Spiritual Leadership

So I posted an update on my hand over here.

Thought I had the mental clarity and hand responsiveness to do my devotions on line this morning. :) So here we get to start 1 Timothy 3 today. :)

1The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

We already learned that the spiritual leaders in the church should be men. You know, I just don't know how to get around that scripture, how to make it say that women should be the spiritual heads of the church and of the family. YES, I can understand us doing it if the men aren't stepping up to do their God-given duties, but if they are, then how can we justify forcing the issue and saying the God wants us to do it? I just don't quite get it. Anyways, enough of that.

What qualities should a man have if he's going to step into the role of Leadership in the church?
First we learn this:

• If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

So women who aspire to this position are wanting to do something noble. It's noble to want to lead a church to better understanding of who God is. Even if it's not their calling of God, to aspire it...is to aspire to a noble calling. But the same holds true to men...they aspire to a noble task...the task of overseeing the church of God.

What character qualities therefore are needed?

• above reproach
• husband of one wife
• sober-minded
• self-controlled
• not quarrelsome
• not a lover of money
• must manage his own household well
• must with dignity keep his children submissive
• must not be a recent convert
  
• must be well-thought of by outsiders

That's quite the list.
The man who would to be an overseer must be thought well of both inside and outside the church. He must not be new to the faith. Why are both these conditions made? To protect them from the snares of the devil! One to keep a man from falling into disgrace and the other to keep a man from feeling too "full of himself". Neither is good for a man seeking to lead God's people in the paths aright.

Must manage his own household well and must with dignity keep his children submissive. Think about that for a moment. Beating your wife and children is not doing things with dignity...it's allowing your temper to get the best of you. A person lost in their temper isn't exactly a person who is managing well or being dignified are they? It's an active role, not a sideline. It's a man helping his wife raise their children. It's a man helping his wife to be a good wife to him. It takes active communication, and active leadership and not sitting on the fence post watching, or being so involved with your work that the family is side-lined. It's a tough job! So a man who does this well aught to be seen well for what he does.

One wife! Not two, no concubine or woman on the side. Just one wife. (how a man thinks he can manage two women (or more) well is beyond me. I know what I'm like, I know what my sisters are like...having one man try to manage us? ACK!!!! that would not work well....and we'd probably drive him to a temper...doesn't help with managing a family well does it? :)

He must be above reproach, sober-minded, self-controlled, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. That's a tall order for a man to fill.

If a man truly fulfills these requirements he is a man worthy of our respect. He really is, whether he is in a church leadership position or not. And if he is leading the church of God, then let us respect him. Let us encourage and help him along the journey of leading God's church. Let us not hinder, harm or hurt him as he does this important job. Let us find a way today to a help and not a hindrance. Let us together build the church of God.