Who do we follow as leaders?  Who do we enjoy serving alongside?  What do we look for as we follow certain individuals?  What draws us to some people who seem destined to lead?  What characteristics do we look for in a leader?  Who can we trust to lead?  Why do some people force themselves on others who do it for all the wrong reasons?  What are the wrong reasons?  What are the right reasons to lead and to serve? Can we serve and lead at the same time?  Are we born leaders or are we called and equipped by God to lead?  Are we born helpers who love to serve?

All these questions arise in living our lives to please God in all we think, say, and do. Imagine all these wonderings with debates as new believers began to form groups called church who gathered to learn more about Jesus and find out how little they know about serving and growing together in His love, by His Spirit, for His glory.  Where do we start? How do we function together as individuals who are transforming to be more like Christ in every way, leaving our old cultural way of life behind to live for Jesus?  Some grow more quickly than others.  How do we deal with the stages and phases of maturity?

Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, transformed by Jesus, reformed from being a religious zealot who thought he knew it all but discovered only God knows; is called and equipped by God to lay out the principles of Godly leadership and servant living.  Paul will never stop preaching the way to salvation along with the principles of becoming more like Jeus in every way.  These principles of servant leadership began with Jesus.  Keep that in mind as we learn from this teaching.

1 Timothy 3, The Message

Leadership in the Church

^1-7 If anyone wants to provide leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will figure out a way to lure him into his trap.

^8-13 The same goes for those who want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.

^14-16 I hope to visit you soon, but just in case I’m delayed, I’m writing this letter so you’ll know how things ought to go in God’s household, this God-alive church, bastion of truth. This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

He appeared in a human body,
    was proved right by the invisible Spirit,
        was seen by angels.
He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,
    believed in all over the world,
        taken up into heavenly glory.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Church is group of people who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Church does not save us but it is one of the places where God is worshiped and where salvation by Jesus can be found. Church is a group of messy, imperfect people seeking to be more like Christ in every way.  Most do not like to stay and stew in our mess but to be made new in Jesus! 

We come together for encouragement gained from each other because we “all been there done that” or as Paul writes, “all have sinned and fall short”.  Church is a place to confess our sins to God and trusted helpers of God, learn from our mistakes and then use what we know to help others.  Everybody who seeks finds God.  Everyone also receives the gift of help from God’s Holy Spirit who transforms our behaviors.  We celebrate this gift and act of God in our lives as His church.

How do we grow?  We sit under the care and leadership of those who are a bit farther in their faith journey than we are.  We learn from their faith journey and glean from the wisdom of God in them.  We recognize that they strive to follow Jesus by example.  Leaders are mentors who point us to Jesus, not themselves, as the pattern to copy.  We thank Jesus for being the perfect example who taught and lived as a servant leader for all to see and learn.  Therefore, Jesus is the Head of the Church and has shown us how to more forward toward the goal of growing in the character traits that please God and matures our faith. 

Jesus is the One and Only who saves us.  We cannot save ourselves.  God’s Holy Spirit was sent to guide us out of the mess and into a wonder relationship that matures our faith.     

Our repentance to Jesus with a commitment to follow Him as Lord puts us on a path of right living; only made right by Jesus.  We are not perfect but we are perfectly forgiven by our Lord when we ask.  Throughout our journey we fail or fall for what seemed right at the time but was not. Sometimes we come to know we were to blame for being the one who hurt others because of our arrogance of wanting our own way!

In Christ alone, we are perfectly and completely forgiven of repented sins—“as far as the east is from the west”.  Only God can make us holy.  And the only way to God is Jesus.   Believing in Jesus involves being with Jesus, calling out in the name of Jesus and then listening to the Holy Spirit who helps us daily. 

Growing in our belief is in the being.  “Be still and know that I am God,” Psalm 46:10  Believing is letting go of everything, including self, that distracts from God. This is a life-long process of growing an intimate, loving relationship with God.  We will never be perfect in this world, but we can count on Jesus’ perfect forgiveness for our sins.  Always!  When we forget, go back to the beginning, and remember—

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 The “whosoevers” are all who believe Jesus is God’s Son sent to save us.  Bonus—the whosoevers are guaranteed eternal life! 

What comes after believing?  What happens as “whosoevers” come and gather to learn about God?  God created the whosoevers to live together in loving adoration for God while realizing the depth of love He has for his whosoevers.  The gathering is not a club but the conduit to Jesus who reconciles (reconnects) us to God!

Embracing God’s love; we learn to love like He loves us.  Deciding to follow Jesus; we are given His authority to fulfill His command.  The command is to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”—Jesus, Matthew 28:19-20

–A purpose with a promise!   

Lord,

As we gather, some of us are ordained as leaders, some are followers. Some of us in the church Jesus built are paid full time staff and some are volunteers.  Some teach your Truth with diligence; adhering to Your Word and Holy Spirit’s guidance. You have gifted us in various ways to give you all the glory and praise as we encourage others to find and follow you.  We are truly privileged to join you in your mission to save the world.

In Jesus Name, Amen