Elders (Part 2 of 3)

The when leaders get headed in the wrong direction. Everyone else tends to follow so how churches avoid going astray when all begins by making sure that the people in leadership have the essential characteristics necessary for church ministry today on Truth for Life. Alister reg teaches from Titus chapter 1 verses five through if you read through the acts of the apostles, you will see that very quickly elders one being put in place in the church and as you read through Paul in his missionary journeys you find that he is not only going first of all to evangelize.

But in many cases he is coming back in order to make sure that those who have now professed faith in Jesus. These fledgling groups of individuals will then be galvanized and structured within the framework of leadership as God intends and you can read that for your benefit. All the way through. Let's go immediately to the way in which he addresses the characteristics of these individuals. If anyone is above reproach. In verse six and then verse seven again for is a no for an overseer, as God's steward must be above reproach. So we could use the word unimpeachable. Blameless above reproach. But we dare not use the word faultless or flawless. Because if that was what it meant. Then there wouldn't be any elders are tall know we have to understand what the Bible is saying and why it's saying what it's saying what I mean by that is this if you theory down on. For example, this notion of the husband of one wife, and you approach that in a wooden way to say it categorically means the husband of one wife. Now you have to say. While no single person can ever be an elder because he doesn't have one wife. No man whose wife has died, leaving him a widower and who is remarried can ever possibly be an elder in a local charge because he has more than one way. When you start on that line you very quickly, save yourself. I wonder if that is what Paul is on about here is that what he's actually guarding against. If you think about creaked for a moment if you think about the contemporary world that the most basic level, what was he said no polygamists must serve as elders in the church.

Polygamy was part and parcel of the social structure people in one, two and three. Wife's and he says now when you put your leadership together make sure that we get this absolutely clear in our minds with the person that is serving this way must not be guilty of that.

So if you stand far enough back from you soon Ashley saying needs to be true of leadership in the church in terms of marriage.

He's to be a one woman man is a one woman is to be a man who in the area in the area of marriage and in sexuality is unimpeachable and to violate that obvious application brings with it all kinds of ramifications not only we understand buying from it one iota. Very challenging is supposed to be and when you stand back from it.

In relationship to parental jurisdiction.

What is he saying is he saying that anyone that serves as an elder can of naughty kids is he saying that anyone who serves as an elder must never have children who go through a rebellious phase.

Someone may say that's exactly what he say when I think about my father would have been excluded from eldership through the majority of his life dealing with me and he was effective in leadership and throughout all of my life but I was routinely thrown out of things Bible classes and all manner of things that would reflect directly on them. I'm sure have to come and pick me up.

Did you send out again. Yes, I did.

You are such a pain in the neck. I know I got I'm sorry only send out next week and I didn't, but sometimes a week after that I send out again know again if you stand in front of my friend was. He said he says that people are in leadership to leave the family of God. Their families need to be under some kind of control do not actually filled full insubordinate nonsense people who are rebellious and cantankerous and tearing the place apart.

Now, the degree to which we want to micromanage that families and the extent of that timeframe that extends to that also varies in people's minds. So is there a difference between parents who have raised their children nurture them in the faith and whose child now has turned their back on what perhaps the ones professed and no longer believes they may be. 22 they might be 24 they might be 35 is what Paul is saying here this individual now is absolutely disqualified from eldership in the church organist.

We work these things out.

We have to figure them out going to apply but understand, I was speaking with a man yesterday he's in his 90s talk about the fact that one of his children, his oldest turned 60 tomorrow. The great sadness of his life, is that this one boy. Unlike the rest of his children professes no faith in the Lord Jesus raised in the same home read to from the same Bible, the recipient of the same prayers. I kind a clever man but not a believing I have to save yourself. Is that what Paul is Ashley saying here that Mr. X may exercise no leadership in the local church because that one boy is there.

I don't believes your sensible people. You have to figure it out.

I why's it so important.

Why's it so important well because of the what he says in the beginning of verse 749 overseer, as God's steward must be above reproach. This is not some kind of arbitrary standard that is just invented by Paul. Paul is saying that if leadership in the local church is going to be effective. We have a right to believe that if someone doesn't know how to manage their own household. How are they then going to become a steward of God's house.

That's what investor with a friend.

They the terminology there as God's steward is that he's a household manager is Downton Abbey again is that the bigger the bagel guy.

These ease the manager of the house. Are you going to make in the manager of the household doesn't mean that he moved from perfection in one realm to the perfection and the other, but it does mean that when people look at it they say well there's a justifiable correlation that Mr. X might be able to fulfill this role because surely marriage and family life, marriage and family life.

Provide the most probing analysis of a man's character or maybe other areas are sure there are other areas but what I am in my house when I am with my children in respect of whatever the public persona is in the privacy of my bedroom in the security of my family that realm is the foundation for this and clearly neither.

I nor any of my colleagues is working from the position of perfection of lawlessness when you don't need me to tell you that is a joke in our family now but is actually not a joke. The reason it's funny is because it's things so much when our children were altogether writing along the back of a car and volunteering bits and pieces of information along the way. Every so often I would go off on one of my verbal voyages and and when I had finished my old diatribe in the silence it would follow. Then in my son's voice would be heard in the backseat.

They just always used to say that same thing. And that's another kind word from your pastor absolutely is absolute flayed me every time he was absolutely right. I said that was the outline completely out of line, but that's the accountability concerning which were talking.

Why would somebody be trusted with the task of managing the church if they are glaringly unsuccessful in managing their own home this evening about standing far enough back from the danger you see in these lists and I've got all the lists and everybody's list on the lists on the sublists of the list and everything else about how someone is being divorced, you know 85 years ago can still never be a leader in the church and and I have all that stuff and I prepared interact with it all. But if you stand far enough back from you. What is he saying say something really simple marriage and parenting is a testing ground for real leadership. It probed your character if you messed up there. Just don't take it on in the church is you even more vulnerable in the church than you are in the privacy of your own home know what, then follows our characteristics five muscle knots and six months.

And when you look at this list for an overseer, as God's steward must be above reproach here comes the first, not the must not must not be arrogant.

The characteristics as a whole make it perfectly clear that the real need on the part of a congregation is not the giftedness of those who serve in leadership what is the godliness of those who serve in leadership that the real essential requirement is not a requirement that is often the case in terms of persons giftedness in terms of person status in society in terms of a person's education so will for Mr. gifted Mr. educated Mr. money and on the basis of that since he was doing it out. Probably going to be able to do it in here knows it's all going to that we need to look for is where he is probing into the deep recesses of marriage and family life and that here the characteristics arrogance. Now what are challenges that, especially in and to the millennium later we find ourselves, the generation of I did it my way.

To think I did all may I say, not in a shy way home know will not me now you know that that is that is in the top three songs played at non-Christian funerals in 21st-century America is in the top three of you all sit there and say all how wonderful is that falling on from the arrogance of Nebuchadnezzar is this another great Babylon that I have built arrogance bright Samuel Rutherford who was very effective in his day intelligent useful realized he had to take himself in in hand with this stuff you wrote in his journal be humbled, walk softly down with your topsail. It is a low entry to go in and Heaven's Gate every day in a thousand ways were tempted to make ourselves the center of the universe is why were such a pain in the neck around the family table. That's why the people can tell us stories or volunteer information when were were were having a sandwich break after we been cut down trees in the Metroparks sooner. Somebody says I was going over there the other day. The process of all, yes I was over the other who think and what I did when I was over there. I found this and I found that knife on the next thing so there's just a pause is disease pauses for breath someone else's will.

Yes, as I was saying was usually as bright as I was saying about I said and I and if you are talker and I've been known to talk you realize your topsail is a is. Luther says, the trouble with this is were carved in upon ourselves tempted to believe that what we have to share the information that we possess the most significant thing in this 3 Hour Car Dr. to Detroit and everybody's is decided to come with me in the car so that he might hear everything about me. That's why you know Diaz Mooney said every pastor needs a wife.

If for no other reason than to keep him humble.

That's why you need children that are not in all of you and respect you know you are of warts and flies in the know that you daily have to repent of your sense. It's not easy as because a position of leadership gives you prominence gives you notions of significance and the more that is the case the harder it is to deal with Charles Simeon who exercise a phenomenally effective ministry for what's on 54 years in Cambridge graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, highly influential, wonderfully effective students hanging on his every word, and so on. He received a letter from his good friend John Thornton which reads in part as follows and I'll wrap it up with this Charles watch continually over your own spirit, and do all in love, we must grow downward in humility to soar heavenward, I recommend you having a watchful eye over yourself for generally speaking, as is the minister. So are the people here, and arrogant that Unitarian kids by and large you get a family that sits around and asked and extols its significance will find when those children go out into the community.

They simply represent. That's why love ones. Grace is so important. He makes the sinner sat on the sin saddened by how easy I can take notions of significance to myself and that you see is why if eldership is ever going to work.

It has to work. In other words, in the same way that the wife, sister, husband hey wait a minute, and this is the same way that the leadership has to say to one another.

Hey that's out of line and is not hierarchical is like this. I said I wouldn't tell a story in the sensors but I'll tell it now. In any case because I think it makes the point as as strongly as anything I can give you the course of the elders meeting. I had occasion to point out to one of the elders are where I thought he was largely out of line and I did so with her with a measure of effectiveness. I thought it was well received, either by him or by anybody else in, but I hadn't really regretted it. The next morning I got a telephone call from one of my fellow elders. The elders said you know what you did what you said last night was actually true for the way you said it was wrong. The context in which you did it was wrong. You should've said that one on one to that guy you should have done in front of everybody else. She humiliated him in front of everybody else and they said I want you to phone them up and apologize and I said and once you've done that, I went uniformly back and tell me that you've done.

I told him blow it out your ear and I didn't.

But the reason I could say that I did is because that was my first that was my knee-jerk reaction to it while I held the phone out here leaving I done. I'm this that and and you informed me up and then I realized this is a pivotal moment in your life. This is God's way of teaching you how this thing works. It's a lesson you have to learn and learn and really and in the goodness of God. These are the men who are my fellow elders in this place and just in case you ever wonder if I have a free pass amongst these guys.

The answer is no. I love them. They love me.

We are accountable under God to his word and to one another and you should be glad of, because ultimately every problem in the local church may be traced to defective leadership. May God help us. I hope that Alister's transparent example from his own life helps all of us understand how we can more effectively pray for our pastor listing to Truth for Life Alistair Beggs outlining forest characteristics. We should look for in church elders and keep listening. Alister will be back to close today's program with prayer in just a minute. In addition to praying for your pastor, you might want to make sure your pastor knows about the big six conference it's back this year. Basics 2022 Will Take Pl., May second through the fourth.

This is a conference to equip and encourage pastors and men involved in church leadership and the theme is very simple back to basics.

Alister will be speaking along with guests Tony Marita and John Woodhouse the pure in ministry. You can register online at basics conference.or by the way, Tony, Marita, one of the speakers at the basics conference is also the author of the book we are recommending to you today. The title of the book is love your church eight great things about being a church member. Love your church presents a number of ways you can contribute to the overall well-being of your entire church community.

When you read the book, you'll not only learn more about the importance of church membership, but the chapters on carrying and serving explore how each of us can serve our congregation in ways that might not seem obvious.

For example, Tony Marita writes about how important it is for church members to care for others whom strayed or who have sinned by guiding them back through a process of restoration. This is a role you might not have thought of.

But as Tony points out in the book. It may be a role for which you are well suited the book.

Love, your church explains a number of other similar opportunities that might inspire you to be more fully engaged as a member of your local church community, you can request the book love your church when you give a donation to Truth for Life today you can get through the mobile app or online at truthforlife.org/donate tomorrow is the last day will be featuring this book, so contact us today and while you're online. If you'd like to own all of the messages in this series from the apostle Paul's letter to Titus. It's available to purchase on the USB. The title is get it right and it's available for just five dollars@truthfor.org/store. The series is also available to listen to online or on our mobile app for free. You can download these messages as well at no cost. Now here's Alister with the closing prayer. It would be wrong for us to think that just getting the structure right is the answer because it isn't, you could have a bad structure with Spirit filled people and it would be better than a good structure with people who were not living in obedience to God's word and filled with the Holy Spirit and so we bring ourselves back to the prayer of our hearts, that the spirit of God would fall upon us in leadership and as a church.

So me the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God our father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest upon and remain with us as we seek to follow Christ, obey his word live attractive life's before a crooked and perverse generation may grace, mercy, and peace be our portion today and forevermore about the paean we hope you'll join us tomorrow will hear what the apostle Paul identifies as the five must not and the six months that we should look for when were appointing church elders the Bible teaching of Alister Greg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living