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TIMOTHY IS GIVEN A CHECKLIST FOR LEADERSHIP!

When Paul penned his letters to Timothy and Titus he gave them the responsibility of choosing elders for the church. Today, at least at Bethany, we form a nominating committee consisting of six individuals, usually evenly divided between men and women, and assign them the responsibility of selecting nominees for the position of Elder.
These individuals, well-grounded in Scripture, know not to select someone based on their education or their ability to communicate. Granted, these qualities may factor into the final decision but they are not the characteristics that define whether or not they are qualified to serve as elders. For Paul told Timothy, Titus, and us to evaluate potential elders on the basis of their desire to work as an elder, their character, and their family life. For in I Timothy 3:1 - 7 we read:
It is a true saying that if someone wants to be an elder, he desires an honorable responsibility. 2 For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, peace loving, and not one who loves money. 4 He must manage his own family well, with children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church?
An elder must not be a new Christian, because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and the Devil will use that pride to make him fall. 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not fall into the Devil's trap and be disgraced.
And in Titus 1:5 - 9 we read:
I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. 6 An elder must be well thought of for his good life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who are not wild or rebellious. 7 An elder must live a blameless life because he is God's minister. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy for money. 8 He must enjoy having guests in his home and must love all that is good. He must live wisely and be fair. He must live a devout and disciplined life. 9 He must have a strong and steadfast belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with right teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.
In these two passages we have twenty (20) traits listed, traits that should characterize every wannabe elder. These traits tell us what a mature Christian, elder or otherwise, looks like in the real world. So as we list these traits one-by-one rate yourself using a scale from 1 - 10. A "1" means that in practice you are the antithesis of that particular characteristic, whereas a "10" means not even our All-Knowing God could find fault with you in that particular category. Oh yeah, "5" is lukewarm, believe me you would be better off rating yourself as a "4" or "6." For "5" always finds itself mixed in with vomit. Yuk!
A mature believer, an elder well-qualified for the position of overseer is:
1. Above Reproach - In fact, this is the main idea behind all the other qualifications. It means not only having a good reputation, but having a well-earned good reputation. The compound word, used only here and in 5:7 and 6:14, literally means "not to be laid hold of." It describes someone "against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrong doing that would hold up under an impartial and extensive examination."
2. The Husband of One Wife - The Greek literally says that a husband must be "a one woman man." That is, he must intimately be related to only one woman. Obviously, this means that both polygamy and promiscuity are prohibited. Beyond that, however, the phrase "a one woman man" is hotly debated.
For example, a few maintain that by this phrase Paul is excluding those who have never been married. The Eastern Orthodox church, for example, has used this text to justify the policy that marriage is obligatory for parish clergy. Certainly Paul assumes that most leaders will be married and without doubt the experience of marriage and family is invaluable for anyone who leads the church. But, I doubt very much that he meant to disqualify those who have remained single.
Others say that it prohibits anyone who has divorced and remarried from a position of leadership within the church. The reasoning is that divorce represents a failure within the home, so that even though a man may be forgiven for any sin involved on his part, he has disqualified himself from being an overseer within the church. After all, if he can't manage his home how can he manage the church? Bethany, by the way, does not hold to this position.1
Some go even further and say that the phrase prohibits those who have remarried due to the death of their first wife. Their argument is that the second marriage shows evidence of being self-indulgent. That is, those who remarry are acting contrary to God's will by demanding a replacement for what God has seen fit to remove permanently.
At Bethany we don't turn this issue into a graduate level course. We keep it rather simple. If a man is married he ought to be married to but one wife and his affections ought to be centered on that one wife.
3. Temperate - A leader is an individual not given to excesses that cloud their judgment or hurt their reputation. In classical Greek the word nephalios meant "not mixed with wine." In other words, a leader should be sober so as to have an alert and attentive mind for the business at hand.
4. Prudent - Do you think clearly? Do you have common sense or wisdom? Or, do you make rash decisions that you later regret? Are you impulsive? In Proverbs 22:3 solomon writes:
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.
5. Respectable - The Greek word which is kosmion actually means orderly or well-arranged. It's the same word Paul used in I Timothy 2:9 for the way a woman dresses. Here it probably refers to the leaders style of life. Is it such that it reveals the beauty of the gospel? Do leaders have an orderly and well-organized mind which is evident in how they conduct their affairs?
6. Lover of Hospitality - This is Christian love at work in the home. The Greek word from which we get the word "hospitality" literally means "loving strangers." Christians traveling in the first century avoided the public inns with their pagan atmosphere and food that had already been offered to idols. So they sought out a Christian home in which to stop for night. A valuable by-product was that believers from widely scattered areas got to know each other.
In today's culture it is equally tough for Christians who are traveling out of town to stay at the public inns. The problem, as you can guess, is not the menu in the hotel's restaurant. It is the menu on the TV screen. So it seems to me that this quality of "loving strangers" still has a place within the larger Christian community today.
Then too, we have numerous international students on the ASU campus who have no where to go whenever the university takes a break for some holiday. Many of them would welcome the opportunity to get to know an American family over a home-cooked meal. And, as some of you know, this simple act of "loving strangers" invariably draws those who don't know Christ one-step closer to discovering a personal relationship with Him.
7. Able to Teach - If we look at how Paul uses the same Greek word, didaktikos from which we get our word "didactic," in the passage II Timothy 2:23 - 26, we'll see it is used in the middle of other words which implies an attitude of gentleness coupled with careful instruction. We read:
Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. 24 The Lord's servants must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach effectively and be patient with difficult people. 25 They should gently teach those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will believe the truth. 26 Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
Obviously, anyone in a position of leadership must have a good handle on the truth. But they must also have the personal qualities that help others to understand the truth so as to avoid being trapped by the Devil.
Note, this doesn't mean that every elder would necessarily teach an Adult Community, i.e. a Sunday School class. Some, most, would conduct this aspect of being a leader in more private settings and/or with less formality. Nevertheless, all leaders must possess an aptitude for handling the Word with reasonable skill.
8. Not Given to Drunkenness - It is a sad commentary on the culture of Paul's day, as well as ours, when such a warning has to be given in the context of the local church. But it should not surprise us. For though the flesh has been nailed to the cross, so to speak, it dies a slow death. It still urges us to satisfy its appetite for the things of this world and on occasion even believers succumb to its nagging demands.
In this regard, there is an interesting set of verses in Proverbs 23:30 - 35. We read:
Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. 31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! 32 In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. 33 Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. 34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt! They beat me, but I don't feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?"
What Solomon is telling us, in v. 31, in easy-to-understand English, is that we would be wise not to evaluate wine, or alcohol in general, upfront! In other words, don't let advertisement deceive you. In the end, for all those who "linger over the cup," it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. And in the end, your judgment is as unsteady as your legs.
9. Not Violent - The Greek word, used only here and in Titus 1:7, literally means "not a striker." Falling on the heels of one who tends to "linger over the cup," as it does, it may be referring to those who are mean drunks. But Dr. Haddon Robinson believes it is a warning against selecting those who are self-willed or just flat-out stubborn. This is the guy on the board who believes that his ministry in life is to keep anything from being unanimous.
10. Gentle, Not Quick-Tempered - Unlike the false teachers who are characterized by conceit and strife (See I Timothy 6:3), leaders within the local church are to be characterized by "gentleness." Matthew Arnold in his translation of the Bible, or perhaps paraphrase, coined the phrase "sweet reasonableness." It means you're gracious, considerate, magnanimous, and willing to yield for the sake of the gospel. In short, you make room for others.
Paul used the same word in Philippians 4:5 where he said:
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
James also used the same word in 3:17 when he said:
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. 18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.
And Peter in I Peter 2:18 used the same word when he said:
You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters. Do whatever they tell you-not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh.
At the beginning of this lesson I showed you a list of all those men who have served as Elders at Bethany since 1977. Most have served well, in their walk they have been above reproach and as they discussed the many and various items on the agenda they've exercised their own judgment in all gentleness.
But a few double-crossed these qualifications for leadership and in so doing shipwrecked their faith. One resigned from the board because in his stubbornness to one issue, his anger, he lost the respect of the other board members. Another was asked to resign because he couldn't control his tongue, or his wife's tongue, during the week. Through these two, anything that was supposedly confidential quickly became well known throughout the church.
In our sinfulness, and to our shame, we tend to delight in hearing the stories of those who have shipwrecked their faith. However, in listening to even generic gossip, such as in the last paragraph, we neglect to praise God for all those who have not shipwrecked their faith. So this week, take a moment and thank one of the elders for faithfully doing the hard work of leading the church.

1 Incidentally, we once had someone on the Board who didn't realize that Bethany allowed those who have been divorced to serve in positions of leadership. At the time, we even had people on staff who had been divorced and remarried. In fact, we still have such people on staff. At any rate, he discovered this bit of information when we were attempting to hire a pastor for the music ministry. After reexamining what he believed in this area he resigned from the Board. Within weeks of his resignation he and his family left Bethany to find a church more in line with their beliefs on this issue.

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