Sermon Nuggets Monday Oct 3 Leadership Qualities
Verses- Titus 1:5-9
Leadership Qualities
It was with bitter tears that I heard the news of a friend and classmate, a successful pastor, caught with another woman in his congregation. Further investigation revealed he had many long term affairs. It is no longer an isolated case.
One of my seminary professions later pastored the largest church in the conference at that time. He not only was found to be unfaithful to his wife, but refused to face up with what he was doing as wrong. He divorced his wife and married his girl friend of many years and still wants to pastor another church as if nothing is wrong. His ordination credentials were revoked.
One of the popular and effective pastors in the Twin Cities left the country with undisclosed amount of church money. I was bothered especially since he was one of the better Bible teachers. Another pastor I know ends his ministry with every church in severe church splits and divisions in the fellowship. Is it any wonder people who do not have a strong foundation of faith in Jesus Christ see religion as a sham and reject the church?
So it is with concern for the body of Jesus that Paul lists very important leadership characteristics. He is not talking about people who have sinless lives, for only Jesus would qualify, but people who in their sin come to the cross for confess and forgiveness and commit themselves to seek a higher standard of living as a witness to Jesus. Spiritual leaders in the church, be they clergy or laymen, must be evaluated in important areas of their lives.
Paul instructs Titus as to whom to pick as elders of churches in Crete. Crete was the stop Paul and some of his companion made as he was being transferred from the jail in Judea to go to Rome for his trial. As a prisoner, he had some freedom to meet with friends. Apparently while on this island there was contact with other believers, and evangelism that led some to Christ. According to Acts 27 it is apparent that Paul did not want to leave, but advised the owners and captains of the ship to winter in Crete.
There was not only the fear of rough voyage (which indeed resulted in shipwreck), but also the need to establish the witness, so things were left undone. Paul instructed Titus to better establish believers in churches and appoint leaders to minister and witness by their good lives and hard work.
The word elder is used in two different respects in this book. It denotes elderly men who thought to have maturity and common sense due to the experiences of life. But it is also used also to refer to the overseer, or pastor or spiritual leaders of these churches. Note that the term is plural. Most of these early churches had a plurality of overseers. In all probability they each supervised and led in some particular ministry. Be they lay or clergy is irrelevant.
What is important when looking for good qualities of leadership?
That is the theme of this week’s study.
This is a reminder to continually pray for spiritual leaders to be faithful to the Lord and strong against temptations of all sorts.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets- Tues Oct 4
Verses- Titus 1:5-9 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.
6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.
Evaluate the Home Life.
One is called to be blameless. Blameless doesn't mean sinless it means that no serious accusations can be made against him. Now before God anyone in Jesus Christ is made blameless by the blood of the cross. One could legitimately say, a spiritual leader must be saved and forgiven. You'd be surprised how many spiritual leaders have no personal faith relationship with Jesus Christ. They have people gifts and talents, and maybe speaking abilities and theological education, but have never repented and trusted in the cross of Christ to save them, and invited Christ to come into their lives and follow Him. So first evaluate is someone is saved, and trusting Christ as their savior.
But I believe Paul is talking about lifestyle here. As saved people we now must live above reproach of others. Although we are affected by sin, our desire is to live with integrity so we have nothing to hide. There are no skeletons in the closet that we are hiding that haven't been faced. One must live so as to bring no shame to Jesus and to the church. Out lives make a difference. Spiritual leaders have a higher calling and responsibility before God.
Dr. Millard Erickson in a survey of churches concluded the highest rating of what churches are looking for in pastors relate to what the person is rather than what he knows or what he can do.
One of the first areas of evaluation is one's home life. Those who have families are expected to manage them well. One of the complaints of pastors years ago was how their family lives in a fishbowl with everyone watching them and how they raise their family, whether their children are obedient and well behaved. There are some jokes made about being a PK preachers kids that children have learned to resent. Everyone expects pastors and wives, and children to be perfect by their expectations. But I am glad to say it seems those days of extreme scrutiny are diminished. No family is perfect.
Gone are the days when families walk in unannounced into a home thinking the parsonage is public domain. Many have realized because of mistakes made in the past pastors need family time, and time with their spouse. Two occupations sadly affected by divorce are medical physicians, and clergymen. One reason is that so much time is spent away from home normally that they do not provide adequate love and leadership in their own families. Absenteeism builds resentment. One complaint many spouses give of their ministerial husbands is even when he is at home he might as well be gone because he is always on the phone, reading material for a sermon or thinking about church problems instead of giving his family attention.
One of the best ways a church can help is to allow their leaders and workers times away for family. Some churches unfortunately are very blind to the needs for vacations and days off, and times away from church responsibilities. I am glad that Stanchfield recognizes that is an important part of ministry to the family, and know our family has been blessed because of that support.
But it is not the fault of churches when spiritual leaders are unfaithful to their wives. To be the husband of one wife is a charge against polygamy, but it may also be applied sexual morality and against divorce under the conditions laid out in Matthew 6 and I Cor. 7. This message is especially important in our day.
Paul's message is if things are falling apart at home, one will not lead in church matters very well. Spiritually rebellious children often result because they see inconsistency in their lives of their parents. That isn't always true of course. There are families who love the Lord and when some child reaches late adolescent they make decisions of their own. At that point the parents are no longer responsible. But the point of home evaluation is one cannot live two lives. Anything you try to cover up at home will come out through little mouths anyway.
Families that have strong marriages and committed children who are active believers, doesn't just happen. Not only is it by God's grace but you can bet parents work at Christian training in home and don't just leave it up to Sunday school and youth groups. It is important to spend time with you kids, to model Jesus and pray and teach. That kind of person makes the best church leader too.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Weds Oct 5
Verse- Titus 1:7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless-- not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.
Evaluate the Personal Life.
The work we do in the ministry is a trust from God. It is a responsibility given to us to do in His wisdom and strength. A steward takes care of that which he does not own. No church is ours as pastors, leaders or laity. Each church belongs to God or it is not a church in the Biblical sense. God has entrusted spiritual leaders with his work. So we need to be selective who serves in the churches and especially as pastors.
We not only evaluate the home life, but also one's personal life. Time does not allow me to say more than a comment or two in our list of criteria that is important regarding a leader's personal character.
First "He must be blameless, not overbearing" When I read that I think of overbearing, dictatorial leaders. I think there are some who love to confront and intimidate people in overbearing manner. Usually such people are very judgmental not in just Biblical principles but in legalistic rules about everything. Such a leader demands his way. There are many churches split over pastors who with pride and forcefulness and self-righteousness drive people away because of their bossy mannerisms.
Yet, there was no compromise in Paul's life. I am sure he was a confronting strong personality. What's the difference? A strong person is one whom you know does what he does out of conviction and love and not out of pride and self-righteousness. One encourages the church to follow Jesus, the others to follow the pastor. The overbearing person must always win. We must preach the word in power in power and love, but never to manipulate people in overbearing and closed minded ways.
2) A leaders ought not be quick tempered I know of one pastor who at a board meeting rose up with such anger he began attacking others and cursing and slammed down his Bible and stormed out of the church. He lost his position. Now anger is not the sin, how we display it is. When one has an ongoing characteristic of quick temperedness that will not do any church any good. Such a person does not hear people out without responding impulsively to the first thing that upsets him.
A person that can control his temper is a self-disciplined person. A person that responds out of impulsive emotion will sadly affect believers and baby Christians. Jesus seldom was angry, but when he was it was not with quick temper, but rather with righteous indignation. The best of leaders show a mannerism that is more thought out and not emotional explosive response where one must continually apologize later.
3) a leader is not given to drunkenness; I follow and advise all Christians to follow abstinence from alcoholic beverages. I do so because of our culture and its abuse of alcohol. I do so because of the influence and affect it has on others. I do so because of the many crimes committed under the influence. I do not want, in any way, to support an industry that makes profit at social ills of our society. The damage done to lives far exceeds any pleasure when you compare the costs. I go farther than Biblical demands. There is sin in drunkenness. When one does not drink at all there is never any problem with drunkenness. If there is any clergyman or Christian leader who is alcoholic, or tendencies to drinking too much they do not qualify unless they repent of sin and change their habits.
4) a leader is not violent. I am appalled at the increased information regarding abuse. We could easily translate this abusive. It comes out sexually, physically, emotionally. There is far too much child abuse under the guise of disciplining their children. There are battered kids, or kids who are harmed beyond normal and reasonable discipline.
But I never forget the headlines of Detroit Free Press at one of our conference churches made the news because police had to be called out three Sundays in a row because of physically fighting over disagreements in church policies and those who asked for the pastor's resignation and those who fought to support him. What a testimony for Jesus isn't it? How sad that the cause of Jesus is so compromised.
5. One does not pursue dishonest gain. There perhaps is no criticism more common than ministers who are after your money. TV personalities abound with lavish life styles and keep begging for more offerings promising greater spiritual blessings when you give to them. It is a mistake to take money under one pretense and use if for personal use. Honest and greed are both taken into consideration. There is nothing more at scrutiny than finances. People who give to the Lord want to be sure money is properly and carefully handled. More leaders get into trouble by first handling money, which I don't think any pastor needs to do; and secondly ignoring the church accountability.
A person is pegged quickly how he treats finances and if one is only concerned about benefits salary housing and professional expenses and asks very little about ministry they will not make good ministers. Jesus says it well when he said, "Where your treasurer is there will your heart be also." Look at a man's checkbook to see one's priorities. When one is more involved in personal investments and financial gains than the work of helping others, priorities of Christ get misdirected.
Notice there is nothing wrong with people who make investments or able to do a business in honest ways because the correction is against dishonest gain, and illegal or unethical means of making money.
Misrepresentation of a car is just as wrong as stealing from the treasury. It can be a temptation to be dishonest when filling out a professional expense. It can be dishonest when filling out mileage trip tickets. Cheating and taking of money and materials that do not belong to a person disqualifies them from such leadership according to the Word
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Thurs Oct 6
Verses- Titus 1: 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
Evaluate the Spiritual Life.
Now these qualities certainly belong to personal characteristics, but they are also defined as upright holy and disciplined. And all have spiritual sources.
The Bible begins to say love the Lord God first and love your neighbor as your self. If someone doesn't have the love of God in them they are not going to have much love for others. Hospitality is one way that is evaluated.
If someone is loving God, love begins to flow to others. Hospitality is kindnesses
shown to others for the purpose of making them feel welcome. People are given food when needed, places to stay. In the first century when Christians traveled, they did not have motels and hotels like we do, many of them traveled and stayed in homes of other believers. To help evangelists and missionaries along their way was part of being hospitable. Kindness is a spiritual quality.
Next love what is good. There is a difference between doing what is good, and loving to do what is good. There are times in our lives when we do what we know to be right, but like Romans 7 there is a struggle within our souls. God honors us doing what is right, especially when faced with temptations. Do we love pleasing the Lord, and doing what we know pleases Him? Or do we really wish we could be in sin?
Rejoice in the right. Do we love to do the truth, to see God's will done, to see people walk in holiness? Do we love helping others, seeing people converted? Do we love to get involved in activities that help others in their spiritual walk? That is an important part of evaluating a persons spiritual life.
Another spiritual quality is one who is self-controlled. We all sin, but we must not continue in sin. There is a difference. We can lose our temper, but must not do so continually. There is difference between the character of Judas who sought to lie and deceive and steal, and the character of Peter who wanted to serve God but fell when he was walking in his own strength and not the power of the Spirit.
Next Paul talks about being upright and holy. How important it is to be honest and doing what is right instead of what is wrong, or compromising principles for the sake of accomplishing ends. People need to see honesty in all areas, especially in our day. Someone in church told me of returning money less than $1.00 to the local grocery store. There was a coupon given which he didn't use, and in checking the sales slip he was undercharged for another item. In wanting to be fair and upright he spend more money on his return trip than the cost of the items. How often people are surprised when we are honest?
Uprightness comes in treating people fairly, honestly, and with a level of wanting God's glory to be seen in and through him. We do not want to excuse our sin or our own personality traits. The question that is a good one to guide your spiritual life is "What would Jesus do?"
Lastly this list includes being disciplined. This is the hardest characteristic for me. If we talk about organization, plans, goals and strategy. I fail when it comes to diets and overeating. Satan gains a victory when how some of my time could be better spent, but I hope I am not just rationalizing when I think it Paul talking about Spiritual disciplines primarily.
Discipline for me comes with seeking to change my schedule to have regular devotions and prayer, not just when I feel like it. A Spiritual leader isn't living in the spirit if he isn't spending times listening to God through the Word and in prayer. It means not letting my emotions control my actions, but the Bible through the mind.
When it comes to the Lord, work toward that ideal of having study time, having family time, having budget plan, having your work responsibilities planned out. And always be aware surprises happen and God knows that. So go with it.
Pastor Dale
Sermon Nuggets Fri Oct 7
Verses Titus 1:9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Evaluate the Doctrinal Life.
Lets look at some of these phrases that supports the importance of holding to sound doctrine.
"He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message.” In addition to the character qualities a true leader of God must also hold true to the message that is from the Bible. It is the anchor by which he does all teaching and living. All other revelations, opinions, suggestions, and so forth are unworthy. Of course, we have the advantage that Titus did not have, since we have all of Paul's authoritative letters and this is by the Spirit of God. We must be doctrinally sound.
"as it has been taught," This little phrase is significant in that Paul taught Titus the gospel. The Gospel cannot be conveyed without someone teaching someone else, who teaches someone else. The importance of teaching the Word of God continues from generation to generation. The importance of knowing the fundamentals makes a stronger church. Paul was authoritative in his teaching because he knew that it was God's. The Spirit bring that to us in his own unique way and illuminates our minds that we would know truth from the Bible and apply it to our hearts.
"so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." I have been reminded how important it is not only to stand firm to truth but people are encouraged when they are believers to know truth, good or bad. I think of Christ who says, You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. That is the case when people are not under bondage, but under grace. They are not under spiritual abuse, but under the love of God. They are freed from sin and the sins that entrap. We praise God for his revelation of truth. We praise God for encouragement that He provides. Secondly when one knows doctrines and teachings of Scriptures one has a basis of knowledge and can refute and show others the error in their thought.
We ought not to be afraid of offense if it is truth in love. When people preach materialistic gospel, we must show the lie of it. When people preach a Christless gospel, we must confront it with the truth. When people preach salvation by any other means than grace of God through faith there is false salvation. I am shocked when I hear so much religious gobbledygook that has no Biblical truth. But they don't know it. People need to be trained so that there is a foundation of truth and can discern what is a lie from Satan.
Don't be misled by exciting and dramatic personalities. Don't be mislead by the lusts of your own desires; don’t be mislead by traditions that go against the Bible. Don't be misled by new fads and new revelations or emotional experiences that are not consistent with the repeated teachings of the doctrines of the Bible. Don't get misled by people who think they have some new inside super spiritual insight unknown before. May those red lights of warning cause you to stop and seek the truth. Be like the Bereans who were instructed to check out what Paul said by the Scriptures to see if these things are so.
Sometimes there are arguments regarding style of music, dress, versions of the Bible who can pass out communion plate and variety of other items that people like to use to judge correctness. Oh let’s be people changed by God's love and desire to demonstrate in all of our lives what Paul stresses to evaluate leaders especially. Be people who are consistent at home as well as at church. Be people whose personal integrity is seen by outsiders as well as insiders. Have a spiritual life that draws upon the power of God and shows itself in one's life, and know what you believe and why. We will be stronger and so will others because of Jesus who demonstrates these qualities for us.
Pastor Dale
