elders

1 Timothy 5:17-25

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Choose Wisely.

1 Timothy 5:17-25

Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light. – 1 Timothy 5:24-25 NLT

Paul has already addressed the qualifications for elders earlier in his letter, but now he deals with the more practical realities of how Timothy is to interact with these essential church leaders. It’s interesting that he chooses to address elders immediately after giving Timothy advice on how to care for widows in the church. It would seem that, to Paul, both groups are important to the life of the church, and neither are to be overlooked or taken for granted. It would be easy to forget about widows in the church because they tend to be out-of-sight, out-of-mind even in society. Paul didn’t want that to happen in the church as well. But the same thing could be said of elders. Once a man is chosen to serve as an elder, it would be easy to overlook him and just assume that all is well and that his spiritual life is just fine. It would also be easy to take these men for granted and end up neglecting their needs or failing to show gratitude for the significant role they play in the health and care of the church.

So Paul tells Timothy to care for those men who voluntarily commit their time, talent and energies to the oversight of the local church. They should be honored, respected and cared for, especially those who preach and teach. In the early days of the church, these men may have received financial compensation for the time they spent minister to the spiritual needs of the church. It would appear that they may have been bi-vocational, holding down secular jobs and sacrificing part of their work hours to serving the needs of the church. Serving as an elder, which would have included teaching, preaching, leading, and praying for the local congregation, would have been a time-consuming job. So Paul encourages Timothy to ensure that these men are taken care of adequately. Quoting Deuteronomy 25:4, Paul compares the efforts of an elder to those of an ox used to tread grain. “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” An ox, as it pulled a stone wheel over the stalks of wheat to separate out the grain, was allowed to reach down and eat as it worked, providing it with incentive to continue to do its job. In a similar manner, elders who worked hard on behalf of the body of Christ, should be compensated and cared for, in order to reward and encourage them for the efforts.

And because elders served in a leadership capacity, they were going to be open to criticism and accusations. There would be those who disagreed with their teaching and disliked their leadership at times. Paul tells Timothy to “not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses” (1 Timothy 5:19 NLT). He was to give these men the benefit of the doubt, refusing to take at face value the word of one individual who might bring an accusation against an elder. If Paul were to ever discover that an elder has sinned, he was to confront them in private, and if that man proved unrepentant, he was to be reprimanded before the entire congregation, serving as a strong warning to the other elders and reinforcing the seriousness of their role as the spiritual leaders of the church. In all of this, Timothy was to act as an objective party, not showing favoritism or taking sides. While treating elders with respect and honor, he was not to unfairly side with them over and against the congregation.

Paul also warns Timothy not to be too hasty when appointing elders. To lay hands on a man, ordaining him for this highly important spiritual role, was a serious matter and should be done soberly and carefully. The one who appoints a man to this high office, only to find out that he is unqualified for some reason, shares in his sin and shame. He is culpable for having put the congregation at risk. So Timothy was to be extremely careful when selecting men for the role of elder. But Paul knows that not all sins are obvious at first glance. There would inevitably be those cases where a man was appointed to the position of elder, only to find out later that he had some hidden sin in his life that disqualified him. It was going to happen and, when it did, Timothy would have to deal with it. But there would also be cases in which a man’s good character might lie hidden and unseen. There would be those men in the church who were less obvious and whose good deeds were done behind the scenes, out of sight and unrecognized by those in the congregation. That’s why it was so important for Timothy to choose carefully. The “obvious” candidates are not always the right candidate. He must look into the hidden character of each man considered for the role of elder. As God told the prophet Samuel when he was looking for the next king of Israel, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT).

Finally, Paul gives Timothy a little personal health advice. Knowing that all of this could prove to be stressful for Timothy and that this young man suffered from some sort of ongoing health issues, Paul recommends that Timothy “drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often” (1 Timothy 5:23 NLT). Leading a church can be difficult and stressful. It is a huge responsibility and must be taken seriously. So Paul pleads with Timothy to take care of himself. He must be in good health if he is going to care for the body of Christ well.

Father, leadership in the church is serious business. Forgive us for taking it so lightly at times and for taking those who lead us for granted too often. May we hold these men in high regard, but at the same time, may we hold them to a higher standard. Help us to choose wisely and esteem them highly at all times. Far too often, we take our pastors and elders for granted, seldom considering their spiritual well-being. Their role in the ongoing health of the church is essential. May we never take them for granted. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

1 Timothy 3:1-13

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A Worthy Aspiration.

1 Timothy 3:1-13

This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position.” – 1 Timothy 3:1 NLT

All men aspire to something. They each have goals and ambitions for which they dedicate their time, talents, and energies. For some men, having a successful career is their greatest ambition and it impacts their entire lives, as they spend every waking moment attempting to make it happen. A few men have legitimate and realistic aspirations for making a name for themselves in the competitive world of sports. Then there are those who simply aspire to be good employees, fathers, husbands, friends and members of the community. But Paul would give us a different aspiration. He would encourage us to aspire to something of a slightly higher nature. It is a job with few perks, a lot of responsibilities, high expectations, no income, a certain degree of anonymity, and some pretty lofty hiring guidelines.

The job Paul would have us consider is that of an elder in the local church. He states, ‘If someone aspires to be an elder,he desires an honorable position.” The word he uses that is translated “aspires” is the Greek word, oregō which means “to stretch one’s self out in order to touch or to grasp something, to reach after or desire something.” But it had another meaning as well: “to give one’s self up to the love of money.” In fact, Paul uses this secondary meaning in chapter 6 when talking about the love of money. “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10 NLT). It’s interesting that one of the qualifications or characteristics that Paul gives for an elder is that he must not love money, because money will become his aspiration.

Instead, Paul tells Timothy that it is a good thing to aspire to be an elder. But it would seem that Paul’s emphasis is less on the idea of a position or job, than on the qualities of the kind of man who would be recognized to fill it. Paul does not go into great detail on the job description of an elder. Instead. he points out the character requirements necessary to be considered as an elder. And I would argue that these qualities should be the aspiration of every God-fearing, Christ-following man in the church today. The Greek word Paul uses is episkopē and it means “overseer.” Paul seems to use it almost synonymously with another Greek word, presbuteros, which typically gets translated “elder.” Both words convey the idea of someone who has authority for and responsibility over the spiritual well-being of the flock of God. In the book of Acts, we have recorded a meeting between Paul and the elders from the church in Ephesus where he warned them, “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock–his church, purchased with his own blood – over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders” (Acts 20:28 NLT). Elders had a high calling and a lofty responsibility to guard both themselves and the people of God. Therefore, they had to be godly men of strong character and impeccable morals. They didn’t have to be perfect, but they did have to strive to be blameless and above reproach in every area of their lives. It is interesting that the characteristics that Paul lists cover just about every area of a man’s life. An elder had to be a man with no compartmentalization in his life – no hidden or secret areas. His home life was just as important as his church life. Every one of the things that Paul lists would have been easy to assess and ascertain – by just about anyone in the church. The qualities Paul lays out are visible or external, open for anyone and everyone to see and evaluate. But they reflect an inner character that flows out into every area of life. The kind of men who were to be considered as elders were men whose hearts had been are were continuing to be transformed by God. They were men who were living under the control of and in the power provided by the Holy Spirit.

But shouldn’t the qualities and characteristics Paul outlines be the aspiration of every man? Why wouldn’t every man of God aspire to live the kind of life Paul describes, whether he ever gets appointed as an elder or not? The church needs men who are above reproach, faithful to their wives, self-controlled, wise, with good reputations, hospitable, moderate in all things, gentle in spirit, the spiritual leaders in their homes, and respected in their communities. The local church should be filled to the brim with men who are viable candidates for eldership. Remember, Paul told Timothy that if a man aspires to be an elder, he desires an honorable position. To aspire is “to stretch one’s self out in order to touch or to grasp something, to reach after or desire something.” What we should desire as men is not the role or responsibility, but the character of an elder. The position is honorable because the men who occupy it are honorable. Their character is Christ-like and holy. They are not perfect, but they are men who are willingly and regularly being perfected by God. The church needs more men like that today.

Father, some of us aspire for a position more than we do the character required to qualify for that position. We want to be recognized as something and fail to realize that our character is what qualifies us for that for which we aspire. You desire all men to aspire to live their lives in such as way that they naturally qualify to be elders in the local church. Raise us a generation of men whose lives qualify them to shepherd Your flock. We need shepherds today. We need men who, like David, are men after Your own heart, who love Your sheep just as much as You do. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

1 Timothy 1:1-11

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Sound Teaching and Teachers Needed.

1 Timothy 1:1-11

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. – 1 Timothy 1:5 NLT

Timothy was Paul’s disciple. He had evidently been led to the Lord by Paul during one of Paul’s missionary travels to Lystra. During Paul’s second missionary journey, Timothy accompanied him to the cities of Troas, Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth. Timothy was a part of Paul’s third missionary journey to the city of Ephesus, and was sent by Paul to minister on his own in the region of Macedonia. This young man also made it to Rome while Paul was there under house arrest. He was well-traveled and well-respected by Paul, having earned the apostle’s trust. Paul had sent him to the city of Ephesus, where Timothy was ministering when he received this first letter from Paul. Timothy had evidently written Paul, sharing his desire to return to his side and accompany him in his ministry. But Paul was going to break the news to Timothy that he was needed right where he was. In fact, verse three tells us that when Paul and Timothy went to Ephesus on that third missionary journey, Paul went on to Macedonia, leaving Timothy behind with a job to do. “When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth.”

By this time in the story of the spread of the Gospel, there were churches all over that area of the world. The Good News was spreading fast and people were coming to faith in Christ at an incredible rate. The problem was that there were far too few men who were equipped to minister to the large numbers of churches springing up. There were infant believers everywhere and no one to lead and feed them. Paul was limited. Much of his time had been spent in prison or under house arrest. He couldn’t be everywhere at once. There were no seminaries churning out pastors and teachers. There were no schools raising up and equipping elders for the local churches. But there seemed to be no shortage of false teachers and ill-informed individuals with potentially destructive viewpoints on a wide range of topics. So Paul turned to Timothy. Yes, he was young. He was inexperienced. But he was needed. Knowing that this young man was probably feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task at hand, Paul reminded him what the true purpose of all biblical instruction should be about. “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith” (1 Timothy 1:5 NLT).

Paul’s letters to Timothy have less to do with the teaching of doctrine than the defense of it. The content is practical, not theological. Paul wants Timothy to know how to encourage the believers in Ephesus toward true life change, marked by love that manifests itself in daily life. Paul is looking for practical expressions of love. He knows that there are three things that will prevent that from happening in any believer’s life: An impure heart, a conscience that is burdened by shame, and a lack of trust in God. This is basic stuff. It trumps a head full of theology and doctrine every time. But Paul warns Timothy, “some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions” (1 Timothy 1:6 NLT). Somewhere along the way, they had become obsessed with things that were not resulting in increased faith and love. Debating had replaced serving. Controversy had become more popular than showing mercy and expressing love to one another. Paul had warned the elders in Ephesus, “some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following: (Acts 20:30 NLT). These “false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29 NLT).

The main problem seems to have revolved around incorrect teaching regarding the law of Moses. There were those who were presenting their interpretations of the law and its application to the lives of believers, and their instructions were wreaking havoc on the health of the church. Their focus was not on increasing the love and faith of the people of God, but on being seen as experts on the topic at hand. Paul tells Timothy, “they want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently” (1 Timothy 1:7 NLT). These individuals were cocky and confident, assured that their view was the right one. And all of this discussion and debating was causing confusion and conflict within the church. Paul reminds Timothy that love should be the primary motivation for any teacher of the Word of God. Teaching that does not edify and instruction that does not increase faith is misapplied and misses the point. Debating doctrine is useless if it does not ultimately foster more love for God and others. If it does not produce increased devotion to and dependence on God, it is a waste of time.

Which is why the church at Ephesus needed Timothy, and the church today needs men and women who understand that increasing the love and faith of the people of God are the primary responsibility of those who teach the Word of God. Knowledge alone is not enough. It produces pride. Doctrine by itself is insufficient. It can become sterile and little more than head-knowledge. Theology, even that which is sound and biblically-based, is incomplete if it does not result in more love and greater faith.

Father, the church is still in need of those who will take seriously the teaching of Your Word. But we need to understand that our motivation needs to be the same that Paul had. We want to help those we teach have  hearts free from impurity, consciences free from disabling shame, and genuine faith in You. That way, their lives will reflect true love for You and others, and a growing faith in You. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Day 135 – Matthew 27:15-27; Mark 15:6-15

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Crucify Him!

Matthew 27:15-27; Mark 15:6-15

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”  – Matthew 27:22 NLT

Envy is a powerful force. It can cause normally rational and reasonable people to do things they would never dream of doing. It can drive the heart to enter previously unknown territory. And it’s fascinating that both Matthew and Mark make it quite clear that the motivation behind the blind rage of the Jewish religious leaders against Jesus was envy – pure and simple. Matthew records, “He [Pilate] knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy” (Matthew 27:18 NLT). Mark confirms it with very similar words. “For he [Pilate] realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy” (Mark 15:10 NLT). Even Pilate, the Roman governor, saw through the charade of a trial to which they were subjecting Jesus. He would later attempt to absolve himself of any responsibility for Jesus’ death, because he found no reason for which to execute Him. “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” (Matthew 27:24 NLT).

Envy sounds like such an innocent and harmless term. We think of envying our neighbor’s new car or our coworker’s promotion. We know it’s probably wrong to envy, but we justify that it isn’t really doing anybody any real harm. But envy is a heart disease. It is a symptom of a much greater malady taking place within us. These pious, religious-looking men in their flowing robes, who stood before Pilate that day, gave off the appearance of righteousness and super-spirituality, but they were filled with a cancer that, while unseen to the eye, revealed itself through a variety of hideous symptoms. It reminds me of Paul’s description of those who had rejected God, only to be turned over to their own sinful passions. “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents” (Romans 1:28-30 NLT). In this passage, Paul is actually describing those who have become so depraved that they have twisted God’s original intent for human sexual relationships “and the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other” (Romans 1:27 NLT). But notice that right in the middle of Paul’s long list of outward signs of these peoples’ inward sickness, he lists envy. These people were marked by a variety of serious issues, envy being just one of them. And the same was true of the men who stood before Pilate accusing Jesus of fabricated crimes just so they could eliminate Him as a rival. They were jealous of Jesus. They were envious of His popularity. But these men were more than just envious. They too were wicked, deceptive, malicious, backstabbers, proud, boastful, and ultimately, haters of God. The very fact that they were willing to kill the Son of God showed just how much they truly hated God. They were rejecting the very one whom God had sent to save them from the very sins that drove their actions.

Their envy of Jesus caused them to whip the crowd into a frenzy and turn them against Jesus. Remember, these were many of the very same people who had shouted, “Hosanna!” when Jesus rode into Jerusalem the previous Sunday. The leading priests and elders worked their way through the crowd, spreading their cancer of hate and causing the people demand the death of Jesus. When Pilate, shocked by their demand that he crucify Jesus, asked for an explanation, the “mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27:23 NLT). Their envy had spread, infecting the crowd and causing them to turn against Jesus, condemning an innocent man to death. Not only were they willing to demand Jesus’ death, they were willing to take full responsibility. “And the people yelled back, ‘We will take responsibility for his death – we and our children’” (Matthew 27:25 NLT). The envy of the religious leaders had blinded the people to the reality of what they were doing. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, Peter would preach to the crowds at Pentecost, saying, “With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him” (Acts 2:23 NLT). He went on to tell them, “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” (Acts 2:36 NLT). Luke tells us that the words of Peter “pierced their hearts” and they demanded to know what they should do. There was still hope for them. And more than 3,000 people came to know Christ that day. Their actions were forgivable. Their part in the crucifixion of Jesus was not unpardonable. But the religious leaders would continue to reject Jesus as the Messiah, because their envy was really a symptom of a much greater problem. Even with the evidence of His resurrection and the power revealed through the transformed disciples, these men continued to reject the plan of God. Their pride, arrogance, self-righteousness and self-centeredness would prevent them from seeing the one who could heal them of the disease of sin from which they suffered and for which they would eventually die. Envy was just a symptom of a much-greater need for which Jesus was the solution.

Father, there are so many symptoms that show up in our lives that appear so innocent and harmless, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. There is something far beneath the surface that is driving our behavior and motivating our actions. Give us spiritual eyes to see what is truly taking place within us. Use Your Word like an X-ray machine to look deep inside us and reveal the true nature of our problem. Don’t allow us to justify our actions and diminish our problem. Ultimately, all sin is against You, and Your Son is the only solution. Amen.

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org