1 Timothy 3
1 Timothy 3:1-16 (NKJV)
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach;
3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;
4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence
5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money,
9 holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.
10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
11 Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
While God has come to reside on the inside, where together we are built up as His temple not made with hands, there is also His house, vs 15. For there to be a church that the gates of hell can’t prevail against, there must be a gathering where God’s purpose and vision are lived out through His people in a manner worthy of His wisdom. If we were to all just randomly meet up in homes, there would be no need for the standards in leadership outlined for these elders. Rather than just dumbing down the requirements for leaders as if that will somehow make them more accessible and relatable, Paul instead stipulates a stringent lifestyle requirement. They may be free of all condemnation that would restrict them from accessing God’s presence, but in order to represent His presence, there is no compromise in what is expected. What is consumed and conduct both in and out of the home come with a very clear set of standards for those who wish to assume the role of one that others will follow. Again, there is much grace and mercy for all, but for those who desire to be more than holed up in their own loopholes, there will be a rising to a level of transformation that adequately emulates the Master. For there to be a claim of new life that will be taught to others, that life must be in motion throughout all of existence if there is to be any legitimate instruction and guidance in it. It’s not enough to have a label and position, there must be a passed background check to back it up.
In the world of accept me as I am, this is a great reminder that our conduct in and out of church is greatly important. We should never take our assignments in Church lightly, and we should always remember to act worthily of them.
While we love and beckon all those who are lost, we must remember that to place people into a place of leadership, there does need to be aligning of their lives to the ways of God. Likewise, this is a reminder to me, that what I could take for granted, needs to be treated like an honor and a reverent service unto God.