God's Leadership Plan for the Church
Tom Shrader walks through 1 Timothy 3:1-7 to lay out God's design for church leadership, explaining that Paul's qualifications for elders focus on character before conduct. The qualities listed — being above reproach, a one-woman man, temperate, hospitable, able to teach, and a faithful household manager — are presented not merely as a checklist for elder candidates but as the biographical standard every man in the church should aspire to. Shrader closes by urging the congregation to pray faithfully for their leaders and to trust that biblical leadership, not pragmatic models, is what God calls His household to.
“There is an inseparable link between the character of a church and the quality of its leadership.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Acts
Recorded: 2000 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 42 min
Themes: leadership, character, church, elders, hospitality, integrity, prayer, shepherding, aspiring elder, pastor, husband, new to leadership, navigating church conflict, questioning church authority, spiritual maturity, mentor
Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 1 Timothy 3:8, 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Ephesians 2:19, Psalm 119:11, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 4:5, 1 Peter 2:12, Acts 15, Acts 20
Theological Themes: ecclesiology, church structure, pastoral qualifications, biblical authority, eldership, sanctification, household of god, servant leadership
Full Transcript
Introduction: Why Leadership in the Church Matters
Open your Bibles to 1 Timothy. Typically we would continue in our study of the book of Acts, and we will be right back there next week, but I want to address the issue of leadership in the church.
We talk frequently, as we teach, about the best book ever written on parenting being right here, the best business book you will ever want to read being right here. The same thing is true of leadership in the church, and you would expect that. I taught one time not just about the infallibility of Scripture, but about the authority of Scripture and the importance of Scripture in the life of a believer, and afterwards somebody gave me a simple little acrostic: B-I-B-L-E — Believer's Instruction Before Leaving Earth. That is what we are going to do this morning: receive instruction from God's Word as it relates to leadership in the church.
The Varied Church Backgrounds We Bring
Many of you come to us with a varied experience of church. One of the things we do in the Getting Plugged In class is give me the opportunity to meet with everybody and hear your story — how did you come to Christ, how did you come to the church? It tends to be age-related; the younger, the more transparent, the more willing to talk about church experience. And I know that as we come together, we bring with us some heritage, maybe even baggage, from past church experiences, especially as it relates to leadership.
Some of you come from churches that are basically run by the congregation — everything is voted upon, everything is decided by the church, everything comes to a vote, they approve everything. Some of you come from the antithesis of that: a church where there is a strong leader, where there are boards of deacons and elders, but those are all figureheads, and there is one person, one man who controls the entire thing and everyone knows it. Some of you come with combinations of those two or three things. The question for us is: how does God lay out the plan for leadership for the church?
Paul's Letter to Timothy at Ephesus
When we came together as a church and began to form this body, one of the issues we faced was how God has provided leadership for this church and what God says to His leaders. We see a variety of places in the New Testament where that issue is addressed, but I want to focus today on 1 Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy, a young man and a young pastor, overseer of the church at Ephesus. Paul left Timothy there at Ephesus to solve some problems in the church and to ensure sound, solid leadership, and now he writes back to him with advice.
In 1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 and 15, here is what he says: "I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long, but in case I am delayed, I write so you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God." We are already into the end of chapter 3, and Paul is explaining his reason for everything he has written to this point and everything that follows. He wants Timothy to understand how to conduct himself in the church. That is why he tells him to watch out for false teachers. That is why he speaks about worship. But he also speaks about leadership within the church, and he makes clear that his perspective on leadership is God's perspective — it may be different from what man does.
Paul writes to Timothy as his pastor at Ephesus. We also have the book of Ephesians directed at this church, and in Acts chapter 20, Paul says farewell to the elders of this church. There is a great deal of information Paul communicates to this congregation.
The Household of God
In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 19, Paul says: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints of God's household." You have heard us speak more and more about East Valley Bible Church and our desire to see it as a family — even above the imagery of the body, as important as that is, we understand the church as a family.
This morning already I had a lady come up and say she is pregnant, ten weeks along, and it is exciting. I had a couple that just got engaged, a couple that just got married, and someone else who just had a baby. This is family in the absolute best sense of the word. We are a family knit together — it is the household of God.
The Living God and the Pillar of Truth
Paul goes on to say that this is the church of the living God. Bette Midler wrote a song a few years ago that many people loved and that went to number one, and it was built on the idea of a distant God. That makes for a good song, but it is awful theology. Our God is not a distant God. Our God is not some dead idol. Our God is alive, and we are part of His household.
Paul also calls the church the pillar and support of the truth. The imagery of a pillar would have been especially powerful to the church at Ephesus. In the city of Ephesus there stood a temple to the goddess Diana, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. William Barclay tells us about one of its defining features: it contained 127 pillars, every one of them a gift from a king, all made of marble, some studded with jewels and overlaid with gold. When the people of Ephesus heard the word pillar, they knew exactly what Paul was saying. And alongside pillar, Paul uses the word support — the only place that word appears in the New Testament — meaning the foundation upon which a structure rests.
The Church as Pillar of Truth
Here are the pillars that hold up truth. If there is anything that the church ought to be to the world, it is a beacon for truth. In a world that has lost its direction, the church is the pillar and the support of truth.
A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a men's conference. There were 300 guys in the room, and before I got up to speak, they went through an exercise. The speaker said, "I want all of you to stand up, put your hand in the air, and on the count of three — one, two, three — point to true north." Hands went everywhere. There were guys poking each other in the eyes — it looked like the Keystone Cops trying to find directions.
Then he said, "You received a packet. In that packet is a manila envelope. Open that envelope, take the object inside, and hold it up. Now we're going to repeat the exercise. Put your hand in the air — one, two, three — point to true north." And all 300 hands went in the same direction. As you can well imagine, the object in their hands was a compass.
The church serves as the compass — the direction, the preserver, the proclaimer of truth in a world that is very confused. We live at a time when people say there are all sorts of paths to God, that whatever fits for you is fine. But Jesus came along and said, "I am the way, the truth, the life, and there is no other way. No one goes to the Father but through Me." In a world that doesn't want to hear that message, a world that calls it exclusive and narrow, the real question is not whether it is exclusive or narrow. The question is: is it true?
That is the cry you will hear between now and November in this election — "What is the truth? I don't want things spun for me." We are so used to having things spun, having the best light put on everything. But what is the truth? The household of God is responsible to be the support and the foundation for the truth, including the gospel.
Maybe you are here today because somebody brought you, somebody who has been extending love and grace to you because they care for you and want you to hear and respond to this gospel. They love you. And they know — not in an arrogant way — that it is the truth. They know that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, when you leave this earth, you will spend eternity in a place called hell. It does not really matter whether you believe that or not. It is true.
The Qualifications for Elder
Paul writes to give direction on how we ought to conduct ourselves in the household of God. What he begins to address at the opening of chapter three are the qualifications for elder. First Timothy chapter three, verse one:
"It's a trustworthy statement: if a man aspires to the office of overseer, it's a fine work he desires to do. An overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity. If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? And not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. He must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he may not fall into reproach in the snare of the devil."
Beginning in verse eight, Paul addresses a separate office — the office of deacon. Today, however, I want to stay focused on the office of elder, and in particular on the group of eight men you saw before you this morning.
What God Is Doing at East Valley Bible Church
Like many of you, I am out in the community regularly, and the topic of church often comes up. When people ask where I attend and I say East Valley Bible Church, I am frequently amazed that men I have never met, living on the other side of town, will say, "I hear that's a great church. I hear there's great stuff going on there." We were talking about this between services with the band and the praise team, and they said the more they are out, the more they hear the same thing. One person ran into someone from the far end of town who said, "If you live in Gilbert, you ought to be going to East Valley Bible Church." When asked if he had ever been, he said, "No, but I hear good things."
The word has started to spread that God is doing something here. Those of you who are here frequently sense it yourselves — you look around and recognize that this is something different, perhaps unlike anything you have ever been a part of. Why is this happening? The first reason, in my mind, is simply that God is at work. I have never been part of anything where God is doing what He is doing here right now. It starts all the way in children's ministry and runs through to adult ministries. In every ministry, people are coming to Christ, people are growing, and people who have been in church all their lives are saying that not until this past year have they truly grown.
Why? Because in His sovereignty, God has decided to bless the work going on here. The second reason is that this is a place where truth is proclaimed — not just from the pulpit, but throughout the entire church. About a month ago I was speaking somewhere and was introduced to a man I had never met. He said he had three friends who attended this church, so he had called them and asked why they go there.
The Character of Godly Leadership
All three gave me the same answer — and if I could have planted these three guys and said, "Here, say this," it couldn't have gotten any better. All three said the same thing: "I go there because it's a place where the truth is proclaimed." That is exactly what we just looked at — the church as the pillar and support of the truth. It only makes sense that a Christian would want to be at a place where the truth is proclaimed.
Here is another thing I think is happening. The elders, the staff, the volunteer staff, and the people in leadership here are dependent upon God. There is no outside expert coming in and saying, "Let me tell you how to do this." What you have is a group of people together saying, "God, we want to study Your Word. We want to use our heads. We certainly want to look around and see what is happening. But most importantly, God, use us the way You have gifted us for ministry here." And people respond to that.
Here is the fourth thing. I have never been in a place where there is a group of people so committed to learning the Word — and living it. I was talking to somebody the other day who was at the church for the first time, and listen to their comment. They said, "I've never been in a place where people are so happy to be there."
I spoke at a church not long ago, and I don't know how to describe it other than painful. One of the songs was, "I've got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart" — and apparently it was way deep down in their hearts, because I did not sense any of it. I looked around, got my joy detector out, and did not see any of it. But here you have a group of people who are excited because God is doing something. It is not about any of the staff or elders, and it is not even about you. It is about what God is doing — in your life individually — and when we come together corporately, that excitement is contagious. All of a sudden, that is just the way you live.
The Role of Prayer in the Church's Growth
I want to give you two secrets that I think are really starting to come into play. Here is the first one. Slowly, gradually, and deliberately, we are becoming a people of prayer — as we should be. Frank Dudley and Dave Moore are really starting to bring people together for the purpose of prayer.
Remember the story about Spurgeon? There were four young men who came to hear the great Spurgeon teach. They arrived early on a Sunday, and it was Spurgeon himself who greeted them at the door, though they did not know it was him. The doors were locked, and they said they could not get in. He asked what they were trying to do, and they said they wanted to visit the church and understand what was happening there. He said, "Let me show you how we heat the building." They thought to themselves that they wanted to know what was going on spiritually, not how the building was heated. He took them down to the basement, opened a door, and there were several hundred people on their knees praying for the service that was about to take place. Spurgeon said, "That is the heat that fuels the building." We need to become more and more a body of prayer.
But let me tell you something else. One of the great reasons this church is being used by God to accomplish what it is, is because you have godly leaders. At the risk of sounding self-serving in that, you simply need to understand it. You have a group of men who spend hundreds of hours praying, thinking, and caring about you. We did not get a group together and say, "Okay, let's find the top ten men by net worth in the church and bring them up — because if they can run a business, they can run this."
What an Elder Ought to Be
Were you struck by that as you read through the list? Paul talks about what an elder ought to be even before he talks about what an elder ought to do. John MacArthur makes this point about leadership: people do not normally rise above the level of their leader. Church leadership is at the core of New Testament teaching, since the Lord came into the world to build His church. I love this observation — there is an inseparable link, one you cannot break, between the character of a church and the quality of its leadership.
Paul urged the church at Corinth, "Be an imitator of me, as I am an imitator of Christ." These are not men who came together because of great business sense or even a strong vision for how a church ought to be run. They are a group of men who love God and whose hearts have been converted. What Paul says to Timothy is not, "Here is what an elder does — have him do this and this and this." There are references to responsibilities elsewhere in the New Testament, and we will look at those in a moment. But what Paul says to Timothy when it comes to picking leaders is essentially this: I do not care what they do right now — I want to talk about what they ought to be. What should they look like?
The Responsibilities of an Elder
Here is what elders ought to do — and we get this from a balance of the New Testament. Elders are charged with the ruling and overseeing of the church. A primary concern is the preaching and teaching of the Word — the proclamation of the Word — not just in this room but throughout the campus and all of its activities. They are charged to pray for the sick, to care for the church, and to live as examples so they can say, "Here is how I want you to live."
They are charged with leading the church, ordaining elders, and taking responsibility for bringing along the next generation of leaders — teaching them the Word, passing that Word on faithfully to them, so that as they become men, God uses them. But what I want to focus on are these seven verses in 1 Timothy chapter 3, beginning in verse —
The Office of Elder Is Reserved for Men
Here is what Paul says: "It is a trustworthy statement." The apostle uses that phrase five times in his epistles, and it always introduces something that is almost self-evident, yet of extraordinary importance. Frequently it is attached to the idea of the gospel. He says, "It is a trustworthy statement, that if a man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do."
The first thing to notice is that the office of elder is reserved for men. I was gone Friday and Saturday doing a retreat over in Los Angeles, and the pastor there was celebrating his 32nd year at that church — which is terrific. We had a chance to talk, and I had the opportunity to pick his brain. He is 65, and I asked him how long he planned to pastor that church. He said, "Forever." Some of the guys reacted to that, but you see, he is fully committed. I asked him what he had learned and what he would tell me — if he were Paul and I were Timothy, what would he say? He told me he had quit going to conferences on pastoring. He said, "I don't want to be purpose-driven or this-driven or that-driven. I want to be one thing: a follower of Christ who leads men in following Christ. That is the issue for me."
I then asked him about his elders, and almost sheepishly — which is really a comment on the state of the church — he said, "Well, we are a little old-fashioned at our church. Only men are elders." I told him that is not old-fashioned. That is biblical. That is what God says. Look at what His word says: "If a man aspires." Look at the characteristics listed — he is the husband of one wife, the head of the house. In that culture it was clear that the head of the house was the man.
Just before this passage, Paul wrote, "I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man." He is saying, in the context of the church, something important that we need to understand. We are tempted to say, "Well, that was because of that culture." But his illustration was that Adam was created first and then Eve. In the context of leadership in the church, it is the man who bears the responsibility, authority, and leadership.
Desiring the Work of an Overseer
"If a man aspires" — the word literally means to stretch out oneself to grasp something, to reach out for something beyond oneself, to desire with passionate compulsion. It does not matter whether someone came along and suggested it, or whether the gift is simply evident in his heart. Whatever the reason, if a man desires this, it is a fine work — a noble work. The idea of work here carries the sense of something demanding, something that requires diligence. It is a lifelong task, and it is noble. That must be understood and taken seriously.
Both the Book of Hebrews and the Book of James contain warnings to teachers. "Not many of you should become teachers, lest you understand you will be judged more strictly." This is solemn, serious work.
The Requirements for Godly Leaders: Reputation
Beginning in verse 2, Paul lays out the requirements for godly leaders. The first is reputation. He says that if a man desires to be an overseer, he must first be above reproach. That phrase literally means "not able to be held" — there is nothing to detain him or arrest his progress, nothing that disqualifies him. He is free and unencumbered.
Let me be clear: do these men sin? Yes, they do. But in their heart is what the psalmist writes in Psalm 119:11 — "Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee." As Jerry alluded to in his prayer, once you move into a position of leadership, you become a target. The enemy puts you in the crosshair. They are after you, because if they can destroy you, it impedes the whole work of the church. I can never mention Jimmy Swaggart without somebody smiling or cracking a joke. Leaders become representatives of the church, and they need to be men of integrity, men you can trust.
The basis upon which we relate to one another — our currency — is trust. Once that trust is broken, it is almost impossible, if not impossible, to get it back. So the first requirement is a reputation above reproach. That is a necessary demand.
The Requirement of Faithful Marriage
He must also be the husband of one wife. There are many misinterpretations of what Paul is trying to say here. He is not forbidding polygamy — although polygamy is forbidden, it would disqualify someone even from church membership, not merely from eldership. He is not forbidding remarriage. Some argue that if a man's wife dies and he remarries, he is disqualified from being an elder. That does not hold up, because Scripture makes clear that such remarriage is permissible.
Regarding divorce, we always need to be clear in these areas: God hates divorce, and God condemns divorce. But God is also very gracious to the innocent party. He has indicated there are instances when divorce is permissible, and in those instances, remarriage is also permissible. So if you are looking at divorce as a disqualifying issue, you need to look at cause and timing and unpack all of those things carefully. But that is not the emphasis here either.
Nor is Paul excluding single men, as though one cannot be an elder unless he is married. We understand that the calling to singleness is a great calling. What this phrase literally means is this: a husband of one wife means to be a one-woman man. It means a husband is devoted in his heart and mind to his wife and to her exclusively — that he is sexually faithful to her, that there is between them a commitment to one another and a desire for no one else.
The Habits of Their Lives
Not only reputation, and not only this marriage requirement, but Paul also addresses the habits of their lives.
The Character Qualities of an Elder
There are some things you ought to look for in an elder. First of all, they are to be temperate. It means literally "wineless," but metaphorically speaking, it means they are to be clear-headed, alert, sober, vigilant, and watchful. If they are temperate, they will be prudent. They will be well-disciplined, and their life will have a sense of priority to it, with spiritual things at the top of those priorities.
Philippians 4:8 says, "Now dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and noble and right. Think about the things that are pure and lovely and admirable. These are the things that are excellent and worthy of praise." These are men who are focused on what is true and what is right.
They are respectable — literally, orderly. Their life is not in a constant state of confusion, moving from project to project. They are people who understand the orderliness of their own lives.
Hospitality and the Ancient World
Elders are also to be hospitable. In the Greek, it is a compound word — one word means "to love," the other means "strangers" — and they come together to give us this idea of hospitality. They are to love strangers. It goes beyond just the idea of entertaining. It is the idea, especially in that culture, of reaching out to those who are traveling whom they do not know.
There were no hotels or motels in that time — there were only inns. William Barclay describes these inns and says that in the ancient world, inns were notoriously bad. In one of Aristophanes' plays, one of the lead characters asks his companion, "Where will we lodge for the night?" and his answer is, "Where the fleas are fewest." Plato speaks of the innkeeper being like a pirate who holds his guests for ransom. Inns tended to be dirty, expensive, and above all, immoral.
As Christians began to travel, one of the characteristics of the men elevated to the position of elder was that they loved strangers. They would reach out and say, "I know you don't have a place to stay — come and stay with us."
The Ability to Teach
Not only that, elders need to be able to teach. It is the one requirement that separates the elder from the deacon. They are able to know God's Word, study it, and then communicate it. It may not be from a pulpit at the front — it may be in a small group setting, or one-on-one over coffee — but they understand, know, and embrace the Word of God.
They are courageous and consistent, and they will defend it. They will do it with humility and love, but they have the ability to ask, "What does God say to us about this?" That is what a great teacher does. As a conversation unfolds, a great teacher asks, "What does God say?" It may be really interesting what the latest survey says, or how compelling a poll is, but the question is always: what does God say? That is what it means to be able to teach.
Not Addicted to Wine, Not Pugnacious
Elders are not to be addicted to wine. In that culture, everyone drank wine because the water was polluted. Water in that day was mixed with wine — eight parts water to one part wine — in order to purify the water and dilute the wine. Paul writes to Timothy and tells him to drink wine, which I think was medicinal in that case. The point is that these elders are people who do not have a reputation for being drinkers.
They are also not to be pugnacious — not a giver of blows, not one who strikes. Remember last week we looked at Acts chapter 15, where the central issue was the question of salvation. What Paul is saying is that in church life, these are not just a bunch of sterile people sitting around a table who don't care much about anything. These are passionate people, and there will be times when discussions become heated. But an elder must not be someone whose response to conflict is to throw a punch, figuratively speaking. Not a striker. He does not move toward confrontation.
Instead of being pugnacious, he is gentle, courteous, and gracious. He is not contentious — he is peaceful. Did you hear Jerry's prayer? "God, unify our hearts, bring us together, knit our hearts together, make us of one mind." If an elder is pugnacious, contentious, and insistent on having his own way, never yielding, that body will never function together.
Elder Qualification as a Goal for Every Man
I want to say something important as we look at this list. Our desire is that every man in this church will become elder-qualified — that these qualities will represent your life. You may never serve in that capacity, but the goal is to be elder-qualified.
As we look at elders, it is not only these individual qualities that matter, but also whether we are going to be able to function as a team together. We know we are going to face hard issues. As an elder board, things are straightforward when we can look at a question and say, "That is what the Word says — does everyone agree? Good, that is what we will do." Where it gets hard is when you have issues of preference, issues that are not directly addressed in Scripture. You have to draw in principles, but it is not crystal clear. How do you resolve that? If someone in that room is pugnacious, contentious, and determined to fight, you will never get anywhere — and that would be poison to the board.
Free from the Love of Money
Paul then says that elders are to be free from the love of money. The concern is that a man would be engaged in this for the cash, doing it for financial gain. It is not as commonly an issue today as it once was, but there was a time — especially in small towns in New England and in smaller towns and larger cities across the country — when the pastor was the most educated man in the community.
Managing the Household
He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity. The word "manages" carries the idea of presiding over authority and is literally translated "to rule." He is a man who has his household under control — finances, everything — in place, orderly, and done well. It means literally aesthetically good or pleasing to the eye. When you look at this house, you see evidence of a person who has figured things out, for whom faith is not merely an academic pursuit but a lived reality.
This man is not a hypocrite. What he says and what he believes matches up, and when you look at his house, there is evidence of it. But if you want an even better barometer, look at the children. He keeps his kids under control with dignity. It is a military term meaning to line up orderly — there is structure there. And it is not authority exercised by repetition or force; it is done with respect, done with love. He is a man who has been able to communicate the things of God to his children.
If you are going to ask him to lead the church and to lead others, and he cannot lead his own family in these areas — cannot bring together a family that exhibits holiness and obedience — he will never be able to do it corporately. Paul makes what is obvious explicit: if a man cannot manage his own household, you cannot bring him in to manage the household of God. If his family is out of control, you cannot bring him in.
A Personal Illustration
I came home one day and Sarah showed me a cartoon. She was laughing. It was a cartoon of a lady standing on the back porch, holding open the screen door and letting the dog out. The caption had the lady saying, "Remember, you are the pastor's dog." The implication was that people are going to judge this man by you.
Sarah laughed and understood that, because from the time the girls were small, we told them they have no private life. Everyone in this building who knows who they are is going to look at them and scrutinize them. And that is okay — that is part of the deal, that comes with the territory. Girls, it is real important for you to understand: you are going to qualify or disqualify everything we say by how you respond to what God has for you.
I was talking to a lady recently and she said she had one of my daughters in a group of hers. I said, "Isn't that good?" She said she did not know it was my Haley until recently, and she was surprised. I thought, "Really? Haley, huh? What did she do?" She said, "Tom, she is one of the most godly young women I have ever been around. She loves the Lord. She is great with people." A week does not go by that somebody does not speak to me about something my girls are doing — and that is good.
That is exactly what Paul is saying. Go ahead and look. No secrets. What you see is what you get. We are not one way here and another way at home. Susan and I might be able to cover things up, but you can never do it with the kids. The kids are the ones who will reveal exactly what is going on. So he says, when you look at these men, go ahead — look. A father who is wise disciplines his children with love and shares with them the truth of what God has to say. As the elder is a representative of the church, so his children represent and reveal what is going on at home.
Not a New Convert
Then Paul says one last thing in this section: the elder must not be a new convert. It is the only time that word appears in the New Testament. The reason, Paul explains, is that if you bring a man like that up and give him a position of leadership, he could quickly become conceited. He is not grounded. He is not rooted. He may have seen much and it may have been genuine, but it has not been tested through time. He might become conceited — the word literally means to puff up like a cloud of smoke.
You have heard the phrase "blowing smoke." It carries the idea of being consumed with the notion that you are something. That is always what precedes a downfall: pride. I do not know what you think your biggest sin is, but I will tell you what it is — it is pride. C.S. Lewis says it was through pride that Lucifer became the devil. Pride is a complete anti-God state of mind.
Isaiah tells us that it was when Satan began to say, "I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne, I will sit on the mount, I will ascend to the heights, I will make myself like God" — when Lucifer said that, he became Satan. And the antidote to pride is humility.
Reputation Outside the Church
Paul says one final thing. It is good that these men have a reputation at home and in the church, but they must also have a good reputation with the rest of the world. He must have a good reputation with those outside the church. The Greek word is *marturia*, from which we get the English word "reputation" — and also the word "martyr." A martyr is one who certifies through his action, through his testimony.
Paul is saying these are men who carry a certificate of authenticity. The community looks at them and says, "We do not buy your doctrine. You people over there are way too hung up on the Bible. You are way too old-fashioned, too puritanical, too Victorian, too narrow for us. But we will tell you what — it is pretty"—
A Reputation Outside the Church
Let me tell you about old Bill. Bill is just a guy you can rely on and trust. He's one of the best employees I ever had. I don't buy his theology, but what a worker. That is your reputation in the community. A man who is considered for elder should have a reputation outside the church.
Paul writes in Colossians 4, "Conduct yourself with wisdom toward outsiders." Peter says in 1 Peter 2, "Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles." The idea there is that if people begin to slander you, your reputation will cause others to say, "I know Tom — he would never do that."
A Standard Every Man Should Pursue
I have taken you through all of this for two reasons. Number one, men — especially the men in this room — will you understand that our deepest desire for you is that you would be elder qualified? Every man in this room should have a life characterized by this standard. That is how God has called you to live.
When you look at 1 Timothy 3, it ought to be your autobiography. When your friends pick it up and read it, they ought to say, "That's him."
Leadership in the Church Is Serious Business
Here is the second reason. I want you to understand that leadership in the church is a serious business. It is not leadership as the world does it. It is not figuring out what Peter Drucker says and bringing it into the church — and we have far too much of that going on.
That pastor I was with this weekend said, "I want to be a follower of Jesus, and I want a group of men around me who are followers of Jesus also, and we'll figure out the rest of this stuff." That is the right posture. I want you to become prayer warriors for the leadership of this church. I want you every day to pray for us — to pray that we would stay faithful, and to pray that the biographical sketch in 1 Timothy 3 would be representative of every one of the leaders, pastors, and staff here at the church.
What God Says Is the Only Question That Matters
I want you to understand that the reason we are structured the way we are, and the reason our leadership team is the way it is, is because we believe that is what God has said about it. Are we saying all other leadership structures are wrong? Here is what we are saying: if it is not structured this way, then it is not biblical leadership.
Someone might say, "But these other models work." Here is the thing — it does not matter whether it works. I do not care if you come from a system where you say, "It really works to have one strong leader." That is not the question. What does God say? Isn't that the issue? We tell you every Sunday that is the issue in your life. When God says do it, you do it. The same is true for us. What does God say? What does He call us to? What does leadership in His household look like? That is what we want to be.
It is serious business, isn't it?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Your word — that it is true, that we can believe it, and that You have given it to us so that we can follow it in every area of our life. It is not something we merely talk about while people go away and apply it in their homes but leave it at the door of the church. It starts here. Father, hold us to this standard of leadership, and make us men especially who desire to live this way and be used by You this way. God, I pray You would put in the hearts of the people here a desire to pray for their leaders. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.