The Selfless Church

The Manual for Ministry The Selfless Church 1 Timothy 6:1-10

1. The Selfless Church… Serves others selflessly. (v.1-2)

A large number of the Roman population were slaves. Although educated and cultured, slaves were not considered people and had no status in Roman society.

When not working for their masters, believing slaves would gather together where their status of slave did not matter.

These slaves needed to realize that the freedom found in Christ did not permit them to defy their masters.

“count their own masters worthy” (v.1)

Spiritual freedom found in Christ does not alter one’s social position

“the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed” (v.1)

For a slave to rebel against his master in the name of Christ would be to blaspheme the name of God and God’s doctrine and teaching

Why? It was afforded slaves to consider their masters worthy of honor. This takes a great deal of humility.

“believing masters, let them not despise them… but rather serve them” (v.2)

Just as servants are to serve their masters, masters are to serve their slaves.

We don’t have slaver-master relationships today, but the fact remains that we are to serve each other no matter our social standing towards one another. The young must serve the old and the old must serve the young. While the ways in which we serve may be different, the selfless church serves each other.

A college professor took his large class into a hallway of the college. In the hallway, every student had a balloon with their name on it. He gave the class five minutes for everyone to find their name. After frantic searching, no one in the class found their balloon. He then instructed the students to pick up a balloon and find its owner. This time, the students found their own balloons in less than a minute. When we take time to serve others rather than ourselves, we find that everyone is happy, including ourselves.

2. The Selfless Church… Loves others selflessly. (v.3-5)

There are many ways we can love one another

In this passage, Paul encourages Christians to love others through word and proper teaching

“wholesome words” (v.3) - the teachings of Christ which is the foundation of ministry, these teachings promote unity and proper etiquette

2 Timothy 1:13 “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”

Loving one another means building up each other in Jesus. The Selfless Church must be a place where believers can be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith. Life is hard enough, let’s not make it worse in the house of God!

“he is proud, knowing nothing” (v.4) - refers to those who teach apart from Scripture

Loving others means being humble. A leader in the Selfless Church must recognize when they are wrong and be corrected.

As we commit to serving one another, we must be willing to submit to one another in love also.

Think of Christ...

Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.””

Philippians 2:7 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

Jesus humbled himself even to the point of death to serve the very ones who put him to death.

The Selfless Church shows Christ to each other through their service and love towards each other.

“obsessed with disputes and arguments” (v.4)

Those who teach false doctrine lead people into disunity.

Those who enjoy disunity do not know the truth of God’s Word

May even be far Christ and the gospel

Attributes of a selfish church: envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions

“Useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth” (v.5)

Those who deal in disunity are destitute of truth

Such church leaders view ministry as a job like any other secular job in the world. They view ministry as a means of gaining wealth, power, influence. Retreat and do not partake or permit such blasphemy.

3. The Selfless Church… Gives to others selflessly. (v.6-10)

We are a faith family, and we must take care of our own.

Acts 2:45 “and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”

We are all on mission together towards the same goals, and for the church to accomplish the task of reaching the world with the gospel, we must be willing to give as we have to the needs of those around us - including the mission of the local church.

“godliness with contentment is great gain” (v.6)

contentment - inner sufficiency that keeps peace in spite of outward circumstances

When our satisfaction is found in anything or anyone else other than in Jesus Christ, we will never be fully satisfied. This great gain Paul speaks of is the rest and completion we find in Christ.

When we leave this world, we will have nothing other than our relationship with Jesus Christ. That is why it is so important to make sure your sins are forgiven and you have been reconciled with God.

“those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare” (v.9)

You will never get poor from being generous.

Desiring the world and its possessions requires you to stop desiring Christ. This is when a Christian is most vulnerable to those temptations and snares.

Matthew 6:24 ““No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

“love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness” (v.10)

Therefore, the Selfless Church must give to others generously.