Healthy Churches Must Have Healthy Leaders

It’s been several weeks since we’ve been back in 1 Timothy so I just want to remind you of Paul’s purpose in writing this letter

1 Timothy 3:14–15 ESV

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.

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The church is the most important institution imagined by God, created by the blood of Jesus and maintained by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The church is the most important institution imagined by God, created by the blood of Jesus and maintained by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, with that in his mind, Paul wants to make sure that Timothy and the generations after him have plain, holy inspired guidelines for church practice so that God made be honored and people may be reached. Today the broad title from which we will work with is—

Healthy Churches Must have Healthy Leaders

Now, the danger here is the same danger we faced back in chapter 3 when we talked about qualifications for deacons and pastors—Don’t be tempted to mentally and spiritually disengage from this holy moment in God’s Word because you aren’t a leader. God’s Word is for you and you have a distinct part and responsibility in seeing that this church remains healthy for God’s glory and people’s good.

Our Outline today is—

- The Church and the Leader’s Needs

- The Church and the Leader’s Accountability

- The Church and the Leader’s Calling

1 Timothy 5:17-25

1 Timothy 5:17–25 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.) The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

1 Timothy 5:17–19 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

1 Timothy 5:17-

1 Timothy 5:20–21 ESV

As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

1 Timothy 5:20-

1 Timothy 5:22–23 ESV

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)

1 Timothy 5:22-

1 Timothy 5:24–25 ESV

The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

1 Timothy 5:24-

1. The Church and the Leader’s Needs

I read this story the other day, “My dad writes a few short lines on paper, calls it a poem, sends it away, and gets $25 for it.” “Well, my dad,” said the second boy, “makes dots on paper, calls it a song, sends it away, and gets $100 for it.” “That’s nothing,” declared the third boy. “My dad writes a sermon on sheets of paper, gets up in the pulpit and gives it, and it takes four men to bring in the money!”

Money can be difficult for a pastor to talk about especially to those who aren’t consistently involved in a biblical church that teaches scriptural truths on the Christian and their money. I’ll be the first to admit that there have been and are wolves in sheep’s clothing that peddle the Word of God for profit. And because of those heretical jokes, it makes men who want to preach on the truth concerning money feel like we have to give a 30 minute qualification of why this needs to be spoken on. But it has to be because:

The use of our money displays the affections of our heart.

G.K. Chesterton, “Show me a man’s checkbook and I’ll tell you where his heart is.”

Today, specifically, Paul is addressing how the church should respond to a leader’s financial security. A pastor who leads well and labors in preaching and teaching… A pastor who makes sure your heart is fed with the Word of God should be freed to continue to toil over your spiritual health without the burden of whether his children are going to be able to eat a ham sandwich throughout the week.

Here’s what I need to say to you about this passage. I’m not preaching this for me. Bethlehem Baptist Church has loved me and my family so well. You have given me a salary that allows my family to have a full refrigerator. I have gas money to go where I need to go. My children can participate in activities they love. Church I have been blessed. And not only through salary but with gift cards and babysitting that allows me to date my wife and keep our marriage healthy. Many of you have been generous to cover Sunday lunches so we can eat out as a family. I can’t tell you the last time we have bought eggs or coffee praise the Lord. Your generosity towards my family allowed me to take my son to Academy Sports a while back and buy my boys a basketball goal and I got the opportunity to talk to them about how much you love them.

I was talking to a pastor this week and he says in 10 years he hasn’t bought a trash bag or a cleaning supply because one family in his church decided that every time they go to the store to get theirs they buy double for them. Church, Thank you… because many pastors don’t receive the type of affection and support I get and I know I don’t deserve it.

The reason this issue needs to be addressed is threefold:

- Matt and Erin are coming on board with their sweet 2-year-old daughter, Lexi Jo, and he too will be serving as a pastor.

This is a young family. And we don’t want to be the church that can be used in sermon illustrations about how not to love on their staff. I’m asking each of you individual families to work at being the arm of hospitality for the emotional and spiritual health of this family while they make a large transition.

- The guy after me needs to be taken care of

My hope and my heart is to be your pastor for a very, very long time. I refuse to think about moving on to bigger, better things because I’m crazy enough to believe God can make Bethlehem the bigger and better thing. But I also know He moves His churches through different stages in the church using different leaders. I could be, but most likely won’t be here forever. Knowing that, my desire is to leave Bethlehem with the biblical knowledge of how they are called by God to take care of the One who looks over their souls.

Charles Spurgeon once had the officers of a small country church ask him to recommend a pastor for them. But the salary they were prepared to pay was so small that he wrote back to them, “The only individual I know, who could exist on such a stipend, is the angel Gabriel. He would need neither cash nor clothes; and he could come down from heaven every Sunday morning, and go back at night, so I advise you to invite him”

Church, don’t aim to keep a pastor humble. The Bible never warns about paying him too much but there are several passages we could look at that cautions paying him too little. God will give you a man to lead you… But He will also give you the responsibility to meet his families physical needs.

- I will never allow ministry to be sacrificed so that I can be paid

Giving is a heart issue. And I want to tell you that it is unbiblical to think that 10% of your pay belongs to God and the other 90% to yourself. It all belongs to Him and we just manage it. The New Testament teaches that generous giving is evidence that you understand the generous heart of God.

$312,777 is our 2017 budget and as of right now we are short $1800. Plus, we have a building that needs to be paid for. I’m saying this now because historically when summer gets here and we start taking more weekend vacations with our family and we forget that we have the blessed responsibility to continue funding the mission of God’s Gospel.

I have no idea who gives what in the place besides my family…But I’ve done enough studies to bet that our older generation gives anywhere from 12-18% of their income to tithes and offerings while the younger generation give 1-2%. And many of you would love to argue right now about how the tithe is an Old Testament concept and we are under the New Law. Grace giving is not giving sparingly of what you have leftover but giving sacrificially because you are convinced there is no worthier of an investment than eternity.

There needs to be an increase in giving in Bethlehem. Increases in giving don’t come out of the air. They are the result of God’s people trusting Him by increasing their giving and then doing it regularly and faithfully as unto Him. I do not know what anyone except me gives to this church, so I have no one in particular in mind. I just ask you to go before the Lord and evaluate whether He is pleased with your giving.

J. Vernon McGee, used to admonish his radio audience by saying, “Friends, if you go into a restaurant and eat their food, you pay the bill. But some of you are being fed by this ministry and aren’t paying.” My job is to work hard to lead and to feed you. Some of you may need to ask whether you’re paying your tab!

The church might be the only place in the world where people expect every moment to be stimulating, every feel-good emotion to be stroked, every ministry to serve without fault, and ultimately every expectation to be met without a letdown all the while expecting to pay the most discounted of prices if anything at all.

2. The Church and Leader’s Accountability

This is a point again we need to be careful on because holding someone accountable is not the same as criticizing their every move.

At the heart of Christian accountability, you find a deep concern for the person’s soul. At the heart of criticism, you find an overwhelming desire for your own expectations to be met.

Beth Moore said this week, “Church for many of us is nothing more than grading the pastor and the worship team on how good the show is. Many of us should save ourselves the trouble of bringing a bible and instead bring popcorn and a coke.”

The evangelical churches today, for a large part, needs to stop seeing pastors as hired hands and instead commit both congregationally and individually to pray for their hearts as they work to feed souls. When sin is expected, or happens in the life of a leader, it needs to be addressed for it is a serious thing. But when personal preferences go unmet they need to be discussed in a way that pursues unity above personal desires. Because as strongly as you feel about something that isn’t addressed in Scripture there is another believer with just as strong of an opinion that runs contradictory to yours. So we don’t fight for ourselves… we don’t fight against flesh and blood. We fight for unity.

3. The Church and the Leader’s Calling

When a person moves into a leadership position with a church family, the church discerns their readiness.

- Don’t be quick in your decision

- Don’t be shallow in your decision

- Don’t be blind in your decision