The officers of the church, calling

The officers of the church, calling

Sermon on 1 Timothy 3, Belgic confession article 31. Officers of the church. The qualifications of officers.

1. The internal call – The call that God wants you to teach and lead. This is a desire. V1. The word is episkopē, 1 the overseer or presiding officers of a Christian church. You must meet the biblical qualifications.
2. The external call is the call of the church. The apostles ask the congregation. Acts 6:3 , Heb 13:1
1 Timothy 3:1 (NKJV) This [is] a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.

Acts 6:3-6 (NKJV) 3 “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of [good] reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 “but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.