Hey, so first Timothy,
Chapter two.
Remember that last week?
If you remember last week, I said
I wasn't going to get to the last verse because it's just such a weird verse.
And so I said I would address that this morning.
And so let me just address this, this, this one last verse in chapter two.
Then we'll get into chapter three.
First Timothy two, verse 15.
He's he's been talking about men and women in church and, and all kinds of stuff.
And then he says this.
Yet she, the woman will be saved through childbearing
if they continue in faith and love and holiness and self-control.
What an odd verse.
She'll be saved through childbearing.
What about women who don't have kids?
Right. Like. Isn't that.
I mean, if we're honest in this, a weird verse
to none of you.
This is odd. Wow.
That's like a I think it's an a.
And so let me tell you what it means.
We don't know that.
So I just want to be honest with you.
Like, it can mean a lot of things.
One thing I know, it doesn't mean
when Paul says she'll be saved through childbearing.
It doesn't mean what we call salvific faith.
This is not salvation. Faith.
She's not made right with God because she has a baby.
So it's not talking about salvation.
Let me tell you the things that could mean.
There's three different basic ideas, right?
One is Paul could be referring to what God said back in Genesis 315
to Eve that through your seed will come.
The Messiah is basically what he said.
And so it could be that he has in view
that the woman will
be saved through bearing the child
like like that's our salvation through bearing the child
through the seed of Eve, who will bear the Messiah.
Could be second thing.
It could mean is that you all will be
saved in in perpetuating humanity.
Humanity is going to be perpetuated by the role of the woman in the world.
Like there's no perpetuation of humanity without the old one.
And that's what he's going to be.
Third thing is because he's not saying you will be saved in salvation.
That word saved is understood more as holistically.
In other words, you will be fulfilled and saved holistically
when you live the role God has assigned to you.
And typically, the role of birth and child raising is the woman's.
Men can't have babies.
I don't care what TikTok said.
Like men can't have babies.
And so so each of us, not just the one, but in this context,
a woman is holistically whole.
When we play the role live, the role that God has assigned to us, each.
Those are things that could mean what it does mean.
You get to decide
which of those you want to camp on, if you want to camp on any of them.
It's one of those things, this scripture
that is not foundational nor essential for salvation.
It's a disputable matter.
And so you get to decide what it is.
You clear on that?
Are we clear on that?
And whatever however you you want to come up with you, I don't care.
Like I'm not going to argue with you about it.
I I'm not a fighter, but I'm not going to discuss it anymore.
You get to decide. We're good.
All right.
So chapter three now in chapter three,
Paul's talk about roles and leadership within the church.
And for every Christ follower, every one of us.
He's going to detail 16 qualifications
for being the lead in a church and having leadership in the church.
Only one of those 16 has anything
to do with ability or gifting.
All the rest are about the character of the individual
and their life and their family.
So much of today will not be talking about the characteristics,
the qualifications, because most of them are pretty self-explanatory.
What I will spend most of the day on
is talking about these roles,
because Paul is using terms that made sense to them
coming out of the synagogue system and don't necessarily make sense to us.
Let me just ask this question.
Have any of you ever had experience in a church with with what they called elders?
Anybody?
Okay.
How about experience in church with what they call deacons?
Yeah. Okay.
So you probably have a connotation in your mind of what those titles mean.
Paul had something in mind with what they meant
according to the synagogue system.
And until we understand what Paul is saying, we're going
to be muted a little bit on what those roles
do in our context because we don't understand his context.
And so the big idea here it is for chapter three.
Titles and roles are not intended to elevate status but to activate service.
Okay.
Titles and roles are not intended to elevate status.
I am an elder.
I am a deacon.
I'm a bishop. I'm an overseer.
You know, we don't have big Pope hats with big Pope rings and sit on the Pope
throne like it's not to elevate status is to activate service.
Two sections in first Timothy three are going to deal
with roles of leadership and Christ followers within the church.
One section in, first Timothy three.
Paul is going to just burst out into praise and adulation
about how great God is, and it says this, but Paul talks about all this stuff
and he finally realizes in the end talking about
who God is and and how he's ordained things.
He just burst out in spontaneous praise because he just can't hold it anymore.
Is like the like.
And then God did this and then watch this, and God did this and watch it.
And he is so good.
He's so good. He's so merciful and so great.
So he just burst out in praise and he does it over and over and over again.
And he's going to do it again at the end of chapter three.
And one of the things that I'm learning, as I see in Paul,
that if it's hard for me to praise and thank God, I don't know God very well for.
If it's hard
for me to thank God because I don't know him very well,
if it's hard for me to praise God just because I don't know him very well.
Paul's like he is so good. He's so.
And then he just bursts out in praise
regarding this section of church leadership
and these roles and qualifications, if you will.
As well as those who lead in the church.
I want you to understand something.
The flip side that we do not get caught up with the roles
and titles,
titles
are intended to represent roles and indicate responsibilities.
And the two titles that Paul uses in first
Timothy three are the role of elder and the role of deacon.
According to Paul, according to Scripture, elders,
are roles that some men play in the church,
and deacons are roles that men and women play in the church.
The point is not to focus on the title,
because if you desire a title, you're not worthy of it.
The focus
is on the role you're serving, not the title you're holding.
You understand that?
That's the point of this whole thing.
So Paul is coming out of Judaism.
And in order to stand,
understand these, these, these titles and roles that he's going to talk about,
we have to understand the system that he has in mind.
And talking about them now.
In Judaism, there was this system called the synagogue system.
Everybody say synagogue.
The synagogue system were these the small gatherings,
local gatherings in local neighborhoods
of like people, usually centered on either
like ethnicity or like jobs, life experience.
To hear a teacher talk about and explain God's commands.
And they came about during the Babylonian captivity.
The temple was in Jerusalem, the Babylon's.
The Babylonians came down from the north
and invaded the land and took captive the nation.
The two remaining tribes at this point
and took them back into Babylonian captivity.
And because in Babylon
they didn't have the temple where they were supposed to their worship.
They established these synagogues where they could practice their faith
in these neighborhood, little gatherings of like people
where a teacher would expound on God's laws.
It went so well in
in Babylon when they came back into their country,
they continued this synagogue system.
And we often see in Jesus himself would go to the synagogues
and explain more fully the laws of God.
And then we see the same thing in Peter, the same thing.
And Paul go to these local synagogues.
And so that that's what they're that's
why he's coming out of talking about the rules.
Now for the church.
The synagogue was a very systemized,
system with titles and role roll roles and hierarchies.
And so the natural question that the first church had to deal with
is this we understand how the synagogue is structured, structured,
but if we're different, how are we structured?
So Paul uses some titles that they were accustomed to.
And then he changes some titles to drive home
the point of the responsibility not to highlight the position.
And so in the synagogue,
these two leaders were elders.
And the thing called hazan.
Everybody say, who's on the left?
You're going to learn a lot of Greek today
in the synagogue, the synagogue elders,
they're they're responsible.
And function was much the same as elders in the church and the New Testament church
hasn't had much the same roles
and responsibilities as deacons in the New Testament church.
But Paul doesn't use the word he's on because the New Testament
church isn't focused on titles and hierarchy.
He uses the word deacon because he wants to drive home
the point that this is not about hierarchy and rules.
This is about responsibilities.
And so he uses the word deacon come from the root word.
Thou can never say that.
I couldn't hear, which literally means servant.
So he says there are some who have some oversight, responsibility,
teaching responsibility, and there are others who have this servant role.
Elders and deacons.
Now, I want you to remember part of Paul's
his own growth when he started this whole.
Responding to God's call on his life.
He says of himself, I am a Pharisee of Pharisees.
Pretty lofty title.
Pharisees were the top echelon of the religious ruling class.
He says, I,
of all the religious people, I'm the most religious of all the religious.
He was trained under the one of the most
brilliant minds in Judaism at the time, Gamaliel.
And he says of the Pharisees, I'm the top.
That's a pretty hefty title.
And then he grows and he matures, and then he doesn't say that anymore.
Now he says, I am the least of the apostles.
And when he uses the word apostle, he's talking about the 12
that were specifically called personally by God to be
not just his disciples, which he had hundreds, but his apostles.
Paul wasn't one of those 12, but on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared
to him, knocked him off his donkey, and said, why are you fighting against me?
And so Paul had this personal encounter with the risen Jesus.
So Paul claims the title apostle, but he says, hey, but I'm the least of all.
Still a pretty good title because there's no more of those apostles.
Then at the
end of the story is beheaded by a by Caesar Nero.
He's not the Pharisee, a Pharisee.
He's not the leader of the apostles.
He said, I am the worst of all sinners.
All his titles have dropped.
You understand?
To understand as.
And that's why we're not focused on titles.
Some elders are pastors.
Some are not.
And some elders are teachers and preachers,
and some are not.
There is no deacon
who is a pastor in the Bible.
And so these are important distinction for us to understand our roles
and how the church is to function.
Some elders are pastors, teachers, some aren't.
But there's no deacon who's a teacher, pastor.
When you start a church,
the little guy, the lead person is the
the teacher and a preacher.
The lead person is also the lead elder.
The lead person is also the lead pastor,
and the lead person is also the deacon
who does everything because there's nobody else there.
Do you understand that?
And that works for a little while,
but after a while it gets really unhealthy for the church.
Some continue in that idea
that the lead guy, the lead person,
is the one who initiates and does most things
because that person has such great capacity.
He can do it.
And the church gets used to him doing it.
And the result is the church becomes passive
because after all, it's getting done by someone other than me or get just lazy.
I want to do that.
I got too much other stuff going on or just get too apathetic.
Whatever happens, happens.
And for a church,
it starts to get neglectful,
especially if they continue to let
and expect their pastor to continue doing it.
You understand?
Yes. In.
I am very thankful
for you in this church who serve you.
I'm very thankful for.
We have a lot of people in this church who serve
and who do the work of the ministry.
Hear me when I say this, please. Thank you.
Thank you that Sunday mornings happen
not because of me, Jeff, Heather and Michael and Trish.
They happen because David Morcerf shows up at Zero
Dark 30, as do a lot of other people.
Miracle does. Joe does.
I mean, there's all who show up and get everything right.
Thank you.
There's a lot of people who serve.
The Mexico thing happened not because of me.
One of our trustees slash elders slash
Ryan, led the whole thing.
And so I want you to hear me say thank you.
Especially to those who lead,
because serving and leading are two profoundly different things.
And what we have to
understand as leaders are not born in seats.
They're built in service.
I watch a lot of what goes on here,
and especially after a Sunday morning.
I work a lot alongside all the other people who are serving,
but I watch, what happens out there.
And what I see are some men and women who just jump in.
What can I do? How can I help?
And there are a lot of men and women who just watch.
And what that tells me is there are some
who are wired to become leaders,
and there are some who, for whatever reason,
have just decided a more passive approach.
And so
few are called and aspire to be elders and pastors.
Many serve as deacons and servants, most without realizing it.
But listen, we don't get caught up in titles
because ministry begins where ego ends.
I've been in the church world my entire life.
I started going to church six months before I was born.
Through high school.
I had a drug problem.
I was drug to church every single week.
I'm sorry. It's a it's a pastor joke.
I've been in this that my whole my whole my whole life I've been a pastor.
I've been a pastor for 35 years.
And so I have seen elders
and deacons, and deaconess is get puffed up
because of their title and lose the emphasis on service
and mercy and grace,
and they become arrogant and prideful and think their role
because they have a title and so other people. What to do?
And Paul calls it in first Timothy three, the sin of the devil.
And so at flip side, please understand this about our church.
We will focus on role and fruit and not on title.
The New Testament titles
for New Testament leaders as elder, elder,
our teachers and elders are preachers and some elders are both.
The title is Bishop and Overseer.
The titles are Shepherd and pastors.
All of those different titles have the same function in mind.
Some elders are overseer, some elders are preacher teachers.
Some elders are both.
And then the other title that's used is deacon,
which means servant.
So in in, in outlining these things, these qualifications,
Paul has to set some standards around these titles
because coming out of the system, it was a really it was not a good culture.
They knew the words, but they didn't understand
the rules really, for the New Testament church, for instance,
in Rome,
men who may have been part of the synagogue system
were allowed three women in their lives, or
I candy woman
for important meetings and social events, make them look good
wife woman to bear kids and raise children,
and the mistress woman for.
So so there were they were allowed.
And so Paul's coming into this and saying, look, you might understand the words
that I'm using, but you don't understand the rules and the qualifications.
So there has to be some standards that I laid down,
because the context and culture of the church
are they be different than the context
and culture of the world, even of the religious system of the world?
You follow me. And so that's why he gives us these.
And so
I'm finally at verse one.
Chapter three, verse one.
The saint is trustworthy.
If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
He said, look, if you aspire that word aspire,
it means literally to be eager for, to desire for, to reach out. For.
If you're eager for you, you either want to reach out for this role.
That is a good desire.
He's saying you want to be an elder, a pastor, a bishop, an overseer.
The same thing that is a that is a that is a valuable role to reach out for
if you're called to it.
It used to be the role of the pastor or the elder, the overseer.
It used to be the role that was an honor roll.
It was a respected role.
It was also a role that you knew that once you reached out
for that, it involved a great deal of suffering to come.
It was not a role, that sort of platform.
It was not a role.
That that sort of podcast.
It wasn't a role that sought followers and likes.
It wasn't a role to build a kingdom.
It wasn't a role to build a brand.
It wasn't a role where you get your own parking spot.
There wasn't a role where someone carries
your Bible for you and get your coffee for you.
That's not it.
I was read, I was praying over this, and on Thursday,
God gave me this thing for myself and I wanted to share it with you.
Here's what it is.
It's not a role to build a campus.
It's a calling to propel his kingdom.
That's what we're talking about.
Pastors, leaders.
It's not a role to build a campus.
That's the American system
that we've bastardized it to be.
It's a calling to propel his kingdom.
And so this I had this elder bishop pastor.
It's a different word, but it's a mainly the same functions
throughout this elder pastor that he uses here.
If you aspire to this, this to be an overseer.
That's the Greek word episcopacy.
Everybody say episcopacy.
Look at how much Greek you're learning.
Two Greek words. Epi. Scopus.
You know, microscope to look, telescope to look, epi over, to overlook, to oversee.
This is an overseer.
That's what that word means.
The same words are used in this role.
Paul, use the word press. Bureaus.
That's the presbytery.
So, episcopacy, the Episcopalian church
is kind of function over this, this overseer bishop idea.
The Presbyterian church is function over this
presbytery idea, where they have kind of control over the local body.
Paul also uses the idea that with the word poem in
which learning is pastor or shepherd, it's the same
I unroll just a different word.
You can call me any of those things because they're biblical titles.
For my role as pastor Shepherd.
Just don't refer to someone as a reverend because Reverend is not in the Bible.
Bishop, overseer, pastor, shepherd servant.
That's all in the Bible.
Reverend is it?
Now, let me just say this.
I have a master's
degree, and I am an ordained reverend.
Don't ever call me a reverend
because it's not in the Bible.
Through the last 20 years of this church.
There have been a few who are interested in my credentials.
I have them,
but I hope my credentials are not contained
in the initials after my name, but rather in the fruit
of my ministry.
See titles.
And this is a problem with religion.
Titles.
Put emphasis on people and take focus off of their position in the kingdom
and their position in the kingdom.
Biblically is servant, slave and apprentice.
That's our position.
I'm a servant of you.
I'm a slave of Christ, and I'm an apprentice of Jesus.
So in
this church, we don't use the word bishop.
There's too much loaded baggage with that word.
In our culture.
We don't use the word elder.
There's a lot of connotations with that.
Personally, I like pastor slash coach.
Now, as I said, Reverend isn't the Bible.
Coach isn't in the Bible.
But I like that one.
And here's why.
Coach indicates function.
Reverend indicates education
and God's.
Call me to a function,
a coach and some of your coaches.
This is what we do.
A coach comes along someone else
to help them discover a better way to move forward.
We don't get people to perform better for us.
Coaches help them be their own best according
to the goals and the agenda of the entity they're a part of.
In our context, the Kingdom of God in the local church.
So the role of the pastor coach is to come along somebody
to help them be their best so they can function best to move forward
according to the goals and the agenda of the entity
that we are a part of the Kingdom of God through the church.
You get it.
This is the role of the pastor.
So role of deacons are different
Diakite deacons.
Many people in this church could be called deacons, men and women,
because those are the ones who lead and serve the ministries of the church.
Few are called elders.
Some are called pastors.
Many people could be called deacons, but we don't get wrapped up in titles.
You understand?
You understand.
We call people who are Christ
followers, apprentices of Jesus who serve and lead.
In other words, servants.
That's who we are.
Some of us are lead servants, and some of us serve.
But we're servants of God
who are known by our ministries and our service, not by titles.
We could call plenty of people here
elders.
Matter of fact,
we have three that the IRS calls trustees.
Our elders, pastor Jeff, could be called an elder.
There are some who could be called elders.
Some of those elders are pastors, teachers.
Some are overseers.
We have, many here
who could be called deacons and deacons.
But again, we don't get caught up in those titles.
Here's what I know about leadership.
Most leaders don't want a title,
and the ones who do shouldn't be leading.
Understand their.
Yeah, I think this is one thing
that y'all like about flip side.
Do you
do you see this church as a church of hierarchy?
Not the least.
You know why?
Because the Bible says whoever should be first will be will be last.
And so the the greatest, fastest way ahead is to be last.
And we understand that.
And I think that's one of the things about our church.
Like with what?
We're all slaves of Christ.
If we claim him as our master.
So in first
Timothy, second Timothy and Titus, though Paul deals with these,
these leaders, it's not about church structure.
It's about the character of the person leading.
In other words, it's about our function, not about our organization.
Some elders are called in gift
and gifted to teaching and preaching.
Other elders are called and gifted
in administration and oversight, and some are both.
And so now we're through verse one.
Let me go through verses two through seven,
because this is the qualifications for the elder pastor.
Teachers.
Let me just read it.
Most of it's going to be really self-explanatory.
Some of it I'm going to I'm going to just explain a little bit.
Verse two therefore.
And overseer, Bishop, episcopacy, the leader, must be above reproach.
The husband of one wife.
Sober minded, self-controlled, respectable.
Hospitable. Able to preach. Not a drunkard.
Not violent, but gentle.
Not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well, with all dignity,
keeping his children submissive.
For if someone does not know
how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?
He must not be a recent convert.
Or maybe he may become puffed up with conceit and fall
into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace into this, snare of the devil.
Here's what he's saying.
Some of this is pretty self-explanatory.
Some of it.
Let me explain.
When it says the husband of one wife.
We know what that means, right?
Yeah. One wife.
Now, one of the things I love about Paul.
He doesn't go into every little detail of in this, this and that
and so and so he leaves some of it up to our wisdom and our discretion.
Some people will say that
because he had to be a husband of one wife, he has to be a married man.
That that's not necessarily what it means, but that's all some people mean.
Whatever.
Some people say
that he can only be married once and his wife dies against divorce.
You're done.
That's that.
That's up to them if they want to feel that way.
Most scholars believe
it means one wife at a time,
which means not this.
While most calmly, if your spouse has died, you now have another spouse.
If there's been divorce, you can.
You know, there's biblical parameters around that.
You can get married again and and still be okay.
So it leaves some room for the church to say,
this is what it's going to mean for us.
When it says not be a drunkard.
Do you understand what that means?
Yeah, but the interesting thing is there are some churches say, you know what?
No alcohol at all.
You better be careful with old grapes.
Like really strict.
Others say, you know what? It's.
It's not like,
don't be one of those who has such close proximity to wine
where it's always with you.
That's literally what the words mean.
So just be careful.
Others are like, you know what the Bible says?
Drink, but don't get drunk, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.
So there's some there's some massaging in there that the local church gets to do.
And it's up to the discretion of the spirit leading that church.
When it says not a lover of money,
it's that look, you don't go into the ministry to make money,
not because it doesn't pay you well, because all you got to do
is be a televangelist, have a podcast, and make a ton of money.
But that's not the point.
You understand?
And then it
says you have to manage your own household and their children must submit.
Let me say this right up front about parenting.
If your kids
if our kids are walking with the Lord in through adulthood,
it's a result of God's grace,
not great parenting.
Let's not be so arrogant,
so prideful, so full of hubris, and so full of ourselves.
To think that anyone has done such a good job parenting
their kids have never strayed from law that is so abhorrent
to the mercy and grace of God.
Now there is a response to ability that parents
have to do biblically the job of raising kids.
But it is by the grace of God that those kids walk with Christ.
Not parenting.
There are incredible parents whose kids in adulthood are not walking with the Lord.
And so
I want to be very careful that for those who are, it's not a result.
That one did one right and one did it wrong.
It's by the grace of God alone.
Do you understand me? You understand me.
So don't bear more guilt than what's necessary.
And don't bear more.
Credit than what is yours to.
However, it does say
you're going to play this role.
Your kids have to submit to you while they're under your roof.
You don't have control over mouse over.
But while they're underneath, they better.
They better love Jesus. And they bet you better submit to you.
There's there's no bones about what it says.
In other words, we're saying you can't leave the church
if your kids don't love the bride of Christ while they're under your roof.
But what if the standard for looking for a church
was not a big church with a big pastor, but was a pastor with kids
who submit to God and love Jesus and love the Bride of Jesus
their whole life.
Rather
than sitting in the pews of a big campus
with a pastor whose kids are not walking with the Lord,
why don't we sit under a pastor of a church
whose kids are loving the Lord and the Lord's bride?
That's what he's saying.
And if you can't lead the one, you gotta question.
Just just like, let's make sure that we're keeping the main things.
The main thing
I want you to notice two,
that you got to be careful about putting people
in these positions because they'll fall into the snare of the devil.
This is the only position, this vocation.
This is the only vocation, this vocation of pastor, teacher, preacher.
This is the only vocation in all of Scripture where the devil
specifically attacks the vocation, not just the person.
The devil doesn't care if you are rich or poor.
The devil doesn't care if we're doctors or ditch diggers.
The devil doesn't care if we're teachers or police officers.
The devil does care if we aspire to be a pastor leader.
This is the only vocation in all of the world
that the devil attacks the person and the vocation.
We have to understand that.
So let me go on to deacons.
I know what time it is.
Verse 18.
Deacons likewise, must be dignified, not double tongued, not addicted to much wine.
I did too much wine.
Too much on how you read it, right?
Not greedy for dishonest gain.
They must hold to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience,
and let them also be tested. First.
Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
Their wives, likewise, must be dignified,
not slanders, not sober minded, faithful in all things.
Let deacons be,
each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their households.
Well, for those who serve well as deacons, gain a good understanding for themselves
and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
Here's what he's saying.
These deacon qualifications are very similar to the elder qualifications.
There's a couple of caveats.
In verse 11, he says their wives, the literal translation is women.
Women must likewise.
And so this is why we know also from acts 16
that deacons are men and women.
Let them be dignified, not slanders, but sober minded.
He talks about them.
He says not double tongued, not slanders.
Not. You know what that means. It means you can't be gossips.
You can't be a gossip and lead.
You can't be two faced.
Whatever you say here, you got to say there are.
Just don't say it.
And so he gives some parameters there.
And he says, you got to prove yourself in the church first before you lead.
You got to serve.
That's why I watch all the time,
because the ones who are leading
can step in, are the ones who are serving, can step in the leading,
but nobody is going to leapfrog serving and jump into leading.
You're not going to do it. I won't allow it.
Does it make sense? You understand? Yeah.
Some of you are incredible leaders in the business field and your place
of incredible leaders, great leadership ability here.
You're a servant.
Until you prove yourself,
then you can lead.
That's what he's saying.
Let me jump to this.
This is how the church should function.
Should.
And these are the roles that that should be filled by the church.
People.
And so let me tell you, here's where the rubber hits the road.
There's a place for you
to serve and to lead a flip side.
If you have a relationship with Jesus,
this is your next step
to serve and to lead.
I asked you to consider
that there's no pastor teacher who also serves as a deacon
leading all the ministries.
That's the role of the church.
I ask you to consider what is your expectation
of me?
For your pleasure.
I have developed
eight short job descriptions
of ministries in this church
that you should lead
that for the most part.
I have been leading
for 20 years.
Some of them I haven't.
One of them is a women's ministry lead.
I don't feel like that's appropriate.
And it would kill all the women's spiritual lives in our church.
So I haven't been doing that one.
Many of them I have.
And and it, And so what I've done
as I prepared for you eight areas
that you can dis discern real briefly
and they're all developed for full time working people.
So it's not like a full step in like leading.
And you're covered in eight different areas for you
to serve and to lead.
And I invite you there in the welcome Center that'll have sheets go out.
After you go to Welcome Center, look through those eight areas
and decide will you will become a deacon or a deaconess.
Prayer ministry.
Men's ministry.
Women's ministry.
Pastoral care. Ministry. Baptism.
Call tech.
Tech and video leads. Marriage leads.
All of those are the responsibilities of the deacons and deacons is in the church.
Your job,
not mine.
Honestly.
I'm a pretty high capacity guy.
I don't want to have to be responsible for.
The job of the church.
Understand
Christianity is not a Netflix subscription.
We don't get it.
Turn it on and watch what we want.
And then turn it off and walk away.
That's not what church is.
The church doesn't need more note takers.
Growth without service
and leading leads to pride and spiritual obesity.
And we got enough obese people in our culture.
This is what God is inviting you into.
And this is your responsibility because it's his expectation.
And then 14 or 15.
I hope to come to you soon, but I'm writing these things to you
so that if I delay, you may know how you ought to behave in the household of God,
which is the church of the living God, a pillar, a buttress of truth.
He said, look,
even if I'm not there, I
want to leave you in church about how this is supposed to go down.
And so, dear friends, a flip side.
This is how it's supposed to go down.
Do you understand?
You understand?
Do you think you you start attaching your life
to the purposes of God, and all of a sudden, life opens up.
Purpose opens up. Significance opens up.
It's bigger than me.
It's bigger than you.
And you're invited into it with me.
And then Paul, he wraps up it like he's so excited
about what God has called his people to do.
Listen, don't be threatened by these qualifications.
Don't be scared by them.
Because after all
this is these conferences are how every Christ
Christ follower should aspire to live anyway.
Which of these qualifications do we think?
Yeah, that's not really.
Like all these qualifications
is what a Christ follower should aspire to live anyway.
Which one would you take out?
Just in general in life.
What would you take out?
Take out the wine one. I like being a drunk.
It's really
take out the managing household. One.
I like my kids being out of control.
Seriously? Like, what would you do? Okay.
Take out the two wife. One, because that's one factor.
No, no, that's that's just problems.
Like, what would you take out?
So these are like, the highest of life.
This is like every Christ follower.
This should be the aspiration.
So don't be threatened by them.
Oftentimes this is how we think.
How much do I not need to do and still be okay with God?
Right.
And so after all of this, Paul goes.
Paul says, great indeed,
we confess, is the mystery of godliness.
He, Jesus, was manifest in the flesh, vindicated by the spirit, seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, and taken up into glory.
He just burst out.
This was the first worship song written by the first church,
and this was the song.
And he's quoting these lyrics. He's like, he got it.
Jesus is so good.
It was manifest in the flesh.
Jesus was God in heaven that took on human flesh.
It was matter.
He's always been.
And he showed up in our world in a body.
And he was vindicated by the spirit.
The Holy Spirit of God approved of his life and his ministry.
He was seen by angels.
The angels of heaven authenticated who he was and walked with him.
He was proclaimed him by the nations.
The world has said that. Yes.
There's something different about this. Jesus.
It was believed on in the world.
Not just acknowledgment of who is, but a belief in who he is.
And he was taken up into glory because though he died, he is alive
and he's in heaven, and there's no other religion, no other faith
on this planet that can claim the same thing of their founder.
You understand,
like Buddha dead, Muhammad
dead, Joseph Smith dead, every one of them dead.
Jesus died and is alive.
And because of that, he deserves me.
Not my description
and not my note taking.
He deserves me.
And this is his expectation.
And so now, my friends,
for your pleasure.
Not only have I provided you opportunities
to look through what it would be to serve and to lead.
I'm also providing you with the opportunity
to respond.
To take up the mantle.
Because of the expectation of God.
Because of who he is.
And if he calls you to it,
he'll provide for you to do it.
You have to respond.
The only person that invitation is not for is for any of you
who have not yet accepted Jesus as the leader of your life.
Your invitation
is to establish a relationship with God
the Father through the son, because of what he did on the cross.
That's your invitation.
You might know a lot about religion, but you might not know personally.
Jesus.
And so I'm going to invite you and pray into those two invitations.
And I trust that the Holy Spirit will tell you
which of those invitations he's giving you,
and trust that you
will respond.
Father, thank you.
Thank you that you love us.
Thank you that you have created us to not just be a part of your kingdom,
your world, but to actually serve and get that lead in it.
You have created us for this.
We find our being in you in this,
and it's powerful and beautiful and purposeful.
Yeah.
And so, father, in this moment,
I just ask that those here who don't know you yet as their savior.
Friends, this is for you.
If you've never accepted Jesus as your Savior,
there's no such thing as a magical mystery.
Jesus prayer is is just this
acknowledgment and confessing this to God.
I admit I'm a sinner and I've lived outside
of your laws and your standard forgiveness.
I believe, Jesus, that you died on the cross
for my forgiveness, and I accept that
Jesus, help me follow you.
Now as a Jesus follower,
I give myself to.
You just keep your eyes over me.
I just I didn't do this in person.
I just want to know if any of you prayed that prayer like today.
Is that been your prayer?
If any of you responded with you,
you know, you know, it's a commitment you need to make.
You know, you need to give your life to the Lord.
You know you need him to forgive your sin.
Would you just slip your hand up just real quick, just so I would like.
I want to pray. Want to bring.
I want to pray for you.
Thank you. Good. Good to you.
Good for you.
Good, good. Very good.
Thank you.
Praise God.
And that's awesome.
Anybody else? Just real quick.
Thank you for this
great
father.
For these who are making that step right now.
We all know that we've tried to do right in the past.
We just always fail.
Thank you for mercy that you have on us to keep pursuing us.
And thank you for your grace.
That doesn't ask us to be perfect.
It just asks us to keep following and you make up the difference
for thank you for these who have given their lives to you.
God, I pray that you would encourage them
and empower them to learn what it is to walk in obedience,
that you would set their course ahead of them.
That would be purposeful and powerful and victorious.
That they would learn what it is to submit to you continually
and follow you with their lives in.
Father, I pray for these others here
who who are, or on the verge of responding
to serving and leading the which are not.
Let us walk out of here without responding.
You deserve us.
You are so good.
We thank you.
Your name for in their.
Listen.
For those of you who made some decision.
If it's to lead and serve, stop by the start here. But.
Or just stop and look at those sheets.
Just consider.
But if you made a decision to follow Jesus through life. And I saw your hand.
So I want you to either talk to me afterwards or fill out that card
so that we can follow up with you and give you some resources.
Stop by in the Welcome Center.
There's a little book I wrote called Foundation that'll help you understand
the foundations of your faith now, and what it means to understand.
Listen, I love you.
It's been a big day.
It's been a good day.
Let's finish it out.
Because he deserves me.
So let's see, like you does. Let's go. Come on.