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Colin Smith: If you’re the kind of person who says, "Oh, I’m not interested in doctrine," ever heard anyone say that? "Ah, that’s not for me," do you know what you just did? You just severely limited your own usefulness to Jesus Christ.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and Colin, I can just imagine somebody saying, "I’m not really all that interested in doctrine and I’m no great scholar, but I want to be useful to God." How do these two things fit together?

Colin Smith: Well, we’re looking at First Timothy and we learn here that the church is the pillar of the truth. Now, a pillar holds up the roof of the building and that’s the picture that the apostle is using, that the role of the church is to hold up the truth. He doesn’t say, the apostles are the pillar of the truth. He says the church is.

That means every believer has a role to play in holding up the truth of God. We want to encourage people to get into the word of God so that they can open the word of God with other people. That’s something every Christian should be able to do, is able to do, and we want to encourage folks to say, "Look, you can come to a knowledge of the truth and as you do, you’ll be in a position to share it with others."

And that’s the purpose of God, that together we will not only learn from the word ourselves, but we’ll be able to open it up to others. Now, that of course is something that’s especially important for those who lead in the church, but the reason that it’s important for those who lead in the church is it’s something that God calls all of us to. And so I hope that we’re going to be encouraged as we see how to pursue that today.

Steve Hiller: Well, let’s look at that together from the book of First Timothy, chapter three, as we continue a message called Gospel Character. Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Have you heard it said character is what you are in private? Well, that’s only half the story. And the apostle Paul makes it clear here that character is what is seen in public as well as what a man may claim in private. That’s why it says in verse two, the overseer has to be above reproach and verse seven, has to have a good reputation with outsiders.

In other words, the key thing here is not a man’s pious talk about all his prayers and all his devotions and all this kind of thing. Beyond that, there's the question, what do people see in this man’s life? What’s the observable reality of it? That’s the question. Can you see wise judgment? Do you see healthy relationships? Do you see moral integrity?

Now, that’s character. It’s what we’re to pursue. It’s what by the grace of God we’re to cultivate. It’s what Christ wants to work in every one of us. Wise judgment, healthy relationships, moral integrity. Now, let’s move on to competence because there's more than character involved in effective leadership.

And it seems to me that Paul lays out for us here three areas of core competence that we should look for in those we call, those we appoint, and those we send. They are the core competencies of effective Christian leaders. And there are three of them: one is doctrinal, one is personal, and one is spiritual.

I want to encourage all of us to be cultivating these things that will maximize our usefulness to Jesus Christ. Let’s look first at the doctrinal competence, that is the ability to teach. It’s said of the elders that the overseer must be, verse two, able to teach. Notice that for the deacons, although they are not called to a teaching ministry, verse nine, they must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

So really across these different leadership roles, Paul is saying that a deep grasp of the truth and the ability to communicate it to others is crucial. Now, this does not mean that all elders should be preachers. What it does mean is that the elder, the pastor, the missionary, those who would serve in any form of leadership, must have a deep grasp of the truth and an ability both to apply it to their own lives and to the lives of others.

Now, this is very important because of course in verse 15 the church is the pillar of the truth. It says there it’s the church is the pillar and foundation. Foundation is a terrible translation in the NIV. It really is buttress. It means the same as pillar, it’s what holds up the truth. That’s what’s being said here.

And because it is the calling of the church, like a pillar, to hold up the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, it stands to reason that those who are elders of the church need to have a particularly strong and clear grasp of the great truths of the Christian faith. It is the special calling of elders and pastors then to make sure that the word of Christ is central in the life of the church.

So the word of Christ must dwell richly in the life of any missionary, in the life of any pastor, in the life of any elder, in the life of any person who wants to be useful to Christ. Cultivate this. If you’re the kind of person who says, "Oh, I’m not interested in doctrine," ever heard anyone say that? "Ah, that’s not for me," do you know what you just did? You just severely limited your own usefulness to Jesus Christ.

So please don’t say that anymore. Please take an interest, cultivate an interest in grasping ever more deeply the great truths of the Christian faith so that you may be able to defend them, so that you may be able to communicate them to others. For if you do not grasp them well, how can you be useful in leadership to others?

So there's a doctrinal competence for us to pursue. Second, there is a personal competence for us to pursue and this relates to the ability to manage. Notice it comes three times in verse four, five, and 12. The elder must manage his own family well. Verse five, if anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?

Verse 12, a deacon must manage his children and his household well. So it comes three times, it’s obviously of great importance. The point here is very simple: a man’s ability to lead others will be seen first in the way that he leads and manages his own family.

Now, every home has its own pressures and its own problems. And this is not saying that if there is stress in a man’s life that he should not be a pastor or an elder. The key issue that is being addressed here is how does a man manage his own household? How does he exercise leadership there?

And if he’s doing a good job there, then it makes sense that he should be given wider responsibility. If he’s struggling in what God has given him there, it does not make sense that he should be given wider responsibility. So how does he manage his own household? Is there order in his home or is it chaotic?

One of the first things we learn about God in the Bible is that he is the God who brings order out of chaos. And an effective leader is one who has the ability to do that as well. And the first place that that will be seen in a man’s life is in his own home. And Paul’s rationale here is very plain, isn’t it? If a man cannot bring order to his own home, how's he going to be able to do it in the church of God?

If he cannot manage his own life, how can he help in the lives of others? Let me just break away and give an application to kids, especially the younger kids in the service here. If your bedroom that you left behind this morning is a tip, chaos, everything everywhere, and if you were to go back and this afternoon make it tidied and ordered, do you know what?

You would be doing something that God does. You would, because God is the God who brings order out of chaos. And the more you learn to do that in your own life and the earlier you learn to do that in the simplest kind of ways, the more useful you’re going to be to the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the principle right here.

By the way, I do think this is where hospitality comes in. Did you notice that in verse two, as one of the marks of the elder? I think it comes in here because the home that is disordered is usually closed to others. It becomes a secret place. The door is closed, others are not often welcome.

But when a home and a family is well-managed and healthy and ordered, the door is opened to others and others can be welcomed in. So what Paul is saying is very simple here: the man who will be effective in leading the church as a pastor or as an elder, the person who will be effective on the mission field, will be someone who manages what God has already entrusted to them well.

So the kind of questions we want to ask in evaluating what trust should be given by the church in those who are called and those who are sent are questions like these: has this person managed their finances well? Is that in order or is it chaotic? Is the home well-ordered? Do the children, if there are children, respect this man well?

The order is very simple: we begin with the challenge to manage ourselves. As you grow in the challenge of managing yourself, you will do a better job of managing others God has placed around you. That may include your family if you’re married. And as you build success there, you will grow in your future usefulness to Jesus Christ. But the principle is simple: the one who is faithful in little is the one who can then be trusted with much.

Steve Hiller: You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and part of a message called Gospel Character. Now, we need to pause here, but we’ll get back to the message in just a moment. Open the Bible is a listener-supported ministry, and as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of John Stott’s book called The Incomparable Christ. And Colin, who is this book for?

Colin Smith: Well, it’s for anyone who wants to know the Lord Jesus Christ better. And it’s written by one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century. John Stott was a faithful preacher, a pastor, and a scholar for over 60 years. He’s one of my heroes of the faith.

I love to read his writing and never more so than when he’s writing on the most central subject of all, the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this book, The Incomparable Christ, if you’ve never read a book by John Stott, this is a great place to start. It’s a deep dive on who Jesus is and it comes in four parts.

We see Jesus as he is presented in the New Testament, Jesus as he’s been presented by the church over the centuries, Jesus as he’s inspired various figures in history, and Jesus as he’s presented to us in the book of Revelation. It’s just a glorious snapshot of who the Lord Jesus Christ is and I think anyone who reads this book is going to feel that they come to a deeper worship of Jesus, a deeper love for Jesus, and a deeper trust in Jesus too.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. That’s 1-877-673-6365. Or again, our website is openthebible.org. Back to the message. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: And before we move on to the last of these competencies, let me just say a word to the wives of those who serve in leadership. I say this because Paul does it in verse 11. Do you see that there? He’s talked about elders and he’s talked about deacons and he says, in the same way their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, but temperate and trustworthy in everything.

Now, why does he bring in the wives here? I think the answer's very simple: a man’s wife can make or mar his ministry. Can I speak to all the Christian wives today? Make it your prayer that you will expand your husband’s usefulness to Christ. If he is a godly man, he’ll already be praying the same thing about you.

Cultivate a deep desire that your husband should become everything that God calls him to be. And do everything you can to contribute to that. And be ready to change any pattern of behavior in you that would limit that, that would limit the work that God might do through him.

So here is what to cultivate. These are very practical things. A doctrinal competence: the ability to teach, a great grasp of the truths of the faith. A personal competence: the ability to manage, beginning with yourself and then with others who are entrusted to you.

And the more you are able to grow in that, the more useful you will be in the lives of others. And then thirdly and finally, there's a spiritual competence, which is about the ability to stand. And the reason for this is very simple folks, when we call a layperson to be an elder, when we send a missionary out into the field, when we call and invite someone to be a pastor of the church here, when we put someone into Christian leadership—and it’s the congregation that does that—we are putting that person in the forefront of spiritual warfare.

Do you realize that? That is what we are doing when we call someone to spiritual leadership. That’s why prayer for our leaders is of crucial importance. I want us to understand that as a congregation today. Now, I want you to notice the spiritual competence that is needed in those who lead because they are placed into the forefront of the spiritual battle.

And there are two primary places in which that warfare is most intense. Paul identifies them. The first is the danger for spiritual leaders that comes through pride. That is verse six. And Paul says that the leader here must not be a recent convert or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.

Pride is the enemy within. If God grants you some success and blessing on your family, do you know how to handle that with humility? Because to maximize your usefulness to Jesus Christ, pride is going to be one of the enemies you will need to battle.

The more he uses you, the more he’ll attack you with this. And you remember the phrase, it actually comes from the Bible in Proverbs chapter 11 and verse two, Pride comes before a fall. And do you notice the connection there between verse six and verse seven? He talks about pride, which is the enemy within, and what comes next in verse seven? He must have a good reputation with outsiders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

And notice how Satan is being mentioned twice in two verses here. This is spiritual warfare. Satan delights when leaders become full of themselves because they’re just one step away from a fall to disaster. That’s what is being said here. And Satan delights when leaders fall. He wants them to fall into disgrace so that he can harm the church.

So by the way, in appointing leaders, it is always right to ask, is there anything in your life that if it was known would hinder the advance of the gospel? Richard Baxter wrote a book to Christian leaders. I try to read it about once every year. It does my own soul good. It’s one pastor writing to other Christian leaders and giving warnings and encouragement about what it means to be a Christian leader.

And he has a particularly powerful section where he talks about the unique battles of Christian leaders. And he says this, he’s writing to fellow pastors and we would include with that our missionaries, we would include with that our lay leaders, we would include all who are entrusted with responsibility in the household of God.

And Baxter says this, "Take heed to yourselves because the tempter will ply you with temptations more than other men." Have you ever thought about that in relation to those we call and those we send? "As he hates Christ more than any of us," Baxter says, "so Satan hates the leaders under him more than the common soldiers because he knows what a rout he may make among them if the leaders fall before their eyes. Take heed therefore, brethren, for the enemy hath a special eye on you."

Have you ever thought about that in relation to yourself? The day you were converted, you got Satan’s attention because you were snatched out of his kingdom by the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. He got a special eye on you. And the more you are entrusted with responsibility in ministry in the household of God, the more you are privileged with the gift of leadership and influence in the lives of others, the more you will be his focus of attention.

Now, folks, will you remember that when you pray for your leaders? Can we remember that when we pray for our missionaries? Can we remember that when we sometimes talk about our leaders? We have put certain people in the forefront of spiritual warfare and it is our calling to pray for them and it is our calling to watch and to guard ourselves.

Now, what’s your reaction to this message? I’ll tell you what mine has been as I’ve studied it this week. I’m sure yours is the same. I read all this and I find myself saying, "Oh Lord, who is sufficient for these things?" You might be interested to know as we meet at a church board month by month, and I lead us in prayer and in the word at the beginning, I have often said, "Which of us around this table would have appointed ourselves as leaders of the church? Not one of us."

We’ve been thrust into this by others and anyone who is called to a position of leadership is going to be in that position of saying, "Who is sufficient for these things?" Do you remember Paul said, "Who is sufficient for these things?" What was the answer when he raised that question? Our sufficiency is from God.

That’s Second Corinthians chapter three and verse five. It’s a great verse to write down for your encouragement this morning. In fact, the NIV uses the word competence rather than sufficiency, which is very helpful. Not that we are competent in ourselves or claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

And so in this very last moment, let me conclude by pointing you to Jesus Christ. This character and this competence that we seek to cultivate is found in him. Have you ever thought about this, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the elder, he is the overseer? Did you know that word is used about Jesus? First Peter 2:25, he is the shepherd and overseer of our souls. The same word is in First Timothy 3.

And have you ever thought about this, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the deacon? What does the word deacon mean? Servant. One who serves. That’s in Acts 6, remember, they served tables, the first deacons. And Jesus says, "I have come among you as one who serves." "I’ve come among you as a deacon," he says. "I’ve not come to be served, but to serve. I’ve come to deacon and to give my life as a ransom for many."

So these things are making us think about Jesus Christ. He is the teacher who is himself the truth. He is the king who manages his own household well. He is the sage who is the fount of all wisdom. He is the champion who takes his stand for us against the enemy. He is the servant who gives his life as a ransom for many.

He is the overseer who guards your soul from danger. He is the great shepherd of the sheep who brings all of us into his eternal fold and loses not one who is entrusted to his hand. And because this character and this competence is in Christ, he is the one who is able to reproduce this character and reproduce this competence in you.

For if Christ be in you, think what Christ can do with your life. Think what Christ can do with your family. Think what Christ can make of you. Think of what Christ can form within you. And as you give thanks for these marks of grace as you see them in the life of others, be encouraged as you seek to pursue them yourself and to look to the Savior who is the source and fountain of them to reproduce them in you by the power of his Holy Spirit.

Steve Hiller: Pastor Colin Smith with a powerful message today here on Open the Bible. Our message is called Gospel Character, and we’re taking a look at First Timothy chapter three, the first 15 verses. And this message is part of a larger series where we’re taking a look at 10 distinctives of a gospel-centered church. If you missed any of the programs in the series, come to the website and listen online at openthebible.org. Colin, it’s Friday and the weekend’s coming.

Colin Smith: Yeah, and I want to encourage you to get to church on Sunday. Find a church where the Bible is opened and where Jesus is the center of attention. And if you live in the Chicago area and you don’t have a church home, I’d love for you to join us at the Orchard. There are six locations in the northwest suburbs. For more information, go to theorchard.church, that’s theorchard.church.

Steve Hiller: Well, thank you, Colin. And thanks for listening. I’m Steve Hiller and I hope you’ll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Hi, this is Pastor Colin again and I want you to know about Watch Your Doctrine. Watch Your Doctrine is a six-session course that is geared for leaders but accessible for every believer. The six sessions will introduce you to six central truths of the Christian faith: how we know God, how God speaks to us, how sin affects us, how God’s Spirit brings new life, how we’re made right with God, and what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

There are questions at the end of each session and you can use them on your own or you can discuss them with a friend. For more information or to begin this free online course, visit openthebible.org/courses. That’s openthebible.org/courses.