FLAKY FLEECES AND LAME LITMUS TESTS
 
TEXT:
1 Tim. 3:1-7
Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.  2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,  3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.  5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)  6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
 
INTRODUCTION:
 
(This sermon was part of a series on 1Timothy)
 
  A. DIFFERENT NAMES FOR PASTOR IN THE NT
    1. Elder - This speaks of his wisdom and maturity.
    2. Bishop - This speaks of his authority as an overseer.
    3. Pastor - This speaks of his responsibility to care for the flock
    4. Preacher - This speaks of his duty to proclaim the counsel of God. 
    5. Teacher - This speaks of his duty to instruct the body of Christ.
    6. Servant - This speaks of his call to minister to the needs of others.
    7. Steward - This speaks of his duty to tend to God’s business first.
 
   B. THE BIBLICAL CRITERIA
    1. Biblical criteria helps us objectively choose leaders
    2. It may surprise some of you to know that there is actually a list of Biblical qualifications for a pastor. 
    3. We are to use Biblical criteria as the standard for pastors.
    4. Sadly, there are many who have other methods.
    5. Some of those misguided methods are:
            Judging a pastor based on his popularity
            Judging a pastor by how much money he brings the church
            Judging a pastor based on outward appearances.
    7. The Biblical criteria can be divided under three headings:
            A pastor should be a Godly man
            A pastor should be a good Family man
            A pastor should be a good Church man
 
I. FLAKY FLEECES AND LAME LITMUS TESTS
 
  A. UNBIBLICAL STANDARDS
    1. Some people want to establish their own standards for pastors.
    2. Usually, these are people who don’t like the pastor and are looking for a way to judge and condemn him.
    3. They want to toss out the Biblical standards.
    4. They want to introduce a new set of standards.
    5. It’s sort of like playing a board game such as Monopoly with people who keep changing the rules as you go along.
    6. It can be extremely frustrating for a godly pastor.
    7. I call these unbiblical standards lame litmus tests and flaky fleeces.
 
  B. FLAKY FLEECES
    1. Some get the idea that God is telling them to judge their pastor based on a flaky fleece…
    2. They put out a fleece by saying, “If the pastor doesn’t do this certain secret thing that we are thinking of, then it will mean that he’s not of God…”
    3. A fleece is what Gideon used because he did not have a Bible.
    4. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to use fleeces.
    5. We have a Bible and we don’t need fleeces.
    6. In fact, those who use fleeces will eventually get fleeced.
    7. I mean, if you use fleeces to make decisions then someday, someone will eventually take advantage of you.
    8. If you use fleeces, the devil has an opportunity to use it.
    9. Flaky Fleeces for pastors have nothing to do with the Biblical Qualifications for a Pastor as established in 1Tim.3.
    10. A flaky fleece has nothing to do with sound doctrine. 
    11. A flaky fleece has nothing to do with any moral failure.
    12. Those who use flaky fleeces would have already condemned the man of God over any moral failure if there was one to be found. 
    13. Since they can’t find any moral failure in him, they establish a new, unbiblical criteria for judging the man of God.
    14. They set up some unknown and unspecified flaky fleece…
    15. If the pastor doesn’t pass, then he’s supposedly “not of God”!
    16. If he doesn’t show up at some certain meeting, then they say “he’s not of God.”
    17. Forget that the pastor may know nothing about the meeting.
    18. Forget the fact that the pastor was never told how important the meeting was to these people.
    19. Forget the fact that the pastor may have had a thousand legitimate reasons for not being at the meeting.
    20. Forget the fact that it might have been a bad time for him…
    21. If he doesn’t make it to the meeting, then he’s condemned based on the flaky fleece that was put out.
    22. Supposedly, “he’s not of God” because he didn’t show up.
    23. Another flaky fleece deals with sermons
    24. Some think they know more than the pastor when it comes to what God is telling the man of God to preach.
    25. If he doesn’t preach according to their “flaky fleece” preaching calendar, then they condemn him as not being a man of God.
    26. A church treasurer may think the pastor should preach on tithing at least once per quarter.
    27. A backslidden church member may think the pastor should never preach on tithing.
    28. The self righteous want every message to be positive and motivational.
    29. The self condemning want every message to be on holiness.
    30. The pastor needs to hear from God rather than being swayed by flaky fleeces.
 
  C. LAME LITMUS TESTS
    1. Lame litmus tests are usually based on people’s previous experiences.
    2. Just like flaky fleeces, a lame litmus test has nothing to do with the Biblical Qualifications for the Pastor. 
    3. Misguided souls use lame litmus tests to determine whether or not a pastor is a “man of God.”
    4. Lame litmus tests are based on the preacher’s looks and mannerisms.
    5. For a long time, if a Pentecostal Preacher didn’t comb his hair like Jimmy Swaggart’s then “he was not of God.”
    6. If a charismatic doesn’t wear expensive suits like Kenneth Copeland, then “he’s not of God.”
    7. If a Calvary Chapellite doesn’t dress casual, then he’s not of God.
    8. If you don’t have perfect white teeth…
    9. Forget about the Scriptural test of a pastor in 1Tim.3
    10. They would rather judge by some flaky fleece or some lame litmus test.
    11. What does the Bible Say?
 
II. THE CALL TO LEADERSHIP
 
  A. LEADERS ARE HANDPICKED
    1. “…if anyone sets his heart on being an elder…”
    2. Gk. means to reach or stretch out.
    3. This word carries the idea of having a deep, burning desire to be something.
    4. No one just decides to go into the ministry.
    5. The call of God turns into a deep burning desire to preach.
    6. If God has called a man to preach, then he is a handpicked man!
    7. Amos was called to preach - Amos 7:14-15
    8. Jeremiah was called to preach - Jer. 1:5
    9. John the Baptist was called to preach - Luke 1:15-17
 
  B. “HE DESIRES A NOBLE TASK”
    1. Is Christian service a worthwhile goal to pursue?
    2. Is there any value in serving God?
    3. We all want to make a difference.
    4. We don’t want to waste our time or our lives.
    5. We want our lives to mean something.
    6. Paul says serving God is “A NOBLE TASK”

III. THE CHARACTER OF LEADERSHIP
 
A. PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS - IS HE A GODLY MAN?
    1. “above reproach”
        a. This means nothing in his life that an unsaved world can use to tear down the ministry or the church.
        b. No man is sinless, but leaders must be above reproach
    2. “the husband of but one wife”
        a. We all know that leaders should not be greedy for money.
        b. Neither should leaders be greedy for women.
        c. You can argue whether divorce and remarriage is allowed.
        d. However, it’s obvious that he needs to be a family man.
    3. “temperate”
        a. Literally, the Gk. word meant abstaining from wine
        b. The word had changed in usage to mean sober minded.
        c. It means to be a clear thinker.
        d. Not clouded by emotions, selfishness, or chemicals.
    4. “self controlled”
        a. Church leaders must be men who have self control
        b. He needs to be able to act sensibly.
        c. He needs control of his emotions rather than his emotions having control of him.
    5. “respectable”
        a. Literally means to have an orderly life.
        b. Church leaders must have their lives in order.
        c. You don’t make a man a leader in order to give him respect.
        d. You make a man a leader because he has earned respect.
    6. “hospitable”
        a. Literally means one who loves strangers.
        b. Church leaders must have an open door.
        c. They must be willing to receive people and love them
    7. “apt to teach”
        a. A church leader should be a man of the Book.
        b. He must be a student of the Bible
        c. He should know what he believes and why.
    8. “not given to drunkenness” 
        a. This is self explanatory!
        b. We all know what drunkenness is.
        c. How can a man help others if he has his head in a bottle.
        d. I’ve been surprised at the number of fatal accidents involving alcohol among some alcohol counselors.
        e. Men who are supposed to be helping others, getting drunk and killing people with their cars.
    9. “not violent”
        a. Literally means not looking for a fight.
        b. Church leaders are not macho warriors.
        c. Church leaders don’t settle problems with their fists.
        d. That’s the world’s way of trying to solve things.
        e. It doesn’t work.
        f.  Our battle belongs to the Lord.
        g. He must take the good with the bad
        h. He must take the smart with stupid
        i.  He must take the ups with the downs!
    10. “not a lover of money”
        a. Jesus said you will either love God or mammon.
        b. If you love money, then you love the wrong thing.
        c. If you love money, then you will never be satisfied.
 
  B. FAMILY QUALIFICATIONS – IS HE A FAMILY MAN?
   1. “manage his own family well”
        a. Good family leaders make good church leaders.
        b. If a man cannot lead his family, then why trust him to lead the church?
    2. “see that his children obey him with proper respect.”
        If those who know him best cannot respect him, then why should anyone else?
 
C. CHURCH QUALIFICATIONS – IS HE A CHURCH MAN?
    1. “not a recent convert”
        a. Church leaders need to be spiritually mature.
        b. At times, we’ve lamented not having mature people to lead.
        c. When we’ve sought SS teachers it has been difficult.
        d. The man of God must be thoroughly grounded before he is placed in leadership.
        e. How can he lead if he does not know where he’s going?
    2. “have a good reputation with outsiders” 
        a. Church leaders ought to be community leaders.
        b. People in the community should have confidence in him.
        c. He should live the right kind of life in front of the world.
        d. He should pay his debts.
        e. He should keep the right kind of relationship with others.