A few weeks ago I started taking through some of the VABC students through a study on 1 Timothy. We would read a few verses and then explore what Paul is saying in these Verses and how we could apply them to our lives. This week we talk about Chapter 3: The qualifications of an Overseer (bishop) and a deacon.
(NOTE: Paul refers to men taking on these roles in the early church, probably because that was who took leadership roles on at the time of writing his letters. This is not to say that woman cannot, or should not. I have no problem with a woman taking on these leadership roles. So I do not want to spark a debate about who can be in leadership. Furthermore, I am lazy and will not make much effort to make the language gender neutral, I will word the verses the way I see them in the bible.)
1 Timothy Chapter 3:
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:
He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels,proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
(ESV)
In my bible are subheadings. The first section is labelled "Qualifications of an Overseer." The Greek word is Episkopos, and depending on which translation of the bible you are reading has been translated: Overseer, bishop, elder, or presbyter. One could argue that for most of our modern day churches this would be the pastor. To understand what position Paul is talking about here we must understand how the early church operated. Unlike many modern churches that have church owned buildings, the early churches were unable to obtain such luxuries. Instead they would gather in public spaces (If there was favour among the local synagogue they could meet at the synagogue) or in personal homes, gathering when they could (that is not worry so much about what day they met on, but meeting when everyone was available). As not everyone could gather on the same day or same place the church would operate more as a collection of "small groups" (or home groups, or house churches etc.); each group would make up a part of the larger church that would be identified as the church of the city. So the church in the city of Ephesus would have been similar: several small gatherings of believers all considered themselves as part of the whole "Church of Ephesus". While there is not a full description given for Bishops or Overseers, we can learn from the use in the letters of Paul and other apostles that the episkopos would have been individuals who oversaw the operation of one or more groups; usually given an area or district or region of the city or province and the groups that were in that zone would be under the Bishop's oversight. The Overseer would be responsible for the teaching, training, and spiritual growth of the groups. Whether he/she taught the doctrine personally or had others teach, it was the Overseer's job to ensure sound doctrine was being taught. At the very least, the Overseer would have been the leader or pastor of one small group of 20 (maybe the owner of the house the group met at); but an Overseer could also be the person who shepherded 50 small groups (or more, or less, no numbers are given). Some modern church organizations and denominations use "Bishop" to describe a pastor who has been given charge of multiple churches; each church has their own pastor or minister, and the bishop oversees how these pastors operate the churches; this is somewhat similar to this role that Paul is talking about.
Paul tells Timothy that if any one wishes to be an Overseer, they desire a good thing. In other words, do not discourage people from wishing to teach and disciple other Christians; do not discourage them, but do make sure they are qualified. The first qualification is that the person be above reproach. To be above reproach is to have strong moral character and integrity. The person seeking this role should have such high integrity that no one can find fault in him (Not saying that he is perfect, just that he has integrity). Second, "Husband of one wife" (or "Wife of one husband"). We could explore the contextual meaning of this phrase, but I prefer to keep it simple and say: "The person seeking a leadership role needs to be some one who is completely faithful in their marriage." I like to look at these two aspects together together. The two biggest downfalls of people in ministry is lack of integrity, and unfaithfulness in marriage.
Overseers should also be "Sober minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." Much of these are self explanatory, so let us focus on just a few: "Sober Minded" can also be described as "having a level, or clear head, rational, sensible." The overseer is the person responsible for much of the teaching in the church, they need to be of a clear head and be sensible in their thinking and conduct. "Able to teach" while not everyone is as capable of teaching as others, it should be an expectation of a Bishop that they are able to explain the truths of the Word to the disciples in a way that makes sense; they do not have to be the most eloquent teacher ever, but they should be able to bring a clear understanding of the sound doctrine. "Not quarrelsome," we do not want someone in a position of leadership who is prone to getting into arguments or quarrelling; whether he is correcting someones doctrine, discussing who should run the youth group, or receiving criticism the Overseer needs to keep himself controlled and respond in love. "Not a lover of Money" God is no respecter of persons, neither should be church leaders. If a pastor is always catering to the people that give the most financially at the church then he lacks the discipline and integrity to properly lead the church.
"He must manage his own household"...."for if someone does not know how to manage his household, how will he care for God's church?" This is a bit of a difficult verse to dissect. Many church boards use this verse as an excuse to fire a pastor because his teenage daughter is going to a rebellious stage. I think this verse is referring to so much more than just the conduct of the mans children, although that does play a role. The person put in as Overseer should be someone who knows how to run his family both their financials and their discipline. So while the behaviours of his children should be looked at as an indicator of how he manages his family there are other things to consider: Does he put his families needs before his personal desires? Does he manage the wealth of his family to ensure their needs are met before he spends money on pleasures? Does he have the support of his wife in the decisions he makes? Does he deal with family issues appropriately and reasonably? Is he aware of what is going on in his family? Is he representing Christ to his family? These are all questions that can be asked about someone who is being considered for a leadership role in the church. (If the person being considered is single, the are not to be excluded from the consideration, instead we should ask: How are they managing their personal lives?) Now if the person we have already put in place is starting to have struggles in managing their family the questions we should be asking is: "Are they neglecting their family for the sake of the ministry?" And if they are we should ask: "What is the most appropriate and Christ like response to this situation? How can I help this person?" Sometimes the response is to ask them to step down. Sometimes the response is to take find a person to share the responsibilities of ministry so he can handle his household. Sometimes the response is to let the take some time off, a sabbatical. Always the response is: Christlike Love.
An overseer should not be a new convert. It is great that new believers come into the church and want to be involved, but they lack the spiritual maturity to be given this large responsibility. Instead let them volunteer in other areas, let them develop maturity, ask them to clean toilets, or help out in the nursery. Those we put in leadership must be spiritually mature, and a person who thinks cleaning toilets is "below them" is not spiritually mature enough to be in leadership.
"Moreover, he must well thought of by outsiders." The Overseer was quit often the face of the church, this is a good indicator of the type of person: What do people outside the church say about him? We do not want "Sunday morning Christians", a person who only behaves well around other Christians, leading the church, for that is a person who lacks integrity. The Bishop is the leader of the church, the one overseeing its spiritual growth and development, he better be spiritually mature himself.
So remember, if you wish to be a minister of the Word, you desire a good thing, but please ensure you have developed your own spiritual maturity before you seek to develop others. And if your pastor is asking you to be in charge of the sanitation department, it may be because he sees your potential, and is now helping you develop the character needed to lead.
(I did go through all of Chapter 3 with the students last Sunday, but as this post is already quit lengthy I will make another post.)
Regards,
Tyler
A Boy WonderLabels: 1 Timothy, Bible Teaching, VABC