1 Timothy 3

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

HOW SHOULD A CHURCH BE STRUCTURED?

First and foremost, Jesus is the head
Jesus is the head of not just the entire body of the Church but also of all local churches as well.

Leadership in the Church can be summed up in two major types

1. Leaders in charge of the spiritual care of the church: elders, overseer/bishops, pastors

2. Leaders in charge of the practical and administrative care of the church: deacons


Acts 6:1-7 gives us an idea of the organization of the Church when it first started

The early Church was growing exponentially. It was an exciting time, but along with growth also came problems: Hellenistic Jews were being mistreated.

The 12 disciples delegated the solution to godly men. The 12 apostles are the spiritual leaders. They were capable of handling the situation, but they didn't. They delegated. Why? Because their job was in spreading the Word and focusing on the spiritual care of the congregation (Acts 6:2). For administration care, they thus raised 7 men to look after that. The  7 men chosen became the first deacons of the Church.

This was a great solution. It not only resolved the problem that Hellenistic Jews faced but also allowed God's Word to continue to spread, leading multitudes of people to salvation.

QUALIFICATIONS OF BISHOPS/OVERSEERS (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

Bishops/overseers are synonymous with spiritual leaders of the Church, such as pastors.

Having the desire to be a spiritual leader is a good thing (1 Timothy 3:1). In fact, if you are called to do it, God will place that desire in you. If you are not called, you will not have this desire. This desire is not prideful or being contentious. This desire is out of love for the body of Christ and the will to lead it for God's work.

"Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them" (Jeremiah 45:5)

There are good desires and bad desires. Good desires seek glory for God; bad desires seek glory for oneself. If God stirs our heart and gives us the desire to strive for certain goals, then by all means pursue it.

A bishop should have godly character (1 Timothy 3:2-7)
This character must be demonstrated in a life of integrity. The fruit of the Holy Spirit must be evident in his life. Godly characteristics include the following:

1) Above Reproach
Blameless. No one should be able to point a finger at a pastor and charge him with an accusation. Pastors should stand head and shoulders above the world. They are NOT perfect. No one is. However, they are to conduct themselves in a blameless manner.

2) The Husband of but One Wife

The pastor should be the husband of ONE wife, a one woman man. This does not mean a pastor has to be married (Paul wasn't!). This also does not mean that a man can be married to only one woman for his entire life time; no divorce, no remarry if the wife dies, etc. 

Pastor Gray elaborated on this issue a bit further: If there is a married man who is called to be a spiritual leader in a Church, the Church needs to look into that. Is his marriage must in good standing? Is the marriage relationship healthy and vibrant -- as defined by God? If a divorced man is called to be a spiritual leader, the Church needs to look into that. Why did he get a divorce? Was it a biblical divorce? If it wasn't a biblical divorce, has he repented and returned to his walk with God? God forgives divorces, so why shouldn't we? If, however, he's been through one failed marriage after another, he's breaking one of God's sacred covenant over and over again. Clearly, he needs to deal with that underlying issue before he can lead other people in the walk with God. If an unmarried man is led to be a spiritual leader, the Church needs to look into that. Is he walking with God?

A man can be a husband of one wife and not walk with God. Does that make this man eligible for spiritual leadership in the Church?

Clearly, the point that "man of one wife" is emphasizing is obeying God's covenant for a man and his wife, and ultimately, it is about our walk with God. If the pastor is married, is he walking with God? If the pastor is a widow, is he walking with God? If the pastor is divorced, is he walking with God? If the pastor is single, is he walking with God?


3) Temperate
Well-balanced. Just as we need to exercise to stay physically fit, we also need to exercise our mind to make sure we are mentally/spiritually fit -- How? Study the Bible.

4) Self-Controlled

5) Respectable

6) Hospitable

7) Able to Teach
A pastor must have the aptitude to teach the Word of God. In order to do that, he needs to study the Word and understand it through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He must be able and willing to communicate it effectively so that people can grasp it and apply it to their lives. He should be able to refute false teachers who mishandle the Scripture. Perhaps most importantly, he should have the supernatural gift of teaching. He should be anointed by the Holy Spirit to teach. Teaching should be his spiritual gift!

An important key point not to be missed: The pastor is to teach the WORD OF GOD. Not stories. Not personal experiences. Not Christian books. STICK TO THE SCRIPTURE.

8) Not Given to Drunkenness
Being blunt, practicing Alcoholics drug addicts should not lead the Church. However, if God has delivered them, and they have returned to their walk with God, and they are called to lead, there is no reason why "ex-alcoholics" cannot lead. Again, the key here is, is this person walking with God. When a person is addicted to alcohol, sex, drugs, whatever, that person has elevated that addiction above God. His addiction is his god! And thus, until he can repent and be delivered from his addiction, he will not be able to walk with God. And if he is not walking with God, how can he lead the Church?

9) Not Violent but Gentle
Not violent -- Hands laid on people are meant to heal, to hurt!

Gentle -- Patient, approachable, forbearing; willing to make room for others.

10) Not Quarrelsome

11) Not a Lover of Money
No spiritual leader should have financial gains as priority. Again, it's the concept of walking with God. A man cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). If money is his god, then he is not walking with God.

12) Manage His Own Family Well
A pastor's home should be in submission to God. His children are not perfect -- Whose children are? However, there should be order and submission. There should be evidence of how he and his family are living the Word of God. If a pastor cannot manage his own home, how can he manage the Church?

13) Not Be a Recent Convert

A pastor is not to be a novice -- a neophyte, a new believer. New believers cannot be ordained as a leader in the Church. They cannot be elders. Why not? It's a disservice not just to the Church but to the new believers themselves.

Just as a newborn cannot run without first learning how to crawl and walk, newborns in Christ need time to grow, to live, and to mature as a Christian. As any new Christian will tell us (and as any mature Christian will remember), it is not easy shedding sins of the flesh and walk in the light. There are moments where we will be weak, vulnerable to Satan's attack. We must first learn to work through these challenged by building our relationship with God and learn to walk strongly in our faith of God before we can stand strong as leaders of the Church. If we tried to lead without having built a solid foundation for ourselves to stand on, what do we do when we fail? It won't just be us failing--We'd take down the whole Church with us! We need to be established as Christians who are walking solidly with God before we can lead God's people. And this goes back to being led by the Holy Spirit -- If we are not spiritually ready to lead, we will not be led to be leaders by the Holy Spirit.


14) Have a Good Reputation with Outsiders
A pastor must have good testimony among not just the Church but the non-believing world as well. The point here is consistency, and it also resonates with the earlier point of "above reproach." A man whose heart is walking with God walks with God 24/7. He is not one man in Church and another at work. He is consistently following the Lord. The leader of the Church needs to lead by example. If his non-Christian co-workers cannot corroborate with how he is known inside the Church, how can the Church trust him as its leader? Furthermore, if he cannot stand for the Word of God and lead non-believers to Christ, and instead, be led into the world, what hope is he as a leader for the Church?

QUALIFICATIONS OF DEACONS (1 Timothy 3:8-12)

Deacons are responsible for administrative leadership. The literal translation of the word, "deacon," means "servant leader." (All leaders should be servant leaders, including spiritual leaders and elders. Jesus came as a servant leader!)

The qualifications of deacons are similar to bishops/overseers (1 Timothy 3:8-12)
Although deacons are not required to teach, they still need to have a deep and profound understanding of the Word of God.

They must first be tested (1 Timothy 3:10)
Deacons need to be proven in their walk of life. This is similar to the earlier point that leaders of the Church cannot be recent converts.

Their wives are to be women worthy of respect (1 Timothy 3:11)
In the KJV, "their" is written in italics, signifying that the word is not found in the original Greek text. Thus, some scholars say that this statement is referring to women in general. However, there are also scholars who believe this passage is talking specifically about the wives of deacons.

My take on this is simple: One of the characteristics of leaders of the Church is that their homes are in order, that they are all walking with God. All godly woman -- be them newborns or mature -- strive to be worthy of respect. It isn't because they are wives of pastors or deacons that they strive to be respectable. It is because they strive to be like Christ.

I thus think that men AND women are to be worthy of respect. None of us should talk maliciously about others, spreading rumors and promoting gossip. We should all be trustworthy and temperate, because our walk is our testimony! The best way to convince a person that we are Christians is by living the Christian life. Actions speak louder than words.

"Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:14-30)
When we stand in front of Christ, will we hear Jesus tell us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant"? How do we know we are doing the will of God? Serve well (1 Timothy 3:13). Serve in the name of Jesus.


THE CHURCH (1 Timothy 3:14-16)
The global Church includes ALL Christians. The local church is the assembly of Christians. Both the global and the local are under the ultimate leadership of Jesus!

The Church is not a building. It is the PEOPLE that come to gather in the presence or God -- the called out ones.

Jesus called us out of the world to enter into His Kingdom
John 15
Jesus told His disciples that they didn't choose Him but that He chose them. He called them out of the world into God's Kingdom, God's community.

To belong to the Church, accept salvation offered by Jesus.

Pictures of the Church

"House of God" (1 Timothy 3:15)
The Church is likened to a building though it's not. The Church has also been called the Temple or the spiritual house.

"Living stones of God" (1 Peter 2)
The elders and deacons are the foundation, but Jesus is the capstone. 

"Household" (Ephesians 2)

"Body" (1 Corinthians 12)
The Church is not an organization. It is an organism. Jesus is the head and we are the members of His body. 

The pillar and foundation of the truth is God and God alone (1 Timothy 3:15)
Some scholars say this phrase means that the Church comes up with truth, invents truth, is the source of truth. The Church is the authority on what is the truth.

This theory led human history into some of the darkest times.

First, all humans are flawed. ALL. The Church is made up with humans. How then, could the Church possibly be the SOURCE of truth, especially when the HEAD of the Church is Jesus?

Second, let us elaborate on why this theory is a problem. Some church denominations rely extensively on church dogma, church traditions, traditions of the fathers and elders. The idea is that the clergy interprets the Bible. The average Joe's and Jane's are discouraged from reading the Bible. Under certain situations, the teachings of those traditions take higher priority than the teaching of the Word of God. And over time, church dogma gains more authority on the truth than the Bible! Honestly, this theory might be okay if we can trust the clergy. But, can we?! We are taught to be aware of false teachers. We are taught to be careful about who we place our faith in. Our faith belongs to God and God alone. Why? Because God is consistent. God is perfect. God never fails. Put our faith in the clergy? Uhm, no thanks. I'll stick with God.

This scenario of the clergy failing is nothing new. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and the Scribes were all religious leaders of Jesus's day and had elevated their own traditions above the Word of God. Their biggest dispute with Jesus was upholding traditions against the written Word of God. These religious leaders took the Word of God and added to it. The teachings of the elders and the oral traditions began to eclipse the Word of God.

For example, these religious leaders took, "thou shall not work on the Sabbath" to an extreme. They started to define what God meant by "work." They made hundreds of laws defining what work is. Spitting is work because the spit digs a furrow in the ground. There are Sabbath elevators in Jerusalem TODAY that just automatically go from floor to floor because pushing a button is work!

What is missing here? Heart. Why are they doing all these things? Not out of love for God but out of pride that they could fulfill the law down to the T. Not only is such a heart condition sinful, but it is all salvation by works! IT DOES NOT WORK!

Read the entire chapter of Matthew 23. See what Jesus had to say about about religious leaders and their desire to fulfill the law.

"Woe to you, teachers of the the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:25-28).

The religious leaders condemned anyone who did not obey THEIR laws. And yet, Jesus admonished the Pharisees, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3)

The Pharisees were guilty of breaking the written word of God because they kept man-made traditions. Today, there are plenty of denominations that fall into the same problems, holding church dogma above the written Word of God.

It is clear where Jesus stands on this issue. The Word of God is the Truth. HE IS THE WORD OF GOD (John 14)! How did Jesus resist Satan's temptations? Not with church dogma. Not with church traditions. Jesus defeated Satan's attempt to corrupt Jesus by quoting the Scripture.

The Church is NOT the source of the the Truth. God is. Jesus is. The Holy Spirit is.

Our job as the Church is to proclaim God's Truth, to defend the Truth. Anyone who says anything different, be aware of false teachers.

Not all traditions are bad (1 Timothy 3:16)
Paul ends this chapter with a traditional hymn. We see firsthand that there are good traditions and bad. When traditions take over the authority of God, that is hypocrisy. However, when traditions reflect the truth and bring more people to God, then they are holy.

Look at truth and the theologies that are packed into the traditional hymn shared by Paul! Each phrase is a prophecy fulfilled. Each phrase is a study of its own!

"He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16).

Every Christian generation puts their theology in music. If you want to know the health of their theology, listen to their music, their worship songs.

At the end of the day, it is about our walk with Jesus. Does our heart belong to Him? Are we allowing Him to work through us and through our lives? Like Jesus said to the Pharisees, "First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."