I Timothy 3:1-7
For the next few weeks we will look at a pastor. This is very important. There are so many false prophets around that this is a subject that really needs to be addressed. There are also many opinions; and it is obvious there are many people who have no idea. The Bible really clears these things up, but again most people follow what someone else says instead of studying the Bible for themselves. It is frightening what we believe and do out of ignorance. The leaders of the Lords church are to be qualified and are to be good examples to the flock. What we will learn from these Scriptures will truly expose the false prophets and pastors of today, no matter what title they hide under.
"This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work," I Timothy 3:1. True- pistos- trustworthy; faithful; sure. What Paul is about to write is trustworthy, it is sure. Paul is writing the inspired Word. This is Gods design for His church. Paul isn't some male chauvinist, and he isn't out to prove his own agenda. He is simply writing Gods design for the church. For a church to get away from Gods standard is a church that is in rebellion to Gods Word. This church will not have the blessing of God's presence but instead will do everything in the power of the flesh. Flesh reaps corruption.
One of the arguments of today is, can woman be a pastor? The word "man" in verse 1 means one, someone, a certain one. It could read like this, "if a certain man". Here comes the argument about women pastors. The word man has different definitions. This definition is speaking of a certain man. We must remember when the Bible was written they didn't put chapter and verse. We associate a new chapter with a new teaching etc… but here the teaching is carried over from chapter 2. I Timothy 2:8-15, goes from men to women, then look in chapter 3:11, here the Bible picks back up with women servants. If women could be bishops, the Bible would have clearly stated that here in the qualifications of a bishop. But when kept in context we see that is not the case. These are qualifications for bishops, not leaders of a nation. God makes these qualifications and we have no right to compromise them. You will not find a woman pastor in the New Testament. God has not changed His qualifications for a pastor. If you see a woman pastor, she is out of place and in rebellion to Gods Word. She needs to repent and take her Biblical place in the Lord's church. I know this teaching will make plenty of people mad, but that's ok, the truth usually does. Many use Scripture to justify their own opinions, but it is always taken out of context. This means they are mishandling the Word of God, which shows they will twist Scripture to get their way. Hey, that's the society in which we live today.
More Scripture would be in I Cor. 14:34, 35.
The next qualification we see in verse 1 is desire. In this verse it means to reach out after. "Desireth" means to fix the desire on, to desire earnestly, to long for. This brings with it the idea of having a strong internal passion. So, we have a strong internal passion which causes a man to reach out after. He is outwardly reaching out after the office of a bishop because of his strong inward passion. This desire is a good work. The office of a bishop means to look after. Visitation, or the act of visiting or being visited or inspected. Here in verse 1 it is spoken of the office of a bishop; overseer, i.e. the care and oversight of a Christian church. Other words for a bishop are: overseer, elder, shepherd and pastor.
The person who biblically desires this office desires a good work. Good means valuable; excellent. Work means labour. This man has a desire for the care and oversight of a Christian church. This is a valuable and excellent labour. To truly be in the office of a bishop is not a lazy man's place. Much labour is involved. It is a work. The pastor is to know his flock as the flock is to know their pastor. He is not to lord over God's church, but he is to inspect and care for it. There are multitudes of hirelings in the office of a pastor today. They are in it for the money. A good test to see if the pastor is a hireling or not is to see how he responds to testing with trials. Jesus gives us an excellent example of this in John 10:11-13.
A true pastor cares for the sheep. He doesn't want to see the sheep hurt or helpless. He is willing to give his life for the sheep. In his care for the sheep, he makes sure they eat well. "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood," Acts 20:28. The words "to feed" refers to continuous and repeated action. The pastor is to never stop feeding the church. This means he must labour and toil and stay in this spiritual battle which also takes a toll on him physically. This is a good work, but not an easy one. "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained," Timothy 4:6. Notice this word "good" in verse 6. It is the same word in chapter 3:1. A pastor that puts the brethren in remembrance of the Word of God is a valuable minister of Jesus Christ. A pastor that faithfully gives the church the Word of God in context and rightly divided is giving the church wholesome food. This church will mature. When a church matures it will become grounded in the doctrines of the Bible not the teachings of a man. This church will be grounded and will be able to withstand when the storms come. The storms will come. Whether in the storm or out of the storm a mature church will be looking unto Jesus Christ. A mature church will be proclaiming the gospel. A mature church will not resort to games and gimmicks to get people to attend their services. A mature church is focused on Jesus Christ. A mature church worships God, not man. This is evidenced in the songs they sing, and the sermons that are preached. A mature church wants a pastor to preach Scripture in context. Dear Christian, you are the church.
The pastor has a great responsibility. We have just begun to scratch the surface. A true God called pastor will have a desire to please the Father and a desire to care for the flock of God. He will be faithful to God and the church, even in dark times. Pray for more pastors to be raised up. Pray for your pastor. Continue to do kingdom work. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
