-Leadership in the kingdom of God. James and John’s mom asks Jesus to sit at His right and left hands in heaven.

Matt. 20:25 “²⁴ When the ten disciples heard this, they became indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵ Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. ²⁶ It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave;²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

-Church leadership has gotten a really bad reputation over the last decade, and I would argue it’s because many churches have gotten away from what we read in today’s text.

READ/PRAY (pg. 1052)

1. Elders, Pastors, Shepherds, Overseers

-Paul begins by commending those who want to be leaders in the church, but we have to admit that being overeager probably is a disqualification! There should be a level of reverence and trepidation in approaching any leadership because the Bible has some harsh words about those who are in leadership. Look at what James says in James 3:1, or if you want a stinging rebuke, read Ezek. 34!

-There have been moves throughout the church recently to try to flatten any sense of leadership or authority within the church, and we should admit that anytime you have people in positions of authority, there’s going to be the risk of abuse. You’ve probably heard the phrase “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But friends, believe it or not, that is antithetical to the message of the gospel! The gospel message is that the one who had absolute power wasn’t corrupted, but instead took corruption on Himself and then gives His power to His followers to accomplish the tasks He gives them.

-Part of this flattening is good and right and true, the ground is completely level at the foot of the cross, it doesn’t matter your academics, your genetics, your personality, your gender, or whether or not you were a leader in the church. There there have been times in the past where the pastor was put on too high a pedestal where no human is meant to be! But in response to that, to say that there is no distinction is also incorrect! The Bible assumes that Christians will organize into churches, and that those churches will have leaders who meet the qualifications listed here!

-The other piece that I want to mention that also applies to last week’s text (women in the church), is I think we have tended to get leadership in the church backwards. Friends, the church isn’t like the world, so adopting worldly ideas and definitions of leadership is at best unhelpful and at worst sinful. If Jesus serves as our model, then church leadership is actually about service instead of power. The call to be a leader in the church is a call to die so that others can be raised up. I worry that we as the church instead tend to look for people who are impressive by worldly standards instead of impressive by God’s standards.

-There is some debate around what these leaders should be called, and even today different denominations (or even sometimes churches) will use different titles to refer to the same office (Baptist churches for a while only had 1 office that they called “Deacons” which is a different and distinct office from Elder, it’s vs. 1-7 or 8-13). And some of the debate is because the NT uses different words in different places. In our text today, it’s translated as “overseer” episkapa 

-But even he seems to alternate between a couple different titles, because if you look at Titus 1, Paul refers to the same office with 2 different words, this time adding in presbuteros (if you’re thinking about various ways the church has ordered leadership, you may have heard the similarities to 2 church governance proposals: episcopal, and presbyterian, taken from these 2 words)

-Just like Paul uses different words to describe the same office, Peter does something similar in 1 Peter 5, but this time he uses the word for shepherd, which he goes on to use a bit of a descriptor for who elders should model themselves after: the chief shepherd (Jesus). He also says something similar to what we saw in 1 Tim. This should be done willingly. 1 other piece here, is the call for elders to be examples. Hold onto that thought, because it will come up again!

-To further confuse you, in Acts 20, Paul uses all 3 words to refer to the exact same office! He summons the elders, then calls them overseers, then tells them to shepherd. Something else we now learn about this office from this text is that they’re supposed to be able to defend against false teaching. That idea will come up again later, too!

-The last passage to look at before we continue in our text in Eph. 4, there again Paul uses the word for shepherd (pastor), but includes it in the list of other provisions to define all the things God provides to the church. But it’s not just to have leaders, the goal is maturity in the body of Christ. The other thing we learn about pastors in this section is they’re connected to a teaching ministry. He has this list going, but then he connects pastors and teachers together as if the role of a pastor is to be a teacher.

-We see these 4 words used interchangeably throughout the NT to refer to this leadership office in the church. This structure isn’t meant to be applied to other organizations or institutions; it’s God’s design and structure for the flourishing of His people between Jesus’s 2 comings. The day is coming when the Chief Shepherd will come and we’ll all live in a theocracy, but until that day, we’ll need faithful elders to lead our churches. 

-We’ve already started to see some of the descriptions of what and elder is supposed to be and do, but Paul gives us more in 1 Timothy:

• An Elder Is Faithful in His:

-And I hope what stood out to you as we read it this morning how basic it is. Like the bar (at first blush) doesn’t seem to be very high. He says things like: “he must not be a drunk.” Nailing it! All but 1 thing in this list is supposed to be true of every follower of Jesus. Carson quote. 

-Friends, this should comfort us! What that means, at least at the start, is that this is something that’s attainable for real life people like you and me. He doesn’t say he must have gone to Harvard or Yale (or the 1^st century equivalent!), he doesn’t say he must manage a fortune 500 company, it doesn’t even say he needs to be incredibly successful, or even manage a business. What Paul describes here is what I talked about a few weeks ago: a normal, dare we say boring Christian. 

-And I would argue that we can summarize this whole this as faithful. I’ve shared with you all before that each year I have a word of the year that helps me focus my heart and mind for the year, but it’s always in addition to the word: faithful. And I get that from a parable Jesus tells in Matt. 25. These are the words I hope to hear when I see Jesus for the first time: well done. 

-What we should be looking for in a leader is faithfulness. Are they faithful in following after Jesus in their lives? When they fail (and they will), how do they respond? Do they repent and run to Jesus or run away from Him?

-And that gets to another piece we need to consider before looking at the list, and that is that as the leader goes, that’s where the church will go. You see that idea all over Scripture! When Israel has a good and faithful king, they prosper. When Israel has a wicked king, they suffer. And churches follow the same pattern, they reflect their leadership. In fact, in every membership class I teach, I tell those who attend to PLEASE take their affirmations of elders seriously, because that’s the only way we as a church are going to remain healthy! Our leaders must faithfully point others to Jesus in what they say and in how they live.

-Once again, D.A. Carson helpfully summarizes why this is important: “Christian character is as much caught as taught—that is, it is picked up by constant association with mature Christians.” Basics for Believers

-Church, you will start to become like your elders! So be careful who you pick!

1. Character

-I spent way too much time this week trying to figure out how to condense this list down, so take this a proposal, subject to change in the future! We begin with faithfulness, but then move to character, which again could summarize all of them! And combining those 2 things gets us even closer to summarizing the whole message: faithful character. But in order to help us think through this list a little more carefully, I condensed the character piece to 6 of them: above reproach, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, not an excessive drinker, and a good reputation among outsiders (above reproach in the church, good reputation outside the church).

-First, are any of these things just for elders and not for the rest of the church? Nope! We’re all called to be holy just like God is holy, self-control is a fruit of the spirit, sensible is used to describe men and women in Titus, respectable is used to describe all women in last week’s text, Eph. 5:18 says no one is to get drunk, and Jesus in Matt. 5:16 says that we’re supposed to let our light shine before others so that they’ll see our good works and give glory to God. So these things aren’t unique to an elder, they’re just what Christians are all called to be!

-So why isn’t everyone an elder? I would argue that what sets elders apart is that they live the ordinary Christian life extraordinarily well. Elders are called to be normal Christians who are faithfully following after Jesus. People that you would want to be like in your faith! So let’s look at each one of these:

-Above reproach: does this mean that elders are going to be sinless? Ask any of our elders if they’re sinless, and if they don’t laugh at you, they probably shouldn’t be elders anymore! 

-Which gets us to another piece to remember in this: no leader is Jesus. I know that sounds kind of obvious, but let me tell you, as a pastor and leader in multiple churches it can be easy to start to think or feel like the church needs me. I have a friend who said a professor at seminary would regularly have the class repeat after him: “I am not the Christ!”

-This is someone who’s life is actually worth trying to copy. It’s someone that serves as a model Christian. I didn’t say perfect, I say model. Someone who is daily working to take steps closer to Jesus, daily striving to become more holy, daily confessing their sins and asking for the Lord’s help to remain faithful.

-Self-controlled: someone that can control their own appetites is the way one commentary summarized it. Instead of making hasty reactions to something, this is someone who steadfast in their responses. 

-Sensible: Paul uses an interesting word here that can be translated “holding no wine,” which doesn’t make complete sense since Paul talks about that issue later. Some scholars translate this as sober, that is careful in the way he approaches life, could maybe even say steady. Doesn’t easily get worked up about things.

-Respectable: this refers to someone who is held in high regard by others. Not sure if you’ve heard the leadership maxim that I think this gets to is: if you claim to be a leader, and look back and no one’s following you you’re not a leader! Elders are people that others actually look to and call out as leaders.

-Not an excessive drinker: as I said earlier, Paul talks about this for all believers in Eph. 5. Christians are not to be marked by drunkenness, or you could say a lack of self-control. Someone who is a drunk can’t control their urges or their appetites, so they shouldn’t be asked to be in leadership. Now, it’s important to note that Paul doesn’t say it’s wrong to drink at all! Drinking alcohol itself isn’t a sin, it can be a sin, but it isn’t a sin in and of itself. Story of Spurgeon and Moody. 

-Lastly for this section: A good reputation among outsiders. The church is meant to be on the front lines of evangelism. We’re always supposed to be sharing the gospel with those we come into contact with in all areas of our lives. How would it look if the church elects leaders who even those outside the church don’t respect? I’ve talked to pastors who have had men who were known as bullies in the community be brought up as potential elders in the church. Based on what we see in this list, do you think someone like that should be called to be an elder?

-I would summarize all of these as: faithful character! But we’ve got 4 more to go:

• Marriage & Home

-How does he manage his house? What kind of a husband is he? Do his wife and kids flourish? Now as we’ve seen many times, there’s some debate about these expectations! And it’s led to no small amount of controversy through the centuries!

-Husband of one wife: does this mean that if someone has gotten divorced, they’re automatically disqualified? Some would say yes! But even Jesus said that divorce is permitted in some cases. The Greek is literally “one women man,” so you could translate that as “devoted to his wife.” Other people argue that this means elders are required to be married. But that would automatically disqualify Jesus and Paul from serving as elders (and someone like John Stott – a British pastor who served faithfully until he died), and bringing in vs. 4, I don’t think we’d argue that they’re required to have kids. Others argue that this is a prohibition against polygamy. And while it is that, I don’t think it’s only that! The way I would interpret this is: is this man faithfully devoted to caring for his wife. If he is divorced, there would need to be some more questions asked, but it doesn’t automatically disqualify someone.

-Hospitable. Here’s one we don’t often think about! In the 1^st century this would have been literally opening your home to having people come stay with you, since hotels weren’t always reliable, and if you became a Christian it often meant social alienation from your old friends and family. Today, I would take this as someone who regularly has people in their home, do they welcome others in? And I think it connects to vs. 4:

-If an elder is hospitable, people will be able to see how he manages his house. Do his kids thrive under his leadership? Does he love on them, play with them, and train them up to follow after Jesus?

-And notice why Paul says that: because the church is just a larger family! The nuclear family is the proving ground for elders. Does this mean that if someone has unbelieving children they’re automatically disqualified? Again, no! Church, we need to remember that we can’t force anyone to become a Christian! As much as I would give anything for my kids to know Jesus as their Lord, I can’t, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job! What this is getting at is does this person create an environment in their home where their children are regularly hearing about God? Think of the shema (called that because of the Hebrew word for hear), does this father talk about God: in the house, when you walk, when you lie, when you get up, is God the way he orients his entire life, so that the children know who God is and what He’s like?

• Teaching

-The 1 gift he MUST have. Doesn’t say business savvy, doesn’t say charismatic personality, doesn’t say gifted communicator, it says able to teach. And if you think about how God has chosen to reveal Himself, it makes sense. God has revealed Himself to use through His Word! That means that church leaders should be able to point people to His Word as our highest authority for life and doctrine! This doesn’t mean that they’re required to preach, teaching is done in a wide variety of contexts, but they need to be able to explain the Bible to others. Which leads perfectly into:

• Correcting

-One of the primary purposes of having leaders is to ensure commitment to the Word. So not only is the positive given previously (able to teach), but they also need to be able to correct those who are teaching wrongly.

-First, not a bully. I love the way the NASB translates this word: not pugnacious! That is not someone who is quick to fight or argue. I actually just read an article this week that shocked me (I’m not even going to link to it because it was that bad), but the “pastor” who wrote it said some pastors today “are not pugnacious enough.” In contrast to that, Paul here commends being gentle. That’s not taking a soft stance, that’s someone who knows how to correct people in a loving way.

-Also, not quarrelsome. Not looking to fight.

-And also not greedy, not looking at benefit from this service, which connects to what I said earlier about leaders being the number one servants! 

-And why are these ideas so important? Well it’s up to the elders to help in matters of discipline! Look at Paul says what we’re supposed to use the Word for 2 Tim.: to correct, rebuke, and encourage. This means that there’s both the positive teaching what is good, true, and beautiful, and correcting, which is pulling people back from following what is false and pointing them to what is true. And all this gets back to the need for elders to know the Word! 

• Faith

-Finally, how do you ensure that someone is living these things out? It takes time! Paul says this shouldn’t be someone who’s a new convert. Don’t take someone who has just recently been saved and throw them into leadership positions! They’re not ready for it! And I can tell you, as someone who was called into ministry young, this is absolutely true! You start to think you can do things in your own power and strength instead of relying on God!

-And this is why the author of the Hebrews holds church leaders up as such a high example. This connects to what we studied last week: we’re all called to submit to the leaders of the church because the leaders are keeping watch over our souls. 

-Leadership isn’t a bad thing, nor is it such a high bar that no one can reach it. We need to look for those who are living the ordinary Christian life extraordinarily well, and then follow their lead!

“Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people in the Outaouais and beyond testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the Book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday’s grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity. He was not a gifted administrator, but there is no text that says, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you are good administrators.” His journals have many, many entries bathed in tears of contrition, but his children and grandchildren remember his laughter. Only rarely did he break through his pattern of reserve and speak deeply and intimately with his children, but he modeled Christian virtues to them. He much preferred to avoid controversy than to stir things up, but his own commitments to historic confessionalism were unyielding, and in ethics he was a man of principle. His own ecclesiastical circles were rather small and narrow, but his reading was correspondingly large and expansive. He was not very good at putting people down, except on his prayer lists.

When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.

But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man—he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor—but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.””