"Biblical Leadership"

-Open with Prayer.

-Read the Text:

1 Timothy 3:1–7 ESV

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

As we open up God’s Word and come to passages such as this what we come to understand is that God has given His bride a wonderful model of what church leadership should look like and in view of what the church should look like we as God’s people should bring glory and honor to the Lord in how we live.

The Bible gives us are shows us 2 primary roles of leadership within the church. They are elders who are the servant leaders and then there are deacons who are leading servants. I think that it can be very easy when we come to passages like this one to just skip over it because many people wonder what does this have to do with my life? Or, how do this apply to me? So, what I want you to keep in mind with me tonight is that we all need to be reminded just how important church leadership is and how it ultimately affects every follower of Christ. Here is what I mean by that statement. Some believers have been encouraged greatly by church leadership, while others may have been hurt in their spiritual journey. Some believers have been so encouraged that they are serving in their church or have even gone onto full time ministry. People who have been hurt in churches may have seen heavy handed prideful elder/pastors do certain things that have ultimately led to people leaving church all together. This is why looking at church leadership and specifically qualifications of church leaders is extremely crucial.

If the church and it’s leaders are passionate and concerned about biblical truth, then the church can and will be strengthened and the souls of men, women, and children will be transformed by the gospel witness of the church. So, no matter who you are, or how you serve in the body of Christ, church leadership matters. Let us consider Paul’s instruction here in these verses.

Verse 1 = “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer.” According to Paul here, not only is there nothing wrong with aspiring to this position, it is actually a noble task. It is a noble pursuit. The work that is to be done as elders is a good work. Of course there were some elders who were doing this for the wrong reason just like today, so there is an importance of having a God-given desire for the office of overseer/elder/pastor.

I need to mention this briefly but as you have already seen the terms overseer and elder refer to one and the same office throughout Scripture.

Titus 1:5 ESV

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

Acts 20:17 ESV

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Elder is a Greek word (episkope) and this word or term means one in charge of an operation. We also see another Greek work here which is (presbyteros) and (episkopos) which means a person’s superintending role.

In Acts 14:23 Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in every town. So, the two-tiered leadership structure of both elder and deacons are found to help these early churches.

The word elder is a fairly common term that we see throughout Scripture. In the old testament it is used to describe the leadership in Israel that assisted Moses. (Exodus 4:29) In the new testament it can refer to someone who is of a mature age. (1 Timothy 5:1) It can also refer to the spiritual leaders in the Jewish community as we see in Matthew 26:3. In our text here in verse 1 the term elder or elders is used to describe a unique leadership role within the church. We would also note here that elders are part of all the churches we see in the New Testament. There was an extreme importance of having a plurality of elders or at least more than one, so that when we see the word elder it carries the sense of multiple leaders to help lead the church.

1. Elders are to lead under the authority of Christ. Leading the church is not to be done in a manipulative way or done through a power struggle. Jesus is in control and therefore as elders we are to lead with humility and fear because we are accountable to the Lord.

2. Elders are to protect the flock or body of Christ. This means to be on guard against false teachers and to even guard their own lives.

3. Elders are to help nurture the flock. The elders are also to be an encouragement to the flock and help build them up.

4. Elders are also to help feed the flock by teaching the word of God to them. As elders we are to know the word so that we can teach the word and also follow the word in our own individual lives.

Verse 2 = We now come to the actual qualifications for this noble office. Here, Paul addresses 7 positive traits of maturity that are to be found in Elders. So, let me begin with this first quality.

1. An Elder must be above reproach. The word here actually means blameless. Like Daniel in the Old Testament, such a person must be a righteous man against whom no charge can be brought. He must be a man of integrity, maturity and have a solid character. God desires this for all people, but especially for the elders who lead the household of faith.

2. The husband of one wife is the second qualification. This word means a “one woman man.” This means that a husband should have one wife and is aimed at those who could be practicing or condoning polygamy even though it was not widely practiced in the Greco-Roman world. This word here is best rendered a faithful husband. Someone who was faithful to their wife. It would also carry the meaning of being morally pure in thoughts and words and actions. It is also important to note here that divorced or remarried men would not automatically be excluded from serving as elder or deacons because there are certain situations that would allow someone to eventually come back to serve especially after some time of healing and counseling. Maybe a wife was unfaithful and left. Maybe a wife died and the husband remarried. Maybe they both were unbelievers at a time of the divorce and there is a proven track record of faithfulness and loving the Lord and so eventually someone could step into the role of elder or deacon. It is also important to note here that this does not directly apply to unmarried men who aspire to become an elder as well. The main focus here of Paul is sexual purity, not marital status as MacArthur notes in his commentary.

3. An Elder also needs to be sober-minded. Several different versions use the word temperate here. This is often associated with regards to alcoholic beverages. However it would also carry the meaning to be free from every form of excess, passion, or rashness. We are to be sober-minded so that we can be awake and watchful knowing what is going on around us so that we can make good and God honoring decisions.

4. An Elder is to be self-controlled. A self-controlled man is able to say no to certain things or certain behavior that could draw him away from best serving the body of christ and even honoring the Lord. This type of man is able to be structured in his priorities and is serious about following the Lord and His Word.

5. An Elder is Respectable. This means that an Elder leads a life that is controlled. He is not out partying every night of the week. And, his life is not so out of order that he is unable to lead the body of Christ.

6. An Elder is to be Hospitable. This too was a Greek virtue. It shows someone who cares about others including strangers. Elders should lead by example and show that because Christ first loved them, they also are to love others.

7. Finally, we see that Elders are able to teach. It is imperative that elders communicate the Word of God and to do so effectively. Again they are to know God’s Word to teach God’s Word and to live it out in their personal lives. This gift is what separates an elder from a deacon. The number one duty and call for every elder is to preach and teach God’s Word and this means both to teach the truth of God’s Word and the ability to also refute error.

Verse 3 = Beginning in verse 3 here, Paul now lays out 4 negative traits that are not to be part of an elders life.

1. First of all, Paul tells us that Elders are not to be known as drunkards. Clearly we see here that this carries the meaning of moderation rather than total abstinence unless there could be an abuse of alcohol which would then be helpful to abstain all together so that it does not lead to drunkeness. The point being here is that elders should live differently than the rest of the world who says that being drunk is ok. We know that there are many folks who when drinking become drunk make unwise and sinful choices. An Elder as already mentioned should be sober-minded so that he can make good and godly choices.

2. Second an Elder is not to be violent but gentle, and not quarrelsome. An elder is not to be looking for fights or to get into arguments that could lead to potential fights. This was the descriptions of some of the false teachers at the time. A true elder is to be gentle, even in correcting his opponents. As elders we should not promote violence or even fighting but look to settle matters peacefully and to reconcile any matters that we can.

3. Finally, Paul mentions an Elder is not to be a lover of money. As we will see in chapter 6 a lack of contentment can turn into greed and greed is listed as one of the deadly sins of the false teachers. The motivation and passion of elders is to be found in their love for God not the things of this world. At least some of these characteristics were found in the false teachers who are depicted by Paul as argumentative and even motivated by financial gain. The compensation for some elders was to be modest, hence the need to be content. It is also important to understand here that the elder position involves oversight of financial matters, which requires honesty and integrity. If any of these characteristics were to be found of the church leaders it would disqualify them from serving as overseer. A drunk, violent, combative, and greedy man is the exact opposite of what an overseer should be.

Paul now dives into discussing three further qualification in detail and so I want us to look at these final things that we see in verses 4-7.

Verses 4-5 = An Elder is to manage his household well. What does this mean and what exactly does this look like??? An elder must be in charge of or preside over his family and see that his children obey him with proper respect. The word manage here in verse 4 carries the sense of to rule or govern or to be concerned and even care about his family. This would mean his own home as well as the church home or family.

Such a person will be known to give the kind of leadership at home that shows his children obey and respect him. The children will be seen as children who have good behavior and come to church and obey their parents and ultimately the Lord.

This leads us to verse 5 that shows us if an elder cannot lead his own home well, then how in the world will he be able to lead the church family well and in respect and obedience??? He cannot. So, everything begins at home and in an Elders personal life which than leads to his spiritual life and the way he conducts himself at church. An Elder should be known as someone who is kind, loving, serving the bride, resolving conflicts and encouraging others to seek reconciliation in all matters including their relationships with others. An elder is too care for God’s people gently rather than rule with an iron fist.

Verse 6 = This leads us now to the second characteristic that Paul further mentions. An Elder must not be a recent convert or a new Christian. What does this mean exactly? A metaphor in Greek literally means, “no newly planted person.” An elder must be a person who is mature in the faith. The reason for this is the great danger of someone who will be puffed up with pride and arrogance as they serve. Sometimes new believers in the faith can also go back to a certain sin or get their feeling hurt and leave the church.

In any case here a new convert can become conceited and also fall into the condemnation or judgment of the devil. MacArthur notes here that Satan’s condemnation was due to his pride over his position and it resulted in his fall. So, we see here a cautious warning that comes from Paul about asserting those who are new to the faith in a position of spiritual leadership within the church.

Verse 7 = Finally, Paul addresses the fact that an Elder must be well thought of by outsiders. In addition to spiritual maturity and healthy relationships, Paul also mentions here the importance of a good reputation with those outside the church for those who desire to be an Elder. This has to do with our observable behavior, the kind of behavior that will be a witness to outsider. They can see our light shining brightly so that we can point them to Christ. If our behavior is not Christ like or Christ honoring by the way we talk, act and even think we could fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. What this means is that if we are not well thought of by outsiders in our behavior and talk they will be disinclined to hear the gospel.

Closing Questions:

Which qualification stands out to you and why?

What church leader has encouraged you the most in your spiritual journey?

Have you ever been hurt by a church leader?

Is there someone in our church who is currently not in a leadership role who seems to fit these qualifications?

In what ways do all members of a church minister and serve?

Close in Prayer.