Good to see everybody this evening. You know, Thanksgiving is coming around the corner, and this is a time of the year that we're thankful for everything that the Lord has given to us. And Psalm 100 reflects what should be our heart attitude, not only at this time of the year, but all year round. The Lord says here to us in Psalm 100, enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his name for the Lord is good. His mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations. Father, thank you for your goodness. We thank you, Father, that your truth endures even to our generation. Lord, help us to pay attention to it and allow it to work in our lives. We pray, Father, tonight that you would be in the time that we spend together in prayer and that we could not only bring petitions to you but bring thanksgiving to you as well. We thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to meet together tonight. We pray for Brother Bray as he brings the word of God to us tonight. Fill him with your spirit and help us, Lord, tonight to be an encouragement one to another. Thank you for each person that's here. Guide and direct in our service, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I have quite a few prayer requests to add to your prayer list, so if you have a pen you can write these down. Anybody need a prayer sheet and you haven't got one, just raise your hand and Morgan will come around and give you a prayer sheet. There is a pastor in Spartanburg, International Baptist Church in Spartanburg, Mike Washer, his daughter, Lauren Washer. She's 16 years old and she has cancer. She's had one treatment. She's about to have another treatment. So please pray for Lauren Washer as she battles cancer. Pray that the Lord, these treatments will help her to get rid of the cancer. And then there's Brother Parker's uncle, Scott Parker, had a heart cath this past week. He is home, but he's very weak. So please pray for his recovery as he gets over the heart catheterization that he had. Please pray for the Glass family. This is a student that was at Maranatha Baptist College. is allergic to peanuts and somehow she got a hold of some bread that had peanut butter in it and she had a terrible reaction and she passed away. So please pray for Hannah Glass, the family of Hannah Glass. And continue to pray for Josh Pate and his family as they've gone to Canada. They'll be there for about five weeks. Please pray for Wolf, who's having back surgery. I believe it's tomorrow. And also, one of our missionaries' fathers, Mark Minion, he is, well, it's one of the missionaries that we've, I don't think we support him yet, but do we support the Minions? OK, yeah, the one in Canada. But Mark Minion, the dad, had a surgery and he's got a brain difficulty. There's air getting into his brain. So please pray for that. They won't have to operate. This is a result of a surgery that he did have. They're trying not to operate again. So please pray that the air would naturally dissipate. So that's Mark Minion. So those are the ones that you needed to add to your prayer list. But please continue to pray for the ones that are on our prayer list. Mike Daniel had his back surgery operation on Tuesday, and he's home recuperating. So please continue to pray for him as he recuperates from his surgery. As far as we know, it went really well. Continue to pray for... Frank Maynard, he's a fellow that was saved, 52-year-old, and he has advanced stages of cancer. Continue to pray for him. And pray for Dan Dietrich. He is working on a contractor's license, and he'll have a test on Thursday the 14th. So that's tomorrow. So please pray that he does well on that. Hopefully he doesn't stay up all night studying. So continue, please pray for Dan Dietrich as he takes this test. Okay? Anybody else? Let's see. I want to read you an excerpt from a missionary's letter, the Duartes. Brother Jed Duarte. They are missionaries to Brazil and remember he got his pilot's license and he's able to fly and this is a result of him going to visit tribes in the jungle. He says that we've continued to make trips out to both tribes and recently took my dad with me. We arrived at one tribe after roughly two hours flight and spent three hours there with boots on the ground. We went to two different houses and prayed with two families. I was able to share the gospel with about 40 kids and 15 adults. How I longed to see these people come to know Jesus as their Savior. We then flew to the next tribe and arrived pretty tired from the intense heat. Around 7 p.m. we went to the chief's house for supper, which was our first meal of the day, and it was delicious. Around 7.35 we began the service. My dad preached about Zacchaeus, I then concluded by sharing the gospel, I could sense the Holy Spirit was at work. Before the service, at dusk, I had walked down the airstrip and talked to the Lord. I asked God to show himself to me. Later, we went to our hammocks, and after being not able to sleep for a while, I was finally able to sleep. I awakened to someone with a light outside. The light went away, and I went back to sleep. Around midnight, the light returned, and I heard someone at the door. It was a couple who had come for the service the first time. They said that since the service they could not sleep. The wife was seeing demons and was very scared. She said she heard a voice saying she needed to come talk with us. We preached unto her Jesus and that if the son shall make you free you shall be free indeed right there at midnight. She and her husband trusted Christ as their savior. God proved himself to me again. So continue to pray for Jed and his family as they minister in Brazil. We also are grateful for how the Lord has allowed us to support many other missionaries. You know, the Edens, their ministry to Muslims, they have here a short note for us that it's rainy season, so pray for believers to stay safe. In that area where they minister, over 270 people have died from mudslides and mud structures not being safe. So continue to pray for the growth of new believers, for them to stay in the word. Praise the Lord for the MP3 ministry to continue to be effective in souls being reached. Pray for the reading school in a village and for some as the rainy season affects their livelihood. So please pray for the Edens as you Think of them and take this home and pray with you throughout pray pray throughout the week. All right I think that's all anybody have a prayer request that you want us to yes Oh, yes Yes, Dustin Duke is having some heart difficulty he's gonna have a stint he's gonna have a heart cath tomorrow So please pray for Dustin Duke as he has that Procedure done on his heart. Yes, Pat Okay, please pray for Neil Brackett. His body is rejecting the new heart, so please pray the doctors have wisdom in how to take care of that. Okay, yes? Okay. And she hurt her hand, you said? OK. Marilee Matz fell yesterday, and she hurt her hand. So please pray that she recovers. Anything else? Yes, sir. Jonathan? All right, please pray for Landon's stepsister, has liver cirrhosis, has two to eight weeks to live. Her name is Alex. Alex, her name is Alex. Please pray for Alex. Anything else? Yes, sir. John? There's a fellow in our church in St. Louis. His name is Michael Derrington. and it's only at 30% capacity. Okay, please pray for Mike. He's in St. Louis. He has, most of his arteries are blocked. One of them is only open 3% and they're not giving him much chance to survive, but they have a son that's 30 years old, has Asperger's syndrome, and they're trying to figure out what they're gonna do with him if the dad passes away. So please pray for Mike in St. Louis. Okay, anything else? Yes, sir, John DeRue. have some more things to do to it, but that's kind of hard. All right, thank you for praying for Drew's, their trailer. The slide out would not go back in, and they had to leave it for a while, and then Drew just went back to Pennsylvania, fixed it enough so he can bring it home. He wants you to pray that he can fix it so it will continue to go back and forth, coming in, going out. Because if they take it now, it'll go out and won't come back in. So please pray that he's able to fix it completely. Continue to pray for Drew and the trailer. Okay. Anything else? Yes, sir. Where are the shoemaker? Please pray for Richard Carr. He's having double knee surgery on the November 21st. Okay. November 21st. Okay. Richard Carr, November 21st, double knee surgery. Okay. Anybody else? All right, Josh. Number 15, I love you, Lord. Number 15, would you stand as we sing? I thank you, Lord, for all you've done. I don't deserve your love. When I was lost, you saw my need and left your home above. I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord, because of Calvary. I love you, Lord. I love you, Lord. You're everything to me. You proved your love on Calvary. You bore my sin and shame. I'll live for you through all my days. I'll praise your holy name. I love you Lord, I love you Lord, because of Calvary. I love you Lord, I love you Lord, your everything. Can we sing that chorus one more time? I love you Lord, I love you Lord, because of Calvary. I love you Lord, I love you Lord, you're everything to me. Amen. Let's get around and greet our church family. Yeah. His name is wonderful, His name is wonderful, His name is wonderful, Jesus my Lord. He is the mighty King, Master of everything, His name is wonderful, Jesus my Lord. He's the great shepherd, the rock of all ages. Almighty God is he. Bow down before him, love and adore him. His name is wonderful, Jesus my Lord. Amen. Y'all may be seated. Well, we have a lot of things coming up. I want to remind you of our international dinner this Saturday night. It will start at 5 o'clock. You need to get your food here between 4.30 and quarter to 5. and we're going to have a nice time of fellowship of food in there. The sign-up sheet is in the lobby. If you haven't signed up, I looked at that tonight. Man, it's filled up full with all kinds of different varieties of food. My dad used to kid me because all I liked when I was a kid was cheeseburger and hamburger and french fries. He would take us to a fancy restaurant. He said, Ronnie, you can have anything you want. You want a filet mignon? You want some lobster? You want, you know, something really good? I'll have a cheeseburger, french fries, that's okay. So, if you're like me, you might just want a cheeseburger and french fries, but there's all kinds of things gonna come. It's going to be exciting. It's going to be really nice. So please come to the International Dinner Saturday and then Sunday will also be the mission emphasis. Saturday we'll have one of the missionaries show their slide and the other one will preach and then the opposite will happen on Sunday. We're looking forward to the missions conference and I forgot to bring up my little faith promise mission slip with me, but I want to remind you that this is the time of year that we take our faith promise mission. We tally up our faith promise mission giving for our budget. And the slip has a place for the amount you want to give each month, the age bracket, but you do not have to put your name on that. It's between you and the Lord. So we want to encourage you to do that so that we can continue to plan on supporting the missionaries that we do. And when we get a new pastor, maybe a little later on, we'll start taking on new missionaries as well. So please pray what the Lord would have you to do in view of faith promise missions. I want to also remind you that you need to turn your questions into Bernie. If you have questions for the pastoral candidate that's coming on November the 24th, Pastor Aaron Stevenson will be here on the 24th. He'll preach all day and we're looking forward to that. Don't forget to fill out the question and it's not just, you don't have to put down just one question. You can fill up the sheet with all kinds of questions if you have those, that many questions. give them to Bernie and he'll make sure that he doesn't get asked the same question five or six times so we're looking forward to that on the 24th of November and there's also a sign-up sheet for that we're gonna have a little a luncheon at luncheon after that in after the morning service so we're looking forward to all of that it's good got a lot coming then December the 8th Two weeks after our candidate preaches, we'll be voting on yea or nay, we want him to be our pastor or not. So please be praying the Lord will give you wisdom and give all of us wisdom in our choice of the next pastor. I believe that's all I've got. Josh? 137, Jesus keep me near the cross. You may stay seated. 137, the first, third, and last verses. First, third, and last. Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all a healing stream. from Calvary's mountain. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond Verse 3, near the cross, O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before. Help me walk from day to day with its shadows over me. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever. Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. We'll just hold off just a second. Drew, hey, would you come up here? We'll sing a duet with everybody, all right? I missed doing that that last time, so we're going to sing verse four. We'll all sing it together, but I like having him up here with me, all right? Amen. Number four. ♪ Near the cross I'll watch and wait ♪ ♪ Hoping, trusting, ever to see you again ♪ ♪ Till I reach the golden strand ♪ ♪ Just beyond the river ♪ ♪ In the cross, in the cross be my glory evermore ♪ Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river. Thank you, Pastor Bray. Well, praise the Lord. I'm glad you're here tonight and looking forward to opening the Word of God. And I'll tell you in advance, I'm not contagious unless I get around people. And so that's fine. No, I was, we have a little woods by our house and a lot of thorn bushes and things like that were clearing out. So I spent, Becky and I both spent some time Monday down in the bushes and all of that. shrieking things up, moving things around, and I'm learning a new way to breathe. I'm not sure exactly if it's coming in my ears or what, but I apologize in advance for the congestion and kind of the nasal sound. So I appreciate you not paying attention to that. All right, well, it's good to have you with us tonight. You know, in about a week and a half, we're going to have a candidate here, and it may be the one God has for us. All in favor, say amen on the maybe part. We certainly hope that'll be the case. And as we're thinking about it and thinking about what we've been taught by Brother Ledbetter and Brother Morrison, I believe both of them have touched on 1 Timothy chapter 3 and the qualifications, we are wise in considering that. Think about it. There's a lot of churches that there's, from my count, there's 17 different qualifications in that. And there's a lot of churches that look at it and maybe this candidate isn't, you know, maybe not quite there, but out of 17, maybe, you know, if he's got maybe 14 of the 17, I mean, that sounds pretty good. Maybe 16 or maybe 15 out of 17. But when you think about it in a percentage wise, it goes like this. If you have only one that's missing out of the 17, he is only 96% qualified. If he has two of them that are not, it goes to 88% qualified. If it goes to, well, he's got the vast majority and is down maybe just five short of having all 17, he's got 12 of them, but that takes him down to 86%, I believe it is, yes. No, I'm sorry, five is 69%. That won't go down the rest of the way. But the truth of the matter is, when churches will satisfy for someone maybe almost qualified, more than likely, it's the very things in which they're deficient. The very things, they may be really sharp and good and love God, but deficient in those things, those may turn out to be the very things in which that's what that congregation needed. So as you and I are thinking about and praying for the Stephensons, and I'm just looking forward to it, and what God would have for him, my thoughts turn once again, and I haven't been able to get away from it, but my thoughts have turned once again to 1 Timothy chapter 3. And it's gonna be a little different. We've had plenty of instruction on 1 Timothy 3 and how to judge whether or how to determine and the deacons and the pulpit committee and Brother Ledbetter, they've quizzed the doctrinal stands and the testimony and his ethics and all of that. And everything has come through with a blue ribbon. I mean, just wonderful. But when you and I think about it and we look at it, I'd like us just to look at some of those qualifications for a little different reason tonight. And so what I'm going to ask you to do is just kind of sit back for a minute. Several years ago I went through this text and I began to study it according to the words and all of that and it's just a simplified meaning and then the application of it. And what I'd like you to do, because we've already been instructed in it, we already have a good working knowledge of it. But for a different application tonight, I'd like you just, I'm gonna go through it, and Red Sea Miracles still happen, amen? I'm gonna try to get through it in eight and a half minutes. And just going, I heard that. All right, hurt me right in my heart, heart, heart, heart, over here. But actually my pacemaker's somewhere in between. But as we think about it, I want you just to kind of sit back, and I'm just gonna rapid fire go through it, And then we're going to really get to the thrust of the text that I believe God has... For the last couple of weeks that I was asked to speak tonight, I've thought about other things, but the Lord wouldn't let me away from it. So I think it's for a good reason that has the Lord's blessing upon it. So here we go, are you ready? All right, we're gonna start with, this is 1 Timothy chapter three, and again, this is gonna be in rapid fire. So the first qualification is blameless. That has in mind his walk with the Lord. It gives no ground for a legitimate accusation. So that's talking about being blameless, talks about his walk, that there's no ground for legitimate accusation. The second is he's to be the husband of one wife. That has to go to trust. The focus there is really trust. Why? Because that's the entry level. Trust is the entry level of embraced leadership. If he's not trustworthy, then I don't want to let him provide the leadership for my life. And so when it talks about the bishop, if he desires a good thing and so forth, that if he desires the office of a bishop, he desireth a good thing, then when we come to this matter of a husband of one wife, it really has in mind the idea of trust, looking at it from a congregational standpoint and understanding why it's being taught to young Timothy. the entry level to embrace leadership. And then we go to vigilant, and that has in mind balanced. Vigilant has balanced, that steady progression in priorities. Balanced, steady progression in priorities. Then we come to the next one, sober. We've heard about that the last week or two. Sober, and that has the idea of consistent, which has in mind Faithful progression amidst counter-influences. And we've heard it said by Brother Ledbetter that he knows how to be serious in serious settings. There may be a lot of frivolities going on, maybe a lot of just whatever's going on, but all of a sudden, as they say in Texas in this Kidney Minute, all of a sudden the emphasis of the moment changes to something being serious. And he's not so involved in the frivolities that he just gives a light hand to that which is Serious, and so that's what we would call sober and dedication there. And then, notice the next one is, of good behavior, that speaks of his testimony. That's godly positions and dispositions in pursuit of home and ministry. Now you have sober being consistent, that's dedication, sober-minded, or vigilance is sober-minded, excuse me, vigilance is dedication, sober-minded is discernment. Then we come down to number five, that's of good behavior. That speaks of his testimony. That's godly positions and dispositions in pursuit of home and ministry. Godly positions and dispositions. How he conducts himself in home and ministry. Number six is given to hospitality. And that has in mind compassion. That's pursuing inconvenient opportunities for ministry. We think about giving to hospitality. In other words, he has made that choice, that decision, that when God opens that door, many times in the ministry it is in inconvenient settings. But even though it's inconvenient, he pursues inconvenient opportunities for ministry. Number seven is important. I have to teach. That means he's prepared. It has in mind biblical and practical principles as studied and practiced. Number eight is not given to whine. That has the idea in mind of priorities. That's the governess of the unwise and the illicit. I know I'm doing a lot here. I'm giving just a lot. I just want you to kind of absorb it is what I want you to do without really trying to think it through all the way. but not given to wise priorities, the governess of the unwise and the illicit." Number nine is no striker that has the idea of forbearing. Now, patience is remaining under the pressure. That's what that word means. Supominate is to remain under pressure. Forbearance means to receive without recompense. In other words, if somebody throws a stone at me, so to speak, instead of picking the stone back up and giving them what they deserve, forbearance is when they throw the stone at me, then I am, I, I, I receive it, but I don't throw it back for the reason of being used of God in that way. All right, pursuing inconvenient opportunities that we have biblical and practical principles that's apt to teach. and practice. Not given to wine, that's priorities. The governance of the unwise and the illicit. In other words, he knows it may not be anything necessarily wrong with something, and yet at this point in time, or for me, or according to biblical principle, it is dead wrong. So here is a man, when it says not given to wine, he understands priorities, and that is the self-governance of The unwise and the illicit. Illicit meaning unlawful for him and for preachers and so forth. No striker, that's forbearing. That's anticipating settings, anticipating godly settings requiring forgiveness. Okay, no striker, forbearing. Anticipating godly settings requiring forgiveness. Boy, I don't want to forgive. And yet, here's an opportunity for me to create a setting where if forgiveness is offered and accepted, what a mighty work of God happens there. That's number nine. We have a few more to go. Not greedy a filthy lucre, that has the idea of being a good steward of God, which is contentment. Oh, contentment clears the eyes, embracing divine motivations. I'm sorry for getting tickled. Sometimes I have a little trouble reading and it looked like cigars. And I just knew that wasn't the right word I had down there. All right. So let me read it again. That's why I hesitated. I said, it can't be that. All right. And it wasn't. Let me give it again. not greedy, a filthy lucre, which means he's a steward of what God's given to him. Contentment clears the eyes, embracing divine motivations. So whatever he's doing, he's not doing it for self-interest, for a monetary interest, he's doing it because of the will of God in that setting. Patient is number 11. We're hurrying here. I don't know if I'm still within eight minutes. I hope so. Patient has the idea of appropriateness. Wisdom for existing and advancing settings for God's glory. Patience, remaining under, is appropriateness. Wisdom for existing and advancing settings for God's glory. In other words, I'd like to be out from under this pressure, but I know this is where God wants me, and so I'm going to stay here for God's glory. May not make sense, may not be comfortable, but I know this is what God wants me to do, and it's appropriate for me to be patient. Number 12, approaching a conclusion here, not a brawler. He's confident, but not contentious. Defensive arrogance promotes inappropriate personal superiority. Let me say it again. Sometimes preachers can fall prey to this, as do others. Not a brawler, confident but not contentious. Oftentimes defensive arrogance Promotes inappropriate personal superiority. Boy, well I have five more, gotta hurry. Not covetous, that has the idea of kindness. The application of that is the voice of wisdom in inappropriate desires. Not covetous, but showing kindness. The voice of wisdom in inappropriate desires. Number 14, one that ruleth well his own house with all gravity. That has the idea of Christlike and it's modeled leadership in the house in direction, protection, and attention. Number 15, only three to go. Children and subjection has the idea of obedience. That's evidence of the absence of hypocrisy. How often, you don't have to be a preacher's home to do this, but how often, and even in a preacher's home, it's just like the proverbial, everybody's fighting on the way to church, and just kids are beating on each other and everything else, and mom and dad are, just don't make me come in the back, and I mean, it's World War IV. And then they pull into the parking lot of the church, and you would think the angels from heaven were ushering the car into the parking lot. All right, so, children's subjection, that's evidence of absence of hypocrisy. Two more, not a novice. That means he's seasoned. Spiritual maturity for discernment and discipline. Not a novice, seasoned. Spiritual maturity for discernment and discipline. And then finally, number 17, a good report of them that are without. And that means that he's God's representative in whatever setting it is, he is God's representative, just like you and I are in the settings of life that we're in. But when it talks about here, a good report of them that are without. And that has the idea in mind in blameless, in heart, and walk before the Lord. Blameless, in walk, in heart, before the Lord. So you and I now have reviewed, in hopefully this eight minutes or less, these 17 qualifications, and this is kind of the braised way of putting it so that I can understand it, but just wanted you to just kind of get a, just kind of be enveloped in here's 17 qualifications, If this gentleman, Brother Stevenson, we hope he is the one God has for us, or another, should that be the one of God's calling? And yet we just, we've been taught it, and taught it very well, and yet for the purposes of tonight, I hope what we've been taught already, and this brief review, just a rapid review of it, will help us to kind of just consider a couple of things. Now the real key question for the night, are you ready? All this, there ought to be a drum roll here, but we won't do that. Here's the key question. Are preachers real people? Sometimes we wonder, don't we? Especially when you see them on TV sometimes. But are preachers real people? What's the obvious answer? Oh, good. I'm glad you said that. All right. Yes, indeed, they are. So if they're real people, can they be subjected to the temptation of discouragement? Oh, yeah. Could they be maybe tempted to be distracted? Help me out, yes or no? Oh yeah. What about defilement? Could it be said that a preacher could get so far from the Lord that he would violate one or four or however many? I've had the joy of counseling quite a number of preachers in those settings. this country and missionaries that have come to be counsel. So when you and I think about the qualifications, okay, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, I mean all the way to 17. Yes, that's the kind of man we want. Yes, that's the kind of family we want. Yes, that's the kind of young people we want. Boy, oh boy, do we want a preacher that's like that. And I'm all there with you. Yes, praise the Lord, hallelujah. And I believe according to what our deacons have said and according to what the pulpit committee has said, what Brother Ledbetter has said, man, I can't hardly wait. I'm excited as I can be. But I want us to pause just a little bit tonight as we think about it, and preachers are subject to the very things that I've talked about. If we desire for our preacher to maintain his walk with the Lord, his blamelessness before the Lord, his testimony before others, his priorities, his motivations, as we know that he wants to. I'm certain these men that have talked with him, and I actually taught him when I was an ambassador. He took a master's level class, and I had the joy of teaching and counseling in master's level. And so I just know him from afar. I saw him when he was here, and what a joy. I knew I knew that name, I just couldn't remember why. And he reminded me why I knew him. So as you and I think about it, And we're asking ourselves, all right, here's a preacher, and boy, he meets this and he meets that, and I hope we have a 100% count on, yes, let's bring the Stephensons in, we can't wait to spoil their son, and I can't wait to just, oh, just love on him and be a family to him, and oh, it's going to be grand. Let me ask you a question. Is it not also part of our responsibility as the Folks of Crossroads Baptist Church, if we want him to maintain his walk with the Lord, if we want him to maintain his walk before his wife and his son, if we want her to walk in, if we want them to maintain their walk before the Lord, that entirely is their responsibility, no doubt about it. The weight of that responsibility is primarily on their shoulders, but you and I, as I believe, we can participate in some of that as part of the family. You say, now preacher, how can we do that? Am I needing to go and sit down with him and say, now brother, let's talk today about the husband of one wife. Are you planning on getting married again? Not necessarily we have to do that. But when you and I think about how can we, well how can we be just that kind of an encouragement when it comes through sending him for conferences? Well, that wouldn't be so bad. That would be a good thing. What about if we have special days? And we will have. This is Pastor Appreciation Day. Maybe we're able to do something grand and wonderful. Maybe it's just a modest gift at that particular time. But we ought to have special days for our pastor and his wife and family as well as others. That's a good thing. What about the double honor that he's worthy and the remuneration and the way that we take care of them financially? Is that a good way that we can encourage them? No doubt about it. No doubt about it. But you know, I think there's a better way. Now those are all good and we all want to participate in that. Amen? Answer this then. Amen. We'll do that again. Amen? Oh good. All right. So we all want to participate in that and yet I think There's a greater way along with those, but those others will be amplified by if we choose another way of going about it. You remember the 17? Okay. Let's go through it again. We're not going to go through it all again. Let me just give you the subjects, 17 subjects. Let this marinate in your mind. Now knowing where I'm headed with this tonight. I wouldn't be as brash to come up here and try to correct what Brother Ledbetter or Brother Morrison or others have taught. They did a phenomenal job. But why God wouldn't let me away from this text, I believe is for this purpose tonight. for us to consider the best way that Randy Bray and my friend Jonathan and my sister and my brother, the best way that we can be a continuing influence on the Stevenson family, if they're the ones God calls here, or whomever it is that comes at the calling of God, the best way we can be that ongoing, consistent, significant voice of influence to them is if we listen to these 17 subjects. And we make them a part of our lives. Now you see in 1 Timothy 3 verse 1, he says this is a saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop. The word desire there means to stretch out, to reach out, to grasp and reach out for. He says, if a man desire the office of a bishop. In other words, he's reaching out and he's saying, Lord, I don't know if you're calling me, but boy, Lord, I would just love to invest my life in your will. And Lord, if you want to call me, my hands are here, they're up in worship to you, and I'm ready for you to call me. If a man desireth the office of his bishop. Notice what it says though, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he, what's the next word? That's a completely different word in the original language. It has the idea of heat or passion. It's the word where Timothy said, flee also youthful lusts, but follow after righteousness, faith, charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. The word follow is exactly the same word here that you have desire. In other words, Timothy was told by Peter, I think we've discussed it before, he said, flee also youthful lusts, the things that are gonna hold you back and defile you and discourage you and to distract you. Put those behind you, flee also youthful lusts, but pursue, Run after, put your hands on righteous faith, charity and peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. That has a direct application to what he says here in chapter 3 in verse number 1 of 1 Timothy where he says, If the man desired the office of a bishop, he's reaching out and he is passionate, he is hot, so to speak, to be used of God some way every day. Let me give you just real quickly these 17 once again. It's his walk. It's our trust. It's your balance in Christ. The perfect balance, Paul told Timothy. God's not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Too much power, we become abusive. Too much love, we become permissive. Too much of a sound mind, we become proudful. But here he is saying, notice what he says here in three and the qualifications, his walk, his trust, his balance. My consistency, your testimony. Compassion, preparedness. Priorities, forbearance. Steward or stewardship, appropriateness. Confidence, contentment. Five more. Kindness, Christlikeness. Obedience, season. representative of God. The question I asked earlier, I'd ask it once again for my benefit. What kind of a preacher do we want? Do we want a perfect preacher? Well, we'll have to wait until we get to heaven for that. But in these 17 things, we're not looking for the preacher to have it perfected in all of these areas, but there ought to be at least the presence of these. and a participation in these 17 and moving towards a completion or a perfection in these. Of these 17 things that is to be the bishop, the preacher, the pastor that we have. But I would say this evening for Andy Bray's benefit, that it's not only for the pastor, because these same qualifications, these qualifications are mentioned multiple times in various passages of Scripture, Old Testament and New Testament. But speakingly to the New Testament church, as we are tonight, then we are to look at these same things and say, wait a minute, it is good for the preacher, so that he won't get discouraged, or when he is discouraged, and he wants to just, oh, the old flash is there in surround sound in 3D saying, you ought to just quit. You know somebody else can do a better job than you. Well, you ought to just quit. You've taken them as far as they can go, and as far as you can go, and somebody else will come in and take your place and do a better job of it. When he's all about that, that he needs to be having that walk consistently with the Lord. And so it would be the same in my brother John's life over here and my sister's life back there and over here where indeed we have that same ensemble of influences that because we're going after it, Maybe God's not called you to be a bishop. Maybe God's not called you to something else as a missionary or something like that. But God is calling you to be appropriate. God is calling you to be patient. God's calling you or calling me to be forbearing. God's calling us to fulfill God's will where we are so that we're His representative in our family. We're His representative at the workplace. We're His representative when somebody cuts us off or whatever happens that we have to to have an engagement of conversation about the situation. Dear friend, tonight collectively we've decided that preachers are real people. And we've looked at 17 different qualifications. I'd invite you for these last few moments to turn in your Bible over to Romans chapter number 15. Romans chapter 15. Just back a few pages. Romans chapter 15. Now Paul said to Timothy, here are these 17 things that need to be in a preacher's life. Blameless, his walk. Husband of one wife has to deal with trust. If he's making fun of his wife in front of other folks, if he's doing things that his wife doesn't know about and it's not for a gift or anything like that, he's just doing it on the sly, then trust will be violated. And it can be violated in many areas as I've had the privilege of helping folks with. But the point I'm trying to make here is Romans chapter 15 is not dealing with Paul or Timothy. Paul wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. But he's dealing with the church at Rome. And let's look at verses 13 and 14. He says, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing. And we'll find it here in a second. I'm in Romans 15. No wonder I'm in 16. He says, Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. So you talk about a positive message. Now look at verse number 14, he gives us three qualifications, three ambitions that we ought to have as New Testament Christians. And he starts by saying this, excuse me, oh here it is, sorry about that. Paul says, and I myself, when you see it in that form, it's there for emphasis, referring to himself twice in a row there. He says, and I myself, I want you to understand, am also persuaded of you, my brethren, that you are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. May I do that again? I'm persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another." The first two make the qualifications available so that they can admonish one another. Come alongside and say, hey, brother, I'm a little concerned here. Can we talk about it? When we stop and think about it, alright, well he says full of wisdom, or full of goodness. How would you define goodness? I believe we could go back, and there's other passages of scripture, the goodness of the Lord and so forth, but you can go back through the 17 that we've already looked at, and there's so many of those that in different applications, different circumstances, God would call that good. God would say that's my will for you in that setting. Another setting, a different action. But in this particular setting, here is my will for your life. Paul is saying about the Christians at Rome, he says, That just, wherever they go, they don't have a goodness button on. They don't just touch me and it'll probably rub off a little bit. It's just because you have saturated your mind with those biblical subjects like the 17 and others. But as you and I understand, wait a minute, if I can be an encouragement to the preacher, yes, it may be having them out for a meal, or maybe some way anonymously giving them something that you know that they need, or just coming alongside and say, sister, I just want you to know, God laid you on my heart, and I just, let's go shopping, or whatever, those things are fine and good, and I'm all for that, and certainly Becky and I would love to participate in that. But you want to talk about, and I want to talk about being an encouragement to the preacher. Let him come behind the sacred desk and let him thunder out the principles of the word of God and through a heart of compassion to draw others to Christ likeness. You talk about an encouragement to a preacher is that when he's preaching away, he doesn't see a scour on a brow. He doesn't see a, he doesn't see a, oh, I better get out the calendar, it's been that long. He doesn't see that at all. He's saying you drink it in. Not because you're just willing to drink the Kool-Aid, so to speak, but that what he is saying is biblical principle. And you know it's biblical principle because you've studied to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, so that when your preacher or your preacher's wife or your preacher's son or whomever it is God sends you special delivery to them, anonymously or by way of conversation. that you can do so of saying, Lord, how can I be used of you some way every day? Lord, lead some soul upon my heart. And it may come through some kind of a cataclysmic thing. I had something happen yesterday, and it was not an easy day. I was dealing with computers. When I turn the computer on, bad things are about to happen. But I guess because of the hurricane, mine didn't back it up for eight days. and I'm writing a book, and that's not a good thing. And when I turned it on yesterday morning, it had a completely new screen on it. All my files are jumbled all over the place. I can't find a number of them, especially the ones with the book. And I'm praying, Lord, are you sending the rapture right away? Or what's happening here? And it just, oh, finally got it worked out today, we hope. My point is that when those kinds of things happen, And we need to come back to the Lord and just say, okay, Lord, this doesn't make sense, but that's okay. Because I know you know the end from the beginning. And so Lord, I wanna walk with you. When your preacher, when my preacher stands behind here and he's preaching, and we have studied, yes, because we love God. Yes, because it's a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Yes, so that we can be used of God some way every day. But boy, when we come to this church, we wanna come and be that kind of a, have a hunger and a thirst for the preaching, but also when we come in that manner, it's obvious to the preacher. Oftentimes, sometimes people can fake you out, but oftentimes, boy, it really stands out. The title of the message, it's a goofy title. I'm going to give the first part of it, you give me the last part. Birds of a feather, Yeah, don't you like that title? Birds of a feather? Now why do they do that? That was what my first thought was. Well, they're the same type. They're in the same location. They're in the same fellowship, so to speak. I hear them talking back and forth. And they have the same destination. When you and I, yes, as God's people, And when we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. Contextually, that has in mind we have fellowship with God as unhindered, but we also have fellowship with the brethren in an unhindered fashion. Because our fellowship, we may like boating, or we may like skiing, or we may like watching grass grow. We may not have fellowship in that, but because we're walking in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. When you and I come in, And we love the Lord, and we've walked with the Lord. We don't come in with an agenda, okay, how can I do the preacher today? Okay, I gotta make sure he's encouraged, I gotta make sure he's not getting discouraged, gotta make sure he's not getting defiled, not getting distracted. No. When he's around men and ladies and young people who are passionate about God. Remember what it said about the man that desireth the office of a bishop? He's reaching for it. He said, I don't know if God's called me, but I sure hope so. Here I am, Lord, send me. That is such a great encouragement to a preacher to want to keep growing. To say, you know what? I don't want anyone to have to mature in the Lord and go around me in order to keep maturing. I want to be maturing at mock speed to where I'm eating and feasting on the Word of God. And when I begin to take a misstep, I want the Holy Spirit to be able to come along. Or, according to Romans 15, 14, that I can have someone with whom I'm a running partner with them, following after righteous faith, charity, and peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. And they can say, Randy, boy, you've kind of had an attitude here lately. Oh, I'm sorry. Well, I better get with the Lord on that. As you and I think about it, with a goofy title like, birds of a feather flock together. But when we take that into a much more serious application, and here's what the Lord laid on my heart. We know what kind of preacher we want, don't we? We want a godly man. We want a wise man. We want a man that can lead anyone, whether they just got saved 10 minutes ago, or they've been saved longer than I've been alive. We want that kind of a preacher. But what kind of a congregation, what kind of a Randy Bray do I want to be for my preacher when God leads him into my life? May God help us through this very simple message, rapid fire, and yet a message I believe God laid on my heart for me and perhaps for you as well, that we begin to look and ask ourselves the question, am I growing? What is the evidence? What's the evidence? I was a little guy. Well, I still am, I guess. But when I was a smaller guy, shorter guy, I remember my mother, and you perhaps did the same thing, and we'd be at the, I was this tall, and she'd put a pencil mark on the little gizmo, you know, the door thing, and then she'd go, oh, you gained, you got taller. It stopped pretty fast. But anyway, there was credible evidence. This is where I was. Here's where I am. I would be righteous to ask of Randy Bray tonight, What credible evidence is there? Holy Spirit, help me to know the true answer. That I'm daily growing in You. That Your Word is becoming saturated in my priorities and in my passions. What kind of credible evidence is there that my testimony, spoken and unspoken, in the congregation, yes, but, oh, dear God, when you send that family special delivery to us, oh, Lord, I don't want to have to get a banner out and cheerleader outfit on and say, oh, yes, yes. Lord, I just want, yes, those other things are good, too. Not that I wear a cheerleader's outfit. But those things of saying yes are important. No doubt about that. But when you, and you, and you, and you, and I, we begin to say, if God says this is what's to be in a preacher's life, then we ought to champion those same causes. Not necessarily that God's going to call me to preach, but if God's calling the preacher to be this kind of a man, and his wife to be that kind of a lady, and their children to be those kinds of children, then I need to know more about that, especially as it applies to my life. And when we have a congregation made up of godly men and women of that caliber, oh my, we won't have to employ any cheerleaders. The Holy Spirit will do that just fine. As he says, carry on, carry on, and he will. Father, I thank you for the privilege of preaching your word tonight. It's an unusual message, but I'm so glad I could preach it on the foundation of these who've taught and preached this same passage just within the last several weeks. Lord, I didn't want to be repetitive, and that's why you took my thoughts to an extended place in this text. So I pray, Father, that what's been preached tonight has been biblical, applicable, and heartfelt, not just from my heart, but heart-received from these you love and I love, that, Father, we want to be the kind of congregation that excites the heart of our preacher, and we'll give you the glory for it. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.