1 Timothy 3

SPEAKER 01 : 0:08

Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.

SPEAKER 03 : 0:23

Today we are in 1 Timothy chapter 3. We’ll listen to Faith Comes by Hearing’s reading of the 16 verses of this chapter.

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1 Timothy 3 The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife. Sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive. For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.” Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first. Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness. He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

SPEAKER 03 : 2:52

In my personal Bible reading journal in 1992 on 1 Timothy chapter 3, I wrote, “…leadership in the church begins at home. Whether bishop, overseer, or deacon, a man’s household must be in order before he can lead in God’s house.” Ten years later, in 2002, I wrote pretty much the same thing. The first place to be a Christian is in my own home. I must follow biblical principles with my wife, children, home, business, etc., before I can be considered for leadership outside the home. We should take heed to lead our families before we lead our churches, schools, communities, etc. We would have more success if we had stronger families. By the way, that entry was from Bangkok, Thailand, where I was serving on behalf of the Gideons International, visiting camps in Thailand. And in 2012, 10 years more later, I wrote Leadership. Paul lists many qualities of character that should be observable of one aspiring to leadership. So the theme of 1 Corinthians chapter 3 is pretty obvious. It’s leadership. What are some of the characteristics of Christian leadership? As we read through the list that Paul enumerates, think about how you measure up with these characteristics. Leaders must be above reproach. Maybe you wonder what reproach means. So I asked my smartphone, I asked Siri. A couple of words came to mind, disapproval or disappointment. So the term above reproach probably means you haven’t disappointed people or you haven’t been disapproved by people based on your behavior. You haven’t been accused of anything or you haven’t been rebuked for some kind of behavior. So how are we doing so far? Are you above reproach? The next qualification is the husband of one wife. That one I’m going to skip for now and go to the next one. Sober-minded. To me, that means clear thinking. How about self-controlled? That can have a few angles to it, can’t it? It can mean self-controlled physically, self-controlled mentally, self-controlled spiritually. The next one is respectable, meaning you respect others and others respect you. How about hospitable? Do you welcome people into your home or do you actually take care of people? The next is able to teach. So if we’re going to be leaders, can we instruct others? And next is not a drunkard. That’s probably a pretty obvious qualification of leadership. However, we probably know way too many politicians, way too many people in leadership, way too many business folks who have a little bit too much to drink. And the next is not violent, but gentle, which goes along with the next one, not quarrelsome. So a leader can’t be argumentative or violent, out of control. And the next one is not a lover of money. Now, that doesn’t mean a leader can’t have money. It’s just that he can’t have a love for money. That’s quite a list, isn’t it? How do I measure up? How do you measure up? And then there’s the qualification of how you manage your own household. And this perspective would not only be your own, but maybe your spouse’s and your children’s. Verse 5 says, So a training ground for leadership is our own homes. The next qualification is he must not be a recent convert. And that probably makes sense to most of us. If you’re going to lead in the church, you probably should have been a Christian for at least a period of time. And then it says he must be well thought of by outsiders. So a leader would have a good reputation. The list goes on concerning deacons. We must be dignified. I again ask my smartphone. I ask Siri what dignified means. And she says having or showing a composed or serious manner that is worthy of respect. So are you serious and are you composed? And then not double-tongued. Well, that makes sense, right? You can’t say one thing and do another. Can’t speak out of both sides of your mouth. Again, this list ought to be read to a lot of politicians, business leaders, school educators. Even those who wear the cloth, right? And the list goes on. Not addicted to much wine, which we talked about already with regard to drunkards. Not greedy for dishonest gain. In other words, you ought to have a good work ethic. And then here’s a real interesting qualification. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. To me, that means you need to be a good Christian and you need to stand for what you believe in. And lastly, let them also be tested first. I think that’s just a concept that you rise to leadership. And you rise to leadership by being tested in smaller things until you rise to bigger things. And again, the testing ground is oftentimes our own homes. So Paul outlines to Timothy in chapter 3 the characteristics of leadership that he needs to choose to lead the church at Ephesus. Why is good leadership so important in the church? Paul gives us the answer. He says the church is the household of God, a pillar and a buttress of the truth. Oh, that churches today would reflect this. Plenty do, and some don’t, and it may be because they don’t follow these qualifications for leadership in the church. Father, we thank you for this list that Paul delineates for Christian leadership in your churches. We pray that our churches today would reflect these qualifications in their leadership, especially that Christian leaders in churches would hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Lord, bless those in Christian leadership today. May we represent the household of God and truly be a buttress for truth in our world today. God bless Christian leadership. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit agileproject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.