Guard Your Group!

1 Timothy 4:1-5

It’s not really a subject that is talked about a whole lot. Or if it is, it’s usually pretty “out there.” That subject is “demons.”

Demons appear quite frequently in Scripture. And when they do, they remind us of something essential: this world is not all there is. In other words, demons teach us that there is a spiritual world that exists beyond our normal senses. What’s more, they teach us that part of this spiritual world is in vehement opposition to God and to his people.

But what shape does this demonic opposition actually take? What does it actually look like? Is it routinely in the form of dramatic possessions or overtly satanic occultism? Actually, no. Paul in 1 Timothy 4:1-5 warns that one of the more prevalent forms of demonic influence in the church of Jesus Christ is teaching that denies the goodness of two things: marriage and food. Underlying the deception here is the idea that true spirituality involves abstaining from anything to do with the body, which is perceived as being in and of itself evil.

Now, why would Satan and his minions wish to deceive people regarding these things? For two reasons:

First, such deception discredits the Creator. If marriage and food- two things that God made good and for our joy- can be painted as fundamentally negative things, then our view of God’s creation becomes distorted and we will fail to give God the glory due his name.

Second, such deception dismisses our freedom in Christ. The Gospel proclaims that “the kingdom of heaven is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). In other words, any time we make the spiritual life about external issues- about what we eat or don’t eat, drink or don’t drink, or about if we get married or don’t get married- we compromise the gospel of grace and freedom in Christ.

So, what does this have to do with us as Life Group leaders? Simply put, we need to be on guard against the attacks of the Evil One on our groups. Anything that threatens to rob glory from God or put us into bondage to legalism we must protect our people from. And how do we do that? Paul tells Timothy in 4:6 to be “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine you have been following.” That’s it: the “words of the faith” and “sound doctrine.” As shepherds of God’s people, these are our rod and our staff. Let us use them effectively!

On guard with you,

aaron

Leading God's Way

1 Timothy 3:14–15 (ESV)

¹⁴I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that,

¹⁵if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

According to this passage, Paul’s main concern in writing this epistle was that Timothy would “know how one ought to behave in the household of God” (verse 15). In fact, in the Greek, the wording is even stronger: Paul uses the little word “dei” which means, “it is necessary.” This makes the verse read, “how it is necessary for one to behave in the household of God.” In other words, God has “house rules” that leaders are to be aware of and, by necessity, are to follow.

This isn’t something we like to think about, quite frankly. We are quick to sound the trumpet and cry “Grace!” and "Freedom in Christ!" but are much slower to give thought to what God has laid down for house rules. We somehow think a little word like “dei” is incompatible with the freedom of the Gospel. Not so, however! In fact, just the opposite is true. Before coming to Christ, we were slaves to sin (Romans 6:20). But when the Gospel of God’s grace comes into our hearts and sets us free from sin, it also makes us slaves to God and to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18.) The Gospel, in this sense, is the message of our transfer from one slavery to another.

As leaders, it is incredibly important that we daily grasp this. We are not our own, we were bought with a price. As it applies to our leadership, it means that we cannot merely invent our own methodology and means. We must go to God, our Master, and to his Word, and from them learn “how it is necessary for us to behave in the household of God.”

Learning with you,

aaron

Are you qualified to lead?

First Timothy 3:1-13

This passage is about one thing: qualified leadership.

Paul’s concern is for the church to be led by individuals who are qualified. That is not to say that he required perfection, but rather that he saw the very real need for a certain level of Christian growth and skill to be present in those who lead.

Now, our role as Life Group leaders is not the same as that of elders and deacons, to whom this passage directly applies. But still, we have no less of a responsibility to be qualified to lead than they do. So what does this mean?

It means that both holiness and competency must be present and increasing in our lives in order to lead with the blessing of God. Again, the issue is not perfection- we all stumble in many ways. Don't let momentary discouragements keep you from leading. But, ask yourself: Am I living a life worth following? And am I capable of passing such a life on to others? And, ultimately, am I growing in all of this? If so, you are qualified for leadership. If not, why not ask God this day for his help, that you can better walk before him in holiness and help others to do the same. 

Structured Life Groups

1 Timothy 2:8–15 (ESV)

⁸I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;

⁹likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,

¹⁰but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

¹¹Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.

¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

¹³For Adam was formed first, then Eve;

¹⁴and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

¹⁵Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

So, after a little break, I’ve resumed going through First Timothy in an attempt to draw from that letter some principles for Life Group leadership. I’ve got to admit though: when I came to this passage, I seriously thought about scrapping the whole project!

Simply put, this is a sticky passage. No matter how you slice it, Paul is saying some things that are plain ol’ hard to understand, let alone to apply to Life Group leadership. But, since it is God’s Word, and all Scripture is useful to us, I’ve decided not to pass over it. And I’m glad. Because, this passage gives us a very important lesson to hold onto as we seek to lead God’s people.

The lesson has to do with order.

How orderly is your Life Group? What I mean is, does your group have a healthy structure to it that reflects what God is like and reflects how he desires things to be done? Or, does your group just sort-of…happen? Because that is what Paul is talking about in these verses. Regardless of how we interpret the apostle’s statements about men and women in the church, at the core of what he is saying is that there should be a thoughtful, organized, God-honoring way we go about our ministries.

This is difficult to accomplish in an age of busyness and in an era that prizes spontaneity over structure. We often simply lack the time to prepare well and, quite frankly, many of us are resistant to defined ways of doing things. But, as Paul points out in this passage, from the very beginning God has been a God of order. And at least in some sense, God’s ordering of things at creation becomes a template for us in terms of ordering our ministries today.

So, does your Life Group have order to it? Not rigid inflexibility, but a thoughtfulness that lays a foundation for growth? If so, then this is reflective of the God who made all things. If not, why not begin to think through fresh ways in which to bring a divinely patterned structure to your group so that it can thrive, bearing fruit to God and bringing blessing to those around you?

Give me one good reason...or three

As Christians- and especially as Christian leaders- we know well that it is important to pray. But perhaps it’s been a while since you’ve heard some good reasons why it’s important. Well, you’re in luck. Because, in 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Paul gives us three good, related reasons why the church should pray.

1.    We should pray so “…that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

In the context, Paul is referring to praying for all kinds of people, particularly government officials and civil leaders. We should pray for such people, he says, because they have the potential to make our lives as Christians not so “peaceful and quiet” and can make it difficult to live “godly and dignified” in the world. In other words, we should pray for those in authority because our ability to live out our Christian faith in our culture without hindrance depends on it.

2.    We should pray because it “is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Praying for all people Paul calls “good” and “pleasing” to God. The reason for this is that God himself has a concern for all people. In the context, this refers to “all kinds of people” (including those in authority). When we pray in this way, then, we demonstrate that our hearts are aligned with God’s and that we share his priorities. This brings delight to God's soul.

3.    We should pray because “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus….”

Finally, we should pray because our God alone is the hope of all peoples. When we are lacking in prayer, we are essentially ignoring the fact that salvation is found in Christ alone and that the blessing of God comes only through him. We're telling the world to look elsewhere. When, however, we do pray, we are testifying that Jesus is the only way.

Seeking God with you,

aaron

 

Life Group = War

It may come as a surprise to us, but Christian leaders are called to be fighters. That is what we may conclude from Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1:18, “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.” In a world of timid and tepid Christianity, this is a word that is sorely needed.

But what is Paul exactly saying? Are we to be violent and cruel, merciless as a soldier on the battlefield? Are we to seek the destruction of those that oppose us, exercising no compassion as we pursue our objective? Obviously not! Rather, the metaphor of waging war teaches us something of the dedication and discipline we are to have as followers of Christ and as leaders in the church.

Ours is no simple task: we have been charged to spread the Gospel to the four corners of the globe and to make disciples of every nation. This mission is so vast and so significant that nothing less than total dedication to it will suffice, no matter what level of the task we engage on. As Paul tells Timothy elsewhere, “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” As Christian leaders, the Lord Jesus Christ himself has enlisted us to fight for his cause- nothing ought to distract us from this appointment.

However, If you are like me, plenty of things distract you. The ceaseless pursuit of entertainment and recreation in our generation wars against us even as we seek to wage the good warfare. So, too, the allure of materialism hinders us from being fully engaged in the battle that is the Christian mission. Even the best of things can harass us: work, friendships, and family can take an idolatrous position in our souls as we serve them before and instead of the Lord.

So how do we combat these distractions and hindrances? Paul tells Timothy one strategy: “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.” What is Paul saying here? In sum, he is telling Timothy to reflect upon the way in which he was officially called to his role as a leader by the church (this is what he means by “the prophecies”), and to see that call as motivation to excel in ministry. In other words, Paul is saying, “Timothy! This is what you’ve been appointed to! This is what you're gifted for! The whole church has publicly recognized your calling to ministry! Now- pursue it with all you’ve got- let nothing stand in your way!”

This truth is significant, not just to Timothy, but to us as well. When we, like Timothy, understand that God has appointed us to something (for example, to Life Group leadership), and this appointment has been recognized, confirmed, and supported by the church-at-large, it gives us great incentive to be zealously faithful to our task.

So, let me encourage you: spend some time soon reflecting on your call to Life Group leadership. Reflect on the fact that you’ve been enlisted to fight in the army of the Lord of Hosts and have been chosen by the church to lead. And then, pursue your ministry with all you’ve got!

Fighting with you,

aaron

Thinking About Ministry

1 Timothy 1:12–17 (ESV)

¹²I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

¹³though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,

¹⁴and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

¹⁶But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

¹⁷To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

When Paul thought about his ministry, what came to his mind? According to this passage, at least five things filled his mind and should fill ours too:

1.     Christ’s Power (verse 12)

Read Paul thoroughly and you’ll discover one thing: he knew where his power for ministry came from. For him, Christ was the one “who has given me strength.” As Life Group leaders, we too must constantly find the Lord as our might for ministry.

2.     Christ’s Appointment (verse 12)

No true ministry leader is a ministry leader simply because he or she decided to become one. Rather, a true ministry leader is one that Christ has appointed to the task. Paul held onto this truth tightly, and it gave him courage and conviction.

3.     Christ’s Provision (verses 13-14)

Paul never separated his ministry from the provision of mercy and grace that Christ had poured out on him in salvation. And we shouldn’t either. Instead, we should always seek to lead out of a heart that is assured by, satisfied with, and resting in our salvation.

4.     Christ’s Appearing (verse 15)

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Simple. Concise. Profound beyond all imagination or grasp of reason. This is the brilliant Gospel: bright as the sun, the center of our faith and the axis of our ministry. Paul never left it behind.

5.     Christ’s Purpose (verse 16)

Why had Paul, the chief of sinners, received mercy? Why had Christ been so gracious toward him? The Lord had indeed had a purpose: Paul was to be an example, for the entire world to see, of Christ’s great love and grace. In other words, a ministry leader is a picture of how the Lord treats those who turn to him. When people see us, they should see a portrait of God’s lovingkindness.