Salvation is free for us, but evidence should show up in our character.

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Application: Let’s remember that as we look at these qualifications for Elders, we do not want to escape the opportunity to examine our own lives in light of these qualities that all believers should emulate! “Pugnacious” is not a common word used today.

The Greek word - πλήκτης  plḗktēs; to strike. A striker, a violent person, figuratively a reviler, one who by reproachful and upbraiding language wounds the conscience of his brethren, a contentious person

The New Oxford American Dictionary: • eager or quick to argue, quarrel, fight: the increasingly pugnacious demeanor of politicians.

• having the appearance of a willing fighter: the set of her pugnacious jaw.

As a child of God we should not be “looking for a fight”, not violent or quick tempered. It may appear manly in this world, but in God’s world it is immature! “Gentle” - avoids contentions - this is the answer to “pugnacious”, yet this does not mean avoids confrontation. The key here is that even in confrontations the person is not looking for a fight, but is looking for a resolve and is therefore “peaceable” - ἄμαχος  ámachos; from - without, and máchē  - battle, controversy. Not disposed to fight, not contentious or quarrelsome^[1] This person is not quarrelsome and does not always have to fight. This is an interesting character after the previous four. It seems to sum the others up, giving us a tidy understanding of a good leader, worthy to be lifted up for us to emulate.

Paul continues to describe an Elder as “free from the love of money”.  We can reason the clarity of this from other parts of God’s Word wherein we are told we cannot serve two masters. The reason given is, we will have divided attention. For the Elder, his “call” will become a job. Nothing is more tragic than men that use a church as a stepping-stone to elevate themselves. “He must be one who manages his own household well”. Many elders do not like this section because the ministry competes with family time, and some consider family an essential but taxing burden. This is sad but true, I have counseled many that have not dealt with how their flesh has deceived them in what is most important to God. Paul reasons with us saying, if you cannot disciple your own kids, who start out loving you just because you are Dad, then how can you love, shepherd and disciple strangers that have all kinds of issues in their life that you know nothing about? This is a fair and good accountability for all of us parents. We have the next generation of disciples living with us. We need to spend the time that it takes to love them to Jesus!

Meditation Questions: What do you do in your life to gauge your own character growth? If nothing, what does that show you? In this day of “political Christianity” is there a balance needed in our stewardship as citizens and our slavery to Christ? What is yours? Is it possible to stand for something and yet not quarrel? Describe what that looks like? Why is the love of money so dangerous? If we know we don’t love money, yet we like it too much, what problems can occur? List some reasons why it is silly to love and depend on money.

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^[1] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

Taking what you know and sharing it

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Application: As we continue to look at the list that Paul gave to Timothy when considering men from the eldership, he states they should be “able to teach”. In this day and age of superstar preachers we need to be very careful about what this really means. Paul is not talking about style or being charismatic in our presentation. A teacher is someone who has the ability to communicate knowledge. Obviously, all of us want to present what we teach in a way that attracts people's attention, this is an essential for a preaching-elder. Although not all elders are gifted to be in the pulpit, but they are not called to. Elders are called to shepherd the flock, which includes communicating the truth of the Scriptures or teach, but that does not have to be from the pulpit. So the real issue here is that an elder has the ability to assimilate the truth and to present it to those that he is discipling. This is a skill all of us need to develop as part of our character in life whether we have the position of elder or not. We may not be in a classroom, or in a formal teaching situation, but we do need to learn to take the truth that God teaches us and allow the Holy Spirit to use us to instruct others on these matters. A good beginning to this is to write out a personal testimony of the difference that Jesus Christ has made to your life, so that you can share that with others to help them. Teachers do not just show how well they can do something or the display the depth of knowledge they have on any one subject. Teachers pass on the knowledge enabling their students to do, grow, and build upon what they’re learning, when this does not happen we often say, “The teacher is full of hot air”. This would not be a character worthy of serving as an “elder” or shepherd of the body of Christ. 

“Not addicted to wine”, there has been a lot of discussion about whether an Elder or a Christian should drink any alcohol, a debate I can not settle now, though the scriptures are clear that drunkenness is a sin, therefore drinking falls into the Liberty area. Each believer must decide what best glorifies God in their life. The issue here is best served to look at the original:  

πάροινος pároinos; from pará - near or by, and oínos - wine.  Pertaining to wine, drunken. The word does not include the responsible and temperate usage of alcohol, rather, it has in view the abuse or incessant use of it. The word–picture is that of an individual who always has a bottle (or wineskin) on the table and so signifies addiction (1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7).   or “One who lingers beside his wine” No believer should be mastered by anything. This is where we see – not just leadership step up, but anyone who takes seriously that he represents the Lord. Even in our Liberties we need to see how that affects our testimony for Him. We are given a description or a picture of what an Elder should “look” like by Paul, saying, in essence, an elder is one who has not only knowledge to teach the scriptures but wisdom to know how to handle his liberties and the character of honesty to keep himself from slipping into drunkenness. We all have difficulties in life to deal with. Even the Elder serving us, though he needs to be an example to us as one who endures and works through the problems and trials without allowing his flesh to rule, instead he seeks the Holy Spirit and wisdom from God.     

Meditation Questions: Have you developed a testimony that you can share to folks that explains the difference Jesus has made in your life? If not, will you? When you learn something from God do you share that with others? What does your answer show you about your desire for others to know God? Do you drink alcohol? If so, why? If not, why? How important is this issue? What could make it more important or less important?  Do you pray for your leaders? How often? 

“Christian” is a lifestyle, not a title.

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Application: Often, we come to a passage that does not speak directly to us, we have the tendency to just pass over it thinking it does not apply to us. We should never limit what the Holy Spirit will do with all of the Scriptures. This section is about qualifications for elders, but let us not allow ourselves the ability to ignore the wonderful truths that are communicated here for our benefit. That does God's Word a disservice. This list Paul gives of qualities that elders should have is a list that all of us should use as our own guide. Whether we have the position of elder or not, every child of God is an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ, as such we should do our best to represent Him in all we do. (1 Cor. 10:13) Consider the descriptions:

Temperate: to be moderate, self restrained; not extreme in opinion, statement, etc. to be moderate as regards indulgence of appetite or passions, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors; not excessive in degree. We are to be modest and controlled in our life. This would cover all we do and how we act. It does not mean we cannot have fun, engage in issues of our culture or enjoy the good things of this life. It is more about not swinging too far over in any extreme direction.

Prudent: wise or judicious in practical affairs; discreet or circumspect; careful in providing for the future; provident. This communicates that we have a serious edge on our life, it does not mean we don't have a sense of humor, but that we understand what is really important. An example would be; “the social gospel”, if we only help someone not be hungry but allow them to go well fed to hell we missed it and are not prudent! Yes, we should have empathy for the hungry and feed them when sharing the love of Jesus, but they need more than just their physical appetite quenched, spiritually they are starving and we have the spiritual food they need.

Respectable: worthy or esteem, of good social standing, reputation. We should be well ordered; not in continual confusion or a life of unaccomplished plans. People see when we have a purpose and to see that purpose come to fruition.

Hospitable: receiving or treating guests or strangers warmly and generously; characterized by giving warmth and hospitality; favorably receptive or open to new ideas and people. Whether an extrovert or introvert, it matters not, the love of Christ should motivate our life to care for people, no matter who they are and to invite them to be a part of our life. This will require us to open our life up to people. God did not call us to be hermits and live alone. It is important to take a moment, pause from our lives, and really look at the qualities that we're showing to others. The Holy Spirit desires to reproduce the character of Jesus Christ in all of us.

 

Meditation Questions: When you think of Character development, what do you consider; your position in the Church; your title, or the fact that you represent Him? What does that say?  Looking at these four qualities, where would you say you are the strongest? Where would you say you are the weakest? What should you not do concerning the area you are strong in? What should you do concerning the area you are weak in? Why is this important?

What does it mean to be credible?

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Application: Previously we reasoned through some of the qualifications of an elder. As we continue our consideration of “The husband of one wife”, or better put “a one-woman man”, the issue of divorce must be dealt with and is highly debated one, and has been for 2000 years. What is not debatable is that divorce was never an option that God desired (Matt. 19:8)  Scripture states that God hates divorce and Jesus made it clear in his discussion on divorce that it was permitted because of their hard hearts. It was never intended for a husband and wife to separate in such a way. The digression of obedience to the scripture vs rabbinical writing by the time Jesus Christ came as our Sacrifice was rampant. There were 2 main schools of thought for the acceptable divorce.

1) The School of Shammai; where divorce was only allowed if you found that your spouse and been sexually unfaithful.

2) The School of Hillel; where a man could divorce his wife for burnt toast! Neither of the schools follow the Scriptures to the letter.

The issue of divorce in Deuteronomy, although using the man as example, did not limit the action to males only. The issue was that if your spouse was sexually unfaithful you had the option of divorcing them, and that bill of divorcement would free you to marry another without the danger of being stoned for being an adulterer. Although, when Jesus spoke on this issue he made it clear that God was not in favor of divorce, but due to sin and the hardness of our hearts, if we refuse to be faithful to our vow, our spouse could choose to end the marriage. In the 2000 years of church history the majority view was that if a man was divorced he was not qualified to be an elder. This is neither the time nor the place to try and settle the debate that most likely will never be settled until we get to heaven. Instead, I would like to consider the real issue of disqualification; the issue is of credibility, essential in an elder's life. If he cannot keep the vow that he made to his wife, how can we believe his word in other matters? If an elder commits sexual immorality, he is no longer a one-woman man, and his credibility is lost. He can and should be forgiven, restored to both his wife and God, and I believe still have a great ministry in the body of Christ but not as an elder. In all the other qualifications an elder can repent and regain that discipline in his life, not so when it comes to being a one-woman man. It is like Moses striking the rock; once he did it, it was done. God forgave him, restored him back to fellowship and I am sure had great communion with Moses, however, God told him that he still would not be allowed to go into the land. As an elder myself I see my vow to my wife as something nonnegotiable when it comes to my credibility as a leader in the church. I have one chance to be faithful to one woman my entire life; therefore I should guard myself knowing the great privilege God has given me to be called an elder. I'm still a sinner and fail in many ways, but God has not asked me to be perfect as an elder, but the issue of credibility, God has elevated and made it very important to be a visible example by keeping my vow with my spouse and my Word to my God.

Meditation Questions: Can we lose our credibility, but restore our fellowship with God? What does that look like? When it comes to leadership, how important is it that they are credible to you? Why? How can any of us be credible when we still sin? What is the balance? Is there a higher expectation for leaders? Is that correct? Why? Why not? Is there higher visibility? Is that correct? Why? Why not? Is leadership forced or voluntary? What does that say?

Expectations can be dangerous

Expectations can be dangerous Expectations can become a real enemy to trust. How many times have we seen someone disappointed because they did not get what they expected at Christmas? God’s thoughts and ways are far different than ours. Do we think Joseph & Mary expected the coming of the Messiah this way? If we do what they did, just focus on being who we should be, we can leave all the details to God. Joseph may not know where He was going, but He knew Who was working the details out. Imagine, God using a Caesar to fulfill where Messiah would be born! When we concentrate on our inner life, even in the midst of difficult times we can rest in out Hope, not our expectations. 2 Tim. 4:6-8 I am already being poured out like a drink offering, the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--but also to all who have longed for his appearing.