Church and Leadership: Hold to the Teaching (2 Timothy 2:14-19)
Gary McManus, 10/18/2015Part of the God's Word is Life series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Pastors are called. Serving as a Pastor
is a calling. The word “vocation” is based
on the Latin word for “call.”
The call was an event in the past and
continues in the present (at least for
Pastor Gary McManus, it does).
The call is conveyed through the Holy
Spirit (present in all followers of Jesus).
So, ideally, all would know about the
Pastor’s call.
Today’s Word of God mentions those
who have strayed from their call.
(Indeed, they may have strayed from
the Truth.)
That is horrible. The warning is to the CHURCHES.
This is a warning to the churches concerning leadership.
It is not the ONLY warning in the Bible.
(Ephesians 4:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:15,
1 Timothy 1)
False teachers are believers in Jesus but
teaching contrary to the Apostles’ teaching.
There were PAGAN agitators and troublemakers.
There were Jewish agitators. There were Jewish
Christians who made things difficult. But in this
case it is the “faithful followers” in leadership
who are wrong.
Wrong teaching is usually called a heresy.
Did the Apostle(s) remove them? Don’t know.
Instructions for choosing church leadership
(Elders:1 Peter 5):
BE SHEPHERDS
Three qualities of shepherding
Verses 2b: exercise your oversight . . .
- not under compulsion,
- not for sordid gain,
- nor yet as lording it over others
The Apostle can mention BY NAME
some men who FAILED.
(2 Timothy 4, Philipians 3:15-21,
1 Timothy 1:20)
Later history even tells us of others
like Meander who taught incorrectly about the resurrection.
Also a man named Simon and Carpocarates.
The Pastor’s job is to warn you and to
inoculate you in the word of God. . .
Innoculate:
teach these things in order to PROTECT
you from such people and their teachings.
See 1 Timothy 6.
What Have We Learned?
It occurred to me that if you had been here for thirty years (or fewer or you were a transient) there are some things you SHOULD have learned at DCC while Pastor McManus served here (where he still serves):
1. God’s Word is THE most important thing. Period.
2. Your relationship to Jesus is the most important thing. Period.
[If you have any questions about number 2, refer back to number 1.]
3. Prayer CANNOT be done too much (no scripture says such a thing).
4. Do Jesus things. Jesus gave us things to do—do them.
5. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things
will be added to you.” --Jesus
6. “Ask, seek, knock.” --Jesus
7. “Love. . .” --Jesus
Seven seems like a perfect number; I’ll leave it at that. –Pastor Gary
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