God’s Blueprint for The Church

Series - Books of the Bible
Scriptures - 1 Timothy 3:1-16
Presenter - Pastor Matt Surber
Date - April 18, 2021

Pastor Matt Surber unpacks Paul’s letter to Timothy and the guidelines he gives for leadership within the church and how to lead effectively.

Podcast

Sermon Notes

God’s Blueprint For The Church

A Leadership Checklist, 1 Timothy 3:1-16

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

The Big Picture…

  • The minimum requirements for spiritual leadership (Elders)
  • The marks of spiritual maturity
  • No glaring weakness, “above reproach” 

What’s not on the list… giftedness, spiritual power, theological training, religious disciplines, zeal

A Bad Translation, A Blind Spot & 3 Surprises:

A Bad Translation “Husband of one wife

  • Literally: “A one woman man”
  • What’s the difference?

It eliminates anyone single, divorced or remarried

It contradicts the rest of scripture

It focuses on marital status, not moral purity

-It makes the past more important than the present

The Blind Spot “Not quarrelsome” 

-If I am contentious for the right things, I’m still contentious!

  • A family under control

1 Timothy 3:4-6

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?

  • Not a recent convert

1 Timothy 3:6

 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.

  • A good reputation with non-Christians 

1 Timothy 3:7

Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders,

Differences, Deacons and Deaconesses… 

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

  • Elder: Able to Teach and Correct, Leadership/Authority
  • Deacon = Servant

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

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