A Noble Calling

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash
If there is anything a human being distrusts it is authority. And there is actually good, Biblical reason for that. One of the very first things we learn about ourselves since toddlerhood is that we break rules. As we get older, we realize that people continue to break rules, and this is a reality that God Himself confirms. 
So can we reason that since we humans are all sinners, does that mean we should get rid of all human leaders, or at the very least make the Church a pure democracy? The Bible tells us, no. God, Our Ultimate Authority, decided to work through human leaders to help His people, and believe it or not, that is actually a better way to do it. Why? Because that is the way He does it. He could have decided to just speak straight from heaven, live streaming Jesus directly into our sanctuaries and church officer meetings. 
God decided to do something better. If He lead the Church with Zoom call Jesus, anytime He would tell us to do something, we would respond, “Well, He’s Jesus. He’s perfect! We’ll never be able to reach that.” Instead, He decides to transform sinful men by the Power of the Holy Spirit through their use of the Word and prayer to be examples (however imperfect) of what every Christian should look like. The response of, “I could never be like that” is taken away. The human elder is faithful to his wife, so you, a fellow human, can be, too. The human deacon isn’t captivated by a love of money, so you can, too. Likewise, the elder and the deacon aren’t sinlessly perfect, so they confess and repent of their sins when they arise. So you should, too. 
These men are meant to be examples that are actually possible to imitate and learn from (1 Cor. 11:1). So as we go through this list of qualifications, this sermon isn’t limited to the three guys on our ballot this afternoon. All of you must pay attention. These are the marks of a qualified church leader, and it is your responsibility to identify such men and vote for their ascension to this work. It is also your responsibility to expect nothing less than these qualifications, knowing that no one fills them perfectly. It is also your responsibility to live up to these character qualities as well, because that is what these leaders are leading you towards. We don’t vote because a candidate is a friend or would have their feelings hurt. We vote for them because we are saying, “This man is worthy, according to God, of my imitation and trust to lead Christ’s church.” That is a heavy responsibility for all parties involved. So let us listen carefully to what the text has to say to us today. 
Thankfully, God has not left us to formulate the ideal candidate on our own. God has graciously given to us the profile of a church leader that transcends time, culture, and our individual ideals. You will notice that the list God leaves us with here looks quite different than what we might see on a job requirements list today, even among church job postings. There is no mention of a dynamic personality or success in business, or even previous leadership experience except the candidate’s own household. This list emphasizes character above ability. Christ wants character in His elders and His deacons. 

Christ wants character in His elders.First, Paul writes to a young pastor named Timothy what the church leadership is supposed to look like, and given the enormous responsibility it entails, it makes sense for Paul to say that this is a noble task for a man to pursue eldership in the church. We want to soberly encourage qualified men to this position by reminding them that this is indeed a noble task to pursue. Because this is such a noble task, it requires noble characteristics. 
Paul begins with the qualities to be found in an elder, or overseer, of the church. But we should stop and ask why are they called that? Well, their title gives insight to their job. The elder or overseer is to “oversee,” lead, notice and act on what is happening in the church. Paul uses the term “overseer” here and the word translated “elder” in Titus 2:2. Same office, different words to describe them. Both of them refer to the job of ruling. 
The list that follows gives us a list of things that they should be and should not be. 
The first is “above reproach.” In other words, His character is to be without scandal. While everyone sins in their lives, the elder is not going to have done or been something that would bring shame to the church. Things done before conversion will be treated very differently than after conversion as we do recognize the power of the gospel to transform people, but there still needs to be much wisdom applied in evaluating each case. 
At a bare minimum, he needs to be committed to his closest relationship, his wife. The phrasing here is strange to us, as the language literally says “a one woman man.” Is Paul only trying to keep out polygamists? This is unlikely. Polygamy wasn’t allowed in Christian culture, so it would seem to go without saying that the leaders of the church observe the basic Biblical definition of marriage as one man and one woman. As Kent Hughes sums it up, Paul is not making a quantitative requirement but a qualitative requirement. Paul is calling for faithfulness to that one woman. There is no other woman in this candidate’s life, either online or otherwise, but his wife. 
The next few qualities are rather self-explanatory. One doesn’t want a leader who doesn’t know how to be serious, or a leader who is impulsive and lets his feelings and passions guide him. The Bible requires that leader to be hospitable, willing to open his home to others for service. He can’t be an abrasive man who is given to violence and rushes to make conflict, again, online or otherwise. He is going to be pushed and challenged in this position, and may have people argue with him over decisions that he makes, so he must be able to handle that with grace and gentleness. He can’t be a man who is trying to escape problems with a bottle, or someone so in love with money that he could be bought. 
But how can we know that he is all these things? Look at his household. That is the resume, the previous experience we are looking for. Does he manage it well spiritually, physically, and financially? Because if he can’t do that in his home, Paul asks, why would we think he could do that for the church? Further, are his children who live with him obedient and following after God? Critically, this only applies to children still under his roof. We know that salvation is of the Lord, and if adult children decide to spurn the teachings of their parents after they leave the house, there is nothing a parent can do but pray for them. A wayward adult child does not disqualify a man from this position. 
Next, we mustn’t be in a hurry to nominate an upstart. He must not be a recent convert. A man exalted high and fast can and very often does lead to pride, just like the devil. 
Finally, he must be thought well of by outsiders, meaning that he has a good reputation in the community outside the church. A true christian is going to serve and be a witness such that even his enemies will know that they can count on a glass of cold water or food from him. Outsiders can spot hypocrisy from a mile away, so if they see it, we shouldn’t ignore it. 
While the responsibility to rule differentiates the elder from the deacon, there is only one ability that the elder is called to do that differentiates him from the deacon, and that is to teach. The elder candidate must be able to have a firm grasp of biblical truth that he can communicate when called on. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he has to have taught a Sunday school series, but it does mean that if asked to fill in, can he do so competently and accurately? 

Christ wants character in His deacons.Now, I’ve spent a lot of time with the elder requirements because a lot of them are the same for the deacon. Again, the common theme persists of God desiring character above all else. They, likewise, similarly, must be dignified and sincere. They are not saying one thing with one person and the opposite with another. They too cannot be in love with money or wine, yet must be in love and faithfully devoted to his wife and the rest of his household. And this is exactly what is required of him in this role. Indeed, just like the word “episkopos” gave us insight into the role of the deacon, so does the word “deacon” which means “service” tell us what this role is to be. We see the first deacons selected in Acts 6, and their charge was to look over the practical matters and needs of those in their ministry. 
This is not a lesser office but a different office. One doesn’t need to be a deacon first before being an elder. While the elder holds the ultimate responsibility and rulership for the direction and health of the church, they need the deacons to understand and meet the physical needs of the church. These offices give mutual support to each other. 
While they are not called to teach, they are still called to know, hold fast, and be transformed by the mystery of the faith, the gospel and its teachings, as we see in verse 16. They must be able to do this with a clear conscience. For those that serve well in these duties, there is the reward of a good standing before men and God which will lead to greater confidence for themselves in Christ. 
Now, why is this office restricted to men? Paul gives the reason in 1 Timothy 2:12–14 “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For…” now, I’m going to interrupt Paul here. What do we think he is going to say? At that time, women were not considered reliable witnesses in court and they didn’t have good education. If Paul were to cite something like that, he would be either a sexist, pragmatist, or both. Paul (and critically, the Holy Spirit inspiring him), isn’t either of those things. In fact, Paul doesn’t mention anything inherent in women generally or culturally. Instead, he grounds his reasons back in Genesis: “Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” In other words, this is God’s timeless decision. 
The focus of sermons on texts like that are what women can’t do, but women have a lot of roles to fill in the church. Women can make podcasts, write books, go to seminary, or teach other women and children, and we need them to do all of those things, just like we need men who aren’t qualified for these two offices to serve the church in similar ways physical and spiritual. There are going to be a lot of quiet handymen and dedicated nursery workers receiving far more rewards in heaven than we expect. I believe that there will be some who will have more rewards than even some elders and deacons. Just like back in the Garden of Eden, all the blessings of God and roles in the church are open to women, but in just this one place, God has restricted. 
Remember, the focus in this is the Kingdom of God. Our concern is not cultural relevance or the personal satisfaction of the office holder. The purpose of these elections —no— the purpose of every aspect of our lives is to build the kingdom of God, expand His rule on earth by fulfilling the Great Commission, telling people that Christ 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. We need to tell the world that Jesus died for their sins and rose again to defeat death. We need to call the world to repentance and faith, and one way in which we do so is selecting wise and godly leaders to teach and serve. No one man can do it all except Jesus, so we need a plurality of elders to lead and teach, and a plurality of deacons to serve and assist. Both offices are needed in order that the saints that make up the church would be built up to serve their REAL Master and Head, Jesus Christ our Lord. 
So what do we do from here? 
One, we need to fast and pray that God would make it apparent who we are to select based on these qualities. All of us, whether eligible for office or not, are to conform our lives to these qualities. No one is going to be perfect, not even the ones we nominate for office, but they need to moving in their sanctification in these areas. 
Two, we need to pray for our leaders after the election and keep them accountable. They don’t stop needing the gospel and sanctification when they are church leaders. If anything, attacks in their lives are going to step up because Satan loves to see the church dishonored. Please keep them in your prayers. 
Finally, we keep in constant remembrance that this is to be done for the sake of Christ and His bride, the Church. This isn’t politics or making someone feel good. This is a matter of eternity that when done well brings great honor to Christ our Savior.