Leadership Matters – part 8
Titus 1:5-9 (9)
March 16, 2025
Hopefully by now everyone is aware of the study we are currently in.
We are talking about the requirements for leadership in the church.
• Paul has left his protégé and “true child in the faith” on the island of Crete.
• He left him there to “set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city”
I’ll give you the outline again on the screen like we did last Sunday night
Instead of going back through all of it since we are now several sermons into this.
I. The Purpose (5a)
II. The Directive (5b-9)
A. The Title
B. The Job
C. The Plurality
D. The Appointment
E. The Gender
F. The Reputation
1. In His Family
a. With His Wife
b. With His Kids
2. In His Church
a. His Maturity
b. His Ability
After examining that extra criteria from Timothy this morning,
TONIGHT we move back to Titus for the final point and that is
THE ELDER’S ABILITY.
(9) “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
The wording is obvious there in the middle of the verse.
“so that he will be able…”
In 1 Timothy Paul’s point is even more direct.
Paul lists it as a direct prerequisite.
1 Timothy 3:2 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,”
It is the only ability-based criteria that is given.
That definitely speaks to the SINGULARITY of the job.
You may have in your mind what the job description of an elder is.
You may have in your mind what he should be doing with his time.
Certainly the world has expectations.
When I was a kid it seemed like there was this scale that was often used.
I would hear people talk about a man, perhaps a potential new pastor at the church and they would sort of rate him on a scale.
• To the far left would be PASTOR
• To the far right would be PREACHER
And they would talk about the man
As either more of a pastor or more of a preacher.
But that is NOT how the New Testament looks at the office.
The New Testament requires a man to pastor the flock
And he does that by preaching and teaching.
• He teaches them the word.
• He applies the word to their situations.
• He encourages them with the word.
• He corrects them with the word.
• He guides them with the word.
THAT IS HOW HE PASTORS OR SHEPHERDS
We saw that clearly from the apostles early in the book of Acts
Acts 6:1-4 “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The apostles understood what it meant to shepherd the flock.
It was to pray or them and to minister the word to them.
You cannot be a faithful pastor if you are not a faithful preacher.
• There is no such thing as a faithful pastor who is not a faithful preacher.
• There is no such thing as a faithful elder who is not a faithful preacher.
• There is no such thing as a faithful overseer who is not a faithful preacher.
Those are NOT the opposite two ends of the scale.
When Scripture lays out the one trait
That the elder must be able to do well, that one trait is teaching.
Above all else, the elder, overseer, pastor
Must be one who is gifted and committed to faithfully and accurately
Preaching and teaching God’s word.
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
THIS IS THE CALLING.
SO LET’S EXAMINE
What Paul has to say to Titus about this one ability based requirement.
When you read verse 9 there are three actions that really jump out.
(9) “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
1. We see “holding fast”
2. We see “exhort”
3. We see “refute”
So when Titus goes forth to evaluate potential elders;
After examining their home life and their maturity,
Titus will then inquire about:
1. His Conviction
2. His Confrontation
3. His Correction
Let’s talk about that a little
1) HIS CONVICTION
“holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching”
We certainly see in the end of the verse
• That he’s going to have to preach both to exhort the church and to refute critics.
The PREREQUISITE to being able to do either of these well
Stems from his own personal convictions regarding God’s Word.
What sort of convictions are we talking about?
What are the man’s convictions concerning God’s Word?
Obviously he must be convicted regarding: THE SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE
That is what is implied in the phrase “holding fast”
• He doesn’t abandon the Scripture
• He doesn’t omit the Scripture
• He doesn’t get discouraged if the Scripture operates slowly
• He holds fast to the Scripture no matter what.
When looking for men to lead the church,
We want men who have the ability to preach and teach
And who will never abandon the Scriptures as the sole curriculum.
We know the propensity of man today,
Especially in a pragmatic and results driven culture.
There have been many church growth books written in the past 20 years
• Most saw preaching as an obstacle to growth.
• Most preferred psychology, humor, cultural relevance, even prosperity
• Many today even prefer politics as the main focus.
That is not the type of men we want in leadership in the church.
THE CHURCH NEEDS TO HEAR FROM GOD.
The place where that happens is in the Bible.
The elder then must be a man who is committed
To rightly dividing the word of God for his people.
• He must be committed even when growth seems slow.
• He must be committed even when enthusiasm lessens.
• He must be committed even when people grow apathetic.
I’m often reminded of Jeremiah.
I’m not sure any prophet had it more difficult than Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 20:7-9 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”
For Jeremiah preaching God’s word did not produce any of the desired results of the modern church growth movement.
• Jeremiah preached and his people grew more wicked.
• Jeremiah preached and his people grew more apathetic.
• Jeremiah preached and the people hated him more for it.
He saw none of those positive results that we all hope for,
And the human temptation, (Jeremiah even expresses it,)
Would be to abandon God’s word in favor of something that works.
Jeremiah did not.
He had a burning conviction in his bones to cling to and hold to the words of God.
THAT IS A SHEPHERD.
To be in a leadership position in the church
You must be a man who will pull out the Bible
And teach it when everyone else was willing to ignore it.
HE MUST HOLD FAST.
Paul told Timothy
1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.”
Read it, explain it, call men to conform their lives to it.
THEN REPEAT.
THE SHEPHERD ELDER MUST BELIEVE AND BE CONVINCED
That the only thing that can transform a man into the image of Christ
Is the Scripture.
• He would not dare turn to another tool.
• He would not dare neglect it in favor of trendy gimmicks or tactics.
• He believes that God’s word is living and active.
• He believes that God’s word is sharper than any two-edged sword.
He believes what Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
And he sees no need to find another method.
He believes what Paul says to the Thessalonians:
• That it is God’s word “which also performs its work in you who believe.”
He believes what David declared:
Psalms 19:7-11 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”
He is convicted regarding the sufficiency of Scripture.
He is also convicted regarding THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SCRIPTURE
Paul says that he will be “holding fast the faithful word”
He calls it “the faithful word”
Indicating his believe that God’s word never fails.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
THAT IS THE ELDER’S CONVICTION.
While it is true that God’s word may at times appear to be slow in it’s accomplishment, it is also true that it never fails.
I THINK OF THE STORY OF ELIJAH,
When in frustration he ran to the mountain of God to complain to God about the pitiful state of Israel.
As Elijah stood on that mountain
• He first endured a strong wind that broke the mountain apart,
• Then an earthquake that shook the ground,
• Then a fire which blazed brightly,
• But none of those was the LORD.
Following those mighty displays of earth-shaking power
There was a gentle blowing, and that was the LORD.
What an illustration of God at work.
So much of the time, in our impatience,
• We want the mighty wind, or the earthquake, or the fire.
• We want God to do some mighty work that blows the doors off the place,
• But 2,000 years of Church history should teach us that this is now how God typically works.
God is more likely to be a gentle blowing.
Calm, steady, relentless – just like the preaching of His word.
It works, over time, and it works every time.
It never fails.
It is “the faithful word”
The elder must be a man with this conviction so that he will never abandon it even when results seem slow.
A man who will abandon the Scripture in favor of faster remedies
Is a man will heal the flock superficially
And leave them worse off than when they started.
We also find in regard to his conviction that he is convicted regarding THE MESSAGE OF SCRIPTURE
Paul says that when he olds fast to the word he does so
“in accordance with the teaching,”
WHICH IS TO SAY he holds to the accurate message of Scripture.
Not only does he cling to the word,
But he doesn’t manipulate or change the word to fit his longings.
THERE ARE MANY PREACHERS
• Who will stand in the pulpit with their Bibles
• And claim to preach the word of God
• But who malign the Scriptures until they are spewing nothing but heretical thoughts. (Joel Olsteen comes to mind)
THE TRUE ELDER
Is not only committed to the Bible, but the accurate exposition of it.
• He doesn’t stop preaching repentance just because the culture loves their sin.
• He doesn’t stop preaching Christ crucified just because the culture worships human goodness.
• He doesn’t stop preaching Biblical holiness just because the culture seeks to tolerate iniquity.
He is a man who holds fast on the cultural topics of the day.
• Things like feminism or homosexuality or abortion or sexual immorality.
He clings to the message of the apostles.
SO THE ELDER MUST BE A MAN OF CONVICTION.
• He is convicted that God’s word is what the people need.
• He is convicted that God’s word is all they need.
• He is convicted that God’s word will work.
• He is convicted that His job is to accurately declare what God’s word says.
As you examine men for a leadership position EXAMINE THAT.
Listen to him talk.
When he talks what comes out?
• It is out of the overflow the heart that the mouth speaks.
• If he is not filled with the word of God before you ordain him an elder don’t
expect him to be afterward.
It’s like what Charles Spurgeon said of John Bunyan
“Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. Prick him anywhere—his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him.”
Maybe the man won’t be quite a John Bunyan, but you get the idea.
He is a man who is a teacher of the word whether he has a pulpit or not.
That’s how you spot a potential leader.
You see his CONVICTION
2) HIS CONFRONTATION
“so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine…”
Don’t let anyone fool you,
The role of a shepherd is a confrontational role.
I realize that in our day and age
To be considered “confrontational” is a negative thing.
And I would agree to an extent.
After all, we recently learned in verses 7 and 8
• That this man can’t be “self-willed” or “quick-tempered”.
• We saw that he must be “self-controlled”.
• So we obviously aren’t looking for a man who just likes to pick fights.
Even the end of Titus will give a sobering warning:
Titus 3:10 “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning,”
When we say that the role of a shepherd is a confrontational role
We are NOT SAYING that he must be a selfish, immature, factious type man.
But the role of a shepherd IS one that confronts.
Even the verse we just read in Titus says,
“Reject a factious man after a first and second warning”
Someone had to warn that factious man,
And then potentially someone must reject him.
In addition, Paul will tell Titus
Titus 1:10-11 “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”
And again:
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
There is a confrontational job to be done.
To be more specific,
The role of the elder is to confront the old man
That he might be put to death
In order that the new man might become manifest.
IN SHORT,
• He confronts sin in his people.
• He takes the word and confronts the flesh.
Hosea 6:4-5 “What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning cloud And like the dew which goes away early. Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.”
God said that His people were disloyal and fickle and hypocritical.
What was God’s plan for confronting that and changing it?
He sent His prophets to confront.
• He says “I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets”.
Has that ever happened to you?
Has God’s word ever carved you up until you were willing to put away your sin?
Jeremaih 23:29 “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?”
There God presents His word like a hammer.
Has God ever taken His word and crushed your hardened heart with it?
Has He ever broken up the rocky soil of your heart with His mighty sledge?
THAT’S WHAT GOD’S WORD DOES.
The shepherd elder uses that sword; that hammer
To do the same in your life.
• He calls men to leave their sin and to follow Christ.
• He calls men to abandon their laziness and serve Christ.
• He calls men to forsake their comfort and obey Christ.
Listen to Paul as he preached to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:17-24 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
He is confronting their former life of sin and calling them in sanctification
To put on the new man to the glory of Christ.
Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
It is a confrontational role.
However, the word “confrontation” is NOT the word typically used.
Scripture prefers the word “exhort”
“so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine…”
“exhort” is PARAKALEHO
It means “to call to one’s side for instruction or comfort or encouragement or confrontation or exhortation”
• When Jesus announced to the disciples that He was leaving He promised to send them “another Helper”. You and I know Him as the Holy Spirit.
• He would come and convict, guide, and glorify Christ.
• The word “Helper” was PARAKLETOS
• He would be the One to come beside you to encourage and help you.
THAT IS THE IDEA HERE.
The shepherd elder is an exhorter.
• He is a helper,
• He comes beside you to challenge you, to comfort you, to encourage you.
Though he strikes you with the sword of God’s word…
Though he smites you with the hammer of God’s word…
The goal is not destruction it is redemption.
He uses the word to destroy your flesh
That your soul might find freedom and sanctification.
And if he is going to accomplish this task,
Then he must have the ability to rightly wield the sword
And swing the hammer.
He has to be able to teach.
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
• A man that won’t do that cannot serve as an elder.
• A man who can’t do that cannot serve as an elder.
So we are looking for a man who holds to the word
And who is committed to using it
To drive you toward sanctification and Christ-likeness.
And again, don’t miss the word “able” there.
“so that he will be able…”
We’re looking for men who have the ability to rightly divide the Scriptures
• We are looking for men who have the ability to speak the truth in an understandable way.
• We are looking for men who have the ability to confront in love.
And not to say too much here,
But you should know that this is a TWO-PART ABILITY.
On one hand he must be a SPIRITUALLY GIFTED person.
We know that preaching and teaching are spiritual gifts.
Paul describes the practice of preaching in 1 Corinthians 2
1 Corinthians 2:9-13 “but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”
THAT IS PREACHING.
It is to take transcendent truth which originates in the mind of God
And to bring it down into comprehension to the human mind.
• It is truth so amazing that no man would ever think of it.
• It is deep and complex and entirely spiritual.
The art of preaching is to take that heavenly reality
And make it clear to the fallen human mind.
That cannot be done except by the gifting of the Holy Spirit.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR GIFTED MEN.
That is why Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.”
• The presbytery did not give Timothy his gift of preaching,
• But they did recognize it.
That is what the church must do.
They recognize men who have been gifted to rightly divide God’s truth.
But it is not just about his giftedness, it is also about HIS WORK ETHIC.
In the very next verse, after acknowledging Timothy’s giftedness, Paul goes on to say:
1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”
Later in 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
You see the balance in Paul:
1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”
It was a mixture of giftedness and labor.
• Paul told the Colossians “I labor, striving according to His power” (Col. 1:29)
• Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5)
1 Thessalonians 5:12 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,”
Preaching IS WORK.
Rightly dividing the truth IS WORK.
And a man must be willing to do the work.
I can show you the work.
Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.”
“receive” – “treasure” – “make your ear attentive” – “incline your heart” – “cry for discernment” – “lift your voice” – “seek her as silver” – “search for her as for hidden treasures”
THAT IS THE WORK.
Take that text and wrestle with it, and dig for it and beg for it
Until God makes the unclear clear
So that you can present it to the people.
Otherwise how will the congregation benefit?
And you have seen this.
It’s why so many of you love John MacArthur or R.C. Sproul.
• It is because of their ability to take the deep truths and make them simple.
• That is the result of both their giftedness and their labor.
You are looking for the man who has both.
That is the man who can come beside you
And help you overcome sin.
1. We are looking for men with conviction regarding God’s word.
2. We are looking for men with the willingness and ability to confront and exhort.
His Conviction, His Confrontation
3) HIS CORRECTION
“and to refute those who contradict.”
THIS IS THE PROTECTOR ROLE.
The gospel has plenty of enemies.
• Those who fight it
• Those who deny it
• Those who distort it
2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 2:4 “But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.”
Somebody has to spot them.
That job falls to the elders.
The elder must know the word enough to spot the dangers
And be competent enough to show them to you.
That is actually what Paul will tell Titus next.
Titus 1:10-11 “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”
The shepherd elder must know the word
Because there are enemies who are attacking the flock
AND HE MUST SILENCE THEM.
1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”
Consider the church at Ephesus
They were overrun by men teaching strange doctrines.
Timothy had to identify them, expose them, correct them,
And then show the people why they were wrong.
2 Timothy 2:14-19 “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”
Timothy was called to study God’s word faithfully
So as to be able to spot heretics like Hymenaeus and Philetus.
Paul exposed their heresy and noted that it spreads like “gangrene”.
SOMEONE HAS TO EXPOSE THAT.
We think even of Paul confronting Peter.
Galatians 2:14 “But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
There is another compelling argument for a plurality of elders.
• Sometimes even elders need to confront elders.
• Sometimes even godly men get it wrong.
There must be other men, full of conviction, gifted,
And having labored in the word to protect the flock
Even from unintentional departures from truth.
Peter wasn’t looking to be a heretic.
But on that day the flesh got the better of him
And Paul had to protect the flock even from his co-shepherd.
When Paul spoke to the Ephesian elders he said:
Acts 20:28-31 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
Someone has to be on the alert.
• Someone has to be able to spot error, expose error, and explain it to the people.
I heard a great quote a few weeks ago.
“He who spares the wolf sacrifices the sheep.”
What a true statement!
The flock of God must be protected.
And the men appointed for the protection of the flock are the elders.
They are men who
• Bear witness to knowing how to love their wife.
• Bear witness to knowing how to raise kids.
• Bear witness to being mature and self-controlled.
• Demonstrate the ability and work ethic to rightly divide the word of God.
NOW AGAIN LET ME ADD THIS.
When we spoke of a man in his home
We acknowledged that a man might not appear immediately qualified.
• Maybe be we need more time,
• Maybe we just need to examine his circumstances more carefully.
• But we acknowledge that he may get there.
The same can be said of the immature man.
He may not be mature today,
• But through repentance and growth and sanctification
• We certainly hope he gets there and he may be qualified one day.
THE SAME can be said for the man lacking ability.
If you have a heart to shepherd God’s people
But you lack the bible knowledge or ability to accurately teach it,
What are you going to do?
STUDY! PRACTICE!
You say, “But what if I’m not gifted?”
Well how are we going to know if you never try to cultivate it or practice?
The ability to preach and teach comes like any other skill comes.
You study, you practice, you improve, you grow,
But you keep working until you do it well.
There was an older man at Crawford named Scott Dozier.
Almost every Sunday after the sermon he would say,
“I believe you’re getting better.”
WELL THAT’S THE GOAL!
People ask me how I learned to build furniture, we had lots of practice.
• People kept buying the junk we were building and eventually we got better.
The same is true for preaching and teaching.
Do the work, cultivate the gift, and be of use to the flock.
THE CHURCH NEEDS FAITHFUL SHEPHERDS.
