing for the glory of your name.
We pray especially for their upcoming lecture series on October the 8th. Pray for the speaker, pray for all those who be involved in the logistics of that, that in all these things, you would bless those labors, such a fruitful work that they do here in the valley through those lectures.
Pray for their leadership as well, for Pastor Quentin and for Pastor Mark and their elders and deacons together, that they would glorify you as they serve that body.
And Father, as we pray for you to be glorified through them, we pray that that would be the case even among us.
Be with us now as you open up your word, for we ask you in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen. Please be seated.
Well, as we come to our time in God's Word this afternoon,
I feel like I'm repeating myself because once again, the irony of the topic that is before me isn't lost on me.
Preaching a message about leadership when you're in leadership is always a very tricky affair.
Nowhere is that more evident in the church than anywhere else. As we begin this afternoon,
I want to remind you of a truth that I'm sure you all know, but you can never hear it too many times. Beloved, Jesus loves the church.
Jesus loves the church. If you don't know that, allow me to say it again. Jesus loves the church.
And if Jesus loves the church, then he loves you, if you're a
Christian. Because remember back in week one, Universal Church. There is the church that exists as all the people of God who have been gathered together by faith in Jesus.
If you are a part of that church, Jesus loves you. And often when we think about Jesus' love for the church, we often think about the incarnation and the fact that Jesus took on a human nature, that he entered into our world, which indeed is a manifestation of the love of God.
And we often think about the cross, where he took our sins in his body on the tree so that we may die to sin and live to righteousness.
And again, 100 % true. The cross, as I believe it was
Calvin who said, is the theater of the love of God. And so absolutely when we think about the love of God, we should think about the incarnation and we should think about the cross.
But I wonder if we think of leadership and structure in the church as manifestations of the love of God as well.
I wonder if we think of leadership and structure in the church as gifts from the heart of the ascended
Christ to the bride he gave his life for. I'm sure if you pay attention to the world in which we live, you're keenly aware of the fact that we live in a world that is anti -institutional.
Now granted, not every institution has done things to make people fans of them. I get that. I'll even concede that some churches have not helped the cause.
Again, I will concede that. But one of the dangers of being an anti -institutional age like we are, is that we end up not just being anti -institutions, but we end up being anti the concept of authority in general.
You know, as I've been preparing this sermon series, I like my wild blog posts. I like to know what people are saying out there.
And so, once again, I bring you another weird and wonderful blog post from the so -called
Evangelical World Wide Web. This week comes from a website called Wicked Shepherds. You can already tell how this is going to go.
But if not, allow me to read it. Quote, and this will be a long quote, quote, who or what is the pastor found in the
New Testament? Many questions are—many questions, excuse me, are springing up today in regard to the issue of the pastor.
No doubt, this is largely due to God's Spirit moving and working in many people's minds and hearts.
He puts in brackets, all to the annoyance of many pastors, and I put the air quotes up because that's what he does.
He puts them in scare quotes. All to the annoyance of many pastors, I might add. It has gotten to the point where many local institutional churches have even created a plethora of pastor levels or posts.
There's the senior pastor, assistant pastor, the counseling pastor, a youth pastor, a singles pastor, a pastor of visitation, outreach pastor, all of these report back to the head pastor or the chairman.
What's wrong with this picture? How did the pastor become such a powerful position?
Can you find anybody? Anybody? And he repeats it and underlines it. Can you find anybody at all in the
New Testament who was always the speaker? Actually, yeah,
I can, but I digress. Can you find anybody who delivered funeral orations, presided over marriages, who went to a fake school for pastors?
He puts seminary in brackets. Can you find anyone in the New Testament who was always officiating over so -called worship services, who was on the payroll, who patted old ladies on the hand, who was always dressed in fine clothes, and who prayed in a funny voice?
I don't know what church he went to. This sounds weird. But I carry on. He says, can you find anyone in the
New Testament who was hired by the congregation? Did you find anyone?
I didn't think so. The concept that the pastor is the premier member and leader of some local institutional church is essentially a
Protestant brainchild, and it's quite striking at that, especially when the singular term pastor cannot be found in the
New Testament, not even once. The plural term pastors is found in the
King James New Testament only once in Ephesians 4 .11. One verse on which to hang an entire local institutional church doctrine and practice.
No, you can tell already he's not really a fan. He goes on and says this.
When, on his website, this person who wrote this has a FAQ. Apparently he gets the same questions over and over.
And one of the questions he got was, do you hate accountability? Listen to what he says, quote, accountability is good.
I'm accountable to my employer. I'm accountable to my neighbor. I'm accountable to my kids. I'm accountable to my wife.
I'm accountable to my friends. I'm accountable to Christ. I'm accountable to God. Why does somebody think that they have to belong to some local institutional church corporation to have some accountability?
I'll tell you why. I'm curious. Tell me why. It's because of the carnal -minded false teachings of men.
Men who need you there in order for them to control you, for without you there, they will crumble like the house of sand of which they are.
This is the part that got me when I read this. I'm already up to my neck in accountability, and I don't even go to church or belong to such.
There is authority in my life, real spiritual authority. Jesus Christ is my spiritual authority.
But apparently for some people that's not good enough, end quote.
Again, I'll ask the question that I asked last week with our weird and wonderful blog post to start the sermon. Is he right?
Our leaders in the church, leaders in the church, because we like to control people, and you know, I need a captive audience.
So yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and basically tell you all what to do because I have nothing better to do with my life.
Now you may think, okay, that's kind of wild and out there, but there are notable authors who have all made the same point.
What are we, 2022? So about a decade ago, back in 2012, 2013, a book came out called
Pagan Christianity. Some of you maybe have heard of it. Barna and Viola, and the point of their book was basically that so much of what we do in Christianity is pagan.
You know what was top of their list? That we have this thing called a pastorate, which basically functions like a priesthood between us and God.
And their recommendation was we need to just get rid of that and just have organic house churches with no real leadership.
You may have some senior men who help with administrating things, but nobody's actually a leader. Because after all, leadership exists to dominate and to control and to make money.
Their words, not mine. Is that what leadership and structures of authority are all about in the church?
Is it that I was lazy and couldn't go get a job anywhere else that decided to do this? I've had people actually tell me that, by the way.
You want to be a pastor because you don't want to work. I'm a workaholic.
I like work. So, no, that's not the reason. Other times you get told, again, it's about, you're just a megalomaniac and you want people to be hung on your every word as you stand.
Is that what the Bible presents? That leadership is basically about domination and control and rule over people?
I'm gonna say no. Actually, I'm gonna tell the writer of this blog post that that's a strawman argument. Because you set up a particular view of pastors as these sort of megalomaniacs who want money and power and control, and the minute you take it from them, they basically curl up in the fetal position because they have nothing.
Actually, if you read the Bible, the Bible affirms that leadership is a good thing. And it doesn't just affirm that leadership is a good thing.
It affirms that godly leadership is a good thing. Brothers and sisters, leadership in the church is not opposed to being a servant, and leadership is not remotely.
We read this in 1 Peter 5, didn't we? Remember, elders are not supposed to domineer over the flock.
No, that's not what leadership is about at all. I go back to the point I started with.
Leadership in the church is the gift of the ascended
Christ to his people for their growth in godliness. But then that begs the question.
The question it begs is, how exactly does Jesus lead the church? If leadership exists in the church, which we'll see in just a moment, it does.
And if leadership is a good thing, well, how does God's leadership structure work? Because we can't borrow the world structure.
We can't borrow the way that they do things, because the way they do things are opposed to the way God does things. So we have to ask the question, how does the
Bible speak to us about leadership? Well, that's what we want to tackle in this message.
How does Jesus lead the church? Here's my answer to that question.
Here's how Jesus leads the church. Healthy churches are led by Jesus through qualified elders and served by qualified deacons, supported by the local church in their work.
Let me say that again. Healthy churches are led by Jesus through qualified elders and served by qualified deacons.
Supported by the local church in their work. And for the rest of our time this afternoon,
I just want to open up the Bible and show you how that works itself out. What does it look like for a church to have qualified elders and qualified deacons who are supported by the local body in their work?
That's what I want to consider this afternoon. So for the rest of our time, I want to look at three truths about Jesus -approved leadership in the
New Testament. Because ultimately it doesn't matter what I think, what you think, or what anybody else thinks. What matters the most is what does
Jesus, who is the head of the church, say about leadership in his church through his royal word?
Well, let's begin right at the beginning, I suppose. Let's start with just the basics. That Jesus rules the church.
Let's start there. That Jesus rules the church.
Technically speaking, the New Testament church has no human head. That's important to know.
Because there are some forms of Christianity where they say the church does have a human head. So Roman Catholicism says that the
Bishop of Rome, the Successor to Peter, he is the head of the church.
Well, a certain king from my country had a word to say about that when he wanted a divorce. And so in 1558,
No, actually a little later than that, actually. But in the 1500s, King Henry VIII said, I'm splitting from the
Church of Rome. That formed what became known as the Church of England. And he said, well,
I'm the King of England. So guess what? I'm the head of the Church of England. A rule that has continued to the present day.
Granted, it's a little more ceremonial and political in nature than actual spiritual leadership.
That would be the Archbishop of Canterbury as the head of the Anglican Communion worldwide. But even then, you still have a man, a human being as the head of the church.
I would argue both of those are wrong. Because the role of headship, the role of rule in the church is given to Jesus alone.
As it relates to the church, consider to me, first of all, the reality of Jesus's rule. The reality of Jesus's rule.
So when you read the New Testament, the New Testament is clear in affirming the complete lordship of Jesus over his church.
In a sense, you really shouldn't be surprised by that. After all, Jesus, the
Bible says, is Lord of everything. So in John chapter 17, Jesus is praying to the Father. And in 17 verse 2, he says,
Father, glorify your son, verse 1, so that the Son may glorify you. Since you gave him authority over all people.
In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul will make the same point after talking about praying that the eyes of their understanding, the
Ephesian Christians, would be enlightened. So they understand the hope of their calling and the power of God.
He says in Ephesians 1 .20, he exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens.
Far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given.
Not only in this age, but also in the age to come. So when you read the
Bible, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus, by merits of his glorious life of obedience to the law of God in thought, in word, and in deed.
By the merits of his full, sufficient, and complete atonement for our sins.
Jesus received from the Father a headship that is eternally and undisputedly his.
That's what Paul can say in Philippians chapter 2 and verse 9. For this reason, Christ's obedience all the way towards the cross.
For this reason, God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name.
So that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus is
Lord, King, and Ruler of all. But that rule is particularly focused when you read the
New Testament. Yes, he is the ruler of all. He is the King of all. And yet the
New Testament points specifically to the fact that not only is he the head of all things, he's the head of the church.
So some more passages, Ephesians 1, we just read 20 and 21. Verse 22 says, and he, the
Father, subjected everything under his, that's Jesus, under Jesus's feet and appointed him as head over everything for the church, which is his body.
The fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. Paul can say in Ephesians 5, in his encouragement to wives to submit to their husbands, he can say,
Ephesians 5, 23, the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, he is the savior of the body.
Colossians 1, 18, again, Jesus is referred to as the head of the body, the church. When we say that Jesus rules the church or that he is the head of the church, we mean that his rule is three things.
Number one, his rule is lawful. He received this authority from his father. Secondly, it's unquestionable.
His will and his way are the final determiner of the people of God's faith and practice.
It's lawful. It's unquestionable. Thirdly, it's comprehensive. His rule extends to all matters in the church.
And that's important because we don't get to determine how the church functions.
We don't get to determine what is right and wrong in the church. He does. By merit of the fact that he died for the church, and if you're a believer, that means he died for you.
Because he died for you, you are under his headship.
And praise God, it is a gracious headship. He is not a despot who rules his people by fear, but he is a shepherd who rules his people by his love.
And if, okay, so if we've established, I hope we have anyway, the reality of Jesus's rule, well, then that raises another question.
Well, how does this rule work? How does this rule operate? Well, consider with me, secondly, the nature of Jesus's rule.
So if he is king of all, if he is head of the church, well, how does he rule?
Well, when you read the Bible, the Bible presents to us a, this is important, a direct facet to Jesus's rule and reign and a delegated facet to his rule and reign.
Directly, the Bible makes us to understand that Jesus knows the churches and he is intimately acquainted with all of them.
Let me show you this. Turn with me to Revelation chapter one. Revelation chapter one. Revelation one, and we'll go to verse 12 for a moment.
Revelation chapter one and verse 12. John has just been called into the vision that will become the revelation as we know it.
And in verse 12, you pick up the story and it says this. Now I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me.
When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And among the lampstands, one was one like the son of man.
That language is Daniel chapter seven, by the way. If you're the note -taking type, you want to just mark that in your Bible. It's Daniel seven.
That's a messianic title. Dressed in a robe and with a golden sash about his chest, the hair of his head was white like wool, white as snow, and his eyes like a fiery flame.
His feet were like bronze as it is fired in a furnace. And his voice is like the sound of cascading waters.
Speaking to this description, John MacArthur in his excellent book, The Master's Plan for the Church says, in Revelation one, 12 through 15, we see
Christ moving among the candlesticks which represent his church.
We know that because later on in the revelation, it's going to explain to us, in fact, verse 20, says the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
So Jesus is moving amongst these lampstands. And this is a picture that's supposed to speak to the fact that he knows these churches.
He is not detached from them. It's not as though Jesus doesn't know what happens in his church. So he's keenly aware what happens in his church.
And if you want an example of how he knows and what he knows, well, you only have to read chapters two and three of Revelation.
He diagnoses perfectly the problems in those churches, the challenges in those churches, the cares and concerns.
Jesus knows it all because Jesus is not detached from his bride. If I can pause for a moment, pause for a moment.
If Jesus knows what happens in the church, and if the
Bible tells us he knows, which we just saw he does, if that is true, what does it say about churches?
What does it say about us as individual Christians when we act like he doesn't?
What does it say when we allow sin to run rampant in the church, when we are rebellious to what
Christ has said in his word, when we think we can do it better, when we all but ignore the rule and reign of Christ?
What does it say when we act like he doesn't know what's happening in his church?
I have to ask, and I don't mean to be rude when I ask the question, it's just what comes to mind. Is it either arrogance or ignorance that makes us to think and act like he doesn't?
But I digress. Let me get back to my sermon. Jesus has direct rule over the church, but there's also a delegated authority that he gives to particular people in the church.
So yes, Jesus directly rules his church, but he also delegates authority to particular people in the church.
So let's talk about them. We've seen that Jesus rules the church. Secondly, elders lead the church.
And my choice of wording is very particular there. Elders lead
Jesus' church. They are not the ones in charge. Jesus is.
But they still have a role of leadership and authority in the church. As a church, we believe that Jesus' design for delegated authority revolves around the existence of qualified people.
And this is where things get a little interesting. The Bible calls these qualified people three different titles.
There's three titles for the same thing. They're referred to as elders, pastors, and overseers.
Now, some of you who've maybe grown up like I did on older translations, the word overseer is often translated bishop, and some people have taken that to mean that there is a difference between a bishop and a regular pastor.
I don't think biblically you can make that work. I don't have time to get into all of that today necessarily.
But suffice to say, when the Bible speaks of an overseer or a bishop, if you will, every pastor and elder is a bishop, if you will.
But actually, let's do some work real quick. Let's start by defining our terms. Let's take a moment to define our terms.
So like I said, the Bible uses three different terms to speak to leadership in the body.
Number one, elders. In fact, elder, you'd be surprised, is the predominant term in the New Testament.
And it speaks to the idea of those who are mature ones spiritually. Secondly, you have overseers.
So if elders are speaking to mature ones, secondly, elders are also overseers.
The idea of overseers, the word actually just means to look over. That's where the word comes from. That's why we translate in English as overseers, because it's a natural way to read that.
And it speaks to the idea of leadership and direction in the church. They kind of take a step back and see the big picture and provide spiritual leadership to the church.
So you've got elders, they are mature ones spiritually. You have overseers, they are given for the leadership and direction of the church.
Thirdly, you have pastors. And that's the term that we often are familiar with in our evangelical nomenclature, as it were.
The word actually comes to us from the Latin translation of the Bible, and it just means a shepherd.
It refers to their role of feeding, nurturing, and protecting the flock. And here's the important thing.
All three of those terms are one and the same in the Bible. I say that because some of you would have come from churches where they make a distinction between a pastor and an elder based on whether they're full -time or part -time.
That might make logistical sense. I'm going to argue, though, it doesn't make biblical sense. You're making a division,
I would argue, where the Bible doesn't make a division. It's important to note that elders, overseers, and pastors do the same work and fulfill the same functions.
Phil Newton, in his excellent book, Elders in the Life of the Church, describes it like this. While elder appears to be the dominant term for the church office dealing with the spiritual needs of the local church, overseer and pastor are used synonymously with elder.
Each provides a clearer picture of the dignity and function of elders in church life.
I'll put this up on screen so you can read it. Elder emphasizes the spiritual maturity required for this office.
By the way, it is not a statement of age. It's a statement of maturity. We're speaking spiritually here, not necessarily physically.
Overseer implies the leadership and direction given to the church. And pastor suggests feeding, nurturing, and protecting the flock.
So when you read the Bible and you see elders used, or overseers used, or pastor used in the select places where it's used, or shepherd in other places, those are one and the same thing when we read the
Bible. Hopefully we're clear on definitions, but there's more to this than just defining titles.
We also need to take some time to clarify the work of elders. Let's clarify what they actually do for a moment.
Clarify on the work of elders. For one thing, not everybody can and should, or should, excuse me, serve in this role.
That's why I had us begin by reading 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, because qualifications are laid out in those passages for an elder, pastor, overseer.
Remember they're all one and the same thing. Those passages we read, especially 1 Timothy 3, 1 through 7, and Titus 1, 5 through 9, those are the benchmarks of godly elder, pastor, overseers.
Now on the back page of your study guide this week, I've actually included a little table that compares 1
Timothy 3 and Titus 1. And one thing you'll see is there is tremendous overlap. And that tells me something.
There was no confusion in the early church as to what an elder was and how you found them. Unlike today, where there was so much confusion about what makes somebody a good pastor, elder, overseer, and sometimes people get put in the role who have no business being in the role, it seems to me the
New Testament had a lot more clarity on this than we often do. Now, I don't have time to walk through each of these qualifications individually, because we still have a lot to cover.
But for now, I want to make four observations about these qualifications as they appear in the text.
Four of them. I don't have them up on screen, so you have to listen real quick. Four observations.
Number one, these qualifications presume a desire to actually do the work.
I mean, we've all been places where people are working and you can tell they don't want to be there and they don't want to do what you're asking them to do.
I'm just curious. Maybe it's just me. Am I the only one who notices when people are usually working in that kind of way, they don't give you their best?
You can tell when someone really loves what they do. You can tell when someone just kind of,
I do it because I have to do it. And you can tell when someone really doesn't like their work. Nowhere is that more dangerous,
I would argue, than when it comes to this work. That's why I think sometimes this gets missed in 1
Timothy 3. Paul, we often say the first qualification needs to be above reproach.
I agree. But I also think you could say that there is a pre -qualification before we even get to the actual qualifications.
Do you read 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 1? He says, this saying is trustworthy.
If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.
I think there are two ditches that we can fall into when it comes to this idea of they want to actually do the work.
Some churches might fall off the ditch in saying, well, anybody who wants to do it, hey, they want to do it.
And more often than not, the undertone is, I don't want to do it. But if they want to do it, fine. Let's just throw them into the task.
Can you see why that might be dangerous? If you have people serving in an office that they're not qualified for or not capable for.
But then you've got people, if I can switch over this way, who fall into the other ditch. And the ditch that they fall into is, if somebody says they aspire to this work, treat them with suspicion.
Because nobody in their right mind wants to do this. So if somebody wants to do this, they must either be an egomaniac, they must either be someone who likes being the center of attention, or they're someone who's arrogant.
And our job is to basically cut that down to size. Can you see why both of those would be ditches to be avoided?
I've spoken personally about my own landing in ministry, shall we say.
I think I've mentioned before that I began to wrestle with the desire to preach as a teenager. I've semi -joked about not recommending it.
And if I can be honest, this is one of the reasons I don't recommend it. It is generally considered dangerous.
If somebody has the gall to say, I believe God's called me to do this, and I want to submit to the church and seeing if we can find out if that calling is accurate.
We have had people leave, you know me, I love to be transparent with you about our church's successes and failures in the past.
We have had people leave this body. Because they, and I would add, they were right. They perceived that Kofi really wants to do this.
And for them, it was like, that's arrogant. And they didn't trust it.
So they left. Now, I think there's a number of reasons why we go into that.
I'm not even going to touch the whole subject of the so -called call to the ministry. You know, this idea that basically
God has to strong arm you into serving him with this imperceptible feeling that kind of overrides every other way we make decisions in the world.
I wish I had time to deal with that. I don't. I'll save that for another time. I simply want to remind you that first of all, the
Bible never condemns anybody for wanting to serve God. If people aspire to a role in ministry, our first thought should not be suspicion.
Our first thought should be praise the Lord. Now let's see if that desire you have matches the will of God.
And how do we know? Well, we'll put you in positions and test you. But that is different from saying, it doesn't matter if they want to do it.
I think they should do it. Again, Paul is clear. If anyone aspires, and please note when he says, if anyone aspires to be an overseer, he doesn't tell them off for aspiring to it.
In fact, he says, that's good. That's noble work. Now, here are some qualifications. That kind of leads me to my second point.
If number one, these qualifications presume a desire to actually do the work. Secondly, these qualifications place a high premium on character.
Again, I encourage you to look at that list in your own time. If you look at that list, only one of them is a competency. Everything else is a matter of character.
Everything else is a matter of who the person is, not so much what they can do. As we'll see in a few moments, part of the authority that leaders have in the church flows from their assignment to be examples to the flock.
If your authority, as it were, lies in your power of example, then that implies that you are of exemplary.
And please, when I say exemplary, hear me church, I am not saying perfect. Too many pastors have been killed by congregations, who thought that they had to be perfect.
There is only one perfect man. He sits at the right hand of the Father. I thank God for him, because I can't be perfect.
Neither can you, and neither can any spiritual leader that you have. They may be exemplary and impeccably godly, as far as we can tell, but they'll never be perfect.
Nevertheless, they are called to exemplary character. I encourage you, when you go home, look at that list.
One thing you'll discover is that that list isn't really unique to just pastors.
I agree with D .A. Carson, New Testament scholar, who said that this list is remarkable for being unremarkable.
That there's nothing unique about the list of qualifications for being an elder. Every Christian is supposed to be like that.
My pastor back in London used to say, in a healthy church that is raising up leaders, you should be able to throw a stone at a man in the church and him be elder qualified.
You may think, oh, that's kind of high. I mean, Paul says they're supposed to be above reproach.
He does. And guess what? He says of all Christians that they're supposed to be above reproach too. That they should have, as Paul says elsewhere, they should have nothing negative to say about us.
Not that people can't say things. When he uses that language of being above reproach, is the idea that they may say things, they may throw things at you, but they don't stick.
Why? Because your character speaks for itself. So these qualifications presume a desire to do the work.
They place a high premium on character. Third, there is only one competency an elder pastor overseer is supposed to have.
Now, there's some debate about this. Both in 1st Timothy 3 and Titus 1, there was only one skill that a leader is supposed to have.
So in 1st Timothy 3, 2, it's described as being able to teach. In Titus 1, 9, it said that he must be holding to the faithful message as taught so that he will be able to both encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.
And the debate becomes, what does teach mean? Does it mean stand up in front of people and speak?
Or can it be a little more broad? And good and godly men lean on both sides of that discussion.
I, for what it's worth, I take a much more narrow view. Simply because, one,
I don't think it says that he has to be brilliant at preaching. It says he has to be able to teach.
It means he has the skill as to whether the skill could be improved on or the rest of it is neither here nor there. A few more thoughts.
First of all, to teach requires a deep knowledge of a subject. That implies that a elder pastor overseer needs to have a mastery of the scriptures.
He should know this book as well as anyone, if not more, a mastery of the scriptures, a mastery of the doctrines of the scripture and how to apply those doctrines to the lives of God's people.
And since none of us have perfect mastery of this wonderful book we call the Word of God, that assumes a lifelong commitment to study and knowledge of this book.
And again, we have to be careful to define able to teach properly. This is not saying he has to be stellar at teaching, just that he needs to possess the skill to do so.
But for a moment, think about this. If that's the one competency in God's qualifications, these aren't just Paul's ideas, they're
God's ideas. If that's the one competency, here's a question
I ask myself semi -regularly. Why is it in so many churches we expect pastors to do everything except that?
Why is it that we, again, I grew up in church, my dad is a pastor. I saw people load him with things to do that were nothing to do with his job description.
And it was sort of an unspoken assumption. We'll talk about this more this week if you're following along in the cutting room floor episodes, we'll definitely talk about this.
There is an expectation we often have that doesn't match the biblical reality. And when
I read statistics that say that pastors are leaving the ministry at rapid rates, I have to sit there and ask, are they leaving the ministry because they can't do what
God called them to do or they can't do what people expect them to do? That kind of leads me to my fourth thing
I want to say about clarifying the work of elders. Number four, elders are called to lead through the ministry of word and example.
This is incredibly important. Elders are called to lead through the ministry of word and example.
The fact that you see a combination of exemplary character and the ability to teach in both sets of qualifications, 1
Timothy 3 and Titus 1, points to the fact that the authority of elders doesn't lie in them being elders.
This is where that blog post we started with misses the point entirely. No, it's not just because they are elders that they have authority.
I would argue the Bible makes us to understand that their authority stems from their faithfulness to the
Word of God and from their godly example. If you need a text, tell me to Hebrews chapter 13. I think this one text makes it very clear.
Hebrews chapter 13, I want to draw your attention to verse 7.
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 7. Also, the
Hebrews is wrapping up his word of encouragement. Chapter 13, verse 22. But in verse 7, he says, remember your leaders who have spoken
God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
Those are the Hebrews who, again, we don't know who wrote Hebrews. But what we do know is this. He says to his audience, listen, look at those who are your leaders.
Remember them. Implication is some of these leaders have probably been killed for their faith. He says, remember your leaders.
And what did they do? They spoke God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.
Two things side by side, teaching and example. Faithful leaders are strong in the
Word of God and they are equally strong in the pursuit of godly character. They speak
God's word to God's people for their growth in godliness and they live out that word in the midst of God's people so that you see what this word of God looks like when it's applied to every area of life.
That's yet another reason why godly leaders are committed students of the word and committed to the care and the growth of the people in their church.
Again, I come back to this point that it's very important for a church to be clear on what the role of elders are, because actually in the early church, there was almost a moment where the church got derailed on this.
And thankfully, God and his providence dealt with the issue. We've seen that Jesus rules the church. We've seen elders lead the church through word and example.
Let's talk about deacons. Well, deacons are called to serve the church. I told you there was a moment in the early church.
Turn to Acts chapter 6. Acts and the sixth chapter. This is in the early days of the church.
It's exploding and booming by the providence of God. I repeat the story in Acts chapter 6 in verse 1.
We actually read this a few months ago in our read through the book of Acts. Acts chapter 6 beginning in verse 1. In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the
Hellenistic Jews. These were Jews who were Greek speaking instead of Hebrew speaking against the Hebraic Jews.
Those who were naturally Hebrew speaking. That their widows, the Hellenistic Jews, their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.
That as, remember back in Acts chapter 2, they were selling their property and distributing as any had need.
There was a perception. We don't know whether that was actually the case or not. But there seemed to be some sort of issue where some groups were being overlooked and some groups were being taken care of.
And so this becomes an issue. Verse 2, the 12, the disciples, the apostles, summoned the whole company of the disciples together and said, it would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables.
They say, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. If I can put it somewhat bluntly, in Kofi -esque language, guys, that's not our job.
No, it would not be right for us to give up the preaching of the word of God. Remember, teaching an example. It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables.
And again, like I said, I grew up in a pastor's home. I've been around enough churches and enough pastors. I often wonder how many pastors could get away with saying that in 2022.
I appreciate that's a need. It's just not my problem to fix that. Thankfully, the apostles did.
And they had an answer. I would argue given to them by the spirit of God. Verse 3, brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the spirit and wisdom whom we can appoint to this duty.
Note that they don't say this practical need is important, is unimportant, excuse me. They don't say, nah, this is no big deal.
Stop bothering us with this. They're like, no, it's important. You just need the right people to take care of it.
And so he says, select from yourself seven men of good reputation, full of the spirit and wisdom who we can appoint to this duty.
Essentially find us some godly men who are wise and let's put them in place. This language of appointing, it speaks to an office.
Let's set them up in an office. And it's generally understood that this is the beginning of the office of the deacon in the
New Testament. And not what they say in verse 4, but we, the apostles who are basically functioning as the elders in this early church.
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Verse 5, this proposal pleased the whole company.
And so they chose seven men. Verse 6 says that the apostles prayed and laid hands on them.
So they are formally ordained to this office. And you see the result in verse 7.
So the word of God spread, the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly in number and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.
God, as it were, puts his blessing on this church that has now put things in order the way they should be.
As one writer notes, the apostles under the inspiration of God's spirit appeared to have created an entirely new office in the church for the specific purpose of serving tables.
And the loftiness of the office is seen in A, the character of the individuals required to fill it.
B, the fact that it facilitates the ministry of the word and prayer. And C, the unifying and strengthening effect it has on the whole church.
So by the time we get to 1 Timothy, there's not even like full qualifications for deacons. We read the verses 8 through 13 of our text.
And here's what's interesting. The qualifications for a deacon are exactly the same for an elder, except for one difference.
He doesn't have to be able to teach. It says he has to hold to the mystery of the faith. So in other words, he has to believe the truth, but he's not called to teach it necessarily.
Now you may have a deacon who is gifted in teaching. That's fine. But that's surplus to requirements, if you will.
It is not the requirement. Now there's some debate, can women serve as deacons?
You have to come see me after service for that one. But for now, here's what's important. I really didn't think
I was gonna get into that now, did you? Here's what's important. Elders lead the church through word and example, and deacons serve the church in caring for material needs within the body.
Let me say that again. Elders lead the church through word and example, and deacons serve the church in caring for material needs within the body.
Now this doesn't mean that basically deacons are there to do the grunt work and the elders are the real stars.
Far from it. The word for deacon just literally means a servant.
All you're saying is that these people are your chief servants. They are not the only servants in the church, but they,
I would argue based on the New Testament, they function as the point people for service in the body. They, under the oversight of the elders, identify needs in the body, and they mobilize the body for service in those practical areas.
And can I put it to you that I think at times the work of deacons is severely under -emphasized. People obsess over pastors, and no one talks about deacons.
But I would argue that based on the record of the New Testament, a church isn't functioning in as much health as it could be while both these offices are missing.
It's not just, okay, we've got elders, so we'll function just fine. No, you need both of them. I'm pretty much done.
Jesus rules the church. Elders lead the church. Deacons serve the church. Okay, Kofi, all that is great and wonderful, and I have no problem with any of it.
What about me? What if I'm none of those? What role does the average church member, if you want to use that phrase, what role do
I play? I think there are some answers to that question that I think are less than biblical, and I will confess that I've held them at some points.
Some would argue for what they call congregationalism, that, well, the entire body is the leadership.
Not really. Like I said, for a time, I held to this, and I had to go back and read scripture, and painful personal experience forced me to go back and say, wait a minute, is this what works?
Considering I've seen the fruit of it, and it really wasn't good. And what
I've come to realize is, actually, there is a wealth of ways in which the local church helps and supports leadership.
I like to refer to it as congregational responsibility, not necessarily congregational rule.
So we, as leaders in the church, there are going to be times when we come to you as the body and say, hey, we're thinking about this, we're thinking about this, we're thinking about this.
We want your input as a body. And in that sense, we're being responsible to the congregation as those we're called to serve.
But we are not ruled by the congregation. And I would actually argue that the
Bible presents to us four things that we can do as everyday regular church members to support the leadership of elders and deacons in the church.
Number one, pray for the Lord to raise up both elders and deacons. I mean, that's always the first thing you should do.
John Bunyan, you can do more than pray after you've prayed, but you can't do more than pray before you've prayed. Secondly, the
Bible calls us to submit to the leadership for our own good. Hebrews 13, 17, obey your leaders and submit to them as those who must give an account so that they may do their work with joy and not with grief, because that would not be profitable for you.
The health, the spiritual health of the leadership in the church really impacts you. If they're not healthy, guess what?
They will transmit that lack of spiritual health into the body. Third, I want to talk to the men for a moment.
Fellas, I want you to consider whether the Lord desires for you to serve in either of these offices. I don't know who the
Lord will raise up for these offices. I don't. I pray about it every day. And I mean every day. By the end of the day,
I don't know who the Lord will put into these places. All I know is this, God has someone. He's got some people, surely.
And so I put it to you. Brothers, consider if the Lord desires for you to serve in this kind of way, whether as an elder giving spiritual leadership or as a deacon giving practical leadership to needs in the church.
Finally, I think the New Testament calls us to support efforts to raise up both elders and deacons.
So you see in Acts chapter six, it's an example of congregational responsibility. They say, guys, you nominate the people you think should come to this role.
And so the church has a role in seeking out and supporting those. Ultimately, I go back to the point
I made right at the beginning as I close. The leadership of the church is a gift from our ascended savior who loves us, who lived for us and gave himself for us.
We should not view leadership and authority as threatening realities that we have to, as it were, make our peace with, but we don't really like.
If we take the Bible seriously, they're gracious tokens of the love of the savior for us.
And Father, we thank you that in your graciousness and in your mercy, you give us these tokens of your love and affection for your people in the form of gifted men who lead the body and who provide oversight for the body.
Father, I ask that even as our church is young and still developing its own core of leadership, that you would raise up men to serve in these roles of elders and pastors and overseers and deacons.
Lord, I don't know the ministry you have for every one of us. Only you know that. And yet,
Lord, we know you do have a plan. And so we submit ourselves to you and to your wisdom.
We pray that you would make it known so that we would have the people in place to see our body be as healthy as it can be.
And ultimately, that we may glorify you, not just in what we say and not just in what we do, but even how we are structured.