1 Timothy 3:1-7 "Qualifications of Bishops"

1 Tim 3:1-7 It was great to celebrate Easter with you all last week. This week we will be getting back to where we left off in 1 Timothy looking at Paul's instructions to Timothy on Church Conduct. Today we will be in 1 Tim 3. We are looking at Paul's epistle or letter to his younger disciple Timothy: * Straightaway, Paul charges Timothy to remain in Ephesus. No doubt a tough place to minister because it was a Roman city, a worldly environment with mass idolatry of the goddess Diana. * And, this young 30-35 year old Pastor Timothy was overseeing a number of house churches in Ephesus. * There were people drifting, and Timothy was charged to fight the good fight, and to confront these false teachers to teach no other doctrine. * Paul himself was not guilt free...as he reflected on his own testimony- a former persecutor of the church. Yet, God extended grace to call him into ministry. * And, Paul has a lot to say about church conduct. * He gave instructions on prayer, roles of men and women in the church, on authority and order in the church. Now in Chapter 3 Paul will focus on the Qualifications of the Overseers, first looking at the Bishop, and then the Deacons. Let's Pray and then we will read 1 Tim 3:1-7 Verse 1: "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." 1. "This is a faithful saying"- Paul starts this chapter with his 2nd of 5 "Faithful sayings" in the Pastoral Epistles. The Greek translation is "Faithful is the saying"- It's a trustworthy statement or a true saying. 2. If a man desires...he desires a good work: 3. There are many variants in the Greek for the word "desire"...we see 2 variants in this verse. 4. 1st "Desire" oregō: This variant is only seen 3x in the New Testament, and the word can be defined "to stretch out, to reach after." It gives us the image of taking the action of stretching one's self out in order to touch or grasp something. There is some effort and energy expended; this person doesn't give up, but reaches out for that which they long for. 5. 2 "Desire" epithumeō: This variant is defined "to set one's heart upon; to lust after; to covet." This is not so much describing the action, but moreso the feeling...perhaps the motive. 6. This desire could be framed in the negative...such as coveting. But, in this verse, the desire is a positive or a good desire... 7. If a man is stretching out for, if he is reaching for the position of a bishop, his heart is set upon a good work. 8. Bishop- with my Catholic upbringing, when I think of a Bishop, I think of an older man with long robes, a pointy hat and a shepherd's crook. 9. episkopē- def. a visitation; an investigation; oversight. The idea is overseership, the office of an elder. 10. In the Bible, we often see the words "Bishop" and "Elder" used interchangeably. 11. In Acts 20:17, Paul calls for the elders (presbuteros) of the church, and in verse 28 he addresses these same men as overseers (episkopos). 12. epi "over" skopos "watcher"- overwatcher or overseer. 13. In Tit 1:5, we see Paul instruct Titus to appoint elders (presbuteros) in every city, and 2 verses later refers to the same men as Bishops (episkopos). 14. And note...Elders and Bishops...plural. There were to be Elders/Bishops in every city...many High Churches do not have Bishops in every city because this position has been elevated. To prove my point, there are over 19,000 cities in the United States. Thare are only 265 active U.S. Catholic Bishops. Definitely not one Bishop per city. 15. There is a tendency to want to place the position of the Bishop above the position of the Elder, and I personally struggle with this mentally probably because of my Catholic upbringing, but in Paul's day this was not the case. 16. Lange said, "As to its real meaning, it is proven beyond doubt that in the days of the Apostle the [Bishop] ἐπίσκοποι had no higher rank than the [Elder] πρεσβύτεροι." -Lange 17. Another scholar said, "Elders make up all the church office roles: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, [I would say that is one role pastor/teacher; poimēn kai didaskalos...there's a Granville Sharp rule there] miracle workers, healers, and administrators. However, the nt usage of episkopos and presbyter is fluid and flexible and does not support a rigid division of the two offices." -FSB 18. The Greek words for elder (presbuteros) and bishop (episkopos) should remind you of a couple denominations and forms of church government. 19. Presbyterian derives from presbuteros, the word for elder, and the Presbyterian church's source of authority is from a synod of presbyters or elders. 20. Episcopal derives from episkopos, the word for Bishop, and the Episcopal church's source of authority is it's college of Bishops. 21. Today, there SO many forms and variations today of church government, which in one sense has caused some division, but also gives the church strength. If we had just one model, it would be really easy for Satan to figure us out and defeat us. But, we can't figure ourselves out. There are so many denominations and non-denominations and variations of the church, that the enemy has no chance to figure us out. 22. One last soapbox, it is also interesting to see how the Holy Spirit through Paul gave us these positions and functions of Bishop and Elder for the church, and what we have done with it from a hierarchical standpoint. 23. Church hierarchy began to formulate early in the 2nd Century A.D. by the church father Ignatius. He started to assign a three-tiered hierarchy with one bishop (episkopos) overseeing a council of elders (presbyterion) and a group of deacons (diakonoi). 24. Today, In some denominations, there has become quite the complex hierarchy: 25. In Catholicism for example the tops guy is...the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops (with at least 4 subtitles of Bishops- Cardinal Archbishops, Archbishops, Diocesan (Diocese-an) Bishops and Auxiliary Bishops), Priests, and Deacons. And, there are other positions as well such as Abbots, Monks, Nuns, and The Laity. 26. In their defense, The Catholic church is massive worldwide and likely some of this complexity is to have order, and I can appreciate this, but man, it is so far removed from the original Biblical NT language. 27. I do think there is also a danger in these massive hierarchy's because the higher positions get too much esteem or reverence, and there can be a prideful danger with this. 28. The role of Bishop biblically speaking is much more fluid and generic than that presented today by some of the more traditional churches today. 29. You will never see on our website, or on the website of most non-denominational churches any person with the title of Bishop, and it's because of what that position has become and the association with that position. 30. But, we do capture the biblical intent to have an overseer, people who are watching over the church. And, for all of you present today, you will have this responsibility as you serve in your respective roles. 31. When Paul wrote about Bishops and Elders, I am confident he had none of this complexity in mind. It was simple. There were to be men overseeing the house churches and work of the Lord, but many people have taken and interpreted how the church should be run. 32. Lastly on this verse, the man that desires this position, desires a "good work." 33. Good Work lit. translates as "beautiful work" or "honorable work." Work ergon in Greek is defined at work. 34. MacDonald said, "There is the tendency to think this is a dignified, ecclesiastical office, entailing little or no responsibility, whereas overseership is actually humble service among the people of God; it is work." 35. Spurgeon said, "What is the use of a lazy minister? He is no good either to the world, to the Church, or to himself. He is a dishonor to the noblest profession that can be bestowed upon the sons of men." 36. Paul is not only talking to Timothy about his expectations for Timothy- to work hard in this honorable position, but also this expectation extends to the men Timothy would put into this position as God raised them up. 37. And, there were specific qualifications for this role as we see in Verse 2. continue to verse 2-3 Verse 2-3- "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;..." 1. Verse 2 says A Bishop "Must Be"... "must" means... 2. def. "it is necessary"...with that definition the list seems a bit rigid and perfectionistic. 3. Another definition is "ought to" which seems like these qualifications are goals to aspire to. 4. This is a great list and guide for us all to aspire to, and the leader of a church certainly should have a list to measure up against. 5. James 3:1 "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment." 6. Qualifications of a Bishop: 7. We will see 15-18 descriptors, depending on if you link some of these qualifications together. The focus of these qualifications for the Bishop center upon the godly character of this man, not necessarily his education, intellect, natural charisma, talent, giftedness, etc. 8. Jesus surrounded Himself with men of various professions...fishermen, tax-collector, a zealot, but no Pharisees or Scribes...not the elite of the educated, until He chose Paul. 9. A big issue Jesus took with the religious elite were their heart issues. He called them "hypocrites" and "white-washed" tombs. They had a character issue, a heart issue. 10. I would encourage you to examine yourself as we go through this list and see how you compare. If you feel convicted in any of these areas, pray and ask the Lord to help you. Get with a brother or sister in Christ and get some accountability. So, here's the list... 11. Blameless: 12. def "without reproach" or "nothing to take hold upon." This is not the same as sinless, but carries more the idea of having a good reputation and being without offence to believers or unbelievers. Your conduct or behavior should not be questionable where people are making accusations or charges against you; and at some point people will likely accuse you of something, even Jesus was accused of many things and He was sinless, but don't give your critics anything they can take hold of. For the church leader especially, but truly for all Christians, don't live a life where people are calling you into question...because you are living in active sin. 13. This week, I found an email in my Spam folder to me from me. The email started by telling me this person hacked my system and they have blackmail material on me for inappropriate sites I have visited, which is a total lie. They wanted$1450 in bitcoin payments or they would send screenshot to everyone I know. It was a pretty impressive scam. They spent time to describe in detail how I was hacked...they needed some English lessons though. 14. I tell you, it was so nice to know that I have a good conscience before God and men, and am blameless in this area. I imagine some people would panic in this situation. I immediately notified my IT Dept and asked how they wanted to handle this scammer. I imagine this scam fooled many people who are not living above reproach. 15. There are Christians, even Pastors that try to find that line of what is acceptable or permissible before they cross over into sin and live their lives nuzzled right up to that line. That's foolishness. 16. Remember Lot? Abraham's nephew- after Abraham gave Lot the pick of the land, so they and their herdsmen didn't have conflict? 17. Gen 13:10 Lot saw all the plains of Jordon...well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah)...this is the land Lot choose. Sodom...exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord. 18. Gen 13:12 "...Lot...pitched his tent even as far as Sodom..." Red flag 19. Next time we see Lot is Gen 19 and Lot is sitting in the gate of Sodom...and we know the rest of that tragic story. It's just not worth it. 20. Husband of one wife- lit. "one-woman man." 21. Paul again uses the specific Greek gender specific words here...aner (man) and gyne (woman). 22. "One-woman man"...So, is this saying if you are happily married and virtuously monogamous, then you are fit for church leadership? There are a lot of other qualifications on this list, but being faithful to your bride is a good start. If you can't be faithful to your own bride, how will you be faithful to Jesus' bride? 23. God is big on faithfulness in a relational sense. The word harlot appears 83x in the Bible, and adulterer/adultery/adulterous appears 18x. The book of Hosea very much deals with Israel's unfaithfulness to God. This is not what God wants from a church leader. 24. What about other marital circumstances? 25. Is marriage a requirement for ministry? Certainly not, for Paul himself encouraged people to be single in 1 Cor 7, unless they would burn with passion...then better to marry. 26. Jesus was single...and He's a pretty great leader. 27. How about a widow? Can a widow remarry and be a church leader? I see no issue here. 28. Polygamy and fornication are obviously well outside the realm of acceptable. 29. And, these were issues in the Roman culture and Ephesus...moreso fornication as Roman marriages were monogamous...not so different from our marriage and divorce law. But, Romans were not necessarily faithful, especially with legalized prostitution being ingrained in temple worship. 30. How about the marital circumstance of divorce? 31. Can a person be divorced and remarried and serve as a church leader? 32. There are so many circumstances for divorce and when the divorce happened...pre-salvation or post-salvation, and some people look at all these circumstances before answering this question...I think this is wise. 33. Other people follow a stricter interpretation that divorce represents a failure in the home and thus disqualification for leadership. 34. I don't have a clear answer here. I will say every circumstance is different and elders and leaders need to prayerful look at each situation and circumstance with wise and discerning eyes. Some divorces are biblically acceptable, and others are not. 35. A person who committed many sins, and then they get saved and change...I think that person has a lot of latitude to serve and to serve in leadership. 36. 2 Cor 5:17 states, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 37. There is a difference between an unbeliever sinning in ignorance, and the transgression of a believer who knowingly walks down the path of sin with eyes wide open...that's a more difficult situation to determine if they should serve again in leadership. Sometimes they should not for the cause of Christ. 38. It is important to note that if a person has disqualified themselves from serving in leadership, it does not mean they don't have value and can't serve in some capacity. Certainly, this person should be in fellowship, should be continuing in the sanctification process, and when major sin was involved, this person should be in a process of restoration, if they have honestly turned from the sin. 39. The big picture with the qualification of being a husband of one wife is a matter of the heart. 40. If a man in leadership is ensnared by lust and cannot devote themselves to their bride (and this includes being devoted by abstaining from flirting, emotional affairs, and imaginary affairs via pornography)...if this man is ruled by his lusts, is he suitable for the role of the shepherd and teacher of a flock? And, I would say, "No." He is not faithful to his wife, and he won't be faithful to God or the Bride of Christ either. 41. From within the church, the flock should be able to look to their leader as a man with godly character and Christlikeness. From outside the church, the leader should be blameless, where unbelievers are not mocking God because the leader is not living above reproach. 42. Remember what Paul wrote to the Romans, "For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," as it is written." Rom 2:24 43. Temperate- def. "sober" or sober-minded. 44. This has the idea of having a sound mind; being self-controlled or well-balanced; not impulsive; not given to extremes. 45. This person is not one who has big swings in their leading, mood, behaviors, etc. They are grounded both spiritually and in their life. They are reliable, trustworthy, and moderate. 46. You don't want a leader who is too quick and impulsive in their behaviors and spiritual leading. 47. This word has another definition- "abstaining from wine, either entirely or at least from its immoderate use." 48. There is a link between the two definitions of Temperate: A person who is drinking often will not be sober or sober minded...the earlier part of this definition spoke of being self-controlled, not having big mood swings, not being impulsive... "Those who linger long at the wine... they have a lot of issues in their life...this person ruled by alcohol or any substance, they are probably not the best church leader. 49. The mother of king Lemuel stated in Pro 31:4-5, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Nor for princes intoxicating drink; Lest they drink and forget the law, [their judgment becomes skewed], And pervert the justice of all the afflicted." 50. As a church leader, there are great responsibilities...and it's dangerous to allow alcohol cloud judgment and the ability to be temperate. 51. Sober-minded- def "self-controlled." 52. This is looking more at the maturity of the leader in that they know when it is appropriate to joke around and when circumstances call for them to be seriousness, discerning, and to exercise discretion. 53. Ecc 10:1 "As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor." 54. Good Behavior- def "orderly" as in a well-ordered life. 55. Sober-Minded looks inward, and Good-Behavior looks outward. Good behavior is the "outward sign of an inward state." -Lange A clean life through and through. 56. Pharisees were criticized because they had the good outward behavior, but were hypocrites and dead on the inside. A good leader has both a good external reputation and a clear conscience before God as they truly live holy lives. 57. Hospitable- def. "loving strangers" or "generous to guests." 58. Be willing to open your home, to love on people you don't know. I think this in more than just inviting people to your house and feeding them a nice meal... 59. How can we be hospitable outside that circumstance? 60. 1 Pet 4:8-9 "And above all have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins." Be hospitable to one another without grumbling." 61. Heb 13:1-2 "Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels." 62. We see a common theme of love and hospitality linked. 63. What is something that commonly happens when we are being hospitable to another person? We eat a meal with that person. Or, we open our home to that person. And, in that time what are we doing...we are talking, and forming relationship. 64. For a leader, it's important to be relational and to love on people as demonstrated by hospitality. 65. Able to teach- 66. A church leader should be able to handle the Scriptures with accuracy in a public or private setting, either to disciple and teach a person, or when necessary to correct a person if they are living in sin or teaching or understanding scripture incorrectly. 67. Paul presented a similar list to Titus, and he wrote concerning the Bishop... "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict." Tit 1:9 68. (Verse 3) Not given to wine- lit. "tarrying at the wine." def. "drunken; addicted." 69. Is it permissible for a church leader to drink? According to this verse, yes. This verse prohibits being addicted to or getting drunk by alcohol. Now I would personally put a huge asterisk next to the idea of church leaders drinking and here's why... 70. Vine's Expository Dictionary states, "The drinking of "wine" could be a stumbling block and the Apostle enjoins abstinence in this respect, as in others, so as to avoid giving an occasion of stumbling to a brother, [and Vine cites] Rom 14:21." 71. Rom 14:20-21 "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak." 72. I completely agree with Vine's assessment, and have landed on this same verse on Romans as the final authority on how we should, as church leaders, handle the question of drinking alcohol. 73. Romans 14 discusses the Law of Liberty, and how we should not judge one another based on what we eat or drink for we all will give an account to God on these things. I agree. I will not judge another Christian based on whether they drink. But, I do think it is unwise and scripture has plenty of warnings about the dangers of alcohol consumption. 74. Some people object, citing scriptures that speak about alcohol in positive terms, and there are such scriptures, and they suggest even Jesus drank wine. He may have. In Luke 7:33, Jesus said, "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'" If Jesus did drink, certainly, Jesus was not a drunkard, and had perfect understanding of His surroundings that he was not stumbling, causing offense or making weak another brother, for He lived a completely sinless life... scripture attests to this and His sacrifice on the cross would not have been accepted if He was not sinless. 75. But, look, if you want to be like Jesus, I would adhere more to this statement of His in Matt 26:29, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom." 76. I look forward to the day when I can drink with Jesus in my glorified body which will not face the same temptations of the flesh that my mortal body bears. 77. Paul concludes the Law of Liberty stating "...let us...resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way." Immediately following, he discusses the Law of Love where he cites that he is convinced there is nothing unclean in itself. Food is food. But, then he says, "Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died." Rom 14:15 78. If my liberty outweighs love, I am being selfish. 79. Some examples, you go to a restaurant and order a glass of wine or a beer. You are having a nice dinner with your wife. You are grateful that you are able to have this time, you are on a date, you are appreciating one another. You bow your head to pray and have a great evening. What you didn't know was man with his wife at the table next to you is also a Christian and is in recovery. You don't know this person and they don't know you. And, he is feeling a little weak right now desiring the drink that has entered your mouth. 80. I remember in 2009, I was struggling with alcohol and my Pastor, at a church in Illinois, invited us to a Super Bowl party as his house. There were plenty of drinks and people drinking plenty, and it gave me a justification, "If my Pastor can drink, then why not I?" 81. For me, it's easy for me not to drink, because I can't with any sense of control. If you ever see me justifying why I can drink or you see me drinking, please know I have disqualified myself from leadership. I have too much bad history with drinking for it to be personally permissible. 82. You may not have had my history. You may be able to drink a glass of wine and stop. I never wanted the glass, I wanted the whole bottle. For you though, I encourage you to exercise wisdom and self-control in this liberty. Be careful to exercise the law of love and think about hospitality and love and not stumbling, causing offense or making weak another person. 83. You may not know where a person stands with alcohol, and even if you asked if it was ok if you order a drink, the other person may lie to you and say it's ok. A good rule of thumb on these types of questions and issues is "When in doubt, don't." 84. Not Violent- def. "a striker, a brawler." 85. Some scholars place this qualification as a sub-category to "not given to wine" because of the correlation between alcohol consumption and violence...and there is a very strong correlation. 86. If you separate this qualification, it can still stand on it's own. Fighting in the Bible is seen both in a spiritual sense (where believers are very much encouraged to fight), and also in a physical sense where it is not as clear. I do think this verse in Timothy addresses physical violence, so let's focus here. 87. If you are a church leader, you shouldn't be physically hitting people or looking for a fight. In the context of a church leader being on the offensive, without good cause, this is wrong. 88. The leader should exercise self-control. 89. But, does this mean that I am supposed to be a pacifist? 90. Pro 25:21-22 states " If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you." -We should exercise compassion, not revenge. 91. Matt 5:39 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." -The Levitical Law has a law of retaliation, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, whereby retaliation does not exceed the offense, but Jesus teaches a righteous person can exercise humility and grace over retaliation. 92. At face value, it would seem that we should never exercise violence, and pacifists love to use these verses to justify no violence ever 93. But, listen to these verses: 94. Paul wrote "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Rom 12:17-18 95. It is good not to revenge ourselves and to leave place for God's wrath. It's good to live peaceably, but it's not always possible, and this is when self-defense is permissible. 96. Jesus instructed His disciples, Lk 22:36 "Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one." 97. While scholars disagree on the interpretation of this verse, many believe this points to Jesus upholding the right of the disciples to self-defense. 98. Let's not forget Jesus, and His righteous anger and action, during both of this Temple cleansings. 99. Jn 2:15, "When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer' money and overturned the tables." 100. And, this same Jesus in His 2nd Coming definitely is not coming back as a pacifist...He is coming to conquer on a white horse, He will strike the nations, rule them with a rod of iron, and will judge. Read Rev 19. 101. Exo 22:2 states, "If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed." We have a right to personal property and to defend our property. 102. How about defending those who are being attacked or abused? 103. Are we just to stand by idly while someone hurts our kid? There are difficult circumstances where a call to action is necessary, but most often we should be able to live in peace and let God be our defender. 104. Fighting, like anger, in and of itself is not wrong...it can be noble or it can be sinful depending upon the context, motive, and object of what one is fighting. 105. The Bible does not forbid self-defense, but if your fighting is motivated by pride, covetousness, the desire for pleasure (James 4:1-3) or any other ill motive it is wrong. 106. Not Greedy for Money- def "eager of base gain." 107. Ministry is not about personal financial gain, and if a church leader is money motivated, they would be better taking their self-service elsewhere. 108. This verse is one of many that would speak against the Prosperity Gospel. 109. 1 Pet 5:2 "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly..." 110. Jesus said to Peter, "Feed My sheep" not "Fleece my sheep." 111. Gentle- def. "equitable, yielding." The idea is being peacable. 112. In some translations, this is paired as an antonym to violent. ESV states, "not violent, but gentle." 113. As mentioned before, being at peace and being gentle is the preference, but there is a time and place where action, even violent action, has a justification. 114. Not quarrelsome- Greek word is amachos. Machos in spanish slang is aggressively masculine, and adding a prefix of "a" means not. So, it sounds like this is not aggressively masculine. Kind of, not really, but sort of. 115. def- "abstaining from fighting" or "not contentious." 116. So, don't go looking for a fight, but be prepared to end it if it comes your way. 117. This has so much similar meaning to what we already talked about in "not violent" that I'm not going to get into this one. 118. But, I think this give more credence to those scholars who want to link "not violent" as a sub-category to "not given to wine." 119. Not covetous- def. "free from the love for money." 120. This is different from "Not greedy for money" in this is more encompassing of general satisfaction in life. 121. The covetous person is never satisfied with what they have materially. They are looking at what they don't have versus appreciating what they do have. 122. Heb 13:5 "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 123. That's a great reminder, that we have Jesus...truly, what more do we need? 124. A covetous spiritual leader will encounter people that have more, and how can they but have feelings of envy towards others and bitterness about their own situation if they are ruled by this lust of the eyes? 125. 1 Tim 6:10 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." continue to verses 4-5 Verses 4-5 "...one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);..." Verse 4 1. 16th Qualification: "...one who rules his own house well..."- 2. The idea of the house carries a similar idea to how we view the church. The house is the family, the church is the people. We are not talking about a physical structure of the house, it's upkeep and yard work, though there are good stewardship principles with taking care of a physical property. 3. But, this qualification speaks about a how a man is leading, directing, and attending to his family, and the expectation is he does it well or with excellence and honor. 4. "...having his children in submission with all reverence..." 5. The children of the church leader are in control, and obedient to their parents. 6. Submission to a loving authority is an easy task. The children respect their parents and adhere to their lead. 7. A child that respects their earthly father because they are a quality leader has a much better perspective on who our heavenly Father is. 8. Will a child rebel? Perhaps, but don't let your example be a consistent poor example and the cause of that rebellion. 9. Pro 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." 10. "(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God);..." 11. The first ministry a church leader must attend to is their own family. If the family of this leader is not cared for, how will this man care for a community of believers? 12. It is important for a church leader to not put their own family on the altar of sacrifice. It's ok to have boundaries as a leader and to say, "no" at times to ministry or to outsource ministry (which is the better option), where certain ministry task can be cared for as delegated to other capable hands. 13. The family is a vital ministry, and must be prioritized. continue to verse 6 Verse 6 "...not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil." 1. Qualification 17 "not a novice..." Greek neophutos where we get our word neophyte. 2. def. "newly planted." The idea is a leader should not be a new convert or one who has recently become a Christian. 3. Allow a new Christian some time to grow roots and grow in Christian maturity before serving in church leadership roles, especially that of the Bishop. 4. "...lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil." 5. Puffed up with pride- lit. "to wrap in smoke." 6. Scholars Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown state, "inflated with self-conceit and exaggerated ideas of his own importance, he cannot see himself or others in the true light." 7. Satan had a pride issue and was condemned because of this issue. He wanted to be God and was cast out because of this pride. 8. Turn to Isa 14 starting in verse 12. We see a picture of Satan's pride and motivation and what is called the "Five 'I will' Statements of Satan" ... "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit." 9. About 200-250 years later, Ezk write in Ezk 28, verses 11-19, and we see a response from God and many Bible students see this as a description of Satan and his fall. 10. You should book mark that passage and read it, if you haven't already, but in verse 17, God says through Ezekiel, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty..." 11. 1 Jn 2:16 warns, "For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world." 12. 1 Jn 2:16 very much gives us Satan's tool-belt in how he tempts people to sin against God. He tempted Eve this way, and attempted to tempt Jesus this way. He doesn't even typically need to get to pride before a person falls. 13. Many people in scripture fall when they see something in the world that is the lust of their flesh. 14. Eve saw the tree... 15. Lot saw the land... 16. Dinah saw the daughters of the land...and prince Shechem saw Dinah and took her... 17. Samson saw the Philistine woman... 18. David saw Bathsheba... 19. Undoubtedly, a new christian will see something in leadership as well, get puffed up with pride, and fall. Better to have a season of christian maturity before stepping into leadership. let's finish in verse 7 Verse 7 "Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 1. Qualification 18: A good testimony- "A good witness" or "a good reputation." 2. the audience is those who are outside, or non-believers. 3. The church leadership or overseer should have a good reputation with people in the community who are not yet saved, so this minister can be used effectively as a tool to share the gospel and lead people to saving faith. 4. And, a Pastor that is living in hypocrisy, this is a key reason people walk away from faith or avoid coming to faith. No one likes a hypocrite. 5. "...lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." 6. The reality is the world has been corrupted by the devil, and many people in the world just love to see the church leader fall. Satan loves to disgrace God's name, His people, and His whenever possible, especially in front of an unbelieving audience. 7. And so, Peter warns, 1 Pet 2 11-12, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." 8. The devil lays many traps that church leadership has fallen into. But, Satan is predictable. He doesn't have to be that creative... "lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" these are the primary traps the enemy uses, and they are have been very effective to stumble many. So, in this segment, we have seen Paul's letter to Timothy in examining the 16-18 Qualifications of a Bishop, an overseer, a person in higher leadership within the church. * Truly, this is a list for all of us to live by, but for the church leader it is a list that either qualifies or disqualifies them from serving in their role. * God has a standard, and He is sharing this standard for leadership with us in this writing. * It is a fairly exhaustive list, but we certainly could cross reference and add additional qualifications, but this is a great framework. * Many churches, including ours will reference this list when we have someone who desires the good work of serving in the church. * I would encourage you, if at anytime you are concerned for how you measure up to this list, talk to me and I'd like to pray with you and seek the Lord on how to get in alignment with His qualifications. * And, this goes for me too. I will come to you or if you have concern with me, let's talk. * "As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Pro 27:17 Amen? Let's Pray.