Men in leadership, part two.

This week's post is really just a follow-up from last weeks. I'll post my sermon notes here in case you'd like to comment on leadership in the church, how God has set it all up etc.

The Pastoral Epistles, 1 Timothy 3:8-16

Intro…Discussion in our home fellowship on the whole ordination, license, title deal with leaders in the church…
· Both last week and this week we are focusing on the men in the church. Good timing with Father’s Day…and remember, these are great qualities for all men to be striving for.

Text: 1 Timothy 3:8-16

Last week we looked at the qualifications for the elder, overseer, or bishops within the church. These are the men who provide the spiritual leadership in the church. The pastors are included in this group.

Today we continue on with qualifications for the deacons in the church.
· Deacon means “servant” or “minister”.
· Originally deacons were helpers of the elders. As a result, their qualifications were practically the same as the elders.
· This office of deacon originated in Jerusalem, (Acts 6:1-6, Phil. 1:1)
· “Deacon” is also used throughout the NT in an unofficial sense for anyone who serves.

Now that we’ve defined deacon and know where it originated we can look at the qualifications for the deacons. (and again, most of these are self-explanatory)
· Worth of respect
· Sincere
· Not indulging in much wine (doesn’t get drunk….”person” at Ty’s party last week with beer…”I guess I can’t be an elder….”)
· Not pursuing dishonest gain (a leader in the church for all the right reasons.)
· “Keep hold of the deep truths (mystery) of the faith with a clear conscience” Be able to speak Biblical truth in an increasingly “tolerant” world that is more concerned with being “PC” then it is speaking the truth in love. The secret of salvation through Jesus Christ, which is revealed by the Holy Spirit to all who will believe. Today the word mystery implies knowledge withheld; in the Bible it indicates truth revealed.
· V. 10 Able to be tested…Before men were accepted as deacons they had to prove themselves before the community. Then they could serve as deacons, "if there is nothing against them."
· And that’s the way elders and deacons are still chosen today, men who have proven themselves before the community of believers.



The first six had more to do with the individual, these next two have to do with his family.
· Having wives that are worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy. A deacon should be leading his family in a way that helps his wife be a woman of respect, trustworthy etc.
· Ideally if women had husbands they respected spiritually and/or fathers who set a great example for them, then they probably wouldn’t wrestle or struggle with the leadership of men in the church.
· I know that’s not always the case though, yet the leadership of men in the church is evident here in all of chapter 3.
· V. 12 (If married) A committed family man who manages his family and household well. It’s because it all starts in the home…

The reward for being a deacon?
· V. 13 “Gaining an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.”
· Basically that means “honored by God”. IOW, if God is pleased with your service as a deacon, then that’s all that matters.
· You’ll also gain respect from people in the church.

v. 14 Paul reminds Timothy that even though he can’t be there in person, this is how the people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, the church.
· Remember, “church” is “ekklesia” meaning, “called out ones”. We are called out of our former lifestyle into a life that honors God.
· Paul reminds us that it is the “church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.”
· The truth that is revealed in God's Word. The meaning of this clause is well expressed by Lock: "Each local Church has it in its power to support and strengthen the truth by its witness to the faith and by the lives of its members."

(One of the jobs of the elders and deacons is to communicate…) The mystery of godliness. V. 16
· “The revealed secret of true religion, the mystery of Christianity, the Person of Christ."
· Let’s take a look at this statement: This is foundational, a credal statement: “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by the angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, and was taken up in glory.”
· If you break this down it’s talking about: “Jesus, his deity justified, watched over by angels during his earthly ministry, he was preached after his death among the nations (literally “the gentiles”), not as a theory or a creed but as a person (“We preach Christ” 1 Cor. 1:23), the true preaching of Christ produces faith in him on the part of many hearers, Jesus ascended into heaven, the climax of his earthly ministry.
· The church and it’s leadership should be all about Jesus.
· Preaching Christ means preaching his life, death, resurrection, and ascension as the glorified Lord. GOSPEL

We’ve looked at the leadership structure of the church.
· God, Christ, Man, Woman
· Elder, Deacon, team leaders, ministry area leaders etc.


Conclusion: Reader article on arm wrestling champion who is not only super strong, but a godly man.

Elders

Ahh, the lovable duffus, Homer Simpson. It's painfully funny to watch that show. I have to admit that "The Simpson's" does a good job at forcing us to take a look at how we live and act as Christians. However, as I focused on the qualifications of elders in the church, I used Homer as an example of what men should not be. For better or worse, he is committed to his wife and kids.

But when we look at the unattainable list in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, every man realizes the daunting task of trying to live up to the Biblical standard for our lives. I'd love to hear your take on this passage, especially you men and how you are doing in measuring up to the standards listed in 1 Timothy 3.

More on women's roles in the church

Here is part two of my sermon series on women and their roles in the church. I'd love to hear what you think.


The Pastoral Epistles 1 Timothy 2:9-15
The role of women in the church (A two part series, part two.)

Intro…Pendulum swing…finding the middle balance….respected scholarly research on both sides of the “women speaking in church” issue.
We had a lively discussion in our home fellowship last week on this topic…and that was in a small group!
Initially I was all excited to continue on with the thought process/thesis from last week which was: “Women should be allowed to preach and teach in the church, under the blessing, guidance and authority of the men elders/pastor in the church.”
This week my thesis is: “Scripture seems to indicate that Paul is forbidding women from filling the office or role of pastor or teacher in the church/public worship gatherings. Paul also forbids women from exercising any type of authority over men in the church assembly, since God has called men as elders in the church.
I did a lot of reading again this week on this subject….and there is respected biblical research on both sides of this issue.

I think both arguments are valid. I want to do my best to present both sides well, so you can decide.

Also, please check these out for further reference:
http://www.equip.org/site/c.muI1LaMNJrE/b.2634597/k.C59E/DW252.htm
http://www.irvingbible.org/fileadmin/pdf/special_sections/women_ministry/women_ministry_IBC.pdf

Text: I Corinthians 11:3-12, I Corinthians 14:32-36
Some important points for today’s thesis:
There is order in God’s creation that still applies today, (I Co. 11:3) The head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
(1 Cor. 11:8) Woman came from man and was created for her.
Yet we need each other, v. 11-12.

In reading a passage like 1 Cor. 11:3-12, it seems to say that women are a disgrace if they come to church without a head covering and they might as well be bald or go home and shave their heads!
So either we at Coastlands are in direct violation of scripture (in many ways, men praying or prophesying with a hat on?...v. 14 Long hair a disgrace to men? ) or we have recognized what that what those things meant in first century Corinth, they do not mean today in San Diego, Ca.
What is Paul getting at here? Let’s look at the original audience he was writing to.
Pagan and Jewish women who became Christians were given a place of honor and dignity, unprecedented in their former lives.
Jesus and Paul liberated women. They had women friends. Women served in the church and worshiped alongside men.
In Judaism, women were segregated in the synagogue and resigned to the women’s court in the Temple. They couldn’t even learn the Torah. The ritual for entry into Judaism was circumcision.
Along comes Christianity with a radical social statement which was that the ritual for entrance into Christianity is baptism, for both men and women!

Yet in today’s passage it seems like Paul is taking a step backwards.
In chapter 11-14 Paul discusses public worship, (for both men and women) and what you should and shouldn’t do.
The theme here is ORDER. Orderliness in worship, teaching these new Christians how to behave properly in worship.
1 Cor. 14:26- 33 (In regards to public worship) Everything that happens needs to be done for the strengthening of the church and done in order, ”For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Cor. 14:33 & 40
Paul first speaks to the women who were most likely taking their freedom to extremes, throwing off the customary veil or head covering which represented propriety, modesty and graciousness.

So how does that apply to today, what is the timeless principle?
We all need to be orderly in the worship service. A key way a Christian women today “cover their heads” is when they behave appropriately with modesty, graciousness and (if married) marital fidelity.
Take a look again at verse 5. Paul is talking about women praying and prophesying in public worship. They just need to make sure they do it in the proper way, that is recognizing the order of creation and the male leadership God set over the church, as we saw in verse 3.
This is a “problem passage” because it seems to contradict what Paul says later in 14:34-36
Seems pretty clear, huh? Coincides with 1 Tim. 2:11-12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, she must be silent.”
So, in today’s reading of these passages one can easily assume that Paul is saying the women should not be in a preaching or teaching role when there are men in the audience or congregation.
I think it’s ridiculous to say that women can never say a thing in church. (Remember 1 Cor. 11:5)
Paul is still reprimanding the Corinthian church because their services were chaotic and disorderly. They were putting too much emphasis on tongues, which was getting out of control.
Apparently some women were getting a little crazy with their new found freedom in Christ.
Paul is calling women to reverence, graciousness, and an attitude which does not call attention to ones self.

Here is some important things to remember on this topic:
God created both man and woman in His image. He offers the same Holy Spirit to both men and women at salvation. The same spiritual gifts are available to both men and women for service.
Jesus was completely radical in how he elevated women in his day. He ignored cultural barriers and invited women to be part of his ministry. Throughout the Bible we found God using women as leaders, prophets and teachers to further his kingdom.
He did, however, choose only men to be his disciples/apostles.

If you search both the Old and New Testaments for every reference to any kind of speaking ministry or leadership position carried out by women, you will come up with nearly 100 references.
“This is all the more remarkable in view of the fact that there are but two or three references which seem to be against women’s audible ministry. Yet these few references have been made the basis for muzzling women in spite of the fact that the main thrust of Scripture is against such silencing.”

“We need to acknowledge once again the difficulties associated with any scriptural study of the role of women in the New Testament church. It is a complex subject with great scholarship and godliness on both sides of the issue, and all who undertake to draw conclusions and set policy with regard to it must, in our view, do so with humility and openness to continued learning. This indeed is our commitment—never to conclude our perusal of God’s word on this subject as if we have determined God’s mind on the matter definitively for all times and peoples. Rather, we will continue to study God’s word and seek to be led by His Spirit in this and all other matters, praying always for the courage and integrity to implement whatever He shows us through that process.”

Conclusion:
I’ve presented two sides to the discussion in the last two Sunday’s, so you have to factor in what I said last week with today.
What I’m asking you to do (as you should do with every sermon you hear) is to search the scriptures, commentaries, books written etc. and see what God is telling you.
I personally am leaning towards women using their full giftedness in the church, under the blessing, guidance and authority of the men elders.