The shepherd also uses the crook to help protect the sheep from a wolf or some other wild animal that might try to harm them. . should be maintained by the community.”[1] Now Paul personally chose, for a number of reasons, not to be supported financially by the churches, and he is not saying that all elders are to be financially supported. Then a second puppy came, then a third, fourth and fifth---which he had not planned for (can’t take care of/feed that many). I think people feel safe (appropriately so) when they know that there is a commitment to address issues without partiality. Jesus set the example by accepting financial support from people during His ministry. If the charges are supported by two or three witnesses, if they refuse to repent when confronted, then the issue must be brought to the entire church. It addresses not only the problem of the bad leaders; it also speaks to how we are to help or encourage those who are doing a good job. Christianity is not just an experiential faith; it is intellectual. I'd never met her, but I thanked God for her and I told her that. All elders are to lead the church and spiritually influence people, and the means by which they do this is their lives. 1 2 We know through the Apostle Paul you said we can't come unworthily to this table or we'll bring judgment on ourselves and so Lord we will be pure, we will be cleansed. Sins in private, sins in the family, sins in the quiet place, sins in the busy place. One of the reasons we are trying to develop a culture of leadership development at College Park is because we believe that it is important to the health of the church to appoint people to ministry leadership that we know really well. Sins of hoarding our substance, squandering our substance. You need accountability. As we approach a number of passages in this book, I know that many of you were counting down the weeks until I had to deal with a difficult passage. Fourth, there is the care also that you be engaged in ministry, ministry. Like the elders in the synagogue who were honored because of their spiritual leadership role, elders of a church should be treated the same. This is the second death, the lake of fire. So this was an important issue for Timothy to deal with. Worship from the heart is one element of it, the other element is that you worship in the corporate fellowship of God's people for He inhabits the praises of his people and as we come together collectively in a very special way we become the habitation of the spirit and there uniqueness to the corporate worship of God's people. In this final section of chapter five, Paul turns his attention toward elders. We have many needs and we've cut back many, many things because while the giving has increased, it hasn't increased in proportion to the costs and so we want you to prayerfully look to that as you desire to fulfill God's willing the area of your giving. I’m not preaching this portion of God’s Word out of any sense of lack, and I think that is the way it should be. And I guess as I think about worship and you'll remember the series I did some time ago, there were two aspects of worship that are important: first and foremost is worship from the heart. Practice healthy conflict– even best marriages have conflict, but deal with issues that surface instead of sweeping them under the rug. She will be missed as a loving mother and supporter to her family. The final way to care for those who care for the church is to be sure that the right people are appointed to positions of ministry leadership. Follow your pastors direction as long as their leadership is consistent with scripture. Reasons to refuse younger widow a. I really believe we need to be about the business of evangelism. We mourn the separation from this woman of great faith in Jesus. Interestingly, he says that these elders are worthy of “double honor.”  What does that mean? It is not that they have sinned; there is a continuation here. It is the Scripture that makes us mature, competent, and equipped for every good work (2 Tim. It is real. Here whenever it's convenient, not here if it's not convenient. Tee up: Illustration of a boy who expected his dog to birth a puppy. And when a person receives Christ, a new power takes control. Worse than being whipped? And I believe you care too. Everyone wants to be part of a caring church. This is one of the reasons why I believe it is biblical for every person who regularly receives spiritual blessing from this church to be a part of the financial provision for this ministry. We want to remember what he's done on our behalf and Lord we pray too that you'll cleanse our hearts. So we need not shy away from hard questions or difficult passages. Or when he said he was in travail till Christ beformed in his people. Finally, these texts, when handled with respect and humility, create a greater bond within the family of God. We studied Paul’s general instruction in verses 1-2 about treating people like family. Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? 24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. And all of you who have four year olds can be thankful, and the rest of us for those who work with our children too. Yet, he makes the point in a number of places about how it is right for a church to support its elders: 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? And I think about in terms of our giving too, this has been a very difficult year in our giving. Similarly, it is unfair – even oppressive – to expect a worker to work without receiving appropriate wages. I think that people need to have the reassurance that no one gets a “free pass” when it comes to accountability. When I went to the pastor's conference last week in Chicago I preached on hell to those pastors and I said in the very beginning, I said, "How long has it been since you preached a sermon on hell?" You need the accountability; you need the exercise of mutual ministry. Early on in the life of Grace Church we talked a lot about spiritual gifts, we talked a lot about ministry, using your gifts, working for the Lord, giving to the Lord of your substance and I don't want that to change. By walking through a book of the Bible, we are forced to deal with texts that are hard, uncomfortable, confusing, or even awkward. You need that fellowship. Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. Authority doesn’t come from the people, the size, or the reputation of a church. A church should care for its senior pastor financially. We will dive into the dynamics of how the church should treat pastors/elders in a variety of situations. Taking care of the man of God is not one of the top priorities of the church, nor of many individuals. You need to know that our lay elders understand and value the idea of taking care of those who take care of the church. But all of us are called to a ministry and we need to be aggressively abandoning ourselves to that which God has gifted us to do. He attended the fundamentals of the faith class this morning and he's probably here tonight because he said he was going to come and he needs you and he needs me to help hold him up. A young man came up to me, just a handsome young man and he was introduced to me as a first time guest this morning last Sunday night he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. The difference in meaning is slight. This sermon will help a local church to understand the critical importance of purpose and the ultimate consequence it brings: honor of God. 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 25:4), and the second is a statement by Jesus in Luke 10:7. 5:9 a. His wife had just left him and he slit his wrists. You know, I was reading earlier today the letter of Paul to the Corinthians, the second letter, the 11th chapter, and Paul lists there all the difficulties of his ministry and then he adds in verse 28 that the most difficult of all was the care of the church, or in his case the churches, the care of the churches. You need the stimulation; you need the fire that is passed from one believer to the next. The New International Biblical Commentary – 1-2 Timothy,Titus, The Ten Commandments of Pastoral Ministry, What Men and Women Should Do (or Not Do) - Pt. The reason I love the title ‘pastor’ is because it means ‘shepherd.’ Whenever I take a trip I always take someone with me so that we can mutually stimulate one another to love and good works. A puppy came just as he had planned. Temple Baptist Church - 11-7-2010 Philippians 4:10-19 Introduction: A. Tonight will be one of the harder messages for God’s man to preach but it is an essential one. I found that a congregation feels more like a family when we deal with hard, awkward, and difficult texts. That when the service isn't everything you thought it ought to be, you worship God. It isn't a string an unceasing demands, it is a life of unceasing communion with the living God. The church that mistreats God's men in any age does not have the blessing of God upon them. Now what do you think it was that he was carrying in his heart? They should be protected. One boat began falling behind. Good and helpful elders are those who provide effective spiritual leadership. And then lastly I care also that you be involved in evangelism. That is why Paul gave so much detail in chapter 3 regarding the qualifications of elders. John Calvin said, “None are more exposed to slanders and insults than godly teacher. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. One of the reasons we have an active feedback and evaluation process for all our pastors, including myself, is to be sure that blind-spots and weaknesses can be addressed. “Overseer” seemed to emphasize the role of spiritual leadership and oversight. Do you know why this is? Sins of omission and commission, sins of temper and hard heartedness, unbelief, presumption, pride, unfaithfulness, lack of zeal for the glory of Christ, bringing dishonor on His great name. Worse than all of these things? Paul knows that what we spend money on is what we really value. The first thing for which I care is that there be purity in your life, purity in your life. One of the leaders of the church, according to the Bible, is the pastor. In 2 Corinthians 7:1 it says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God," cleansing ourselves, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Elders are all called to the task of spiritual leadership, a varied task and role which is summarized here as “ruling.”   The word means to influence others to a course of action and to guide or lead. You would read ahead and think (or say to me! Home / Sermons / Self-Care / Take Care of … Sermons; Topics Acts 3; Appreciation 4; Baptism 1; Blessings 2; Calling 2; Change 3; Choices 2; Church 3; Confession 1; Connection 5; Courage 2; Creation 1; All Topics Series Oldtown Shorts 1; Advent 12; In This House 10; I Can Only Imagine 6; Dreaming of a New Way of Being Church 10; Digging Through the Mess 5 'Twas the Season of Advent … The church is not take younger widows "into the number" - 1 Ti 5:11; cf. The church of Jesus Christ is a beautiful thing – full of life, hope, and power. First, there is simply a fairness issue. We don't beg for more, and so whenever I mention the idea of giving to anyone it isn't so that we can have more money to do what we want, it's so that you can understand the stewardship that God is asking of you that you might enter into his blessing. And what does that say about the status of your relationship with Jesus? Sins that quench the spirit, sins that grieve the spirit, sins against light and knowledge, against conscience, and the restraining holy one, against the law of love. She will be missed! Summary: God is not only concerned with what is created, he is concerned with how we take care of what was created. But what is really going on here is simply the application of important, biblical truths to a very specific situation. Third, these hard, but especially awkward, texts remind us what is truly authoritative. When a person in spiritual authority begins to press in on an issue, it can create strong push-back or spiritual “red herrings.” A familiar way to skirt the real issues is by attacking the messenger. It is one of the most important things that elders do. When we come to a time a worship like this, a time at the Lord's Table, a time when the music has sensitized our hearts to think about the Lord, it isn't just that emotion, it isn't just that thought, that praise, that worship that the Lord wants; he wants us. Though short term care might be provided along with others 2. However, caring churches are made up of caring individuals. So I believe that we are living this out very well. If the sheep tries to go in the wrong direction, the shepherd can reach out with the crook and gently pull it back onto the right path. So it is only fair. All rights reserved. I've sung that for years, but for some reason it hit me very hard tonight to hear that beautiful statement. And that means when you sin and when I sin there must come confession and repentance turning from that sin. [1] Gordon Fee, The New International Biblical Commentary – 1-2 Timothy,Titus, (Peabody, Massachusetts:  Hendrickson Publishers, 1988),  129. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarksabout the snail's pace of the other. Collinsville, Illinois Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. In your relationships – even dating relationships – are you more impressed or less impressed as you spend time with someone? Let me give you five things, you know them, they're just reminders. Timothy is not to move too quickly nor is he to be timid. And on one occasion the Apostle Paul willing received financial support and indicated that God was well-pleased with such a gift. I think it bore a certain amount of guilt in it that men had not proclaimed that needed truth, and I'm concerned also about our baptismal services, you know they are such a marvelous time, marvelous. I really believe you do. Yet, Paul calls out the labor of preaching and teaching here because of its essential role in the spiritual health and vitality of every church. The goal is to teach the whole counsel of God, and that goal supersedes the understandable desire to avoid the risk saying something uncomfortable. ”  This is probably the impetus for why Paul wrote this section of 1 Timothy. Does not the Law say the same? Even when I'm not here I'll find my way on the Lord's Day into an Assembly of God's people and find myself in any assembly where he is loved and exalted completely at home with those people, though it may not be all that worship here is. The LORD Will Take Care of Me. © College Park Church - Indianapolis, Indiana. And so my desire for you is that you worship from the heart and that you worship in the fellowship faithfully. He is elevating the seriousness of what is at stake and who is watching. A few bad leaders, and the entire ministry can suffer. The great desire that I have for you is that you be pure in your life, that you be holy in your life, that you manifest Godliness in your life, and that means obedience. And I thought now there's some people looking for a ministry. This occurs in your spiritual life. Psalm 96:9 says, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." SINGLE PEOPLE. Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk? Start Here. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne and books were opened, and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. . Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South. Sometimes you don't either, but we can't make a habit out of that can we? There's a group of people always here, many of them are unsaved because they've been brought by the people being baptized, it's so important that we support these people, that we encourage them, that we show how excited and thrilled we are that God is adding to his kingdom. 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