MPC, 22nd October 2000.1 Timothy 3 - Lessons for Leaders
Phil Campbell MPC, 22nd October 2000.
Every day you open the newspapers this week or turn on the TV, they're talking about PETER REITH and the PHONECARD. Here's one of Australia's most senior politicians, and his son's run up $50,000 of unauthorised calls on his account, and public opinion is SEETHING. Especially because Peter Reith seems to be making it so hard to get to the TRUTH.
Leaders these days are not held in very high regard. Especially politicians. People are CYNICAL. People are DISTRUSTFUL. People are saying, SYSTEMS DON'T WORK ANYMORE. Never trust a POLITICIAN.
But there's one sort of leader that comes even lower than a POLITICIAN if you run your own public opinion poll. And that's CHRISTIAN LEADERS.
I was reading once in the newspaper a list of the bottom ten jobs. It was in the weekend Employment section, and it listed the ten jobs you'd have to be crazy to aim for. Jobs with the worst career prospects, the worst employment opportunities, the worst status. Jobs with the WORST REPUTATION in the community. And you know what was right at the bottom of the list? Below the used car salesmen and the politicians? You know what they said was the worst of the worst?
CLERGY. Ministers. LEADERS IN THE CHURCH. In the eyes of the world, Christian leadership is the absolute pits. It's just about as low as you can go.
But you know what? There might be some good reasons for that. Because passages like this one have been ignored. But the bottom line is if you think LEADING THE CHURCH is as low as you can go, you're wrong. Because God's got different ideas. Read verse 1. Here's a trustworthy saying, says Paul. "If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a NOBLE TASK." The fact is, being an overseer, being a leader of God's people, it's a GREAT THING to set your heart on. We live in a world that honours the doctors and the lawyers and the engineers and the dot-com entrepreneurs. But if you want to aim for a REALLY honourable job, here it is. Overseeing God's people.
It's an honourable task. If you set your heart on that, it's a GREAT thing. But the fact it's an honourable task means you need HONOURABLE people to do it. And that's what Paul goes on to say. So this week and next week, we're going to be looking at what it takes to be a CHRISTIAN LEADER. The sort of personal qualities Timothy should be looking for in anyone he's going to appoint as an overseer or a deacon. And then next week, the sort of leader TIMOTHY should be himself.
Now before we go any further, we need to clarify some terms. Because there are a few different words that the New Testament seems to swap around. Particularly this word OVERSEER. Which seems to be used interchangeably with the word ELDER. Sometimes he'll call them overseers, and sometimes he'll say elders. Which may mean they mean exactly the same. Or may mean that OVERSEERS are a SUBGROUP of the ELDERS. Elders who OVERSEE. And that the DEACONS are the other subgroup. Elders who SERVE. In the CARING MINISTRIES.
Maybe the closest thing we've got to deacons is what we'd call our Committee of Management. Except Deacons were more than that. Because it seems like they didn't just balance the church budget and buy the paperclips - they actually got involved in using church resources to CARE for the people who needed it.
Maybe that happens in other ways in our church. Maybe it doesn't happen nearly ENOUGH. But as we work our way through the passage, maybe if you're part of what we call our Committee of Management, you need to pay careful attention to what's expected of the deacons. Because you'll notice Paul expects almost exactly the same things from deacons as he does from elders.
Now use your imagination for a minute. Imagine it was up to you to interview someone for the job of being a LEADER IN THE CHURCH. What are you going to ask them? What sort of things are RELEVANT when you're looking for a new Elder. Or a new minister? What are you going to ask at the interview? Good businessman? Popular? Knows all the rules and regulations of the Presbyterian Church? Recites the Westminster Confession? What are you going to look for? And what are you going to look at if you're trying to weigh up whether elders and leaders like me are doing their jobs?
We're going to have a look. And you need to take notice. Because the fact is, in the Presbyterian Church, it's not just your imagination. It IS up to you to be asking the tough questions. When new elders are appointed, it's up to the whole church to weigh up whether they're suitable; it's up to the whole church to take the whole issue of leadership very, very seriously. And let me tell you, if you don't do that, you end up with exactly the sort of leadership you deserve.
Well, let's get down to the details. If you look at the passage, you'll see it's Overseers in verses 1 to 7, and then deacons from verse 8 to 13. And where he says the same things to both of them, we'll be jumping backwards and forwards a bit for a comparison.
ELDERS
"Now the overseer," he says, "must be above reproach." You know, when Bill Clinton was trying to appoint a new Attorney General just after he was elected, he nominated a whole string of people. And the newspapers just shot 'em down. Like ducks in a shooting gallery. Found dirt on all of them that disqualified them from the job. Dishonesty here. Cut a few corners there.
Took weeks to find someone beyond reproach. Paul says, when it comes to appointing OVERSEERS, look for the people with a GOOD TRACK RECORD. Whose lives aren't going to bring Jesus and the church into disrepute. Leaders in the church need to be careful how they live. Cause everybody's watching.
THE HUSBAND OF BUT ONE WIFE
The next phrase is tricky. "The husband of but one wife." And there's a lot of debate about what Paul actually means. There are three or four options, but here's the one I reckon makes the most sense.
There's an old country and Western song, I haven't heard it in years, but it was called "I'm a ONE MAN WOMAN, and you're a two timin' Man." Sad little song. Because it was all about a faithful wife, who was being cheated on by her two timing husband.
If you translate what Paul says literally here in verse 2, he says that an Overseer has got to be a ONE WOMAN MAN. And not a two timer. Back then it wasn't so different to these days. Greek culture, it wasn't that unusual to have your wife, and a girl on the side. In fact, didn't even raise eyebrows.
But an OVERSEER has got to be different to that. A bloke who sets an example in his faithfulness to his wife. And if you look down at verse 12, it's exactly the same with deacons. Any sort of Christian leader, the first step is, be a faithful husband.
So let me say this. Don't ever plan on being an elder or a church leader if you're not prepared to be faithful in your marriage. It's going to be tough. And there's going to be temptation. But if you're not prepared to be a one man woman, if you can't model faithfulness in THAT AREA, you're not fit to oversee the church. And apply that especially to ME. That if you see or hear about even a HINT of that stuff in me, MARCH ME OUT OF HERE.
Because the fact is, your family life is the clearest indication of the sort of person you really are. They way you treat your wife, the way you bring up your kids, it says a lot.
And Paul says that in verse 4. The church is like a FAMILY. And your own family at home is a small scale model. So he says an elder must be a person who manages his own family well. Who knows how to teach his kids to be obedient and respectful. Because, he says in verse 5, if anyone doesn't know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church? If you can't run your family right in the small scale, what makes you think you can lead the family of God?
The two things are related. And so Christian leaders are meant to be people who make their families a priority. And MODEL THEIR LEADERSHIP THERE first of all.
And again, exactly the same thing goes for deacons down in verse 12. "A deacon must be the husband of one wife - a one woman man - and must manage his children and his household well."
TEMPERATE, SELF CONTROLLED, RESPECTABLE
Well, there's a whole bunch of other stuff we're meant to look for in our leaders as well. Back to the middle of verse 2, and you'll see the list. Temperate. And self controlled. Similar things. In other words, look for leaders who are ruled by their principles instead of their passions. Who've got enough self control to do THE RIGHT THEY SHOULD DO - instead of THE EASY THING their passion says to on the spur of the moment.
Christian leaders should be respectable, says Paul. People who are worth respecting, not because of their position. But because of the way they live. He says it about Overseers in verse 2, he says it about deacons in verse 8. And about deacons wives in verse 11. The sort of people who are going to give the church a good name. Instead of bring it into disrepute.
Funny thing, there's this idea that's grown up through the ages and disappeared in the last generation; the idea that you RESPECT THE OFFICE irrespective of the person who holds it. That you SALUTE THE UNIFORM rather than the person wearing it; that you BOW TO THE POSITION irrespective of the person who occupies it. Which is rubbish. With a church leader it should never be a distinction you have to make. Overseers should be RESPECTable. Able to be respected. Not for their position. But for who they are.
HOSPITABLE. That's next on the list in verse 2. The word literally means a LOVER OF STRANGERS. First to greet a newcomer.
The word Paul originally uses in greek is the direct opposite to the Pauline Hanson word. That famous interview where she was asked if she was XENOPHOBIC and she said PLEASE EXPLAIN. Xenophobic. Afraid of anyone different or foreign. Paul says overseers should be XENOPHILIC. Lovers of people like that. Throwing open the doors of your heart and your home. Not for flash dinner parties. But being prepared to share your time and your home and your table.
Funny, we have this old idea that elders are meant to visit OTHER PEOPLE in their homes. Which the bible doesn't say ANYWHERE. Much better the other way; try having other people to YOUR PLACE. So ELDERS... something we need to work on. How are you going at being a LOVER OF STRANGERS. Sharing your YOUR HOME?
ABLE TO TEACH
Well, we're still in verse 2. It's a bit of a marathon. And the end of the verse, you've got the first and only thing on the list that's an ABILITY rather than a personal quality. And you'll notice it's the thing that marks the overseers out from the deacons.
An overseer, a church leader, has got to be someone who's able to teach. Able to teach the word of God.
Now I wonder these days when people are looking for church leaders - the ordained sort or otherwise - I wonder if that's the KEY ABILITY we look for. Or the key ability we TRAIN FOR? It doesn't necessarily mean getting up the front to preach a sermon. But it DOES NECESSARILY MEAN we need leaders with a good grip on the gospel fundamentals. It DOES NECESSARILY MEAN having leaders who can TEACH THE TRUTH. An overseer needs to know exactly how to explain the basics of the faith. In a way that can be easily understood.
You know if you want to look at the wider picture in the Presbyterian Church that's so proud of the fact that it's a church built around this picture of ELDERSHIP, I'm tempted to say that I reckon the biggest failing in the last hundred years has been exactly THIS. Leaders and elders who have the ability to TEACH GODS WORD in a way people can understand. But I won't say that because I don't want to cause any arguments.
Now notice, deacons are different. Verse 9. They haven't got to teach, but they have got to be people who hang on to the truth like a bulldog. Read what it says. "They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience." They might not have to teach it. But they have to stick to the gospel and not let it go.
DRUNKENESS
Well, there's more. We're back to verse 3. An overseer mustn't be given to drunkeness. It's an interesting thing, the Bible's actually got no problem with alcohol. The Bible's only got a problem with people with an ALCOHOL PROBLEM. So in spite of what a lot of well meaning Christians want to say, it doesn't say there that an Overseer has to totally abstain from alcohol. It says an overseer has to totally abstain from DRUNKENESS.
Same with deacons in verse 8. Worthy of respect, sincere, and NOT INDULGING IN MUCH WINE. Wine's okay. But it's obvious, isn't it. Too much, and everything else goes out the window. The first thing drunks lose is their self control. And then their respectability. And then their gentleness. And then the lot. There's no room for drunkeness if you're a Christian leader. Or for that matter, if you're any Christian. It's not on.
Well, Paul goes on to finish the picture. Not given to drunkeness, not violent, but gentle, he says there in verse 3, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. Jump over to verse 6, and he says he mustn't be a recent convert, and verse 7, he's got to have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he won't fall into disgrace, and bring the rest of the church down with him. Because when you're leading the people of God, the devil's going to be doing his best to bring you to ruin - the devil's going to look for every opportunity.
CONCLUSION
Well, that's what Christian leaders are meant to look like. Self controlled, temperate, respectable, peaceful; faithful husbands, good fathers; able to teach well, able to lead well. And I want to say to you this morning, in the end, it's not much to ask, is it?
I mean, some people want to read this, and straight away they're saying it's just too hard. And I gather there's a history here at Mitchelton of everyone BACKING AWAY when there's a call for men to serve as elders. TOO HARD? I reckon that's absolute rubbish. What you're really saying at that point is you're not prepared to put the effort in to be the sort of people who are worthy to be leaders.
And the fact is, I can't see how any Christian can be aiming for any less. Because we're meant to be people who are following the example of Jesus. ALL OF US.
It's just that it's meant to be like a game of FOLLOW THE LEADER. And that's what makes the overseers and deacons so important. It's not that they're meant to be any different to everyone else. It's just that they're the ones setting the EXAMPLE. For everyone else to follow. All it's asking for is people who are prepared to live like Christians, and do it well. I mean, elder or not, are you going to aim for any less? Than being a faithful husband, than being self controlled, than being hospitable?
So let's raise the bar. And I want to encourage everyone to be saying, THIS IS WHAT WE EXPECT FROM OUR LEADERS? Because this is what we're ALL AIMING FOR - as people committed to Jesus.
One thing's for sure, set the bar lower for leaders, and you'll set it lower for everyone else as well. And I know churches where elders get nominated who are NOTHING LIKE what we've just been reading. Nominated because they're bank managers. Or because they're on the local council. And they accept because they think it's a MARK OF HONOUR. A mark of STATUS. Well, in a way it is. It's a NOBLE TASK. But noble in the way Jesus says. That if you want to be GREAT IN THE KINGDOM... you've got to be SERVANT OF ALL.
And yet you get people with nominated with none of the RIGHT qualities and ALL THE WRONG AMBITIONS. And nobody objects. And they'll say, well, you can't be JUDGEMENTAL. I know a church where people knew their minister was cheating on his wife. And nobody said anything about it. Another church where an elder was the TOWN DRUNK. And nobody said a word. Friends, let me say we need to make our leaders accountable. You need to make ME accountable. And the rest of our elders as well.
You know, we don't take this stuff seriously because we reckon CHURCH IS NOT THAT IMPORTANT. Just another social club. Tennis on a Tuesday, Garden Club on Wednesday, Soccer on a Saturday, Church on a Sunday. If we're not too tired after everything else. Elect Bob and the bowling club 'cause he's a good bloke, Ron at the Rotary club cause he's mates with Jim; Joan's turn to be President at the garden club. But this is WAY BIGGER THAN THAT!
Pick up in verse 14. And get an idea of the scale of what we're dealing with - if you're feeling CASUAL about church. Although I hope to come to you soon, Paul says to Timothy, I'm writing these instructions so if I'm delayed, you'll KNOW how people ought to conduct themselves in GOD'S HOUSEHOLD... God's FAMILY... which is the Church of the living God... the PILLAR and FOUNDATION of the Truth. That's what WE ARE.
So can I say the way we conduct ourselves as the FAMILY OF GOD, as the PILLAR AND FOUNDATION OF TRUTH IN OUR WORLD, it's no small thing. And it's something we need to be taking seriously. If you're a person who's leading now, or a person with the gifts for leading in the future, don't step back. GET SERIOUS. If you have your heart set on being an OVERSEER, that's a GREAT THING. So get into living your life as a Christian like you MEAN IT.
And for everyone else, remember you're the ones who SET THE BAR. I mean, we've got it here in black and white. But a church gets the leadership it deserves. So set your expectations high. Encourage your elders who are leading well. Honour them. And make it clear that's what you expect. Because if you're going to play follow the leader, you need leaders who know where they're heading.