The Qualities Of A Godly Leader

The Qualities of a Godly Leader

1 Timothy 3:2-7

July 26, 1998

Morning Service

Introduction

The King of the jungle

1. The lion goes and asked the animals of the jungle who was the King

A. Bypasses the smaller animals and goes straight to the bear: The lion asks the bear who was the king, bear says you are of course, lion roars

B. Tiger: Lion asks the same question with the same response,

C. Elephant: Lion asks the elephant, the elephant wraps his trunk around the lion, slams the lion into a tree, throws him against the ground a few times and then dunks him in the watering hole

D. Lions response: Beaten, bruised and battered - struggles to his feet, looking at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes, the lion says: “Just because you don’t know the answer is no reason to get mean about it.”

2. Everything rises and falls on leadership

A. John Maxwell: Everything rises and falls on leadership, leadership determines the direction and course of the church, everyone is a leader in some way, we all have different ways that we lead, some are quiet and do background work, others are more vocal and lead at the front of the pack, still others sit and wait to find someone to follow

B. What does it take to be a godly leader?: There are many excellent examples of leaders throughout the Bible - Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul and of course Jesus, God raises up people to be leaders and expects them to follow His direction and guidance, the church depends on good leadership both human and divine, So what does it take to be a godly leader? one of the best sources of advise comes from the apostle Paul, he wrote it to Timothy, his son in the faith, nearly 2,000 years ago but it still rings true today,

Body

I. The overarching requirement of a godly leader - Being above reproach

A. The need of being above reproach: It is a must and an absolute necessity for every leader, Living a life without blame, one that lives as a follower of Christ, this would seem to be obvious and matter of living as a Christian

B. The concept of reproach: The Greek term - “not able to be held”, legal term that referred to the ability to hold in prison, the committing of a crime, literally meaning that nothing against, this does not mean that they have not sinned but rather that they no longer live by sinful standards, thus they can set the model of proper behavior for the church, the leader then gives no reason for anyone to attack his reputation,

C. Reasons for being above reproach

1. Leaders are targets of Satan: Satan will assault the leaders because it is the best way to destroy the church, just as he did in the days of Jesus, Satan will work to create a corrupt leadership, those who are in leadership positions will bear the brunt of spiritual warfare

2. Leadership that falls will cause greater harm: Leadership that falls devastates the church, it produces great harm throughout the church,

3. Leadership has a greater knowledge of the Truth: The knowledge of the Truth creates greater accountability and chastening when they sin

4. Leader’s sin is more hypocritical: The leaders are to have a deep understanding of the Word and teach it, they then become hypocritical when they commit those sins that they are to be against

II. The moral character of a Godly leader

A. Husband of one wife

1. Key subject of infidelity: The concept Paul presents is being with one person, namely your spouse, this points to specifically the sexual behavior, the aspect of being sexually pure,

2. Sexual purity: If a person is devoted to their spouse - it is in the heart and the mind, this is a call to full sexual purity in conduct,

B. Temperate

1. Primary focus on wine: The chief problem of Paul’s day was wine, it was used in a variety of ways and was a staple in ancient diets, the whole point is that wine and its abuse leads to a loss of the senses, this leads us to conclude that this prohibition would include all things that cloud the mind

2. Things that effect the mind: If we are unable to keep our mind focused, we will never be able to keep focused on God,

C. Prudent

1. The ability to order priorities: The leader must be able to order their own mind well, thus they must have a well disciplined mind, this comes into play in all areas of life, the person who can not order their mind can not effectively lead the church

2. The ability to keep focused on Christ: The leader must be able to keep focused on Christ, if their mind draws them away from Christ they will not be able to function properly in the church,