Qualifications Continued (1 Tim. 3:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4-23-02

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Qualifications continued

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 3:7

 

            Message of the verse:  The last qualification that is given for the Pastor by Paul is that a Pastor must have a good reputation outside of his Church.  A pastor must not do anything outside the church that could cause people to see him in a wrong light.  He must have a good repose with those outside of the church, and do things like paying his bills on time, dealing with the business world in a way that would not cause them to look down at him and his ministry.  Paul says that he should do these things “lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that these same things apply to all believers including me.  As I live my Christian life one thing that I have learned that it is God’s reputation that I am trying to uphold.  I am to bring honor and glory to God, and by living a life that is outstanding in my community I will be doing this.

 

The Word of God was convicting and refreshing to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to live a life so that those in my community will want to ask what is it that has given fulfillment to me and I will then be able to give an answer to the hop that lies within me.  

 

Memory verse for the week:  Romans 1:16

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Qualifications of a Deacon (1Tim. 3:8)

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Qualifications of a Deacon

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 3:8

 

            Message of the verse:  The Bible talks about the Deacons in Acts six for the first time.  The word means to serve and that is what the first deacons did.  They are to serve the Pastor in a local Church assembly.  They have qualifications that are similar to that of a Pastor, and Paul lists them in starting in verse eight.  1.  Deacons are to be reverent.  He should be respected, and a man worth imitating.  2.  Deacons should not be a double-tongued man.  He should not say one thing to one person and another, to another person.  3.  A deacon should not have a drinking problem.  4.  A deacon should not be greedy for money.  He should not let money rule him, but he should realize that his money belongs to the Lord and he is but a steward of it.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  These qualifications for a deacon are ones that I should strive to impart into my life.  I should know these qualifications both for my on edification and also to know them for the ones that are chosen to serve in our church.  If a person who is running for the office of deacon is no practicing these qualifications then I should not vote for him.

The Word of God brought clarity to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do indeed need to practice these qualifications in my own life each and every day.

 

Memory Verse for the Week:  Romans 1:19

            For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

 

Qualifications Continue (1 Tim. 3:3)

My Worship Time:                                                    Focus:  Qualifications continued

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 3:3

 

            Message of the verse:  Paul continues to give the qualifications for a Pastor in this verse.  The first on in this verse is, “not given to too much vine.”  Paul has said to Timothy in 5:23 he should take a little wine for his stomach, so it could not be said that Paul was against drinking wine.  It must be said that the wine during this time period was not as strong and was diluted with water and drunk because the water was not really good.  The next qualification was “not violent,” this means that a Pastor should not be a fighter or looking for a fight.  Next was “not greedy for money.”  Paul had said in another letter that the love of money was the root of all-evil.  A pastor cannot be motivated by money or he will not be able to fulfill his calling in a correct manner.  Next is “gentle.”  There are times when a Pastor will just have to listen to people and not say much in return.  A personal note to this about Pastor Burns is that one day I had told him that I had more books for the ministry that he had.  I knew latter that this was not true but he did argue with me because he is gentle.  Next is “not quarrelsome.”  Pastors must disagree without being disagreeable, and that is what this means.  The next is “not covetous.”  If I am not mistaken this is the tenth commandment, and in this case it has something to do with money.  The qualifications continue in the next verse.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  All of these qualifications are important for me to do each and every day of my life.  I would think that not being covetousness is one of the most important things that I could incorporate in my life each and every day.

 

The Word of God brought conviction to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I would like to step out on faith as far as Sandy’s parents listening to the tapes that I have purchased for him to listen too.

Can women serve as pastors and elders in the church?

Since we have been looking at verses in 1 Timothy that speak of the qualifications of a Pastor and in our world today we have seen an increase of women pastors I wanted to quote what John MacArthur has to say about this, which I believe is what the Bible has to say about this.

Can women serve as pastors and elders in the church?

Proverbs 31:10-31; Titus 2:4-5; 1 Timothy 2:15; Ephesians 5:22-33

Many today are thinking through and discussing the issue of women in leadership in the church; and many churches are even ordaining women for pastoral ministry. Some of the largest Christian denominations believe Scripture permits church leaders to be either male or female. Perhaps you attend or have visited one of those churches and are wondering what the Word of God teaches on this topic.
Knowing specifically what ministries God intends women to perform in the church can be a challenge. For instance, can a woman teach the Bible in a high school or college Bible club meeting? Should men read Bible-study books, commentaries, or theology books written by women? Is a woman permitted to lead and teach in the church youth group or lead the singing in the main service? Many people also wonder why women who are just as gifted and productive as men shouldn’t be allowed to use their abilities in the church. Some women are able to teach, preach, and lead better than many men. Why should we not let them bless the church in those ways? These are important and challenging questions, and Scripture gives us clear principles to follow as we answer them.
While the ministry of women is essential to the church’s proper working and health, only men are given the responsibility to serve as pastors and elders. Although Scripture is quite clear on this point, there are many individuals, churches, and denominations that choose to disobey the Lord’s will in this regard and allow women to function in pastoral and teaching roles. But God’s church will be blessed and will honor Him only as it follows the plan He has revealed in the Bible.
The clearest biblical teaching on this issue is found in 1 Timothy 2:12: “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” This command comes in a section of 1 Timothy which teaches about the functioning of a local church. Some people believe when the apostle Paul wrote that a woman should not “teach or exercise authority over a man,” he was conforming to a unique situation in the city of Ephesus or to the cultural value system of the time, but that is not the case. Notice in the next verse Paul refers back to God’s original design for man and woman: “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13). This proves God wants His created design of male leadership and female submission in the family to extend into the functioning of the church.
On certain issues, the concerns and goals of the modern feminist agenda are in agreement with God’s standards. For instance, they agree women should not be discriminated against in the workplace but should be afforded equal opportunities with men. They also rightfully condemn violence against women. At the same time, however, the modern feminist movement frequently contradicts Scripture regarding the roles of women. For instance, some of the key goals of feminism are to protect a woman’s right to abort her baby, to affirm lesbianism, and to promote the idea that there is no distinction between men and women’s leadership roles in the family and the church.
These contradictions with God’s Word are not incidental but evidence a fundamental error in feminist philosophy which can be traced back to the original fall of mankind into sin. The events recorded in Genesis 3 explain how the feminists’ opposition to God’s plan began. When God created Adam and Eve, He designed a productive and perfect balance between the nurturing leadership of a man and the supportive following of a woman in marriage. After God created Adam, He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). A few verses later we read how God created Eve: “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:21–24).
When Adam and Eve sinned, God’s perfect plan was perverted by the depravity in the hearts of men and women. Adam sinned by stepping out from under God’s authority when he ate the divinely forbidden fruit, and Eve chose to reject the authority of both Adam and the Lord. One of the consequences of their sin was the corruption of the complementary relationship between man and woman. Genesis 3:16 records what the Lord told Eve: “Yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” The desire Eve would have toward Adam is not a good kind of desire but a desire to conquer or overcome. You can see this in Genesis 4:7 where the same word describes what sin would do to Cain: “Sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it” [emphasis added].
From that time on, one of the expressions of sin in women would be the tendency to break out of God’s intended supporting and following role. At the same time, men’s sinful tendency would be to neglect their responsibility to love and lead their wives, dominating them instead. God’s perfect plan can be implemented and enjoyed in marriages and churches only when sinners receive new hearts of humility and obedience. It is only when men and women submit to God’s way that they will experience the greatest blessing.
The differing roles of men and women in marriage and the church should not lead us to believe there is any kind of inequality personally or spiritually between the genders. In the Word of God the principles of gender equality and women’s submission exist side by side. Genesis 1:26–27 reads, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Men and women are created equally with a likeness to God. They share dominion over all creation and are both commanded to rule over it.
The second chapter of Genesis contains a more detailed recounting of the creation of Adam and Eve in which we see the divinely ordained functional ordering of leadership and submission between man and woman. Adam was created first (2:7), and Eve was created later in order to be a complement and helper to him (2:20–23). It is this creation order Paul mentions to support God’s intention for male leadership in the church (1 Timothy 2:13). This is the reason why the roles of pastors and elders are limited to men in the church.

Above Reproach (1 Tim. 3:2)

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Above Reproach

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 3:2

 

            What the verse says to me:  In this verse Paul gives seven words to describe the qualifications of a Pastor, Bishop, Elder, or Overseer, as they all are the same person.  1.  He is to be blameless.  The word means “nothing to take hold upon.”  Satan or the outside world must not have anything to hold against a Pastor.  2.  The husband of one wife.  There are different views as to what Paul was speaking of when he wrote this.  He must be a one woman man is how it says this in the original language and this leaves it open to different interpretations.  Is he disqualified if he has been divorced is the main question and this is where the disagreement comes in.  3.  Vigilant is the next word and it means “temperate” or “sober.”  “Temperate in all things or keep your head in all situations” is another way to describe the word.  4.  Sober is the next word and this means that he must be serious as he goes about his work.  5.  Of good behavior is number five.  Orderly would help to describe this quality.  6.  Given to hospitality is next and it means that the Pastor must be hospitals to guests.  In the first century Church there were no hotels and when people traveled they would stay as guests in homes and this is where this came from.  7.  Apt to teach is the last one in this verse, however the list goes on in the next verse.  The Pastor must be able to teach the Word of God so others can understand what he is teaching.

            What this verse says to me:  I believe that this list of qualifications would be good for anyone who is a Christian and this certainly applies to me.  I believe that God calls Pastors into the ministry and that he has not called me to this office, however these are honorable traits for me to have.

 

The Word of God brought conviction to me today and it brought teaching too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I have in the past been somewhat bitter because I have not fit into all of these qualifications, especially the one of a one-woman man because I was married before.  I do believe that Lord can use me to do other things and I would pray that I would not be bitter over this.

           

A Faithful Saying (1 Tim. 3:1)

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  A faithful saying

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Thimthy 3:1

 

            Message of the verse:  In this section of the book Paul will give the qualifications of Pastors, Overseer, Elder & Bishop.  It just so happens that he is writing about the same person.  In the church that we attend this person is called the “Pastor.”  He is the leader and the one who gives the messages or the one who teaches those in the congregation.  Paul says the faithful saying is, “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.”  The word desire comes from two words in the Greek language.  The first word means “to reach out after,” and the second word means “a strong passion.”  One speaks of what is going on in the inside and the other what is going on in the inside.  A person who would like to be a Pastor must have it going on good both on the inside of him as well as the outside of him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life:  As I look at some of the TV Pastors who have fallen, and even some of the ones who are not on TV, however are a popular Pastor, I can see why a Pastor must have it going on in both the inside and the outside of his life.  A person can fool others if he only has it going on in one of these areas.  It is important to be able to “talk the talk, and walk the walk.”  This is important for all believers, but most important for the Pastors, who are leaders and represent God to many people.

 

The Word of God was both refreshing to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I do not ever want to act or live in a hypocritical way.

 

 

Order of Creation (1 Tim. 2:13-15)

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Order of creation

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Timothy 2:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  Paul continues his teaching on the role of men and women in the Church by going back to creation and the order of creation.  Adam was formed first and then Eve was formed.  This verse, 13, shows that submission to the man by woman was originated before the fall and was not the cause of the fall.  In verse fourteen Paul says that Adam was not deceived, however Eve was deceived.  This is important because this shows that it was Adams responsibility to protect his wife and not allow her to be deceived by Satan.  He did not do this and thus is responsible for the fall and not Eve.  Eve was the first to sin but Adam was not doing the job that God had given to him.  In verse fifteen Paul is speaking in general terms of men and women, not of Adam and Eve in particular.  When he says that women will be saved in childbirth he is not speaking of salvation but he is speaking of a woman raising a godly child.  The woman has a closer relationship with her children because she is the one who has given birth to them and is the one who spends more time with them.  Therefore she has more opportunity to influence them for the Lord.  This does not say that the man has no responsibility just that the woman has a special relationship with her children.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Paul speaks of the mans responsibility to the woman is to love her and protect her.  If he does that then the woman will have little trouble in submitting to him.  It is also important to remember that it was God’s plan all along that the man be the spiritual leader in the home and that the woman should submit to his authority.

The Word of God brought conviction to me today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I look at the Trinity and can see that Jesus Christ submitted to the will of His Father in doing His job on planet earth.  They are equal to each other, however Jesus did submit to the will of His Father.  I need to do the same thing in my life and submit to the will of God the Father.  It is His will that I love my wife with Christ like love.