Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Timothy 3:1-7
1
Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer
desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to
his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3
not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover
of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey
him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does
not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the
same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with
outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
-- On Tuesday of this week, President
Trump attended a post-Inauguration Day interfaith ceremony at the Washington
National Cathedral. Trump was seated in the first row alongside first lady
Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance during the
service, a tradition undertaken by presidents of both parties.
-- as has been reported widely on
mainstream and social media this week, the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde spoke
directly to Trump during her address from the pulpit -- she said, “In the name
of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are
scared now,” said Budde, who was looking directly at the president. “There are
gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent
families. Some who fear for their lives.”
-- "They may not be citizens or
have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not
criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of
our churches and mosques, synagogues."
-- “In the name of God, I ask you to
have mercy on them”, and then she concluded her message1
-- Bishop Budde’s comments from the
pulpit, especially those directed specifically to President Trump, have
elicited a harsh rebuke from some in the country, including some of our elected
leaders -- she has received death threats -- and there have been calls for her
to be removed from her position because she wasn’t a true spiritual leader --
others have called for her to be deported or excommunicated -- Trump himself
said she owed him an apology for her remarks
-- Budde herself said “she thought
phrasing her words to the president as a plea for mercy “was a very gentle way
to do it because I was acknowledging his authority and his power. -- I guess I
had that wrong”1
-- so, I am not going to get into
the politics of this issue or speak on the issues that Budde raised in her
message -- but as we continue in our sermon series on the trustworthy
statements that Paul shared with Timothy and Titus in his pastoral epistles, I
do want us to consider the concerns that were raised about Bishop Budde’s
spiritual fitness to serve as the leader of the Episcopal Diocese of
Washington, a position she has held since 2011 -- in this position, she
oversees 86 churches across Washington, D.C., and Maryland, with 38,000
members.
-- the questions I want us to
consider today are “what are the requirements for spiritual leadership in the
church?” -- “what are the standards and qualifications for spiritual leaders
that the Bible mandates?”
-- does Bishop Budde meet the
requirements outlined in scripture to serve in her position, based on what we
learned about her this week?
-- so, with that challenge before
us, let us move forward and look at this passage together as we seek to answer
those questions
II. Scripture Lesson (1 Timothy 3:1-7)
-- look back at verse 1
1
Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer
desires a noble task.
-- before we begin answering our
questions about the qualifications for spiritual leaders, we have to first define
what we mean by “spiritual leader”
-- here in verse 1, Paul addresses
people seeking to be an overseer -- what is an overseer?
-- more than likely, your Bible has
a footnote saying that an overseer is traditionally synonymous with a bishop --
but where do bishops fit into the spiritual leadership hierarchy of the church?
-- in the New Testament, there are
various terms that are used to describe the different types of spiritual
leaders in the church -- in Ephesians 4:11-12, we read of some of the spiritual
leaders who are called by God to serve in His church -- “So Christ himself gave
the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip
his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up”
-- the first spiritual leader
mentioned is the apostle -- and we have talked about this in our Bible studies
-- apostles were the earliest leaders in the church, and to be an apostle, one
had to have received their calling and their ministry from the risen Christ
-- Jesus originally set aside twelve men
to be His apostles, and after Judas fell from his position because of his
betrayal, the church selected Matthias to replace him -- but later, Saul --
renamed Paul -- was called on the Road to Damascus and designated an apostle by
Christ Himself
-- according to Scripture it appears
there were more than 12 apostles in the church who were called by Jesus to this
position -- but by and large, we only talk about the 12 apostles, and most
identify Paul as the last apostle instead of Matthias -- the position of
apostleship was a limited position, and ceased to exist after the original
apostles passed away
-- after apostles, we have the
prophets and evangelists, who both share a similar ministry and calling --
these individuals are called to proclaim the word of God -- to share the
message of God to others, both within and outside the church
-- as messengers, these people have
a calling to the entire church and to the world outside the church, not to any
specific congregation or gathering -- and that is key difference in their role
as spiritual leaders in the church
-- moving on, we see that Christ
called people to serve as pastors and teachers -- sometimes, these words are
joined together into pastor-teacher, to identify the role these leaders fulfill
-- contrary to the prophets and evangelists, pastors are called to shepherd
over a specific group of individuals, usually in a church setting -- we’re all
familiar with the people who fill this role in the church
-- later on, as the church began to
take shape and began to grow, we started to see references to elders in the
Bible, with the earliest reference in Acts 11:30 -- elders were identified as mature
Christians in a congregational setting -- people who had earned a say in the
affairs and the management of a church because of their maturity and experiences
with Christ -- they were like the official mentors of the church -- men and
women who younger believers could go to to be discipled or taught in the faith
-- and who had a role in the administration of the church
-- when Paul began his missionary
journeys, he would appoint elders in each of the new churches to help the
pastor shepherd them and lead them -- to help share the load, as it were
-- the Greek word for elders was presbuteros,
so churches that officially designate elders in roles like this today are known
as Presbyterian churches or following a Presbyterian model
-- in addition to pastors and
elders, the Bible also identifies deacons, who are identified as people called
to special ministry in the church -- they functioned similar to the Levites in
the temple worship of the Jews -- helping the pastors with the spiritual
aspects of ministry, such as overseeing or helping with communion, baptism, and
similar acts
-- and finally, we see the position
of bishops or overseers, leaders who apparently function in a role similar to
an elder but who assist in the mentoring and administration of more than one
church -- so, rather than being an elder in one congregation, a bishop helps
administer and oversee multiple churches
-- the term bishop comes from the
Greek word, episcopos, from which we get the term, “Episcopal” -- it has
come to define both a position and a type of church governance -- and churches
and denominations that follow an episcopal structure have an established
hierarchy with a bishop overseeing several churches in a leadership role -- the
United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church are examples of this model of
leadership
-- so, in this trustworthy
statement, Paul is specifically speaking to Timothy about the leadership
position of a bishop or overseer -- but I think it’s safe to generalize this
passage, and to assume the spiritual qualifications and characteristics of an
overseer also apply to all of the other leadership positions who have some type
of spiritual oversight or responsibility in the administration of the church or
congregation
-- what we do learn here in verse 1
about the people who are authorized to serve as overseers or spiritual leaders
in the church?
-- well, we see that the people in
these positions must be called -- Paul says, “if anyone sets his heart on being
an overseer” -- some translations use the term, “if anyone aspires to be an
overseer”
-- this phrase and Paul’s use of the word,
“desire,” later in verse 1 identifies this aspiration as a God-given deep
longing to serve in this position -- in other words, someone can’t just decide
they want to be an overseer, but they first have to have a call from God and a
longing in their heart to serve God and to share God’s word with others
-- and this call cannot be hidden -- if
someone has it, you know -- they know and you know, because you see it in them
-- it overwhelms them -- it defines them
-- it’s like the prophet Jeremiah said in
Jeremiah 20:9, “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in
his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.”
-- this desire to be an overseer has to be
a calling and a desire and an overwhelming pull from the Lord to serve Him --
and when you have that, you can’t ignore it -- you can’t run from it -- you
can’t help but yield to the Spirit’s call
-- that is what Paul is talking about here
-- in order to be an overseer -- in fact, in order to be any spiritual leader
-- a pastor -- a teacher -- an elder -- a prophet or evangelist -- or a deacon
-- you have to have that call -- it’s not about ability or skills or talents --
it’s about a desire in your heart that God has put there
-- so, what are these overseers supposed
to look like? -- or, to get back to our original question, what is a person in
a leadership position like Bishop Budde to look like? -- what are the
characteristics and qualifications to serve in this role?
-- verse 2-3
1 Timothy 3:2 Now the overseer is
to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled,
respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent
but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
-- I know we’re getting on in time,
so I’m going to try to run through this, so hang on -- let’s go through this
list of qualifications for overseers that Paul gives Timothy in these verses
-- first, an overseer is to be above
reproach -- blameless -- not perfect, because none of us are perfect -- but not
walking in sin -- not living a life of sin -- not known for living in a way the
Bible and God disagrees with
-- beyond reproach describes a humble
leader -- one who is aware of his faults and his sins to the point that they
don’t overcome him, but that if he does stumble, he gets up in repentance and
faith to move forward with the Lord again
-- here in the updated translation
of the NIV, we read the overseer must be “faithful to his wife” -- a lot of
other translations term this phrase as “husband of but one wife” -- seems like
this phrase would be easy to interpret and understand, but honestly, no one is certain
of what Paul means in this statement
-- some take this to mean that an elder
must be married, but Paul himself was not married, so we doubt this is his
meaning because he was certainly called to serve God as an apostle and overseer
in the churches he established
-- some take this to mean this is a
prohibition against polygamy, which was still common in some areas of the Roman
Empire where Paul ministered as an apostle and established churches
-- others take this statement to mean that
a man must not be divorced or widowed and remarried, but the text does not
clearly state this -- I don’t think God is leading Paul to make a statement
here on marital status as a criteria for leadership, especially since we know
that many church leaders were not married or were absent from their wives for
extended periods of time
-- this seems to be related more to the
statement that an overseer must be beyond reproach -- that in their
relationships with other sexes, the overseer must be blameless -- no one must
think they are doing anything immoral or wrong with someone who is not their
spouse
-- the current translation of the NIV
picks up this understanding of the term when they translate it as “faithful to
his wife” -- it implies that Paul was referring to fidelity and faithfulness to
one’s spouse and nothing more
-- this term reminds me of the famous
“Billy Graham rule” -- the self-imposed rule that Billy Graham followed where he
would never allow himself to be in a room or a car alone with a woman who was
not his wife -- not that he was doing anything wrong or tempted to do anything
wrong -- he just didn’t want to give the appearance of impropriety
-- I think that’s the point of Paul here --
he’s not saying anything about whether overseers must be married, but if they
are married, then the relationship of an overseer with their spouse and with
people of the opposite sex must be beyond reproach -- this is speaking more of
living a life free of sin and temptation than anything else
-- temperate -- this means balanced
-- moderate -- not giving in to excesses, especially in excess to sin -- good
example is drinking alcohol -- regardless of what some denominations may teach,
the Bible does not condemn drinking -- wine was a major part of the daily life
and religious practices of both the Jews and the early Christians -- but
drinking to excess was condemned -- and Paul counseled that you should not
become drunk and controlled by wine, but should be controlled by the Spirit --
that is the definition of temperance
-- self-controlled -- self-control
is a fruit of the Spirit -- control over your mind -- over your actions -- you
working in concert with the Spirit to turn away from evil desires and to stay
in step with God
-- respectable -- honored by others
-- respected, not because of your position or power or wealth -- but respected
because of your relationship and walk with Jesus -- because of your character
-- hospitable -- loving others --
following the command of Christ to love others as ourselves -- to treat them as
we would like to be treated -- to love everyone, even our enemies -- even those
who vote different from us -- even those whose lifestyle is different from us
-- even those who are in this country illegal -- hospitable -- loving others as
Christ’s hands and feet -- loving others because Jesus first loved us
-- able to teach -- spiritual
leaders must be able to teach -- this doesn’t necessarily mean Bible study or
exposition of scripture -- this doesn’t mean they’re gifted orators -- but this
means they can teach and disciple other believers in how to follow the way of
Christ -- some people learn by reading -- some people learn by hearing -- some
people learn by doing -- and the overseer must be able to teach people in all
these ways so their relationship with Jesus will flourish
-- not given to drunkenness -- not
violent, but gentle -- not quarrelsome -- we talked about these traits when we
mentioned temperance -- no extremes in behavior or emotion -- but living
moderately, balanced lives -- in control of themselves within and without
-- not a lover of money -- one of
the criticisms of spiritual leaders is that they are only in it for the money
-- we’ve all heard this said about the televangelists and remember the scandals
of the TV and radio preachers living extravagant lifestyles -- and certainly, the
people who do this are more lovers of money than they are of God or the people
they are called to serve
-- but there is a perception that all
preachers are like this -- that all churches are like this -- during Covid,
when a lot of pastors and churches refused to shut down for the safety of their
parishioners, the public perception was that they were doing it simply because
of money -- I had many arguments during this time with people who thought that
-- the perception of the public is that pastors and churches love money more
than anything else -- and so Paul warns against that here -- to not put people with
this trait into leadership because their example will negatively impact the
church and the witness of Christ through their actions
-- verse 4-5
1 Timothy 3:4 He must manage his
own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a
manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own
family, how can he take care of God’s church?)
-- Paul shifts from talking about the
personal characteristics of these people to how they manage their families --
and this important because this speaks to their ministerial call
-- as overseers -- as pastors -- as elders
-- these spiritual leaders are called to oversee and manage the spiritual
family of God -- His church
-- as Donald Whitney wrote, “A flock of
sheep isn't a random collection of ewes, rams, and lambs. Shepherds know their
flocks. They know which sheep are theirs to care for and which are not. Sheep
belong to specific flocks. This is also the way it should be for God's
spiritual sheep”3.
-- overseers and pastors need to be
able to manage the family of God -- and the evidence -- the proof of this -- is
in how they manage their own family -- if a person cannot manage their own
individual family, they are going to fail in the management of the family of
God as a whole
-- going back to Bishop Budde, the
bishop who spoke to Trump earlier this week, I cannot fault what she said -- I
agree with her call for Trump to consider grace and mercy in his administration
of the law and the policies of this country -- in his role as the President, he
is acting as the father of this country -- and he has a responsibility to lead
his family and to protect his family in a godly manner -- through grace and
mercy, love and forgiveness
-- based on what I heard from Bishop
Budde’s message, that was the point she was trying to make to him -- if we are
going to call ourselves a Christian nation, then we need to act like a
Christian nation -- and our actions with others -- including illegal aliens and
other countries and other leaders -- needs to be characterized by Christ-like
actions -- by grace and mercy and justice
-- however, if I was to fault her
for anything, it would be whether she was in a position to make that call to
Trump as a bishop or overseer -- Trump is not a member of her church -- he is
not a member of her spiritual family
-- and although she was speaking truth to
power, she did not have that oversight responsibility and family relationship
with the President that Paul says an overseer or a pastor must have with their
flock
-- she was speaking more as an evangelist
or prophet than as a bishop -- and in this setting, this caused her words to be
taken more as a harsh critique and attack rather than taken to heart with full
consideration of what Jesus says in the Bible
-- in the Old Testament, when God had
Nathan condemn David for his actions with Uriah and Bathsheba, Nathan was able
to speak truth to David because of the relationship he had with David -- he
spoke as one over the family of God, which Bishop Budde was unable to do in
this setting because she did not have that same relationship with the president
or any of the other elected officials in that service
-- those words needed to be said -- they
needed to be heard -- but because of the setting, they fell on deaf ears and
elicited a response that was more harmful than anything
-- overseers and pastors are
specifically called to shepherd and lead the people in their churches -- that’s
why Paul says overseers must demonstrate they can manage their families well
because they are being put in charge of a new family -- the family of God that
gathers under this leadership and who they are responsible for
-- and this means that overseers must know
the members under their care in order to serve as a true overseer -- radio and
internet preachers might be gifted teachers, but they can’t really develop you
spiritually because they don’t know you
-- verse 6-7
1 Timothy 3:6 He must not be a
recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as
the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he
will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
-- finally, an overseer or pastor
needs to be a mature Christian -- they don’t need to be a recent convert,
because it takes experience and relationship with God to be able to shepherd
and lead other Christians
-- new converts and new seminary
graduates may know a lot about God, but there’s a difference between book
learning and heart learning -- and true spiritual knowledge is built as an
overseer or pastor has spent time with God walking in and out of storms and in
and out of the seasons of life
-- additionally, Paul points out
that recent converts might become conceited in their position -- their power
might go to their head -- and they might give in to pride and fall under the
same judgment as the devil -- allowing their pride to cause them to seek
worship and praise in place of God
-- and, finally, Paul says that an
overseer needs to be living a life with Christ to the point that outsiders will
see him and respect him and be drawn to Christ because of him
-- this will keep them from falling
into disgrace like so many others and into the devil’s trap
III.
Closing
-- let’s bring this to a close
-- Mark Driscoll was once known as
an amazing evangelical leader and gifted teacher -- in 1996, he founded Mars
Hill church in Seattle, Washington, and a few years later, he had grown this
church to over 14,000 members in five states and with fifteen locations
-- he was a popular guest speaker at
evangelical events -- a noted author with several books to his credit -- he
formed a theological mission, through which he mentored other pastors and
pushed Christian messages and Christian policies throughout the country
-- but his success was a façade
covering a deeply flawed individual -- complaints about his heavy-handed
leadership, alleged plagiarism, and abusive handling of issues in the church
began to accumulate
-- and in 2014, a formal complaint was
lodged against Driscoll by some of his church staff, accusing “Driscoll of
being "domineering, verbally violent, arrogant, and quick-tempered." [The complaint] further argued that this
"established pattern of ... behavior" disqualified Driscoll from
church leadership”2 -- because of these complaints, negative public
perceptions, and a public outcry against both Driscoll and the church, Driscoll
was forced to resign from his church in 2014
-- Mark Twain was known to be opposed to
the Bible and the church -- and he said that the reason was because of the
church leaders that he had known -- As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons
who owned slaves and abused them -- He heard men using foul language and saw
them practice dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in church on
Sunday -- He listened to ministers use the Bible to justify slavery and other
injustices
-- Although he saw the genuine love for
the Lord Jesus in some people, including his mother and his wife, he was so
disturbed by the bad teaching and poor example of church leaders that he became
bitter toward the things of God.
-- as John MacArthur rightly wrote, “Godly
leaders are not produced by Bible colleges or seminaries; they merely give them
the tools with which to work. Nor do pulpit committees or ordination councils
make men fit for the ministry; they merely have the responsibility to recognize
those who already are. Only the Holy Spirit can produce a true spiritual
leader.”
-- so, how do we know if a person is
a true spiritual leader or not? -- how do we know if the person in a position
of leadership above us is following God or self?
-- we know based on these spiritual
qualities that Paul gives us in this passage -- it’s not about skills -- it’s
not about talent -- it’s not about charisma or personality -- what qualifies a
person for spiritual leadership is godly character, established by these clear
criteria as outlined here in 1 Timothy 3:1-74
-- so, as we look for spiritual
leaders in our country and in our churches and in our homes, remember these
criteria -- and do not be misled by people who look good on the outside and fit
all the worldly ideas of leadership, but who on the inside are a spiritual mess
-- don’t listen to these people --
don’t follow these people -- don’t give these people your time -- but instead
seek out godly men and women who can help you grow in grace and in your
relationship with Jesus
-- let us pray
2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Driscoll
3
[Taken from Spiritual
Disciplines Within The Church by
Donald S. Whitney,
Moody Press, copyright 1996. Used with
permission.]
4 Dave Guzik
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