MOOR of the Word with Pastor Chuck Pourciau

What does Paul say about these women within the church? Women who serve the church must first be dignified. Paul uses the same word here that he used in verse 8 to describe male deacons. Christian must live serious lives with high standards for their behavior. This will lead people to admire them from their tenacious spiritual devotion. 

They are also challenged not to be malicious gossips. The term translated malicious gossips is diabolos, slanderer. As you can tell, it’s the word from which we get the word “devil.” Gossiping is devil’s work, not the work of Christian women. Therefore, Christian women must control their tongues. 

“Let them first be tested” is a verb that means that one is approved after being tested. The present tense of the verb indicates an ongoing testing and not just a one-time event or probationary period. These men are constantly under examination and can be disqualified at any time. 

Deacons are to be under continual testing before they officially are ordained and begin serving as deacons. Once they begin to serve in the office of deacon, the testing doesn’t end. In fact, they are continually evaluated by the church. This is important in that one’s fitness for service must continue beyond ordination. In fact, to fail after ordination is a greater harm to the witness of the church. Therefore, it’s best for the church to recognize the disqualification before the world does. 

I the beginning of 1 Timothy 3:8, Paul declared that deacons must be men of dignity, and we discussed that in yesterday’s podcast. After declaring that positive trait, he proceeded to issue three negative ones. 

Brothers and sisters, integrity must be a trait of every believer, and it must be guarded and, when necessary, defended with tenacity. In my business, one can be the recipient of unflattering accusation.

Deacons are servants of the church. When seeking servants, God looks at the heart, not the resume of accomplishments. That is his primary concern when calling deacons to service in the church. 

The original meaning of this word group had to do with performing menial tasks such as waiting on tables. That definition gradually broadened until it came to include any kind of service in the church. In John 2:5, the emphasis on serving food is seen: His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” These servants were the waiters at the wedding.

Church leaders must live morally upright lives so that they do not, as Paul stated here, fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Leaders face many temptations from the very nature of their position, without unnecessarily adding others. 

Ephesus needed to choose carefully its leaders, and so do we. We need to pray that God will raise up the men of his choosing. The future of the church depends on it.

The godly character of an elder must not be manifested only in his personal life, the church, and his home. He must also have a good reputation with those outside the church. The Greek word translated “reputation” is the word from which we get our word martyr. It is a reference to testimony of validation. A martyr validates that his commitment is absolute. The word speaks of a certifying testimony. An elder’s character is to be certified by the testimony of those outside the church. A man chosen to lead the church must maintain a reputation in the community for righteousness, moral character, love, kindness, generosity, and goodness. All will certainly not agree with his theology, and he will no doubt face antagonism when he takes a stand for God’s truth. Nevertheless, those outside the church must recognize him as a man of impeccable reputation. How can a man have a spiritual impact on his community if that community does not respect him?

One facet of good home management is keeping “his children under control with all dignity. That qualification is not meant to exclude men without children, but merely assumes they will be present. The term “under control” is a military term. It designates the lining up in rank under one in authority. His children are to be respectful, well-disciplined followers of Christ. Anyone who has ever had children knows this is not going to happen naturally. Children will take as much authoritative territory as they are allowed. Little is as frustrating as watching a family where a toddler is the one in authority. And it’s not the toddler’s fault. Parents must establish from the start the pecking order or they will find themselves shortly at the bottom of said pecking order. 

All leadership seeks to accomplish one goal: influence. Leaders seek to influence people to achieve their objectives. Influence is a direct result of teaching and example. What a man is will influence his followers to be fully committed to what he says. Teaching sets the nails into the mind, but example is the hammer that drives them in deep.

Rather than being pugnacious, the church’s leader must be “gentle, peaceable . . .” A gentle person is considerate, genial, forbearing, and gracious. He is quick to forgive and remembers good, not evil. He is not a ledger person in that he doesn’t keep a list of wrongs committed against him. We all know of people who maintain all wrongs ever committed against them who like to resurrect them at the most opportune and hurtful times. The leader of the local church cannot be that kind of person. 

A skilled teacher is marked by a life of holiness. It’s not just enough to be a skilled teacher. The overseer must also live a godly life. 1 Timothy 6:11: “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseveranceand gentleness.”

He must add credibility to his teaching with his conduct. He is the prototype of what he is asking his people to be. 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”