"He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)"
I really enjoyed this walk it gave me quite a bit of time to reflect on family and what it means to be a father. It was quite encouraging and challenging.
To me this sometimes seems to be one of the most obvious qualification for leadership in the church. The idea of family, big or small. Your family, God's family. The prinicples of leadership in both are very similar. The things that should drive a father in the home should also drive a leader in the church.
A man must care enough to invest his life in his family. If a man is not investing in his natural children, there is no reason to believe he will care enough to invest in his spiritual children.
A father must have a heart of dedication. He should be willing to sacrifice, to even die for his children. This much is expected in a leader of the church. The issue of obedience of children is a moot point I believe when kids know how dedicated their parents are to their welfare above all else.
A father should desire above all else that his children know and desire to follow Christ. If he fails to have this desire for his kids, it will not magically appear for others.
A father must teach his children in Biblical truth, therefore setting a precedent for his leadership of others in the church.
Church leadership should never cause a man to lose his family. If it does, the whole point has been lost.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
1 Timothy 3:2-3
" Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. "
I linked these verses because I think they all had one thing. A leader in the church must be a "winner". Now before we go to far into worldly connotations associated with the idea of a winner, what I mean is a spiritual winner. One who fights the battles against the true enemies of believers "the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil". A man who is tested in battle, has on many occasions sent Satan and his minions away defeated. A man who, under God, "fights the good fight". A man who knows how to put on the Ephesians 6 armor of God and "Stand Firm".
All of the qualifications in these two verses (with the possible exception of teaching) have to do with controlling the desires of the flesh that generally wreak havoc on men. They go from lust, to violence, to anger, to greed, to selfishness, and even alcohol addiction. When put together, this becomes a pretty comprehensive list of the passions of the flesh that wage against men soles. Notice, that while the passions above are true of both sexes, some of the things that are unique to women are not listed here. This is a comprehensive list of men's struggles.
Men worthy of leading God's church have fought these battles and they are winners! They have "overcome this world". They are God's men. I think this is where teaching fits into this verse. Because these men have overcome the desires of their flesh, they are men capable of teaching with a clear conscience from a position of victory. God's leaders are winners.
I linked these verses because I think they all had one thing. A leader in the church must be a "winner". Now before we go to far into worldly connotations associated with the idea of a winner, what I mean is a spiritual winner. One who fights the battles against the true enemies of believers "the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil". A man who is tested in battle, has on many occasions sent Satan and his minions away defeated. A man who, under God, "fights the good fight". A man who knows how to put on the Ephesians 6 armor of God and "Stand Firm".
All of the qualifications in these two verses (with the possible exception of teaching) have to do with controlling the desires of the flesh that generally wreak havoc on men. They go from lust, to violence, to anger, to greed, to selfishness, and even alcohol addiction. When put together, this becomes a pretty comprehensive list of the passions of the flesh that wage against men soles. Notice, that while the passions above are true of both sexes, some of the things that are unique to women are not listed here. This is a comprehensive list of men's struggles.
Men worthy of leading God's church have fought these battles and they are winners! They have "overcome this world". They are God's men. I think this is where teaching fits into this verse. Because these men have overcome the desires of their flesh, they are men capable of teaching with a clear conscience from a position of victory. God's leaders are winners.
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