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.
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