1 Timothy 3

1-7

There are a lot of things in the Bible that God tells us that we are to avoid, or things that we are not to do right?

We are a sinful people and we unfortunately need a lot of guidance on what not to do

Here in verses 1-7, God is showing us that he is proud of us if we DO desire this thing.

Verse 1

How many of you have desired to be in Ministry somewhere?

You desire a GOOD thing

the explanation of the word bishop is a position of oversight, supervision, or an overseer

This is someone who is responsible for others in the church (Typically a pastor)

Desiring to be someone in this position pleases the Lord

With that being said, God does not want just anyone to be in these positions. He has laid out some very specific rules that these men should be able to follow

Verse 2-7

blameless

Definition is Giving not cause for accusation

I heard it say once that we should live our lives with such honesty and good character, that when someone says something wrong about us, people will know that its not true.

That is a great example of the kind of life God requires of a overseer. They need to be blameless.

The husband of one wife

We talked about this a little in Chapter 2

Men (And Women) when you say I do to your husband or wife, that means you said that to better or worse, sickness and health. Basically anything bad that could happen. You are to stay with them until one of you dies. That is the way that God designed marriage.

Men, if you desire to be a leader in the church, God tells you very specifically here, ONE WIFE

Temperate

This means being sober and not intoxicated

I am not sure what is so appealing about drinking, but if you want to be blessed by God and be a leader, it would be best to just avoid it!

Sober-minded

this one means to be Prudent

Who knows what prudence is?

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future

Y’all, this one not only pertains to this leadership position, but should be something that we do as Christians

We really need to think about our futures and the things that are going to happen with the choices we make.

We need to care about our futures and not make hasty decisions

Of Good Behavior

If you desire a position of leadership, you need to behave like a leader

I am not saying you can’t have any fun.

But there is a big difference between having fun and still being of good behavior and just being irresponsible

Leaders need to make sure that they behave properly

Hospitable

Friendly to foreigners

This is another of those requirements that pertains to everyone, not just those seeking this position

We all need to friendly to foreigners

Our great commission is to win souls to Christ correct?

How do we do that if we don’t let anyone in?

Able to Teach

I will say, it is tough to get up here and teach

But leaders in the church need to be able to teach

Seems like this one is kind of obvious doesn’t it?

Not Given to Wine

Not Violent

Y’all we should be a gentle people

There is no reason for us to be aggresive

I understand that our tempers can flare up and we can lose patience

But we need to do everything we can to control it.

Ask God for help here every single morning

Not Greedy for Money

There is nothing wrong with working hard and making a good living

But there is a massive difference between living to work, and working to live

Gentle

Not Quarrelsome

We have talked about this before, but who knows that one person who lives to argue?

We are not to be that person

Not Covetous

One of the 10 commandments talks about this.

It is very important to be satisfied with what God has given you!

He blesses us every single day and we need to be thankful for the gifts he has blessed us with

One who rules his own house well

How can we lead strangers if we cannot lead our families

Not a novice

It is very important for someone with experience to be in a position of leadership.

it is very unwise to let a newly converted Christian have a position like this

They will not know what there is to know about being a Christian yet

They should not lead at this point

That time will come if God wills it

He MUST HAVE a good testimony

This does not mean a good story testimony, it means a good reputation

If you do not have a good reputation, then no one will follow you or respect you

You cannot lead anyone if they do not respect you

8-13

We see here a bunch of the same qualities a pastor needs to have

This section pertains to deacons

Deacon here refers to one who performs any service, as in someone who takes the offering in our church.

They all need to follow the following guidelines as well

One of the key ingredients I find here is this first one.

Not being double-tounged

How many of you know someone that says one thing to you, then a different thing to someone else?

It’s not fun to deal with that is it?

Well God here says that people who do that, should not be in this position

It can be quite harmful to the church

Another thing here is that the Bible says to test them first.

We should not just expect to be granted a position of authority in the church, it needs to be earned

14-16

Conclusion of Chapter 3

Paul is letting Timothy know here that he hopes to make it back to him, but this Chapter is just in case he cannot get back soon enough

This is a guide as to how the leadership of a church should function