Leadership in the Family

If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to 1 Timothy 3.

Last Sunday we heard from God's Word a little bit about how the church should be led.

And we heard from Christ in chapter 2, verse 11-15 of this letter to Timothy,

that the women are not to teach the men or to have authority over the men in the church.

Instead, they are to submit to the leading men of the church by following their leadership

and by learning from their teaching with a quiet spirit.

Now, if that sounds crazy to you or if you're just joining us this morning and weren't here last Sunday,

I would encourage you to listen to last Sunday's sermon on our church website.

It's at davidsonscbc.org.

You can find the address on the bulletin.

Some things in the Bible are hard to hear, especially in light of our current cultural context.

But getting that wider biblical perspective often helps us see what's going on here.

And how, yes, even the instruction that God has given concerning roles in the church is good.

And now Paul is going to write more fully on this issue of leadership in the church

and give specific instructions about this.

We're in chapter 3 here.

Let me just read it for us.

1 Timothy chapter 3.

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

Here is a trustworthy saying.

Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable,

able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him.

And he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

He must not be a recent convert or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.

He must also have a good reputation with outsiders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

So Paul begins with another trustworthy saying here in verse 1.

Here is a trustworthy saying.

Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.

It's commendable for a man to desire the role of overseer in the church because the work of overseeing the church is good.

It's a service that's needed.

It's a noble thing.

And therefore, says Paul in verse 2,

we don't let just anybody jump into the leadership of the church.

And what follows is a list of requirements for overseers.

The overseer is to be and then he lists out the requirements from verse 2 to verse 7.

Depending on how you count these things, there are about 15-ish things listed.

Let's start by making some general observations about some of these things.

At least two-thirds of these requirements are character qualities.

Two of the requirements have to do with the man's relationships in his family,

to his wife and to his children specifically.

A couple of these things have to do with his competence or his ability.

He must be able to teach.

He must manage his own family well.

Several of these have to do with his reputation.

He is to be above reproach.

He is to have a good reputation with outsiders.

He is to be respectable.

And then we notice that mixed into this list are a few explanations as to why.

Why does he need to be a man who manages his family well?

Why can't he be a recent convert?

Why a good reputation with others, with outsiders?

What's so important about that?

And reasons are given.

Now we're going to work through this list soon.

But before we do that, let's just take a step back and understand the larger context here.

Otherwise, it's hard to know what a list like this is for.

What's its relevance?

What's an overseer, first of all?

Let's start with that.

In our church today, we don't really call anybody overseer.

But the word here refers to a person who watches over something.

Someone who's responsible to protect, to guard, to see that things go as they should.

And this word often refers to an official position or office.

And Paul gives us a good clue as to what the role of an overseer should be in the church

in verses 4 and 5.

There he spells out the requirement that a man must manage his own family well.

And then he gives this reason.

If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

So that's the role of an overseer in the church.

His role is to take care of God's church.

Now, we use the term elder more in our church.

And many of you have heard that used or referred to.

What's the relationship between the overseer and the elder?

Well, actually, in the New Testament, overseers and elders,

those terms are really used interchangeably.

Both refer to the same leadership position in the church.

And Paul makes this really clear in his meeting with the elders from Ephesus in the book of Acts, chapter 20.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

There we read that Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

And then a few verses down in verse 28, this is what he said to the elders.

He said, keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.

Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

So Paul makes it crystal clear for us.

The elders in the church are the overseers.

Their role, their job, is to keep watch over the flock.

Paul uses the metaphor of shepherding.

Like a shepherd looks after his sheep, so you are to keep watch.

You are to care for, tend the flock, the church, those people in Ephesus that have been bought with God's own blood.

Paul then goes on to give them a warning about how false teachers will arise.

And he continues the metaphor.

He refers to them as wolves.

And he tells the elders to be on guard.

So that's another responsibility of elders or overseers.

Not just to care for the flock, but also to protect the flock.

From wolves, from false teachers, from divisive people.

Then we look to Peter's letter to the churches.

1 Peter, chapter 5.

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

And he helps deepen our understanding of what an elder is and should do.

1 Peter, chapter 5.

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

Peter writes,

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings,

who also will share in the glory to be revealed.

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care,

watching over them.

Not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be.

Not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.

Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

So here Peter directly addresses the elders among the churches in these various provinces.

And his charge is very similar to Paul's.

What is an elder to do?

He is to shepherd God's flock.

He is to watch over the people in the church.

He is to do so willingly.

He is to do so as a servant.

Not lording it over the people in the church.

Hey, I am in charge.

You need to listen to me.

But instead being an example.

And again, we see that shepherding is at the heart

of being an elder or an overseer.

Next, we look to what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus itself.

Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11.

Ephesians 4:11

Here Paul writes,

This is the only place in the Bible where pastors are mentioned.

And guess what?

The word literally is the word shepherds.

So we might wonder, why has it been translated pastors?

Well, that's actually the Latin word for shepherd.

And it came to be used as a proper title for those who had this position in church history.

And this is where we can start to get some clarity about how the church should be led.

Shepherds or pastors, elders, overseers,

all of these are really referring to the same position of leadership.

Our modern Christian church culture today sometimes gets this mixed up.

We think of the pastor as the full-time professional leader of the church.

But then, what are the elders?

Are they board members?

Are they advisors to the pastor?

Or is it the other way around?

Does the pastor report to the elders?

A careful look at these passages reveals that the elders are the shepherds of the church.

The shepherds of the church are the elders, the overseers.

There's no hierarchy between them.

They all have the same role in the church, which is to shepherd the flock

and to give oversight and leadership to the church.

Now, according to Paul in 1 Timothy,

it does happen that some of the elders in the church end up shepherding full-time.

And in such cases, Paul says they should be compensated for that.

They should be able to get their living from the work that they are doing.

1 Timothy 5, verse 17.

1 Timothy 5:17

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor,

especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

For Scripture says,

Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.

And the worker deserves his wages.

So the paid pastor or elder really is God's idea.

It's a way that those who excel in leadership, preaching, or teaching

can give more of their time to doing that for the benefit of the church.

This passage here in 1 Timothy 5 also implies some other important things about being an elder.

What are the elders responsible for?

It says,

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor,

especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Not all of the elders will have it as their primary work to preach or to teach.

But all of them are together engaged in directing the affairs of the church.

Now this action of the elders has been translated in various ways.

Some Bibles will say the elders who rule well or who govern well, who lead well,

are worthy of double honor.

Now some of those terms have baggage in our culture today.

But the overall implication of this word is that it is the elders who are to give leadership to the church.

They're to direct the affairs of the church.

And this word really implies not just doing that kind of work,

but also having some measure of real authority over the people in the church.

This is where last week's instructions concerning men and women begin to make sense.

As we heard last Sunday, women are not permitted to have authority over men in the church.

Well, how could they do that unless there is a position of real authority in the church to be held by some of the men?

Well, the elders, the overseers, are that position.

Now we might wonder, are there other places that confirm this,

that there is this authority structure going on in the church,

that elders are to have authoritative leadership in the church?

There are some other scriptures.

We can go back to 1 Peter.

After he charges the elders to shepherd the flock,

he goes on in verse 5 to say,

in the same way,

you who are younger,

submit yourselves to your elders.

That word submit implies authority.

Probably the clearest statement about this is Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17,

Hebrews 13:17

which says this,

Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority,

because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account.

Do this so that their work will be a joy,

not a burden,

for that would be of no benefit to you.

So the elders or overseers,

shepherds, leaders,

they are the group of people in the church

who have been given the task

of caring for the people of the church,

watching over them,

protecting the flock,

leading the flock,

directing the affairs of the church.

And this role,

this position,

is an authoritative position.

There is to be an authority structure in the church,

just like there is in the home.

In the family,

the husband is the head of the household.

We saw that last Sunday,

Ephesians chapter 5, verse 23.

Ephesians 5:23

He is the one who must manage his household well,

as we just heard,

1 Timothy 3, verses 4 and 5.

1 Timothy 3:4

And in the church,

it's the elders or overseers

who have been given that authoritative role

for the local church family.

And this authority

has been instituted by God

for the benefit of his people.

What happens

when there are sheep

but no shepherd?

The flock goes nowhere

or the flock scatters.

What happens to the sheep

when they have a bad shepherd?

This is why 1 Timothy 3, verses 1-7

1 Timothy 3:1–7

is so important.

These requirements for an elder

not only protect the position of elder,

but they protect the whole local flock

from all kinds of bad things

that can happen

when men who are unfit to lead

seek after authority

and leadership in the church.

These requirements are here

so that the people in the church

who are not leaders

can affirm those who should be

and know clearly,

yep, that guy,

he is an example worth following.

And they are here

so that the people in the church

who are not leaders

can put out of leadership

men who are disqualified

and should not be in leadership.

Many Christians over the years

have made this puzzling statement.

They have said,

the Bible is virtually silent

about how the church should be led.

It doesn't say anything

about what kind of governance model

we should have.

But as we've just seen

looking through these passages,

it's far from the truth.

There's a whole model

given to us by Christ

through his apostles.

And what we see here

in the scriptures

is not board governance

like we see

in secular organizations today.

Instead, we see a plurality

of elders

in each local church

who have authority.

A church that is elder-led.

Now, we might wonder

at this point

if there's a case to be made

for congregationalism.

Congregational decision-making.

And I'm not going to get into this

too much this morning

except to say

that in the New Testament

there are several moments,

important moments

in the life of the church

where the whole church

was involved.

Church discipline

was one of them.

Sending out missionaries

was another.

Rebuking an elder

who had been sinning

is a third.

Now, these things are debated

and they're speculated on.

Did the church actually vote

in these instances?

Was the church

the final court of authority

in these moments

as some suggest?

Or was the church present

simply to help everyone

come to a consensus

guided by the elders?

Was the presence

of the congregation

meant to add

the full weight

and resolve of the church

to the course of action

that was being led

by the elders?

It seems clear

in the Bible

that the congregation

plays a role

in the most important moments

of the local church.

But whether that role

is authoritative decision-making

by voting

is not stated.

What is stated

is that the church

should be elder-led

and that the leaders

or overseers

are the ones

who have authority

in the church.

And so we should

probably go with

what's stated

in the Bible

rather than what's not.

The picture that we're given

in this letter

of 1 Timothy

is that the church

is to operate

like a household

or a family.

And there are times

when the whole family

must be gathered.

I don't know if you guys

do this in your house

but in mine

we call it family meeting

and we bring everybody together

all the kids

together

and that's needed

sometimes

because sometimes

decisions affect everyone.

Sometimes urgent feedback

is needed.

We need to have

a conversation

right now

together as a family

to know what

the best course of action is.

Whether it will suit

the needs of everyone

in the family.

And so I would say

yeah,

congregational meetings

are warranted

at times.

but a fully democratic

style of governance

where the board

comes to the congregation

for approval

seems to be

a little bit backwards.

Let's go now

to the qualifications

for an overseer

here in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

Let's look through

these things.

Paul says

the overseer

is to be above reproach.

Very simply

this means

that they must have

an excellent reputation.

To be above reproach

means that slander

doesn't stick.

It means that

if anyone was to try

to drag your name

down into the mud

people wouldn't believe them

because you're

so well known

to be the opposite.

The example

I've got written down here

might hit a little

close to home

for someone

visiting with us

this morning

but if someone

began vandalizing

all the flower pots

in Davidson

and then someone else

said I know

who's been

sneaking around

and pouring gasoline

into the flower pots

in the middle

of the night

it's Lana Schmitke

I saw her

with my own eyes

would anybody

believe that?

No

because we all know

Lana

and her love

for flowers

she's on

Communities in Bloom

she helps get

these pots ready

she takes such joy

in beautifying

her yard

and her flowers

when it comes

to flowers

and growing things

Lana is above reproach

the community knows

that it's just a matter

of time

before the true culprit

will be identified

in the same way

an elder must have

this kind of

well known

consistent

steadfast character

when it comes

to his conduct

his actions

his words

Paul says

he must be faithful

to his wife

literally

of

a man

who is

of one woman

the husband

and so sexual

purity

and faithfulness

is a must

he must be temperate

a temperate person

does things

in moderation

they're not given

to rash

or obsessive

behavior

an elder

must be self-controlled

very similar meaning

to temperate

he's not a man

who seems like

he's out of control

or a slave

to passions

or desires

or pleasures

but he's a man

who governs himself

an elder

must be respectable

or honorable

a man

who gathers

the respect

of others

by the way

that he lives

an elder

must be hospitable

we generally

think of hospitality

as

being welcoming

to strangers

or guests

or as entertaining

guests

in the home

but I think

probably the meaning

is a little bit broader

than just having people

over for dinner

regularly

it's about

really caring for

and providing for

the needs

of other people

and being a really

welcoming person

means that I'm on the

lookout for the

newcomer

the stranger

the outcast

and Jesus

is the very best

example

of what it means

to be hospitable

in the Bible

I think also

of the parable

of the good Samaritan

that Jesus told

it paints a picture

of a truly

hospitable person

this character

quality has to do

with being

others focused

it has to do

with going

out of our way

to welcome

and to meet

the needs

of others

and it's

at the heart

of it is love

a character

of love

Paul says

an elder

must be able

to teach

this is one

of the skills

that an elder

must have

now as we said

earlier

not every elder

will end up

doing the work

of teaching

but every elder

must be able

to teach

and this requirement

helps us to see

that it's the

responsibility

of the elders

as a group

to do

the teaching

in the church

it's a big part

of shepherding

the elders are

responsible

to put God's word

before the people

and to call them

to respond

to explain

what God's word

means

and help apply

God's word

to our lives

as a church

and lead us

in that

in obedience

to that

this requirement

is also why

women cannot

be elders

because as we

heard last Sunday

women are not

permitted to teach

men in the church

and teaching

of the church

is a primary

responsibility

of an elder

an elder

must not be given

to drunkenness

addiction

to substances

is a no-go

for a person

aspiring to be

an elder

substances

often have

ill effects

and impair

judgment

and addictions

wreak havoc

in many other

areas of life

as well

an elder

must not be

violent

says Paul

the Greek word

here means

given to fighting

I've never seen

anybody really

throw a punch

in the church

but

think of the

demeanor

or the attitude

of a bully

an elder

must not

be a bully

we're not

to put people

in leadership

in the church

who are

going to be

combative

or manipulative

or who are

known for

really

emotionally

or verbally

bullying others

to get their way

or to get others

to do what they

want them to do

some men

can be like a

bull in a china

shop

don't put those

men in leadership

in the church

says Paul

an elder must not

be violent

but must be

gentle

again

Jesus is the

ultimate role

model here

gentle

does not

mean

compromising

Jesus

spoke the

truth

he rebuked

the hypocrites

the Pharisees

he told that

one man

that he healed

on one occasion

stop sinning

or something

worse may

happen to you

but he was

gentle

through and

through

a bruised

reed

he did not

break

a smoldering

wick

he did not

snuff out

where some of

us might have

wanted to give

someone a swift

kick in the

pants

Jesus was

gentle

think of how

he bore

with those

disciples

they were

always

arguing

and fighting

with each

other

they were

jockeying

for position

he could have

just smacked

them all across

the head

many times

and yet he

patiently sat

down with

them again

and again

and he taught

them

not this

way

but this

way

an elder

must not

be quarrelsome

some translations

render this

positively

an elder must

be peaceable

so not

argumentative

not bent on

getting everybody

else to agree

with their own

ideas or opinions

and then going

into fight

mode when

that person

doesn't comply

or agree

an elder must

not be a

lover of money

this has to

do with

greed

and we

could do

a whole

sermon

on that

but maybe

another time

an elder

must manage

his own

family well

and see

that his

children obey

him and

he must

do so

in a manner

worthy of

full respect

and then

the reason

is given

which we

mentioned

earlier

if anyone

does not

know how

to manage

his own

family

how can

he take

care of

God's

church

so the

family at

home

is the

proving

ground

for whether

someone should

be an elder

in the

church

the church

is the

household

of God

we are a

family

but we are

a bigger

one

and so a

man must

prove himself

with his own

family at

home

before he

is qualified

to serve in

leadership

in the larger

church family

and notice the

way that he

must manage

his family

that's mentioned

here

he must do

so in a

manner worthy

of full

respect

so he must

not be a

man who

verbally abuses

his children

to get them

to submit

or a cruel

man

it's not

just about

good behavior

it's about

how the man

treats his

children

and family

respectably

with dignity

abusive

men are

disqualified

we should

also note

here that

the word

used for

family

it's the

same word

used

elsewhere

through the

letter

for household

and managing

a household

well

is more

than just

the people

it means

overseeing

and taking

responsibility

for the

whole thing

all the

affairs of

the household

and this

is a place

where many

men have

just been

content to

just dump

on their

wives a

burden that

they were

never meant

to bear

like I'll

provide the

finances

I'll go

to work

but you

look after

the rest

when I

come home

I expect

there to be

a meal

hot and

ready

waiting for

me on

the table

and then

I'm going

to go out

most evenings

and I'm

going to

play hockey

and you

know

hang out

with my

friends

no

that's

abdicating

responsibility

men are

to provide

more than

just finances

to the

family

they're to

provide

leadership

and care

they're to

direct the

affairs of

the household

in a manner

worthy of

respect

verse 6

he must not

be a recent

convert

so no new

believers

in leadership

in the church

verse 7

he must also

have a good

reputation

with outsiders

so a good

reputation with

unbelievers

or people

outside the

church

people may

not agree

with us

they may

even find

some of

our beliefs

offensive

or repulsive

but they

ought to

know us

as men

of our

word

who genuinely

care for

others

love others

are kind

are eager

to serve

are eager

to meet

needs

there are

enough

Christian

qualities

enough

Christian

deeds

that are

not

offensive

to win

the respect

of

outsiders

of

unbelievers

even if

some of

what we

believe

is

offensive

to

them

now

this is

quite the

list of

requirements

but there's

just a couple

things we need

to know about

this list

first of all

no man is

perfect

I mean we

can look at

this and

think man

who could

possibly

qualify

we all

have moments

where we

fail to be

temperate

or self

controlled

or gentle

lose a

temper

but do

these things

describe our

general

overall

character

and behavior

is that how

others would

see us

again no man

is perfect

we're all

still sinners

but what

happens when

we blow

it

do we

make excuses

do we

blame

someone else

do we

sin persistently

and keep

doing it

again and

again

or do we

humble

ourselves

before God

and others

confess our

sins and

turn away

from them

with God's

help

second

the question

has been

asked

is this

a bare

minimum

list

or is

this a

lofty

really hard

to achieve

kind of

list

it's

important

to recognize

that a

number of

the qualities

in this

list

are things

that we're

commanded to

be just as

as Christians

in other

letters in the

New Testament

things like

gentle

self-controlled

not given to

drunkenness

so in that

sense this is

kind of a

bare minimum

list

many of

these things

reflect what

a mature

follower of

Jesus is

to be like

on the

flip side

there are

some things

here that

just don't

come easily

we must

pray

we must

wrestle

with the

flesh

because

gentleness

doesn't

come easily

emotions

are powerful

self-control

is not

easy

managing a

household

and a

family well

is not

easy

earning this

kind of a

reputation

with people

is not

easy

and it

takes time

maybe this

is why

overseers

are called

elders

quite literally

older ones

if younger

men attain to

these requirements

it's probably

the exception

rather than

the norm

because these

things take

time to

develop and

grow in the

life of a

believing man

they're the

fruit of an

abiding

relationship

with Jesus

that's been

going on

for some

time

but this

is good

because if

we're going

to install

men

in our

church

into a

leadership

role

where they

have real

authority

over us

and we

are going

to submit

to them

we need

them to

be these

kind of

men

not

domineering

or abusive

or manipulative

or power

hungry

not passive

or abdicating

careless

uninterested

or self

absorbed

we need

them to be

men

of Christ

like character

so finally

we come

to how

this applies

to us

here in

our church

today

and I

have five

things

the first

one

we need

to continue

to shift

away from

a secular

board

governance

style of

leadership

towards the

kind of

shepherding

elder

model of

leadership

that the

scriptures

point us

to

and we

have been

making this

shift over

the past

number of

years

at some

point

we need

to update

our

constitution

to reflect

that

eventually

our current

elders

will be

quite

elderly

where will

our next

elders

come from

men

it's important

that every

one of you

aspires to

be these

things

at the

least

that you

strive to

be men

of character

and live

an example

worth

following

where will

the future

elders

of the

church

come from

well they

must come

from among

us men

here in

the church

now not

all of us

men will

become

elders

not all

of us

are wired

to teach

but at

the least

all of us

can set

that example

for others

in the

church

that's worth

following

as we

men have

been hearing

at lead

we need

to reject

passivity

we need

to accept

responsibility

we need

to lead

courageously

and we

need to

invest

eternally

following the

example of

Jesus Christ

the second

Adam

and not

living in

the shadow

of the

first Adam

those of you

who are

elders

there's only

three of you

in the room

today's not

the day to

pat yourself

on the back

today's the

day to

soberly reflect

over the

things in

this list

and I

want to

encourage

you to

ask yourself

which of

these things

do I need

to grow

in most

the church

is looking

to you

to set

the example

in speech

in faith

in love

in purity

in conduct

those of you

who are

members

when the

time comes

to serve

on the

nominating

committee

or to

affirm a

new man

for the

position

of elder

this is

number four

let's not

just put

someone into

those positions

because they're

willing to

do it

or because

we don't

want to

do it

or because

that person

has experience

in business

or finance

or on

boards

we don't

want to

just ask

someone to

serve as

an elder

because

well they

haven't

really been

asked yet

or how to

turn

and we

don't want

to hurt

their feelings

they must

meet these

requirements

this is why

we've been

given them

and lastly

number five

the scriptures

clearly present

the elders

as having

authority

within the

church

authority

to teach

and to

lead

and to

call the

rest of

us to

believe

and obey

the word

of God

and the

rest of

us are

called to

submit to

their

authority

authority

now we

may not

like this

but the

Lord Jesus

is the

one who

has set

it up

this way

he's the

one asking

this of

us

and many

in our

North

American

churches

have just

lost sight

of this

authority

structure

in the

church

we've

come to

see the

elders

as the

ones

that we

choose

to serve

us

the ones

that we

have

voted

to look

after the

affairs of

the church

so that we

can do

whatever we

want to

do

we've

come to

see

ourselves

as the

final

authority

under

Christ

in the

church

with more

of that

congregationalist

mindset

and then if

one of the

elders says

something or

asks something

I don't

like

I'll just

do as I

please

or I'll

go somewhere

else

I'll find a

new church

now obviously

if the elders

ask something

or teach

something that

is contrary

to the word

of God

you stand

on the word

of God

and take

a brother

or sister

with you

and talk

to that

elder

with love

and respect

and if

we've done

according to

this passage

and put

the right

men

humble

men

into those

positions

then by

the grace

of God

they will

respond

they will

acknowledge

their mistakes

they will

confess

they will

repent

finally

here in

Hebrews

Hebrews 13:17

chapter 13

verse 17

we're urged

to submit

to the

authority

of the

leaders

in the

church

because

they keep

watch

over you

as those

who must

give an

account

do this

so that

their work

will be

a joy

not a

burden

for that

would be

of no

benefit

to you

we're told

that the

work of

the leaders

in the

church

can be

a joy

or

it can

be a

burden

and if

we make

it a

burden

to our

leaders

it's of

no benefit

to us

so have

confidence

in your

leaders

and submit

to their

authority

so that

it can be

a joy

for them

that will

bring benefit

to all of

us as a

church family

as the

Lord leads

us

there's lots

more that

we could

say on

this

issue

if you

have

other

thoughts

or

questions

you'd like

to talk

about

this

I mean

there's

so much

we chopped

out of the

message here

there's

books

whole books

written on

this subject

it's an

important

one

but we'll

leave it at

that for

this morning

let's pray

Father in

heaven

we pray

and ask

that you

would give

us each

the grace

that we

need to

follow these

instructions

those of

us who

are currently

in leadership

that we

would be

the way

that you

want us

to be

in our

lives

in our

character

those of

us who

are not

that we

would submit

and follow

the leadership

that you

have raised

up and

appointed

and I

pray that

we would

more and

more learn

to function

like this

as a

church

that we

would operate

the way

that is

pleasing

to you

and that

declares

your goodness

and your

grace

to the

world around

us

we ask

this in

Christ's

name

amen