Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah was given the responsibility of speaking to the rebellious nation of Judah. God pleads with them through Jeremiah. “Return, O backsliding children; for I am married to you, I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:14-15). God’s desire is to have His people…
When Paul lists the prerequisites for the eldership, he lays out several qualifications that are reflective of a man’s character and motivation. To be qualified to lead and feed the church of God, Paul states that an elder must not be “covetous” (1 Tim. 3:3) nor “greedy for money” (Tit. 1:7). While these two concepts are closely related, they are two separate qualifications that speak to a man’s attitude towards money and his actions in obtaining it. Someone who is…
NKJV ESV NASU 1 Timothy 3:3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetousTitus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God not self willed, not quick tempered, not given to wine not violent, not greedy for money, 1 Timothy 3:3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. Titus 1:7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He…
The Summer 2020 issue is available! One of King David’s greatest accomplishments may have been instilling a desire for wisdom in his son Solomon. Many years after David’s death, Solomon sought to do the same and wrote the book of Proverbs. Sadly, Solomon’s son did not choose the way of godly wisdom. But Solomon’s inspired words of wisdom live on in Scripture. Thousands of years later, we still must choose whether we will follow the path of wisdom or not. While…
Many westerners view nearly all ruling figures as corrupt authoritarians. Americans, whose history is saturated with Boston Tea Party-like events and revolutionary fervor, are often repulsed by the idea of voluntary submission to those in positions of power. Tragically, this worldview has dramatically impacted the lens through which Christians view the eldership. It is likely that one of the reasons many congregations have exerted so little energy and effort towards establishing an eldership is the result of American anti-establishmentarianism and…
As the faithful men entrusted with decision-making authority, the authority to delegate responsibilities, and the spiritual counseling of the congregation in which they serve (Heb.13:7,17; 1 Pet. 5:3-4; Acts 20:17,28; 1 Thess. 5:12-13, 14-15), elders must be qualified men who by their study and teaching of God’s Word and by their own exemplary behavior have demonstrated to their congregation their dependable leadership skills. Most of the qualifications imposed upon these men by Paul in his letters to Timothy (1 Tim….
In 1 Timothy chapter 3, Paul outlines the “qualifications” for those to be considered as elders (bishops). Two of those under consideration in this article are “good behavior” (v. 2) and “good testimony” (v. 7). Both criteria are heavily dependent upon how others perceive the man, and each are related to visible conduct, so it is appropriate to consider them together. Good Behavior “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, soberminded, of good behavior, hospitable,…
“…distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13) An overseer, then, must be … “hospitable” (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:7-8). Elders are to model what is expected of all Christians. They are to live an exemplary life that illustrates the mature, full-grown character of Christ. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but…
I have recently been studying a variety of topics with a lady. Not long ago I suddenly realized she had doubts about the reliability of the Scriptures! I was completely taken off guard. We immediately stopped the discussion of the subject at hand and focused on this new issue. How can we study any subject if we don’t have confidence in the source of information? I believe that every word of Scripture is inspired. That means every word is important…
I ended my previous Christian’s Expositor article on the qualification of “husband of one wife” with the following: An Elder is not the only one in his family who is subject to the qualification requirements and process. Not only must he qualify individually, his family is also included in the qualifications. All in the family are subject to the same process of evaluation and approval for the qualifications that apply to them. Any part of the family who fails to…