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Biblical Leadership
62 Plays4 months ago
1 Tim. 3:1-16
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Transcript
Envisioning a New Political Campaign
00:00:01
Speaker
I wonder what it would be like when we would enter a season of political campaigning where the candidates would simply not tell you anything about any legislation that they've passed or any legislation that they've opposed. I wonder what it would be like if they simply didn't tell you about any of the bills that they were trying to push through. Any of the bills that they got voted yes or voted no. I wonder what it would be like if they just left out any proposals for laws, any ideas about programs or institutions that they were trying to pass. I wonder what it would be like if we were simply told how they treated their family.
00:00:49
Speaker
What if the campaign ad simply flashed pictures of ordinary life, like going to a picnic with your neighbors? dinners around the kitchen table, kneeling at the bed of your children saying prayers at night, talking to your friends, helping somebody out in trouble, or maybe, just maybe, saying something inappropriate in a traffic jam.
Character in Leadership
00:01:16
Speaker
What would it be like if we saw charts, not on how much money that they had raised, but how much money they had tied?
00:01:26
Speaker
What if their budget that they were talking about wasn't the country's budget, but their own personal budget?
00:01:36
Speaker
What if we simply heard the little points of life that revealed their character? Would it make a difference in how you go vote? It should. A person's character matters. How they conduct themselves indicates how they manage life in areas of responsibility. If they can't lead at home, what makes you think they're going to lead at the state or the country or the church? Friends, this is not a political sermon. Relax. I was raised a long time ago to simply tell you from the pulpit to vote, not how to vote.
00:02:23
Speaker
This isn't a political sermon. This is a sermon about the qualifications needed to lead in the church. But I'll argue today that it starts in the family. When it comes to leadership in the church, there can be no compromise in the area of personal integrity.
Church Leadership and Family Integrity
00:02:46
Speaker
You simply need to turn on the news in the last couple of weeks And unfortunately, you'll see famous pastors who have made a misstep, to which I say, pray for them, because they too are human and fallen, just like you, just like me.
00:03:11
Speaker
In Matthew chapter 23, in talking to the Pharisees, Jesus says this, and I think it's timely for you and I this morning. He says, you clean the outside of the cup of the dish, but the inside of that cup and dish are full of greed and self-indulgence. Saying rather, first clean the inside of the cup, and then the outside will also be clean. In other words, our inner lives determine our outward behavior.
00:03:46
Speaker
Your inward character determines how you live out your life. It's no different if you're sitting in the pew, or if you're leaving the Bible study class, or if you're up here at the pulpit. Church leadership is a noble and respected position, and it requires a noble character. And friends, there's a real danger when we show up, especially here, but it also happens in the family, when the outside of the cup doesn't match the inside of the cup. There's a real danger in playing church when we come here, instead of living church out there. Leaders everywhere, but especially in the church, must be above, and we're gonna hear this word all all throughout the sermon today, reproach.
00:04:35
Speaker
means that you have to be above the mark, above criticism, above fault, above blame. And we're gonna see a fantastic list of qualifications today. And I will tell you when it comes to lists in the Bible, you wanna pay real close attention. But I wanna put you at ease. Those lists aren't meant to be kept 100% of the time. It's impossible to keep those lists 100% of the time. What those lists tell you is in general what God's word expects from you. In your walk, in your Christian journey, are you characterized by these qualities? Now, it doesn't mean we won't fall from some of these qualities like some of these pastors just recently did.
Roles of Elders and Deacons
00:05:20
Speaker
My prayer for them and for you and for myself is that we repent because we saw that today in our Bible study class if you were there.
00:05:30
Speaker
that you repent and you change and you get folded back into the family of God. Friends, this morning we're going to see leaders, two sets, maybe three, elders, deacons, and everybody. Elders, deacons, and everybody. These are the leadership within the church and they are to be irreproachable. That means they're above criticism. They are to be an ideal. You'll see that in your outline. That means that they're gonna model certain qualities, character traits for each one of us. And then finally, we're gonna see how does that translate for you and I today. If you'll remember last time I spoke, it wasn't last week. Last week you had Conley and I heard fantastic things as always. Conley does a great job. That's why we keep having him back at the pulpit.
00:06:16
Speaker
um I told him, go an hour and a half. I don't know if he went an hour and a half. The reason I say that so that when I come and I only do 35 minutes, you guys will appreciate me more.
00:06:28
Speaker
Here's what I've come to learn. I sat under the great, ah my great pastor, I won't even say his like his last name just for the fact that it's not important. I sat under him many years and he taught fantastic, strong biblical sermons. And I can guarantee you, after about 35 minutes, I don't care how strong you are in the word, your head starts doing this. And I see it out there. Don't take offense. it doesn't It doesn't bother me one bit. I get paid just the same, whether or not you sleep today or not. 35 minutes is about, what on average, what people can focus on. So that's what I'm shooting for today.
00:07:12
Speaker
Last time we spoke, we talked about the roles, if you'll remember, men and women in the church. I didn't get much pushback, by the way. I thought I was going to get a lot of feedback from that, which tells me one of two things. Either ah you're scared to email me during the week, which you shouldn't be, or two, what I exposited was just biblical truth. And you can't argue that biblical truth. We talked a lot about who should not teach. the last time we we came out if you remember that. This week we're gonna look about who should teach and the qualifications for those who should teach.
00:07:51
Speaker
Spurgeon says this, he said, there is no doubting the importance of good leadership. Men who can shepherd the church well in a Christ-like manner, get this, bring great stability to the local church. You know who brought great stability to this church? The guy before me, Dr. Tim. You do realize that, right? i I sit on the shoulders of Dr. Tim who settled the chaos here at this church because he went right back to the Bible and he preached sound doctrine. So I come in and enjoy that great ride that he gave us, that stability that he gave us here.
00:08:38
Speaker
Spurgeon continues and says, while the duties of the church and church leadership may change from time to time, one thing that never changes is the character of those leaders. They must be above reproach, they must be blameless. Paul describes for us this outward display of this inward character, if you will, and he says it starts with elders. So I'm gonna start with elders. You'll see that in your outline today. I'm gonna read today all of chapter 3. You don't have to stand. It's a lot. But just follow with me here. 1 Timothy chapter 3 starts this way. I'm reading from the New Living Translation. It says, this is a trustworthy saying. If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.
00:09:28
Speaker
So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and he must not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. And all the men are going, ugh, relax. Verse 5, for if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?
Qualifications of Church Leaders
00:10:13
Speaker
A church leader must not be a new believer because he might become proud and the devil would cause him to fall.
00:10:20
Speaker
Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil's trap. That's the elders. Verse eight starts with the deacons. In this same way, deacons. The deacons must be well-respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith and now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything that they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife and he must manage his children and household well. Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
00:11:18
Speaker
I'm writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that even if I'm delayed, you will know how the people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the Church of the Living God, which is the pillar and foundation of truth. Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith. Christ was revealed in human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced by the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
00:11:52
Speaker
Friends, if you simply read that or listen to that list of men in positions of authority, these are the two positions that I want to talk about today. Elders first and deacons. You'll notice both of them have very similar qualifications. The one qualification that only the elder has is he's to be a teacher. And it says the ability to teach, but the better translation is ready to teach. So not only must you know God's word, you must be willing and ready when called upon to step up and teach.
00:12:30
Speaker
It says that they must be blameless or above reproach. It's honorable to do this.
00:12:39
Speaker
It's this word kaleos, which is a high standard or expectation, a moral quality that these elders must have. It says that they must have a good testimony, meaning that that they live above reproach both inside the church and outside the church, so that others who see them will go, yes, the inside of their cup matches the outside of their cup.
00:13:05
Speaker
You know the number one complaint that we get about Christianity? Anyone want to take a stab at what that is? It's not a doctrinal issue, believe it or not. Hypocrisy. That's the biggest word. That person is a, say it with me. Why do they say that? Because the outside of your cup does not match the inside of your cup. Plain and simple. It means that we say one thing one way here, but then we live it out differently in front of them. It says that elder cannot, should not, ought not do that. Otherwise, they will be disqualified. And then he goes on to give this list. And mind you, I told you a list. Can't keep it 100%, but I want you to listen to this list. There to be a husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, ready to teach,
00:14:00
Speaker
not drunk, not violent, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
00:14:09
Speaker
And I know when it comes to the list, a lot of you guys are going, mm-hmm, mm-hmm, maybe not, mm-hmm, right? That's the way we're built. He must manage his own household well. I like the New Living Translation in their translation here on this, right? Even though it has this connotation that the kids must be in submission, it really means he's not ruling with the heavy thumb. He's caring and loving and and it shows with his kids. I'll just tell you those who have grown kids right now, look at me. You can't control how those grown kids are gonna be when they leave the house, period. You can pour into them all the Christianity that you want to. They're their own people and they go their own ways. All you can do is continue to pray for them.
00:15:00
Speaker
He says, here in this list of qualifications for an elder, they must have this type of character. And I just put a note to myself, how's character formed is through consistency and repetition and perseverance. So that when somebody looks at your life and they say John or Frank or Bill, is that somebody who is in general, gentle? Or is that person known as kind of a violent guy? Is that guy who only has a drink every once in a while? And I get it. Baptists, listen to me. I get it. There's a big problem with drinking. And Baptists, I get it. Even the Baptist Church split over it. Listen to me. What this is saying is not that you can't have a drink.
00:15:53
Speaker
But it's saying, does the totality of your life show that you're somebody who can't control themselves when it comes to the drink? Therefore, you have no self-control. And that lack of self-control leads to you being, and I like this, a drunkard. My wife goes, stop using that word. Nobody says drunkard anymore.
00:16:14
Speaker
This whole list is about self-control. You do realize that, right? You're either controlled in your mind. You're self-controlled. Therefore, you're respected. But you also control your temper so you're not violent. And that tempered, controlled, reasonable person, as an elder in the church, fathers his family that same way. That's what is being said here. Consistency, repetition, perseverance. These are the qualities of eldership.
00:16:49
Speaker
And I want you to notice with me, and in in a world where pronouns mean everything, listen to this. And I'm not making this up. I'm reading it right here from from the Bible.
00:17:05
Speaker
He is the husband of one wife. He must manage his household well. He must be ready to teach. He must be fill in the blank.
00:17:23
Speaker
this This friend is a list of he's. This is for men. The position of the elder in the church is is only for men. So while you may go to a different denomination where they have lady pastors or lady elders, I'll just come out and say that's unbiblical. I don't know how else to sugarcoat that for you. The office of the pastor, and this word really elder is one of overseer or pastor, but it's definitely not deacon because we see a deacon is listed next. This position is one of overseer, of shepherding. He is a person of noble character. He is to be respected by both the members inside of the church and outside of the church and that starts in his house.
00:18:11
Speaker
Let's put a note here, a good elder doesn't have to tell you they're a good elder. Just like a good boss doesn't have to tell you a good boss. Of all the bosses I've had growing up, the best bosses have never told me once, they are a great boss. You know why that is? Because they just boss well. I don't mean they're bossy. That means that they live out what they say on a daily, consistent, repetitious basis. It's that guy that has to tell you, hey, I'm the boss. Right? As my sister says, I'm the boss, applesauce. Watch out for that guy. Because he's obviously not leading in such a way where he's the boss. Otherwise, he wouldn't have to tell you he's the boss. The same thing goes for an elder. You must be above reproach. You must be willing to serve. You must be ready to teach at a moment's drop.
00:19:08
Speaker
and up And I i read, ah and I'll just let you know, I'm not a fan of Andy Stanley, I'm just not. Charles Stanley is dad, good man. Just to tell you one generation there can be some problems. Charles Stanley says this, brothers in Christ, just because you have a desire to lead doesn't mean you're qualified to lead. If you can't live up to, and I'm not saying 100% of the time, if your life does not display these characteristics of self-control, sober-minded, respectable, hospitable, if you're not ready to teach at a moment's drop, meaning you haven't spent enough time in the Word and you don't know God's Word, you are not qualified to be an elder.
00:19:56
Speaker
And there's a hush over the church. An elder must be someone who's above reproach. I get it. This is a tough list to live up to. He goes on then and says, deacons. Deacons fall into a very similar boat here. Look at the same thing. You must be above reproach. Whereas the overseer or the pastor or the elder is all about not serving but leading or overseeing and teaching, the deacon's job, the very word diocasis is one of serving.
00:20:30
Speaker
You're a server, so as I look at the men here today, if you're serving the church in some capacity, you're a deacon, right? Right? No, thank you. Whoo, why is that? Because you must follow this criteria. This is the biggest problem, especially seen in a very large church. I just came from one. Huge problem is that you have big needs to be filled and the Deacon's role is to serve. And there's a lot of places to serve. And what ends up happening is you shovel guys in who are super ready to serve who aren't qualified to serve. And you get guys in and that's when problems happen.
00:21:14
Speaker
It's this inner character that not only the overseer must have, but also the deacon must have. It says they must be worthy of respect. They're worthy of respect because they show respect. And I just put, they have to have a serious mind about spiritual and leadership things. And you might look at me, and those of you who know me better now after a year will probably say, I can be kind of funny sometimes. That's my general nature. I'm a funny person. I have to be really careful that I don't slip out of being non-reverential, if I can put it that way, and be too funny and too flippant because the role of leader and elder and deacon is somebody who garnishes respect because they take that role seriously. And if they don't take it seriously, they have no business being there, myself included.
00:22:16
Speaker
It says literally they can't be double-tongued, meaning they talk one way and live a different way. Their word must be reliable, James chapter five. Their yes must be a yes and their no must be a no. It says they must be tested and proved. You know what's interesting to me? It doesn't say that the elders must be tested and proved. It says the deacons must be tested and proved. Why is that in the early church? Anybody care to venture a guess? The elders were assigned. in the early church. The deacons, however, says, we must be real careful. Test them. And if their lives show true, then we allow them to serve. Now verse 13, if you will, turn turn with me here, verse 13, because verse 13 can be interpreted one of two ways. So I just want to be quite up front. I'll read both ways and I'll let you decide. Verse 13 says,
00:23:16
Speaker
Sorry, verse 11. Verse 11 says, in the same way, the New Living Translation says, their wives, or these women, basically, or the women, as in the the original translation here. The question is, what does these women refer to? Does it refer to the deacons, meaning the deacon's wives, or does it refer to women who were serving in that deacon role? And there may be two different thoughts on this. I'm going to tell you, I've done enough studying, um it's a coin toss for me. I will tell you, I think there is a very strong argument here to be made in the early church, and I would even say now, there is a need for women serving in that role, in the deacon role. So I have no problem having deaconesses, if say you want to call them that. Women deacons, right?
00:24:13
Speaker
It does say, however, if that's the case, here's how they should behave. They're to be well-respected. They must not be slanders.
00:24:25
Speaker
Gossipers, basically, is this word. Don't worry, ladies. Men are just as culpable here in the gossip area. I've heard more men in ministry, hey, do you know what so-and-so said? I had a pastor tell me, he corrected me. For those of you who sat in our Wednesday night Bible study know this story I'm going to tell you. I heard something about somebody in our past church. I heard something like something juicy. It barely wasn't even that juicy. But it was something that not a lot of other people knew. And so I went to a pastor friend of mine because I thought, surely this guy's in the inner circle. He really knows.
00:25:07
Speaker
And I said, hey, do you know this about this person? And I'll never forget it to this day because it has corrected me in the way I think. He said, oh my goodness, no, let's go get that person and ask. And I thought, what? But you want to go get that person right now and share that gospel gossip that I just, and I'll tell you friends, I've never, I've really tried now, not 100% like this list, but I'm really cautious about gossip.
00:25:38
Speaker
And he says here, if you're gonna be qualified as somebody serving in a leadership position, you must take it serious. You must be well-respected both inside the church, outside the church. You must not gossip or slander. You must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything that you do.
00:25:58
Speaker
It's a tough list.
Biblical vs. Secular Leadership Standards
00:26:02
Speaker
Couple questions today. Leaders today in society. When you read a list like this today, Does this sound like somebody that's in a leadership position in business, a CEO? How about in sports? How about in politics?
00:26:29
Speaker
And I'll just tell you, I'm guilty of this. Look look up to me real quick. i don't It might be an age thing for me. I really struggle with politics. I really struggle with getting involved because I just think they're all evil to some degree. And I get it, we have to vote for somebody. But when I look at a biblical qualification like this, and then I go, does candidates so and so on the right match that qualification? No, not ah noting not even close. How about the other guy on the other side?
00:27:07
Speaker
No, not really.
00:27:11
Speaker
But I put in here, should we be surprised? These are worldly people. But where we should be surprised if if we're in the church and our leaders are not like this, are not exhibiting this, does the church here in America still model biblical leadership? And everybody says yes, right? How about here in Cameron? How about here in First Baptist Church? The model, biblically, is pastor, elder, deacon. Biblically. I'm not gonna argue ah church council. That's not my position up here. I'm telling you, biblically, the structure of the early church and that to be modeled forward is pastor who gives the spiritual direction of the church, the elders who are teaching,
00:28:05
Speaker
and helping to administer and the deacons who were serving alongside them to make sure that mission gets accomplished.
00:28:17
Speaker
And I just put down here, if that's not happening, why is it not happening? Is it because we've let it happen? And I'm just as guilty. I'm up here at the pulpit going, where are all the elders? Where are all the deacons?
00:28:33
Speaker
i'll get I'll get emails about this, don't worry about it. Here's the core of why I bring this to your attention.
Encouraging Service and Leadership
00:28:41
Speaker
Understand my role as pastor is to prod you as a church. While I love that we are friends and my goal is to pastor you in a loving Christian way, my job is to exposit the text and have the Holy Spirit convict you where you need convicting and convict me where I need convicting.
00:29:06
Speaker
If we're not following this biblical model, why not? The church desperately needs you, it desperately needs me. And I just put a note, if you're not men, because primarily I'm talking about men right now, so as I look out and I look at you, first question I have for you is, are you serving? If you're not serving, that's question number one, why aren't you serving? It's like a family here, and if you're part of the family and you're not helping out, I wish Howdy was here with his family. Those kids model family. You know, every single one of them helps the greater good of the family. We too should be the same way. Men, if you're not serving, you need to be serving. Second, if you're serving and you're taking this seriously, meaning your Christian walk, why are you not a deacon? Is there something disqualifying you right now from being a deacon? And if that's the case, we need to address that. The church is in dire need of you, men.
00:30:05
Speaker
to be deacons and to be elders,
00:30:12
Speaker
to raise up the young men who are coming and the young children that are down here. Women, are you serving? And all the ladies said, no, this is supposed to be about men today. Sisters, look at me, I love you. Thank you for all you do at the church. If you're not serving, why not? We need you in all capacities. There's some way you can serve the body here. You too, if you're not serving, is something disqualifying you? Is there something here, slander, gossip? Are you not respected both in the house ah or outside of the house? Is there something that we need to address? If that's the case, let's let's address that and let's move forward.
Modeling Character and Conduct
00:31:07
Speaker
Chuck Swindoll simply says this when it comes to leaders in the church, as go the leaders, so go the people. If you want the people to go a certain direction, the leaders better be going that direction, myself included. Now here's the all. So he starts with men and elders, deacons both men and women. Now he goes on here and says, these are the following qualifications that must be displayed by all believers.
00:31:35
Speaker
We are to be those who model both inside and outside must match and we model that to the community so that people see us as the children of God and they go, yeah, I can see that. Oh, Chuck's this way at work? You know, he's also the same way with his wife and kids. He's also the same way at church. It's that consistency of leadership quality that gets reflected both here at home and at and at church.
00:32:10
Speaker
What is our motivation? This is what I put. Anytime it comes to a list, by the way, this is the this is the natural, human natural response to a list. It's not just men responding this way. Ladies, listen to me. I just can't keep that list. There's there's no way I can keep that list. I'm just not even gonna try. That list, You see how hard that list is to keep? I can't keep that list. but That's our natural tendency. The better question is what is our motivation to keep that list? but Because some days we'll do it much better than others. Some days we'll be gentle and calm and loving. Other days we'll be stuck in traffic and not be loving and be violent.
00:32:59
Speaker
What is our motivation? Verses 14 and 15 tell us here. It's what Christ did at the cross. Christ is our motivation. How are we able to live above reproach because of what Christ accomplished at the cross?
00:33:17
Speaker
I like how my translation reads here. It says, Christ was revealed in human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory. It's this confession that we give, and we talked about this in Bible study today. This evangelistic idea, why do we go out and evangelize to people? It's because of what Christ did at the cross. That he was died, buried, and resurrected, and then he's ascended.
00:34:02
Speaker
Because we are the church and because we confess Christ, we must conduct ourselves accordingly. And when we do, y'all, it has nothing really to do about you and I. all It's all about the glory of God. When you and I try our hardest, if you will, and we fail often, but when we try with the right motivation to be godly leaders, Christ gets the glory. So what do we do with this today as I look? I know we're a little long. Just listen listen to a couple of points that I think that we should take home. How do we live this out? If you're taking notes, two words. We we lead with dignity as the first word and honor as the second word. And I came to notice honor is not a very common word that's used today. Do you do you realize that? We don't use that term. Hey, somebody, you know they deserve honor.
00:34:55
Speaker
yet honor is super important to God. And if it's important to God, it should be important to us. Max Lucado said this, anybody love Max Lucado, by the way? Man, that guy's got a great voice. Whoo, you'll listen to Max. I wish I could say it in this deep baritone voice. He ah just says this, before you can learn to be over, you need to learn to be under.
Leading with Dignity and Honor
00:35:20
Speaker
Meaning, Before you can lead with dignity and honor, you have to be under or learn to submit yourself with dignity and honor to those who've placed who God has placed over you. but You wanna be first? Better be last. You wanna lead? Better get ready to serve. The best leaders are what? Servant leaders. It's those people who model it and show you what it looks like to lead with honor. God calls us to honor church leadership, and we can do this in a couple of different ways, and I just put this down. It doesn't mean you have to do this. It's just a suggestion.
00:36:09
Speaker
The ESV probably is a better translation for this verse. Romans 12, 10, ESV says this, we're to love one another with brotherly affection. We are to outdo one another with honor.
00:36:24
Speaker
I remember my kids when they were little, all you had to do was tell them, hey, I want and want you to do this thing. And I wouldn't tell one kid, I'd tell all four. You know why I do that? Because each one would try to outdo the other. Oh, I'm going to do it better. No, I'm going to do it better. No, I'm going to do it better. and say Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is what we ought we ought to be doing when we want to show honor. We should be trying to outdo each other to show honor. How do we show honor? How do we lead with honor and dignity? Well, I just put, next time you're out at a restaurant and somebody serves you, recognize they served you. Be courteous to them. Say thank you. Hey, I really appreciate that.
00:37:05
Speaker
It's the little things like that. Hey, when you show up to your Bible study class and that teacher has spent a fair amount of time in preparation before the lesson, say, hey, thanks for preparing today for this. I'm really excited for the Bible study class. You'd be surprised when somebody just says that, how it just lightens up the leader's eyes. Oh, oh, you're ready today? Oh, you're excited to be here? Not afterwards, because sometimes they may not bring a great lesson, but you want to bring you want to be there early on and show them honor. Thank them. Bring them a note. Hey, appreciate you. Thanks for all you do. How about your kids that that that are getting watched over while you guys are in here? How about the youth people? How about those adults that went on camp?
00:38:02
Speaker
Hey, thanks for doing that. Thanks for taking out your week. Appreciate that. Man, I know my kids can be a handful. Thanks for doing that. It's a little things like this. How do we lead with dignity is the last part.
00:38:18
Speaker
And I know this person that I'm going to quote may be an odd person to quote. The late, great film star, Sir Lawrence Olivia.
00:38:31
Speaker
When asked what it takes to be a great actor, he says humility enough to prepare and confidence enough to perform. He said it's a true balancing act.
00:38:46
Speaker
Charles Stanley says parenting well is a balancing act.
00:38:53
Speaker
It's a balancing act, brothers and sisters, because you have to, on one hand, have this reverential fear and remain attached to God for everything that you do in your family every single day. But on the other hand, we have to have enough confidence in that divine call.
00:39:14
Speaker
And you have to manage your household well. It starts with the men.
Family Leadership and Integrity
00:39:22
Speaker
We sat in a marriage kind marriage conference Kim and I did many years ago, and this sweet lady was her and her husband, and she she started the conference this way. How many women think they raise their children? And like 95% of the ladies raised their hand. And then she said this, do you know biblically whose job it is to raise your kids? The men. Yikes. And then all the heads are like this.
00:39:55
Speaker
Men, fathers, and that job doesn't stop when they're out of the house, by the way. Your job is to be the leader who leads with love and compassion. And you can do that because you have the authority to do that. It's not the authority where you put your kids under the thumb, that's not what that is. It means you love them well and you're consistent and you discipline them out of love Just like Christ disciplines us because we're his children whom he loves. When you lead well at the house and I get to know you better and I see some of you guys, I will say to you, hey my brother in Christ, would you mind leading here at the church too? Because we need those people.
00:40:50
Speaker
We need men, we need women, we need elders, we need deacons. When it comes to leadership in the church, there can be no compromise in the area of personal integrity, period.
00:41:07
Speaker
Because when there is friends, when there's a misstep by an elder or a pastor or a deacon, it's devastating. It's devastating to themselves, to their family, to their kids, to their wives, to the church.
Call to Pray for Church Leaders
00:41:32
Speaker
I think about these two guys this week as I heard these couple that unfortunately it's been brought to light. I thought to myself in prayer one morning what I would do if something like that came about. And I thought to myself, can I imagine the humility not humility Humiliation, I would feel standing here before you. For that reason, I try to stay as best I can according to this list of elders.
00:42:09
Speaker
But we're all human. And we all need prayer, especially our church leaders. May we be a a people that Pray for our leaders, pray for our church leaders, pray for our elders, pray for our deacons, pray for our pastor, and may our inside of our cup match our outside of our cup. Amen.