Qualifications Pt. 1 (Yes, Again)

1 Timothy 3:8

Sometimes we make the mistake of differentiating between the offices of pastor and deacon by talking about those who lead the church (pastors) and those who serve the church (deacons). I say we do this mistakenly because both are to be servants and both are to be leaders. In truth, they should readily surrender to the reality that those called by God to be in these positions are to be servant leaders. Pastors serve the flock by utilizing their God-given gifts every day. Deacons become leaders by virtue of their servanthood. If Jesus came to serve and not be served, how much more, then, should the men called to minister to the flock be servants? I tell my deacons all the time that when they serve the people of the church, the people will put them into leadership positions. That means that both pastors and deacons should be and will be held to a higher level of accountability.

In many ways the qualifications for deacons are similar to that of pastors. Paul told pastors at the beginning that they are to be blameless, and then describes what that means in the verses that follow. He included the qualification for deacons, too. Both groups of men must live lives of personal integrity so that no one can charge them with any misconduct. They must have the respect of those inside and outside the church.

Notice how Paul started this list: “Likewise the deacons must be reverent….” In other words, just like pastors, deacons must have this character trait, too. Being reverent. We tend to think of this word as meaning miserable. It’s kind of like the man who was walking down the street when he was stopped by a passerby who asked him, “Are you a pastor?” To which the man replied, “No, but I have been sick lately.” I can’t get my mind around how people think that godliness means walking around with your hands folded in front of you with a serious look on your face. The most godly man of all times was accused of being a party-animal (glutton and winebibber), and children loved Him. You don’t get that reaction if someone is serious all of the time. Neither are pastors and deacons required to be serious all of the time. The word does mean that they are serious-minded men who know how to behave when serious issues confront the church. The word does mean that they must be men whose character merits respect. The word does mean that they are to be men of dignity and purpose. But it doesn’t mean serious all the time. It doesn’t mean boring. Like the song says, “Pastors just want to have fun!” Well, maybe the song doesn’t refer to pastors, and maybe pastors don’t JUST want to have fun. But I think you get my meaning!

Deacons

1 Timothy 3:8

My heart, as a pastor, has always been to lead the church to be a New Testament church – to follow the guidelines laid out for us in the Word. I truly believe that is the only way for us to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. I also believe that God only blesses those churches that are faithful to be obedient to His Word. When we read about the early church in the Book of Acts, we are constantly reminded of that truth. While they were focused on worship, Bible Study, evangelism, and ministry, thousands of new converts were added – sometimes daily. We talk about wanting to see those days again, but we never seem to return to God’s plan. This may seem to be a strange way to introduce this new section of Paul’s letter, but I believe that one of the main areas where we have failed to follow God’s directions is in the office of the deacon. Please don’t misunderstand. I love deacons. I love the office, and I love the men who faithfully serve in the way God has called them to serve. I honestly believe that the ministry of the seven men chosen in Acts 6, those I believe to be the original deacons, was the catalyst that sparked the amazing growth of the church. Not only did these men oversee the ministry to the widows within the church, they spread the good news of Jesus everywhere they went.

In this passage, Paul was laying out for Timothy some very important information – information that would not only allow the church to survive but also would cause it to thrive. In this chapter, Paul gave Timothy instructions about the two biblical offices in the church: pastors and deacons. Even the names make clear the roles that each is to serve. The word for pastor is translated as bishop and overseer. His role was to lead the church in every area. The word for deacon is translated as servant. In fact, in its original form, the word referred to the person assigned the most menial tasks in the household from waiting on tables to the man who was to run alongside the master’s chariot in order to tend to his needs. Truly, God’s plan was clear: pastors lead the church and deacons help them do the work of ministry.

Sadly, the role of deacons has changed through the years. The information that I am about to share with you comes from a variety of sources from Howard Foshee to Jim Henry. If you want specific references, let me know and I will share them with you. In the very early centuries of the church, deacons were the benevolence guys – they took care of the widows and the orphans. As early as the 3^rd century, deacons had family ministry plans. They visited in the homes of church members. They visited the sick and the homebound. They visited martyrs in prison. They helped train new converts. They kept watch over the congregation’s physical and spiritual needs and reported their findings to the pastor so that he could focus on preaching, teaching, and evangelism.

During the Middle Ages, the roles began to change. Those who became deacons were only using the office as a stepping stone to become priests. They took on more authority, usurping the role of the pastor until the Reformation returned the church to the Word of God. Once again, the deacons became servants to the poor. This remained the standard of deacons – overseeing the benevolence ministries of the church – until the last half of the 18^th century. From being servants in charge of ministry functions they became business managers. Suddenly, benevolence and ministry were no longer the priority. Instead, the deacons became a board of directors in the church controlling all secular matters – even exercising oversight of the pastor. By the late 19^th century, the tendency was for deacons to “rule the church.”

For many churches, that remains the organizational structure; however, God will not bless the church that does not follow His plan. If we hope to minister to a lost and hurting world and if we want to see people being saved and ministry taking place, then pastors must lead and deacons must serve. God’s plan is always best.

Qualifications Pt. 9

1 Timothy 3:7 – Qualifications Pt. 9

My wife informed me the other day that there sure are lots of qualifications! She is right. As I looked at my blog over the last couple of weeks, I have probably bored most of you (all 12) who read this material. If so, I apologize. When I started writing the blog again, I decided to let you journey with me through my quiet time – to share with you what God is sharing with me in my daily devotions. As I have come to this passage of Scripture, I felt the importance of this passage for my own life as well as the lives of other pastors, so I hope that you are sharing these blog posts with your pastors and with your friends who go to other churches. This is important stuff whether we want to read it or not. The state of the church today is what it is because we pick and choose what we want to read when we want to read it. The state of the church today is what it is because pastors are not meeting the qualifications that the Apostle Paul laid out for us. The state of the world today is what it is because the church has become impotent in the face of evil, and that has happened because we are picking and choosing what Bible passages want to read when we want to read it. I will admit to you that I don’t like to be under conviction. None of us do. If we liked it we would continue in our sin so that we could experience it more. Conviction of the Holy Spirit is designed to make us miserable so that we will get right with God! So while you might not enjoy it, be happy that He does it!

Now I want to venture into a dangerous place. Above, I stated that my wife was right about there being lots of qualifications. And as I have written about them, it seems that Sonya was right. But in reality, and this is the dangerous place, she is wrong. There is only one qualification. The pastor must be blameless. Everything else in this passage, and in my blog posts, are simply describing what it means to be blameless. That is why Paul summarized what he had to say in verse 7. The pastor must have a good testimony among those who are outside. Lost people may not agree with everything he has to say. They may not like his doctrines and morals. They may not appreciate his lifestyle. But they must respect his integrity and commitment. It is an absolute imperative that the world outside of the church see the pastor as having an unimpeachable reputation. If they do not, the devil can use that to prevent lost people from believing the gospel, and that defeats our purpose in being pastors.

But here is the key. Integrity is not pretending to be perfect. Integrity is having high moral standards AND being honest about our failures. We all struggle to live by some of these qualifications. Some come easily, but others are a real struggle. The world needs to see that reality lived out in our churches because none of us is perfect, but we can be blameless if we take Paul’s admonitions to heart.

Qualifications Pt. 8

1 Timothy 3:6

We are living in a time where pastors are leaving the ministry in record numbers. I think that part of the reason is because of the incredible pressure on pastors today. As I was speaking with a dear friend the other day, he summed up one aspect of the pressures this way: it feels like I have to do three or four term papers every week. The work pastors do just to prepare sermons and Bible studies is tremendous -- research, prayer, organization, writing, etc. Add to that the administrative duties, hospital visits, evangelistic visits, dealing with people in crises, and all the other things, and you begin to see a PARTIAL picture of the pressure. The work is never ending. Seminary cannot prepare you for all of that. Truthfully, I learned more about being a pastor in my first two church than I did in all seven years of my formal educational experience.

Why do I write this? Because Paul said that the pastor must not be a novice. The word "novice" means "newly planted." The Greek word gives us our English word "neophyte," and Paul was describing for us a young Christians that didn't yet have deep roots in the faith. When your spiritual roots aren't deep, it doesn't take much of a wind to uproot you, and some days being a pastor is like walking into a Category 5 hurricane. So the idea is that you shouldn't put a new convert into the role of a pastor. it doesn't matter what his physical age is or what kind of worldly experience he has. It's just a bad idea. If the man is newly saved, don't make him your pastor. Why? Because of his lack of spiritual depth, he would be tempted to become prideful. Pride in a prominent position produces a blindness that blunts spiritual alertness. It's too easy for ego to get in the way, and the arrogance that it produces makes it difficult to hear God's voice and to be obedient. I've seen pastors who believed that they were beyond the need for confession and repentance. But know this. Spiritual maturity causes you to recognize your sin and forces you to humbly repent before God. Truthfully, the "holier" you become, the more you sense your need for repentance.

The consequence of this blindness and deafness is that the minister "falls into the same condemnation as the devil." Wow! What a statement! But remember. Satan's condemnation was due to pride, and that pride resulted in his fall from heaven. The same kind of fall -- not from heaven but from the pastor's position -- could easily happen to a new believer who is placed in a pastor's role.

Qualifications Pt. 7

1 Timothy 3:4-5

Family! How I wish Paul had moved this to the top of his list because I believe that this should be the number one qualification for a pastor, and I believe pastors should understand that the family should be their number one priority. I’ve seen way too many ministers miss this important aspect of their ministry, and when they do, they typically lose both their ministries and their families. Read this carefully: God instituted the family long before He created the church. I believe that as a pastor my calling is to put God first, family second, and the church third in my life. If your church doesn’t understand that, then shame on you! I have seen way too many churches and pastors suffer because they get their priorities messed up.

I will never forget our seminary days. They were tough. Sonya worked full-time and took care of the children. I worked a minimum of 32 hours every week, took a full class load, and helped take care of the children. Not a day went by that I didn’t set aside time to play with Jennifer and Ashley. I have notebooks filled with pages of Greek and Hebrew homework where one of the girls, while sitting in my lap while I was doing the work, tried to draw the same Greek and Hebrew characters they saw on my paper. Please don’t think I’m bragging. I messed up a lot over the years and still cringe when I think about those mistakes. But I’ve always made my family the second highest priority in my life, and I am proud of that.

Paul said that a pastor must rule his house well and that his children must be in submission. Uh, listen up all you dads out there who are not pastors – he says the same thing about you in his letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians. But here is the key. Paul viewed leadership of the family as a proving ground for leadership in the church, and that goes for more than just pastors. Literally, Paul is telling us that pastors must make sure that everything in their homes runs smoothly. Specifically, his young children must be known for their obedience and morally upright behavior. I also believe that when you train up a child in the way he should go, when he is grown he will continue in that same lifestyle. I seem to remember a wise man saying that a long time ago, and I believe it to be true. However, Paul is talking about children living in your home. Adult children make their own choices, and while an argument could be made that if they have gone off into a lifestyle of immorality as adults that something must have been wrong with their upbringing, this was not Paul’s purpose in this admonition. While they are living in the pastor’s home, the pastor’s children must demonstrate the qualities of godly behavior. That doesn’t mean they won’t do the things that all children do, but they should model the behavior they see from their parents.

I do want to point out two things. The word “submission” is a military term referring to soldiers ranked under one in authority. The pastor must take that authority to heart as a father, but he must also temper that authority with the agape love of God. Why? Because the goal isn’t to raise an army that fears you; the goal is to raise a family that knows Jesus. The pastor must demonstrate through his home that he is spiritually gifted in ways that allow him to set the example of how to live and serve and love. If he does this, so, too, will his family. If he doesn’t do this, why would anyone want to follow him in the church?

The second thing I want you to see is that I think Paul wanted pastors to know that they are to relate to their church members not as a master relates to servants but as fathers to their children. Think about that for just a minute or two!

Qualifications Pt. 6

1 Timothy 3:3

Okay. He’s done it. Paul has stopped preaching and started meddling. People say that to me all the time, so I thought I would take a shot at it. Here’s my point. You can tell a man how to live and how to act, and for the most part, he will listen to you. He might even engage you in a conversation/debate. Certainly he would respond to questions. But start talking about his money and you begin to get too personal. I’ve heard it said that most men will talk to you about the most intimate details of their lives, but when you breach the subject of his money, he clams up tightly. However, money is an important matter for all of us and especially for pastors. Financial problems are second only to sexual misconduct as the reason for ministerial failures. So Paul said that the pastor must not be “greedy for money” or “covetous.” Understand, some of the different translations don’t include the first phrase, but they should. It is vitally important that the minister have an understanding of this qualification. It is so important that I believe our seminaries should require every student to go through at least one class on the subject!

Here is the truth: pastors must be motivated by their love for God and His people – not money! A pastor who enters the ministry for money is not only an idiot, but also he reveals a heart that is set on the world, not on the things of God. When I am interviewing candidates for a position on the church staff, if they bring up salary at the beginning of the process, I mark them off of my list. Don’t get me wrong. I know that the minister is worthy of his hire, and that even pastors need money to survive. I gather from my studies of the Old Testament that the priests lived quiet well, and I don’t believe that the early church ministers were cheated out of an income either. But when the money aspect is a priority to the pastor, something is wrong in that man’s life. Again, don’t misunderstand. I’m not one who believes that it is the church’s responsibility to keep the pastor poor and humble. I personally think that the church should bless all of their ministers financially, but it must not be the pastor’s priority.

There are practical applications for this qualification as well. First, you see, a greedy, covetous pastor will most probably not handle the church’s finances appropriately. In the early days of the church, it was the pastor’s responsibility to handle the money and to make sure it was used in the best way possible. False prophets/teachers/pastors often took advantage of this situation to line their own pockets to the detriment of the church. Ministry does not take place, and the church loses its trust for the pastor, and members stop giving. Second, a greedy, covetous pastor is not going to set the example for gracious giving. God tells us over and over again that he loves a cheerful giver. He wants us to give freely to His church and to the needs of others. If a pastor expects his people to open their hearts and their purses to the needy, he must do the same. In fact, when there is a true need, he should be first in line to help. If he is greedy and covetous, that will never happen.

Qualifications Pt. 5

1 Timothy 3:3 - Qualifications Pt. 5

It is interesting to notice the things Paul included in his list. Go back and read them again, and you will see what I mean. But in verse 3, he said that a pastor “must not be given to wine.” Now let me explain that this statement isn’t a prohibition against drunkenness because no Christian, pastor or layperson, is to allow themselves to become drunk. We see that in many passages. Paul is specifically telling pastors that they are not to be addicted to wine. What does that mean? He must not have a reputation of being a drinker. His lifestyle must be so radically different from the world that people take notice. You see, the calling of a pastor is to lead God’s people into holiness, so he must stand out from the world. Do you remember the Nazirite vow in the Old Testament? One of its requirements was that the Nazirite could not eat or drink anything that came from grapes. In a society where drinking wine was the norm, why would that be part of this vow? It was to show that the Nazirite had made a commitment to be different. This is also a practical matter for pastors. Their judgment was not to be clouded at any time by the use of alcohol. Most people think that pastors only work two days a week, but in reality, a pastor works every day of his life. He cannot afford to let his guard down even for a moment because in that moment, he may be needed by someone God places in his path.

Paul continued by saying that the pastor must not be violent. A literal translation of this word means “not a giver of blows.” Things often happen that cause an emotional reaction – sometimes even anger – but the pastor must never react with physical violence. Of course, the preferred response is gentleness, but understand Paul’s point. The pastor cannot be one who prefers using his fists rather than reason. I would take this one step further. Words can hurt as badly as physical blows, so pastors must guard against verbal assaults as well. The picture Paul paints by using this word is that of a bully. Too often pastors can come across as intimidating and demanding. Paul said, “Don’t do it!” Instead, pastors are to be gentle and not quarrelsome.

As you look at this passage of Scripture, you begin to see a picture of the pastor’s personality as well as his qualifications. A pastor must be in control of his emotions and never give in to the temptation to be contentious. Understand that is not always easy because as Paul mentioned earlier, there are troublemakers in the church, but the pastor must approach these troublemakers with patience and love. He must be kind and considerate in the face of opposition. In other words, he must strive to be like Jesus. And I’ve seen it happen – through this peaceful, loving demeanor, the pastor can defeat those who stand against God and His church.

Qualifications Pt. 4

1 Timothy 3: 2-3 Qualifications Pt. 4

There are lots of things that ministers must be able to do, and one of the most important is that he be able to teach. In our society, pastors have become CEOs and public relations experts. But if we truly model ministry from the Great Minister and the Apostles, we know that our primary responsibility is to teach the Word. Yes, Jesus and the disciples did miracles and ministry, but the majority of their time was taken up by teaching.

The interesting thing is that the word Paul used for this qualification occurs only here and in 2 Timothy 2:2. It is the one qualification that deals with the pastor's area of spiritual giftedness and ability. Having said that, Paul used other words to describe this responsibility 8 times in the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Do you know what he said in these verses? That the pastor must give attention to doctrine, labor in the Word, and rightly divide the Word. That takes time and effort, so the pastor must be able to teach.

Two things must be said about this qualification. Paul spoke of the gift of "pastor/teacher" in several places. It is a gift given by God to empower the pastor to do this primary work of the ministry. God truly does this and it makes the work of teaching a great joy. However, the pastor/teacher must also do his part to hone that gift to razor sharpness. Too many times, we use the concept of gifts as an excuse for laziness. It's like the story of the young minister who bragged to his congregation that the only time he spent in preparation for his sermons was the time it took him to walk from the pastorium next door to the church on Sunday morning. That week, the church bought a new pastorium on the far side of town. Yes, it's a joke, but it illustrates my point. The church is hungry for the truth of God's Word, and pastors must do their best when it comes to teaching and preaching. Every good educator knows that preparation is the key.

Qualifications Pt. 3

1 Timothy 3:2 - Qualifications Pt. 3

What does it mean to be blameless? We've looked at several of the characteristics Paul listed. As we move forward, he spoke of good behavior which means orderly. Do you begin to see the picture? Paul told Timothy that the minister must not allow life to become so chaotic that he cannot do his job. After all, how can he bring order to the church if he cannot bring order to his own life? The outward life of the minister is a reflection of inward stability.

Going beyond behavior, the minister must be hospitable. This is a word that means "a love of strangers." This was important to the early church because travelling Christians would be dependent on the kindness of other Christians as they passed through their communities. This was essential for two reasons: 1)most Christians had very little money and as they were doing the work of ministry, they could not afford the cost of staying at an inn; 2)most of the inns of that day were little more than brothels. At their best, they were dangerous and crime-infested. As we shall see, one of the most important resources a minister has is his reputation, and nothing ruins a reputation as quickly as being in the wrong kind of place.

But I think this word merits additional consideration because we have lost this gift of hospitality in our churches. If the word means "love of stranger" (and it does), then it means that we must be open to new people in our churches -- people we don't know, who are different from us. It is too easy for us to only hang out with our friends, to form cliques that new people cannot be a part of. It is too easy to become comfortable with those we know when we must seek to know those who need Jesus!

Let me take that one step farther: it is imperative that the church is more than open to strangers. We must go after them and when they come into the church, we must embrace them. In all seriousness, I believe that when a guest enters the church, multiple people should go to them, welcome them, sit with them, show them around, take them to lunch, etc. People need to know that they are wanted.

Qualifications - Pt. 2

1 Timothy 3:2b - Qualifications Pt. 2

Qualifications for ministry? I think there is only one: blameless. As I stated last week, we aren't talking about sinless perfection. Paul meant that any accusations that might be thrown at the pastor wouldn't stick. Yes, he might/will make mistakes, but his character must be impeachable.

What followed in these verses was a word picture of what this looks like. We dealt with the "husband of one wife" issue, so I will not go back over that. But Paul then said that a blameless man is temperate. A literal translation of this word could be "wineless." Now understand, I wish that God had said that all of His people should stay away from all alcoholic beverages, but He didn't. I think that the only way that any person in our society can be sure never to become an addict is to never take the first drink. Having said that, God did not command, "Thou shalt not drink alcohol." But He did say, through Paul, that the pastor should be wineless. Why? Because the pastor must be able to think clearly at all times. He cannot afford to become inebriated and make poor or rash decisions. He must be a man with complete self-control, so anything that would decrease inhibitions would be prohibited. In essence, the pastor must never allow himself to become controlled by any substances that could inhibit clear thinking or cause him to act rashly. It really is a matter of self-restraint because a man who cannot control his own drives and urges won't be able to effectively lead the church. A leader in the church must have a sense of self-mastery and accountability. So you see, the word includes more than a caution against the use of alcohol and drugs.

In fact, it is the same word picture Paul painted with the qualification of being  sober-minded. The word literally means disciplined. The minister must know how to properly order his priorities and be serious about spiritual matters -- not acting like a drunken idiot with no self control. With all that he has to do, the minister must be able to manage his life so that he would be seen to be trustworthy. Too often, we allow ourselves to become so busy that we cannot keep all of our commitments, and that must never happen.

I will never forget the time many years ago when I promised one of our senior adults that I would stop by and visit with him. I got busy and forgot all about the promise. Later, he told me that he had waited all day for me to come. My heart was broken when I saw how disappointed he was in me.

With all of this in mind, don't think that a pastor cannot have any fun. At this moment, I am having the time of my life watching my precious Lucy (granddaughter) eat Smarties with her Memama. Nothing could be better!

Qualifications - Pt. 1

1 Timothy 3:1-2a

The overseer/bishop/pastor must show himself committed to both Christians and non-Christians alike: committed to the Lord and to his people. It is a noble calling to be chosen to watch over the spiritual welfare of a church. It is a calling that requires the highest personal and moral qualifications.

Paul said that he must be blameless. Now this is a good place to make this point: the qualifications are high but they are not unattainable; the call is to be blameless, but blames does not mean perfect. “All have sinned,” Paul said in Roman 3:23. Even he was forced to admit that he struggled with doing things he should not do. Please do not hold your pastor to the qualification of sinless perfection because only Jesus has accomplished that level.

So what does it mean to be blameless? Other translations say “above reproach.” The word Paul used means “chargeable with no misconduct.” In itself, the word has to do with personal integrity. In our day, many pastors are giving up because of the pressure they feel to be perfect. Much of that pressure comes from our own minds, but there is a great deal of expectation coming from church members. We need to get back to the biblical basis for expectations which means that the pastor must live a life that is beyond legitimate accusation and public scandal. He must be a person of integrity, and, yes, Paul emphasized that this is a “must.” Living this kind of life is absolutely necessary for the pastor to be effective in ministry.

Having said all of that, what does it mean to be blameless? I think that is what Paul described for us in the rest of these verses. Over the next several days, we will look at his description:

·         Husband of one wife – would you believe me if I told you that there are five basic interpretations of this four-word qualification? That’s true. Count them: 1) faithful to his one wife; 2) married to one wife at a time; 3) married once and never remarried; 4) never divorced; 5) must not be single.

Can you say, “Wow?” Let me shock you just a little bit. I don’t think that Paul was dealing specifically with marital status. I believe he was dealing with moral and sexual purity. We have seen it too many times, so we know that this is the area where Christian leaders are prone to fail. From big-named preachers to pastors of small local churches, most of us know the names of men who did not remain above reproach because they gave in to sexual temptation. So let me give you my take on this qualification. Simply put, the pastor must be a one-woman man, totally devoted to his wife, maintaining that singular affection and sexual purity in both thought and deed. You see, he must be an example to the world, so he must model what marital fidelity is all about. Even in the most difficult of times, he must persevere.

A Good Work!

1 Timothy 3:1-7 - A Good Work!

Qualifications are important, aren’t they? You wouldn’t want a person performing surgery on you if they had never been to medical school, would you? I will never forget the day that I went to a doctor for the first time in a small Louisiana town. I just happened to be in the room where he was displaying his diploma. He had received his medical degree from the School of Agriculture and Mechanics. I was a little concerned until I found out that was the official name of LSU.

Remember, I mentioned some time back that Paul had used a series of faithful saying in his writing? Here is the next one: “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” First, let’s define the term bishop. This was not the office in the Catholic Church. The word is literally “overseer.” In essence, this man was given the responsibility to lead the church, to guide it forward in the advancement of its mission, and to oversee every aspect of its existence. We call this man the pastor of the church today. Simply put, if a man desires this position, he desires a good thing.

Paul used two different words for “desire” in this verse to explain the heart of a pastor’s call. The first means “to reach out after,” describing external action, not internal motivation. In other words, he does everything he can to attain this goal. The second word means “a strong passion,” an inward desire that springs from genuine love and commitment. Taken together, these two words describe the type of man that belongs in the ministry: one who outwardly pursues the task of ministry because he is driven by a strong internal desire. When I was called into the ministry, my pastor told me that if I could do anything else in life and be happy, then the ministry wasn’t for me. I will tell you this: he was right. I tried to do other things, but nothing filled me with satisfaction like doing the work of the ministry.

It’s good to want to serve in this capacity. That’s what Paul said. But the man who chooses this path must meet certain qualifications first. What are those qualifications? Paul said that they must be obedient in observable behavior. In other words, Christians and non-Christians should see a certain level of commitment to God and to the church in his lifestyle. Without that commitment to live for Jesus and for His people, the pastor will never survive. There are too many internal stressors and external pressures that will cause him to throw up his hands and find another line of work if he doesn’t have this passion.

I must admit that I have seen many godly men do this very thing – give up on the work of ministry. I will also admit that there have been times when I have been tempted, but through those times, God has provided renewal and strength as He reminded me of the calling He has placed on my life. It is a “good work,” but it is not an easy one. Always remember that truth!

Salvation Comes Through Childbirth!

1 Timothy 2:15

I’m back. I missed a few days last week writing my blog, and I apologize for the abrupt interruption. We had our two granddaughters, Hayes and Lucy, and they kept us very busy. Family is very important to me, so I wanted to spend every moment I could with my girls. Of course, I paid the price with lack of sleep and aching knees. Which brings me to this verse today. Read 1 Timothy 2:15 and you will see what I mean.

Saved in childbearing? Really. I went to the commentaries on this verse again. They offered multiple lines of understanding:

·         Women are saved by having children – un, no!

·         Women will be kept safe in childbirth – again, no!

·         Women would avoid the errors of vv. 11-15 by becoming mothers – doesn’t happen.

At least I am not the only one who has difficulty understanding Paul’s intention, but let me tell you what I think. In order to do that, we have to look at two words. First, the word that Paul used for “saved” must be taken in the spiritual sense of obtaining forgiveness for sins. It is the only way to view this and stay with the context of the passage. Second, Paul made a subtle shift from Eve in v. 14 to “all women” in v. 15. The word “she” is plural and is referring to women in general. So he is talking about half of the world’s population being saved through the forgiveness of sins. There is only one explanation, and it goes back to the promise of God in Genesis 3. God told Eve that should would give birth, and her Seed would crush the head of the Serpent.

Yes, Eve sinned, but God promised to use her to bring salvation to all of mankind. All she had to do was to fulfill her role as a wife and a mother -- to answer the highest calling in a woman’s life. In doing so, she participated in God’s plan of salvation because ultimately Jesus was born to Mary. He brought salvation to the world – to those whose lives are characterized by faith, love, and holiness with self-control.

These attributes do not save us; they are the attributes of those who are saved. Paul simply reminded the Ephesian women that true Christian ladies behave like true Christian ladies. Good advice even 2000 years later.