1 Timothy 3:1-16

How to be a Leader in the Church

1 Timothy

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 3

What an *elder must be like (3:1-7)

v1 Anyone who aims to be a leader in the church desires a good task. That is true. v2 But a church leader must be without fault. He must not have more than one wife. He must not drink too much but he should be sensible and well organised. He should be ready to give a welcome to strangers and he must be able to teach. v3 A leader must not drink to excess and should not quarrel or fight. Instead, he must be kind and gentle and he must not love money. v4 He must lead his own family well. And his children must obey him and respect him. v5 If a man does not know how to lead his own family, he is not able to take care of the church of God. v6 A new Christian should not be a leader. If he is, he might be proud. And then he could fall into the punishment of the devil. v7 A leader must have earned the respect of those who are not Christians. Then the devil will not be able to trap him and cause him shame.

Verse 1 The task of the leaders is to look after the affairs of the church. It is their job to take care of all the members, to teach them and to lead them. It is not an easy task but it is a noble one. The desire must be for the good of the church and not for selfish reasons.

Verse 2 In verses 2 to 7, Paul lists the qualities that a man must have to be a church leader. Paul taught here that the work of a leader in the church was for men rather than women. When Paul was writing, the leaders were always men.

The local churches each had a group of men who were the leaders. These were the *elders or *bishops. The word *elder did not mean that they were old. It was a title for a leader. The word *bishop here is not the same function as *bishops have now in some churches. It just meant one of the leaders.

A leader must be a good man. No one should be able to accuse him of doing wrong things. His life must be a good model for the church members to follow.

If he is a married man, he must have only one wife. He must be a loyal husband to his wife.

He needs to be able to think clearly so that he can make wise decisions. He must always be in control of himself. Those who drink too much tend to lose that control. He should earn the respect of both Christians and those who are not Christians.

When strangers come to the church or to his home, he should greet them. He will make sure that they are looked after and helped. If they need it, he will invite them to stay with him or with one of the Christians.

The leaders should be ready and able to teach. What they and other teachers teach to the Christians must be true. The leaders must make sure that it is. They must be able to argue for the truth against all that is false.

Verse 3 A leader must not be a man who drinks a lot. He must never suffer the effects of too much strong drink. Some of these effects can be to argue and to fight. An *elder must never get to that state. He must not quarrel or fight.

He must try to understand people and be kind to them. He should not be too severe with them. His task is to encourage the Christians to be at *peace and to love each other.

He should not be a leader for what he can get from it. His desire should be to serve and give himself for the church members. His aim must not be to gain money or goods for himself. The love of money is the cause of much evil.

Verses 4-5 To be a leader of the church a man must lead his own family well. This means that his children must have a good attitude. Their parents will have taught them how to behave. So, they respect and obey those who look after them.

It is easier for a man to control his own family than to lead the church. So, if he does not control his family, he will not be able to take care of the church. It is the church of God. And those who lead it should be qualified to do so.

Verse 6 A person who has just become a Christian should not be a leader in the church. He should first prove that he has the right qualities for the task. It would take some time and experience to show that he is ready for this work.

There is a danger that a new Christian in this job would be proud. Those who are proud will fall as the devil did. The devil was once good but because of his pride, he became evil. God opposes the devil and all who are proud. One day God will destroy the devil (Revelation 20:10). The proud will share the same punishment as the devil.

Verse 7 A leader must have a very good character. Then those who do not come to the church will respect him. He will not have success if the people do not trust him. Where the people do not respect the church leaders, it will spoil the work of the church. It may stop people from believing the *gospel of the *Lord Jesus Christ. It could be a cause and a reason for them to oppose the church.

The devil is always trying to stop the spread of the *gospel. He will use anything that he can to do this. If there is anything in a leader of the church that he can attack, he will. As a hunter makes a trap to catch an animal, so he tries to catch the church leaders. He tempts them to do what he wants. If they do this, it will have a bad effect on the church.

What a *deacon must be like (3:8-13)

v8 *Deacons also must live good lives and be sincere. They must not drink too much wine or be greedy for money. v9 They must hold to the truth that God has made known of the *faith with a clean conscience. v10 They must first prove themselves. Then if there is nothing against them, they can serve as *deacons. v11 The women must also live good lives. They should not find fault with people. They should be sensible and honest in all that they do. v12 A *deacon must have only one wife. He must manage his children and all who live in his house well. v13 People will respect those who have served well. They can be bold as they speak about their *faith in Christ Jesus.

Verse 8 The word *deacon means a servant. But it became a job in the church. While the *elders led, the *deacons did much of the practical work in the church. There would be a group of *deacons in each local church. In the time of Paul, these would usually be men. Like the *elders, they had to have the right qualities for this work. These were similar to but a little less than those of the *elders.

*Deacons must live good lives so that people can respect them. They must always speak the truth. They will not vary what they say. And people will be able to depend on their word. They must be careful how they live. And they must not drink too much strong drink. They must be honest in all that they do. The desire for gain for themselves must not be their aim or the reason for what they do. Their purpose in this work must be to serve God and the church members.

Verse 9 From the beginning of time, God planned to send Jesus. When Jesus Christ came, he died to take away the *sins of us all. God spoke about the coming of Jesus all through the *Old Testament. But none of the people seemed to understand what he said. They expected the Christ (*Messiah) to come as a strong king like the kings of the nations. But he was humble like a servant and died on a cross. Now God showed to the people what they could not know. God has shown the truth about the *Lord Jesus Christ to those who believe. This is the centre of the Christian *faith. God will save from their *sins all those who believe and trust in the *Lord Jesus. The *deacons must be firm in their belief in this *gospel.

As they maintain this truth, they must have clean consciences. They must not allow any *sin to spoil their life with God. If they do *sin, they must *repent. And they must ask God to forgive them. What they believe must show in how they live.

Verse 10 Those who want to be *deacons must pass these tests. They must show that they possess these qualities. There must be no reason why they may not be *deacons. The other people need to be sure about that. Then the church members or the leaders can appoint them to do this work.

Verse 11 In the church at that time, *deacons were usually men. There were women in the church who did the work of a *deacon. For example, there was Phoebe who was a *deacon in the church at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1). So the women here are those who take part in the work of the *deacons. Some of them may have been the wives of *deacons. Some of them could have been women that the church members had appointed to do this work.

Just as the *deacons had to live good lives, so must these women. They must not gossip or find fault with other people. They will know about things that should be kept private. They must not talk about these things. People must be able to trust them. They must not drink too much strong drink. They must be steady and honest in all their work.

Verse 12 If a *deacon is married, he must be the husband of one wife. This is the same as for the *elders. He must be in control of his own family. It is not that he manages the church. But it shows the character that any who work in the church must have. Poor control at home would show a weakness that is not good in a *deacon.

Verse 13 Those who serve well in their duties in the church gain honour for themselves. Such good service pleases the *Lord. The members of the church will also respect the *deacons who do their job well. These good *deacons can grow in confidence and in their trust in the *Lord Jesus Christ. They can be bolder as they speak about what they believe to other people.

The church of the God who lives (3:14-16)

v14 As I write this letter to you, I hope to come and see you soon. v15 But if there is a delay, you know how to behave in the house of God. This house is the church of the living God. And it supports and defends the truth. v16 We must agree. And we must say that what God has shown us of our religion is very great.

He came and showed himself to us as a human being.

The Spirit declared that he was without fault.

*Angels saw him.

People *preached his good news to the nations.

People all over the world believed in him.

God took him up from the earth to share his *glory.

Verses 14-15 Paul was hoping to visit Timothy soon. But he wrote this letter just in case there was a delay in his plans. He wanted the church members to know how they should live. So, he gave these rules for the leaders and for the members. He wanted them to behave well when they came together as the church.

The church is not the building in which they meet. It is all the *believers when they meet to *worship and serve God. They are the house of God. God is with them. They are the church of the living God. The strength and the foundation of that church are in God.

God has trusted Christians with his truth. Each local church of Christians has a duty to protect that truth from all that is false. There were some people in *Ephesus who opposed the truth. And those people taught wrong things. Timothy had to tell them to stop doing so. The church members must not accept what these people taught. They must hold on to and spread the truth that is from God.

Verse 16 The secret of true religion that God has shown to us is great. All must agree with this because there can be no doubt about it. The secret that he has shown to us is about the *Lord Jesus Christ. And it is about what he has done. It was a secret because people did not know God’s plan. He had promised that the Christ would come to save us from our *sins. All through the *Old Testament, God speaks about the future when Christ would come. When he came, the Christ had to suffer and die for us. But nobody understood that. Now we know that the *Lord Jesus has come. He has done all that God had said that he would do.

The rest of the verse seems to be from a statement of belief in the church. It may have been part of a Christian song. There are six lines, each of which is about Christ or his work on the earth.

1. God, in the person of Christ, came to us as a man. Christ was always God. But he came to us as a human being so that we may know him.

2. The *Lord Jesus claimed to be the Christ (*Messiah) that God had promised to send. He said that he was the Son of God. He said that he was one with and equal to the Father. He was God. The Spirit agrees that these claims are true. He declares that Jesus is the Son of God and that he is perfect. Jesus did not *sin at all. But he took our *sins when he died on the cross.

The Spirit declared Christ to be the Son of God with power (Romans 1:4). He proved it in that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.

3. *Angels were involved at times while Jesus lived on the earth. One of them came to those who looked after the sheep to tell them about his birth (Luke 2:9). They came to Jesus after the devil had tempted him (Matthew 4:11). An *angel helped him as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). An *angel rolled back the stone from the entrance to the grave when Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 28:2-7). The *angel sat on that stone. Some women had come. And the *angel told the women that Jesus was alive again. Two *angels who were inside the grave spoke to Mary (John 20:11-13). Later, Jesus left the earth and went up to heaven. Two *angels were there. And they told the friends of Jesus that he would come again (Acts 1:10-11).

Therefore, the *angels see him. They are God’s servants. He sends them to help those who believe in Jesus (Hebrews 1:14). They see what the *Lord Jesus has done. They look to him as the ruler in heaven. They praise and *worship him (Hebrews 1:6).

4. As he was leaving the earth, the *Lord Jesus told his friends to tell the people in all the nations of the world about him. From that day, Christians have gone to the nations with the good news of Christ.

5. Where the Christians have told people the good news of Christ, some have believed it. They have put their trust in him and become Christians too.

6. The *Lord Jesus went up from this earth. He entered into the bright light of heaven where God lives. There he enjoys honour and praise. God has given to him all power to rule in heaven and over the earth.

elders ~ older men, respected men, or leaders in the church.
bishops ~ the leaders in the church, [see elders].
elders ~ older men, respected men, or leaders in the church.
peace ~ when there is no fighting with God; when we have no trouble in our minds; when a person is not afraid or angry.
gospel ~ the good news that God saves people from sin by Jesus Christ.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son. The faith is the Christian religion. It is what Christians believe.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
Messiah ~ a special servant of God; a name for Jesus Christ; it means the person whom God sent; he sent him to save people from the anger of God because of our bad ways; the only one who can put people right with God; the one who will come again to rule over God’s kingdom.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules. The kingdom of God is the people over whom God rules.
repent ~ to change one’s mind and heart; to turn away from sin and turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
angel ~ a spirit person that God made; he made them to serve him and take his messages. There are angels who sinned. They now serve the devil.
spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually called angels. Bad spirits (also called evil spirits, or demons) live in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
preach ~ to speak out the message from God and to teach his word.
glory ~ great honour and beauty.
believers ~ those who know and accept Christ.
worship ~ the act of showing honour to God with praise, thanks and respect.
Ephesus ~ the name of a city.
angel ~ a spirit person that God made; he made them to serve him and take his messages. There are angels who sinned. They now serve the devil.
spirit ~ spirits are alive, but we cannot see them. There are good spirits usually called angels. Bad spirits (also called evil spirits, or demons) live in the air round us. Satan is their leader.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.