1 Timothy: Session 6

How important is order? How important is organization? How important are standards, principles, and non-negotiables?

Take the Word of God for a moment… the Word provides for us every single one of these words we just used in the list.

The Word gives order, organization (design), standards (truth), principles, and non-negotialables. The Word is the STRONG foundation for life by faith.

I’m an organization guy… I’m a detail guy… While I’m not perfect at it by any means, I would much rather have things organized than disorganized. Why? Because I know what to expect!

In light of all this… I also highly appreciate the spontaneity of the Spirit… I strive to follow the leading of the Spirit in all things!

Every Sunday we produce an order of service. We lay out the songs, the schedule, the videos, announcements, prayer times, and so forth. All of this is done with the understanding that if God leads us to do something different… then we will absolutely follow His leading!

But even in Spirit-led spontaneity… there is order. Our God is a God of order. Our God is a God of design.

God has established His church for His mission - that none should perish. God has set forth an order in which His church is to operate. Why? We will answer that question here in a moment.

As we dive into chapter three of 1 Timothy, we are going to start at the end, then come back to the beginning. At the end of this chapter, Paul gives the reason behind His instruction.

Remember, all of this is being given for Timothy to instruct “certain people” to stop spreading false teaching.

Look at 1 Timothy 3:14-16. “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Did you catch what he said in verse 15… whose household is Paul speaking of? God’s household. God’s household is what? the CHURCH of the living God - the PILLAR and FOUNDATION of the truth.

Pillars and foundations serve as foundational structures. They hold stuff up! They provide stability and security.

If God’s house is… out of order… what can we expect the rest of the world to look like?

As we as a culture have taught the God of order and design out of creation, we have seen destruction come as the foundational truths are removed.

The previous verses in chapter 3 highlight order and principle when it comes to God house. As we look at this passage, we need to remember two important points.

This is GOD’S house.

This is the church of the LIVING God.

Paul Speaks of Overseers

Let’s start at verse 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.

The first standard set in 1 Timothy 3 focuses on what is called an “overseer.” Paul states those who seek or “aspire” to be overseers desire a noble task.

What is an “overseer?” The original word used here is episkopos which means (in the NT) to peer or watch over. In the OT, it was used to mean to visit with authority, to be the preeminent one, or to be the head writer.

How do we use this word? As elder or perhaps even pastor of a church. Does God care about how an elder or a pastor conducts themselves in and outside of the church? Absolutely He does! Why? Because this is His house… this is the church of the living God. We bear His name. If a person is called to serve in this capacity, they will be looked at as a representative of God’s house.

A pretty detailed list is given to describe what kind of person an overseer should be. But I feel it can be summed up with verse 2: above reproach.

What is reproach? Reproach is to suffer scorn, rebuke, or shame. Reproach is leaving yourself open for accusation or even assumption.

And I would offer this: above reproach is more than something a person does… it is what a person strives to be. This means all that is said and done is measured against our example who is Christ.

Why is such a list important to how God’s church is to function?

Overseeing is not an easy task and with it comes great pressure. How a person handles themselves under pressure is the key.

Pressures include stress, emotional responses, temptations, stewardship, attitude, spiritual maturity, etc.

if the overseer is unable to persevere through such pressures, the church overall will struggle. GOD DID NOT DESIGN HIS CHURCH TO STRUGGLE.

God designed His church to go… to make disciples. Struggle will come… but prayerfully it will not come from the inside out!

Paul Speaks of Deacons

Next, Paul looks to the qualification of deacons. 1 Timothy 3:8 reads, “8 In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9 They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12 A deacon must be faithful to his wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

First off, what is a deacon? The word used here is diakonos (dee ok oh nos) and it means a leader in the church who is commited to serve God through meeting the needs of others.

Again, a pattern is displayed here. This form of leadership comes with a responsibility of representing the house of God well. And again I would argue this is something a person is… not something a person merely does.

We are often judged by what we do… but when it comes to serving… I believe it is more important to look at who a person is.

Are they a God-fearing individual? Do they strive to honor God is their actions? Are they faithful, are they self-controlled?

But really, when it comes down to it… what do these two passages of Scripture ask or demand when it comes to church leadership?

Are you a follower of Christ?

Again, this has little to do with what a person does and everything to do with WHO a person serves!

Followers of Christ are above reproach, faithful, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, worthy of respect, sincere, trustworthy, good stewards, and so forth. Followers of Jesus are NOT followers of self or culture. They live as Jesus lived, serve as Jesus served, love as Jesus loved, and give as Jesus gave.

We know that the church at Ephesus struggled a bit with false teaching. We know there existed some controversial ideas that were out of God’s order and were causing the advancement of the kingdom to slow down.

Back in my arcade days, I always hated to see the big sign on my favorite game cabinet that said “out of order.” It simply meant that something within that system… something within it’s programming… was no longer functioning as it should.

Because of its dysfunction, the game became nothing more than a memory in the room. Yes it was present, but it was nothing but decor in the corner that players looked upon with sad eyes as they wished it could do what it was designed to do.

Let that not be said of God’s church!

God is the LIVING GOD… the God of order who is never out of order! May His church never become just a memory on the block on which the world looks with sad eyes wishing for its functionality to return.

I close with the same two points we began with. This is GOD’S house. This is the church of the LIVING God. May we choose to be dedicated and devoted followers of Christ is all that we do so that we might glorify the name of our Lord and Savior!