WALK THE TALK AS A CHRISTIAN!! God is looking for such people (PSALMS. 15:2; 51:6). He is looking for those who not only can tell the gospel story but also for those who will live it. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth (1 JOHN. 3:18). That is a problem for every Christian. Often it is easier to preach a sermon than it is to live it. Preachers are not immune! Even Paul recognized that after he had preached to others that he himself might become a "castaway" (1 CORINTHIANS. 9:27). My words may "talk the talk" of noble intentions and of a virtuous life. What, though, does my behavior reveal? You may fool me. I may deceive you, but neither of us can mislead the Lord (PSALMS. 139)! Yes, tell me wonderful things. Inspire me with words of godly wisdom. "Talk the talk." Tell others, but do not forget to "walk the walk," to live the truth. Let your heart be filled with integrity and your inner man with purity (2 CORINTHIANS. 7:1). He who searches your heart and mine knows the truth (ECCLESIASTES. 12:14; 1 CORINTHIANS. 4:3-5). "Be not deceived; God is not mocked" (GALATIANS . 6:7). The Bible does not talk a lot about the organization of a church, but there is a lot about character, the integrity of leaders. Paul the mentor is instructing the student Timothy about being a leader in the church. Timothy is in Ephesus and the church is sidetracked by teachers that are getting sidetracked in mindless arguments that are not edifying and don’t make any difference. Stick with the fundamentals of the faith is Paul’s counsel. Let first things be first. Paul councel’s the young Timothy about how to stay out of the drama, keeping in mind the goal of living in peace, focusing on the simple truth of the gospel. And now in chapter 3, Paul is saying to Timothy: “walk the talk.” Practice what you preach. Chapter 3 is about the standards of being a leader in the church. Not only for Timothy, but any leaders, 1-7 seems to be more about pastors and then 8-13 “deacons” or other leaders, but there is a tremendous amount of overlap. This scripture sets out a standard, a vision of what we are to seek to be. We are called in the Christian life to become more and more like Christ, in our character, walk the talk of our faith. Almost all of these standards are for anyone, not pastors alone. E.g. “not quarrelsome” is a standard that will enrich any person’s life. Christians must have high standards, high goals, because it is a high calling: 1 TIMOTHY 3:1 says of the Christian leader that it is a noble task. Most of this sermon I am going to talk in general terms about being a Christian leader, but a few words about the calling of being a pastor. Is anyone here feel that God is calling them to be a pastor? Here is my advice, go ahead and run away from those thoughts (like Jonah). If the Lord will not let you run away, but keeps you captive to an inner calling, then the day must come when you tell others. The calling on your life comes from two directions: within and without. Is God speaking to your heart, then when the day comes to tell others, that is when the affirmation of the Christian Community starts to become a factor. 1 TIMOTHY. 3:1 is the inner calling. 1 TIMOTHY. 3:2-7 is a set of guidelines for the church to measure the leader, the affirmation from outside Christians who walk the talk will make the biggest impact on their world: be the person you proclaim you want others to become. You could probably slice and dice this list in different ways, but it’s worthwhile to take a quick look at the standards… CHRISTIAN STANDARDS BAISED ON : 1. Faithfulness in marriage (2) Jesus was not married, Paul was not married, so this cannot mean a leader must be married or that marriage is part of the highest calling. Many people live a full life and never marry. Clearly it means for those that are married, a good marriage that blesses each other. Marriage is a private relationship, but marriages also make an impact on others. In practical terms, if a person is having difficulties in their marriage, frankly, that needs to be the focus and to try and be a leader is not fair to anyone…. 2. Self-mastery temperate, self-controlled, respectable (2) each of these three words can be summarized as a mastery over self. Temperate: reasonable, moderate, sober. A self discipline. All kinds of personalities, some people are night owls and others early risers, but when it comes time to teach or lead, as long as the person knows themselves and is prepared. Some people have an image of pastors that they are supposed to look a certain way or have a certain personality. If you cannot lead yourself, how can you possibly expect to lead others. Get yourself under control. 3. Hospitality (2). “a love for strangers.” In order to be a leader you have to like people and welcome them. I like people. Can I pat myself on the back? 4. teaching ability (2). This is the only specific ability for pastors in this list. This is not a moral quality, but a gift of God. Just a reminder that there are different leadership positions, and for pastors and other positions there are some practical gifts needed. 5 Temper. Not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome. Gentlesness is a fruit of the spirit, as was self-control. Clearly a life quality meant for all, but especially those who aspire to be leaders. If a person has a problem with getting angry way too much, they can learn. I don’t accept people saying they don’t have control. Gentleness is a learned discipline. If somebody comes to me with a problem about somebody else, I listen and then depending on the situation I try to direct them to solving the problem. 6. Attitude towards money. Later Paul says to Timothy Money is the root of all evil (1 TIMOTHY. 6:10). “not a lover of money.” Keeping money in a healthy perspective. 7. Spiritual maturity. Leaders need to have a certain level of maturity. Often that comes with age. In general in order to be a leader in this church we ask for a certain level of involvement, but we don’t have any hard and fast rules. Common sense. outside reputation, do other see you walk the talk? Christians are watched. “If I were to ever become a Christian” I was told by a man in the community, “It would be because of your father. That man walked his talk.” People are smart. They know if we are being superficial. Our Christian walk must come out of a pure desire to serve and know Christ. People know the difference. They are watching what we do more than what we say. May our desire be to follow Christ and serve him. High expectations. High calling. Holding ourselves to high standards.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 16:58:59 +0000