Digging in:
Read 1 Timothy 3.
And Paul tells Timothy, and God tells us, that the person
who has this job must “keep hold of the deep truths of faith with a clear
conscience.” We might think that anyone can work at a soup kitchen, or a food
pantry. But the truth is that God wants to work through his Spirit to move his
people to serve in this way. When someone does this, they are acting as God’s
hands. And hopefully, they are also delivering the good news of a savior in the
process. Scripture says, “How beautiful
are the feet of the one who brings good news, who proclaim salvation.” (Isaiah
52:7)
The chapter ends by saying “the mystery of godliness is
great:” and then there is a quote from what may be a hymn of the early church.
The hymn describes some of the wondrous things about our God and Savior. This
again is a good reminder that if someone is a pure servant, doing good and
faithful work, that it is really God doing the work.
I was very pleased when I read the list and I remembered
that this is not a list of the traits of the people who get to go to heaven. Not
everyone who believes in Jesus Christ and trusts in him has this consistent or
faithful of a life.
But again, this is not a list of demands. It is a list of
directions for what a church leader should live like. I want to follow this
model, but I do not need to measure up to this standard in order to feel
acceptable to God.
He loves me and you, even in all of our unacceptableness.
Reflecting:
Now look at 1 Timothy 3 again.
What things on the list seem the most important?
Are there any important traits of a great Christian leader
that are missing? -not necessarily missing from the Bible, just missing from this chapter, and worthy of our consideration.
Answer these questions in the comments section, so that we can get a conversation going.
I think that one of the most important ones is management of family. The overseer must obtain respect from his wife and children for him to be able to watch over the church. As the text says "If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?"
ReplyDeleteBeing self-controlled is also very important. I'm sure the job of the overseer was/is very frustrating with different people that you spread the Word to.
I think one thing that is challenging for me as a leader is to have a clear conscience. Perhaps someone taught me too well as a child that even my most righteous acts are like filthy rags.
ReplyDeleteBut these words talk about holding onto the deep truths with a clear consciene. This does not mean that I am perfect in my behavior. But it means that I have faith. I hold to the teachings that are good and right with a clear conscience, because I am not lying when I talk about what Scripture says.
An overseer would have to be a man who would represent the church. That sure is a noble task, but what an opportunity. Everything the overseer does will pretty much be associated with the church, so he would need to show love in everything he does. Patience would be an important trait to have, something the overseer would need in order to keep going even when it's hard.
ReplyDeletePatience is such a tricky thing. It takes true wisdom to see the big picture, and hold onto it so that we don't become impatient while looking down at the things that we want to happen right now.
ReplyDelete