I'm New; Next Steps; About Us. Using Psalm 23 we will look at some of the insights into the loving care of God. You need to realize the tremendous heritage you have here to come together with God's people faithfully on the Lord's Day as we have been commanded, not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and to worship God. Our text deals with the issue of how to care for those who care for the church. Psalm 96:9 says, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." 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. 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. Most of chapter three is dedicated to this theme of the being sure that you have the right people in the right place to make the right decisions. “How to take care of a Pastor.” I am not here to be a burden to the church. During this time, we will use this website and our social media channels to connect. Revelation chapter 20 verse 11, "And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them. Timothy has to address the difficult problem of erring elders, but the long-term solution was to avoid this scenario by appointing the right people. The crook is very useful to the shepherd in taking care of the sheep. Wash our feet as you've already cleansed us when we were redeemed, wash our feet and use this time at your table to prepare our hearts. Prioritize date nights, Take up a shared hobby, attend marriage conferences. Summary: God is not only concerned with what is created, he is concerned with how we take care of what was created. That's right you need somebody poking their nose in your life making sure it's the way it ought to be. And therace began. Great wisdom is needed here because there are dangers on either side, issues that can create enormous problems in any church. SINGLE PEOPLE. 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. And when a person receives Christ, a new power takes control. Introduction. And when these people come in our night of baptism and they declare their faith in Jesus Christ, we ought to be here to celebrate, that is the coronation, that is the glory day; that is the victory day of all victory days. The moral of this story is somebody has to take the initiative—even in the church. 1, What in the World is a Church? The pitfalls on either side are significant and filled with many consequences. I think that people need to have the reassurance that no one gets a “free pass” when it comes to accountability. What causes the kingdom to grow? This benediction varies from Paul’s Oh, we want to go." Paul may have chosen this term because of its close connection with honor, as we will see in moment. Personal study to show yourself approved unto God a workman needing not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth. First, notice where Paul begins. Therefore, he adds a parenthetical statement in verse 23 about the appropriate use of wine – “no longer drink only water, but use a little win for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”  Notice how much must be balanced here! I want to share just as we prepare for the Lord's Table some things that are on my heart just briefly. People, families, and churches are destroyed by sin. Care for the Lord; Singleness is a gift 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. Does not the Law say the same? Chapter five has been a collection of various instructions regarding the care of particular people. Wrestling with these passages gives evidence that what we are doing here is not a game or a show. They may perform their duties correctly and conscientiously, yet they never avoid a thousand criticisms.”[2]  On the other hand, there can be a real temptation to not address an issue at all or not to do so publicly and be guilty of partiality. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. Timothy must be exceptionally wise. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. The last line of the hymn At the Cross, "Dear Lord I give myself away, 'tis all that I can do." 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? Start Here. That doesn’t mean that the church should ignore needs outside of the body. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce this material in any format provided that you do not alter the content in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. 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. The nexus of this heresy was a group of leaders – likely elders – who were leading the people astray. Not that it is a message that will be hard on you but that it will be one hard for me to preach. It's been difficult economically for everybody, God has sustained us in many ways, in fact our giving now I understand is about ten percent over what it was last year, but that's the lowest percent increase we've ever had, but it's still an increase and we believe that when God provides the money we get inside the amount He provides. The word for honor here generally refers to respect or regard. Good and helpful elders are those who provide effective spiritual leadership. I care that you worship God from your heart, that when you're not here, you worship God. One of the many values of preaching through a book of the Bible is that you run into passages that, as a preacher, you wouldn’t intentionally choose to preach. “Elder” had its roots in the culture of the synagogue where a plurality of leaders cared for the congregation. First, it makes church interesting, doesn’t it? Today we are going to talk about the relationship between the church and its pastors/elders. We mourn the separation from this woman of great faith in Jesus. Pastors visit the shut-ins every monthand give them prayers and Holy Communion. Authority doesn’t come from the people, the size, or the reputation of a church. What was it about the care of the church that in many ways was worse than being beaten with rods? If we are going to be a caring church, the kind of church that makes an impact on the lives of other people, each of us must learn to care for others. There is a new motivator, a new love, and a new Lord; he can’t help himself. What’s more, I know that our spiritual leaders feel loved by you as a congregation. Worse than all of these things? People come into the baptismal water and they give their testimony and you're not here to hear it. So that we can hold one another accountable, so that we can be together, to pray together, to talk together, to minister together, to share together because that is an enriching time. The Pastoral Leadership Problem in Ephesus. And the challenge is the fact that church health is directly connected to leadership. Words were exchanged. Timothy is not to move too quickly nor is he to be timid. Fourth, there is the care also that you be engaged in ministry, ministry. The goal is to teach the whole counsel of God, and that goal supersedes the understandable desire to avoid the risk saying something uncomfortable. He starts by advising caution:  “19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. A few bad leaders, and the entire ministry can suffer. Paul nearly gives us a proverb here:  “The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. Therefore, a charge needs to be on the evidence of two or three witnesses. He wants all that we are to be given away in abandonment to Him and I guess that's really the burden that a pastor carries in a church that the people would so live to give themselves away to God. Regardless, Paul is now talking about those who are spiritual leaders in the church. Worse that being shipwrecked? [1] Gordon Fee, The New International Biblical Commentary – 1-2 Timothy,Titus, (Peabody, Massachusetts:  Hendrickson Publishers, 1988),  129. It is one of the most important things that elders do. I think that we get a hint in the latter part of verse 17 and verse 18. Paul knows that what we spend money on is what we really value. I suppose there are many people who come to church and I guess for them it's being there that is enough, and they'll come at their own pace and maybe even in addition to their normal pace when something special happens, and maybe there's a certain token involvement or activity, but there's not that abandonment and consequently we have those birth pangs that travail or soul until Christ be fully formed in an individual. This step, while often extremely loaded and difficult, is important not only for the soul of the elders, but also for spiritual health of the entire body. Young lady, she and her husband had brought a couple that was here for the first time and she had in her arm a whole pack full of children's material and I said, "You must be working with the children." In light of that, it makes even more sense why Paul in 1 Timothy 3 would list a series of character traits as opposed to series of skill-sets. John Calvin said, “None are more exposed to slanders and insults than godly teacher. But it is not just a personal problem. . Let's turn in our Bibles to Revelation chapter 20 verses 11 through 15, a marvelous and familiar text, giving to us the most serious and sobering scene in all of the Bible because it describes the most tragic event in the history of mankind, the Great White Throne Judgment. And somewhere down the path you say, "That's enough, I'm going to change the habit pattern. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:  by Mark Vroegop. God cares for his church as a shepherd cares for his flock. Family Time Bingo. 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. If you dont agree, pray for them instead of criticizing and talking negatively. Even in Jesus’s final moments on the cross, He made sure His mother was cared for. It makes sense. Somewhere in our understanding of church, we long for this – to know that this truth that leads to life is also truth that works in life. But he also talks about not prejudging or doing anything from partiality. Secondly, another thing for which I care is worship, that your life be a worshipping life. Not enough fuel. In addition, the Bible also teaches that He has called men like myself and Pastor Bruce to be His ‘under-shepherds’ and care for His flock. He cites the presence of God, Christ Jesus, and the elect angels. The Holy Spirit can do a much better job than we can. And time only verifies how radical the change really is. . You would read ahead and think (or say to me! 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. Sins unknown and known, felt and unfelt, confessed and unconfessed. 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. Take Care of Mother sermon starts with verses from John 19:13-30: In your relationships – even dating relationships – are you more impressed or less impressed as you spend time with someone? She said, "Oh yes." Sin is doubly terrible because of its effects on others. 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. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you. However, caring churches are made up of caring individuals. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, "We're to be always abounding in the work of the Lord." This occurs in your spiritual life. It actually is a dynamite experience for someone who doesn't know Christ to hear testimony after testimony after testimony how God has transformed people's lives, and I think you ought to bring unsaved people all the time too. I'm beginning, and I hope you are too, as we study Matthew to get a vision of the lost and damned people of the world on their way to hell. In our small groups, when someone is sick or suffering, we respond to their illness and take care of them. In verses 3-16 we looked at the compassion program of the church and how to care for widows. If I were to ask the people near you – the people who really know you – what kind of fruit report would they give? 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure. Why would Paul make this point? You need the accountability; you need the exercise of mutual ministry. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality. Fruit is going to be apparent; it is only a matter of time. 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. You need to know that our lay elders understand and value the idea of taking care of those who take care of the church. Here whenever it's convenient, not here if it's not convenient. And maybe it could begin at the Lord's Table tonight. She will be missed as a loving mother and supporter to her family. The elders were continually sinning, and it needed to be stopped. 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. Kelmscott Baptist Church. The Word of God is our ultimate authority, hope, and security. 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? I really believe we need to be about the business of evangelism. 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. Time reveals what people are really like, and that is what is so remarkable about the gospel – it changes you when you could never have changed yourself. 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. It is the heart's desire of the shepherd of the sheep that they totally come to the place of commitment, of abandoning themselves to Christ and his purposes and his cause, and no one knows better than a pastor that people can be busy, they can be good people, they can be active to some extent in the church, they can be living religious lives, they can be coming to church and worshipping the Lord and yet still miss what is essential because they don't really abandon themselves totally to Christ. And the man apparently wasn't getting the message so the pastor took the tongs that were hanging beside the fireplace, pulled the screen open, reached in with the tongs pulled out a live coal and set it on the hearth and closed the screen and in a matter of minutes, the coal had grown cold and he said to the absent parishioner, "You see what happens when you isolate yourself? Verses 24-25 are very helpful in this discernment process in that they advocate for taking time to really know a person because what a person is all about is not evident quickly. They should be protected. Hearing, understanding, and obeying the Word of God is everything for the believer and the church of Jesus Christ. 5:9 a. And we all fight the same battle. 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. We heard a line in a song earlier tonight, "Dear Lord I give myself away, 'tis all that I can do." GOD, care of. Thank God he lived. The short-term and immediate solution was to teach people the truth (see 1Timothy 1:6). 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. 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. Worse that being in peril of robbers? And that means when you sin and when I sin there must come confession and repentance turning from that sin. I remember so visibly in my mind the picture drawn in a book I read years ago on fellowship in which a man had not been coming to church, he hadn't been attending a class, they just didn't have the time to always be faithful and the pastor went to call on them and they were sitting behind a hot fire keeping warm in the winter and talking about the need for the man to be in church, to be fellowshipping with God's people, to be as Hebrews 10 says, "Stimulating one another to love and good works," that's why we don't forsake our assembling. For many, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep that are already in the "pen" happy and not lose too many of them. I really believe you do. My guess is that you, like me, have seen church leadership at its best and church leadership at its worst. made with Faithlife Proclaim. When we studied the qualifications for church leadership in 1 Timothy 3 we ran into the English word “overseer” or episkopos in the Greek. I really believe you do. 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