CURRENT SERIES
SHEPHERDS AND SERVANTS
 

Oct 1, 2023
Shepherds & Servants Part 7: Lead The Church (1 Timothy 3:1, 8, 14-15)

Everything we've discussed and are going to discuss through this book is directed first to the Spiritual Shepherds and Sacrificial Servants of the Church. If the church doesn't have the proper leadership in place representing both the office of Elder and Deacon, and if those leaders aren't qualified according to scripture, it doesn't matter how energetic, exciting, wealthy, or popular your church is... it will at the least remain unhealthy and ineffective or at worst it will fail spectacularly.

You've all heard of churches or ministries that were at the top of the mainstream Christian world and without warning crashed like a meteor. All of them failed primarily because of poor leadership. Leadership is crucial to a church. The point is if you don't have the right leadership in place you will fail. Elders support Deacons, and Deacons support Elders. One without the other is like having distracted leaders leading the blind. And we can't afford to have leaders who are distracted, unengaged, our unqualified to lead, or they will lead the people astray and wreck the church.

With the proper leadership we will become all that God wants us to be and reach those he wants us to reach. With poor leadership we will sink like the Titanic. Just look at Paul's purpose for writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:14-15. We need to know how we ought to behave in the household of God; the church, as to show the world the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Nothing about a dying or failing church brings God glory. And all churches will fail without godly leadership. The point is simple; Without both qualified Elders and Deacons leading, a church cannot succeed in bringing God the glory He deserves.

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  • Oct 1, 2023Shepherds & Servants Part 7: Lead The Church (1 Timothy 3:1, 8, 14-15)
    Oct 1, 2023
    Shepherds & Servants Part 7: Lead The Church (1 Timothy 3:1, 8, 14-15)

    Everything we've discussed and are going to discuss through this book is directed first to the Spiritual Shepherds and Sacrificial Servants of the Church. If the church doesn't have the proper leadership in place representing both the office of Elder and Deacon, and if those leaders aren't qualified according to scripture, it doesn't matter how energetic, exciting, wealthy, or popular your church is... it will at the least remain unhealthy and ineffective or at worst it will fail spectacularly.

    You've all heard of churches or ministries that were at the top of the mainstream Christian world and without warning crashed like a meteor. All of them failed primarily because of poor leadership. Leadership is crucial to a church. The point is if you don't have the right leadership in place you will fail. Elders support Deacons, and Deacons support Elders. One without the other is like having distracted leaders leading the blind. And we can't afford to have leaders who are distracted, unengaged, our unqualified to lead, or they will lead the people astray and wreck the church.

    With the proper leadership we will become all that God wants us to be and reach those he wants us to reach. With poor leadership we will sink like the Titanic. Just look at Paul's purpose for writing to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:14-15. We need to know how we ought to behave in the household of God; the church, as to show the world the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Nothing about a dying or failing church brings God glory. And all churches will fail without godly leadership. The point is simple; Without both qualified Elders and Deacons leading, a church cannot succeed in bringing God the glory He deserves.

  • Sep 10, 2023Shepherds & Servants Part 6: Partner With Women In Ministry (1 Timothy 2:9-15)
    Sep 10, 2023
    Shepherds & Servants Part 6: Partner With Women In Ministry (1 Timothy 2:9-15)

    This is what I believe is one of the hardest passages in the entire Bible to exegete. Look at what Paul says to Timothy, concerning women's roles in the local church in 1 Timothy 2:9-15. We see here that there is not just an allowance for women to serve in ministry, but there is a mandate for women to serve in the ministry of the local church. And for the elders and the deacons to best shepherd and serve the body, they must partner with women in ministry. Without women serving in ministry, the church would be weak and incomplete.

  • Sep 3, 2023Shepherds & Servants Part 5: Know God And Obey His Call (1 Timothy 2:5-7)
    Sep 3, 2023
    Shepherds & Servants Part 5: Know God And Obey His Call (1 Timothy 2:5-7)

    Look at what Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:5-7. Paul reminds his disciple of who God is, who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done, and then speaks of his own responsibility to preach that truth to the unreached. And though you have heard this probably a hundered times in church we cannot escape the Bible's unrelenting pursuit to commission us into the ministry of God. When we know who he is and what he has done for us, our response is praise, prayer, and eventually it must become preaching! Theology leads to doxology which leads to missiology. The knowledge of God leads to the admiration of God which leads to the mission of God. Another way of saying it if you aren't getting the picture is that faith leads to conversion, conversion leads to discipleship, discipleship leads to transformation, and transformation leads to evangelism. In other words, you cannot have a real knowledge of who God is and the works of his Son and simply sit on the sidelines of history as people wander aimlessly into destruction. You must heed his call, get into the fight, and become a missionary, not in deeds alone, but by preaching the Word of truth wherever you go. When we truly know God we will surrender all we have for the sake of the call!

  • Aug 27, 2023Shepherds & Servants Part 4: Pray For The People (1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8)
    Aug 27, 2023
    Shepherds & Servants Part 4: Pray For The People (1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8)

    I'm sure I don't have to convince you that your leaders should be men of prayer. However, it is a good reminder for them and for us, that prayer is very important for a church, therefore it is very important for those who shepherd and serve the church. Look at what Paul writes to Timothy, the Elder of the church of Ephesus, in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, 8.

    We must see prayer as an urgent need both for our leaders and for ourselves. We must pray as a church the prayers that we see in this passage. We must see the responsibility of prayer for the church, how we are to pray for the church, and how we should pray for those outside the church. Most of all, our leaders must be praying over you as is their duty as shepherds and servants. A church, depending on Christ in prayer, pleases the Lord!

  • Aug 20, 2023Shepherds & Servants Part 3: Hold To The Faith (1 Timothy 1:18-20)
    Aug 20, 2023
    Shepherds & Servants Part 3: Hold To The Faith (1 Timothy 1:18-20)

    I want you to think about your faith this morning. What is your faith in? What does your faith do? Who has your faith made you become? If your faith is in the power of Christ who has overcome all temptations and holds the power of life in the palm of his hands, you are redeemed, and can indeed overcome any trials or temptations you may face. Unfortunately, many do not have a faith in Christ which transforms them and empowers them. Many place their faith in their own strength and ability. Many place their faith in the pleasures of this world to power their few temporary moments of elation. Many place their faith in money. Those with the Gold make the rules. And many place their faith in false gods or false gospels. This morning our hope is two-fold. That if you haven't, you would place your faith in the only true hope of the world, Jesus Christ. And then secondly, that those of you who have placed your faith in Christ, would hold strongly to your faith as if your life depended on it. Especially, those called to be Shepherds and Servants in the church.

  • Aug 13, 2023Shepherds And Servants Part 2: Praise God For His Mercy (1 Timothy 1:12-17)
    Aug 13, 2023
    Shepherds And Servants Part 2: Praise God For His Mercy (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

    Why is an understanding of God's mercy so important to us as believers? Why should we not only be aware of it but deeply meditate upon it? I think it is because as humans we have a sickness called desensitization. The more familiar we become with something, the less important it becomes. Where as the cross, the sacrifice of Christ, and the sin which he saved us from should always break us, we've heard about it so much in church that it is just the same old record. But when we are talking about something as important as the mercy of Christ to save us from our sins we should never ever allow ourselves to be desensitized to it. Instead we should determine to keep the same sober- mindedness about it that we had when we first realized it. And if we can do that, we will have no problem praising God and worshipping him as he deserves. A worship that extends beyond the weekly worship service and permeates our entire lives. We should be in a perpetual state of praising our God because of the mercy he has shown us in saving us from our sins. Today I want us to leave with a sense of understanding that; There is nothing that can keep us from praising God when we are constantly aware of the mercy Christ has shown us.

  • Aug 6, 2023Shepherds And Servants Part 1: Protect The Gospel (1 Timothy 1:1-11)
    Aug 6, 2023
    Shepherds And Servants Part 1: Protect The Gospel (1 Timothy 1:1-11)

    The Ephesian church was very dear to Paul's heart and he wanted to make sure that they did not stray from the faith in his absence. All of this is the setting in which we find ourselves for the foreseeable future. So what is the primary message that Paul gives to Timothy for the Church of Ephesus? As we will come to find out later, it is for the establishing of church leaders and proper church community. But here Paul simply communicates to Timothy his most pressing matter, that as the primary Shepherd in Ephesus at the time, Timothy must make sure that the other Shepherds are preaching sound doctrine. By the way, I'm using the term Shepherd here as it communicates what an elder or pastor is primarily supposed to do; shepherd the people of God spiritually. We will get into that topic more in depth later in our study. For now we must focus on the issue at hand; Shepherds must protect the Gospel so that the church won't abandon the Gospel. The message of Christ as our Lord and God, who redeemed us from our sinful state through the sacrifice of his own life is non-negotiable. The commands He expects us to live according to, in order to show our devotion to him, are inalienable. When we move away from the standard of the Word of God and its precepts, we will inevitably walk away from our faith.

 
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