Reading With the People of God #7 CommitmentSample

Memorization Challenge:

6 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. (Joshua 1:6-7 NLT)

Reading Primer: "A Plea for Biblical Leadership"

Our final passage today will be in 1 Timothy 3. Evidently, Paul had experienced a few problems with the Ephesian church and now wanted to encourage the new leaders to be committed to Christ, godliness, and unity. This seems like a “no-brainer,” but all three rarely occur in modern church life.

Paul’s words focus on qualifications for office, not on duties. Aside from “being able to teach” for overseers, Paul did not mention the function. Evidently, the Bible would like us to focus on the leader's character, not the role (which may change from culture to culture, time to time, and church to church). The clear call from Scripture is for a group of leaders to lead a congregation or congregations in love, humility, and servanthood. In order for a group of leaders (overseers and deacons) to operate effectively, they must show mutual regard for one another, submit themselves to each other, genuinely consider each other’s perspectives, and defer to each other. This is certainly more intense than a single leader trying to lead a whole flock.

Shared leadership (our Church has governing elders, ministering elders, deacons, and full-time staff) exposes our impatience, sometimes stubborn pride, and selfish immaturity. It can show our lack of humility, brotherly love, and true servant spirit. However, leaders who work in unity set an example for the whole church family. And we are certainly a family, as Paul said in v. 15. His directive includes the conduct of all believers, the qualifications of leaders, and sound teaching in contrast to any false teachers (which we still have today).

Leadership = moving people from their agenda to God’s agenda! Let’s do it together!!!

- Brian Mott, Stone Ridge Christian Bible Teacher.