God Speaks
t is a true saying that if a man wants to be a pastor[a] he has a good ambition. 2 For a pastor must be a good man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must have only one wife, and he must be hard working and thoughtful, orderly, and full of good deeds. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be a good Bible teacher. 3 He must not be a drinker or quarrelsome, but he must be gentle and kind and not be one who loves money. 4 He must have a well-behaved family, with children who obey quickly and quietly. 5 For if a man can’t make his own little family behave, how can he help the whole church?
6 The pastor must not be a new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and pride comes before a fall. (Satan’s downfall is an example.) 7 Also, he must be well spoken of by people outside the church—those who aren’t Christians—so that Satan can’t trap him with many accusations and leave him without freedom to lead his flock.
8 The deacons must be the same sort of good, steady men as the pastors. They must not be heavy drinkers and must not be greedy for money. 9 They must be earnest, wholehearted followers of Christ, who is the hidden Source of their faith. 10 Before they are asked to be deacons, they should be given other jobs in the church as a test of their character and ability, and if they do well, then they may be chosen as deacons.
11 Their wives must be thoughtful, not heavy drinkers, not gossipers, but faithful in everything they do. 12 Deacons should have only one wife, and they should have happy, obedient families. 13 Those who do well as deacons will be well rewarded both by respect from others and also by developing their own confidence and bold trust in the Lord.
14 I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, 15 so that if I don’t come for a while, you will know what kind of men you should choose as officers for the church of the living God, which contains and holds high the truth of God.
16 It is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven.
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: This section of the letter gives the qualifications for being an official or leader in the first century church. Many current day churches, denominations, or affiliations continue to use them when selecting officers. There are differing opinions as to the exact job description of a pastor, elder, deacon, overseer, or bishop, but most generally follow this set of qualifications. The Apostle Paul held that it was a good ambition for a man to desire such a position in the church, so, he laid out the qualities needed. According to the culture of the day and the Old Testament scripture, this person would be a mature man. Since many of these qualifications overlap and apply to men in these positions (and their wives), I will summarize them here: respected in the community; faithful to his one spouse; diligent; sensible; knowledgeable; approachable; not addicted to wine (or anything else) or violent; open and welcoming; able to instruct; a good manager of finances and family; dependable; gentle and kind; not a new believer; tried and true; and a conscientious parent. Verse 16 is a description of Jesus, which may have been used as a creed (a summary statement of faith) or an oath office since it follows qualifications for being an overseer or deacon.
Prayer: Dear Gracious God who cares about who leads His children, thank You for putting the right people in the right positions to lead Your people. Please help us to be alert and develop qualified leaders locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide. Holy Spirit, please help us to develop these qualities in ourselves, our families, and congregations so that we can better serve and reflect Christ for the sake of Your Kingdom. May we daily affirm this creed: “Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16 NLT) All for the sake of King Jesus. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the Holy Spirit to develop any or all these qualifications in me as I yield to Him.
- I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He is developing these qualifications in others.
- I will encourage others to seek to be leaders in the church, watching to see who meets these qualifications.
- I will personally commend people I see displaying these qualities.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.