This is a training manual from Project Evangelism which is based in

Murlough House ,Keel Point, Dundrum Co. Down, N.I. BT33 0NQ

Tel. 028 4375 1480

Email: projectevangelism@gmail.com

Website: www.projectevangelism.org

Contact John Moxen - Home tel. 028 4375 1259

Courses provided by Project Evangelism:

Discipleship Personal evangelism Who am I? How does God see me? Why Did I do that? Based on Transform Temperament by Tim

Le Haye Lessons on Christian Living

These courses can be delivered either at Murlough House or in your own Church.

Leadership

13.The Law of Priorities: Timothy’s Three Priorities. 2nd Timothy 4:1-8

Paul’s last written communication reveals a sense of urgency. He wastes no words; every one of them counts. More than any other passage, this text tells us what is most important to Paul, the leader. He challenges Timothy with three priorities:

1. Preach the Word (v 1,2)

Timothy must keep the message alive, teaching urgently, persistently and with conviction.

2. Do the work (v3-5)

Timothy was to do the work of an evangelist, fulfilling his call, reaching his potential.

3. Run the race (v 6-8)

Timothy was to emulate Paul, who finished his course and won the prize.

14.The Law of Legacy. 2nd Timothy 4:6-8

Paul’s death bed was no place of sorrow. He had planted churches, mentored leaders, established doctrine and written epistles. The only thing left was his homecoming. Paul saw life as a race to be won, a battle to be fought and a trust to be kept (2nd Timothy 7:7). His crown awaited him.

15.Mentoring: Paul and Timothy both Fulfil the Call. 2nd Timothy 4:9-21

From many of the leaders Paul invested , he also needed an investment in return. He acknowledges he needs Timothy (2nd Timothy 4:9), Mark (4:11) and the books of Carpus (4:13). Paul poured his life into every one of them.

Introduction

Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, was the first one in the family won to Christ; then his mother Eunice, was converted. Timothy’s father was a Greek (Acts 16:1), so Eunice had not practiced the orthodox Jewish faith. However, Timothy’s mother and grandmother had seen to it that he was taught the scriptures (2nd Timothy 3:15); and this was great preparation for the hearing of the Gospel. When Paul came to Lystra on his first missionary journey, that was probably the occasion for Timothy’s conversion. When Paul returned on his

second journey, he enlisted Timothy into Christian service.

Paul has watched Timothy’s life and service during those years they were together. He was certain that Timothy’s faith was genuine. In fact, Timothy’s heritage was a great one; for he was reared in a godly home, trained by a wonderful apostle and given marvellous opportunities for serving the Lord.

God’s gift to Timothy (vv 6-7) Paul reminded Timothy of the time God called him into service and the local church ordained him. Paul laid his hands on Timothy (1st Timothy 4:14). Through Paul, God had imparted to Timothy the spiritual gift he needed for his ministry. The laying on of hands was a common practice in apostolic days (Acts 6:6, 13:3), but no believer today has the same authority and privileges that the Apostles did. Today, when we lay hands on people for the ministry, it is a symbolic act and does not necessarily impart any special spiritual gifts to them.

It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to serve God, and through Him we can overcome fear and weakness. The word fear in 2nd Timothy1:7 means “timidity, cowardice.” The Holy Spirit gives us power for witness and for service (Acts 1:8). It is futile for us to try to serve God without the power of the Holy Spirit. Talent, training and experience cannot take the place of the power of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also gives us love. If we have love for lost souls and for the people of God, we will be able to endure suffering and accomplish the work of God. Selfishness leads to fear because, if we are selfish, we are interested only in what we will get out of serving God, and we will be afraid of losing prestige, power or money. True Christian love, energized by the Spirit (Romans 5:5), enables us to sacrifice for others and not be afraid. The Spirit gives love (Galatians 5:22). He is also the One who gives us self-control.

Background of the city of Ephesus. What kind of world and church was there at that time and what were the errors that Paul addressed to Timothy? Most unhelpful city of its time. Pressure of society, pressed into a mould.

Nestled in the hill. To the human eye, delightful places

Historically proud, great capital city in Roman

A third of a million people, free city never occupied by Roman Army. Roman eagle throughout its streets.

Architecture, main road through the city, 35 marble pillars lined the road. Capital of Asia

Temple of Diana – one of the seven wonders of the world, the size of a rugby pitch. Team of 200 to build, sound better, theatre holding 25,000 spectators. Seats made of gold and silver

Sport, mat sports such as judo, wrestling, games. Athletes of the known world, Olympic games

Bank next to the temple like Olympic games, bank, Asia Minor

1. There is something to prevent (2:22,23).

Leaders must flee temptations, such as pleasure and power, that ruin their personal lives.

2. There are some things to pursue (2:22).

Leaders must chase after qualities that will build their character and integrity.

3. There are some things to portray (2:24-26).

Leaders must model right attitudes so that others will want to submit to God.

4. There are some things to perceive (3:1-9).

Leaders must read the times and take responsibility to hold firm to what is right.

5. There is something to pronounce (3:10-17).

Leaders must hold forth God’s Word and use it as a standard for training.

11. The Law of Sacrifice: Timothy Must Give up to Go up. 2nd Timothy 3:10-17

Paul called Timothy to surrender many of the comforts he could have enjoyed as a pastor. Paul teaches us how to handle sacrifices by addressing our example as a leader (2nd Timothy 3:10-13), our experience as a leader (3:14,15) and our equipping as a leader (3:16,17).

12.The Word of God: an Equipping Tool. 2nd Timothy 3:16,17

The Scripture is a thorough equipping tool, providing doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction, so everyone may be equipped for every good work (2nd Timothy 3:16,17). Using Scripture, the leader is to lay the foundation, provide direction, confront others when they err, correct their behaviour and help them progress again.

5. Leaders who gather followers spend their time; leaders who develop leaders invest their time.

Everywhere Paul went, he took companions. He considered the time he spent with them as an investment. And if he didn’t see a return – as in the case of John Mark (Acts 13:13) – Paul felt reluctant to keep investing in them (15:37-40). Think of your work with emerging leaders as an opportunity to invest in them.

6. Leaders who gather followers ask for little commitment; leaders who develop leaders ask for great commitment.

Following a leader takes commitment. But it is nothing compared to the commitment of a follower who is asked to lead others. As you ask people to step up to leadership, don’t treat your request lightly. Let them know to what you are asking them to commit. Acquaint them with the sacrifice and the service that come with leadership.

7. Leaders who gather followers impact this generation; leaders who develop leaders impact future generations.

People who lead followers impact only the individuals whose lives they touch personally. But people who develop and lead leaders extend their reach.

It takes a good leader to gather a group of followers and lead them to achieve a worthy goal. But it takes a great leader to lead other leaders – and that’s the only kind of leader who can take an organisation to the highest level and achieve explosive growth.

10. Courage: The Process of Taking a Stand. 2nd Timothy 2:22 – 3:17

Paul knew how important it was to encourage Timothy, for the young leader would have to take a stand in many tough situations. So he charged him to take courage and do what was right in difficult times. Courage is the first essential quality for effective leadership. Leaders initiate and take a stand even when no one else travels with them. Paul prepares Timothy for this act with his words:

Immoral city, no court of law, shot an arrow and if the person could reach that distance where it landed he was given his freedom. It didn’t matter what he had done he was free

Pressure on him to live a Holy life

Lustful city, disastrous for skewing you out of shape

Philosopher weeping, asking “what can I do with this immorality? Philosopher said all should all be throttled one by one. So evil.

Polluted city, Campbell Morgan

Full of religion, mixture of religions, worse than no religion – Ulster

Emperor worship, 3 temples to worship Him

Diana idol many breasts

Judaism mixed Old Testament cults. Like today’s cults eg. J W Morman, pact of plenty etc

Centre of occult practises

Sex, materialism, religion – the environment can have an effect on the Ephesian Christians

The call to follow Jesus was costly and could mean martyrdom and he encourages them to continue whatever the cost.

Introduction to 1st Timothy

The book of 1st Timothy amounts to a leadership training manual. Written by the apostle Paul to his young apprentice, Timothy, it contains. Not only good instruction for emerging leaders, but also lists the qualifications for a leader. Paul and Timothy provide the clearest mentoring relationship in Scripture of any since Elijah and Elisha. Their story begins in Acts 16:1-3, when Timothy joined Paul in Lystra. Paul invested in him for a long time, taking him on short-term mission trips, letting him preach, leaving him to pastor a young church and writing instructional letters to him while apart. Paul would do anything for his young protégé. Note how Paul developed Timothy as a leader.

First, we spot the Principle of Purposeful Pursuit. Paul proactively identified a young leader he could develop. He had been to Lystra and seen Timothy. His antennas were up. He insisted his team go back to challenge and invite the young man to join them.

Second, we see the Principle of Proven Potential. Paul did his homework on Timothy. He recognised him as a diamond in the rough. He watched Timothy prove himself in his home town while growing up, and he knew Timothy’s family and the stock he came from.

Third, Paul demonstrated the Principle of Practical Patience. Paul patiently selected and mentored Timothy. He was careful not to act prematurely and even advised his student not to “lay hands on anyone hastily” (5:22). He believed his team had acted too quickly in letting John Mark travel with them (Acts 12:25), and he didn’t want to pick fruit too early.

Fourth, notice the Principle of Participatory Process. Paul recognised that he was but one participant in a long line of contributors in Timothy’s life. In his second letter, Paul reminds Timothy of his other mentors, including his mother and grandmother. Timothy had a strong heritage before Paul came along; Paul simply played his rolein the process.

Finally, we see the Principle of Passion and Pricetags. Paul made clear the price of leadership in both of his letters to Timothy. After Paul found Timothy in Lystra, a mob dragged the apostle out of the city, stoned him and left him for dead. When he recovered, he returned , grabbed Timothy and finished his work there. This kind of passion for leadership drove Paul to reproduce leaders like Timothy.

1. A Leadership Training Manual

God’s Role in 1st Timothy

God plays out His role in 1st Timothy as the One who develops other leaders. Our Lord is the Master Developer who raised up Paul the apostle to equip Timothy to equip His church in Ephesus. God revealed to Timothy the fundamental principles and guidelines for church leadership and the qualifications for overseers and their code of conduct. Through this book God speaks very personally to

Consider seven major differences between leaders who gather followers and leaders who develop leaders:

1. Leaders who gather followers need to be needed; leaders who develop leaders want to be succeeded.

Many who desire to lead followers do so because followers stoke their egos. But leaders who develop leaders work to make themselves dispensable. They don’t want a following, but a legacy.

2. Leaders who gather followers focus on people’s weaknesses; leaders who develop leaders focus on their strengths.

Ineffectual leaders focus on their followers’ weaknesses, sometimes out of misunderstanding the way development and encouragement work, other times because of insecurity – they want to keep their followers off-balance. But strong leaders focus on their people’s strengths because they know that is the key to developing people.

3. Leaders who gather followers focus on the bottom 20 percent; leaders who develop leaders focus on the top 20 percent.

Explosive-growth leaders focus on the best in their leaders; they also focus on the best potential leaders. In contrast, leaders of followers usually give their attention to the loudest and most difficult people, the ones who take and take , giving nothing in return.

4. Leaders who gather followers treat everyone the same; leaders who develop leaders treat people as individuals.

When Paul went on his missionary journeys, he didn’t try to take everybody with him. Nor did he give everyone an equal chance to oversee the churches he started. He treated each person he encountered according to his gifts, calling and willingness to grow.

Paul was a master of explosive growth. He dedicated himself to people and activities that would impact the world. His strategy remains as effective today as it was two thousand years ago. To promote explosive growth .......

1. Attract and equip people.

Everywhere Paul went , he gathered listeners and taught them. Paul would enter a town and begin teaching – for days, months and sometimes years. No matter where he went, he continually equipped as many people as possible.

2. Find and mentor emerging leaders.

Paul mentored too many leaders to count. Some of them, like Silas, came to him already possessing influence and leadership skills (Acts 15:22). Others were home-grown, such as Timothy (1st Timothy 1:2). But no matter their background, Paul took them with him as he worked, preached and led. Then he turned them loose, giving them responsibility and authority.

3. Create new organisations.

Paul didn’t hoard the leaders he developed. He raised up leaders to multiply and extend his influence. And he did it with a strategy – he planted churches. Wherever he travelled , he left a church with leaders to carry on the ministry.

4. Engage in the ongoing development of leaders

Paul visited the leaders in his churches to follow up with them, encourage them and give them direction. Paul’s second missionary journey began with the following suggestion: “Let us go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing” (Acts 15:36). You can achieve a large vision only through explosive growth. Anything less will leave you far short of your dreams. But becoming an explosive-growth leader requires more than a change in the way you work; it requires a change in the way you think.

Leaders who Gather Followers versus Leaders who develop Leaders

Timothy and every spiritual leader.

2. Leaders in 1st Timothy

Paul, Timothy, elders

3. Other people of influence in 1st Timothy

Hymenaeus, Alexander, deacons

4. Lessons in Leadership1. Leaders must live by a higher standard than followers.2. Leaders are not mass produced, but must be mentored one at

a time.3. Leaders must celebrate diversity, but confront deviancy.4. The greatest contribution a leader can make is to develop

more leaders.5. Young leaders can influence by their example, if nothing less.6. A leader’s integrity will directly affect his/her influence.

5. LEADERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS IN 1ST TIMOTHY

Leadership by Objective (1:1, 2)

Qualifications of a Spiritual Leader (3:1-13)

The Qualities of a Spiritual Leader (3:2-13)

Timothy: An Unlikely Leader (4:12)

The Law of the Picture: The more you walk the less you have to talk (4:12-16)

The Law of Empowerment: Timothy was to equip elders (5:17-22)

Motive Check: Why you do something determines what you do (6:3-10, 17-19)

6. Humility: Paul never forgot where he came from: 1st Timothy 1:12-17

While we know Paul as the greatest evangelist in history, he knew that, left to himself he was the worst sinner (1st Timothy 1:15). God chose him because of his weaknesses, so that the Lord could display His great patience and grace in him. The more leaders mature, the more humble they become.

7. Leadership by Objective: 1st Timothy 1,2

Paul wrote this book as a training manual for young Timothy and sent it to the young leader as he attempted to pastor an intimidating church in Ephesus. Paul issues five charges for Timothy:

1. First Charge: Wage the good warfare (1:18-20)2. Second Charge: Conduct yourself worthy of God’s house

(3:14,15)3. Third charge: Do not neglect your gift (4:11-16)4. Fourth Charge: Observe these things without prejudice (5:21)5. Fifth Charge: Guard what is committed to you (6:20,21)

Paul communicates his purpose on several occasions. He declares it in 1st Timothy 1:5. Paul believed in management by objective. He was quick to share his bottom line goals with his team and encouraged them to meet those objectives in the manner that suited them best. He considered the mission, not the methods, sacred. He teaches us that:

1. Leaders manage goals. They let people choose their own methods.

2. Leaders create atmosphere. They let people own their own style.

3. Leaders determine budget. They give ownership of how money is spent.

4. Leaders choose priorities. They share activities with gifted people.

5. Leaders train the team. They freely give away the credit for victories.

8. Leaders need prayer partners: 1st Timothy 2:1-4

gives before He demands. We receive His competence before we receive His commands.

1. Portraits of a Leader. 2nd Timothy 2:2-26

Paul was a master at using metaphors to illustrate what a leader should look like. Right after he encourages Timothy to be strong (2nd Timothy 2:1) he gives him seven snapshots of what he meant:

1. A Teacher (v2)A leader is to be reproductive.

2. A Soldier (v 3,4)A leader is to be loyal

3. An athlete (v5)A leader is to be disciplined.

4. A farmer (v6,7)A leader is to be a hard worker

5. A vessel (v20-22)A leader is to be pure

6. A Servant (v23-26)A leader is to be submissive

21 Laws

Paul and the Law of Explosive Growth. To add Growth, Lead Followers – to Multiply, Lead Leaders. 2nd Timothy 2:1

Leaders who develop followers grow their organisation only one person at a time. But leaders who develop leaders multiply their growth, because for every leader they develop, they also receive all that leader’s followers. Add ten followers to your organisation and you will have the power of ten people. Add ten leaders to your organisation and you will have the power of ten leaders times all the followers and leaders they influence. That’s the difference between addition and multiplication. It’s like growing your organisation by teams instead of by individuals.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

6. Gifts: We are Most Effective when We Lead from Our Gifts 2nd Timothy 1:5-7

Our leadership will always be most natural, most effective and most influential when we lead from our gifts and strengths. Then it won’t feel forced, feel awkward, seem artificial or copy someone else. Effective leadership occurs when we lead from our own identity. Paul believed Timothy’s leadership would grow strong when he remembered three truths:

1. His secure heritage (v5)Paul reminded Timothy of the spiritual foundation his family gave him.

2. His spiritual gift (v6)Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gifts inside him and lead from those gifts.

3. His solid conviction (v7)Paul reminded Timothy that God didn’t give him fear, but the tools to do the job.

7. The Law of Empowerment : God Gives us What we Need to Lead. 2nd Timothy 1:7,8

God always gives us what we need to lead. Paul reminded Timothy that God didn’t give him the timidity he felt; that came from either Timothy’s own baggage or from the pit of hell itself. Instead, God equipped him with Love, power and a sound mind. All leaders need these three fundamental tools:

Love: The relational ingredient that enables us to attract and connect with others.

Power: The courage and competence to get the job done.

Sound Mind: The perspective and wisdom to grasp a vision and take the right steps.

Because God has so equipped us, he instructs us to “not be ashamed ... but share .... in the sufferings” (2nd Timothy 1:8). God gave Timothy (and us) everything needed to accomplish the job. He

When we pray for God to change leaders, we affect them and everyone who follows them. Praying for our leaders results in an atmosphere conducive to the spreading of the Gospel. Every leader ought to be proactive, recruiting and equipping a team of prayer partners, who will pray for their protection, wisdom and strength.

9. Qualifications of Spiritual Leaders: 1st Timothy 3:1-13

In Paul’s list of qualifications for church leaders, 1st Timothy 3:10 is key: “But let these also first be tested.” Every leader should be tested before given an official position. The preparation of a leader is crucial to their success. Frank Damazio outlines Paul’s logic concerning leadership:

Leader’s Salvation

Leader’s Call Leader’s Preparation

Leader’s Position

Leadership is planted as a seed

Leadership begins to sprout

Leadership is tested as a plant

Leadership matures and bears fruit

Paul gave this list of qualifications for two reasons: first, to provide guidelines for churches to select leaders; second, to give church leaders a checkpoint for their own spiritual lives. Paul reminds us that if anyone aspires to be a leader, he aspires to a noble task. To have the gifts and qualities and not take on leadership positions may be a disobedience. The desire, however, must be accompanied by discipline.

10.The Qualities of a Spiritual Leader: 1st Timothy 3:2-13

What sort of qualifications must church leaders possess? Paul lists the following traits:

1. Blameless (v2) – Question: Am I quick to improve those areas that can damage my integrity?

2. Husband of one wife (v2) – Question: Am I loving my wife as Christ loved the church?

3. Temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour (v2) – Question: Am I master of myself, that I can be servant to many?

4. Hospitable (v2) – Question: Do I exhibit a warm and welcoming spirit?

5. Able to teach (v2) – Question: Do I constantly help others to learn and become better disciples?

6. Not given to wine (v3) – Question: Am I sober, watchful and diligent, so I do not damage those who watch me?

7. Not violent, not quarrelsome (v3) – Question: Do I have an approachable disposition that brings peace and healing?

8. Not greedy, not covetous (v3) – Question: Am I allowing my leadership to be controlled by the rich?

9. Rules his own house well (v4,5) – Question: Do I manage my own family before I try to manage the church?

10.Not a novice (v6) – Question: Am I a seasoned, solid example for both insiders and outsiders?

11. The Law of Solid Ground: Timothy must earn Trust. 1st Timothy 4:1-16

Every Spiritual leader faces at least two important duties. First, they must confront those who fall away from the faith (1st Timothy 4:1-6). Second, they must discipline themselves for godliness (4:7-16). When leaders fulfil these two duties, they practice the Law of Solid Ground and earn the trust of others.

12.Timothy – An Unlikely Leader. 1st Timothy 4:12

Nothing can make someone more unlikely – even unwilling – to lead than feelings of inadequacy.Timothy, the young protégé of the apostle Paul, must have felt much as Moses did when God called him to lead Israel out of Egyptian captivity. Moses felt inadequate fort the task, and likely so did Timothy.We can identify any number of reasons that Timothy might have felt unfit to accept his assignment as pastor of the Ephesian Church. He was too young and too inexperienced, and the church seemed too large for a first pastoral assignment. Besides, how could he take over from for the church’s founder, Paul? Would anyone take him seriously?“Never mind all that,” Paul tells him in his letter. “If you follow my instructions, you will be more than able to do the job. Don’t let

1. Final Lessons for a Protégé :God’s role in 2nd Timothy

God made sure that Paul spoke to the heart of a leader, not merely to the head. While the book contains practical instructions for the mind and challenging exhortations for the will, God delivers through Paul’s pen words that fly straight to the heart and the emotions of Timothy. Any leader can receive valuable encouragement from this letter. It calls leaders to lead out of their souls and their convictions, to stand for what is right even when no one else does, to finish well, regardless of the moral failure of the world. God speaks very personally and mentors us to be His kind of leaders – good ones and not evil, great ones instead of miserable.

2. Leaders in Timothy - Paul, Timothy

3. Other people of influence in 2nd Timothy – Demas, Crescens, Carpus, Titus, Luke, John, Mark, Alexander

4. Lessons in Leadership We are most effective when we lead in the area of our gifts. Leaders are to equip and develop other leaders who will do

the same. Leaders set the standard for excellence, morality, productivity

and atmosphere. The pathway to effective leadership is uphill with lots of

hurdles along the way. Leaders must consciously work to finish well. Spiritual leaders who finish well will be rewarded richly.

5. Leadership Highlights in 2nd Timothy

The Law of Empowerment: God gives us what we need to lead (1:7,8)

Paul and the Law of Explosive Growth: To add growth, lead followers – to multiply, lead leaders (2:1)

Courage: the process of taking a stand (2:22 – 3:17)

The Law of Priorities: Timothy’s three priorities (4:1-8)

Introduction to 2nd Timothy

You can often tell what is important to a man by listening to his last words. Deathbed statements and confessions have furnished the theme of movies and books for decades. David Livingstone uttered his last words in prayer for the tribes he tried to reach in Africa. Jesus’ last words make up the Great Commission. And we read the apostle Paul’s last words in 2nd Timothy.

This epistle is the last extant book written by the great first-century leader. In it he communicates several crucial issues with his spiritual son Timothy, the young pastor of the church in Ephesus. Paul has been his mentor and discipler. This letter contains the apostle’s final lessons for his protégé.

Paul exhorts Timothy to stir up his leadership gifts. Timothy, young and timid, at times felt overwhelmed by his leadership role. Paul reminds Timothy of the day he laid his hands on him and commissioned him for the ministry. Now Timothy needs to into flame those God-given gifts and use them without fear or shame.

Paul also motivates Timothy with word pictures. In chapter two alone the apostle uses seven leadership metaphors: teacher, soldier, athlete, farmer, worker, vessel and servant. These pictures portray a leader who is generous, disciplined, patient, rugged, tenacious, pure, hardworking and sacrificial.

Paul also mentors his young leader in how to face difficult times. He reviews with him the culture around him and warns him of coming opposition. He describes the gospel as a trust to be preserved, a tool to be proven and a treasure to be prized. Timothy is to advance this gospel beyond where Paul has taken it.

Finally, Paul challenges Timothy to carry on his legacy. He speaks as a mentor, particularly at the end of his book, and charges him to lead with conviction, to preach the gospel just as he had received it and to reproduce other leaders to be as faithful as he has been. This kind of labour will bring a heavenly crown of reward.

anyone look down on you because of relative youth and inexperience. Rather, be the kind of example of godliness that won’t allow anyone to treat you with anything but respect.”God doesn’t necessarily choose leaders based on their natural talent or ability. Neither does He always choose them based on their age and experience. As Paul tells Timothy, God chooses leaders based on their availability, not their ability; on their willingness to walk in obedience to Him, not their experience.

13. The Law of the Picture: the most Important Lesson about Influence. 1st Timothy 4:12-16

How could Timothy prevent anyone from looking down on him because of his youth? He could do it by being an example; this would ensure his effectiveness (1st Timothy 4: 15,16). The more you walk, the less you have to talk. Live the life in front of the ones you seek to influence. Our leadership is more caught than taught. People would rather see a sermon than hear one.

14. The Law of Priorities: Leadership begins at Home, then goes Public. 1st Timothy 5:8

In the midst of all his teaching about how believers are to relate to one another in the church, Paul prioritizes Timothy’s leadership as a pastor. If anyone does not provide for his own home, the apostle declares, he cannot expect to provide for the church with any integrity (1st Timothy 5:8)Leadership starts at home. If it doesn’t work at home, don’t export it. Pastors, especially, must heed this warning. Leadership works best when it is prioritized as follows:

1. I am first a person, I must prioritize my own relationship with God.

2. Second, I am a partner. I must prioritize my relationship with my spouse.

3. Third, I am a parent. I must prioritize my relationship with my children.

4. Fourth, I am a pastor. I must prioritize my relationship with my ministry.

15. The Law of Empowerment: Timothy was to Equip Elders.

1st Timothy 5:17-22

Leaders are crucial to any organisation. Mistakes made at the leadership level impact on everyone. As the senior pastor, Timothy was to identify, prepare and affirm his church leaders. He was to honour those who served well (1st Timothy 5:17,18), correct those in error (5:19-21), and prepare those who were called, patiently and carefully (5:22). Nothing should be done in haste.Consider the steps Paul endorsed concerning the establishment of leaders in the church:

1. Identification: Identify those with character, gifts and influence.

2. Separation: Set them apart for the work of their calling.3. Preparation: Equip them with the tools and experiences they

need.4. Recognition: Allow the church to affirm their calling.5. Ordination: Lay hands on them and ordain them for the work.

16. Motive Check: Why You do Something Determines What You do. 1st Timothy 6:3-10, 17-19

Because our motives eventually determine our direction, Paul taught that right motives were even more important for the leader than the right moves. Note Paul’s teaching on motives:

1. The evidence of wrong motives (v3). The leader’s doctrine drifts and the teaching does not produce godliness.

2. The nature of wrong motives (v4,5). The proud leader stirs division and pursues personal gain.

3. The results of wrong motives (v9,10). The leader falls into temptation, wanders from the faith and destroys himself or herself.

So how are we to watch our motives? What key principles should we keep in mind?

1. Trouble comes when leadership performs for the wrong reasons.

2. Spiritual leadership brings rewards, so long as the rewards don’t control us.

3. Prosperity is everything God gives you above food and covering.

4. We must be content with God’s provision and placement.5. We must remain dissatisfied with our own fruitfulness and

pursuit of God.6. Wrong motives can lead to wrong moves, and even disqualify

us for leadership.