Sermon Extras

SERMON NOTES

1 Timothy 3:1-7 “Leadership in the Local Church” 

REVIEW: We are back in the series and here is our theme found in the book : “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” 1 Timothy 3:14-15 

1. Doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3-20)
2. Worship (1 Timothy 2:1-7)
3. Men and Women (1 Timothy 2:8-15)
4. Leadership (Elders and Deacons) (1 Timothy 3:1-16)

ILL> In 1967 a business man opened his first dinner in ATL by the name of ‘The Dwarf Grill” that owners name was… Truett Cathy, who later changed the name to “Chik-Fila” It’s now worth $4.3 Billion and maker $31 million a day. Chick-Fila is ran differently… Truett Cathy coined a phrase, “Servant Leadership” “The main idea of servant leadership is that the leaders serve the staff. Managers treat their employees how they want this employees in turn to treat customers. If we have to keep telling people who to do, it means we aren’t modeling that behavior ourselves. If we live it everyday… we don’t have to talk about it.” Trueff Cathy. 

CONTEXT> Long before Truett Cathy said the phrase “servant leadership” the Bible spoke of this type of leadership. This was the very basis of Jesus’ ministry right? “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” – John 13:14-17 Paul is just building off this very concept and he is speaking to the leadership of the church: 

Big Idea > A local church will not progress beyond the spiritual maturity of its leaders.

APP> “What will happen if the church imitates this leaders life?”  APP> I know what some of you are thinking, “Great we came on the church leadership day, this isn’t for me.”

• Everyone is leading someone. 
• “What if everyone in my church served, loved and prayed like me?” 

Education on Elders: 

• Elders are called by God and affirmed by the congregation. 
• The term “Elder, Pastor, Bishop, Overseer and Shepard” are all interchangeable in the NT. 
• Elders are the primary example for a local congregation as to what the Christian life looks like lived out. *ILL> Aliens
• Elders main tasks in scripture are to lead and feed the congregation. 

CONTEXT> A word about this list, when you look at this list of qualifications, it looks daughnting and rightly so. This list is NOT about perfect. These are marks of maturity that an Elder should be moving towards. Also, when you look at these verses, there isn’t much on here about talent or giftedness… God isn’t impressed with out Giftedness, he is concerned about our character, the type of person we are becoming. “The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit Divine characteristics in your life, not good human characteristics . God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly.”- Oswald Chambers

1. A leaders relation to God. 

• “above reproach” – Is there serious character flaws?
• “able to teach” – do they love and live the word? 
• “not a new convert” – do they show maturity in Jesus? 

2) A leaders relation to Family.

• “husband of one wife” – Is he committed to his marriage? 
• “his children submissive” – Is discipline and honor in the home? 
• “manage his household well” – Provides? Leads? Loves?

3) A leaders relation to Self.

• “sober-minded” – Is he emotional stable? 
• “self-controlled” – Is he disciplined? 
• “not a drunkard” – Is he addicted to anything? 
• “not a lover of money” – Good steward? Obsessed? 

4) A leaders relation to Others. 

• “respected by outsiders” – Are they worth imitating? 
• “hospitable” – welcoming to all especially non-christians?
• “not violent” – What is their tone?
• “gentle” – are they approachable? 
• “not quarrelsome” – Is this person divisive? 
• “respected by outsiders” – Does their lifestyle show others Jesus? 

Big Idea > A local church will not progress beyond the spiritual maturity of its leaders.

Robert Quinn, a leadership professor at University of Michigan, has joined others in pointing out that the origins of the word leader means to “go forth and die.” In his book Change the World, he writes: “Leadership authors do not understand that leadership means “Go forth to die.” If they did understand it, they would not be enticed to write about it—because people do not want to hear this message. Most people want to be told how to get extraordinary results with minimum risk. They want to know how to get out-of-the-box results with in-the-box courage.” True leaders are servants who die to themselves so others may flourish. True leaders go forth, not for themselves, but for others.

Ours is the most noble cause and our Leader went forth to die for us. And He calls us to do the same. Let’s stop soft-selling the gospel and stop coddling our churches. Let’s stop putting the bar so low and begin to raise it up again. Let us point them to the cross and then show them how to take it up and follow Jesus, dying if we must.