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TIMOTHY IS GIVEN A CHECKLIST FOR LEADERSHIP!
PART II
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 fifteen (15) 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. What is interesting to note is that the Bible tells us that while leadership may involve some specific skills, such as the skill to communicate, ultimately leadership is more about "being" than about "doing."
In fact, in I Timothy 4:16, Paul essentially tells Timothy that while other occupations may use various tools in this area of spiritual leadership Timothy is the tool. If this is true, and I believe that it is, it means that as leaders grow personally they increase their capacity to lead!1
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:
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. It means you don't insist on the letter of the law. 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.
11. Not Quarrelsome - The Greek word amachos, used only here and in Titus 3:2, literally means "abstaining from fighting" or "noncombatant." The false teachers in Ephesus were known for their quarrels; their competitive spirit. (See 1:5, 6:4-5) But Timothy and those chosen to lead the church were to display an ability to get along with others; to accept the views of others. Otherwise, the result is discord instead of harmony.
12. Not a Lover of Money - In the Greek this phrase is all one word. It is the word aphilargyros and is used only here and in Hebrews 13:5. Toward the end of this same letter (See 6:10) Paul reminded Timothy that the love of money, not money itself, "is a root of all kinds of evil."
Throughout history, as we all know, men have tried to make money out of supposedly serving others. In the Old Testament Micah shook his fist against Jerusalem because her judges took bribes, her priests taught for a price, and her prophets told fortunes for cash. In Micah 3:8 - 11, Micah contrasted himself with the false prophets of his day when he said:
But as for me, I am filled with power and the Spirit of the LORD. I am filled with justice and might, fearlessly pointing out Israel's sin and rebellion. 9 Listen to me, you leaders of Israel! You hate justice and twist all that is right. 10 You are building Jerusalem on a foundation of murder and corruption. 11 You rulers govern for the bribes you can get; you priests teach God's laws only for a price; you prophets won't prophesy unless you are paid. Yet all of you claim you are depending on the LORD. "No harm can come to us," you say, "for the LORD is here among us."
Even today, of course, greed is a problem not simply within secular society but within the church. For not all tele-evangelist make financial appeals simply for the sake of the ministry. Accumulating wealth at the expense of others, however, is not the only problem in this area . There are more subtle dangers that face every wannabe leader.
For some, in the pursuit of personal gain, have simply wandered away from what could have been an effective ministry. They've allowed their desire for having just a little bit more to affect and shape their priorities. Sadly, in the midst of pursuing one more dollar it never seems like it is going to cost us too much. But at the end of the day we're too tired to spend time on spiritual matters. In part, this is what Paul meant in I Timothy 6:10 when he said:
For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
13. One who Manages His Own Family Well - On somewhat of a side note, Senator Patrick Leahy and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are presently having a difficult time in regards to the new Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. They are having hard time because they don't have volumes of judicial history to measure her ability to serve on the Court.
In like manner, it would be difficult for a church to decide whether on not to hire a pastor who has never been married or is married but he and his wife have no children. After all, a church is more like a family than it is a business. As such the pastor or pastors of a church need to nurture relationships and, at times, mend fractured relationships. Therefore, to best gage their ability to handle relationships it makes sense to take a close look at the health of the relationships within their immediate family.
The logic, of course, is pretty straightforward. If his children are obedient, respectful, and have accepted Christ as their Savior, assuming they are of age, then the man in question probably has the personal skills and the needed character qualities to lead a church. It is simply an argument from the lesser to the greater.
If not, then it is best to look for someone else to be our pastor. For failure in the home raises a red flag about one's ability to lead a congregation. For example, Eli the priest (I Samuel 2) had no business being a priest as was evident by the fact that his two sons were not only greedy but immoral. In his failure to restrain them he gave abundant evidence that he was hardly the one to judge Israel.
14. Not a Recent Convert - The Greek word used only here in the New Testament is neophytos. It is the word from which we get our word "neophyte" meaning "a beginner." But in Paul's day the word literally referred to that which was "newly planted." So in this case Paul is telling us not to put someone on the Board of Elders who is "newly planted" in the faith. After all, such a person doesn't need the weight of responsibility, he needs tender loving attention lest he withers and dies.
But Paul's primary concern here was that this "newly planted" saint may become "conceited." This means that Paul wasn't so much concerned about the threats from outside but a particularly deadly threat from inside. To describe this threat Paul used a word that literally means "wrapped up in smoke." What he was concerned about is that this "newly planted" saint would become "wrapped up in his own smoke."
That is, he'd believe what the press had to say about him to the point that he'd become puffed up with pride. This was exactly what happened to Satan. Satan read what others said about his splendor, or maybe he simply looked in the mirror, and became proud. As a result he was tossed out of Heaven.
This was also Saul's problem. When the Israelites demanded a king like all the other nations, despite the stiff price that would come with such a king, God gave them Saul. At first glance he was the perfect specimen of a worldly leader. He was tall, he was good looking, and for the most part he was decisive. But he was also incredibly insecure and he quickly became arrogant - wrapped up in his own smoke. In fact, he was so wrapped up in his own smoke that he became blind to his own disobedience which led to his downfall. (See I Samuel 13 - 23.)
15. One Who has a Good Reputation with Outsiders - Satan would like nothing better than to disgrace God's work and God's people by trapping Christians in sin before a watching world. Hence Timothy was to choose leaders who knew enough to be wise in their behavior toward outsiders. To be wise so as to win their respect and possibly a listening ear. In Colossians 4:5 - 6 Paul put it this way:
Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone.
Let me give you a recent example in my own life. This past a week a co-worker called me up and wanted to know whether or not I wanted to join the entire Math Department at Chandler High in buying a bunch of Power Ball tickets. The idea was that we'd each put in $10, win a whole lot of money, split the money equally since math teachers are good at division, and quit our jobs.
Here is what I told her. "No, I couldn't do that because if I did that I wouldn't be able to tell the kids what I tell them about those who buy lottery tickets." So she asked me what I told them. I laughingly replied, "I tell them that the lottery is a tax on those who don't understand mathematics." You see, I couldn't participate because then my lifestyle would be inconsistent with my words.
Now I think it could be argued that in replying as I did that I let a little bit of air out of their balloon. Perhaps, but I needed to be honest with the person who asked me to buy into the possibility of becoming unbelievably wealthy. It was nice of her to ask and she understands that because of who I am, a math teacher who encourages soon-to-be adults not to buy lottery tickets, there are some things I choose not to do.
And someday, I may have to tell her or others that as a Christian I choose not to do something they see no harm in doing. It's not that I'm trying to dampen their spirits, it's that I'm trying to be consistent with who I am. But sometimes it is real hard in a world that keeps coming at us with all of its empty promises. Then too, the flesh is so prone toward listening and buying into those promises. So let me ask you to pray for me and all the other leaders at Bethany. Satan knows how to target us and would take great delight in discrediting us.

1 I Timothy 4:16 reads: "Keep a close watch on yourself and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right, and God will save you and those who hear you."

IN STEP WITH TIMOTHY 10/23/05

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