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Let’s Evaluate Your Ministry · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: I'm convinced that one of the hardest parts of the
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  Speaker 1: Christian life is balance.
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  Speaker 2: That's right, balance.
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  Speaker 1: By that I mean avoiding our tendency to swing from
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  Speaker 1: one extreme to the other.
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  Speaker 2: You know what I mean.
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  Speaker 1: We hear a message on prayer and we think that
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  Speaker 1: that is the key to a successful life in ministry.
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  Speaker 1: Until you hear the pastor's message on evangelism. Suddenly we're
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  Speaker 1: waking up each day looking and praying for opportunities to
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  Speaker 1: share our faith, but only after we have read our Bible,
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  Speaker 1: of course. Oh, and don't forget how important it is
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  Speaker 1: to serve in the church and also to, well, by
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  Speaker 1: now you see what I mean.
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  Speaker 2: We need balance.
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  Speaker 1: We need to do a periodic evaluation to keep us
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  Speaker 1: from swinging to extremes. and neglecting other parts of our
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  Speaker 1: personal lives and our ministries at the church. We've spent
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  Speaker 1: a significant amount of time searching the scriptures in Paul's
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  Speaker 1: first letter to Timothy. This message marks the end of
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  Speaker 1: our series, and there's no better way to summarize what
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  Speaker 1: we've learned than to take some time for reflection, evaluation, and,
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  Speaker 1: of course, application. I think it will help if you
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  Speaker 1: listen as I read Paul's words to Timothy on the
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  Speaker 1: importance of staying balanced. I'll be reading from 1 Timothy 1,
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  Speaker 1: verses 3, 4, and 5. That's 1 Timothy 1, beginning
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  Speaker 1: with verse 3. As I urged you upon my departure
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  Speaker 1: for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, so that you may
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  Speaker 1: instruct certain men in not to teach strange doctrines, nor
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  Speaker 1: to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give
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  Speaker 1: rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God,
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  Speaker 1: which is by faith.
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  Speaker 2: But the goal of.
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  Speaker 1: Our instruction is love from a pure heart and a
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  Speaker 1: good conscience and a sincere faith. For an extended period
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  Speaker 1: of time, we have been looking at and working our
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  Speaker 1: way through the first letter Paul wrote Timothy. This marks
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  Speaker 1: our final study in the book of 1 Timothy. Timothy
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  Speaker 1: was a pastor of a local church in the city
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  Speaker 1: of Ephesus. To us living in the 21st century, it
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  Speaker 1: might sound like an ideal spot, a wonderful place to
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  Speaker 1: serve Christ, but like all places, It was not without
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  Speaker 1: its perils, both private and public. Nor was Timothy anything
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  Speaker 1: like perfect. And I'm so glad that when God called
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  Speaker 1: this man to serve in ministry, he called a man
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  Speaker 1: who was very human.
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  Speaker 2: Very human.
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  Speaker 1: Anything but ideal for the job.
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  Speaker 2: John R. W.
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  Speaker 1: Stott, in a book entitled Guard the Gospel, writes this
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  Speaker 1: about Timothy. Humanly speaking, Timothy was hopelessly unfit to assume
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  Speaker 1: these weighty responsibilities of leadership in the Church. For one thing,
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  Speaker 1: Timothy was comparatively young. We don't know his precise age.
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  Speaker 1: If he had been about 20 years old, When Paul
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  Speaker 1: enrolled him as a missionary, he would be in his
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  Speaker 1: mid-30s now.
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  Speaker 2: He was young. Next, Timothy was prone to illness.
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  Speaker 1: In his first letter to him, the Apostle referred to
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  Speaker 1: his frequent ailments, though without specifying what they were. He
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  Speaker 1: went on to recommend a tonic. For his stomach's sake,
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  Speaker 1: he advised Timothy, He should give up drinking only water
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  Speaker 1: and try a little wine as well. He was prone
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  Speaker 1: to illness. Thirdly, Timothy was timid by temperament. He seems
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  Speaker 1: to have been naturally shy. If he had lived in
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  Speaker 1: our generation, I think we would have described him as
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  Speaker 1: an introvert. He evidently shrank from difficult tasks. This, then,
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  Speaker 1: was Timothy. young in years, frail in physique, retiring in disposition.
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  Speaker 2: I smile when I.
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  Speaker 1: Read that because I would love to get a letter
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  Speaker 1: from a church looking for a pastor where they asked
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  Speaker 1: for a young man who wasn't too healthy and a
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  Speaker 1: little bit of an introvert. It would be nice to
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  Speaker 1: have just an ordinary human being rather than hearing from
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  Speaker 1: churches who ask for a man who can do about
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  Speaker 1: everything except walk on water. It is absolutely amazing to
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  Speaker 1: get these letters from churches looking for someone. And the
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  Speaker 1: list usually goes on for more than one page. I've
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  Speaker 1: never gotten one like this list, but it's like this.
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  Speaker 1: He must be a good speaker, a deep Bible student,
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  Speaker 1: a spirited evangelist, a compassionate pastor. He must be a
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  Speaker 1: man with the wisdom of Solomon. He must have a
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  Speaker 1: pleasing personality, needs to be good-looking. He must have a
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  Speaker 1: wife who is compatible with everyone. He must be a
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  Speaker 1: good listener, a good businessman. He must be an effective
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  Speaker 1: and efficient administrator, must be original and creative, must have
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  Speaker 1: the gift of dreaming up startling sermon topics to draw
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  Speaker 1: a large Sunday evening crowd. I thought you'd especially like
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  Speaker 1: to hear that one. He needs the strength of an ox,
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  Speaker 1: the tenacity of a bulldog, the daring of a lion,
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  Speaker 1: the wisdom of an owl, the harmlessness of a dove,
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  Speaker 1: the industry of a beaver, the gentleness of a sheep,
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  Speaker 1: the versatility of a chameleon, the vision of an eagle.
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  Speaker 2: The hide of a rhinoceros.
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  Speaker 1: The perspective of a giraffe, the disposition of an angel,
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  Speaker 1: the endurance of a camel, the bounce of a kangaroo,
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  Speaker 1: the stomach of a horse, the loyalty of an apostle,
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  Speaker 1: the fervency of a shepherd, the devotion of a mother,
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  Speaker 1: and even then he won't please everybody. That's probably more
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  Speaker 1: true than false. I don't know if I read this
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  Speaker 1: to you, but I got a cute letter in the
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  Speaker 1: mail from a friend of mine who sent along with
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  Speaker 1: it a rather creative way on how to get rid
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  Speaker 1: of a pastor you don't want. It says there's a
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  Speaker 1: new chain letter going around among churches these days in
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  Speaker 1: which no cost is involved. You just send a copy
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  Speaker 1: of the letter to six other churches that are tired
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  Speaker 1: of their ministers. Then you bundle up your pastor and
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  Speaker 1: send him to the church.
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  Speaker 2: At the bottom of the list.
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  Speaker 1: In one week, you'll receive 16,436 ministers, and one of
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  Speaker 1: them should be a dandy. But beware, one church broke
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  Speaker 1: the chain and got their old minister back. I like
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  Speaker 1: Timothy because he was just an ordinary guy. We don't
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  Speaker 1: think so, because we see people in the first century
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  Speaker 1: and we build halos around their heads. And an awesome
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  Speaker 1: presence around their bodies, and we put saint in front
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  Speaker 1: of their names, and we named buildings after them, but
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  Speaker 1: they were just ordinary, frail, sickly, introvertish kind of people
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  Speaker 1: who struggled, who learned, who were afraid, who didn't have
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  Speaker 1: all the answers, who wondered what to do from one
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  Speaker 1: day to the next when faced with the great difficulties
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  Speaker 1: of ministry. God never intended the church to be led
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  Speaker 1: by perfect people.
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  Speaker 2: And that brings us.
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  Speaker 1: To the subject at hand, this final study of Timothy.
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  Speaker 1: That's why it's so important that there be an evaluation
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  Speaker 1: of ministry. If perfect people were calling the shots, how
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  Speaker 1: dare anybody evaluate it? That's like my evaluating Jesus' ministry.
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  Speaker 2: What a waste. And who am I? And who are you?
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  Speaker 1: When one is perfect, you just sit in awe and
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  Speaker 1: accept it and learn from it, from his ministry. But
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  Speaker 1: as long as there is imperfection, there is the need
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  Speaker 1: for evaluation.
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  Speaker 2: What is evaluation?
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  Speaker 1: Webster says it is to determine the value of something.
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  Speaker 1: It is to examine or to judge. I would add
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  Speaker 1: this to appraising. to probe so as to discover strengths
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  Speaker 1: and weaknesses.
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  Speaker 2: That needs to be done.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know of a ministry that wouldn't benefit and
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  Speaker 1: doesn't benefit from evaluation, probing, examining. An unexamined ministry, like
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  Speaker 1: an unexamined.
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  Speaker 2: Life, is not worth the existence.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know of a skipper that goes to sea
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  Speaker 1: that doesn't continually check his or her compass to make
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  Speaker 1: sure they're on course.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know of.
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  Speaker 1: Anyone that travels across the country unless he does it
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  Speaker 1: constantly who doesn't regularly check the map and square it
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  Speaker 1: with the highway signs. That's nothing more than an evaluation
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  Speaker 1: of the journey to make sure you're on target. You'll
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  Speaker 1: get to your destination. How can evaluation help us? Well,
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  Speaker 1: it brings us back to the basics. The primary objectives
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  Speaker 1: of why we're in this work. It helps us differentiate
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  Speaker 1: essentials from incidentals. Sometimes, without evaluation, you get lost in incidentals.
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  Speaker 1: You get to listening to what people want more than
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  Speaker 1: what God expects. You get to running scared of influential folks.
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  Speaker 1: Or you get nervous about verbal folks. And you get
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  Speaker 1: concerned about whether or not you're pleasing the right people.
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  Speaker 1: Evaluation gets you back on target and helps you see
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  Speaker 1: what God says. And that helps a lot in silencing
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  Speaker 1: people who dwell on the petty incidentals. And there will
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  Speaker 1: always be some of those. Evaluation frees us from the
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  Speaker 1: frustration of needless anxiety and worries. And the Lord knows
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  Speaker 1: how much ministries today need to be free of such things.
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  Speaker 1: Evaluations reveal our weaknesses, help us come to terms with
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  Speaker 1: how to turn them around and make them strengths. Companies
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  Speaker 1: and corporations and organizations all over the world pay large
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  Speaker 1: sums of money for men and women they call consultants
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  Speaker 1: who come in, and tell them the truth about what
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  Speaker 1: they see.
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  Speaker 2: It's amazing.
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  Speaker 1: You can be involved in an outfit 20, 30 years,
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  Speaker 1: and even more, and not really know inside what's happening.
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  Speaker 1: And you bring in a professional consultant who is trained
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  Speaker 1: to see what's there, and that consultant can look without
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  Speaker 1: blind spots and help you see what you've been missing
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  Speaker 1: over the past number of years. points out dangers that
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  Speaker 1: are close as well as distant, and offers suggestions on
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  Speaker 1: how to change. That's needed in ministry. Some of you
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  Speaker 1: are involved in ministries and you need such evaluation. You
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  Speaker 1: need a close friend who will tell you the truth,
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  Speaker 1: objective enough to be honest and yet dear and near
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  Speaker 1: enough to be loving.
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  Speaker 2: That's really important. One of the benefits of a multiple
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  Speaker 2: staff is that you regularly get evaluations.
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  Speaker 1: One of the benefits of working closely with a board
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  Speaker 1: in the church is that you get feedback that's straight
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  Speaker 1: from the shoulder, and it's told you in all honesty
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  Speaker 1: to help the ministry. Now, why is it so difficult?
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  Speaker 1: You already know that answer. It's difficult because it's threatening.
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  Speaker 1: None of us likes criticism. We appreciate criticism. being encouraged,
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  Speaker 1: but we don't like being told what's wrong.
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  Speaker 2: Even if we're told in.
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  Speaker 1: The right way, it often hurts. Ever said something like
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  Speaker 1: this to someone? Look, I really want you to tell
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  Speaker 1: me the truth. And then they take your word and
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  Speaker 1: they tell you the truth.
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  Speaker 2: It hurts to hear the truth, even though you invited it.
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  Speaker 2: It's threatening. It wounds you. It bruises you.
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  Speaker 1: There's a proverb, Proverbs 27, 6. Faithful are the wounds
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  Speaker 1: of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
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  Speaker 1: The Hebrew has a causative stem in that verb. It
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  Speaker 1: says faithful are the bruises caused by the wounding of
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  Speaker 1: one who loves you. You ever been punched in the arm,
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  Speaker 1: the face, the body somewhere, and there's within a matter
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  Speaker 1: of hours, there's a bruise that appears. Someone who punches
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  Speaker 1: you in love and honesty, bruises you, but that lingering
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  Speaker 1: bruise is a welcome thing to one who wants to grow.
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  Speaker 1: Evaluation is difficult because it leads to change, and change
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  Speaker 1: is always hard. The older we get, the harder it
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  Speaker 1: is to change. And the more we do things, the
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  Speaker 1: more difficult it is to change.
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  Speaker 2: The way we do them. So.
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  Speaker 1: Evaluation is an extremely helpful thing. Now, when we go
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  Speaker 1: to Timothy for this final review, I am so glad
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  Speaker 1: that our map is inspired. I am so glad that
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  Speaker 1: we haven't gathered together a composite of everyone's opinion of
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  Speaker 1: ministry and written it down and then drawn up a
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  Speaker 1: summary and then I read back to you what everybody thinks.
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  Speaker 2: We ought to be doing.
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  Speaker 1: I'm so glad that we have a book that has
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  Speaker 1: been breathed out by God and is timeless as it
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  Speaker 1: is true. And we can turn to this map and
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  Speaker 1: never be led into a wasteland.
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  Speaker 2: We will always be led.
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  Speaker 1: Into deeper realms of truth the closer we stay to
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  Speaker 1: this book. If it's true in a marriage, if it's
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  Speaker 1: true in rearing a child, if it's true in handling
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  Speaker 1: our business affairs. It's certainly true in running a ministry.
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  Speaker 1: Especially are we grateful for the pastoral letters, 1 Timothy,
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  Speaker 1: 2 Timothy, and Titus. Now, with that in mind, I
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  Speaker 1: want you to, with me, take an examination. I would
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  Speaker 1: like us to look at these six chapters in an
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  Speaker 1: overview manner. If you have ever been to the city
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  Speaker 1: of Boston, you have probably been up to the top
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  Speaker 1: of the Prudential building. At least when I was there
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  Speaker 1: living in Boston, that was the tallest building in the city.
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  Speaker 1: About 50 stories, as I recall. And you can go
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  Speaker 1: up to the top and you can take a little
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  Speaker 1: tour around the city of Boston from that vantage point.
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  Speaker 1: And you can see Route 128 that encircles the city.
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  Speaker 1: You can pick out spots like MIT and Harvard and
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  Speaker 1: Brandeis University in Waltham. You can find the 128 that
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  Speaker 1: loops the circle. You can see Logan Airport. You can see,
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  Speaker 1: of course, the region that leads out to the Cape.
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  Speaker 1: And it's a fabulous view. Now, if you never get
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  Speaker 1: up there, the city is laid out... in a little
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  Speaker 1: bit more confusing manner. On the West Coast, it's probably
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  Speaker 1: as close to San Francisco as anything. When we lived
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  Speaker 1: in San Francisco, we were hopelessly lost. We never did
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  Speaker 1: find our way. I'm so grateful we lived through that time.
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  Speaker 1: My wife spent her time with her face in the map,
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  Speaker 1: and I was driving. I'd say, this street is, and.
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  Speaker 2: I'd read it. She'd say, okay, wait. Oh, we're three
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  Speaker 2: blocks off. You've got to turn around.
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  Speaker 1: One-way street. And we were back and forth. Never had
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  Speaker 1: a building to get up into to see the whole thing.
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  Speaker 1: I did that when I got to Boston. It greatly helped.
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  Speaker 1: In Timothy, I want us to get up in the
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  Speaker 1: high building and look down and see six vistas of
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  Speaker 1: ministry represented in each of the six chapters. And we
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  Speaker 1: will see what each ministry, regardless of its style, age,
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  Speaker 1: or purpose, what each ministry must have. If you want
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  Speaker 1: your ministry to be successful, it'll have to have these
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  Speaker 1: six things. So let's take an examination. Each one of
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  Speaker 1: these six can begin with the statement, a ministry must.
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  Speaker 1: Chapter 1, a ministry must maintain balance.
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  Speaker 2: Verse 5.
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  Speaker 1: 1 Timothy 1.5, the goal of our instruction is love
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  Speaker 1: from a pure heart, a good conscience, a sincere faith.
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  Speaker 1: If your ministry lacks love from a pure heart, a
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  Speaker 1: good conscience, and a sincere faith, shut the door or
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  Speaker 1: change things drastically.
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  Speaker 2: It's got to have balance.
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  Speaker 1: And if you take the time to work through this chapter,
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  Speaker 1: you'll see a balance, and I'll just list them for you.
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  Speaker 1: Between exposing error, chapter 1, verses 3 and 4. Exposing
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  Speaker 1: error bumped up against demonstrating love and affirmation, chapter 1,
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  Speaker 1: verse 5. There must be a balance between strong convictions.
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  Speaker 2: And notable humility.
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  Speaker 1: Look at verse 11.
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  Speaker 2: Paul speaks of the glorious gospel of the blessed.
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  Speaker 1: God with which he has been entrusted. He has just
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  Speaker 1: told us in this passage to stand firm in it.
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  Speaker 1: And then he adds, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord,
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  Speaker 1: who strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me
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  Speaker 1: into service. even though I was formerly a blasphemer and
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  Speaker 1: a persecutor and a violent aggressor.
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  Speaker 2: There's a lot of humility.
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  Speaker 1: In that.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't deserve that calling.
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  Speaker 1: But he gave me the gospel, and I was to
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  Speaker 1: stand in it and stand in defense of it, though
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  Speaker 1: I was undeserving. There must be great theology balanced up
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  Speaker 1: with everyday practicality. See verse 17? Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible,
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  Speaker 1: and only God, be glory and honor forever and ever.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Great theology. And there's great theology all the way through
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  Speaker 1: the letter. But it must be bumped up against practicality.
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  Speaker 1: Everyday practicality. What good is it if folk learn great
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  Speaker 1: theology if there is no understanding in how to turn
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  Speaker 1: it into practicality? A ministry must have a balance between
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  Speaker 1: theology and practicality.
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  Speaker 2: One more.
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  Speaker 1: Confrontation and fighting balanced with keeping faith and a good conscience.
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  Speaker 1: See verse 18. I entrust this command to you, Timothy,
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  Speaker 1: in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you that
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  Speaker 1: by them you might fight the good fight. A ministry
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  Speaker 1: that fights nothing falls for anything.
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  Speaker 2: A ministry that.
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  Speaker 1: Simply takes a passive view on whatever the issues may
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  Speaker 1: be is really not a ministry worth your time.
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  Speaker 2: But a ministry that.
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  Speaker 1: Does nothing but fight is also a waste. You become
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  Speaker 1: a fighter. You become nitpicking, negative, squint-eyed, and paranoid. You
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  Speaker 1: usually will become exclusive in your mentality because people like
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  Speaker 1: that think nobody else is standing for the truth, we
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  Speaker 1: alone are left, kind of the Elijah complex. There needs
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  Speaker 1: to be a balance between confrontation and fighting for the
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  Speaker 1: truth and at the same time keeping faith and a conscience.
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  Speaker 1: This leads to some questions. Just listen to the questions
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  Speaker 1: and you ask yourself regarding your ministry if it's true.
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  Speaker 2: Is there variety?
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  Speaker 1: Is your ministry characterized by variety? Are you becoming typed?
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  Speaker 1: In the world of the film stars and the television
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  Speaker 1: and Hollywood, you know that there are certain actors and
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  Speaker 1: actresses who are typed. They couldn't play another kind of role,
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  Speaker 1: even if they tried. And when their names come to
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  Speaker 1: your attention, you instantly think, in some cases, of the
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  Speaker 1: comedian or the bad guy. or the dramatic role, or
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  Speaker 1: in some cases, the statesman historian type. And you could
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  Speaker 1: no more put the comedian type in the statesman role
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  Speaker 1: than the man in the moon. They're typed actors and actresses.
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  Speaker 1: Some ministries become typed. I think that makes ministries weak.
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  Speaker 1: Is your ministry typed, or is there a nice blend,
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  Speaker 1: nice diet?
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: Nice variety. One more question.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Are you becoming exclusive, nepotistic? It's a four-bit word for inbred.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: Only people you listen to and would consider a part
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: of your ministry team, those from just one school or
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: just one frame of reference, I'm concerned about the lack
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: of balance in many ministries today, and I think that
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: creates an unfortunate series of problems. Evaluation helps us address,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: am I balanced? Second, a ministry must emphasize prayer. Chapter
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: 2 is an emphasis on prayer. A ministry, for it
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: to be effective, must be a ministry that's on its knees.
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: I would that, first of all, entreaties and prayers and
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: petitions and thanksgiving be made on behalf of all men,
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: for kings and for all who are in authority, in
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: order that we may lead a quiet, a tranquil and
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Verse 8, I
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: want the men in every place to pray, lifting.
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: Up holy hands without wrath and dissension.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: I want you to notice a couple of words that
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: you might have missed.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: Verse one, first of all. First of all. And verse eight,
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: in every place. In every place.
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: It is easy when a ministry grows and becomes influential
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: and effective to rely on human ingenuity. It is easy
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: to hire brilliant minds smart strategists, well-traveled, seasoned, and experienced
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: minister types, and to rely less and less on prayer.
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: Here are some tough questions that a consultant would ask
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: us if that individual visited our church.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: Do you.
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: Actually and regularly pray Is prayer primary? I thought of
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: this one. If prayer stopped, would anything else? Are committee
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: meetings ever interrupted.
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: For prayer? I think part of the reason.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: Prayer is not more a vital part of our lives
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: is many people have simply lost the touch.
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: They've lost a love for it. forgotten how to make
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: it effective. I don't chide you for that.
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: I simply invite you to learn some new techniques on
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: making it effective, refreshing that part of your life. Can
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: you honestly say that before you have made not simply
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: minor decisions, but some of those major decisions that you
• 26:28
  Speaker 1: really washed it in prayer? You really dealt with it
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: at length in prayer? That's the kind of honest question that.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Only you can answer.
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: Chapter 3 talks about leadership, and it's obvious from the
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: reference to elders and deacons. Verses 1 to 7, elders.
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: Verses 8 to 13, deacons. And then the key passage
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: in the letter is, as we'll look at in a moment,
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: is verses 14 and 15. But But let me give
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: you the must. A ministry must have qualified leadership. We
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: all agree that's essential on a pastoral team. I'm going
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: to tell you something. It's equally essential for the boards.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: We tend to get soft when it comes to the
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: leadership of the lay people of a church. So as
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: long as we keep the pastoral team on course, we
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: don't have a whole lot to worry about that isn't true.
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: You only have one side of the coin. It's an
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: important side, but it's only one side.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: There needs to be the balance.
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: Here of a strong word from the laymen and women
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: of the church, the real backbone of the ministry, who
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: work not against one another but in tandem with one another,
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: alongside one another, who are able to say things honestly
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: and forthrightly and to respect one another through times of disagreement.
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: That's essential.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: And if I read this passage correctly, I see that
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: the qualifications for the people in leadership are tough.
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: Just take a look.
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, it's a
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: fine work, but it's not without its demands. Look at
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: the qualifications. He must be above reproach, a one-woman man.
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: He must be temperate and prudent and respectable and hospitable
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: and and an apt teacher.
• 28:37
  Speaker 1: Cannot be addicted to wine or a fighter. Must be gentle, uncontentious,
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: free from greed, from the love of money. And look
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: at the parenthesis. He must be one who manages his
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: own household well. Verse 5, that's the parenthesis. If one
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: does not know how to manage his own household, how
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: will he take care of the church of God? You know,
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: it's It's tough enough to do some study on a
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: person's home life. And if things aren't in place at home,
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: then you have a pretty good sign that he's not
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: going to be that qualified a manager at the church.
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: It doesn't mean things are to be perfect. I've never
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: been in a perfect home. I wasn't raised in a
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: perfect home. But I see one who desires to manage
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: that household well and does a pretty good job of
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: keeping things under control.
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: That right away will weed out.
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: A number of people who are politically astute and financially
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: impressive and publicly suave and even have a lot of charisma,
• 29:44
  Speaker 1: but they can't pull it off with their families.
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: So they don't qualify. It's that simple, you see.
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: That's tough talk, but that's consultant talk. That's straight talk.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: A ministry must have qualified leadership among the pastoral ranks
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: as well as the laymen and women of the church.
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: And the deacons, it's the same. They must be men
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: of dignity, verse 8, not double-tongued. They must not be
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain. They
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: conscience and let them first be tested.
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: It's not a place for the novice.
• 30:33
  Speaker 1: Let them then serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: Women must likewise be dignified. Perhaps a reference to the
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: deaconesses are the wives of the deacons and the elders,
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: not malicious gossips, temperate, faithful in all things. And it
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: goes on to describe the high standard. Here are some
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: tough questions. Are leaders in your ministry chosen according to
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: Scripture or according to some other standard? We get a
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: little bit of pressure from individuals regarding the appointment of
• 31:09
  Speaker 1: certain people in roles of responsibility because certain people are very,
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: very impressive publicly. It doesn't mean they're qualified for ministry.
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: That's a tough line. That's a tension that you have
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: to live with. It's a terrible responsibility. I have seen
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: ministries go under, not because there was a failure in
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: the pastoral rank, though that usually in time evidenced itself,
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: but often it begins by weakness on the board. A
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: lack of clear thinking qualified men and women to help
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: guide a ministry. Another question, is the home and family
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: relationship considered valuable? in the choosing of your leaders? Here's
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: a tougher one. Do spiritual qualifications supersede organizational skills? A
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: lot of people see folks that are able to organize
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: a business and run it with a hand tied behind
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: their back, and they say.
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: Wow, he'd be great on a board. Don't bet on it.
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: Some people can handle a marvelous profession in their work,
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: but they don't make good board members. Some individuals are
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: extremely capable and financially impressive in their portfolio, but they
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: don't make good board members. They're not spiritually minded men
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: and women.
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: This is tough.
• 32:49
  Speaker 1: This is tough talk, and this is straight talk coming
• 32:53
  Speaker 1: right from the letter from Paul to Timothy to us. Now,
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: let me show you why it's apropos. Look at verse 14.
• 33:00
  Speaker 1: I'm writing these things to you.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: I'd put it this way. I'm saying these things to you.
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: I'm writing these things to.
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: You, hoping to come to you before long, but in
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: case I'm delayed, I write so that you may know
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God,
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: which is the church of the living God, the pillar
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: and the support of the truth.
• 33:25
  Speaker 2: I call that important.
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: This is very, very important that you hear this. Parachurch
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: ministry is extremely important. They are, in getting the job
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: done of world evangelization, in my opinion, vital.
• 33:44
  Speaker 2: But they are not the pillar in support of the truth.
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: The church is. The church is.
• 33:53
  Speaker 1: It is essential that home base, that the core of
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: ministry is rest in the church, that the church be
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: the sending body, that the church be the base where
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: the individual in Christ is edified, finds fellowship, from which
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: he gains endorsement for ministry. Coming out of the 60s
• 34:22
  Speaker 1: and into the 70s, We found the church struggling a
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: little for its identity, and it kind of took second
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: or third place behind some aggressive and very capable parachurch ministries. Unfortunately,
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: the church struggled to gain respect in the eyes of
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: the public. It was seen as kind of a dull
• 34:48
  Speaker 1: thinking part of Christ's work, not so much. The church
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ is the pillar and the support of
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: the truth. You need to know how to conduct yourself
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: in it.
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: It's vital. Now, a ministry must maintain a.
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: Balance, emphasize prayer, have qualified leadership. Chapter 4, a ministry
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: must reflect excellence. I think that's what chapter 4 is about.
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: If you'll allow me a quick rundown, I'll give them
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: to you in one word along the way. Excellence in discipline.
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: Excellence in godliness. Excellence in urgency. Excellence in evangelism.
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: Missions. Excellence in maintaining priorities. Commitment. Teaching. Worship.
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: The home and family. See especially verse 15. Chapter 4.
• 35:52
  Speaker 1: Take pains, Timothy. That's not often you'll find such a
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: command in scripture.
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: Take pains.
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: Take pains with these things. And if that isn't enough,
• 36:03
  Speaker 1: be absorbed in them so that your progress may be
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: your teaching. Persevere in these things. For as you do this,
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: you will ensure salvation forever. both for yourself and for
• 36:22
  Speaker 1: those who hear you. Look into the mirror and look
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: at the truth, Timothy. Pay attention to how you look,
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: spiritually speaking. Listen closely to where you are, theologically. Pay
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: attention to these things. Let me ask some questions along
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: this line. Is there attention to detail in your ministry?
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: Or is everything a broad brush stroke? Do those in
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: leadership have respect of the constituency? Are public and private
• 37:01
  Speaker 1: actions in harmony with one another? Are the models worth following?
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: A ministry must reflect excellence. Chapter 5, we get into
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: the compassionate areas And I would say this could be titled,
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: A Ministry Must Meet Needs.
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: Must meet needs. You remember this passage.
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: Chapter 5, verses 1 and 2 talk about various age groups.
• 37:33
  Speaker 2: Talks about how.
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: To rebuke an older man. You don't do it with
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: a rebuke. You do it as an appeal, as with
• 37:39
  Speaker 1: a father. How to deal with younger men as brothers
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: and how to handle older women as the mothers and
• 37:46
  Speaker 1: younger women as sisters and There is a meeting of
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: needs of various age groups. Does your ministry provide that?
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: Various age levels. And then there are specific areas of need.
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: Verses 3 through about 16 talk about widows.
• 38:09
  Speaker 2: And this is a case in point of someone in need.
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: People with problems. People who need help. to keep life
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: on an even keel. Your ministry have that kind of
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: need meeting ministry? Chapter 5, verses 17 to 25 talk
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: about dealing with those that are responsible.
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: Not only.
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: Dealing with them when complaints come, but taking good care
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: of them in their needs. A church isn't called to
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: keep a pastor humble. A church isn't called to Simply
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: to be a critique, a church is to be a
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: support and encouragement. The flock is to minister to the
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: leadership just as leadership with the flock. So here are
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: some questions. Do various ages feel important? Is there compassion demonstrated?
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: Are pastors properly cared for and supported? Are complaints heard
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: and handled? A ministry must meet needs. Sixth and finally,
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: a ministry must maintain purity. Among other things, chapter six
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: talks about purity in the congregation's personal life, purity of doctrine,
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: verses one and three, purity in finances, or what we
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: might call financial integrity, verses six to 10, and purity
• 39:51
  Speaker 1: among the leaders 11 and 14, purity. Hard questions I
• 39:59
  Speaker 1: want to ask. Is there a dichotomy between Sunday and
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: weekdays in your congregation, in your ministry? Is the theology biblical?
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: Are the finances handled with care, with integrity? Do you
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: have confidence that what is preached from the pulpit is
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: lived in private? No wonder, as Timothy has this letter closed,
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: Paul adds at the end of the letter, grace.
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: Be with you.
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: One of the reasons that some do not want to
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: enter ministry is that they don't want this kind of
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: exacting task. To enter into leadership in a ministry is
• 40:48
  Speaker 1: to enter into a goldfish bowl.
• 40:51
  Speaker 2: It has marvelous.
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: Rewards and blessings that far outweigh the few little snags
• 40:57
  Speaker 1: and difficulties. Ministry suffers from bad press, however, except for
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: a few rare occasions whenever the film world presents the
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: Protestant ministry, it's presented in the form of a flake
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: or some kind of fool directing a ministry. I would
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: love to see more upfront stuff presented like we've seen
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: occasionally in Chariots of Fire, where the person who is
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: a Christian happens to have skills and ability and integrity.
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: It would be nice to know that the public's view
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: of ministry is not one of suspicion, but one of respect.
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: Some folk who are very gifted are scared of entering ministry.
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: I think that's unfortunate. Chapters 1 and 2 look up.
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: Chapters 3 and 4 look within. Chapters 5 and 6
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: look around. Let me give you three final thoughts. Looking up,
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: chapters 1 and 2. A ministry that squares with scripture
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: requires consistent scriptural input. I don't like the word input,
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: but I couldn't think of another one to use for it.
• 42:20
  Speaker 2: So I'll have to use it here.
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: A ministry that squares with scripture requires consistent scriptural input.
• 42:29
  Speaker 2: Here we go again. Another hard question. You in this book?
• 42:36
  Speaker 1: Are you in some leadership over some phase of ministry?
• 42:40
  Speaker 1: You got to be in this book on your own.
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: You have to do it on your own. You can't
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: rely on someone else's input. You need scriptural input. Or
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: everything you'll get from someone else is seen through his
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: or her eyes. And you're not an independent thinker that way.
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: God can't break through and give you fresh thoughts. He's
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: got to give you leftovers. or worse, pre-digested food.
• 43:11
  Speaker 2: Sounds terrible, doesn't it?
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: Let me tell you, it's a change for many ministries
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: to allow God's Word to provide the agenda. I mean
• 43:21
  Speaker 1: strictly the Word of God to give you the agenda
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: for where you're going. I challenge you to do that.
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: Chapters 1 and 2 will help. Chapters 3 and 4
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: look deep within. A ministry that remains on target within
• 43:39
  Speaker 1: requires strong internal integrity.
• 43:48
  Speaker 2: It's a change for many ministries. It would mean.
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: A real commitment to quality regardless. Wouldn't it be wonderful
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: to know that all ministries that we're in touch.
• 44:00
  Speaker 2: With drip with quality?
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: Wouldn't it be great to know that we become the
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: standard in the industry, as it were, for quality? Wouldn't
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: it be great for a change to hear some businesses say, wow,
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: have you seen the materials that came from that ministry?
• 44:19
  Speaker 1: We've got some things we can learn from that. We
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: can go to school on.
• 44:24
  Speaker 2: What they're doing.
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: That's the way it ought to be. You realize the
• 44:30
  Speaker 1: pulpit often spoke on the major issues of a community,
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: and it was from the pulpit itself that the public
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: opinion was frequently formed, not from the newspaper. There weren't
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: many media around to form opinions. People came to shape
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: their thinking at the church. What a qualitative place to
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: change and shape lives. What a place to teach our
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: children about life, and not just about God, though he,
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: of course, is primary, but about life. about making decisions,
• 45:07
  Speaker 1: about living for Christ, about conducting themselves as citizens who
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: want to have an impact, who.
• 45:17
  Speaker 2: Will have an impact.
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: In chapters 5 and 6, where we look around, a
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: ministry that earns the respect of others requires great personal attention.
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: So for some places, it would mean a change in
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: getting serious about relationships and about compassion. It's not enough
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: just to teach the truth. It's not enough just to
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: teach the truth. We need to care for people. We
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: need to have a heart along with a head of knowledge.
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: We need to provide for that and when I say
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: that I don't I don't simply have in mind a
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: pastoral staff.
• 46:08
  Speaker 2: I mean a congregation.
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: Not just a knowledgeable body of saints, but a compassionate
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: body of saints who care.
• 46:18
  Speaker 2: You know what would shock you and me?
• 46:22
  Speaker 1: If you and I knew the needs of the people
• 46:24
  Speaker 1: sitting around us this very moment.
• 46:30
  Speaker 2: Absolutely shock us.
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: We look pretty responsible and independent and fairly well cared for,
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: certainly look well fed. We look as though we've got
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: life pretty well wired, like last week was fine and
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: next week's going to be even better.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: It would just absolutely blow us out.
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: Of the water if we knew the heartaches of people
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: around us. There is brokenness, there are fractured.
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: Feelings, there are.
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: Habits going on that individuals can't handle sitting around you.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: There are illicit affairs taking place, no doubt, among individuals
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: you'd never guess, nor would I. And that person hearing
• 47:16
  Speaker 1: these things right now feels wrenched in his gut. He
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: or she doesn't know how to control it. There are
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: battles with the base things of life. And this is
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: where people can come up close and say, I'm here.
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: I care. I want to help you.
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: What a searching and significant time we've had together, Father,
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: as we've thought through this magnificent letter that has endured
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: through the centuries. the letter from a man who loved
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: a younger man so deeply that he poured out his
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: soul and words to help him in ministry. And indirectly,
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: we feel as though looking over Timothy's shoulders, Paul has
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: ministered to us as well. Thank you, Father, for the
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: importance of your word and the role it plays in
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: guiding us in ministry. I want to pray right now,
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: especially for those engaged in ministry that your word will
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: be the guide for each one of them. We also
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: have learned today, again, the importance of strong internal integrity,
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: of walking in the power of the Spirit, not in
• 48:49
  Speaker 1: the energy of the flesh, living lives of honesty and humility.
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  Speaker 1: Help us, we pray, as we are engaged with other people,
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: not to compromise along those lines. difficult though the test
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  Speaker 1: may be. And we also realize, Father, that relationships play
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  Speaker 1: a vital role in ministry and in our lives. How
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: valuable is a heart of compassion? an eye of discernment,
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: and a spirit of teachability. I pray that these and
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  Speaker 1: so many other things will mark our lives, especially we
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: who lead ministries and all of us engaged in ministry
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: to others.
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  Speaker 2: I pray that you.
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  Speaker 1: Will use the study we have had together in this
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  Speaker 1: marvelous letter to guide us in the way we should go.
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  Speaker 1: And finally, Lord, I pray for those who've never met
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: the Savior, the Lord Jesus. I pray that by hearing
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: these truths, they will realize what they are missing in
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: their own lives and that you'll bring them to yourself
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  Speaker 1: through the power of your word and and through the
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: moving of the Holy Spirit in their lives. May none
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: of us be a stumbling block as they look for
• 50:13
  Speaker 1: reasons to turn their lives over to another. May we
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: not stand in the way, but may we be like
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  Speaker 1: a magnet that draws them to him.
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  Speaker 2: We commit to you, Father, the time we've had together,
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  Speaker 2: as well as these words we've.
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: Expressed in heartfelt sincerity. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.