A Healthy Church has Healthy Leaders
Foundations of a Healthy Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Notes
Transcript
Main Idea: Healthy Churches have Healthy Leaders .
Context: As a review
The Church at Ephesus had false teachers that needed to be opposed because they were misleading the people and confusing the gospel.
The church leaders were to defend the gospel at all cost to maintain the integrity of Christ’s work and His message for the world.
One way to do that was to assure their gathering times operated according to God’s design.
Praying for unbelievers to be saved and believers to have success sharing the gospel in all nations.
Worshiping Jesus with lifted hands that reflect hearts lifted up to him.
Coming to service in modesty looking to exalt Jesus over ourselves.
A secure place where women can learn and become disciples, teach, and lead other women.
Today, we are going to learn how qualified men, called by God, are to teach and have authority over all matters of the church.
Opening: The Document “Above Reproach”
Many women may feel defensive or resistant towards the prohibition given by Paul, which restricts women from “teaching or having authority over a man” in church service settings.
Women feel this way because the office of overseer has often been used by men to abuse or dominate women. Consequently, society has lost its trust in the clergy.
Today, I want to give a clear explanation of what is an overseer by answering the following questions
What is the office the office of overseer?
What does an overseer do?
How are they selected?
Why we should let them lead us?
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, an able teacher,
not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy —
one who manages his own household competently, having 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 fall into the condemnation of the Devil.
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.
What is the office the office of overseer?
The office of an elder
1. Overseers, Elders, and pastors are inter changeable terms
The words are used interchangeably to describe office a church leader holds
Here in our text the leaders are called overseers.
But in… they are called elders.
The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town:
one who is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of wildness or rebellion.
For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money,
but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled,
holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.
Here the elders are told to “pastor” the flock.
Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the Messiah and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you:
Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; not for the money but eagerly;
not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
It is important to realize the office of a pastor is from inside the office of elder/overseers.
While elders are leaders of the church, defenders of the faith, guardians of truth, a select group of those men are called pastors who do so on a full-time basis focusing more on preaching and teaching.
The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
What does an overseer do?
It is a man,
who is called by God,
led by the Holy Spirit,
leads a life as an example for the people of the church to follow.
2. What does it mean to aspire the office?
To “aspire and desire” means to passionately reach for or stretch towards with anticipation and passion
Being an elder of a church is not just attending a board meeting and looking over the church books. Most churches have a finance committee for that.
No one passionately stretches out to do a meeting that could be an email.
Elders lead by casting vision, caring for people in the flock, developing discipleship and evangelism that strengthens the body.
This means teaching truth, showing love to the church, helping people grow in their faith and trust in Jesus
The competency of an elder
a. Able to teach
Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus Four Responsibilities of Elders (1 Timothy 3:1–7)
He must be able to persuade people with the Word, plead with people from the Word, comfort people with the Word, encourage people from the Word, instruct people in the Word, and lead the church according to the Word. This is nonnegotiable.
We follow elders or pastors not for their position, but for their knowledge, teaching, and adherence to the Word.
b. Hospitable: Welcoming/encouraging and evangelistic
c. Leadership:
They must manage their household well. We are not perfect beings. Like us all, elders have off moments. However, the family loves them being the leader of the home either as husband, father, son (in law), elder.
If those closest to me do not think that I am doing a good leading them, then how could I lead a church?
Their opinion should matter most.
Illustration: Elder’s wife.
How are they selected?
God calls them, we confirm that calling.
God calls them
And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.
The aspire desire Paul mentioned is one of a conviction
Quote Jonathan Leeman
‘To submit to a man is to submit to that man. But to submit to the office is to submit to the one who has established the office. Similar in eph 6, children obey your parents in the lord…
God has called men to an office, the church is to submit themselves to that office.’
Now this is regarding matters of your soul, your faith, your maturing in the Word and your walk as a Christian.
In other words, When elders speak into your life where authority has been given to them, you should submit your life to that counsel.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Illustration
Don’t Buy Brown Cars!!!
[God Calls them,] We the church, confirm that calling.
Membership vote: If the men called by God are not doing the work God called them to, or if the character of an elder is in question then we investigate those matters.
As a church, what should set us apart from the world is our view or sin and our disdain for it.
Illustration
When the world looks for people to sit on a school board, or city council
They look for business owners, professionals, doctors, political figures, lawyers etc. as the qualifications.
These professions are wonderful, but having a profession does not secure one’s character.
Ever hear of …
A health expert that is unhealthy addictions?
A therapist who is abusive to their family?
A lawyer that breaks the law or is full of reproach?
Financial expert who is mastered by debt?
In the workforce, people are hired for their qualification and fired because their character.
The reason church leaders are seeing a decline in the respect or trust from their community, is because churches often seek charismatic, business minded people whose character was overlooked for their charisma.
However Jesus is looking for men of character and healthy conduct to lead His church.
Men who see themselves as sheep in need of shepherd as well.
I believe these things to be true of our elders
John, Todd, and Tom.
They love you. They pray for you. They care about your souls and your walk with Jesus (maybe even more than some of you do yourself). That is their heart for you.
They have the Character of an Elder
Personal Character
Above reproach (handles to be pulled down by)
Sober-minded (single-focused, 1 Peter 1:13)
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
They are to have a single minded focus with eternity in view.
Self-controlled
Respectable (makes the right choices when no one is looking)
Not a drunkard (not addicted to anything)
Not a lover of money (You cannot serve two masters)
Healthy elders do not have deep secretes or things they need to cover up. They live above reproach; not as perfect people. but as those quick to seek forgiveness and be reconciled to Jesus.
2. Relational Character (integrity)
Husband of one wife (This is not measured in time, but by his treasure)
Not violent but gentle (not a striker; verbally or physically)
Not quarrelsome (inclined to peace)
Well thought of by outsiders (Evangelistic)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Why we should let them lead us?
All Believers should be pursuing these things listed above.
Elders are simply the leaders of the church that are there to help you to do so even more.
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.”
(Why should you let the elders lead you?)
Because they have tested maturity
Demonstrate don’t prove
Not a recent convert
When is an appropriate time?
When they demonstrate consistently
They sense a calling
They serve in various ways
They want to see people grow and saved
Others start noticing.
They are doing for the right reasons (demonstrate)
Closing
APPLICATION
God’s will is that we are led by healthy, godly leaders.
Who are called to lead, cast vision, care and support the church.
Bad authority creates distrust and little to no blessing from God.
God’s authority can be trusted,
God’s leaders are to demonstrate the CHARACTER that you can aspire towards and submit to.
It was Jesus who showed us the ultimate in character and submission
Phil 2: 1-11 as a closing.
Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a 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 — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth —
and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The elders of this church want to obey God with the same obedience as Jesus had to the Father,
They are here to serve you and help you have the same heart for Christ.
May we all be healthy godly individuals seeking to make this a healthy church.
Benediction
7 Practices of a Healthy Church Member
Praying daily for salvations
Being welcoming
Discipling someone or being discipled.
Serving in a ministry.
Inviting people to church.
Sharing your faith regularly.
Tithing (giving) financially to the church.