Welcome to Wednesday’s Podcast our reading today is 1 Timothy 3: 8-13 but today, we’ll focus on verse 13:

‘Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.’

REFLECTION:

A few weeks ago I went to see a friend of mine become Senior Pastor of the church of the church he has served for 17 years.  It was really moving for a few reasons: firstly, to hear the Founding Pastors who started the Church over 30 years ago share many stories – of great battles & blessings; but also to reflect on their incredible faithful journey.  To reflect on how good God really is.  And also to see in my friend – who has just served another person’s vision for 17 years in a culture (and a Christian culture) where people want instant platform or success – I found that really powerful too.

Serving – diakaonis – is the picture that Paul has of the true calling in our Christian life.  He’s talking specifically about Christian leadership but as with our Podcast yesterday, serving is one of the most powerful, Christ-like things we can do.  We can serve our neighbours – simple things like putting the bins out (whether they thank you or not); be a blessing to your boss – not to be sycophantic – which usually means you’re out to get something or serve your colleagues.  We serve others best when see it as serving God – without looking for payback; accruing relational capital – just wanting the best for other people.

Paul is making the case that ‘Deacons’ – another form of church leader – those who serve the church need to be people who are already doing that in their private lives. Paul is talking about a type of servant leadership.  The ‘diakonos’ was the name given to a waiter.

That their home lives – personal lives have integrity.  The goal is to raise up people who are already demonstrating integrity and place them into leadership – to look out for those in whom the Spirit is already at work!

But what exactly does Paul mean when he lays out one of the requirements of leadership is that leaders should ‘manage their children and household well?’

And when Paul talks about family – as we know – he isn’t talking about a nuclear family.   He’s talking about Oikos – an extended family.  Slaves (& their kids); your kids, other workers, clients, friends and the like.  It’s a large group of people and was the building block of the ancient world.  Fathers could lead their extended families like tyrants – being very abusive – or could lead with great integrity.  Paul is looking those who lead their Oikos as servants – not tyrants.   Serving means you’re about seeing others flourish – not just your own agenda.

One reason Paul addresses this, as we’ve already established this week, is that Paul is speaking to a number of specific cultural issues in Ephesus.  And as we have talked of yesterday and Monday – he wants to warn against Gnosticism and some of the leadership culture that accompanied it.  So it’s really important (to Paul) that leaders’ children are not mixed up or involved or influenced by Gnosticism.  In the culture of the day it was expected that children honoured their parents.  Some Gnostic teachers were so cult-like that they required total obedience to their teaching which brought them into conflict and confrontation with their parents – which made ‘managing’ family life challenging.  It would also undermine any position of leadership in the church.  So what do parents do?  It says in Ephesians 6:4 ‘Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.’  Parents, particularly fathers, had a reputation for being very authoritarian and strict, demanding loyalty to the family.  But Paul states that that leaders should ‘manage their households well…’  Paul is essentially saying that ministry starts at home.  The goal of the Oikos, household, is discipleship.