Above Reproach: The Elder's Noble Task

In one paragraph

Pastor Ray was back after being away the previous Sunday, and picked up where the series in 1 Timothy had left off. Working through just seven verses in chapter three, he walked the congregation through what Paul says a church overseer ought to look like, and why that list matters for First B right now. Paul opens 1 Timothy 3 with one of his recurring "trustworthy sayings," and Pastor Ray...

Read together

1. Psalm 63 opening worship, quoted 'because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you'
2. 1 Timothy 1:5 the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith
3. 1 Timothy 1:15 trustworthy saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
4. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 the main passage for the sermon, qualifications for overseers
5. Luke 10:33-35 the Good Samaritan caring for the wounded man, used to illustrate the kind of care an overseer gives the flock
6. 1 Samuel 16:6-7 God telling Samuel not to look at Eliab's appearance, for the Lord looks at the heart
7. Matthew 5:16 let your light shine before men so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven
8. James 2:17-18 faith without works is dead, show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by my works
9. Romans 15:5-6 closing benediction, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray pointed to 'the aim of our charge' from 1 Timothy 1:5: love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. What does that kind of love actually look like in the day-to-day life of a church community?
2. Pastor Ray said that in his experience at First B, he has not seen people craving the position of overseer for the power it holds, and that the list of qualifications can feel daunting because we know only one person was truly sinless. What do you think keeps people from pursuing leadership in the church, and is that always a bad thing?
3. The word translated 'hospitable' in this passage literally carries the meaning of brotherly love for the outsider or stranger. How well do you think the church in general, and our church in particular, lives that out, and where do you see room to grow?
4. Pastor Ray described the kind of care an overseer is supposed to give the church using the Good Samaritan story, where the Samaritan stopped, bound wounds, paid out of his own pocket, and promised to return. What would that level of investment look like from church leaders today, and what would it cost them?
5. Pastor Ray noted that the requirement to be 'well thought of by outsiders' is on the list for a reason, because hypocrisy gives the devil a foothold and brings disgrace on the church. Where do you think the gap between what Christians profess and how they live is most visible to people outside the church right now?