The Book of 1 Timothy - Step In!, Part 2

How do you become a good leader mean a mom and dad that's a good leader in your home and become a good leader work lead where God has you because we all had influence and that's what leadership is today will talk about what the apostle Paul teaches Timothy about how to be a good leader. Stay with me. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge chipping, Living on the Edges of his rational discipleship ministry of helping Christians. Christians were in the middle of chips new series based on the book of first Timothy for the past several programs were to the six vital lesson culture you missed any of those messages catch up of LivingontheEdge.org the chipping today. He wraps up his talk on the importance of integrity, especially in church leadership begins by reminding us what Christlike behavior looks like. So turn in your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 3 let's hear part two of chips message step in. Everyone on this planet has this made it's not real clear in your mind you have this invisible picture of what success looks like and if you could ever hit it.

Then you beat somebody and UBS somebody usually understand the games that people play. It's just it's just all relative. Ask yourself what and who do you really want to be and make sure is the old illustration goes that your latter is really leaning on the right wall as you can be a successful failure to have lots of money. It's really hard to raise good kids. Insurance companies have done demographic studies. The only people that have the worst problem with their kids as measured by times in rehab and all the rest is the absolute lowest of the poor of the poor and the richest executives. Be careful what you set your heart to be in and what's what's great is if you set your heart to be a godly man.

It's a fine work you desire to do and and you become then you know how to act in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillared support of the truth and beyond measure. Great is the mystery of circle the word holiness great is the mystery I don't understand I know means renewing your mind. I know it has to do with being in his word. I understand it has to do with repenting of my sin. I understand I need the fellowship of men that I can really be me with. I understand have to take risk and challenges have to receive forgiveness of all-conference, but right is the mystery of godliness and then there's this this mantra this code that they wanted to summarize the work of Jesus and the church. And so it went like this. He was revealed in the flesh incarnation was vindicated by the spirit at his baptism, seen by angels and temptation member after he defeated Satan to Texas and he was ministered to by angels, proclaimed among the nations. The discipleship process went forward, believed on the world, taken up in the glorious ascension and he gives us this picture the coaching nuggets that I have for you is that I write to you so that you'll know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, and what I would ask you is how are you conducting yourself in household of God, and by the way, that's again don't don't just picture the building.

I'm talking about the living stones the relationship.

The reality of the church of God. The pillar in support of the truth and then a response of any man aspires and I'm encouraged to underline sets his heart on the office of overseer or I think just being a godly man. It's a fine work he desires to do and here's I think the ultimate criteria honestly his first line must be above reproach. The way your above reproach. As you take all the other things and you go on a journey to become like that and then you end up above reproach. So okay thank you Paul. If I was in Ephesus and my name was Timothy Anna, no one is supposed to do right, who I'm supposed to look for. Here's the profile I need to develop these kind of leaders. Here's my question. What's this got to do with us what splits the application in the 21st century and I'm going to suggest that the subject here is leadership in the church because all Scripture right is profitable inspired by God.

So this passage like the last chapter in every other passage is here to equip us and encourage us and help us to be men of God who be equipped and adequate for the good work God has for us. The underlying issue here, I think is integrity and when I say the word integrity.

I mean, beyond honesty, we tend to think of integrity as well. I'm honest integrity it it's actually numerical word in integration. It's the integration of your faith in every area of life and relationships. The way I think about it is you live the same way Monday afternoon at four is Sunday morning at 11 AM same way.

At 2 AM watching TV with no one around same way in front of your computer same way when someone comes onto it work.

Same way when you have a couple of couple beers with the guys. It's just that your your faith is integrated in every relationship with everyone that's basically what it means to be godly. Management it sounds like just someone who's taken the instruction of the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and his loving others with a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith and so I think the underlying question is am I willing to set my heart to become a godly man and fulfill God's purpose for my life cannot pause just a minute and that is a huge question is what I'll tell you for sure every one is pursuing becoming someone in fact if if we could do an inventory and you know I don't know you all you don't know me that I can just tell you that the person sitting in your seat if we could backup a camera five years or 10 years and I can have someone just pour out of your brain. Here's all the things you've read all the things you studied all the places you've been all the decisions you've made all the relationships you have. It would produce the persons in your chair right now and here's the deal. Five years from now you will not be who you long to be hope to be trained to be you will be the person depending on you put into your mind. Who your friends are the decisions that you make but but it all starts with something very, very simple. Unconsciously we all set our heart on something and the Christians we wear like liars mean don't don't verbalize what your dream for your life is just sit down and ask a lot of guys to do this. Would you let's have a small group Bible study she can get anyone to do this I'm I'm I'm coming up with goose eggs.

Maybe one person privately. Let's really become men of God you bring your tax return, and I'll bring my tax return and let's put on the table where all of our money came in where we spent where we saved it and where we gave it a bring my credit card statements and my computer.

Next, here's my browser go real fast on what you see everywhere I've been on the Internet and everything I've checked out every side of every minute in the last year. By the way, here's my I mean you show me where your time goes for your finances go and where your mind goes in your energy goes, I'm telling you, that's where you're headed. But what we have this amazing ability, and I think the enemy works much is we live in this denial, like I really I verbalize so I believe my own lies. I want to be this kind of man want to beat this, husband to be this, Christian in my behavior says I'm becoming this kind of man. This, husband this, Christian and there's conflict see a good conscience is there integrated perfect. Absolutely not one of the marks I think of a godly man as you hear them repent a lot. I find in my deep relationships with them were telling one another.

I missed last night was critical of my wife was way too hard on my kids were right over some of you may night.

I'm not a big drinker personally but then had a few too many beers that third glass of wine, set some things I shouldn't mean you're bad person image and probably pretty authentic but instead we got this culture were people I think most Christians spend more energy trying to project and pretend they were better than we are actually working a becoming who God wants us to be so here's the action is stepped in on encourage you to revisit your life goals. If you don't have and it's great time, you can revisit them and then I would I would I think. How does God measure success. Would you think like the God of heaven. The living God, the hope of the church. That's the pillar and the support of truth that would look and say all Gabriel Khmer CI guy all yet he's got his issues. They all do their fallen creatures that man I love his heart. He said his heart to become like my son he brings me such, you cannot rise. The Bible says Proverbs talks about God finds great delight in the prayers of godly ones that he sings over you because of what Jesus has done. His arms are not crossed his toes not tapping in the God that you serve doesn't have a boat bony figure going to step up step up step up but is really saying come on up, I love you. We can do this together surrendering to me. Let my power flow through you realign your life and your goals and let me make you like my son the unspoken need is to develop character and I over the years.

I called the pathway to spiritual maturity and Jesus came member John 1010 I came that they might have in life abundantly bios life right biometrics, biochemistry, bio tech, and there's all kinds and so I took that little acronym bio that means come before God daily come before God daily off your bodies a living sacrifice every day. Seek first the kingdom of God daily get into the Scriptures daily talk to God daily.

This is a good podcast daily memorize a verse and set your heart daily come the B was before God and then when you come before God daily. What you'll find is there's lots of commands that you can keep Dr. impossible. There in the second person plural in English.

In other words, it's you all love one another.

You all honor one another you all and so the I was for in community in community weekly and in community I not just a small group.

I mean, from the heart go deep be honest be real get authentic that the real you meet real needs for the right reason in the right way that your love be without hypocrisy poor.

What is evil. Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. That's Romans 12, nine, 10 or so and then finally's. Would you be willing to be on mission 24 seven coming from the moment that you get it before you walk out the door if you're married these my kids is my wife. I'm on mission. I'm gonna serve him on mission. I'm gonna drive like him on mission you're on mission because your servant and then when you show up your servant leader and when you you know what when you when you repair the plumbing here in the electrical here.

When you build a house over there, your servant, and then your servant in the church you discover what your spiritual gifts are and you're not just like a I said I listen. We ate lunch I thought was pretty good. What you think there's a ballgame that Christianity got us nowhere.

Did you participate will you own your own spiritual growth.

If Jesus said he came to give you life and life abundantly. Would you own the discipline the pattern of coming before God daily doing life in community weekly ending on mission 24 seven and what I'm telling you is that will change the course of your life. The everybody's on the path and ice to do this all the time, but I'm I just I'm going like to Proverbs 3 Proverbs to Proverbs, the negative Proverbs then after that I go through Proverbs and I'm just seeing the path the path the way the path the path the highway the packs. There's a path because this way Pat because his path of the righteous path of evil.

Bio is a pathway to godliness is 28 years old got three kids. I'm going to school full-time. I'm working full-time now a little church and I'm stretch from end and there's not enough time. I barely can pay my bills and sometimes I can't pay my bills and I had the privilege of being in a brown bag lunch with one of my mentors Don and Howard Hendricks is a professor and he got up on the board and he wrote four words, and the first one was priority and he said who you really want to be and and then he he wrote another word little bit little bit later. That said, the schedule as if if that's really important.

Where is it in your schedule, and then he wrote another word discipline. He said are you willing to pay the price to become the kind of person and NASA guys. You know you're all a bunch of workaholics, overachievers, you know that's who. The seminary tends to attract.

He said I want you to write something down. God will never love you anymore, or any lastly love you right now.

When you pray he loves you forget to pray he loves you read your Bible this morning.

He loves you. You don't read your Bible. He loves you his love is unearned is not a performance, Christ died for all your sins before you even born and committed now doesn't mean that there's lacks but you can't earn his love, he said so. Then life really is. Rather than trying to prove something to others.

In my case, my dad, if you really would believe you really loved, then the way you say thanks to God is by who you want to become. Dallas Willard had a great line is of the greatest gift you give to anyone and especially to the world is nothing that you accomplish with who you become, and I was tired of this I was just applying all my workaholic tendencies to my faith and was 32 miles from downtown where the seminary was out to where this little community where is pastoring visible church and I'll never forget. I pulled off at the Crandall Dairy Queen and I just couldn't shake if I really believe God loves me who I want to become an I'm famous for not having a lot of paper with me so I started taking DQ napkins and I wrote down. I want to become a man of God.

I want to become a great husband. When you become a great father to become a great friend.

I want to I want to become a great pastor one day.

I don't know why I said this but maybe it was because were where I was and I was struggling and I want to stay in shape until the day I die. And then I remember what prof said about my schedule and I got a sheet of paper and I know Dairy Queen. I said okay I'm to spend this block of hours every morning a minimum power with God every day and then I put up a block where you know every Friday morning for four hours on and have a date with my wife and that I put in these 5/7 nights really dinner as a family and then I unite a couple buddies and they like to play coop like I did not.K I'm go plug in the my schedule under work out with these guys and share my heart about where I'm really at instead of who I wish I was and then I put my kids I I put all my kids on my calendar so I meet with them individually at least every other week along with what every Friday night. This is what we can do as a family and that I do it perfectly, but I will tell you what. From age 28 until all my kids were grown and some of those things. I'm still just pressing ahead. I set my heart to be a man after God's heart. I set my heart.

We had lots of struggles because of our alcoholic family pass, both hers and mine lots of struggles in our marriage but we got 42 years under our belt.

I've got for grown kids that had their ups and downs, but they walk with God. Okay, I'm not promising that everything comes out, your wife is been extraordinarily hard. Set your heart to be a godly man and get it from some general idealized something someday some way into a schedule where you come before God do like in community and get on mission 24 seven and early on building the new habits deciding to not watch TV at night. Weird thing happened. Went to bed an hour earlier ended up needing alarm God woke me up, usually by five or little before I added two hours to my day life changed. You have certain things that you unconsciously do that or a sheer waste of time and distraction taking you to places to become the man you don't want to be substitute them and then be very gracious with yourself because you're gonna mess up a lot because God is very gracious with you and then find a band of brothers fine couple three guys and say, come hell or high water, couldn't eat this kind of man. This man, and when you blow it and you will with tears streaming down your face. You shoot straight and I went to a place that I have been in a long time and it wasn't good. Repent and you get. Love you get back up to the Christian. This application this message is from his series. The book of first Timothy life coaching from the apostle Paul know if you look up that word coach in the dictionary might see phrases like one who teaches, gives instruction or provide special training.

The question is who's coaching you and who are you coaching in this new 12 part series chip dives into one of the most well-known mentor mentee relationships in the Bible will unpack what we can learn from Paul and Timothy's bond and how to apply these lessons to our lives and pass them on to others. If you've missed any part of this series. Chip Ingram map is a great way to catch up anytime well here's trip to assure a quick word. Thanks Dave.

I'll be right back in just a minute with some final thoughts from today's message but I just want to take a moment and share with you something very exciting is happening in my life. I go to church where other people are super young and most of them have very little experience to the gospel.

The Bible and the trees and I opened her home and said would you just want to explore the faith and some are believers, and summer seekers and words having a fabulous time and the one thing that I keep hearing I mean these are 2223 24-year-olds, and they just are asking is there any real purpose in life and how you discover God's purpose for your life and I'm reminding them that God has a mission that they are his workmanship there.

His tapestry there.

His work of art that God has a good work from the foundations of the earth according to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 that he's prepared for them and what I want you to know is that he's got that for you as well. I want you to think about maybe a young person, or maybe even yourself and do you know your purpose and you know your mission you know how you're wired you know your gifts. You know how you fit on the team. Why want you to know if those are questions you're asking. Living on the Edge right now has some answers. We've created a brand-new resource called the real you. It's an online questionnaire designed to provide insight into how God wired you.

This is more than spiritual gift test, you identify the patterns and what you think.

What motivates you and white teams need someone just like you to take about 20 minutes to complete and it won't cost you a thing. Then, based on your responses.

The real you will offer suggestions about how you can practically live out God's purpose for your life. Whether that's at home in the office at church or in your community as a Living on the Edge partner.

We want you to be the first to access this resource.

Head over to the real you.org to learn more. That's the real you.org most Christians don't how to leverage their God-given wiring and experiences for the kingdom. We want to change that bike strip. Well as you can tell, we are really excited about this new resource. We hope the real you will help you not only discover who God made you to be. But how he made you think, act and live as Chip said, you can sign up for this reassessment by going to the real you.org or if it's easier text the word real to 741 41. That's the word real REAL27 4141 hapless nurse Special offers will chip towards the end of the message you mention the acronym Bio which we use a lot here Living on the Edge which stands for before God in community and on mission, explain how prioritizing those three ideas also helps us develop godly character will that is the point isn't it, David. This whole passage and we talk about leadership in the secular research is the number one thing about being a great leader's integrity and we live in a world of false information and all the rest. But if you can't trust what a person says her character.

Everything else becomes literally unimportant and I ask as I was teaching this I really gave the people in the room time to revisit their goals and and how they were to measure success than to do a personal inventory and then I wanted to give them a pathway and so I want to talk to you right now about that and bio for us is just it's a rhythm of life. It's a pathway to become a godly righteous person with integrity. It's not some legalistic thing that you just can't become like Jesus and less you spend time with them and so just coming before God every day making knowing Christ. The number one important thing in your life and practicing that and then the second is as you come before God and your in his word. You realize I can't live this life only the spirit of God can, but I can't do it by myself and I think about that weekly. I have to have some face-to-face heart-to-heart. I need to do life or I can share my hurt share my struggles share my victories and do life with other people and and whether that's a small group or whether that's three guys at work that are all believers or three women in a Bible study or a couple study but you have to do like in community and then you realize that just as Jesus was a servant were a servant. And so, from the moment that you get up to how you drive your card how you spend your money to where you order your coffee or what you do it worker on the job site or what comes out of your mouth.

You're on mission in Jesus mission was to seek and to say that which is lost.

Paul's mission was to present every person complete mature in Christ. And they have entrusted us with that mission and so Bio just gives me some kind of railroad tracks to ask myself on my journey and my coming before God by doing life in community and am I on mission 24 seven. I hope that helps. It does chip bags as we wrap up, let me take just a second and think the generous people who make monthly donations to support the ministry of Living on the Edge your faithful gifts help us inspire Christians to live like Christians. If you have a partnered with us yet. Would you prayerfully consider joining the Living on the Edge team. You can set up a recurring donation by going to LivingontheEdge.org or texting the word donate to 741 41. It's that easy. Text the word donate to 741 41 or visit LivingontheEdge.org hapless nurse stepped donate will join us next time. As Chip continues his newest series based in the book of first Timothy. Until then, this is Dave Drury thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge