The Qualifications of Elders: Part 2

Good Morning!

I hope all of you had a good week!

I certainly have, the Lord has been speaking a lot and that is always exciting.

God continues to confirm and lead us as we are praying for elders.

God has also spoken to one of our members and leading her to become a deacon and it is an obvious fit.

We will talk more about that later, but, as always, I can’t help but share when I see God’s activity in our body.

As I’m sure you remember, we have spent the last few weeks looking at the call and role of elders in the life of the church.

We are going to continue on today in that pursuit.

I mentioned last week that the why, what, and how of eldership are the foundation of how we operate as a church.

For that reason, I want to take the time necessary to explain why God choose this leadership style, what the expectations are, and how we go about appointing elders.

As we begin today, I want to share a story with you about my journey of understanding and experiencing what it was like to be in an elder-led church.

This is circa 2010 or so and I had just moved back to town after living through a failed church plant.

It failed because the one man that was in charge of the whole thing stopped listening to God.

We found out at the end that he was stealing money from the church.

It was all around a really bad experience.

We had just moved back to town when Glen asked us to come on staff of what was then, Donahue Family Church.

This was right after the Donahue implosion and Glen and the other elders were picking up the pieces.

They too had just experienced the result of one person running the church our of their own wisdom rather than listening to God.

Needless to say, there was plenty of hurt in our hearts.

Fast forward a year or so, God had spoken to the elders to start a new church in a new location.

God told us to call this new church, The Gathering Place.

We left that really nice, what this area would call a mega church, facility and moved into a really funky little church building.

You know the kind, wood paneling and weird smells in the rooms.

At this point in time, I was working at Petron, but took off half a day on Wednesdays to prep for youth.

Laurie Lopez was working at the church as the secretary.

Kevin Williams was leading worship for us.

The three of us would sit in Laurie’s office on Wednesday afternoons and swap war stories from our previous experiences and the refuge that we now felt in TGP.

We would always talk about how we must be living in a “honey moon” stage and that surely it wouldn’t always be so good.

All of our previous experience had proved that no church was perfect.

While, I’m quite sure it wasn’t perfect, it sure felt that way.

I can’t speak for them, but I can tell you, it still feels the same way over a decade later.

The reason it feels this way is because there is no tension between the leaders or between the leaders and the members.

None of us had ever experienced that before.

The unity, peace, and joy that we have is the direct result of our obedience to God.

This starts with the elders, but it is also because of the members.

When we talk about eldership, I take it incredibly seriously because I’ve experienced the alternatives.

I know first hand the pitfalls of several other leadership “styles”.

As we continue on, I want all of us to understand that we operate this way because God instructed us to.

I have learned, firsthand, the benefits of obeying God and will always keep that at the forefront of all of our minds.

I am confident that if I were to take control, that you all would have war stories just like I have, but I would be the bad guy in your stories.

What we are doing now, in understanding the why, what, and how of eldership are significant to the health of the church.

I’m asking that you trust me, learn from my experiences, and pursue God with me as we seek out the men that God is calling to lead the church as elders.

I want to pick up where we left off in verse 3 of 1 Timothy 3.

However, I want us to start with verse one so we get the whole context of this passage.

1 Timothy 3:1–7 CSB

1 This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be an overseer, he desires a noble work.” 2 An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy. 4 He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.

Okay, are y’all with me and ready to dive in?

In verse three, Paul gives us four things that an elder must not fall prey to.

Doing so is a dis-qualifier for the ministry of leading the church.

Well, let’s just dive right in and talk about a topic that can cause division. lol

An elder should not be an excessive drinker.

As you guys know, I grew up in the Methodist church and while it is not elder-led, they also had no quarrel with this requirement.

I know you’ve heard the difference between a Methodist and a Baptist… a Methodist will greet you in the wine section at the grocery store.

Or one I heard recently and I think it was Carey.

How do you keep baptist from drinking your beer… invite two?

This particular topic has been one of much debate and it is important that we all be on the same page in order to know what Paul is telling the church.

I have heard many different theories from different denominations throughout my life on the scriptural references to wine and whether or not it was alcoholic.

Let’s just go ahead and settle this today, and know that I am not just giving you my opinion, this is from scripture and historical context.

When the bible refers to wine, without any doubt, contained alcohol.

There would be no reason for Paul to list this in the qualifications if it wasn’t possible to get drunk from wine.

I fully understand that many make the decision to abstain and for many solid reasons.

I have friends and family that choose to abstain because alcoholism runs in their family.

This is a really smart decision!

We know that scripture is pointing to wine because of fermentation.

Fermentation is a naturally occurring process of preserving otherwise delicate food substances.

We eat many things that are a result of this process of turning sugars and other carbohydrates into alcohol or preservative organic acids and carbon dioxide.

Bread

Pickles

vanilla

hot sauce

chocolate

Sauerkraut

Sourdough bread

Fermentation was how the food was preserved and when you lived in an arid environment, you took advantage of this natural preservation in order to keep your food safe to eat.

Wine was the go-to drink, especially when water was scarce.

So when Paul is saying that an elder should not be an excessive drinker, he is saying exactly what it sounds like.

In the ESV it says “not a drunkard”.

Par-re-noice is translated here as “an excessive drinker” can also be translated “addicted to wine”.

The root word of par-re-noice is oui-noce.

Oui-noce is the same word used in Matthew 9:17.

Matthew 9:17 CSB

17 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. No, they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Fermentation causes gas bubbles to form when the sugars are being broken down.

That is what would cause the wineskins to burst.

Paul is saying, don’t choose someone who is addicted to wine.

What Paul knows and wants us to understand is that overindulging, in anything, but particularly in addictive substances, will kill a person’s ability to minister.

I am fortunate in not having struggled with this, but I have been told by those who have, that it becomes a point of singular focus.

All their time and energy is spent getting to that next drink.

It is very easy to see why Paul warns against this.

In order for an elder to lead the church as he should, God should be his singular point of focus.

An elder must not be violent or quarrelsome.

In the same way that we should not be controlled by substances, we also should not be controlled by our emotions.

1 Timothy 3:3 CSB

3 not an excessive drinker, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy.

These first three prohibitions are signs of a loss of control.

We also see the world gentle among this list and that should be the nature that we see in the life of an elder.

He should not be one that is quick to respond in harshness but takes his time to think and communicate in a loving and helpful tone.

If an elder cannot control his desires and emotions, he definitely isn’t in any condition to be leading the church.

An elder should one that is like Christ in bringing about peace as he enters a situation.

Does that mean that there will never be conflict?

Of course not, we are humans doing life with other humans and all of us have sinned.

But rather than escalating the tension, they usher in peace and understanding.

This stands in contrast with someone that is always looking for a fight or argument.

God is the author of peace and those that are pursuing him should exhibit that likeness of God’s character.

An elder must not be a lover of money.

In preparing for today, I wanted to really dig into this idea.

“A lover of money” is actually just one word in Greek.

It is the combination of “phileo” which we recognize as love.

The other root word is “agyros” which is translated as silver.

This immediately brought my mind to Judas, one of the twelve, who allowed his love of money to led him to betray Christ.

What a great example of the power over a person that money can have.

If a leader in the church is overtaken by this desire for wealth, it will cause him to forsake the wellbeing of the church in order to gain more.

This also reminds me of Gollum from Lord Of The Rings.

If we allow it, money can have the same power over us that the one ring had over Gollum.

It controls our every waking moment, drives our actions, and causes us to lose focus on our pursuit of God.

Jesus knew about the dangers associated with this.

Matthew 6:19–24 CSB

19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

One of the commentaries I read this week said that any of these would have been cause for immediate action.

These are not simple sins that come and go, but rather, they are deep-rooted, slow-growing, and are able to quickly destroy the peace and unity of the church.

None of these things are surprising to us and we have seen or experienced the results of churches failing to hold their leaders to these standards that Paul lays out for us.

In the story I shared with you this morning, at least three of these were in play in my story and Donahue’s story.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is why I am so thankful that our church is not led by one, but by several men that are all pursuing God.

They are seeking his will, not their wisdom.

I also want you to know that you not only have the freedom, but I expect that if any of you experience one of these from someone in leadership, that you bring it to their attention.

The health and well being of the church is far more important than the pride of anyone.

As we think about these four things that Paul warns the church to be on the lookout for, it should be obvious that these are not the qualities that the world often looks for in leaders.

But the church is not of the world and it is not a business, which is how many churches are structured.

In a business setting, it is common to want someone that is ruthless and passionate about gaining wealth.

That is good for the company.

But that is not what we are looking for in leadership for the church.

1–2 Timothy & Titus Overseers: A Reputation Above Reproach (3:1–7)

God’s Word and not the values of the society in which we live must be allowed to shape and correct our thinking and behavior in this area

If you have not noticed yet, we do not operate as a lot of other churches and that is very intentional.

Not that they are wrong per se, but our goal as a body is to hear and obey God.

The only way we can do that is if the leaders and the members are obeying what God is saying.

While the elders certainly play a large role in the church, it is all of us as a body, pursuing God together, that makes us who we are.

1 Timothy 3:4–5 CSB

4 He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s church?)

An elder should manage his household well.

Quick question: How many of you know or grew up with a PK?

These two verses make me laugh when I think about the PK’s that I know.

I’m not gonna name and names, but I know one, very well, who’s motto growing up was “my parents can’t kill me, so I’ll do what I want...”

In all seriousness, what is Paul saying?

He is speaking to primarily Greco-Roman culture.

During this historical time, family life was very structured.

In addition to the wife and children, the household may also include servants or slaves.

The authority structure of those homes were important and there were certain expectations from every level of that structure.

Paul’s intent here is to make sure that the leaders that were chosen upheld their obligations and the structure of their families.

To expect less would have risked associating the church with charges of social disruption and political subversion.

If a man did not uphold this structure, it was a crime for which there would be swift action.

The entire Roman culture was based around these politically motivated power structures.

To defy that structure would bring the attention and power of Rome down on your family and the church.

they would have pointed to the church as the source of this rebellion.

So what does this mean for us since we don’t live in a Greco-Roman culture?

It is important for us to consider Paul’s intent, because taken out of context, can cause too much attention to things that don’t matter.

Some of those friends that I have that grew up as a PK were subjected to a “standard” that was vastly higher than anyone else in the church.

This pressure didn’t foster an environment of love and compassion, but rather one of guilt and shame.

They felt like they could never be good enough, so why even bother trying.

It is important to point out that this is not saying that an elder must be married either.

The question that I ask myself when I read this verse is, do I love well?

This is the heart of this qualification.

If an elder loves his family well, whether he is married, has kids, or is single, is he loving his family in a way that reflects the love of Christ for the church?

Honestly, when I think about how our culture views the family dynamic, it is depressing.

But, when I think about men and women of faith that I know, and how they care for their family, I am encouraged to love my family better.

This is an incredible way that we, as a body of believers, and, as leaders, can show the world what love looks like.

This is a way in which we communicate the love of Christ, by loving well.

If you have been blessed with kids or are involved in the life of other people's kids, love them as Christ does.

Love your parents, siblings, as Christ does.

Sacrifice yourself for their wellbeing.

I would like to say, on a personal note, that our church has an incredible testimony in our communities of what it looks like to love your family well.

Those that have kids are walking their faith out in front of their kids and those that don’t are loving others' children as if they were their own.

It is a blessing to be a part of it!

An elder must not be a recent convert.

1 Timothy 3:6 CSB

6 He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and incur the same condemnation as the devil.

This one is an interesting one because it is the early church.

Wasn’t everyone a new convert?

For the first few years, they certainly were, but by the time Timothy is in Crete, the church had been established for a while, and by a while, I mean more than twenty years had passed since the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, so it could have been as many as 30 years.

So, to answer that question, no, not everyone was a new convert.

Paul warned about this, and it wasn’t about a person's age, but about their understanding of God and of the enemy.

One of the examples that is sometimes used to help us understand this is the story of Peter.

Matthew 26:30–35 CSB

30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight all of you will fall away because of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. 32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 Peter told him, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 “Even if I have to die with you,” Peter told him, “I will never deny you,” and all the disciples said the same thing.

Even though Peter had the previous three years with Jesus, he displays an arrogance that comes from a lack of understanding.

Peter was speaking beyond what he had experienced.

There were things that he did not yet understand, but not only was he unaware, but he also exhibited a blind boldness that caused him to feel much guilt and shame.

The requirement for leaders that have walked with God for a significant amount of time helps safeguard from these kinds of pitfalls.

Also, if someone that is a new believer is quickly appointed to this level of leadership, it can go to their head and cause pride to rise up in them.

Rather than leading from experience with God, they are leading from what they know of the world.

They are leading from their wisdom instead of God’s.

An elder should be well thought of by outsiders.

1 Timothy 3:7 CSB

7 Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the devil’s trap.

Does anyone know what the number one criticism of the church?

We are a bunch of hypocrites.

It’s very true, but have you ever thought about why?

For so long, the church has focused on behavior modification and equated that to righteousness.

We focus on not only our own behavior, but we also require that everyone else live up to the same standard we are unable to maintain.

As a result of that, when the world sees our failed attempts to be righteous, they call us out on it.

We live under grace and hopefully, we all understand that our righteousness is from Christ, not from anything that we can do.

If we understand that and communicate that to the people in our lives, what they will come to know is that we are aware of our sin, but we are relying on Jesus to change who we are.

We aren’t the ones setting the standard on what is “acceptable”.

We are dependent on the grace and mercy of God.

It is Christ's righteousness that He puts on us.

Instead of us communicating that we are better than everyone, we are speaking the truth that we are sinners in need of a savior.

One of the great testimonies of our church that we have heard over and over again is the lack of judgment that people feel from us.

That isn’t because we don’t care, but because we are honest and authentic with people about what we struggle with.

There is no pretending that we have it all together.

This is the sentiment that Paul is talking about.

When people from outside of our body, both believers and unbelievers think of our members and leaders we want them to feel love, not condemnation.

If my actions and words align, then I will be well thought of.

However, if I paint a false picture by building myself up to be perfect, everyone is going to see right through that, and their opinion won’t be great.

And it shouldn’t be, they are right, not me.

Neither Paul nor I am saying that outsiders should be the ones making the decision about who is qualified.

However, their view is yet another litmus test that God uses to reveal where we really are.

I hope you are encouraged by these qualifications and not intimidated by them.

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that any of us have a chance to even come close.

God is laying out the framework, for all churches, to know and follow Him.

This is our goal as elders.

We want to know God and follow his lead.

As you are praying, this is what we are asking God for.

As I mentioned last week, Jacob Crump and Carey Westbrook have been called to this ministry.

If you feel God drawing you to this, please come visit with me.

Also, if you feel called to the ministry of a deacon, visit with me about that as well.

We haven’t spent any time on this yet, but there is a distinct difference between an elder and a deacon.

An elder’s role is spiritual leadership in the church.

A deacon’s role is servant leadership in the church.

Both of these are necessary and have almost exactly the same requirements.

One is not greater than the other.

We will talk more about deacons next week.

Let’s pray together.