Check out the new Sermon Site!

Well, the new blog is up and running with sermons from Kingsley Church of Christ - mostly by me but also from other speakers.  The address for that is http://www.kingsleysermons.blogspot.com/
See you there!

Getting ready to move

Well it's Christmas Eve and our house is full of boxed-up goodies...  a few Christmas presents waiting to be opened and a whole stack of boxes waiting to be transported to our new home.  We will be moving to Perth in 4 days time to begin a new chapter of our lives.  It'll be a huge thing for our kids - who have only ever had one home in a small town - to be moving to the big (by our standards!) city.

I must admit that the even though we have been moving toward this for the last 18 months, the process of saying goodbye and packing up over the last few weeks, in amongst the busyness of Christmas and end-of-year stuff, has been completely draining.  The weird thing is that as a pastor I feel like I should be looking out for how others are feeling with a pretty tough agricultural year and other things going on for them, including our departure (for those that might miss us ;-)

Anyhow, after we move we'll have some holidays before I take up my new position at the Kingsley Church of Christ.  I'm not expecting to do any blogging, and I certainly won't be posting any sermons over the next month or so! 

So have a blessed Christmas and remember to make it Christ-mas and not just me-mas or family-and-friends-mas!!

Final Challenges to our Church Family

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In his second-last sermon as Pastor of the Narembeen Church of Christ, Mike Birch revisits some foundational principles of how members of a church family are to help one another to grow up into Christ.

Leadership in the Church pt 7 - Qualifications of Deacons

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In our final study on leadership in the Church, we emphasise the "like manner" by which Elders and Deacons are to be people of Christ-likeness and spiritual maturity; and then explore the key differences which arise in the list of qualifications. These differences relate to the nature of the roles of deacons and Elders, and are to do with (1) ability to teach, (2) longevity in the faith, and (3) gender.

Leadership in the Church pt 7

The Qualifications of Deacons

1 Timothy 3:8-13

06/12/09

Introduction

Today we come to the conclusion of our series on Leadership in the Church, as we look at the qualifications of those who serve as Deacons.

Before we begin let’s just do a quick refresh of the role of Deacon so that you can be up to speed on that:

·         A Deacon is someone who serves the needs of the local church by performing specific tasks as a recognised representative of the Elders.

·         In our church Deacons who serve on our Deacons Board are elected by the congregation once they have been approved by the Elders.  These deacons serve as assistants to the Elders in managing the general affairs of the church, taking on specific tasks that are helpful in maintaining the effective running of the church and participating in the decision making process relating to those tasks.

·         Our church also appoints people to specific ministry tasks through our Annual General Meeting.  These people are not necessarily on our deacons board but function as deacons in a biblical sense.  They should also meet the biblical requirements of deacons.

·         The Bible never teaches an exact method for appointing deacons, instead emphasising the qualifications of those who serve in this way.

So let’s dive into our text for today:

1 Timothy 3:8-13

^8 Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. ^9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. ^10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

^11 In the same way, their wives^ are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

^12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. ^13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus. ^[1]

In the same way…

It’s very easy to skip over that word “likewise” and just treat this as a completely separate list of qualifications to those we have just examined relating to Elders.  But in fact, Paul sees these lists as a re-application of the same principles that he has just applied to Elders.  The word “likewise” means “in the same manner”.  So in regard to their character, Deacons should follow the same pattern as the Elders, which is to say that they should imitate Jesus Christ. 

The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us to have the character of Christ.  That’s why the Bible tells us to live by the Spirit instead of according to our own sinful nature.  When the first deacons were appointed, they were to be men “full of the Spirit and wisdom”.  In other words, their lives were marked by good spiritual fruit and the wisdom necessary to fulfil their tasks.

Now the Spirit helps us to have the character of Jesus, but not necessarily to do all the things Jesus did.  In the same way, the Spirit is transforming all of us to the character of Jesus, but that doesn’t mean we will all do the same sorts of things.  He gives us different gifts at different times to enable us to serve according to God’s will.

So while deacons are to be demonstrating the same sort of Spirit-filled character as Elders, there are some differences in other expectations.  First of all, an Elder must be someone who is able to teach.  This is an essential part of their spiritual oversight.  Depending on their tasks, it may be necessary for a deacon to be able to teach and it may not.  As we see in Acts 7 and 8, both Stephen and Philip, who were deacons of the church in Jerusalem, were well qualified to teach.  It wasn’t necessary for them to do that in the role they were appointed to by the Elders, but God used them in other ways in addition to their roles in distributing food to needy widows.  Some deacons may be entrusted to tasks which involve teaching if the church recognises that gift in them, but it is not necessary for deacons to do so.

The second key difference has to do with the length of their journey in following Jesus.  An Elder must not be a recent convert.  We discussed some of the reasons for that several weeks ago.  A deacon on the other hand, “must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.” (v10)

It is possible for a fairly new believer to have shown such transformation of character and an enlightened mind that they “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience”.  This is the sort of person who has shown a hunger to learn God’s truth and apply it to his or her life.  They are ready and raring to serve God and the church can be confident in them.  They will have the supervision and support of the Elders and the congregation as they continue to grow and serve their Lord.

Remember that an Elder must be blameless – above reproach.  This characteristic should be clear to everyone because they have a long history of growing in their faith and living it out with integrity.  People have witnessed their progress.

With a newer believer it is necessary to have some way of checking – of testing – to make sure that they are developing a blameless character.  They are not holding on to sinful habits and they deal with sin promptly and honestly when they do fall short.

Some people may consider that a congregational vote is a form of testing, as people who are aware of issues will not vote in favour of a person being made a deacon.  I guess this is true, but the problem is that any supposed issues are not identified or addressed.  Other people might suggest that the blessing of the Elders is a form of testing, as in their oversight role they should be aware of any disqualifying issues.  I would say this is a better approach, as the Elders can then follow through with any issues that arise.  Elders do need to be careful that they take this role seriously though and don’t just appoint anyone who is willing to do tasks that need to be done.  Under this approach, if someone else is aware of an issue that needs addressing they should mention it to the Elders to be followed through.

Another key difference in between Elders and Deacons of course has to do with gender.  We believe that Scripture teaches that and Elder must be male, however deacons in the Bible are both male and female.

Now obviously there is some disagreement on this point, because the word diakonos is used both to describe someone who serves the church and someone who has been given an office of service within the church.  So where the term is applied to Phoebe in Romans 16 – the exact same word used in 1 Timothy 3:8 and 12 referring to male deacons – some commentators say it’s not calling her a deacon of the church, it’s describing the fact that she serves the church. 

Now of course we could go off into lengthy arguments on this point, but we are going to avoid that and I’ll just give you the basic facts which I think you’ll find very helpful to understand.

Firstly, in verse 11 we read in the NIV “In the same way, their wives^ are to be women worthy of respect…”

Notice that that when Paul begins to address deacons in verse 8, he does it in exactly the same way.  The NIV has phrased it a little differently to make it more readable, but in the original Greek the words are identical except the word for deacon and the word for wives, which is simply the word for women.

So just as Paul transitioned from Elders to Male Deacons by saying they need to be of the same character, he now transitions from Male Deacons to women to say they also need to be of the same character.  The question is, are those women he is referring to the wives of the male deacons or are they female deacons (often called deaconesses)?

I believe this passage is talking about female deacons, and here’s a quick summary of why:

·         It’s the same transition between office bearers as was used in verse 8

·         There’s no grammatical reason to assume that women here must be wives as opposed to the more general use of the word to mean women of any age.

·         It seems very strange for the wives of deacons to be addressed when the wives of Elders have not.  Even the comment about not being malicious talkers is far more appropriate to wives of men who have pastoral oversight than it is for wives of men entrusted to particular tasks!

·         There is no biblical reason for a woman to be excluded from a position as deacon unless you wrongly apply the principle of 1 Timothy 2:12 about women having authority over a man which we have discussed at other times.  This passage talks about the presiding role of Elders in the assembled congregation, not the entire scope of church life.  To incorrectly interpret this passage as referring to every aspect of church life is to basically restrict women’s service to their own homes.

·         There are many passages which describe the valuable work done by women in the church, particularly in Romans 16 where 9 of the 26 persons greeted by name were women who are frequently identified as working hard in the Lord.  At the beginning of the chapter Paul commends Phoebe as a deacon of the church in Cenchrea and asks them to support her in her work.  It is hard to imagine women like these working hard but never being given formal responsibility or recognition.

·         We know from church history that deaconesses played very active roles in the life of the Church for several centuries.  There are numerous manuscripts that refer to female deacons, including a letter sent by a Roman governor name Pliny (the Younger) to Emperor Trajan, as he described how he had dealt with people accused of being Christians.  He wrote: “I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses” (Letters 10.96-97).  This letter was written between 113 and 115 AD.  There are many records of the roles played by deaconesses in the church, but as the church grew more powerful as an institution, and as positions within the church became positions of influence, prestige and even wealth, women tended to be squeezed out of recognized positions as men took control.  Positions became more about authority and power than service and sacrifice.  Thus, while it was apparently a very normal thing for women in the early church to be closely involved with Apostles like Paul as co-workers with them, over time the church became authoritarian and male dominated, distorting the principle of male leadership into male dominance.  Unfortunately, some of our churches today are more influenced by the practices and ways of understanding the Bible that developed after 500 years than we are by the practices and understandings of the original church and those who wrote the Bible under the inspiration of God.

Again, when Female Deacons are described in these verses we see the same sorts of characteristics listed, but with some minor variations.  In this case, the qualification of “not malicious talkers”.  This literally means “not slanderers” or “not accusers”.  The Greek word is diabolos from which we get the word “Devil”.  It is a description of Satan.  He is an accuser, a slanderer.  He slandered God to Adam and Eve (Gen 3), He slandered Job to God (Job 1), He accuses the saints day and night before God (Rev 12:10).

In contrast, even God’s holy angels don’t bring accusations against Satan or his angels (2 Peter 2:11)!

Being a person who is an accuser of others is not godly, it is satanic!  This isn’t an issue just for deaconesses, it’s an issue for everyone.  This doesn’t mean we should not confront evil – we should!  It means that we shouldn’t be people who talk about others in a destructive, accusatory way.  We should love others as God does, not be malicious toward them like our enemy the devil is.

Malicious talk happens when churches divide into camps – different people with different loyalties and different agendas.  There is only one camp in the church of God, and one master over the house of God.  There is no place for malicious talk.  That doesn’t mean that we just squash down our feelings when we are feeling angsty about something or someone.  It means that we deal with those feelings the right way not the wrong way.  We need to help each other with that.

The last thing this passage addresses that we haven’t already dealt with in our other studies is the issue of excellent standing mentioned in verse 13.

Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus

There’s a very simple yet profound principle being described here.  This has nothing to do with a person’s assurance of salvation.  It has nothing to do with our position in Christ.  In Christ we have been given the full measure of God’s grace, and there is nothing we can do to earn any more of God’s love than we have already been given.

The standing that is talked about here is rather the position of being well respected and appreciated by those you serve and who observe the way you conduct yourself, and also refers to the favour you find in the Lord’s eyes as a faithful servant who will be justly and generously rewarded (1 Cor. 3).  There is also a sense in which deacons who serve faithfully in their specific tasks show themselves of good character to be entrusted with a role of general oversight as Elders.  This is not a promotion as the world sees it, but rather an opportunity to take on even greater responsibility in service.  The church does not need or want Elders who will lord it over others and use their position for their own benefit, therefore it is well advised to seek out men with a proven track record of faithful service rather than self-promotion.

As well as gaining an excellent standing, those who serve well gain “great assurance in their faith”.  This is not talking about a greater certainty of salvation, but rather a greater boldness and confidence in living out and expressing their faith.

Many of the tasks that we take on in serving God and His Church are nerve-wracking or daunting to us at the start!  However as we step out in faith and obedience we find that God enables us to do what He has called us to do.  There is a confidence that grows in a person who has experienced that.  The longer we serve in any particular task, the greater the confidence we have in doing it.

People of various ages have often remarked about how comfortable I seem to be in front of a group of people.  The truth is that I don’t always feel that confident, yet I take on public tasks boldly because it is one of the things that God has called me to do.  Early on in my journey, this was a much more terrifying thing for me to do than it is today, because I am further along in my journey of service.  Christians should never hold themselves back from service, because if they do they will not only disobey their Master and leave His work undone, but they will stop themselves from growing in confidence and usefulness to God and His Kingdom.

Deacons who serve well are noticed by God and by others, and they grow in their own confidence in allowing their faith to make a real difference in the Kingdom of God.  What a privileged opportunity.

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^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (1 Ti 3:11). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Sermon -Leadership in the Church pt 6 - The Ministry of Deacons

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As we move on to examine the role of deacons, we look at the commonly used words for "servant" or "service" in the New Testament to ask why one in particular (diakonos) was used as a title for this office within the church. Exploring these words gives us a greater understanding of how we should all be serving God and one another, as well as highlighting the particular role of deacons.

Leadership in the Church pt 6

The Ministry of Deacons

29/11/09

Recap

As we have looked at the topic of leadership in the Church we have spent the last 4 weeks exploring the role of Elders and the qualifications that are necessary for those who would serve God and His people in that noble task.  If we want our church to be blessed by God we need to make sure that we have the right people in leadership and that we are clear on what that role requires of them and also what it requires of the congregation. 

Today we will move on to explore the ministry of Deacons and the sort of people they are to be.

If you were here for our first session you will remember the basic difference between Elders and Deacons.  Elders are responsible for the general oversight of the church – they…

·         guard their own lives and the lives of the flock

·         care for the needs of the flock

·         lead the flock

Deacons, on the other hand are given a specific responsibility in serving the church and are delegated the authority necessary to carry out that responsibility.  We are going to clarify this a little more this morning as we go through our study of God’s Word together.

Opening Prayer

Why “Deacon”?

Remember the word “Deacon” simply means “servant”.  However there are a number of words in the Greek language that all convey the idea of a servant, and each has a unique slant which is worth exploring.

We’re going to spend a bit of time getting familiar with some of these words today, not just so that we can understand the role of Deacons better, but so that we can all have a mature understanding of what the Bible means when it talks about each of us as servants.  I believe that we’ll be quite challenged as we wrestle with the issue of servanthood today in this broader context.

1.  doulos /doo·los/]

Means a bonded servant or slave.  This person belongs to the one they serve.  This is true for all Christians.  It emphasises the loyalty we have to our master.  The Bible warns us that we can be slaves to sin (eg: John 8:34), but rather we are to be slaves of God which leads to a life of righteousness (Rom. 6:22) and brings with it the gift of eternal life (Rom. 6:22).

It is significant that one of the key passages which describes the free gift of salvation through Jesus also highlights the fact that it involves becoming a slave of God instead of a slave to sin.  So often people try to use God as a vending machine to try and get what they want, as though He were their servant, not the other way around!  We want to go to a better place when we die.  We want comfort, protection, meaning and so on, and we think that we have a right to demand these things from God.  That is not reality!

The reality is that God is incredibly gracious and generous, and desires to bless us because He loves us.  But He is God and we are not!  He created us and He redeemed us.  We belong to Him and He may do as He wishes with us.

Thanks be to God that His will is always “good, pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2), even if it doesn’t always make sense to us in the short term.

To be a slave of God requires two things in particular: submission and trust.  Submission says that I will come under His rule and do whatever He says, regardless of what I want or what I think is best.  Trust says that as I do this I know that He will always prove that His wisdom is true wisdom and His love always prevails. 

Are you living as a slave of God right now?

Here’s something even scarier!

Jesus said that greatness in God’s Kingdom is to make yourself a “slave to all” (Mk 10:44)!  In 1 Corinthians 9:19 the Apostle Paul is describing the fact that he has paid his own way in ministry and is not obligated to anyone, but then he says that he chooses to consider himself a slave to everyone!  He puts his own needs, desires and freedoms as a lesser priority than the needs, desires and freedoms of others.  He is completely committed to others above himself.  He does this because he wants to be a minister of the gospel, and he does not want anything to get in the way of that. 

Is that your attitude?  Are you committed to others above yourself?  Do you long to get together with other Christians so that you might encourage them and build them up in their faith?  Do you long to get together with unbelievers so that you might shine the light of Christ?  Or are there other reasons that you want to be with people, or other reasons that keep you away from people?

Are you a slave of God and of others?

This is what God’s Word commands for us.

2. huperetes /hoop·ay·ret·ace/

This literally means an “under-rower”, such as in a galley ship.  The rowers were in subordination to the officer who would beat out the time on his drum and would also lead in singing a tune to keep time to.  It was essential for the smooth sailing of the ship that all the rowers rowed to the same rhythm.  They must follow orders completely and pay attention to the will of their superior.  This word is used when the writer wants to emphasise the subordinate position of the servant.

The Apostle Paul applies this word to himself even as he is defending his Apostolic authority in 1 Corinthians 4:1 when he says: “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God”^[1]

So even though he has been entrusted with great responsibility and authority, Paul refers to himself as just another one of the rowers who are listening to the same leader – Jesus Christ.  This is the attitude of humble, servant leadership that we have talked about as an essential characteristic of Elders in previous studies. 

To see ourselves in the same way is to view ourselves with humility.  It is to consider ourselves to be part of the crew, not the one steering the ship!  It is to seek the wisdom of God and not our own, and to work hard at putting it into practice in partnership with others.

3. oiketes /oy·ket·ace/

Refers to a household slave.  They live and serve in their Master’s house.  Again, this is true for all Christians – we are part of God’s household!  Paul uses this word in Romans 14 when he says: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.”

Paul is giving a reminder here to people that there is one Master over the house of God – Jesus Christ, and that we are each responsible to Him for our service within that household.  Instead of fighting and criticising others we should be mindful of our own service.

It follows very naturally from the first two ideas: we belong to Christ and we listen to His voice, however it emphasises our sense of belonging – we are part of His household, His family.  That’s a very privileged position to be in.

In Luke 16 we read Jesus using this word when He says that “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Lk 16:13). 

Imagine two competing households – a bit like the Montague’s and Capulet’s in “Romeo and Juliet”.  The servants in each house despise the other house.  Loyalty for one produces enmity toward the other.  In this case, Jesus says that’s how it is with God and money.  Of course, he’s talking about greed or a love of money here.  A love of money is directly opposed to the love of God.  You cannot serve both.

In your attitude towards sin – whether it’s greed or any other sin – is it clear whose house you belong to?  Do you oppose what your Master opposes, and do you love what He loves? 

4. latreuo /lat·ryoo·o/

This word describes service as an act of worship.  Worship and service go together, as Jesus quoted to Satan during His temptation in the wilderness.  In Matthew 4:10 Jesus says: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”

The word “latreuo” is used to describe the acts of service that come from a heart which worships God.  In Romans 9 Paul uses the same word to describe the worship offered by Jews at the temple as service to God.  Later in chapter 9 the same word is again used to describe our reasonable act of service, which is to offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices.

This word emphasises the fact that we will always serve what it is that we worship.  That’s why we cannot claim to worship God if we continue to live selfishly and sinfully.  Our lifestyle shows that our claim to worship God is in fact false, because we are serving our own sinful desires rather than doing the will of God.  It doesn’t matter how loudly we sing, dance, speak or anything else on Sunday if we’re not serving God every day.

And finally we come to…

5. diakonos /dee·ak·on·os/

God in His perfect wisdom did not choose any of the previous words to describe this particular office in the Church.  He chose another commonly used word, which applies to all Christians just as each of the previous ones do.  He chose that word to help Christians in New Testament times as well as today to grasp what this office in the Church is for.

The word “diakonos” is usually translated as “servant” or “deacon”.  It’s a very interesting word in that it’s had two common uses in New Testament times.

The first was to describe someone who has been given a task to perform.  This is a person who serves a master by carrying out the task entrusted to them – carrying a message or performing some task on behalf of their master or employer.

The second common use was to describe a waiter – someone who ministered to the needs of others.  Martha did this for Jesus and His companions.

Both of these things are to be true of believers.  We represent Christ in carrying His message and doing good deeds in His name.  We are also to minister to the needs of others just as though it were Christ we were serving, as Matthew 25 among many other passages points out very clearly.

Both of these meanings also describe what is involved in the office of deacon.

Deacons are given specific tasks to perform by the Church.  In Acts chapter 6 we read of how 7 men were given authority both by the church as a whole and by the Apostles to carry out the task of distributing food to the needy.  They represented the Church as a whole.  They were given authority to carry out the task by the Apostles, who laid hands on them and commissioned them for service.  They ministered to the widows among the congregation who were in need of food.  They were commissioned for a specific task.

We need to be careful about falling for a common misunderstanding when it comes to the role of deacons.  It is commonly said that Elders look after “spiritual” ministry while Deacons look after “practical” ministries.  Elders pray, teach, encourage and discipline while Deacons pay bills, repair buildings, set budgets and so on.

While there is an element of truth in that, there is also a dangerous error.  All Christian ministry is spiritual ministry.  That’s why the qualifications for Deacons are almost identical to those for Elders.  Also, the oversight of Elders applies to the whole life of the church, including practical matters of administration.  They entrust particular responsibilities to particular people, but their responsibility for oversight is not diminished.  I have seen situations where a Deacons board has allocated finances and made decisions about resources that completely disagreed with the priorities that the Elders had determined.  In truth, there were two leadership groups and they didn’t always go in the same direction!

In our church we have a group of deacons who are commissioned to carry out a number of responsibilities.  They meet together with the Elders once a month, and carry out their individual duties in between those meetings.

We have an action plan that lists the specific tasks that have been taken on by each person and we review that when we get together.  Depending on what needs doing, an Elder may be the best person to take on the job, but care must be taken that Elders are not distracted from their general role of caring for the flock by getting caught up in tasks that can be entrusted to others.

As I mentioned earlier in our series, there are recognised ministry tasks which the church has entrusted to people in our congregation without giving them the title of “Deacon”.  We have people who have been entrusted with choosing songs for us to sing, running Kids Club or Youth Group, overseeing our Ladies Ministry or Missions support, teaching Scripture and so on.  Each of these responsibilities fits with the New Testament use of the word “diakonos”.  Whether we call them deacons or not, what matters is that we treat them as such.

We need to make sure that we are equally careful to make sure that only qualified people are appointed to these roles, and that there is appropriate recognition of people who are working hard in and for our church (See Romans 16:1-16 to see how Paul recognised such people).  We also need to make sure they are receiving proper oversight and support from the Elders, just like the Deacons receive.

It is very easy for the church to become a kingdom of kingdoms, with different people who are in charge of their own areas and don’t like any interference from anyone else.  However the responsibility of Elders is to make sure that every part of the church is operating in accordance with God’s Word and that every member is being helped to grow in the maturity of their faith and service.  Sometimes people don’t want that, they want to be left alone to do things their own way!

It is dangerous when Elders meddle in every part of the church just because they want everything to happen the way they like it - where Elders are on a power trip!  However Elders who exhibit the sort of characteristics that we have discussed over recent weeks will not fall into that trap.

A deacon (both by title and by function) – is someone who is entrusted with a task and therefore is accountable in how they carry it out.  A deacon is someone who serves the needs of others.

Reflection Questions:

1. Am I living up to what these words describe?  What things is God challenging me about from His Word?

2. Does my understanding of the role of deacons fit with what the Bible teaches?

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^[1]All Scriptures from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Article - Getting Ready for Christmas

Getting Ready for Christmas

It’s almost December, which means many people will be starting to open little windows on their Advent Calendars to count down toward Christmas.  Two weekends ago we were at Whitford City shopping centre where thousands upon thousands of people were trying to get ready – buying presents, decorations and stocking up on food and drink before the last-minute rush.  Phone lines run hot as people arrange the schedule of who-visits-who and when it happens so as not to conflict with the in-laws and the work do’s etc.

The first Christmas was also during a busy time, and the arrival of the Saviour might have gone completely unnoticed had God not sent His angels to stir up some shepherds who sought Him out and then went to spread the word.  Some of us run sheep on our farms, but I wonder if we will be shepherds like these ones this Christmas?  Will we listen afresh to the good news and seek out Jesus during this busy season?  Will we make sure others hear that good news through us?

So don’t focus on getting ready for a busy – or a relaxed – Christmas.  Focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spreading the word!

Leadership in the Church pt 5

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This message wraps up the list of qualifications for Elders by looking at what it means for Elders to be "not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money, must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect and must not be a recent convert." We play particular attention to the issues of the use or abuse of alcohol and the question of whether an Elder should be evaluated by the faith of his children in addition to their conduct and attitude.

Leadership in the Church pt 5

The Qualifications of Elders 3

22/11/09

Recap

So far in our studies we have determined the first 6 qualifications necessary of Elders:

1.      An Elder must be a man

2.      An Elder must be above reproach

3.      An Elder must be faithful to his wife if he is married

4.      An Elder must be temperate, self-controlled, respectable

5.      An Elder must be hospitable

6.      An Elder must be able to teach

It’s taken us two weeks to do these first 6, which means we’re halfway there!  We’re going to attempt to finish the last 6 all in one session, so let’s get started!

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer,^ he desires a noble task. ^2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

…now for the next group…

^

^3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ^4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. ^5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ^6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. ^7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. ^[1]

Adding Detail to the Big Picture

If you remember our discussion on the first qualifications, you will remember that the first two qualifications really cover everything – An Elder must be a man (this is God’s sovereign choice and not a matter of gender superiority) who is above reproach (not perfect but someone who sets a good example even in how they deal with their sins).

If you look at the rest of the qualifications, they all describe specific ways in which the Elder applies himself to be a man who is above reproach –whether that’s as a husband, father, community member or whatever.

You will also notice as we go through today that our fourth qualification: being temperate, self-controlled and respectable is also described in more detail by these later qualifications.

Let’s deal with them one by one:

7.      An Elder must be not given to drunkenness

This is one example of what it means to be temperate – to be clear-minded and not under the control of any substances, desires or influences other than the Holy Spirit of God.

A person who is given to drunkenness cannot see clearly to act wisely - to discern God’s will and follow His ways.  They will say and do things that will damage themselves and others and dishonour God.

I love this community very much and have great respect for it’s strengths, but I think we all realise that perhaps it’s greatest weakness is the attitude that most of it’s members have toward alcohol abuse.  I am astounded again and again at the attitude of toleration and even admiration for alcohol-fuelled stupidity that I see reflected in comments, attitudes and behaviours of even very respectable, intelligent and prominent community members.

This week Police Commissioners from across Australia and New Zealand have been meeting in Perth, and one of the outcomes of that has been a decision to have an intensive blitz in December against alcohol-fuelled violence. 

W.A. Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said:
"We as police commissioners are sick and tired of alcohol-fuelled violence, we want to do something about it, we want to make a national statement about it”  He went on to say “This is not of course the answer, in the longer term of course we have to work a bit further upstream and stop this alcohol binge drinking related violence we're seeing."[2]

In a report for Australian Government last year, researchers calculated alcohol abuse in Australia to cost our economy in excess of 10 billion dollars.  This includes healthcare costs of approximately $2b, road accident costs of over $2b and criminal activity costs of over $1.4b.[3]

The economic cost is one thing, but the real issue is the effect on people’s lives.  You and I know people whose lives have been cut short or irreparably damaged because of alcohol abuse.  It’s an immeasurable tragedy.

Churches and the community in general need people that they look up to who demonstrate a proper attitude toward alcohol.  We certainly cannot afford leaders who are part of this massive problem!  We cannot afford leaders who have their judgement and behaviour impaired and reputation damaged by being given to drunkenness.

Over the years that I have been in Narembeen I’ve shared a beer or a glass of wine with people in a number of different situations.  My own personal rule, as well as obviously avoiding going anywhere near drunkenness, has been to not drink any alcohol in an environment where some people might be taking it too far.  I want to make sure no-one mistakenly puts me in the same basket as people who are getting drunk, and I also want to make a very clear distinction in my behaviour.  I have also been very public in my comments about drunkenness, sometimes causing offense by my disapproval.

Some people here are very similar to myself, others choose not to consume alcohol at all.  Some people who have been a part of this church have regularly consumed alcohol privately but not publicly.  Some have been happy to consume alcohol publicly but not in church-run events or events hosted on church property.

To his or her own master each person stands or falls (Romans 14:4), but when it comes to who we should choose as an Elder, the Biblical qualification is clear: he must not be given to drunkenness.  Be careful about applying your own convictions to anyone else.  I understand that some people would like to apply their own common sense or personal preferences in addition to what the Bible says, but that is actually incredibly dangerous for a number of reasons.

If you have a group of leaders – as we do at the moment – who are committed to the Bible but who differ in some areas of practice such as this one, then you will have a church that follows the Bible as it’s rule and encourages freedom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit within the boundaries of clear biblical teaching.  You will have a church that lives up to our motto in Churches of Christ: “In essentials, unity.  In non-essentials, liberty.  In all things, love.” (This saying is from Augustine in the 4^th century, we just claimed it as a motto!).

However if you choose leaders based on agreement on non-essential things, your church will end up being defined by those things.  You might think that is a good thing, but it actually kills freedom, enforces conformity instead of acceptance and produces an attitude of legalism which then in turn produces exasperation and rebellion.  If you don’t believe me just talk to each other for a while and you will discover that this has in fact been your experience on occasion!

8.      An Elder must not be violent but gentle, not quarrelsome

Who normally rises to positions of power and prominence?  Usually it is the people who pursue it the hardest – people who know what they want and don’t let anyone or anything get in their way.  Not so with leadership in the Church.  Leadership is about service and sacrifice motivated by love for God and others, not selfish ambition.  As James writes about in his letter, quarrels and fighting come from competing selfish desires.  People are prepared to do anything in order to get what they want (James 4:1).  When people do not get what they want they become angry and resort to verbal or physical violence.

An Elder must not be a bully.  He must not attempt to push people around.  He must not be in any way abusive toward others.  Rather he must be gentle in manner.  Even when he must correct and rebuke he must do it with gentleness.  Gentleness is proof of a heart motivated by love and not selfishness. 

Closely related to the negative trait of violence is that of being quarrelsome.

We discussed this when we looked at the requirement of being able to teach in our last session.  A quarrelsome person loves to argue and they love to win!  Their pride causes them to esteem their own opinions and dismiss the opinions of others.  A quarrelsome person is not a learner.  They have no interest in being taught, only in being right.

An Elder on the other hand faithfully teaches, corrects, rebukes and encourages without getting caught up in endless arguments that lead nowhere and produce no good fruit.  An Elder does not let his ego or his desires get in the way of sticking to the Bible and seeking God’s glory.

In the parallel passage in Titus 1 we read that Elders must not be overbearing or quick-tempered, again reinforcing the gentleness and patience required of an Elder.

9.      An Elder must not be a lover of money 

In Titus 1:7 this is described as “not pursuing dishonest gain”. 

It is very possible to be so desperate for money that you compromise your values in order to obtain it or keep it.  It is possible to be so desperate for money that you omit to report accurately on your tax return, or pay back what you owe, or cheat your customers, or steal from others.

Jesus said “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt 6:24, Lk 16:13).

It is said that money is a great tool but a terrible master.  Jesus isn’t focussing on money itself here, but on everything that it can provide.  Money can buy friends.  It can buy power.  It can buy respect.  It can buy comforts and pleasures.  It can buy beauty.  It can buy sex.  It can provide security.  It can provide freedom.  It can boost our self-esteem.  It can buy most things that we selfishly desire.

A godly person is content with what they have and trusts God for what they need (eg. Heb 13:5).  An Elder must be an example of this.  If an Elder is desperate for what money can provide, there is a danger that he will use his position for financial gain (see 1 Peter 5:2) or else he will use his position to gain some of those things that he desires more than he desires to please God.

10.  He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect 

Again, this qualification touches on gender roles.  We won’t go too deeply into that subject as it is a big one, but we believe that God has established husbands and fathers as leaders of their households.  The bible is not just reflecting what was going on at the time it was written, it is actually communicating to us God’s design for families.  It is tragic that this leadership role has been terribly abused by men in their sinfulness over the centuries.  It is also tragic when a wife and mother does not follow God’s design for her role as intimate companion and helpmate.

However in this passage we are only dealing with the qualifications necessary for men aspiring to the role of Elder.  Since an Elder is entrusted with being a leader in the church of God, he should be a man who has first demonstrated integrity and maturity in his leadership of his own household. 

Now the word translated as “family” here in the NIV is simply the word for “house” and is also used for those who dwell in it.  In some cases this might also include servants or even slaves in the case of wealthy converts to Christianity.  It is helpful to recognise this fact, as sometimes people have asked about how long a man is accountable for the behaviour of his children.  The simple answer is that as long as the children reside in his house, a father is responsible to ensure that his children obey him (and their mother) with proper respect.  That’s a big challenge!  Anyone who has been a parent knows that it is one thing to get obedience, but obedience with respect is another matter altogether!

It doesn’t come about by trying to force it onto a child.  It doesn’t happen under a rule of iron.  That only produces fear and resentment, even if they are savvy enough not to let it show.

It comes about when fathers nurture and care for their children as well as providing the necessary discipline.

An Elder should be a man who has the respect of his children.  He should be someone who has selflessly cared for them in the same way an Elder cares for the congregation.

This qualification is quite straightforward until we turn to our parallel passage in Titus!

In Titus 1:6 we read that an Elder must be “a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.”

The part about being wild and disobedient echoes what Paul instructed Timothy, but he appears to add an extra qualification to Titus that he did not mention to Timothy – that his children must believe.

I have seen many different interpretations of this verse, and many different ways of applying it to Elders, so over the last month I have done a lot of study on this one verse in the light of the rest of Scripture.

The issue stems from the Greek word used in Titus 1:6 – pistos.  It usually means someone who is faithful, who can be trusted.  It can also mean someone who has faith, someone who trusts.  The NIV and many other translations have opted for the latter meaning, however the KJV and NKJV translations among some others have opted for “faithful children” or similar wording.

Scholars who argue that Paul is saying that an Elder’s children must be believers tend to emphasise that if a man is to be entrusted with building the faith of a congregation he must have proven successful in nurturing and establishing faith in his children.  Many would say that this requirement ends with a child coming to an age of responsibility and/or leaving home.  At such a time they must make their own choice about whether to continue in their faith or not.

This raises some massive theological issues.  Of course an Elder should be a person who has nurtured faith in their children.  However the Bible teaches that none of us can produce faith in our children or in anyone else.  Personally, I find that a very disturbing truth!  I have often stood over the beds or cot that my children are sleeping in and realised just how powerless I am to determine their future, all I can do is entrust them to God and do my best to nurture them and be an example for them.  I can expect them to adhere to the standards of our home while they reside in it, but I cannot require them to share my faith, it just doesn’t work that way.

Another key issue is that it would be very strange for Paul to write something to Titus which is so different to what he wrote to Timothy.  If he is saying that children must be faithful, that fits very easily with what he commanded Timothy – a child who is faithful is obedient and respectful.  He or she can be counted on to do what the father has entrusted to him or her and to be the sort of person that he or she has been raised to be.  However to insist upon the child believing in Christ for salvation is to presume upon both the sovereignty of God and the free will of the child, to say that the child’s salvation can instead be determined by the father if that father is of sufficient maturity and character.  I don’t believe the Bible as a whole supports that view.

11.  An Elder must not be a recent convert

Remember an Elder is someone of spiritual maturity who can be an example and a help to others in following Jesus.  If we were to appoint recent converts to the position, it would create the false idea that some people are natural spiritual leaders!  That sentence doesn’t make sense and neither does the idea of appointing new believers to the role of Elder.  Yes, we can all learn from new believers.  Yes, we can all benefit from them and what God does through them.  But you do not become spiritually mature overnight!  It takes years of faithfully following God through all the experiences of life.  It takes years of studying the Bible to get a firm foundation in the truth.

Paul warns that there is a danger that a new believer appointed to the role of Elder “may become conceited and fall into the same judgement as the devil” (v6).  This is precisely because the church has esteemed them in their natural selves before they have had a chance to be transformed in character, motivation and behaviour by the consistent working of God’s Spirit, Word and People.  They may be successful in business, have a winning personality or natural leadership skill, but none of these things are qualifications for spiritual leadership.

The devil’s pride fuelled selfish ambition – he wanted to be exalted over God.  When we celebrate a person’s natural abilities and achievements instead of the affirming the spiritual transformation worked by God, we make it very difficult for them to not become proud.  They begin to believe that they know best.  They look down on others.  They rely on their own wisdom instead of seeking God’s.  The result is catastrophic for them and for the church.

We need to nurture and support new believers.  Not stifle them in order to keep the status quo, but neither rush them into positions they are not yet ready for.

12.  An Elder must also have a good reputation with outsiders

Verse 7 tells us that “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

Now remember that the devil is proud.  He wants to be exalted over God, and so he does everything he can to darken people’s minds to the reality of the glory of God.  He does not want anyone to be saved and to worship God, rather he is glorified when people do the things that are contrary to God’s character.

When it comes to his agenda against the Church, Satan wants to bring God down in the minds of Christians so that they live for themselves instead of God, dishonouring God through their disobedience.

He also wants to make sure that this is witnessed by unbelievers, so that instead of seeing our good deeds and praising our Father who is in heaven (Matt 5:16, 1 Peter 2:12), they see things in our lives which cause them to dismiss our beliefs and our Saviour.

As leaders and public representatives of the church, Elders are very much in Satan’s sights.  He gets great value from leaders who fall into disgrace.  I remember being at school as a teenager and other kids would make comments about some of the scandals that were going on with famous T.V. preachers at that time.  I was so ashamed and frustrated by that – imagine how God must feel when his representatives are shoddy in how they represent him.  That goes for all of us, but especially our leaders.

As part of that I would remind you of the importance of praying for your leaders.  They need the grace of God to stand firm against temptation, because our enemy will do all he can to frustrate their work for God and ruin their reputation and that of the Church so that he might ruin the reputation of God in the minds of people.  As we’ve discussed earlier, this goes for his whole family as well.

Conclusion

REMEMBER: These are qualities for all of us to aspire to, but they are essential qualities for leaders to possess.

As you look at this list I trust that God will point out to you some things that He wants to address in your own journey of following Jesus.

As we look toward appointing Elders I trust that God will point out to you the people that are well advanced in their journey of following Jesus, whose lives are marked by these qualities and who will make faithful and effective leaders for our congregation.

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^[1]All Scriptures from The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

[2] Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/19/2747303.htm

[3] “The avoidable costs of alcohol abuse in Australia and the potential benefits of effective policies to reduce the social costs of alcohol” Publications Number: P3-4246 © Commonwealth of Australia 2008