Battery Terminals for Leadership & Shepherding

Titus 1:7–8 ESV

7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.

Intro: Jumper Cables

Don’t teach on the edge of your knowledge -

Without both you aren’t getting anything

By nature of the example set, this is the standard to which all people should strive. For leaders and future leaders.

Negative Terminal (vs 7)

(No consistent pattern of) - Blameless Warning/Red Flags People that possess a recurring pattern of...

Arrogance

Self willed, Self Peased, self oriented. Overbearing, Asserting their will over all others. LXX self centered Self important, or audacious or entitleled behavior

2 Peter 2:10 “10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones,”

Humility is the goround out of which genuine love and service for others grows.

Humility makes sure that there is no stumbling block in the way of shepherding or personality that is too big to know that it is in the way.

Jesus loves us with humble self sacrificing love

Quick Temper

inclined to anger, short fuse, quickly irritated.

Anyone like fires? Cutting trees - evergreens

Unbridled anger shows a lack of self control - Which comes later. It is evidence of idols in the heart that have not fully been given over to be replaced with God’s purposes.

Anger generallly happens when our desires or self justice is violoted. James 1:20 “20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Having a slow fuse helps the shepherdThink of God’s slow kindled anger - His patience.

Drunkenness

This is pretty straightforward. Given to drunkenness, given to wine - This is also a self control issue.

Having mastered himself by God;s Grace, he is able to lead others to that same trust and victory.

Violence

It’s Cousin, violence - I actually like the NASB and KJV not Pugnacious or a striker or brawler. Not given to fighting to get their way.

One version says, not a bully - give me my way or else.

The man who gets into an argument every time they have a discussion with someone they don’t agree with is not a man qualified to lead the church of God

Think of God’s patience with us, Think of Jesus’ patience in meeting us where we are and not quibbling over where we aren’t yet.

This is not to say the elder of pastor does not engage in argument when needed. He just doesn’t look to turn everything inot one.

Gentle shepherds who have patience for others even when they are potentially wrong are able to see the heart underneath.

Gentleness opens the door to ministry that always being ready to fight closes.

A soft answer turns away wrath.

Greed for Gain

This is a test of contentment, - The term has to do with dishonest gain, money hungry, . Fleecing or decieving rather than working hard for what is owed or due them for their work

Paul upheld fair recompense for church leaders (1 Cor 9:12; 1 Tim 5:17–18)

The description of the false teachers in 1 Tim 6:3-10 comes to mind here

1 Timothy 6:3–10 ESV

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Contentedness, willing for honest gain and honest labor, Not health and wealth teaching - That ultimately would benefit them.

Positive Terminal (vs 8)

(Consistently blameless in) Can’t just say that I avoid all the bad things. With out a proper touchpoint on the posative terminal, it just doesn’t work.

The gospel that they say they believe should also be bearing consistent fruit in their lives. Truly it is not without reason that men who serve here should be consistent and mature in their pursuit of Christ.

Hospitality

Philozenus as opposed to just philadelphia - Literally loving strangers. This more than just willing to have people in your home, though that would be part of it. It is a genuine love of those he does not yet know. Willingness to have them over to know them.

Not just the people you already know and love, but the people you want to love and know.

Think of Jesus - who was accused of welcoming sinners and tax collectors and eating with them.

Self Control

Discipline

These words carry the ideas of prudent, sound minded sensible. Not impulsive or

Mater of oneself rather than being masterd by all other things.

The Letters to Timothy and Titus II. Confirmation of Titus’s Mission (1:5–9)

Whatever the theological, ethical, or interpersonal issue, whether public or private, the advisability for a church leader being steady and dependable, not at the mercy of pressures external to himself, is self-evident.

Ultimately it is not the master of oneself in a self determined way, but a genuine spirit controlled heart that has been deeply affected by the Grace of God in the gospel and comes out in wisdom, sensibility and carefullness in all of their actions and words.

Think of the kind of self control Jesus had arround all sorts of people and various knuckleheads

Loving Good

Philozenas to philagathen - Loving what is good

In the Spirit of Titus we are to love good not just by intellectually agreeing with it, but by living it out. Specifically that elders and pastors be participants in the good works that they would call others to.

Jesus always insisted on right definitions of good. We can help also redefine with this watching culture what is truly good.

Uprightness

Or righteous which goes with our final quality -

Holiness

This obviously brings us straight to the one who is perfectly holy, holy, holy. Out God is perfectly righteous and holy.

Last 3 Not found in 1 Tim 3 Why? Consider Crete

Righteousness and holiness is not perfection, just like the rest. So when an elder or pastor falls short and we do, we will. We seek to turn from our sin and pursue righterousness and holiness not through broken bootstraps of personal determination but by coming back to the gospel that we base our lives and testimony on. Saying often that it is only Jesus who can rescue me and relying on him and his restoring redeeming and renovating grace.

When you connect the reality of the negative terminal (avoiding this) and the positive terminal (being that) you have life, energy, power in leadership and shepherding

Running electrical was actually quite satisfying One lone bulb. NOw...- and it brought light and joy and power and connectivity and usefullness to a room that didn’t previously have it.

This is what good leaders do, connected by both what they avoid and what they poseess in trusting God and following him. they bring joy and light and power and warmth and connectivity to a room and because of it the people flourish.

The application for us is to think of that in light of these qualities: As we think of the terminals, posative and negative on ledership and shepherding, I ask

What do you bring into a room? How well are you connedcted through avoiding these things and positiviely adding these others? aska trusted freind? What happens when I come in the room. What do I bring? Warmth and light and connectivity or something else?