Leadership

1 Tim 3:1 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.

Now we turn our attention to those who will lead, teach, and serve.

Others.

Let them first have led and taught themselves. Paul is not emphasizing the need for perfection as much as he is perspective.

To be perfect, as we are encouraged by Jesus to be, “perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect,” we must first have an abiding awareness we are not. Not even close.

In fact, I’ve never met ANYONE who could live up to the standard Paul describes for elders and deacons. Does that mean we shouldn’t have any?

It certainly means we shouldn’t have many. It also means those who are elders and deacons are those God has called rather than those who have achieved. And this is where the church once again differs from the world when it comes to leadership. It is only for those God calls. The church is to not choose elders and deacons. God does. This is not a process open to popular election. (Unfortunately, this is the process most-often employed by the church in the modern age.)

There is something about the call of God that brings completion. This is because God honors the position, not the person.

How is that honor received by the individual - and then perceived by others? It comes in the arena of motive. When my motivation is to be the things an elder or deacon is described as being by the Word of God, then I am making myself available to God should He choose to make others aware of the motivation He has first placed, and then begun to complete in my life. You see, an elder is an elder and a deacon is a deacon whether they have the title or not.   -  Pastor Bill