Some Key Words (1/16/03)

Overseer (episkopon [1985]):

watcher, overseer. Listed alongside deacons as the officers of the early church. Here, it describes the duties, whereas 'elder' describes the dignity | superintendent, one given charge of the church | an overseer, curator, guardian.

Above reproach (anengkleeton [410]):

not accused. Neither accusable nor accused. Free of any legal charge. | irreproachable | what cannot be called into account. Blameless.

Steward (oikonomon [3623]):

house administrator, domestic manager, chamberlain | fiscal agent, treasurer, preacher of the Gospel | household steward, superintendent, one entrusted with the managing of another's affairs, farm manager, city treasurer or manager, used also of the apostles and other Christian teachers, to whom was committed the counsel of God.

Self-willed (authadee [829]):

pleased with oneself and despising others. Insolent. Obstinate in opinion or in asserting one's rights, yet careless of the rights and feelings of others. | self-pleasing | arrogant

Quick-tempered (orgilon [3711]):

| irascible | prone to anger

Addicted to wine (paroinon [3943]):

| remaining near wine | one who sits long at his wine, drunken, sometimes with the added sense of the brawling and abusiveness that may come of longtime drinking.

Pugnacious (pleekteen [4131]):

| quarrelsome | contentious, ready to fight

Fond of sordid gain (aischrokerdee [146]):

| greedy | eager for base gain

Hospitable (filoxenon [5382]):

| fond of guests | generous to guests

Loving good (filagathon [5358]):

friend of benevolent good. Doing good even to the point of self-denial. Not only liking to be kind, but also to do good. Going beyond sympathetic feelings and taking action. | promoting virtue | loving goodness

Sensible (soofrona [4998]):

one of sound mind, one who limits his freedom with sound thinking. Self-governed with proper restraint. Sober-minded, prudent, and discreet | safe in mind, self-controlled, moderate of opinion and passion | sane, curbing one's desires, not impulsive

Just (dikaion [1342]):

conformable to what is right, what is required by the rules of life, expected by duty and by right, conformity to the rules of God and man, acting with flawless justice, conforming one's actions to one's just character. One whose life is conditioned upon God's standards. One whose faith shows in works. | equitable in character and act, innocent | observing divine and human laws, one who is as he ought to be. Virtuous, keeping God's commands. Innocent, faultless. One whose thoughts and acts are wholly conformed to God's will. Acceptable to God. Giving each his due.

Devout (hosion [3741]):

holy, unpolluted. One who obeys the holy ordinances in act, yet not necessarily holy in character | right, hallowed, pious, sure | undefiled, free of wickedness, religiously observing all moral obligations, pure

Self-controlled (engkratee [1468]):

| masterful, self-controlled | robust, having power over a thing, restraining, curbing, and controlling. Temperate and content

 

Paraphrase: (1/16/03)

7 A leader in God's service must be of spotless character. He mustn't be proud and self-willed. He mustn't be an addict, pugnacious, or greedy. 8 He should be such as welcome others into their home. He must love good, and he must be sensible. He must be just in his judgment, devout in his worship, and self-controlled in his behavior.

Key Verse: (1/16/03)

1:8 - The overseer is to be hospitable, loving good, just, pious, and self controlled. If this list of positives is addressed in life, there will be no need to consider the negatives.

People Mentioned: (1/16/03)

N/A

Some Parallel Verses (1/16/03)

1:7

1Ti 3:2-3 - An overseer must be above reproach, single in marriage, temperate, prudent, and respectable. He must be hospitable, and capable of teaching. He mustn't be a drunkard or a fighter, but must be gentle and uncontentious. He must not be led by love of money. 1Co 4:1 - Think of us as servants of Christ, as stewards of God's mysteries. 2Pe 2:9-10 - The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until judgment day. This is especially true of those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh, who despise authority even when it is the authority of angels. 1Ti 3:8 - Deacons must also be dignified, not deceitful, not drunkards, not seeking after illicit gain.

1:8

2Ti 3:2-3 - Worldly men will be devoted to themselves, to profits, to boasting and arrogance. They will revile authority, disobey parents, be ungrateful, unholy, and unloving. They refuse to be reconciled, gossip with malicious intent. They lack all self-control, they are brutal, and hate what is good.

 

New Thoughts (1/17/03)

Three terms have been used in this passage to describe the office under discussion: elder, overseer, and steward. Each of these words accents a different aspect of what the office is about. It is the office of an elder. To the patriarchal mindset, this concept carried far more weight than it perhaps carries for us. To be an elder was to have survived much, to have learned much, to have reached a point where one had a great deal to offer in wisdom and understanding. I heard it said recently that it takes nine months to make a child, but it takes sixty years to make an elder.

In ancient Israel, it was the oldest male of the house who ruled the house. Why? Because he had the proven record and the experience. Part of the leadership required of him was to ensure that at his passing, the one who would replace him would be well prepared, and well informed by what he could learn from his elder. Another part of this leadership was to ensure that his sons were trained by his wisdom and experience so that as they took up the role of elder in their own families, they would do so having been well prepared.

It is the same in the church. The elders of the church bring to their position the experience of long life. They bring the solid foundation of proven character that Paul declares as one of the hallmarks of a life that has been saved. They accept great responsibility: the responsibility of training up those who will follow, of making themselves expendable after a fashion. They accept the responsibility of ensuring that younger members, as they reach an age where they are striking out on their own, have been trained up in the ways of the Lord, and are able to lead as elders themselves, should the need arise.

The second term we are given for this office is 'overseer.' Here, the focus turns from the character of the officer to the duties of the office. What is this elder to do? He is to oversee the activities of the church. He is placed as a superintendent over things both material and spiritual in the local body of the church. As such, it falls to him to set direction, to assign tasks, to administer corrective actions where necessary.

He is to be a guardian over the things of God, a guardian of truth and righteousness. He is also to be a guardian of all those he oversees. We often speak of the church as being a family. In both of these two terms, elder and overseer, we see that family motif reflected. He is the elder of the household, the patriarch: setting direction, ordering the work, dealing with disciplinary issues. He is the guardian of his family. If there is danger, it falls to him to defend. This is true of physical attack, but moreso of spiritual dangers. The greatest danger to the Christian family is that of encroaching lies. A lie worming its way into a church can destroy the whole church, and like a viral infection, it is likely to spread, destroying other churches as well. The elder is to stand as guardian against such dangers. This is why he must be sound in doctrine and able to teach. To teach the truth, he must first know the truth. Yet, knowing the truth will not help his family if he cannot make that truth clear to them. Truth stands as the only defense against error, and it is the only defense needed.

Finally, this officer is described as a steward. This, to me, speaks of the necessity for humility in the officer. Though he is an elder, a patriarch, he is not in a position to lord it over his charges, for he is but a household manager, albeit in the house of God. It also speaks to the responsibility of the office, for it is not his own affairs he looks to, but God's. He is an ambassador of God, but at the same time, he is only the manager, never the owner. The house of God does not belong to him, nor do its occupants. They are his duty, not his possession. If the patriarch failed of his duties, he had only himself to answer to. If the steward fails of his duties, he has his boss to answer to. The patriarch was essentially the one fully in charge, there was no higher authority to seek out if his decisions were unacceptable. The steward is a man under authority, under God's authority in this case. He does not have exclusive access to his Boss. All those he manages have the same access as he. Should he manage poorly, those he manages have great recourse, and he has much to answer for.

What an image this builds of the proper officers of the church! What an awesome set of requirements are placed before those who would be candidates for the position! I asked myself, in reading this passage, why all these requirements were laid out for us to consider when it is God who appoints His leaders. I see now a twofold answer to that question. First and foremost, God has chosen to use men as the means of implementing His choices. He has delegated that particular responsibility to those He already has in place. Again, it's not an elected office, but an appointed office. Having given such awesome responsibility to his representative, to appoint further representatives, how cruel it would have been for Him not to provide detailed qualifications for those whom He was seeking. Given the weakness of flesh the still besets the best of His children, how necessary to keep before their eyes the requirements not only for those they were to appoint, but also the very requirements they themselves must strive to continually meet. In the names that God uses to describe these officers of His, He keeps them ever mindful of the full scope and dignity of the office He has assigned to them: wise leadership, attentive guardianship against all enemies, humble service in the Master's house, careful to justly and fairly administer all the bounty of His abundant grace to all who are in their charge.

In the description of the candidate for this office, we are given a number of requirements in the negative, and an almost equal number in the positive. It struck me, in reading these, that these positives and negatives are almost paired together. For each characteristic we are not to have (for we should all be qualified to take up a position of leadership) the characteristic we should have is also presented. Not self-willed, but hospitable; not quick-tempered, but self controlled; not addicted to bad things, but loving what is good; not violent, but sensible; not seeking illicit gain, but just. It's almost like the sliders so popular for adjusting settings in software packages today:

Each of these offers us an opportunity for a self-check. When we look at these things in comparison, it is obvious what our choices ought to be, which things we should hope would describe us. But the question remains, which ones truly do?

Lord, I must confess that in too many of these I see more of myself on the wrong side of the dial. Yet, I am heartened to see those areas where You have been moving me to the positive side. I look at my focus, and I must admit that it remains entirely too much on myself. I still have that terrible tendency of turning conversations back onto what I'm doing, what's going on in my life. How often do I really listen when others speak of their own situations, their own victories? God! I know it's not often enough. Oh, I'm polite enough about it, but am I really hearing? Do I really care? Here, then, is an area that needs Your help, Lord. I see the need for change, but am clueless as to how to bring that change. Will You help me in this? If I am to serve You, I must have it in my heart to serve others. How can I do that if my eyes are always on my own situations?

What of temper? Here, I have seen You at work. I still have my moments, though, don't I? But I've seen it getting better, especially in recent times. Thank You! For, I know it is only by Your work in me that the improvement has come. May You be swift to complete this work in me. I know You are faithful to do so, but oh! How I'd love to see it done even now!

My preferences? You and I both know there remain those sins in me that I have yet to cast aside. This has been declared the year to be free. I hear that, and I accept that. These are places where my spirit longs to know its freedom, yet my flesh yields so easily. These things ought not to be! How can allow myself to choose death when You keep drawing me towards life? Oh, how I long for the day when You have brought me fully into Your image! Oh, how wonderful will be the day when I see You as You truly are! No more the sorrows of this constant struggle! No more the heartache of knowing all too well my own weakness! Only the sweet wonder of dwelling in Your presence, of rejoicing in Your glory. What a day that will be, a day without end!

Actions? This is largely like the area of temper, and again I can see that You have been hard at work in this area. As You have matured me as the head of my household, You have worked to level out my decision making. Oh, I still have my moments of rash decision, but for the most part, You have been making me far more prudent, far more thoughtful about the decisions I must make. Your gentle peace has settled in over the violence of my soul, a peace that is certainly beyond my understanding, a peace that can speak into the frustration of those You have put me over.

In the area of motivation, I feel at my best. You have made it clear to me over the years that profit does not motivate me. Certainly I prefer to avoid a life of want, yet it does not drive me. You have long since cured any habit of hording I may have had. What You have blessed me with, I am more than happy to share with those in need. This is the beginning of that shift in focus, isn't it? That shift from self to others. Father, You've made it easy for me to shift my focus when it comes to things financial. When will You bring that same shift in other areas? I know. It will come in Your time. How thankful I am that You are a true craftsman. You do not suffer Your work to be rushed, but take the time that is needed to create a masterpiece, not simply something that will do for now.

May You find me willing clay in Your hands, joyfully accepting the form and shape that You are working into me.