EVIDENTLY CONDUCT MATTERS
1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7
1 TIMOTHY 3:1-7 NKJ
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 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; 4 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?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
OBSERVATION:
In our passage for today Paul is helping Timothy with church leadership. It is interesting what he lists as qualifications for pastors and what he leaves out.
These verses provide a laundry list of what is important in a church leader. But what is missing is quite telling.
Nothing is mentioned about being young, just that the leader not be a novice or a new believer. Neither is age even mentioned as a factor here, so no aging out.
Nothing is said about being dynamic or in line with the culture of the day. We consider these things valuable, but evidently, the Holy Spirit does not.
Being an amazing preacher does not make the list. Being able to teach does.
So, what becomes clear as we read this passage is that conduct and character matter. The New Living Translation sheds a bit more light on what is required in a church leader. Here is their list.
Live about reproach. Faithful to his wife. Must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home. That one gets me, but remember, this was written before Marriott opened their doors.
Continuing with the NLT, he must not be a heavy drinker. My bible says addicted to wine. He must not be violent but gentle and not quarrelsome on social media. That addition was from the ACT (Alan Clayton Translation).
But Paul is not done. A leader must not love money. He must lead his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. And he needs to be well respected outside the church.
APPLICATION:
This is a list. At first glance, you wonder who actually meets all of these qualifications. But instead, we should look at these qualifications as a process. A leader should be able to show progress in many of these areas. And some of these should be non-negotiable such as faithfulness to his wife, not a new believer, and not a heavy drinking violent man.
The bottom line is that conduct in leadership is important. Character matters. And God's Kingdom and work should command a high standard and our very best.