Month: April 2017

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Good morning church! It’s been just a wonderful process to know what the will of God is for the church (the family of God). Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen biblically how men and women have complementary roles within the home and the church. We also looked at the qualifications and the roles of an elder…how God desires faithful men to lead, care and protect His church.

Always remember elders are under-shepherds to the Chief Shepherd Jesus Christ. I hope this series on 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus doesn’t feel like an academic study on the structure of a church. Rather let’s remind ourselves that as people live out their roles within the church, God’s church is being built up into the maturity and fullness of the head, Jesus Christ! (Ephesians 4) And we are collectively called “the body of Christ”. Not a few individuals, not just the elders but all of us together form the body of Christ. That is the goal that we are working towards. So let’s look at the passage carefully to understand what it says.

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise[d] must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Today’s passage in focus deals with the topic of Deacons. So I would like to split it into three parts:

1. Who is a Deacon?
2. What are the qualifications for deacons?
3. What does this mean for each of us today?

Firstly, let’s try and understand who or what is a deacon. The word “Deacon” is derived from the Greek word “Dee-ak-on-os” which means “one who serves”. Deacons are Christians who are appointed to serve with the elders of the church in a variety of ways. Just to add, this is not a derogatory responsibility. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of the disciples which was something that a slave/servant would do to symbolically show his disciples how they were to serve one another. So every believer in the church needs to be a “servant”.

In Acts 6:1-7, we see deacons being mentioned for the first time. Due to the increasing number of Christians, at one time the Greek speaking Jews complained about the Hebrew speaking Jews.

They said that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the 12 apostles gathered together all the believers and told them that it wouldn’t be right for them to give up the preaching of the word of God to wait on tables. So they asked the believers to select seven men among them of good reputation, full of Spirit and wisdom who will be appointed for this duty. Seven men were selected among whom were Stephen and Philip the evangelist so that the apostles could devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. They prayed and laid their hands on these deacons and the very next verse (v7) says that the number of disciples multiplied greatly. There you see the impact of deacons in the building of the body. This work was different from what the apostles and the elders did, but it in no way was inferior or lesser in value.

When we learnt about the roles of the elders, we saw how the elders are to feed the flock with the preaching of the word, elders are to care for the flock by leading them eagerly and being examples for them and they are to protect the flock from false teachings and false teachers. Teaching and exercising oversight are the responsibilities of an elder. Apart from that, there are a variety of roles that deacons can serve in. They can include administration, handling finances of the church, music ministry, helping the poor and widows, children’s ministry etc.

Secondly, let’s come to the question: what are the qualifications for a deacon? So let’s turn to 1 Tim 3:8-13.

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.

Why does it say “likewise”? In the same manner? It’s obviously telling us that there’s a link between the qualifications of elders and qualifications for deacons. As we go ahead, you’ll see similarities and the differences. One thing we can notice right off this verse is that just like elders, deacons also need to exhibit strong character qualities.

It says deacons “must be”. These are not optional qualifications for good deacons. There’s no second cut off list for the second grade of deacons. These are compulsory requirements for a person to be qualified as a deacon.

Deacons must be “dignified”. The word dignified means a person having honorable and respectable character. In other words, he needs to have a character which is being respected and looked up to. Now why would that be necessary? You might think…ok I get why an elder needs to have this requirement, why does a deacon also need that?

The reason is because deacons serve the church with elders. It’s the same people that both the deacons and the elders are ministering to…the family of God.

When Paul writes to the Philippians in 1:1 he says, “Paul and Timothy, servants[a] of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[b] and deacons”

They are together in this. It’s the same church that Christ loved so much that He gave Himself up for. (Ephesians 5:25)

It’s the same church of God that “Christ obtained and purchased with His blood.” (Acts 20:28)

This is a serious call and responsibility!

A deacon must be “not double-tongued”. What does that mean?

It means double speech. Saying one thing with one person and another thing with another person. Now why would that be important? The book of James has a lot to say about this.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue.

It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:4-8)

For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; (1 Pet 3:10)

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

I’m sure all of us at some point or the other have had friends who have been double-talkers. Isn’t it dangerous? Double-talk is poisonous and destructive and hence that becomes an important quality to examine in a person who wants to be a deacon.

A deacon must be “not addicted to much wine” which means not being attached to wine or be controlled by wine.

I think this is a point that is easier to accept by Indian culture because culturally it is viewed as something wrong. But at the same time, the stereotype for a Christian in the world today is someone who’s drunk and parties all the time. Every time I tell people how I don’t drink, it just puzzles people. They mostly think I’m crazy for taking this stance but I have to say it does identify me as someone different. As believers, we have the unique privilege of responding to any kind of excess with “we know someone better. We experience something better with Christ. There’s no need to get a high with alcohol when we experience immense pleasure in the presence of God!” So that’s the key here, is being defined not by a substance mastering over you but by being defined by Christ who lives in and through you.

Then it says that a deacon “must not be greedy for dishonest gain.”

The Greek actually means “must not be greedy for money”. And this is a big thing for churches. Churches have been divided and broken over money. Leaders and deacons who people thought were spiritual were in fact harbouring a love for money in their hearts. When it reaches its tipping point, this plays out in a very divisive, evil manner. That’s exactly what 1 Tim 6:10 says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt 6:24)

What these two passages tell us is how evil and idolatrous the love for money can be. Money is literally the other god we make in our lives. And Jesus says “you will love one and hate the other”.

“You will be devoted to one and despise the other”. I wouldn’t want to be the one who hates and despises God but that’s what our love for money does. So not only are you dividing the church with your love for money but you’re also telling people that “money is more secure, dependable, satisfying and valuable than God”. And that’s a lie! Money doesn’t give anything. And that’s why a deacon should first be a worshiper and lover of God who doesn’t hold on to his pocket tightly.

9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

Deacons must cling on to and be closely joined to the “mystery of the faith”.

Now when we think about mystery we usually think about something secret, something unknowable but when the Bible uses this phrase “mystery of the faith”, it refers to the hidden purposes of God which God fully reveals in Jesus: “The gospel”. The gospel for many generations before Christ was hidden. People weren’t fully aware nor understood how God was planning all along to redeem them through the sacrifice of His only Son.

Deacons need to cling onto the gospel with a clear conscience – a pure conscience! And we learnt some time back that the phrase “keeping faith and pure conscience” means holding onto the gospel and having a life consistent with it. Now why is that required?

a) Because the gospel helps us see God for who He is.

He is a Righteous God who punishes sin! He doesn’t overlook or ignore sin but deals with it because He is Just and Holy. At the same time, he is a loving God who doesn’t want to destroy His creation so He sends His Son to take on the whole punishment for sin. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, we can now see, love and fellowship with God as He is.

b) Because the gospel gives us our true identity.

We are chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before God. We were predestined to be adopted as God’s sons and daughters through Jesus, we have redemption through Christ’s blood, and in Christ we have full forgiveness of sins. (Eph 1:3-10)

Family, apart from the gospel we will relate with God either in fear or arrogance. But through the good news, we see Him as the loving God who makes us His children through His Son’s sacrifice!
We saw earlier in chapter 1 how some people by rejecting faith and a good conscience ended up shipwrecking their faith! Hence, it is a critical thing for a deacon but it is also an essential thing for a believer.

10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.

As we can see in v10, there is an examination and a scrutiny that is taking place. They are not blindly appointing these deacons due to their giftings or leadership skills or serving skills but by watching their lives. And that can only be done in the context of Christian community. So your community plays a very important role in affirming your level of maturity. That’s why it doesn’t make sense when people say they are mature in the faith apart from being around and involved in Christian community. We can acquire a lot of knowledge by reading books, listening to sermons by the best of preachers but your maturity level can only be confirmed if you’re serving and living life with other believers.

Blamelessness is another requirement. Let’s remind ourselves that it doesn’t mean sinless perfection. If that were the case, then no one would qualify to be a shepherd or a deacon. So what does blamelessness mean? It means having a lifestyle free of scandal. And again here, we’ve seen how scandals have wrecked people’s faith and divided the church. Both elders and deacons need to be pace-setters not injuring people’s faith.

11 Their wives likewise[d] must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

Now he comes to the wives, telling how they should be respectable, not falsely accusing others but being calm and composed in their conversations. The wives are to be fully reliable in all things. At this point, you’re probably like “Wait a minute. I get why deacons should have qualifications, why should their wives also be scrutinized?” 

I think that’s why it’s essential to look at the church as the family of God. It’s not an event, not a club or an organization…it’s family! Family, as God designed it requires women to play an essential part. We see that at our homes, right? So crucial the role of a woman. The church is God’s family and so the actions of the wives of the deacons can positively or negatively impact the family.Secondly, wives can influence their husbands. If you have any doubts, talk to our forefather Adam. Therefore, it’s important to also look at their lives to qualify the man as a deacon.

12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well.

Similar to requirement for elders, a deacon should be loyal and faithful to his wife and also manage his children well. And again, these are not things that we usually look for in people to serve the church. Family leadership is vital to being able to serve in this capacity. This is not something that happens automatically. There is hard work that goes into staying faithful to your spouse and also leading the family well. This kind of commitment and hard work will play out even within the church if it is being practiced at home. We again see the close relationship between our family and our church family. It was never intended to be separated. And that’s why if we think about it biblically, Sunday event Christianity doesn’t make sense. It ends up being Sunday Christianity for some of us because we aren’t willing to live life with our brothers and sisters every day. Just think about the freedom you’ll have from pretending before others if you realized how we are all family in Christ. And the truth is real life together is messy but we have Christ and each other! Why do we still then live like orphans?

13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

It ends with an encouraging note for the hard work put in by the deacons. “They will gain a good standing for themselves” which means they will be respected and appreciated in the church for their ministry. Just to clarify, deacons shouldn’t serve because they want to be appreciated and respected by the church but instead as they eagerly and willingly serve the church, people will recognize their efforts and appreciate their work. But that kind of public acknowledgement is just one side. There’s something more than that which we will receive for a lifetime of faithful ministry:

People who serve well, will receive great boldness and confidence in the power of the gospel as they see it being proven time and time again in their own ministry. Your effectiveness in ministry will also increase as a result of this.

Sometimes, as believers we get into this self-centered space where we are only caught up in our own world and issues and insecurities…it leads us to be unsure of our faith. We end up doubting God’s purposes for us. If that’s what you are going through, let me encourage you to start serving in some capacity or the other.

It’s Christ himself who said “It’s more blessed to give than to receive”. (Acts 20:35) There is a supernatural blessing we can experience when we give our time, our money and our talents to serve someone else. We would’ve experienced this when we’ve gone to orphanages or mission trips. We go with an intention to give and not expecting anything back. More often than not we return back learning something new and feeling more satisfied than we were before.

So if you’re there today, thinking that you’ve reached a rut in your spiritual walk. You need to definitely ask yourself where’s your heart in relation to God. Repentance is necessary but that would also involve you removing your focus from yourself and placing it in people whom God has placed in your life. If you’re still figuring what that looks like, in what capacity can you serve the church, you can get in touch with either Saju or me and we’ll be happy to suggest some ways.

We did talk a great deal about the qualifications for deacons today. But I don’t want us to look at the list and think it’s not required for us. If there’s something both these qualifications teach us, it is that God desires holiness in the character of His children. We’ve cheapened the meaning of grace as believers today. Standard for purity and integrity in churches are very low. But as we see in 1 Tim 3, God has set a high standard for the church and the leaders need to set the pace. Let the requirement for holiness make us more and more dependent on Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Let it result in cries for strength and grace from heaven to be the kind of people God calls us to be.

Secondly, let’s also remind ourselves that God calls us to serve the church. Whether you are an ordained deacon or not, you are called to serve! You don’t need to be the most gifted individual leader to serve, all God desires is willingness. And as you serve people, you will begin to understand God and His attributes in many newer ways because He Himself came not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45). You emulate and imitate your Lord and Savior when you serve the church. What is God calling you to do today?

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My goal today as we go through Galatians 5 is to re-instate, re-emphasize & remind you the truth of the gospel message pointing our hearts to Christ and the Freedom he achieved for us through his death burial and resurrection.

Read Galations 5

The Epistle of Galations is a letter written by Paul to the church in Galatia to address a very crucial concern and we see his concern for the church of Galatia in Galatians 1:6

1:6 – “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”

As you all know that Jesus was born in Jerusalem, in a Jewish culture. Jews are known to be the descendants of Abraham & David, people rescued from slavery in Egypt. They were the keepers of the law that was passed on by Moses on the mount of Sinai.

As decades passed this same people who knew God became a mere Law abiding citizens but their hearts were far away from God. Everything they did and performed were just external rituals mixed with traditions and influenced by the culture around them.

It is in this context that Jesus was born – The true messiah in whom all the requirement of the Law was fulfilled.

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.”

Jesus was the answer to the Law and the fulfillment of God’s promise made through his prophets and it is now by faith in Christ that we are saved and not by keeping the requirement of the law

(Ephesians 2:4-10) “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

This message of the cross is not just for the Jews but also for the gentiles (people outside Israel)… for people like us.

We see at the end of his life Jesus sent out his disciples to make disciples of all nations. Th apostle Paul was chosen to preach to the gentiles this simple gospel of Christ because of which the church of Galatians – a gentile church – who believed in this simple gospel and were living in freedom.

In this letter to Galatia Paul was upset because some Jews (the trouble makers) were infiltrating the gospel and leading people’s heart away from Christ.

1:6 – “I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ”

2:4 – “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us”

These Jews started teaching them that it was not enough to just put our faith in Jesus but we also need to be circumcised (it was a practice of the law) to be accepted and loved by God.

Paul was angry because this teaching was diminishing the truth of the gospel and leading people astray.

The issue was not about circumcision . – 1 Cor 7:17-24

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

Paul also complaints in 4:10-11 that the people were now observing special days, months and seasons.

4:10-11 – “You are observing special days, months, seasons, and years. I am fearful for you, that perhaps my labor for you has been wasted”

We see this kind of infiltration even in our present culture where the church is led astray by making them believe in a different gospel rather than the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Galations 5 Paul is re-instated, re-emphasizing and remind the people the truth of the gospel message pointing their hearts to Christ and the Freedom he achieved for them through his death burial and resurrection – Not by keeping the law but by simply putting their faith in Christ Jesus

Here are 5 Things Paul reminds them about the Freedom in Christ

1. EMBRACE YOUR FREEDOM (5:1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free”

• It is one thing to say we are free and another thing to truly believe and live it out
• We have to enjoy the fact that we are free … free in Christ .. and cherish it to the fullest
• Freedom is the goal of the gospel

o Roman 5:12,17 We are free from the curse of the Law, we are free from the curse of Adam
o Eph 2:5,6 free from spiritual death
o Free from the fear of death – Heb 2:14,15
o Free from condemnation Romans 8:1
o Free from the power of sin Romans 6:17,18
o Free from the authority of satan Colossains 1:13
o Free to inherit all that Christ has purchased for us Gal 4:5,7

• Breathe the fresh air of freedom
• It is sad to see Christians who continue to live in slavery
• Have not understood the meaning of freedom
• Freedom – Not dependent on our circumstances and situations – Depends on the truth
• We will have problems as long as we are on this earth
• The true meaning of “Freedom” is not what the world defines but it’s what Christ offers. Freedom from sin and slavery.
• We may perish on this earth – but we will flourish in heaven
• Embrace your freedom daily by reminding the gospel
• Share my heart

2. PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM (5:1)

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery”

• Paul demonstrated it in 2:4-5 saying “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us. But we did not give up and submit to these people for even a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you”

Wherein we also see another example in 2:11-12 where Cephas failed to protect his freedom

2:11-12 – “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. For he regularly ate with the gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party”

• Fear of man
• We don’t realize the harm it brings

Effect of Cephas hypocricy

2:13 – “Then rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy”

• If the freedom is lost the gospel is lost
• How do we protect our freedom?

o Don’t give in to the fear of man – Continue to do what is right
o Speak up against false teaching and defend your faith just as Paul did

3. EXPRESS YOUR FREEDOM (5:5-6)

“For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

• Express your freedom by waiting on the Lord for the hope of righteousness
o Which means not trying to be righteous on our own strength but by waiting and hoping in the Lord to gradually change our hearts.
• Express your freedom by putting your faith to work through love
o Which means to put your “Faith in Christ” at work through Love not your faith in your own abilities and wisdom.
• Our expression of our freedom is what talks volumes to an unbelieving heart
• When an unbeliever looks at our lives he/she notices that we have the same fleshly struggles they have but we are not enslaved by it – they see that our hope is in the Lord to rescue us and save from our treachery.
• And as time goes by they see the difference in our lives

4. EMPLOY YOUR FREEDOM (5:13-14) or USE YOUR FREEDOM

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

• Our freedom is not something to keep to ourselves rather it is given as an opportunity to love and serve one another
• Our freedom in Christ should propel us to reach out to others .. the unloved ones in our family … in our neighbourhood … on the streets … in our offices … in our colleges.
• Sharing the good news of this gospel of Freedom to one and all.

5. IMPROVE YOUR FREEDOM (5:16-26)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

• In this fight for Freedom we must choose sides in this war
o We are either led by the Spirit or led by the flesh
• It is living by the Spirit that keeps us in step with the Spirit
• We know whether we are in step with the Spirit by consistently evaluating the outcome of our lives.
• Verses 19-23 serves as a diagnostic tool to help understand whether are living by the Spirit or by the Flesh.
o The work of the flesh will lead us into sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these
o But the work of the Spirit will lead us into love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control.
• Let’s be careful not to choose a fleshly desire listed above and say it is from the Lord. For that will be wrong to say. God does not tempt us, God did not make us this way.

Quote by an unbeliever that gives us a wise understanding of our depravity and how to guard against it
I’ve been with my wife for almost 15 years. In those years I’ve been with anyone then the mother of my son, but that’s not because I’m a good person. Infact, I am wholly in possession of an unimaginably filthy mind. When it come to giving in to my filthy mind I’m not the one who believes in getting in the moment and then exercising will power. I believe in avoiding the moment. I belive in absolutely been clear with myself on why I’m having a second drink and why I’m not. Why I’m going to a party and why I’m not. I believe the battle is lost at the happy hour and not at the hotel. I am not a good man but I’m prepared to be an honorable one. This is not just true of infidelity, its true of virtually I’ve ever done in my life. I did not lose 70 pounds through strength of character, goodness of will power, my character and will anchors towards cheese cake, fried chicken and beer and in no particular order. I lost that fight by not fighting that battles on desires terms but fighting before desire can take effect. There are compacts I have made with myself and with my family just like other compacts we make with our country and society. I tend to think that those compacts work best when we don’t fool ourselves and are fully aware of our enemy in us.

• We cannot feed our flesh and at the same time please God. We must crucify along with its passions and desires
• The only way to fight this war is at the level of desire not external behaviour
• The good life God wants for us comes through the Spirit
• It is this life that protects the church from pride and division

Let’s ask ourselves – who’s side are we fighting against in this war. Are you siding with the Spirit of God through faith, using your freedom for the blessing of others, embracing it as precious.
And remember whenever you start living this life if freedom, people will come with wrong teaching infiltration your minds, adding stuffs that was never part of Gods plan for us.

2:4 – “This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus in order to enslave us”

• We must resist it
• Do not be deceived but continue to live your Freedom in Christ

For Christ died for our sins, giving us liberty from sin and slavery even when we were deep down in our sins, defeated sin and sin and rose again on the third and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.

The passage we are going to cover today has been a fascinating one for the church over the ages. More so in recent times this has been a reason for a lot of fascination because it deals with the different roles that men and women have within the church. And the goal of the sermon is not to make it a more fascinating topic but to recognize God as absolutely fantastic due to His wisdom and ways!

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

3 weeks back we looked at the passage in chapter 2 which urged us to pray all kinds of prayers for all kinds of people…especially those that are harsh toward us. And what was the reason for this: is that they come to knowledge of the truth! One of the key points we were challenged on was to pray for someone who has actually harmed us or wronged us. Someone who we think would never get saved. Two things happen when we pray for them:

a) The gospel is exalted because we affirm that it has the power to save anyone. No matter who you are and what you’ve done, the good news (that Jesus Christ died and rose again) is able to deliver you from the wrath of God. That’s the powerful message we communicate when we pray for those that are against us or against the gospel. Do we really believe that the gospel is “good news for all”? Even the worst of sinners?

b) God is glorified because we reflect the heart of God when we pray and desire their salvation. We show ourselves to be God’s children by wanting our “enemies” and people unlike us come to the knowledge of the Savior. If we ourselves were enemies of God who were shown immense mercy and patience through the gospel, how can we be self righteous to not make that same prayer for others no matter how cruel or wicked they’ve been?

Today’s passage jumps off where we left. The context is about prayer…praying for all kinds of people so that they get saved and come to the knowledge of truth.

V8 says: I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarrelling.

We are talking about church Gatherings here. Paul is obviously not saying that only men can pray in a Gathering but I think he’s pointing toward men taking the lead as they offer various prayers for various people.

“Lifting holy hands” is a typical posture for prayer in the Bible. Few examples are:

Psalm 63:4: I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

God tells the sinful Israelites in Isaiah 1:15, “When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood”.

And then he goes on to add “without anger or quarrelling”…what is he trying to say here?

He’s probably saying that because anger and quarrelling was an issue in the Ephesian church. It could probably be the result of controversial teachings that were being propagated by false teachers. So Paul wrote this to Timothy so that he could bring order to their church meetings. Also what I think he’s trying to say here is that the lives of men who profess faith in Christ should be defined not by anger or quarrelling but by prayer. Isn’t that profound but also convicting?

If people from within the church and outside the church would be asked to describe you based on your lifestyle, what would they say about it? Would they say it’s defined by prayer? Or would they say that it’s defined by quarrels and anger?

One of the things that men generally struggle with is a desire for respect and pride. We are always crying and demanding respect from various people in our lives. Our parents, our spouse, our colleagues, our friends and our church family as well. When we don’t receive it, we end up quarrelling.

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are at war within you?[b] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:1-3)

Men, the reason why there are constant quarrels and fights is not because of the other person or the circumstance but because of your sinful desires. If the way you deal with tough times and conflicts is by fighting over it instead of bringing it to God in prayer, the truth is that you struggle with a great deal of pride and selfishness. And that speaks a lot about whom we trust and whom are we trying to please. Are we really trusting God or are we trusting and trying to please ourselves? Our lifestyle displays what we believe. Our lifestyle communicates what we love.

Luke 6:45: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

What would it take for us to be identified as men that are prayerful?

9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

When Paul instructs the women, he tells how they should be defined by their “good works” and not what they wear. And this is a huge deal for women. In today’s time, this might seem to restrict a woman’s right to wear whatever she wants to wear.

Let me phrase the same question that was phrased to the men, if people from within the church and outside the church would be asked to describe you based on your lifestyle, what would they say about it? Would they say it’s defined by good works? Or would they say it’s defined by the external and what you wear?

And I think while the struggle with men is with pride, women generally on the other hand struggle with acceptance. Therefore, what they wear gives them self worth. That feeling of being accepted by people. The instruction here is to not adorn themselves with costly clothing and fancy hair and jewelry but to adorn themselves with good works.

3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. (1 Pet 3:3-6)

What this passage says is what God actually views as beautiful is not the external adornment but the gentleness and character of the heart. A submissive heart is what God finds very precious! One may ask, “Well is there something wrong in trying to look nice?” No, there’s nothing wrong. However, if most of our effort and time is spent in making us look attractive externally rather than considering how can we serve and love Christ and people, then it is an issue of the heart which needs to be addressed.

What would it take to be identified as a woman of good works?

And I think the gospel addresses both of these issues that men and women face. Our struggle with pride and acceptance can be addressed by the gospel. When we understand how big, Holy and loving God is and how sinful we are in the light of His holiness, it completely crushes the pride in us. We realize the only way we can have a restored relationship with the Creator is by trusting in a Wonderful Savior and not in ourselves. The cheap thrill that we have by exalting ourselves and fighting for our pride is thrown away when we receive the true Joy giver.

On the other hand, we know that through Christ we are fully loved and accepted by God. There’s no greater fulfillment and satisfaction than knowing that our Creator and Redeemer has totally accepted us. So we’re freed to pursue what God has called us to do.

Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve;14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

Now what does Paul mean here? If we don’t understand the context and the reason for what Paul is saying we might assume that he is being chauvinistic. So let’s dig deep to know what the context is?

Is Paul trying to say that women cannot speak in Gatherings?

No, because in 1 Cor 11:5 Paul talks about order in worship out there and he clearly describes women who pray and prophesy.

but every wife[c] who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven

Just to clarify on this verse that head covering in the Corinthian culture, a married woman who uncovered her head in public brought shame to her husband. As you can see in v5, praying and prophesying by women was permitted or he wouldn’t have mentioned this example.

But someone may say “what about 1 Cor 14:33-35 where there is a similar instruction?”

As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

Again to understand this, we’ll need to look at the immediate context which is v29: Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. The context dealt with examination and critique of prophecies which is more a ruling or governing function of the church.

Therefore, even in 1 Tim 2:11, when Paul says she is to learn quietly in submissiveness, he’s not saying that she cannot speak at all but the reference is to v12 where he says:
12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man

Now if you remember from last week, the elder has three roles: feeding the church, caring for the church and protecting the church. Teaching and exercising authority over a man are roles fulfilled by the elder in a biblical church. Teaching is how the church is fed by the Word of God and exercising authority is the governing authority to lead, care and protect the church.

One may ask, “what if the woman is gifted to teach? What about that?”

13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

It’s interesting how Paul doesn’t talk about culture as the reason for this mandate but goes back to Creation to show how this was the order in God’s design.

Adam was created first by God. In God’s mind, the leadership at home was given to the man. That was his role. This in no way makes the woman unequal. There is a difference in role but both have equal worth, importance and value. Both men and women are equally important and valuable to God.

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. (Gen 1:27)

The second reason Paul gives is Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

Again, Paul isn’t trying to blame Eve for the fall and say Adam was innocent but he was trying to point to something else that happened in the Garden.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,[b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths. (Gen 3:1-7)

Adam was present with Eve at the time when she was being tempted. His responsibility was also to protect the spiritual life in the home. He silently watched and participated in the act of disobedience instead of preserving the faith of the family while Eve took the lead. This role reversal resulted in the Fall of mankind. Satan attacked the male headship of the home when he spoke to Eve and deceived her. Paul probably is stating this to show how disastrous it can be when men don’t ascribe to God’s design and take up spiritual leadership in the church.

This is not to say that women are incapable of teaching the Bible. In fact a woman in a church might be better gifted at teaching but the office to lead and shepherd the church is for a man. In Titus 2, it urges mature woman in the faith to disciple younger women and children. Their gifts can still be used in the church but differently. For eg: if me and my wife did the same thing and didn’t have different roles, our home wouldn’t function properly. Each of us have different skills which we bring to the table but our roles are distinct.

Another question would be, “can a woman participate/help in other ministries of the church like example worship/music ministry?”

The only exception given biblically is with respect to the office of an elder. Yes, she can help in other ministries. Regarding worship leading, the Gathering doesn’t view worship leading as an office of an elder. The person leading worship isn’t teaching expositionally nor does the person exercise any authority. Reading scripture, selecting songs, prayer can and should have participation of women. I think the concern would be if a man came up to Jane or Angela and asked them to pastor/lead him.

We realize that God desires and has ordained for men to be the spiritual leaders at home and in the church. In God’s heart, this was the best way (complementary roles) to reflect the harmonious interpersonal relationship within the Trinity. In the God Head, all members are equal in worth and personhood yet they have different roles.

So what’s the application here?

One of the reasons why I feel women have had to step up in the last few years has been because men have been passive and lazy toward their responsibility of spiritual leadership. In my experience in youth ministry for a few years and also the churches I’ve been to, it’s been sad to see a minority of men participating, getting involved and leading people in the faith. “Where are the men?” is a question often asked. God’s church requires faithful, reliable and prayerful men who will lead their families and the church to know and love God more. You don’t have to know everything or even be smarter than the women to lead. God calls men to lead by taking the initiative.

The encouragement to women would be to continue to actively participate in all the different ways that God has designed for them with the variety of gifts that they’ve been given. However, if they notice a pattern where there’s only a female initiative in evangelism, bible studies or discipleship…it would be good to just have a word with the men gently encouraging them to take the lead in those areas. This I think works well in a context of a husband/wife relationship where the wife can gently encourage her husband to take the lead and also in the context of close GC relationships because we see how God has called and designed different roles in the family of God to display who He is.

It’s been an amazing journey of understanding God’s heart for the church as we’ve looked through 1 Timothy. Last week Jeff preached on the “Qualifications of an Elder”: What are the qualifying characteristics of a person who needs to be appointed as an elder? Do you remember the 6 points?

1. Desire
2. Character
3. Ability
4. Family Leadership
5. Maturity
6. Reputation.

This week we’ll be jumping off what we learnt last week…We’ll get into the nitty gritty details of “What an Elder Is” and “What he does”. Isn’t that a great question? What does an elder do? Just to remind you all again…Elder, Pastor, Bishop and Overseer all mean the same thing. In the Bible, these words are used interchangeably.

So coming back, why do you think it’s important to know what is an elder and what he does biblically? I think there are two reasons:

1. To prevent abuse within the church of God

We’ve all heard numerous stories how elders have wrongly used their spiritual position in the church to take advantage of their people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Just imagine the damage it would’ve caused. Some victims of this kind of spiritual abuse have even abandoned the faith because the leaders who should’ve led them toward Christ are in turn abusing them. That is really cruel! Christ would never ever want that to happen to His church!

2. To get rid of the unhealthy baggage from our previous church experiences

Most of us who have been to other churches in the past are carrying some unhealthy perceptions on the role and function of an elder which can affect our involvement and participation in this local body. Believe it or not, all of us are carrying some kind of baggage. Two examples are here:

a) Authoritarian View of an Elder

Some of us have seen elders from other churches being harsh, prideful and dominating. He’s more like the “Boss/Landlord” rather than a “Shepherd” taking care of the flock. This develops an unhealthy pattern of fear among the church. People are always fearful of the elder and the pursuit of the congregation turns into pleasing and exalting the elder rather than Christ. The elder is viewed only in terms of his administrative and organizational qualities.

b) Diminished View of an Elder

This is the other extreme where there is no respect for the elder. You’ll often find people frequently bad mouthing the elder and also being non-submissive to anything he says. Well, the main issue with this view is that they are slandering the authority that God has placed over their souls. This is never pleasing to God.

These reasons (abuse and baggage) often hamper us from really enjoying God’s design for the church and living out God’s purposes in and through our lives. There is a reason why God has placed called and gifted individuals over the church so that they can lead people to love, trust and obey God more effectively. Again to re-iterate Jeff’s point last week…Pastors/Elders are sheep themselves. We are equal in dignity and worth before God. And we are equally in need of God’s grace each day. But by rebelling against God’s appointed leaders, it doesn’t enable us to have greater love and intimacy with Christ. It’s like a wife responding to a question on her husband’s leadership saying “Leader? You wish! He can’t lead anyone”. Although both the husband and wife are equal in God’s sight but in order to grow and live out God’s purposes they’ll need to complement each other in their roles and not fight to establish their dominance at home. So the attempt this morning is to understand the weighty call of the elder and also grow in appreciation of God’s design for the church.

So let’s try to answer: What is an elder?

An elder is a God called and qualified person appointed to feed, care and protect His flock through the authority of the Word. The goal for this leader is to help people love, trust and obey God more effectively.

Let’s look at Scripture to make sure we’re grounded in our understanding and definition of what an Elder Is and Does.

We did go through last week how God qualifies an elder. (1 Tim 3:1-7)

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer[a] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[b] sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Just to touch on the topic of what it means to be God called:

V1 talks about the desire that God places on a person’s heart to pursue this ministry. And this is not a desire to become great, famous, popular and rich. Those are all wrong motivations and a person should be not be qualified if that is the motivation. The desire which is being referred to here is to see people’s lives being changed by the gospel through the faithful shepherding of the flock which results in total dependence on the sufficiency of Christ. In other words, the heart beat and passion for a pastor called and qualified by God would be to echo the words of John the Baptist “He must increase, but I must decrease”. (John 3:30) The success of this person’s ministry is not defined by how much he/his church has accomplished but on how much his church trusts and relies on God.

Just to clarify, all of us have been called by God to proclaim His excellencies (1 Pet 2:9). We all are a royal priesthood. But God does have a specific role for elders to equip and build up the church so that they can be more effective in ministering to people.

Ephesian 4:11-12: And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ

2) What does an Elder do? How does he equip the body for ministry?

1) Feeds the Flock
2) Cares for the Flock
3) Protects the Flock.

Let’s look at each of them in detail.

1. Elders feed the flock

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you (1 Pet 5:1-2)

The Greek word that is used for “shepherd” actually means “feed”. Essentially Peter is saying as a fellow elder he urges “shepherds/elders” to feed the flock. What should they be fed with? Not grass. But with the Word of God. Christ’s sheep needs to be nourished and nurtured with the Word of God. And that’s why the only qualification that deals with a capability from that list in 1 Tim 3 says “able to teach”. An elder spends time and energy with the Bible so that Christ’s church can be fed with the pure instruction and preaching of the Word. The seriousness of this call is humbling for me because it reminds me that if this passage is interpreted and applied correctly as it was intended, then you would be listening to not the word of man but God Himself! This “feeding” is however not restricted to a Sunday sermon but a lifestyle of discipleship. The gospel is being applied in discussions about life, work, marriage, entertainment, children, fashion, relationships, conflict, education, career etc. The elder is not expressing his opinions on these topics but is delving deep into Scripture to help people understand what God thinks about these topics and how he wants us to respond. It’s really disappointing that there are some pastors today that think that the Bible isn’t relevant anymore so they come up with sermons and teachings on the basis of worldly wisdom using verses to support their claims but denying the power and truth of Scripture. My point is…if we want to hear what the world thinks about these questions we don’t need the elder to tell us that. We’ll source that from other places. What we need to hear is what Christ wants to us to believe, desire and obey.

2 Tim 3:16: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2. Elders care for the flock

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a] not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Pet 5:1-3)

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,[a]which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Few things we can understand from these two passages:

i) Elders care for the flock by understanding that they are overseeing the flock of Christ that He purchased with His own blood. This is as weighty as it gets. Remember earlier we talked about elders that have abused their congregation. The reason they do it is because they don’t realize that these are the very people that Christ brought out of slavery with His own blood. The flock is treated with utmost care.

ii) Elders care for the flock by being an example. This is so powerful. All of us know the impact that actions can have more than words. An elder nullifies his doctrine with an inconsistent lifestyle. The best way an elder can love and care for the church is by showing them how to love and serve Christ.

iii) Elders care for the flock by shepherding willingly and eagerly. As we’ve seen, leading and caring for Christ’s flock involves a lot of work, time and energy. All of us know of tasks that we do out of compulsion and obligation. However, Christ intends that elders joyfully and willingly embrace the responsibility. Secondly, in our flesh and self-centredness we are always looking to do things which give us some immediate returns. Christ calls elders to not do it out of shameful gain but eagerly not expecting immediate returns but the heavenly reward for those who do it well. 1 Pet 5:4 : And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

3. Elders protect the flock

Titus 1:9 : He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound[g] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

An elder needs to be gospel fluent : his understanding about the glory of God, the pre-eminence of Christ and our desperate need to trust in the sufficiency of Christ. He needs to be gospel fluent in order to preach but also to rebuke wrong doctrine.

Acts 20:29-31 : I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.

In Acts 20, Paul calls the Ephesian elders to meet him at Miletus. He exhorts them before he leaves on how they need to take care of God’s flock. But look at the language he uses to describe false teachers : “fierce wolves”. These false teachers will come up among the disciples and will speak of strange twisted things in order to draw disciples after them. Again you see the connection between wrong doctrine and wrong intention. But the exhortation to the elders is that they remain alert! They can’t just allow anybody to come and teach anything. If the pure word of God is able to nourish and build up believers, then the impure, contaminated teaching would harm and destroy the believers. And elders shouldn’t allow that to take place. It’s like a shepherd allowing wolves to come and devour the lambs. Will a good shepherd allow that to happen? No. Saju narrated an incident once where a gospel singer contacted him through the website. This person claimed to have written many Christian songs and he wanted to check with Saju if he could come to the Gathering and sing his songs and share his testimony. Saju told him that he was welcome to attend our Gathering but he wouldn’t be allowed to share his testimony or sing a song because we didn’t know anything about him. Didn’t know his life or his doctrine. We couldn’t allow him to come and say anything because it could be something absolutely unbiblical which could harm the flock. Protecting the flock is one of the key responsibilities of the elder.

As we’ve all read and understood the call and the function of an elder, I pray that it does a couple of things in our hearts this morning:

1. If we’ve had negative baggage with respect to church leadership, I think this calls us to repent of those false beliefs and embrace God’s design as He’s laid down in Scripture.

2. Submit to elders in a way that is honouring to Christ. Heb 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. What would that mean to us today? How can we make it a joy for our elders to serve and watch over our souls?