SUNDAY SERMON

1. SUNDAY SERMON

2. church leadership IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Springfield, Virginia Nov. 15-16 Church of Christ 2008 www.EdwardFudge.com

3. church leadership:top three truths • Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. • Spiritual leaders exercise grace-gifts, not worldly qualifications. • Bible identifies people to acknowledge, not technical qualifications for office.

4. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. CAUTION: Do not confuse spiritual leadership with political position.

5. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. JESUS STATES IT – ”And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‘You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” (Mk. 10:42-45)

6. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. PETER APPLIES IT – “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the i Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:1-5)

7. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. PAUL DESCRIBES IT – when correcting ___________________ “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (1 Tim. 5:1-2)

8. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. PAUL DESCRIBES IT – when controversy arises ___________________ Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Tim. 2:23-26)

9. 1. Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. PAUL DESCRIBES IT – when dealing with divisive person ___________________ “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.” (Titus 3:9-11)

10. 2. Spiritual leaders exercise grace- gifts, not worldly qualifications. CAUTION: Do not focus on worldly achievements when choosing leaders.

11. 2. Spiritual leaders exercise grace-gifts, not worldly qualifications. SO UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN MINISTRY – “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: . . . the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:3-8)

12. 2. Spiritual leaders exercise grace-gifts, not worldly qualifications. SO VIEW OTHER BELIEVERS – “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating (cyberneseis), and various kinds of tongues” (1 Cor. 12:27-28)

13. 2. Spiritual leaders exercise grace-gifts, not worldly qualifications. BE A FAITHFUL STEWARD FOR GOD’S GLORY – “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10-11)

14. 3. Bible identifies gifted people, not legal qualifications. CAUTION: Do not confuse technical ‘qualifications’ with spiritual character.

15. 3. Bible identifies gifted people, not legal qualifications. -- NO ONE PICTURE – 1 Timothy 3Titus 1 Service title overseer, seniors, (bishop) (elders) Descriptives 15 comments 16 comments only five descriptives exactly same * One-woman man * self-controlled * hospitable * not a drunkard * not violent

16. 3. Bible identifies gifted people, not legal qualifications. HALF OF DESCRIPTIONS ARE NEGATIVES MOST ARE RELATIVE TERMS NONE ARE DEFINED above reproach not a drunkard one-woman man not violent sober-minded gentle self-controlled not quarrelsome respectable not a lover of money hospitable manages household well able to teach not a recent convert well thought of by outsiders

17. church leadership:top three truths • Spiritual leadership involves lowly service, not legal power. • Spiritual leaders exercise grace-gifts, not worldly qualifications. • Bible identifies people to acknowledge, not technical qualifications for office.