Peace doesn't come naturally to us. It did in the garden, but when Adam and Eve decided to ignore the words of God, they set the pattern - and the destination - for all of us. Since then, the moments of peace have been rare.

Jesus came to bring a peace which is impossible without him. It's impossible because it's a standard we are incapable of attaining on our own, based upon having a peaceful relationship with the One who created us. If we are at war with Him, we will never experience peace.

The Psalmist wrote, "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace" (Psalm 29:11). It makes me realize that peace, in fact, requires strength, and that strength come from the Lord himself.

Joy is a word that is splashed all over the story of the first Christmas. And beyond.

It begins with the angel Gabriel telling Zechariah that his son, who will be John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah, "will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth" (Luke 1:14).

When the pregnant Mary visits Zechariah's wife, the baby in Elizabeth's womb "leaped for joy" (1:44) at the presence of the unborn-Messiah.

In Mary's Magnificat, she declares "my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour" (1:46).

I remember falling in love.

We were young - still in high school - and we lived about a hundred miles apart. We saw each other as often as possible (once or twice a month) and made weekly long-distance phone calls on Sunday nights, late in the evening when the rates went down.

I was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to spend time with her, but the options weren't there in those days. Eventually, I bought my own car, started making the drive whenever possible, and we rearranged our plans to get married when I graduated from Teachers' College.

Everything in our lives was reoriented to take one another into consideration. The result was that 4 years after we met, we were married, and so far it's lasted 51+ years. Not bad!

It was a very dark world. Extremely dark.

The descendants of Abraham had rebelled against God, and they had gone into captivity as a result. And then He had restored them to Jerusalem, but once again, they had neglected Him and pursued the pleasures of the world and the religions of their neighbours. So, God stopped talking to them. For four hundred long years, he remained silent.

Then, along came the Romans in 63 BC. Their ruthlessness was only matched by their desire to avoid conflict in the cultures that they conquered. So they had an uneasy peace - going along to get along - but everything the Jews did was subject to the whims of the Empire. They were far from free.

Deacons are to be

This list seems to summarize the qualifications of elders earlier in the chapter, but as I previously indicated, without the "able to teach" requirement. I would be very reluctant to say "So it's okay if they have more than one wife, or if they're promiscuous, or have anger issues."

Able to Teach

So that leaves only one - number 7 - and the one that distinguishes the qualifications of Elders or Overseers from Deacons, in what follows.

I don't think it matters what precise structure a church uses, whether it's a Deacon's Board, an Elder's Board, a Ministry Board, or something else. In fact, I don't see anything here that says "People with these qualifications are to meet monthly for 4 hours to discuss when it's time to fix a leaky roof." I was once involved with a leadership board that took 4 months to decide what kind of vacuum cleaner to buy for the home we lived in (since it was owned by the church).

The point of having Elders (or whatever you want to call them) is that they would lead. And those who have the most responsibility are also able to teach.

What does this mean? Well, there are a few things to keep in mind.

From 1 Timothy 3, here's the list of qualifications for Overseers - for those who should be leading the church

When I look at that list, I realize that they all focus on what people inside the church think of a particular person. The attributes are all those which you would expect to be important to Christians, and when you're looking for people to lead and influence he life of the church, there aren't any surprises there,

One thing I have noticed, especially in smaller churches, is that the need for leaders is so great that often anyone who can fog a mirror is qualified. That can be a very serious mistake. I have seen the results on church boards and councils where the only qualification was willingness to serve. Even though the intent might be good, the long-term result won't be.

And I think that is why Paul is laying out these qualification. Leaders are expected to have a track record in which they have demonstrated not only their faithfulness but their behaviour. No one can be "above reproach" without having a consistent witness. "Faithful to his wife" isn't something that is visible on return from the honeymoon. Temperate - Self-controlled - Respectable - you get the idea. These attributes are demonstrated over time.

(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?

I'm reminded of the parable of the Talents, as told by Jesus in Matthew 25.

The Kingdom of God is like a man going on a journey, but before he goes, he entrusts his property to three of his employees, each according to his ability. To one, he gives $1,000,000 (a talent is about 20 years salary @ $50K = $1M), to the next $2,000,000, and to the third $5,000,000. Over time, the value of the last two doubled, while the first did nothing with his portfolio, and its value remained the same.

Now, how about "His children will obey him."

I remember a conversation with single twenty-something woman about the meaning of children. We disagreed on when a child is no longer a child. By that I mean, at what point in life is a child free to make their own life decisions. Parents and their adult children will disagree on many things throughout their lives. Are the adult children still required to obey mom and dad?