Latest / Living Waters of Grace / Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland Sunday Services / Living Waters of Grace 12.30.25
Transcript
- 0:04This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Lewis
- 0:08Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland
- 0:12County in Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Lewis as he
- 0:16continues teaching through God's Word.
- 0:37So in order to prevent that danger, you can't lay hands on
- 0:40people too soon. So a pastor should not be a
- 0:43novice. You know, they can be gifted.
- 0:46Often times they are. They're gifted.
- 0:47They have a lot of abilities. Seen it.
- 0:51But then as soon as adversity hits, soon as someone disagrees,
- 0:56when you get a chance to witness someone in those situations,
- 1:00that's when you find out exactly what the maturity level is,
- 1:04where that person is at, mature wise.
- 1:07If you put a gumball under a 50 ton hydraulic press, what
- 1:11happens? You get gum everywhere.
- 1:14Now put a diamond underneath that same pressure and what do
- 1:17you get? Well, you'll still get bits of
- 1:20diamond everywhere, but it will take a lot longer and a lot more
- 1:23pressure. The point I'm making, and Pastor
- 1:27Lewis will solidify today is that things under pressure
- 1:31reveal a lot. You can learn a great deal about
- 1:34a person when you observe them under pressure.
- 1:38Today Pastor Lewis remind you that an elder is someone who is
- 1:41seasoned and experienced under pressure.
- 1:45Now here's Pastor Lewis in the Book of First Timothy, chapter
- 1:483, with today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.
- 1:52So it wasn't, you know, far off that Paul talks about this, but
- 1:56we should not be verbally or physically contentious.
- 2:00We shouldn't be contentious with anybody and always looking for a
- 2:03fight shouldn't be quick tempered in that way at all,
- 2:07shouldn't be prone to that type of violence.
- 2:11And then ten he says, not greedy for money, not greedy for money.
- 2:17And you would think that this is something that you shouldn't
- 2:20have to talk about. But you know, the desire to
- 2:24obtain more and more money can happen before you know it.
- 2:29You know, when money starts to be an object for you, before you
- 2:32know it, almost everything that you do is geared around you
- 2:37getting money is geared around you getting money.
- 2:41You know, people talk about is it unlawful to gamble or to do
- 2:46things of that nature? But when you think about it,
- 2:49when someone is given to that to the point where they're losing
- 2:53control, it's because the money has become almost, it's come
- 2:57like an idol and they're constantly seeking more and more
- 3:02and more of it. We also understand that the, you
- 3:08know, the people who are in the ministry for money, you know,
- 3:12are, are, are in it for the wrong reason.
- 3:14I mean, if a person goes in to be a pastor because they're
- 3:17trying to be rich, then they're going into it for the wrong
- 3:19reason. We shouldn't run our churches
- 3:25like corporations where we care more about revenue than we do
- 3:28about souls. We can't do that.
- 3:32It's about sharing the gospel and getting the gospel message
- 3:36out for to win souls and once those souls are one to teach
- 3:41them in the ways of the Lord to disciple those souls, not to
- 3:45make money, not to make money. We don't even like pass around
- 3:50plates and things of that nature, you know, trying to get,
- 3:54you know, money or push people to get money.
- 3:56I have been in churches where people have taken multiple
- 3:59offerings because they didn't get what they wanted the first
- 4:02time. So they take multiple offerings
- 4:06to get what they want. I've seen that happen.
- 4:10But in this church, I've never seen money be the main issue.
- 4:15Won't teach about money as being the main issue.
- 4:18If we feel like the week before, well the offering was a little
- 4:20low. So this week I'm going to teach
- 4:21on money. I've seen churches to do it, so
- 4:26thank God we don't do that. We don't even have offerings in
- 4:28here. You never want to see anybody in
- 4:31here walking up to you asking you for money or pushing money.
- 4:35That's just not something we do, and ministry shouldn't be about
- 4:39that. That's like having a covetous
- 4:41pastors who are always looking to make more money.
- 4:44There's some pastors who are involved in schemes outside of
- 4:48the church to try to make more and more money for themselves.
- 4:53Well, if you're focused on that, it's very hard to be focused on
- 4:56shepherding the flock. It's going to be hard to take
- 4:59time to study and to be in prayer.
- 5:02If you're always thinking about your next scheme to make money,
- 5:06it takes over. It takes over.
- 5:09And the more you get, the more you want.
- 5:10That's just the trap of the devil.
- 5:13That's the trap of the devil. And that's something that we
- 5:16have to try to avoid so that we don't get in that trap.
- 5:21And we it's, it's circular. It just keeps you moving and
- 5:24going and going and going. And first Peter, in first Peter
- 5:30chapter 5, chapter 5, it says the elders who are among you.
- 5:33I exhort I am a fellow elder and a witness of the suffering of
- 5:40Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.
- 5:45He says, shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving
- 5:48as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not by dishonest
- 5:54gain. That means trying to do things
- 5:58to bring money in so that I can gain more money, but eagerly,
- 6:03nor as being Lords over those entrusted to you.
- 6:08So we should not be always given to looking for and trying to
- 6:13accumulate more and more money. Calvin had an interesting quote.
- 6:17He says, I repeat, that the man who will not bear poverty
- 6:22patiently and willingly will inevitably, inevitably become
- 6:28the victim of mean and sordid covetousness.
- 6:32So we become victims to covetousness when we do not
- 6:36allow ourselves to just trust in the Lord, to make him our
- 6:41Jehovah Jireh. And I can tell you by doing that
- 6:45here that Lord has been faithful.
- 6:48He has been faithful. He's taking care of this house,
- 6:52He's taking care of the house and the needs of the house.
- 6:55As long as we, I've heard, you know, years ago, I was always
- 6:58taught that when we take care of God's business, he'll take care
- 7:00of ours. And I found that to be true.
- 7:04I found out to be true. So we go on.
- 7:06He says 1. He says not dumb, he said not
- 7:10greedy for money, but gentle. He should be gentle.
- 7:14You know, not someone who is impatient or someone who is not
- 7:18approachable, but he should be gentle.
- 7:21It should not be a problem to approach a pastor.
- 7:24He should be able to listen to others and listen to others
- 7:26opinions, listen to criticisms, opposing views without
- 7:31overreacting or reacting in a defensive or an aggressive
- 7:36manner. But to be gentle with people, be
- 7:38gentle with each other, be gentle with the flock.
- 7:43He also says they try to allow others to serve in the church.
- 7:46And this is one of the things that I really love about here at
- 7:48Calvary Chapel that we give those who we see that God is
- 7:52putting a passion on your heart for ministry.
- 7:55We give you the room to be able to go and to serve in that
- 7:59ministry. And not only do we not interfere
- 8:03with your serving, but we are a covering and not a lid.
- 8:07We support you and encourage you in that ministry, but we don't
- 8:10stunt your growth in that ministry.
- 8:13We don't stunt how big that ministry can grow to or the
- 8:16things that you can do in that ministry.
- 8:19We don't stunt the growth of your ministry.
- 8:22We encourage you long as it's a blessing.
- 8:25It lines up with the Word of God.
- 8:28People were being blessed by it. Souls are being touched by it.
- 8:32People were getting into the Word of God through it.
- 8:35We have no issue only want to know what can we do to help How
- 8:42can we assist you? What resources can we give you,
- 8:46but we not going to be a lid and try to stop your progression and
- 8:52then in #12 says that he's not quarrelsome.
- 8:55The man of God shouldn't be course, when we talked about
- 8:57that a little bit and that's talking about fighting, but this
- 9:00is more verbally fighting, always being contentious with
- 9:04someone verbally getting into arguments and things of that
- 9:07nature. And that that's that that's it's
- 9:11kind of prideful. You know, when, when, when a man
- 9:13of God is always being defensive and getting into arguments with
- 9:17people, whether it's about the word or about something that's
- 9:19happening here, you know, like we can't listen to hear.
- 9:22If you feel like you have an idea about how to do something a
- 9:26little better than what we're doing it, you know, absolutely,
- 9:29of course, through prayer, through much prayer and
- 9:32supplication, that's when we actually move on doing things.
- 9:36But absolutely we listen and hear what people want to share,
- 9:41what people want to share. We want to do that.
- 9:44So we're not being argumentative, but the people
- 9:46who are being argumentative always getting into disputes
- 9:50that nature, that can be a problem.
- 9:53Wheresby says this, he says short tempers do not make for
- 9:56long ministries. You know, you got a short
- 9:59temper, you'll probably have a short ministry as well.
- 10:02In verse three, he says do not be covetous.
- 10:04And we talked about that and that has to do with someone who
- 10:07is a lover of money. And we know what it says in
- 10:10First Timothy that, you know, if you're a lover of money, that
- 10:14can cause problems, a lot of problems, causes you to suffer
- 10:19many things. But it's the love of money
- 10:22that's the root of all evil, not money itself.
- 10:24It's the love of it that's the root of all evil.
- 10:29And then he goes on here in verse four.
- 10:31He says one who rules his own house well, having his children
- 10:36in submission with all reverence.
- 10:39Verse 5 says if a man does not know how to rule his own house,
- 10:42how will he take care of the House of God?
- 10:46So we have to look at a couple things here.
- 10:48First of all, when he talks about ruling, he's talking about
- 10:51managing his house well or stands before his house or
- 10:56presides over his house, governs his house well.
- 11:00A pastor and elder must be able to manage their own house, must
- 11:04be able to have his own children in subjection to be able to
- 11:10minister to anyone else. Now, we're not talking that we
- 11:12know that people know children. They grow up, they get older,
- 11:16they leave the house. You know, you don't always.
- 11:19We don't have control over people that leaves your house
- 11:21anymore. They make their own decisions.
- 11:23That's part of growing up and growing out.
- 11:24They make their own decisions. But the children who are in the
- 11:27house with you, how well do we manage the house with the with
- 11:32children, you know, that are in the house?
- 11:34And that's not to say that every again, that's not to say that
- 11:36every pastor has to have children.
- 11:39Doesn't mean that they have to have children.
- 11:41But if they do, the children should respect the man of God.
- 11:45They should have respect for you because see, if there's
- 11:47something going on at home that's different than going on
- 11:50here, The first place that you'll detect that is going to
- 11:53be in the face of the children. It's going to be in the lives of
- 11:56the children. They're going to be able to tell
- 11:58you the law and I ain't the same God that we live with.
- 12:00Yeah, I know who that is. Stand up there teaching because
- 12:06I ain't the same God that we go home with, you know, I mean, you
- 12:10know, it, it, it, it's, it's, it's again part of that double
- 12:12life. And and kids don't respect
- 12:15hypocrisy no more than adults respect hypocrisy.
- 12:20They can see it, they can sense it.
- 12:22And if you know, and if and if you're doing it at home, then
- 12:24how are you going to manage the House of God?
- 12:27Our children should be respectful.
- 12:29They should obey them and be in subjection to them.
- 12:33And the reason why is because the example that they see is
- 12:36someone who is subject to the leading and the authority of
- 12:41Jesus Christ. That's why a family should be
- 12:45able to follow the man of God. It's because they see that he is
- 12:49willing to submit himself to his authority, which is Christ.
- 12:56A woman will follow that, a wife will follow that, and so will
- 12:58the children. They'll follow that, but he goes
- 13:02on here and he said to take care.
- 13:04How will he take care of the House of God or the Church of
- 13:08God? And that take care actually
- 13:09deals with ministering to the Church of God.
- 13:12How will someone who doesn't minister to the needs of their
- 13:16own home and address the needs in their own home?
- 13:19How will they address the needs in the House of God?
- 13:23And it's taking care of those needs when someone is hurting,
- 13:26when someone is was going through sorrow, when someone is
- 13:29going through different needs or hurts, If someone gets into sin,
- 13:33how does the man of God respond to that?
- 13:37How does the man of God respond to that?
- 13:39That's what this is talking about, how, you know, taking
- 13:42care of the Church of God. It's the shepherd.
- 13:45Remember, he's a shepherd, and a shepherd takes care of the
- 13:49sheep, and one of the main ways that the shepherd takes care of
- 13:53the sheep is by feeding the sheep.
- 13:57Just to go back to that whole thing about being able to teach,
- 14:00you have to feed the sheep. The sheep has to be fed.
- 14:05If the sheep aren't fed, they die.
- 14:09Sheep that aren't fed die. So you have to feed the sheep
- 14:12and that's taking care of the sheep.
- 14:16The next one that he talks about here is not a novice.
- 14:20He said he shouldn't be a novice and this is a big one.
- 14:24It's an important one because often times in a church, because
- 14:27of need, people kind of lay hands on other people too soon
- 14:35because there's a need. So you lay hands on someone too
- 14:38soon and they put them in a position before they are ready
- 14:41to be in that position. It should not be a novice.
- 14:46And this is not saying, in other words, what it's saying here is
- 14:49that they should not be someone who is newly planted or a new
- 14:53convert. Now there are people that come
- 14:58into the ministry, they get saved and they grow really,
- 15:02really fast. I've seen it how, I mean, you
- 15:04know, people, they can grow really fast.
- 15:06I mean, they're hungry, they're eating up God's Word, and
- 15:08they're growing, and you're watching this growth.
- 15:13But maturity comes over time. It has nothing to do with age.
- 15:17It has to do with time in the Word, time in the faith to be
- 15:24mature. What have you experienced?
- 15:26You know, it's not how long someone's been a pastor, but how
- 15:30long have they been saved? That's the question.
- 15:32How long have you actually been saved?
- 15:35You know, you don't get saved one week and then two months
- 15:37later, three months later, you put someone in the ministry.
- 15:40That can't happen. That sets that person up for
- 15:43danger, sets them up to get puffed up with pride and because
- 15:46they don't know how to handle those things yet, have not had
- 15:48the humility that is necessary to have one.
- 15:52Age doesn't have anything to do with Christian maturity, but
- 15:55there's a lot of things they have to learn.
- 15:57You know, Paul talks about the, I'm sorry, Peter talks about the
- 16:00fact that we have to add to our faith once we get saved.
- 16:03And that takes time to add different things to our faith
- 16:05once we get saved. So in order to prevent that
- 16:09danger, you can't lay hands on people too soon.
- 16:12So a pastor should not be a novice.
- 16:15You know, they can be gifted. Often times they are.
- 16:18They're gifted. They have a lot of abilities.
- 16:20Seen it. But then as soon as adversity
- 16:23hits, soon as someone disagrees, when you get a chance to witness
- 16:29someone in those situations, that's when you find out exactly
- 16:33what the maturity level is, where that person is at.
- 16:36Mature wise haven't had an opportunity to view their prayer
- 16:42life or to see them when they're being criticized, or to view
- 16:46their faithfulness to the current ministry.
- 16:48How faithful are they to the current ministry that they're
- 16:50in? Because that's very important.
- 16:53So these are all fruit that we look at and, and the last one,
- 16:57and we're going to close on this one, is a good testimony among
- 17:01those who are outside of the church.
- 17:04A good testimony. Look at what it says there in
- 17:06verse 7. Moreover, he must have a good
- 17:11testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into
- 17:15reproach or shame and the snare of the devil.
- 17:22The elder or pastor must have a good reputation not only in the
- 17:27church but also in the community.
- 17:31If you have, if, if a person is a pastor and in the community,
- 17:36people are able to say things about the pastor, say things
- 17:41about the pastor that are true, that's an issue.
- 17:46Who's going to come in here and listen to a pastor that they've
- 17:49seen out on the corners or listen to a pastor, you know,
- 17:52how's the guy who owns a bar going to come in and listen to a
- 17:56pastor who's frequenting a bar stool in his bar?
- 18:01Or maybe a woman who's, you know, looking at changing her
- 18:04life and maybe right now she may be a dancer or something and she
- 18:07comes in and say, man, I know him.
- 18:10I mean, these are all drug dealers.
- 18:14He's one of my, he's one of my customers.
- 18:17How will a man be able to witness the word of God if
- 18:22that's what's going on? Seeing it happen, seeing it
- 18:25happen. Reputation in the community is
- 18:29important. Got to be respected in the
- 18:31community as well as outside. Just because someone doesn't
- 18:34agree with you, someone doesn't want to be saved.
- 18:37Just because they're not into church, so to speak, it doesn't
- 18:40mean that they don't respect the pastor.
- 18:44They see him. He's always speaking to him,
- 18:46even though they don't. They haven't showed up in the
- 18:48church yet. He's invited them several times
- 18:51and they haven't showed up yet, but yet they respect them.
- 18:55They never slander him. They're not saying anything
- 18:56about him. Yeah, he's a good guy.
- 18:58Just ain't going to this church. I ain't into that right now.
- 19:02Never know what God would do with their hearts later.
- 19:04He just got to keep on asking. That's what I'll do.
- 19:07We just keep on asking. You know, I couldn't make it
- 19:10this week because I had this to do.
- 19:12No problem. Catch you next time, man.
- 19:16See you next time. Yeah, I'll be there.
- 19:18I'll be there. OK.
- 19:21That's how it goes. That's how it goes.
- 19:25It's just like that sometimes. But we must have a good
- 19:27reputation so we don't let the devil be able to speak.
- 19:31I'll of us. In Acts 16 and 2, Paul said that
- 19:34Timothy was well spoken of amongst the men in Lystra and
- 19:40the reason why is because he gave a good example.
- 19:43He walked in the ways that were of good behavior and he had a
- 19:48good testimony and a good reputation among those who are
- 19:52without. See, all these traits that we
- 19:56talked about are really traits that Jesus Christ has.
- 20:00He has these same traits. And we cannot get these, but by
- 20:06the power of the Holy Spirit, I look at some of these traits and
- 20:10I said, oh, Lord, have mercy, have mercy.
- 20:14How am IA, pastor? These aren't things that you can
- 20:19do yourself. These aren't things that you can
- 20:21become yourself. These aren't things that you can
- 20:25become yourself. These aren't things that you can
- 20:27try to act or try to show in front of people, but really
- 20:30they're not in your heart. Lord, have mercy and put these
- 20:34things in my heart. Holy Spirit, lead me in these
- 20:38things lead me in the way everlasting.
- 20:41I don't want to be a castaway when I when I teach the word of
- 20:44God and though I'm teaching to somebody else and yet I'm
- 20:47disqualifying myself by what I'm saying.
- 20:49I don't want to be that. So Holy Spirit, I need you to
- 20:55help me and we all need this. This isn't just, it's it, you
- 20:58know, he's talking about it here for leaders, but this isn't just
- 21:02about for leaders. This is Christian life.
- 21:05This is Christian life. This should be the description
- 21:07of all of us, but the only way we can attain to it is through
- 21:12the Holy Spirit. And thank God he's so merciful
- 21:16because we don't have all these things.
- 21:18He don't stop. That's it, you're done.
- 21:20You have 5 out of the seven, sit down.
- 21:23You got to have all of them. Sit down.
- 21:24You can't do this no more. Thank God He doesn't do that.
- 21:27He doesn't disqualify us because we don't have it all together.
- 21:31The Bible tells us that the good work that he's begun and us,
- 21:35he's going to continue to do it until the day of Jesus Christ.
- 21:37That means as long as we're living, He is sanctifying us
- 21:43into a good work. Let's pray.
- 21:46Father, we thank you for your word.
- 21:47We thank you for your instruction.
- 21:49We thank you for your goodness, Father.
- 21:52We ask now, Lord, that You would touch our hearts, This word,
- 21:58Lord, that you gave us today in First Timothy.
- 22:00These instructions, Lord. These are high standards, Lord.
- 22:05And these are things, Lord, that it takes prayer, it takes the
- 22:09movement of your Holy Spirit in US, Lord, for us to be able to
- 22:12attain to such things. Even Paul himself said, even
- 22:18though I'm not attained and I've not apprehended everything, but
- 22:23what I do is that I put those things that are behind me and I
- 22:27reach toward those things that are before me, and I press
- 22:31toward the mark of the high calling of God.
- 22:35So yesterday or today, I may have fallen short on some of
- 22:39these things that we talked about.
- 22:41Maybe some of us fell short, but we can put those things behind
- 22:45us, Lord, and we can seek You today and ask You, Lord, to help
- 22:50us today to attain those things, Lord, to put those things in our
- 22:55hearts and to help us to live a life, Lord, that is worthy of
- 23:00the call wherewith we are all called.
- 23:05So, Father, even as we do that, we remember your sacrifice
- 23:09because you left heaven with a reputation in heaven, Lord, You
- 23:12were glorified, and you came down here to earth amongst men
- 23:18who mocked you, who slandered you, who talked about you, who
- 23:22spoke I'll of you, who lied on you, all for the purpose of
- 23:27setting you up to take your life, Lord.
- 23:30But yet your word says that even when you were reviled, we were
- 23:34persecute, persecuted. Lord, You never reviled.
- 23:37You didn't revile again even when you were threatened, Lord,
- 23:41you didn't threaten that. You never threw back the spear
- 23:45that was thrown at you, but instead, Lord, you committed
- 23:49yourself to the Father, to the one who judges righteously.
- 23:57Thank you for tuning in to Living Waters of Grace with
- 24:00Pastor Lewis Harrell. We're currently in the books of
- 24:03First and Second Timothy. Some of the things included in
- 24:07these New Testament letters from Paul are that the young and
- 24:11newly established Pastor Timothy was being encouraged to hold
- 24:16fast to what was true. He was challenged to confront
- 24:20and address the false teachers that were rising up.
- 24:23He was also reminded to accept his calling to the ministry with
- 24:27gratefulness and to address the happenings going on in the
- 24:31Ephesian church. Paul was imparting his
- 24:35experience and knowledge to the next generation.
- 24:39Timothy was receptive to learning and gleaning what he
- 24:42could from Paul's wisdom. This is how it should be in
- 24:46ministry across multiple generations.
- 24:49Those who have lived a little more life should be open to
- 24:52sharing their successes and also things they've learned along the
- 24:56way. That we're not a wind.
- 24:59The younger generations coming up can learn and appreciate much
- 25:03from those ahead of them, and perhaps avoid some of the same
- 25:06pitfalls that their mentors work through mentoring.
- 25:11It's a beautiful relationship. When the hearts are in the right
- 25:15place to learn and grow. You trust that you're in a
- 25:18community where this is happening.
- 25:20Older ones providing advice and wisdom, and each side learning
- 25:25and growing from one another. This certainly was the case for
- 25:29Paul and Timothy as they were comrades for the sake of the
- 25:33gospel. For more information on where
- 25:36this teaching came from, go to calvarychapelonline.com.
- 25:40There you can also learn about our service times to join us in
- 25:44person. This has been living waters of
- 25:48grace.