So You're A Preacher?

 

 

 

 

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

I Timothy 3:1-7

 

Good Morning my beloved,

Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!

We welcome all of our beloved brothers and sisters, from all around the world, who have been lead to join us today. We are glad to have you here!

 

I know that I mentioned this to you in our previous messages, however, I believe that it bears repeating. Scripture calls us to pray with and for our brothers and sisters in Christ. So, I again, would like to encourage all of you to visit our Prayer Wall, there are a number of them who are in great need of some faithful prayer warriors. I pray that you will join us in praying for them in their time of need. I would greatly appreciate it, and I know that they would as well!

 

Throughout the years of my service before Christ, few things give me greater joy, more pleasure than to witness those whom I have mentored being raised up by God in holiness. God has graciously allowed me to invest my life in some godly people who are excelling beyond anything I have ever accomplished in my life for the Kingdom of God. It is such an honor and my great privilege to be part. Beloved, I am here to proclaim, that even today, in the times in which we live, God still raises up those souls aflame who cannot rest until they are declaring the Word of God. And although trained, capable of handling a myriad of tasks, they would voluntarily prefer to labor preaching and teaching the Word, to the glory of God.

What is a pastor suppose to look like? I have been told on a number of occasions, "You look like Jesus, but you don’t look like a preacher. While I cannot say whether that was intended as an insult or a compliment, I certainly consider having any similarity in appearance to our Lord as a compliment! However, its not looking like Him on the outside what most matters, is it? We, as Christians are called to be more like Christ on the inside.

Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Father, thank You for Your precious truth. In this world today, in which we live, a world of chaos and of of confusion, a world where everything holy and sacred is either being turned upside down or being ripped away, Lord, we are so grateful, that we can always turn to You for clarity and understanding, when nothing around us is making sense. 

Father, we do not say it enough, we love You! When I look back upon my life, Lord, I cannot understand how You would call someone like me, a wretched sinner to serve You, the holy God. I know beyond all doubt, it was not because of some great talent or skill that I possessed, or even my worthiness. When in fact, quite the contrary is true. Yet,You chose me, equipping me for the calling of which You placed on my life. Thank You, for the honor and privilege of serving You, I bless Your Great name for that!

Lord, we come to You with thankful hearts today, thankful for all that You have already done, thankful for what You are presently working out on our behalf, and for that which is being done in faith believing. Thank You Father for those present with us today, for their eager and thankful hearts, I pray that You would raise them up to be godly people, that they might follow the pattern You have set for each of their lives and always remain faithful in Christ. Lord, I pray this with all of my heart.

In Your precious name we pray

Amen

Today's Message: So You're A Preacher?

In the secular world, certain positions have specific requirements and qualifications. The greater the responsibility the higher the expectations for their ability, conduct and character. The same is true in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. In this power hungry world, many have a burning desire to be exalted within the kingdom of God, however, Luke 12:48 tells us "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."

 

In other words, we are held responsible for what we have been blessed with, if we have been blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, or time, it is expected from each of us that we will use our gifts to benefit others, to bring glory to God.

I have come to realize, over the years, that I cannot remain in this position forever; one day, because of the inevitability of sin’s merciless grip on my life, that which takes a toll on all mankind,  will one day extract all of the strength in my fleshly body, rendering me virtually useless for my present position. 

Our beloved Apostle Paul has arrived at this point in his life and ministry.

Open your Bibles with me, as we begin a new journey in this blessed epistle, to First Timothy chapter three. I believe that this is a very important, vital section in the Word, as it gives the qualifications for church leadership. Paul is very explicit in the qualifications, a word to those who desire to serve in the church, those who are presently leading the church, ministering in the church. You are to be qualified to do so! Ministry is not a career choice, it's a calling placed upon your life by Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all things in it. You need to be aware of that. The Pastor’s job is a noble calling.

I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read, to set in our minds the text, we are about to examine. I am not certain how far we will get in our study today, as more often than not, the Holy Spirit has His own plans for our messages, which do not always line up with our time schedule. But we will do our best here today. I Timothy 3:1-7. 

 

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is 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, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but 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, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."

 

I cannot count the number of times, that I have heard, even as recent as today, I wish that you were in my area teaching the Word of God, I cannot seem to find a "good church," in my area. I frequently hear this from people who have recently moved away, who soon after tell me how much trouble they’re having finding a preacher who teaches the whole counsel of God. I certainly do not claim to have some sort of spiritual wonder, because I am not! I want to make that perfectly clear, I simply do exactly as God has called me to do, with a burning fire and a passion to please Him, with no regard to the audience to whom I am teaching. I have often been faulted for this approach, however, to do it in any other way, I will have become a man please-er rather than a God please-er, and quite frankly, I refuse to do that. While I serve both God and man, my aim is to please God, while serving man.

 

The Apostle Paul writes in verse 1, "It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do." When Paul writes this statement, he is not condoning a selfish ambition for the position and prestige associated with the pastoral office, he is, however, recognizing that it is a noble task. 

 

In I Peter chapter 5, verses 1-5, Peter tells us "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

In the New Testament there are three terms which are used to describe the same office of leadership in the church, each however, from a slightly different perspective. Elder focuses primarily on the character qualities of the man, that he is a mature man of God. The main qualification for elders is not that they have impressive spiritual gifts. Rather, it is that they be godly men.

 

The term shepherd, or pastor, places emphasis upon the responsibility of the leadership of the church to shepherd the flock. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the leadership of the church, the shepherd, to do for the sheep what they cannot do for themselves and to make sure that they are caring for God's flock.. It focuses on the tasks of providing leadership, care, feeding, and protection for God’s people.

By the way, as a footnote, there is no shepherd who has ever given birth to his sheep. So, I believe that some of you in the ministry, need to keep that in your minds!

 

The term overseer, or bishop, emphasizes the fact that the leadership is charged with overseeing the local church and as such is responsible for the spiritual well-being of those in the church.

God, in His Word, has clearly stated His standards for pastoral oversight. If the churches accept those who are obviously unqualified, they must know that they will give an account before God, and there can be no excuse for failure to know His will. God does not choose those in pastoral positions according to their degrees on the biblical wall of fame, a practice we so commonly see often used today in the church. I have known a number of faithful, teachers of the Word of God, gregarious introverts, who are far less "qualified," by today's standards, than their self serving biblical counterparts. The point I am making here, is human wisdom and worldly standards are simply not adequate. Pastors are to be called by God, commissioned by the Holy Spirit, and committed to the example of Jesus Christ. The command to, "Shepherd the flock of God," calls to mind a familiar biblical picture, that God is the Shepherd and His people are His flock.

 

In I Timothy 5:17-18, Paul says "The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

 

In other words, Paul is saying that those faithfully who labor at preaching and teaching should not only be respected, they also should be paid. The church should look out for their pastor. That does not mean they should make him rich! However, they should look out for his welfare, if they are going to have a full time pastor. I have witnessed some pastors and their families, who are struggling to make ends meet, to provide food,  while their congregations were living in luxury.

In contrast, the pastor should also look to the welfare of their congregation. If they see that the church is struggling, then maybe a part time job would be the answer. If a church is unable to meet the bills, he can minister to the folks by working. I have also seen congregations unable to do anything for the ministries the church is supposed to be involved in, because their pastor's salary was so high.

By virtue of their full-time commitment to the work, such elders usually take on the role of leader among leaders in a local church. While often they share the task of pastoring or oversight with other qualified men.

 

I would like to add, that spiritual maturity takes time, effort, and discipline. All me to say that again; Spiritual maturity takes time, effort, and discipline. There are no shortcuts. In this world of instant gratification, we want everything now, but there is no such thing as instant godliness. That said, there is no such thing as a perfectly qualified pastor. We can never afford to say to ourselves, "I have arrived!" Therefore, I believe there must always be a sense of inadequacy, while living in the reality that it is God Who has called him to this fine work, for a calling which we, in ourselves, are unqualified. 

 

In verses 2-3, Paul goes on to tell us "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, peaceable, free from the love of money." These qualities are, I believe, non negotiable. One should never be given a position in the church because they are the popular favorite, influential in the community. Nor ever given a position because they have contributed the most financially, therefore, they might get mad and leave the church if they're  not recognized.

 

"Above reproach," is translated from the Greek word, "anepilēmpton," it means that there should be nothing in the life of a leader for Satan or the unsaved world can get a hold one to tear the ministry down. We've heard the stories of pastors who were caught up in scandals of adultery and fornication, sexual prowess, and the ministry is therefore destroyed. Jim Bakker, and his successor, Jimmy Swaggert, are the classic examples, that is the kind of thing that Paul is speaking about here.

 

Therefore, godly leaders must strive remain above reproach for a number of reasons; first, because they are special targets of Satan. He will use anything and everything in attempt to bring down a successful ministry. Secondly, because they are godly leaders, their fall has a great potential to do harm to the cause of Christ. Thirdly, their greater knowledge of the Scripture brings greater accountability and their fall is more hypocritical having preached against the very things they are found to have committed. 

 

I believe this is a very critical issue, especially in the day and age in which we live, where everyone seems to have the attitude, "What I do is my business! You have no right to tell me what to do." Not to mention cell phone video recording devices that have created a lot of issues for those who may have otherwise escaped being caught in act of some unscrupulous behavior! Just look at a news cast on any given particular day, its filled with it. However, Paul isn’t demanding perfection here, as some have misinterpreted. But rather he is saying a pastor is not to be found living a double life. In his home life, personal life, and business life, he is living in obedience to God’s Word. When he sins, he judges himself rightly, and seeks forgiveness from God and others. He is to be a man of integrity.

 

Unfortunately, the term "the husband of one wife," is a bit ambiguous, and so, needless to say, there are a number of different interpretations that have been put forth. However, the phrase is literally to means, to be a "a one-woman-man."In other words, a leader must be faithful to his one wife.

 

"Temperate and prudent," simply means he must be a man who is in control of himself, self restrained, he should be capable of controlling himself. A church leader should be one who can be counted on to give sensible, sober judgments. He must possess a serious attitude and must be serious about his work, careful in providing for the future. For the record, this does not mean that he cannot possess a sense of humor. I believe that a man cannot remain a pastor for very long if he does not possess a sense of humor.  If a church leader takes offense to every derogatory remark that is made about him from his critics, he simply won't last. However, I believe that he must be willing to examine himself objectively, to see if there is any merit to the accusation.

 

"Respectable," is the Greek word, "kosmion," from which we get the English word "cosmos," the idea of orderly, and is always present in the meaning harmonious or order of the "universe." "Hospitable," which is the Greek word, "philoxenon," means "loving strangers," in other words, being nice, being approachable. There's not a lot of hospitable people in our culture today.

 

"Able to teach," I believe that's self explanatory, so I'll not go into great detail here, it basically means his life is to be marked by study and learning. In today's vernacular, he should be able to shut the mouths of those who attempt to discredit the Word, with an additional responsibility placed upon being able to teach the Word to others.

 

The Apostle Paul goes on to say in verse 3, "not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money." Here, the positive characteristics are now followed several negative characteristics. "Not addicted to wine," denotes not merely drunkenness, but any intemperance in drinking wine greedily. While public drunkenness is certainly unbecoming a pastor, it carries along with it a host of other things, which are far worse; quarrels, fights et cetera. However, I believe that the bigger issue is because of a pastor's influence, it goes back to drinking himself and falling away from the Lord, causing another to stumble. I believe it is better not to drink any alcoholic beverage than to lead a weaker brother into sin. Like it or not, as a pastor, you have an influence on what others in the faith consider to be O.K.. 

 

Romans 14:13 teaches "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way." 

 

And I Corinthians 8:13 says "Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble."

 

Then Paul says "or pugnacious," which is the Greek word, "plēktēn," meaning striker, one who is not quarrelsome.  Many people take this as to imply fight or arguing, while that is certainly true, it also carries with it the idea of striking others with your tongue, or wounds with words.   

"But gentle, peaceable" meaning equitable, yielding. To put it another way, a moderate disposition, one who forgives much, and who passes by insults. And "peaceable," meaning abstaining from fighting. I think that's pretty straightforward. 

  

Then, Paul says "free from the love of money." I believe this one is especially an issue today. We see so many preachers, spending more time in the pulpit, pushing their latest book,CD's or DVD's. My personal opinion is that should be done on their won time, not when teaching the Word of God. 

Calvin said "He who wishes to become rich also wishes to become rich soon." I would be inclined to agree with that statement. Therefore, he cannot be a miser, neither can he be a person willing to sell his principles or compromise his teaching for money. I believe that a man who would be suited to be a pastor, must be far removed from the desire of making money his chief goal in life.

Verses 4-5, "He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),"

 

"He must be one who manages," I believe that this is obviously not an optional requirment.In order to preside over a church and congregation, with great care and diligence, one must be able to manage his own household well, removing any room for blame. "keeping his children under control with all dignity." As a footnote, I would like to point out that the term "children," can well apply to children who are younger as well as children who are grown adults, the issue is having obedient children and keeping control over them, their ages are not the issue. "With all dignity," denotes the way in which he secures their obedience. Honor, purity, reverence, seriousness, respectfulness. It would appear that the 'dignity" applies not merely to the children, but to how the elder keeps his children under control. He is a dignified father, that is, he does not have to yell at his children or threaten them to keep them in subjection.

 

"(but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)" Here, Paul gives the reason for the qualification. In other words, the results a man obtains from managing his own household, may well indicate the results one can expect from him to manage the household of God. If a man is unable  to keep control over his children, whom he has always reared, he is likely to be incompetent for his office.

 

In verse 6, Paul says that "and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." The point Paul is making here is, it takes time to be apt to teach, to be able to feed the flock, one must know more than just the milk of the word or just the first principles of Christianity. As well as to be able to do battle with false teachers, one must have experience and a working knowledge of the Word. Another reason, is there is the temptation among Christians at times to appoint to the eldership a new convert who has a high profile, or prestige in the community.

 

"So that he will not become conceited" It is likely, that a new convert, would become blinded by pride and conceit, and such position of leadership and authority would be setting up this new convert for temptation. I would like to point out, that a new covert may well be a very moral man and an extremely good husband and father, however, noble, that is a far cry from being spiritually mature enough to handle such a role in a position of leadership. A young convert has not yet been matured by afflictions and temptations. Therefore, I believe it should be a man of experience, who are humble and who realize not only their own true unimportance as well as the importance of the role they are to assume. It is my belief, that when one becomes a pastor, he should go to his knees, not allow it to go to his head.

 

"and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil." I john 2:15-16 teaches "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." This is not an easy task for us in our self-centered, me first, my rights society, however, the Lord commands us as His church, "not to love the world nor the things in the world," and I believe that the congregation should ask no less of their church leaders. Unfortunately, many churches today appoint someone to a task in order to make them feel good, to make them feel welcome. 

In verse 7 Paul writes, "And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." I believe, we again see God’s wisdom here. Sadly, there are many Christians who put on a front when they are around other Christians and at church services. We've all seen that. Those people who have a persona, a social facade. So, is this man a Christian the other six days of the week? How does he conduct himself outside the church? I have heard of many church leaders who participate in happy hour at bars, frequent dance clubs and the like. I suppose it is quite possible that they are ministering to the lost, however, that probably not the best environment in which to do it. It draws quite a bit of suspicion among congregants. There is a consider amount of opportunity, and possibly the temptation to let his guard down. I believe that far too often men are chosen and appointed to the leadership without regard for their reputations among those people who are not Christians. I believe it is crucial that those outside the church ought consider him to be a fair, honest, good, sincere, godly man, as well. The good works in which a church is capable of accomplishing in a community largely depends very much upon its reputation, and I believe the reputation of the church depends a greatly upon those who represent it. The reputation of both are important.

And the end of verse 7, Paul tells us "so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." We know that the term reproach, means "reveling, disgrace, insult, to fall into disgrace," and the word snare, which is the Greek word "pagida," meaning a trap, whatever brings peril, loss, destruction. The more prideful the man is, the more the Satan approves him. Therefore, pride is most often his biggest trap. I believe that this also applies to all pastors, not only new converts, the young leader, I have witnessed many a great teachers fall, who have succumb to the snare of the enemy. The ego of a man is a dangerous enemy, a relentless force to be used against him to bring about destruction.

In Closing...

The Apostle Paul's teaching is trustworthy because it is founded on the Word of God. God gave the Word, and He is the author of His Word, therefore, we can have the assurance that it is trustworthy. Beloved, whenever we begin to substitute our thoughts, our human wisdom for the Word  of God, we are basing our ideas on that which is mortal, fallible, and at best, friable. Therefore, any ideas originating from the mind and wisdom of a man, are subject to every imaginable distortion.

 

Every believer’s life is to be a positive testimony to a watching world and this especially true of those in church leadership positions. Ultimately, it was pride that brought about Satan's fall. He was simply not content to be the highest ranking angel, therefore, he sought to elevate himself to the same level as God.

I believe, that by continually turning our eyes from ourselves to Jesus Christ, we will find that He alone, is sufficient for the task.

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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