Preached · October 9, 2011
Text · 1 Timothy 3
Introduction
All right, we're back to 1 Timothy. I invite you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 3. This is the third in a series called Growing a Healthy Church. A couple weeks ago we talked about healthy worship—that was 1 Timothy chapter 2. Several weeks ago we talked about 1 Timothy chapter 1. Last week we talked about justification. I realized later that sermon was 38 minutes long; I'm better suited to be a professor than a preacher, so sorry about that. This week we're in 1 Timothy chapter 3, and we're talking about healthy leadership. A big hint for next week: read 1 Timothy chapter 4.
First Timothy chapter 3 starts by saying, "Here is a trustworthy saying: whoever aspires to the office of overseer"—or elder, or bishop, depending on your translation. And I can imagine that when some of you read that, you check out immediately: "This is for leaders, this is for elders and deacons; this chapter really isn't for me." What I want to encourage you—and we'll talk about this more as time goes on—is that you all are overseers in some way or fashion, and you all are deacons in some way or fashion. The word "deacon" means servant, and we're all called to be servants. And so, ladies and gentlemen, this chapter is for you.
One thing my wife just pointed out to me: I have my notes clipped into my Bible, so I want to make sure I'm honest—I do have notes. I'm not trying to deceive you and pretend I don't have notes, because that would be deceptive. But one of the hardest things I've realized about sermon preparation is where to put your notes. If you do it like these half-sheets and put them in a small little binder, you have to change the three-hole punch to fit, and then somebody else yells at you because you didn't change it back, and they've got these weird holes that they can't put in any normal-size binder. So then you've got these clips that you put in there, and you're tearing the sheets of your Bible—which is the opposite of what you're supposed to do as a pastor. Anyway, this is just behind-the-scenes knowledge.
Context: Paul, Timothy, and Ephesus
Let's talk about context, just to remind you of a couple things. This letter is from the Apostle Paul. Paul was the church planter of this church he's writing to, the church in the city of Ephesus. He went to Ephesus, was there for a couple days, talked to some people, but had to go. He came back and ended up staying in Ephesus for several years, and planted this church and got it thriving. So this letter is from Paul, and it's to Timothy.
Timothy was Paul's constant companion in the 50s and 60s, first century. Timothy helped plant the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth, and Ephesus. He functioned as Paul's stand-in at Corinth and Ephesus. He was sent to Thessalonica to strengthen and encourage, to Corinth to remind the church of what Paul had taught, to Macedonia to prepare the way for Paul's arrival, and to Philippi to gather news for Paul and to encourage the church. So Timothy is Paul's right-hand man. In several places, Paul calls Timothy "my true son," meaning Paul brought Timothy to salvation, brought Timothy to Jesus.
Timothy, from the little we know about him, seemed to be young, easily intimidated, and readily discouraged. He was sent to Corinth and, as far as we know, didn't stay very long, even though he was encouraged to tell the Corinthians the things they needed to do. But the Corinthians are famously kind of nasty people, and so Timothy seems to have left. Timothy seems to be pretty discouraged in the situation we find in the book of 1 Timothy, because Paul opens this letter by saying, "Stay. Fight the fight. Don't run away." So for any of you who are easily intimidated, readily discouraged, and/or young, this letter is for you.
As for Ephesus itself, this is the city in which the church is planted. It was a major port town, population around 500,000 at its height, a major town of commercialism—a hustling, bustling place, just like Okoboji. But it went into decline around this time, and it was now more known for its tourism. (That sounds more like Okoboji.) The main tourist attraction was actually a religious attraction: the Temple of Artemis. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—a massive temple where people would go and worship the goddess named Artemis. Artemis's statue was believed to have fallen from Jupiter to this temple—people were very logical back then—and so they worshiped this statue, and Ephesus considered themselves the gatekeepers of the statue. They dedicated much of their commerce and all of their tourism around this goddess.
Now, Artemis herself was an interesting little goddess. She was the patron god of animals—particularly small animals—and of hunting. Kind of crisscross loyalties there. She was also the goddess of virginity and childbearing. So she was this paradoxical goddess that they worshiped, and we can kind of piece together why and how. But they were fanatical about the way they worshiped her. There was a two-hour chanting session, recorded in Acts 19, where for two hours they said, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians," over and over and over again. They loved Artemis, and they loved the money that Artemis brought to their city.
She used to be called the many-breasted one. This was part of the fertility imagery—though we think we've figured out that they're actually just ornamental beads, so the picture's not as provocative as it used to be. But this is who they worshiped. A statue like this, they believed, fell from heaven, and they worshiped her. And she was very much about "girl power," and this influenced the way that they, the women, saw themselves. And this influenced their false teaching.
So when we get to 1 and 2 Timothy, one of the main issues we come across is the issue of false teachers. It's pretty much the whole reason Paul wrote this letter. It's why he begins by saying, "Timothy, fight the fight, stay," because of all the false teachers. It's repeated over and over in 1 Timothy. And from what we can tell, they seem to be reflecting some of the beliefs and practices of the cult of Artemis, and this has to influence how we read the book. Paul says they preached myths and endless genealogies—in other words, they were really focused on their heritage. "Oh yeah, well, my dad was the father of this guy, and my grandfather was the father of my dad; bet you didn't know that." And they would just talk about it forever. Then it seems they prohibited marriage—these false teachers said marriage is actually wrong for you to do. They enforced religious food restrictions, either really long fasts that would probably be considered unhealthy, or saying, "No, you're not allowed to eat this, but you are allowed to eat this." Paul characterizes their teaching as godless chatter, meaningless talk, foolish and stupid, foolish controversies, and old wives' tales. So Paul writes this letter to the pastor of the church, Timothy—who's easily intimidated, a little scared, sounds like he possibly wants to run away and do something else.
So when we get to 1 Timothy chapter 3, we've dealt with some of the worship issues, and now Paul has to deal with some of the leadership issues. So what I'd like to do is walk through this passage word by word, get some observations, and then talk about the application for us.
Overseers: Character
First Timothy chapter 3, verse 1: "Whoever aspires to be an overseer aspires to a noble task." First, let's talk about the word "overseer." In some of your translations it might say bishop; it might say elder. An overseer was a particular function—don't get in your mind this grand vizier of churchness. There would be multiple of them, plenty of them, and they would oversee specific aspects of the ministry. You could probably say that a Sunday school teacher technically was functioning as an overseer of some sort.
So, "Whoever aspires to be an overseer aspires to a noble task." Now, the overseer is to be:
Above reproach—this refers to speech or conduct that can stand up to criticism.
Faithful to his wife. Here we've already come to a question of what this means. In some of your translations, it might literally say "husband of one wife." There are some issues with this phrase. Does it mean "not polygamous," that they have literally only one wife? We don't think so—it was never a phrase used to mean polygamy, and polygamy really wasn't an issue in that culture; it was actually pretty looked down upon. Does it mean "not divorced"? Again, we don't think so; the phrase is never used to mean "not divorced." They actually had a phrase that meant "not divorced," and it's not the phrase used here. So what we think "faithful, husband of one wife" means is faithful to your spouse—husband of one wife in your head. So we're talking about lust issues in this case: you don't have split loyalties.
Temperate and self-controlled—literally "not intoxicated," so the idea of being sober-minded.
Respectable—having a good reputation.
Hospitable—literally, "a friend of strangers." I think we all know people you could characterize as never having met a stranger. My mom is like this—she can go to the cashier aisle at Walmart and talk to the cashier for half an hour while purchasing a single gallon of milk, just because she's never met a stranger.
Able to teach—again, don't get into your mind this thing called teaching. Teaching happens in a lot of different ways: in a Sunday school class, in a small group, in one-on-one conversations. What Paul is talking about is that you know what the Christian faith is about.
Not given to drunkenness—literally, "not addicted to wine."
Not violent but gentle. Not quarrelsome. And not a lover of money.
So there we have the basic requirements for an overseer: above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. Now, this list doesn't strike us as too impossible. I think we could characterize a lot of these as standards we could live up to.
Overseers: Family
That's the character section. There's a second section about the overseer, and that's the family. The overseer must guide his own household well. Some of your translations say "guide" or "manage" his family. The word for "manage" really is better used as "guide"—don't think of this "you do this and you do this" kind of management. And for "family" versus "household," I prefer the word "household," because a family in the first century was a lot larger than just mom, dad, and a couple kids. Usually your parents were living with you—which is always a blast. Usually you had a couple servants. Usually you had some extended relatives. You had your guests, who might be staying with you for months at a time. That's the entirety of a household. So an overseer must guide, must manage, his household well—this entire group of people.
He must treat submissive children with full respect. This is another one of those phrases that could mean all sorts of different things. Some of your translations might say, "keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way." There's a big difference between keeping your children submissive and treating your submissive children. And Greek grammar—the original language—is kind of ambiguous, so it could go either way. We kind of think this makes more sense: treat submissive children with full respect, referring to adult children. They are not your slaves. They are not your minions. So manage your household well; don't treat your children like minions. "And if anyone does not know how to guide his own household, how can he take care of God's church?" This is basically Paul's summary of everything.
Overseers: Christian Lifestyle
We've talked about character; we've talked about family. The overseer also has a Christian lifestyle. He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. Paul's main point about not being a recent convert is the whole pride issue—not necessarily whether or not they know the right things, but whether they're going to become conceited and prideful. Something Pastor John likes to remind us of is that there are no self-sent, self-anointed, and self-appointed leaders. Leaders should rise up naturally from the church. People should be coming to you and saying, "You'd be really good at this," and it should be something that God is raising up inside of you—not just, "I've got this idea and I'm the leader of it." He must also have a good reputation with outsiders—the second time Paul has mentioned this—so that he will not fall into the disgrace and the trap that the devil experienced.
So three basic things: good character, good family life, good Christian lifestyle.
Deacons
Next we're going to talk about deacons. We're in verse 8 now: "In the same way…" So Paul starts by saying, okay, the same kind of expectations we have for elders, maybe the same kind of expectations we have for deacons. Again, "deacon" is a Greek word that literally translates as "servant"—someone who is serving the church in some physical way. In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine—again, that's mentioned—not pursuing dishonest gain. They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. Just like Paul said that overseers need to be able to teach, deacons in the same way must keep hold of the deep truths, or the mystery, of the faith with a clear conscience. And he finishes by saying they must first be tested; and then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons, as servants.
Women Deacons
Then we get to verse 11. And some of your Bibles are going to say some different things. It might say "wives." It might just say "women." It might say "deaconesses." It might say "women deacons." What's going on here? In first-century Greek, there was no word for "deaconess." There was "deacon." And we know that there were female deacons. In Romans chapter 16, Paul mentions a gal named Phoebe, who was a deacon in the church in Cenchreae. And the word Paul uses for her is just "deacon." So if Paul is trying to give qualifications for women deacons, what word is he going to use? He's already started the section by saying, "In the same way, deacons need to be…" and now he needs to say something specifically about the women deacons. He doesn't have a word for "women deacons," so he's just going to use the word "women." And that's what we think is going on here—it just says "women."
Now, that same word could be used for the word "wives," but theologically that brings up some really bizarre issues. So the wives of elders have certain qualifications, but the wives of deacons don't—but the wives of deacons do? That doesn't quite make sense either. So what we believe is that Paul is referring specifically to some women deacons. Why? Remember our context: we're talking to a church in a city that has a cult entirely based on this "woman power" kind of goddess. Paul has to bring some correction in here.
Now, something to always keep in mind when you're reading one of the letters of the New Testament: we don't have the other letter. We don't have the letter that Timothy sent to Paul. So we know that Paul is responding to some questions, some issues that Timothy has brought up, but we kind of have to read between the lines. What are the issues? What are the questions? We know for sure, based on first-century history, that the temple, the cult of Artemis, encouraged women to take way too much power for themselves. And so Paul has to correct this and say, "Wait a second, is that really what's supposed to happen?" Now, when we come across some of these passages, we read them assuming that Paul is trying to put women down here. But we don't think that's what's happening. Men are here, women are here—but the women affected by the cult of Artemis think they're way up here. And so Paul has to say some pretty harsh things to bring them down a notch to the same level. I'll explain why in a little bit.
So, women deacons, in verse 11: in the same way that elders are this way and deacons are this way, women deacons need to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers. Literally, that means not to be "two-tongued." So you get this idea of a snake; you also get this idea of talking out of both sides of your mouth—"Oh yeah, I really love chocolate pie. Oh, I really love strawberry pie." They must be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers, not two-tongued. They must be temperate, or sober-minded, and they must be trustworthy in everything—or literally, they must be faithful to the things of the church.
And then lifestyle: a deacon also must be faithful to his wife and must guide his children and his household well. And then the conclusion to this whole section about overseers and deacons: those who have served well will be rewarded with respect from others and great confidence, or boldness, in their faith in Christ Jesus. So that's 1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 1 through 13.
Application: We Are All Called to Be Servants
Now let's talk about some application. Why are we reading this? Why do we care about qualifications for leaders?
Number one, I believe that we are all called to be leaders, or servants. The word "deacon" means servant. Jesus said that if we want to become his followers, we ought to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. That's Mark chapter 8. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples' feet and served them food. When the disciples began to argue about who was the greatest, Jesus chastised them and said, "The kings and those in authority lord their power over their subjects, but not so with you. Rather, the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I," Jesus says, "am among you as one who serves." So there's Jesus, king of the universe, washing the disciples' feet—he's not even at the table; he's down on his knees serving his disciples—and he's calling his disciples to the same kind of living. Don't lord power over people; serve them, and in this way you shall lead.
Ephesians 4 is a passage about bringing unity to the church. And Paul says to each of us—each, every single one of us—was given grace to be apostles and prophets and evangelists and shepherds and teachers. All of us have been given the grace to become one of these things that we always associate with the people in those offices back there that we pay. No, no, no. Paul says each of us has been given the grace to bring unity to the body of Christ by being apostles and prophets and evangelists and shepherds and teachers. Sitting in front of me right now is about 500 apostles and prophets and evangelists and shepherds and teachers. You all have the grace given to you by the Holy Spirit of God to be servants and leaders and to go out and change an entire culture. So we believe that you all are servants and leaders, and that 1 Timothy 3 applies specifically and directly to you.
Application: Women in Ministry and Leadership
Number two, there's kind of an elephant in the room. When reading through 1 Timothy chapter 3, you notice a lot of "he" pronouns: an overseer, he shall be this and he shall do that and he shall be faithful to his wife. So what about all you women in here? What's the story there? It seems that Paul specifically deals with women deacons, but what about the women elders? Good News Church has women elders and overseers and deacons—are we in conflict with Scripture?
No. We fully affirm women in ministry and leadership, and we do so because we believe that's where the Bible leads us. In Genesis chapter 1, we're shown that both men and women were created in God's image, had a direct relationship with God, and shared jointly the responsibilities of bearing and rearing children and having dominion over the created order. God said, "Let us make human beings in our own image," and God made them and granted them his image, man and woman both. In Genesis chapter 2, we're taught that women and men are created for full and equal partnership. Now, you come across this word "helper"—some of your translations probably say "help meet." What does this mean? Is the woman secondary to man? Is she just existing to serve the man's needs? The word "helper" is a Hebrew word, ezer, or ezer kenegdo, and it's a word that's most often used in the Old Testament for God himself. So we have no reason to think that when God says, "Let me make an ezer, a helper, for man," this is somehow secondary to men. They're in full and equal cooperation and partnership. Genesis 2:18—the ezer—it's a word that's referred to God.
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ came to redeem women as well as men. Through faith in Christ, we all become children of God, one in Christ, and heirs to the blessings of salvation without reference to racial, social, or gender distinctives. Galatians 3:26-28 says there's no Jew or Greek, free or slave, male or female, for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Bible teaches that at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on men and women alike. Without distinction, the Holy Spirit indwells women and men and sovereignly distributes gifts without preference as to gender. In Acts 2, we see this when Peter is quoting the prophet Joel and says, "God says, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and young men and women will prophesy and dream dreams." Men and women both. And when we look at the passages about spiritual gifts, there are no gifts that are just for men and gifts that are just for women. God gives and distributes them without regard to gender.
The Bible teaches that both women and men are called to develop their spiritual gifts and use them as stewards of the grace of God. Both men and women are divinely gifted and empowered to minister to the whole body of Christ under his authority. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna and many other women were the financial backers of Jesus's itinerant ministry. Mary Magdalene was the first and primary witness of Jesus's resurrection. A lady named Aquila taught a man, Apollos, who eventually planted churches. Philip's four daughters were all prophets. A woman named Junia was an apostle, well-esteemed. Phoebe, in Romans chapter 16, was a deacon. And a woman named Nympha led a house church. So we see throughout Scripture this massive testimony that men and women both are called and equipped to lead. And so when we come across passages that may suggest otherwise, we have to look at them through the lens of the massive testimony of Scripture, and not the other way around. So, the elephant in the room: are women called to be overseers and deacons? Yes, we believe so, fully and absolutely.
Application: God Is Calling You
Finally, number three. We at Good News believe that God is calling you to something larger than yourself. What is it? I don't need to say a whole lot else at this point. The Holy Spirit is going to do his job now and begin to work inside your hearts and start to ask, "What is it that you're called to?" There are ministry opportunities up the wazoo of things you can get involved in, and we believe that God is calling you. So what this is not is some sort of guilt trip—"Come on, we really need help, come on, please." No, that's not what we're about. And if it has been in the past, we're sorry. But what we want to call you to is being obedient to the Holy Spirit of God, who's called you and equipped you and gifted you to do things larger than yourself, bigger than your imagination.
Some of you feel like, "You know what, I don't have the skills." Or some of you are looking at your past life and saying, "I don't fit those qualifications. Sorry." But if you remember the lesson from last week—you're free. You're forgiven. So move forward. Move forward in faith to the calling that God has called you to. You can oversee, as Pastor says. You can deac. You can serve. It's just a matter of obeying what the Holy Spirit is calling you to do in this moment, and tomorrow, and next week.
Prayer
Let's stand and pray together.
Father God, I thank you for the hundreds of faces I'm seeing right now across this room. And God, I'm thankful that you have called every single one of them to be apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers in their own realm, in their own ministries, in their own life and families. And God, I want to pray right now for those who are discouraged and feel like they're not enough—they don't feel qualified, they don't feel fit, they feel like their gender holds them back, their age holds them back, their experience holds them back. God, may you set them free from that right now in this moment. God, may you raise up leaders—and leaders not the way the world pictures leaders, these great heroes, but God, may you raise up servants who are willing to say, "God, I want to do your will." God, may you break chains right now of bondage. May you heal hearts and minds that have been chained down to sin, to disobedience, to lack of faith. And God, may you give the gift of faith to everyone in this room in this moment, so they may go out and serve your kingdom and be full participants in your story, in your body, in your church. God, thank you for your wide and magnificent call. Thank you for grace. May we abide in it each day. Amen.
This is a transcript of the sermon as preached, lightly edited for readability.
