Month: June 2022

This Sunday we begin with a new series of studying through Acts of the Apostles. Today I will be kickstarting this series by exploring why it’s important to study this book and what should we expect.

Acts of the apostles were written by Luke. After writing the Gospel of Luke where he dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, in this book, he is writing about what the risen Christ is continuing to do amongst them.

After the resurrection of Jesus, there seems to be so much happening in this book that it can almost feel overwhelming to us.

From the outpouring of the Holyspirit on the 120 disciples gathered in the upper room – Peter boldly preaching the gospel to a multitude of people – People repenting of their sins and receiving Christ left right and center – People getting baptized and added to the church – Persecution of the Christian in that region by Saul and other leaders – The conversation of Saul to Paul – A spectacular church planting movement – Disciples scattering around the world to preach the Gospel, plant churches, raise and appoint new Elders – More persecution – More gospel proclamation etc.

There is so much happening, and it’s important to remind ourselves – The book of Acts is not the story about these extraordinary men and women who accomplished these great and significant things for God, but it is the story of God accomplishing great and significant things through these ordinary men and women. It is not men doing great things for God but what God is doing in the lives of these ordinary men.

And, just like the book of Joshua, the story was never about a man called Joshua or a nation called Israel, the story was and will always be about God who is and should always be at the center – on a mission to accomplish something great, something marvelous, something extraordinary – And we get to be the privileged ones to be chosen as part of that mission.

Therefore, just like any other book in the bible, when we read the Acts of the apostles, we are not merely reading the book to study some strategy or skills or methods that these men and women followed to spread the gospel all around the world.

But we are called to learn about God and what He is accomplishing through these men and women.

And the one thing that we learn about God in this book is that He is the **God of Power.**

And that is why we’ve named our series ‘God of Power’

The word ‘power’ means ‘the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way.’

This means everything we will see happening in the book of Acts is the manifestation of God’s power in the lives of ordinary people like us.

Before diving into the book of Acts, let’s look at the subject of God’s Power from an, even more, broader perspective and acknowledge His Power (his ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way) so that we have the right context to begin studying this book.

## It is the Power of God, the reason for our survival & sustenance

**1 Chronicles 29:11

> *Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O  Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.*

Before we begin to read the Acts of the apostles, let us acknowledge that It is the Power of God because of which these men are alive in the first place to experience such a thing. It is His power that sustained the lives of all those men and women up till that generation and even today.

The very breath we have is a gift from God.

It is utter foolishness to believe that the world exists because we are great and smart. No, my friends, the world exists because God chooses to act and show mercy toward us.

You see, we failed God in the garden of Eden when we chose to disobey and rebel against him. And the wages of that sin was death, God had all the rights to kill us and destroy this world. But He chooses to keep us alive and gather us back to him.

**Isaiah 54:7**

> *“For a brief moment, I forsook you,
But with great compassion, I will gather you.*
>

**Isaiah 54:8**

> *“In an outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness, I will have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your Redeemer.*
>

**Romans 9:15-16**

> *For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.*
>

Brothers & sisters, there is nothing good in us that stands out to God because of which he chooses to keep us alive and sustain us, but, only because of his mercy we are alive and breathing today.

It is the Power of God, the reason for our survival & sustenance. And let’s acknowledge that.

## It is the Power of God, the reason for our justification & sanctification

**Matthew 19: 23-26**

> *And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”*
>

The story of these disciples we are going to read and study in the book of Acts is only possible because of the saving grace of God. When we sinned and rebelled against God, we became his enemies, and therefore became slaves to sin and satan. And none of our good works or extra efforts could have bridged the gap between God and us.

And therefore, God in his sovereign Power acted and sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to this earth in human flesh, to live the righteous and obedience life we were supposed to live and took the penalty of our sins on Himself and died in our place on the cross of Calvery.

It is His act of grace shown towards us that convicts us of our sins, leads us into repentance, and enables us to trust in Jesus. And therefore, it is the power of God, the reason for our justification.

Paul in his prayer in **1 Thessalonians 5:23** writes … ****

> *May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.*
>

Here Paul is convinced that only God has the power to sanctify us through and through and present us blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Brothers & sisters, in our efforts we are utterly incapable to keep ourselves blameless and holy at any given point in our lives. It is only the power of God that keeps us from stumbling and falling, the very reason for our sanctification.

The book of Acts happened because God chose to show up and not because of any human interventions, plans, or strategies.

## It is the Power of God, the reason for their effectiveness and growth

Acts 2:1-4

> *When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.*
>

I believe the outpouring of the Holyspirit upon these men for the first time in history was and will remain the most significant event and factor that gave birth to the church of Christ. Especially because when we look at the past lives of some of these men we remember the moments when they acted in fear and doubt.

How did they suddenly become so bold and fearless to stand in front of a multitude of people to proclaim the gospel with boldness and clarity? How did their faith rise up to the next level where miraculous things started happening around them? What made them go to the level of sacrificing everything for the sake of the gospel, even their lives?

It was only the work of the Holyspirt where God himself was acting through them to accomplish all these great things. Friends, all the effectiveness and success in ministry we see happening in the book of Acts is the result of God’s power working in and through them. Let’s call it Power enabled ministry.

Therefore, friends, as we study the book of Acts, the focus shouldn’t be on ourselves or on a particular man or woman, but our focus should be on Christ, the author, and finisher of Life. Our focus should be on God and on his Power that enables us to do great things for Him.

And what we see happening in the lives of these men and women can also happen to us, you know why? Because we serve the same God who is willing to act in and through us.

We often read a book like Acts of the Apostles and think we have to now get into an activity mode and start doing something, but let me suggest to you two application points that are not ‘activities to do’ but a state of heart we need to cultivate.

Therefore, If what we see in the Acts of the apostles is what you desire to see and happen in your life and in this city/region or nation – My first application point for you is …

## 1. Stop resisting God when he is moving you out of your comfort zone

**Matthew 4:19-20**

> *And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.*
>

When we start reading the book of Acts, the first thing you will notice about these men is that none of them are in their comfort zone.

They could have been in the field taking care of their crops, they could have been in the sea fishing, they could have been busy getting ready to make their next big presentation for a job interview, they could have been busy binge-watching on their couch, they could have been busy partying with their friends, etc

While none of these things are bad in themselves, but at the appointed time, when God called them out of their comfort zone they did not resist him because they found a greater purpose in life.

Some of them threw their nets and followed Jesus wherever He led them, some of them decided to leave their hometown and move to another city to start a tent-making business to spread the gospel, and some even sold all their properties and possessions and brought the money to the disciples for the extension of God’s kingdom.

As a first application, I want us to go back home and search our hearts and ask what is the comfort zone that we’ve built in our minds that we are not willing to give up for the sake of the gospel?

I’m not going to name them for you because it’s going to be unique for each individual. It’s between you and God. What’s important is to identify those barriers in our minds and be willing to give up, no matter what the cost.

The second application point I want to suggest is …

## 2. Eliminate busyness & distractions and find your Upper room

**Matthew 6:6**

> *But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.*
>

I recently read this amazing book called “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” written by a pastor called John Mark and he argues that the number one weapon the enemy is using against us today from becoming what God wants us to become and doing what God wants us to do is busyness and distraction.

He says “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” And therefore, my friends, as an application to your life I want to urge you to start beginning to think of how to eliminate busyness and distractions and find your upper room where you can have a single-minded focus.

By upper room, I mean a place where you are alone with Jesus, pouring out your heart and talking to him daily.

Because it is in the upper room where God will meet with you, it is the upper room where God will speak to you, it is the upper room where the Holyspirit will empower you, it is the upper room where you will be enlightened with a sense of direction for your life and ministry, it is the upper room where you will know your calling and purpose in life. It is in the upper room from where you will be sent out. It is the upper room where you will experience and sense the peace of God affirming the decisions you and I need to take in life.

And like I said before, what we see happening in the book of Acts can happen to us because we serve the same powerful God who is able to do greater things through us if only we are willing to surrender to Him by walking in obedience to his calling and resting in Him at all times.

Good morning church! Wanted to welcome everyone who has joined us online and also in person. If you’ve been with us at Gathering, you would have noticed that one of the things we deeply value is the preaching of God’s Word because we believe that God does speak to us clearly and personally to our hearts even today. How does he do that? He does that through the written Word (Bible). So let’s prayerfully prepare our hearts to listen to what God has to tell us today. Over the last few weeks, we’ve been going through this series titled “Why Church?” where we are grappling with the question of why is the church so important in a believer’s life:

1. In the first week, we learnt that the church is not a building or a place but a people – the people who have been redeemed and joined together by the sacrifice of Jesus.
2. The week after that we tried to understand what are the health markers of a healthy church. And we looked at two aspects which are the Priority of Scripture and the Centrality of the Gospel.
3. Last week we saw what leadership in the church looks like. And we saw the importance of having God-qualified elders appointed in the church so that they can model godly character as they lead and serve the church.
4. And today we come to the last topic in our series which is “Church Membership”. Before we get started on this, I think it’ll be good for us to pray and ask God to open up our spiritual eyes and hearts to eagerly receive what He has to tell us.

(Pray)

If someone were to ask you what comes to your mind when you think about “church membership”, what would you say? We usually draw from our own church experiences or what we may have seen happen in other churches. I just thought it’ll be good to list down predominant models of church membership that are seen across churches today:

1. Attendance model: Like the name goes, regular church attendance is the main criteria in order to become a member of a local church. 
2. Subscription model: This is viewed more in traditional church settings where they have this concept of “annual subscription”, which is a basic amount that you need to pay to keep your membership in that local church. Even if you aren’t regularly attending the church, that’s okay as long as you are paying your annual subscription.
3. Membership class model: This is where churches organize a membership class periodically. As long as you’ve completed the membership class, that’s sufficient to become a member of that local church.

Before I move on, I just want to say that there are aspects of attendance, subscription or the membership class models that are not bad but these models by themselves do not picture a healthy, biblical model of membership. Which is why our duty is not to copy the existing models of membership that we’ve seen around us or create a new version of church membership, but rather to go back to the Word and see what does the bible say about “church membership”. And I hope you don’t see this as something that only elders and leaders need to be concerned about, if it’s biblical then it is something that concerns every single believer. “Why Church Membership” or “Why should we consider to be a member of a local church”?

• Because it helps us live out God’s design for us (1 Cor 12:12-27)

Now the word “church membership” is not mentioned found in Scripture, however, the principles of church membership is seen right throughout Scripture. One of the beautiful metaphors used in the Bible for God’s church is that it’s Jesus’ body (1 Cor 12:12-27). And Jesus’ body consists of various “members”. Now some may argue that this is merely referring to the universal body of Christ – which consists of all believers everywhere. How can you say that it’s talking about being a member in a local church? The main point of this passage is to tell us that a kind of mutual interdependence needs to exist between the members of the body. Each and every member of the body is critical to the functioning of the body. There is not a single member in the body who has any less significant in God’s plan (v18). In fact, it tells us that the members of the body that are less presentable and weaker, are treated with greater modesty, greater honour and greater care. And so this kind of mutual interdependence simply cannot exist if we say that we’re only part of the universal church. It demands that we find ourselves integrated into a local church where we see ourselves as an essential members of the body & at the same time intentionally appreciate and care for others while also inviting others to similarly care for us.

Now isn’t this radically different from our usual church expectations? Sometimes we say “I’m part of this church because the preacher preaches on topics which are relevant to what I’m going through. I’m part of this church because the worship music is closer to what I prefer listening to. I’m part of this church because the people who come here are of my same wavelength. I’m part of this church because I have a prominent role out here. I’m part of this church because they host events that I enjoy participating in”. In other words, we’ve reduced the local church to an amazon shopping cart where just like consumers we pick and choose what we like as long as it fulfils our needs. The moment the church stops meeting our felt needs, what happens? We’ll look out for another local church or worse we’ll stop going to any church. And that’s not what this passage tells us, right? In fact, it tells us that just like the eye cannot tell the hand “I don’t need you”, similarly we cannot tell any other member that we don’t need them. We don’t stop caring and serving the other members because our church preferences or felt needs are not met. We don’t leave the local church for any random reason. (There are exceptional cases where you may leave the local church if God’s calling you to plant a church elsewhere or if your local church stops preaching the true gospel). Because God has specifically “arranged the members of the body, as He chose” (v18). And in order to live out this purpose and design that God has given us, it requires us to be committed members of a local church! 

• Because it helps us validate our faith

19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19)

In this passage in 1 John 2, the context talks about false believers who were among them but have now left and abandoned the local church. These people being described here were not people who turned up once in a blue moon at their church gatherings (Easter / Good Friday / Christmas). These were people who were active in their local church. They probably spent time in each other’s homes. They probably laughed with, cried with and prayed with the other members of the local church. And after all that they decided to abandon and depart from the church. And this is how the apostle John puts it. He says that the fact that they didn’t continue with us, the fact that they left the local church showed that they were never really part of us –they were never believers in the first place.

I hope we are able to grasp the seriousness of this verse. Our perseverance and commitment to the local church proves that we are genuinely believers. And that’s why when a church declares or confirms a person to be a member, the church is also affirming that they have seen the fruit of the gospel in that person’s life!

That’s why there is an absolute co-relation between our relationship with Jesus Christ and our relationship with His church. When people say “I love Jesus but I can’t stand the local church”, it simply doesn’t make sense because how can we say that we love Jesus but hate His bride whom He bought with His own blood?

20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot[a] love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:20, 21)

So to be able to love our brothers and sisters, it would require a close, committed, steadfast relationship with the body which is why we need church membership.

• Because it helps us exercise church discipline

I know the word “discipline” is a pretty intense word & sometimes churches may choose to exclude these verses fearing that it might make people hesitant to join their church. But let’s try to understand it from Scripture:

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matt 18:15-17)

When you look at these verses, we realize that church discipline although temporarily painful for the people involved, it’s aimed at restoring the person’s heart and relationship with God. So the first step is always to have a private conversation, but if the person continues in unrepentant sin, then ask two or three more people to speak to that person. If that person still refuses to listen, then this needs to be brought before the church, and if the person still continues in sin then the person is to be put out of the church (in the sense where the person won’t enjoy the safety and intimacy of community as he or she did earlier). Do note that it’s not the elders, it’s not an individual but the final authority is given to the church to keep the person outside the church if he/she continues in unrepentance. And I’m aware that some of this might seem too harsh or extreme for some of us, but let’s not lose sight of grace being shown to help the person repent and come back into a right relationship with God. Now does this mean that every single sin comes under the category of church discipline? No, I think it is in reference to public, unrepentant sin which can be a negative influence on others within the church.

And therefore church membership is important so that you know who are the members of the church and are able to also exercise gracious discipline.

• Because it helps us know who are our leaders

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. (Heb 13:17)

When we are committed to a local body of believers, then we also know that we’re called to submit to the elders of that local church. And this has become blurry, especially with this post-pandemic world where tuning into online churches across the globe has become so accessible and easy. Now there’s nothing wrong in tuning into another service, but let’s also be wary of the tendency to look at these wonderful pastors and preachers around the world and assume them to be our elders. John Piper is a wonderful preacher and pastor and I’ve been so encouraged by his sermons and writings, but the fact is that he’s not called to be my elder. I’m not called to submit to him in the way that I’m called to submit to Saju’s leadership. For every church, God has called, qualified and gifted certain people in their local context to lead and care for that church.

Similarly, as elders, we are called to keep a watch over the souls of this local church. Scripture says that we will need to give an account for these souls. But how will we know whom to give an account for if there’s no clear understanding of who are the members of this local church?

• Because it helps our witness to the outside world

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21)

When Jesus prayed the High Priestly prayer in John 17, think about all the different things He could have prayed for us. But out of all the things, don’t you find it interesting and surprising that He would pray for our unity as a church? And He prays that through our unity, it would serve as a powerful witness to the world around us! Think with me for a second why would He pray for our unity? Probably because in His church – the body – He would have members from very different upbringings, He would have members who would be culturally different from each other, He would have members who didn’t look like or talk like each other, He would have members who would want to use their giftings to serve themselves rather than serve the other, He would have members who had their own set of the baggage of sin, selfishness and unbelief and would drag it into every close relationship, He would have members who no matter what they convinced themselves were at the core very difficult to love and serve. These would be members whom you would never picture together in a single room but yet they would be united because of the same Jesus Christ who died for them all & rose again for them on the third Day & is continuing to shape and change them through this thing/organism known as “local church”. And in God’s mind – His purpose is to join together these pieces of broken glass / broken mirror (us) so that His power, mercy, and patience can be reflected world that is lost and dying and is in desperate need for God.

Church, I don’t know what’s going through your mind when you think about membership now? Maybe it’s apprehension because of some abuse in your previous church experience. Maybe it’s fear of being known – you’re afraid of people knowing who you are if you come into this kind of close commitment. Maybe it’s the hesitation of having to deal with conflict and difficulty that comes with close relationships. Maybe it’s the reluctance of keeping your life accountable to others. And I’m not downplaying any of these reasons but what if the very thing you’ve been running away from is the very thing that God is planning to use to change you? What if the local church is God’s way of shaping your heart, using your life and together with others powerfully witness to His glory to a lost and dying world? Wouldn’t you want that? The local church is God’s Plan A. We’ve been created and called to live out our purpose in the context of being committed members of a local church!

The objective of this series is to give you a better understanding of what the bible has to say about the Church? Why? Because there are different views of the church among people today, it’s our responsibility to constantly remind and point you to the scripture and allow you to frame your understanding of the church on the basis of the scripture and not from man-made ideas and notions.

In this series, so far, we’ve covered ….

What is Church?

• A church is not a building or a place but people
  • People who’ve come to realize the truth about life which is …
    • We were created by God in his image & likeness to worship, serve and glorify him.
    • But instead, we rebelled and sinned against him and became enemies of God.
    • But God, being a loving Father, to restore us back to himself sent his son Jesus to live the obedience life we were supposed to live and take the penalty of our sins upon himself and die on the cross in our place.
    • Now, by repenting of our sins and believing in Jesus we are reunited with our loving God and hence permitted to spend eternity in heaven with him.
    • We also believe that by trusting in Jesus and continually walking in repentance and faith our lives on earth are also radically changed and transformed by the grace of God.
    • A believer in Christ affirms his/her faith in Christ by participating in the Baptism of water and partaking in the Lord’s supper along with other believers of Christ.
• What is a healthy church?
  • A place where the whole counsel of the scripture is rightly preached
  • A place where all the elements of the church, the Sunday gathering, the house meets, bible study, and every other activity are centred around the Gospel. By the Gospel, I mean centred around the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

To summarize so far, I want to read out a quote by one of the early Church leader, John Calvin who said

“Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, and the sacraments administered according to Christ’s institution, there, it is not to be doubted, a church of God exists”

Today, we will look deeper and learn what the bible has to say about leadership in Church.

Why is it important for you to know this?

It is important to know so that every believer in Christ becomes more discerning, vigilant, and wise in choosing to submit under the right Godly authority, the way God designed it for our spiritual maturity.

Our primary passage for today will be 1 Timothy 3:1-7 where we will look closely at the qualifications of an Elder as prescribed in the bible, but I will also touch on other aspects of church leadership that are important and in the end, will also make some bold statements regarding church leadership.

Therefore, I request you to pay close attention, make notes if necessary and think of questions you might want to ask us regarding this subject. We will be glad to answer them.

To ‘Become a Leader’ is a very common desire most people have, whether in business, politics or within a corporate setting. And we have lots and lots of materials and resources available to help you become a leader.

To some becoming a leader would mean having authority over others or the power to accomplish whatever goals they want and desire by using people or earning respect from others or wanting to be treated honourably in the society etc.

But is that what church leadership also means? the answer is ‘no’

The first thing we do learn is that the bible has exactly the opposite view of what a leader should be as compared to what the world prescribes. And our greatest example and inspiration is Jesus himself.

The term prescribed in the bible for true Christian leadership is “Servant Leadership”. Here’s what we learn from the teachings of Christ, which he lived out for us to set an example.

A leadership motivated by love

John 13:1 – “It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Jesus’ love was undeserved, unending, unconditional and unselfish. It was not the worthiness or the merits of the disciples that drove Jesus to serve them. He wasn’t expressing gratitude, but grace. Love made him serve his disciples. Think about it: Jesus even washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, the man who would betray him and have him killed the next day.

Not an insecure position

John 13:3 – Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

Jesus knew who he was, and he was secure enough to get down on the floor and wash his disciples’ feet. He didn’t have to prove anything. In fact, he had nothing to prove, nothing to lose and nothing to hide.

“The insecure are into titles. The secure are into towels.”

Jesus’ security enabled him to both stoop and stretch.

Not to be served by others but to serve others

John 13:4-5 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Jesus didn’t wait for someone. He saw a need and met it. No one else had volunteered for the foot-washing job that night — so Jesus made use of that opportunity to show us what serving means. He started something that he hoped would be passed down from those twelve disciples to others (see John 13:12–15). It will be done by leaders who are willing to pioneer an act of humility and sacrifice.

Live a blessed life as we serve others

John 13:16-17 – 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus reminded them they were blessed if they obeyed him in this lifestyle. The greatest blessing follows those who step out by faith and do the opposite of what the world is doing. God blesses those who “go countercultural” and serve people with no thought of getting something in return from them. The return comes in the form of God’s blessing.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, Church leadership is position given by God to certain men to emulate Jesus and lead his people into spiritual maturity, ultimately pointing their hearts to Christ.

Church leadership is not a position to impose authority over others. Rather the authority of church leaders is only within the purview of the right teaching of the scripture that is displayed through right living in accordance with the scripture. This means any authority imposed on others outside the purview of the scripture which is based on worldly ideas and principles is an ungodly one.

It is exactly the opposite of what the world teaches us.

What we see in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 is the list of qualifications that an Elder needs to have that emulate the leadership of Christ.

1. Elders Must Desire and Pursue Service (v. 1) – As Christ willingly gave himself to save and redeem a sinful generation and restore them back to the Father, an Elder is expected to willingly desire and pursue service. Not out of compulsion on selfish gain but genuinely desiring to serve others.
2. Elders Must Be Above Reproach (v. 2) – ‘Above reproach’ means blameless – As Jesus lived a life of integrity and obedience to his Father in heaven, an Elder is expected to walk in integrity and truthfulness in the eyes of others watching them.
3. Elders Must Be Faithful to Their Wives (v. 2) – As Christ is faithful to his bride, the Church, an Elder is expected to be faithful to his earthly wife emulating Christ’s faithfulness to us.
4. Elders Must Be Temperate (v. 2) – As Christ maintained and continues to maintain his cool with us after all that we do against him, an Elder is also expected to maintain his cool as best he can in dealing with others. ********
5. Elders Must Be Self-controlled (v. 2) – As Christ maintained self-control while he was tempted by the devil in the desert, an Elder is expected to maintain his self-control in resisting the devil so that he can be effective in his service to God and people.
6. Elders Must Be Respectable (v. 2) – As Jesus was loved and respected by those who followed him, an Elder is expected to earn respect from others so that he is taken seriously.
7. Elders Must Be Hospitable (v. 2) – As Jesus showed hospitality to everyone who came to him, whether the thousands who came to him hungry or individuals who approached him for healing or support, an Elder is expected to emulate the same kind of hospitality with others.
8. Elders Must Be Able to Teach (v. 2) – As Jesus preached and communicated the message of the Kingdom to the dying world with clarity, an Elder is expected to have the skill to teach and train others in godliness.
9. Elders Must Not Be Drunkards (v. 3) – Even though Jesus hung out with sinners and was known to be a wine drinker, he never let any kind of intoxication shift his focus from pursuing his calling, an Elder is expected to not get drunk or intoxicated to the point where he has lost complete control over his mind and body.
10. Elders Must Not Be Violent (v. 3) – As Christ never pursued violence as his strategy to compact his enemies, and instead rebuked Peter for using his knife when the Roman soldiers came to capture him, an Elder is expected to be non-violent in his approach to anybody who opposes him.
11. Elders Must Not Be Quarrelsome (v. 3) – As Christ always valued relationships over winning arguments and never came across as quarrelsome, an Elder is expected to refrain from quarrelling and becoming argumentative, but rather value relationships.
12. Elders Must Not Be Lovers of Money (v. 3) – As Christ valued heavenly possessions over earthy possessions and even taught us to do so, an Elder is expected to desire for true possessions that make our soul richer in Christ.
13. Elders Must Manage Their Households Well (v. 4-5) – As Christ set an example by faithfully serving this earthly family as a carpenters son for 30 years and managed his affairs in a God-honoring manner, an Elder is expected to manage his household with sincerity, proving and taking take of his wife and children and leading their hearts to Christ.
14. Elders Must Be Mature (v. 6) – As Christ displayed maturity in handling the ups and downs of his life, the one that comes to my mind is the way he responded to his heavenly Father in the garden on Gethsemane, even when the experience of carrying the sin of the whole world upon himself became excruciatingly painful, he said to his Father “May your will be done”, an Elder is expected to emulate maturity in times of pain, suffering and turmoils. ********
15. Elders Must Have a Good Reputation among the Lost (v. 7) – As Christ won the hearts of many and continues to do so even today, whether Christians or non-Christians by maintaining a good reputation of his character, an Elder is expected to emulate Christ and have a good reputation among others.

Are women called to pursue Eldership positions?

No, because clearly, this is how God designed it to be, every quality mentioned here suggests that it’s men who are called for this role.

Does that mean Women have no role to play in the church?

No, apart from the role of an Elder, women can contribute in every other manner, whether it’s leading worship, or GC, or DNA, or speaking at an event or a seminar.

Keeping in mind that the primary authority and responsibility to teach from the Word of God is reserved for men.

1 Timothy 2

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.

Does that mean women are less Godly?

No, absolutely not. It’s just the way God designed it to be for whatever reason. We just obey Him.

In fact, according to me, I think God has a special place for women in his heart.

I have no shame to say that according to me Jane is more godly than me. I tell Jane, she’s a special child of God, and the perks I enjoy in life is all because I take care of his special child.

Are these qualities only for an Elder?

No, they are qualities every follower of Christ needs to pursue.

Are these qualities easy to pursue?

No, just as it’s challenging for you to pursue it is challenging even for an Elder to pursue, but the expectation from an Elder is to excel in them and set an example for others to follow.

Therefore, God has given his means of grace to help us walk in obedience and godliness, even for an Elder. Primarily, his Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins, and help and guide us. but also the gift of fellowship.

We have to remember that an Elder is an under-shepherd to the main Shepherd, therefore he needs the same kind of care, encouragement, corrections, disciplinary actions, and guidance as every other believer.

Therefore, what we see in the scripture as a healthy structure for a church is not one man having all the authority and say, but ‘Plurality of Elders’.

“The Bible clearly models a plurality of elders in each local church. Though it never suggests a specific number of elders for a particular congregation, the New Testament refers to ‘elders’ in the plural in local churches (e.g., Acts 14:23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; Titus 1:5; James 5:14). When you read through Acts and the Epistles, there is always more than one elder being talked about.”

Acts 14:23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Acts 16:4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

Titus 1:5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

9 marks –

1. Biblical accountability. Godly fellow elders are a great means for holding the pastor accountable to live, teach, and lead faithfully. In addition, sharing authority among a number of men can keep one man from wrongly lording it over the congregation
2. Wisdom. There is more wisdom to be found in a multitude of counsellors (Prov. 11:14; 24:6).
3. Balance. No one man has all the gifts that are necessary to build up the church. Having a plurality of elders serves the church by bringing men with different gifts into the church’s leadership who can complement the pastor’s strengths.
4. Burden sharing. Caring for the whole church is a burden God does not intend one man to bear alone. Even the most faithful, gifted pastor needs help from other godly men in order to pay careful attention to himself and to all the flock (Acts 20:28).
5. Sets an example for the church. Having a plurality of elders demonstrates that the work of ministry is not reserved for a select few. Rather, it provides an example of maturity for every man, particularly when some of the elders are men who work ordinary jobs and are not paid by the church.

Coming to the application.

Firstly, I want us to appreciate God’s gift of leaders to us. Recognize that their position is by the appointment of the Lord and is under His direction.

the goal of spiritual leadership is that people come to know God and to glorify him in all that they do. Spiritual leadership is aimed not so much at directing people as it is at changing people.

The spiritual gift of leadership is given by God to men and women to help the church to grow and thrive. God has given the gift of leadership not to exalt men but to glorify Himself when believers use His gifts to do His will.

Good morning church! Hope you had a good last week but even if you’re here thinking that the last week wasn’t great, I hope you see this as something that will bring rest and refreshment to your heart as you hear from God this morning.  If you’ve been tracking with us, you would be aware that we’ve started a new series titled “Why Church?”. And that’s an interesting & challenging question for all of us here. For many of us, we’ve heard the phrase “Go to Church” several times but rarely have we wondered “But why church?” Maybe it’s because that’s all that we’ve done since we were kids. Maybe it’s because that’s a good moral thing to do. And so last week we came down to a definition of “what is a church” and what we learned is that “the church is not a place but a people”. It’s a people who have been radically saved by Jesus Christ & joined to each other so that together they can display who He is to a lost and dying world around them. Today we arrive at the second topic of our series titled “What is a healthy church?” Would you join me as we pray and ask God to speak to us through the Word this morning?

(Pray)

If I were to ask this question – how do you assess if a person is physically healthy or not? Let’s say you didn’t have access to a diagnostic test. What are some health markers that you would look out for? You would probably say someone who eats a balanced diet, someone who exercises regularly, someone who ensures that he/she has proper sleep through the night etc. Similarly, what are some health markers for a church? How can we biblically assess whether a church is healthy or not? It’s a deep question, right? I’m thankful to brothers like Mark Dever who’ve spent a lot studying and writing on this topic of “Healthy Churches”. And so today I’ll be referring to his outline for our time today. There are at least 4 health markers for a church – 2 of which will be covered today and the other 2 will be covered over the next 2 Sundays:

• Priority of Scripture
• Reliability on the Gospel
• Capacity of Elders
• Authority of the Church

1. Priority of Scripture

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 Tim 3:16-17)

In these two verses, it’s so interesting that it tells us that every piece of Scripture – every verse, every chapter, every book, every testament is “God breathed” and “inspired by God”. And since every passage of Scripture is inspired by God, every passage can be used to “teach, reprove, correct and train in righteousness” so that the man of God may be “complete” equipped for every good work. In other words, it tells us that apart from God’s Word (apart from Scripture), man is incomplete (immature) & ill-equipped to carry out what God has called him to do. You see here – there’s a priority that’s been given to Scripture, there’s a very high view of Scripture, and there’s a primacy to Scripture in the life of the believer and also the church.

And so whenever we gather together as a church on Sundays, the preacher is not called to share his opinions on a bible text, the preacher is not called to entertain the church with a bunch of cool stories, the preacher is not called to pump people up with a motivational talk, the preacher is called to preach the Bible faithfully so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

And that’s why expository preaching is important. It is not just a stylistic preference but a necessity for every church that aspires to be healthy. Expository preaching basically means to expose the text / reveal the text / break down the text in accordance with its context and the author’s intent when he wrote that passage of Scripture. And think about this when we read any piece of literature, any normal book – don’t we attempt to read it from cover to cover to understand the main point of the story? We don’t randomly jump to the middle of the book and selectively pick out a quote and figure out our own interpretation through that random quote. That would be taking it out of context. So what we try to do is read the book from cover to cover, understand the author’s intent and through that make sense of the theme of the book. But isn’t it interesting that when it comes to the Bible, we have a tendency to treat it differently & set a different standard? If the Bible is God’s Word with every piece of Scripture that is God-inspired, shouldn’t we be all the more diligent in figuring out the context & author’s intent instead of inserting our own thoughts and opinions into the text?

But some may argue that “this is simply too technical, where is the dependence on the Spirit while preaching then?” Well let me tell you that because expository preaching makes us work through a book verse by verse; chapter by chapter, we are forced to deal with uncomfortable and unfamiliar passages. There’s a great deal of dependence on the Spirit to grapple and wrestle with these uncomfortable and unfamiliar passages before preaching it to people. If we only did topical sermons, we would more or less stick to topics and areas that we as preachers are comfortable with. But the goal is not to make people like us, the goal is to make people more and more like Jesus – which is what expository preaching allows us to do organically.

In the book of Acts, in Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, we get a wonderful insight into the content of his preaching ministry. This is what Paul tells them: 

27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:27)

What would it mean for us to be a church that “desires the whole counsel of God?” Firstly, I think to pray and ask God to build an appetite in our hearts to eagerly receive the whole counsel of God as revealed in Scripture. So that we may not approach God’s Word as merely something to address a felt need, but God’s Word to shape us into the likeness of Jesus which can come about through uncomfortable, unfamiliar and unsettling passages. (For eg: OT passages) Secondly, pray for us as elders that we seek to faithfully and prayerfully prepare sermons each week. Pray that we don’t grow weary and that we resist the temptation to preach messages that people want to hear and continue to preach the message that they need to hear.

But not only is there a Priority of Scripture, there is also a

2. Reliability on the Gospel

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Rom 1:16)

We show our reliability and dependence on the Gospel by correctly understanding it, living it out and by sharing it.

• Understand the Gospel

If you’ve been around a church or church people, my guess is that you would have definitely heard the word “Gospel” at some point during a church gathering. But if you were to ask people what it means, chances are that you would get a wide variety of answers. Some may say that the Gospel is the message that God is love, some may say that the Gospel is the message that God has a wonderful plan for your life, Some may say that the Gospel is the message to receive Jesus into your heart and pray a prayer, what if I told you that none of these is the true biblical Gospel?

Gospel basically means “good news” – and that should immediately make us think “but why is it good news?”

It’s helpful to understand the gospel through these 4 points

• God
• Sin
• Jesus
• Response

• God: We were all created by God in His image (like a mirror), to reflect His character and His rule to the created world. Like a father’s desire to see his child reflect His character and his work.
• Sin: But instead of reflecting God’s rule, the man wanted to represent His own independent image and independent rule. Man wanted to be his own boss. Man thought that by doing that his life would be more fulfilling, but instead it ended up being tragic and miserable. Why? Because now was going to be punished for His rebellion, he was now going to be separated from a relationship with God, and that image/mirror was terribly shattered and broken. Man thought “let me compensate for this by working harder, doing good things and trying to be better”. But all those efforts to be better were useless because none of that could remove the punishment, none of that could restore the broken relationship and none of it could fix the broken image. It was like humanity hit a dead end with no way out.
• Jesus: But God didn’t leave us there – To save us from our devastating predicament, God sent His own Son Jesus Christ into the world in the form of man. As God’s Son, He perfectly reflected God’s character and rule. He lived the life that we should have lived. And then when He was 33 years old, though innocent He took the punishment that we deserved upon Himself by dying on the cross for our sins. He paid the price for our guilt and rebellion. He was buried in a tomb but on the Third Day, He victoriously rose from the grave defeating sin, Satan and death.
• Response: No matter who you are, no matter what your background is, no matter what your past is, if you turn from your sins, your selfishness and your efforts to make yourself right before God and instead trust in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, then your punishment would be cancelled, your broken relationship with God would be reconciled and your broken image would be restored gradually & one day it will be fully completed when Jesus comes back again – on that day all those who’ve trusted in Him will perfectly reflect God’s character and rule as was God’s design in the first place. It’s the greatest role reversal in history – all because of what Jesus Christ did for us!
  That’s good news!

• Live out the Gospel

And this “good news” / “Gospel” now redefines the way we live our lives on this earth until Jesus returns.

14 For the love of Christ controls (compels) us because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Cor 5:14, 15)

Only a person who realizes that he has been rescued from a near-death accident will be grateful enough to owe his life to the one who rescued him. The Gospel compels us to live Holy lives (though not perfectly yet) but there is a pursuit of holiness for every true believer because he or she realizes what was put on the line, the sacrifice which was made to rescue us from sin, Satan and death. Even our DNA groups (GROW) – the end goal is not just to grow in friendship and intimacy with each other (although that is a by-product), the goal is that we may grow in holiness as we are weekly and daily being reminded of the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus is an enabler, a fuel to help us live Holy lives.

• Share the Gospel

18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[c] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:18-20)

Firstly, it’s so amazing that God is preaching a message of reconciliation to a lost and dying world through people who have personally firsthand experienced the reconciling work of God through Jesus. The other thing we notice in this verse is that “Gospel sharing” is primarily “verbally declaring the Gospel” to someone else – there’s an appeal which is being made. Inviting someone home for dinner, social justice initiatives, and planning outreaches are all good means to adorn & accompany the Gospel, however, the Gospel needs to be verbally shared because it’s “good news”. Thirdly, we see words like “appeal”, and “implore” being mentioned here – which tells us that there is a passionate persuasion and persistence in Gospel sharing. And that only happens when we are personally convicted about the power of the Gospel and genuinely care for the people we are sharing with (and that I believe happens as we pray for them).   

What’s the application? If you’re here today discouraged as you assess your pursuit of holiness and obedience. If you’re here today perplexed and unsure why you’ve not been able to share the Gospel as often and with as many people as you’ve met – it’s probably not because you’ve not been challenged enough or because you’ve not mastered the right methods. It could be because you’ve forgotten how precious and beautiful the Gospel is as revealed in Scripture. Have you been listening to the Gospel enough? Have you been made aware of the bad news? Are you aware of the remarkable role reversal which has taken place in Jesus?