The Office of Pastor (part 2)

I Timothy 3:1-7

There is not much that makes me cringe more than when a preacher gets caught in some kind of scandal. Even when it is from a different denomination, or the prosperity gospel preachers (which are neither true preachers, nor true churches), the scandal casts a long shadow on all who fall under the title of clergy. As a Baptist, there is no authority I answer to other than the local church and the Lord Jesus Himself. Yet, the court of public opinion judges us all the same. This is one of the reasons why Paul wrote what he did to Timothy. Of course, there is a more important reason that we will consider as we study our text.

---

“This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

I Timothy 3:1-7

---

The next characteristic that a pastor is to live out is "A bishop then must be...of good behavior". The Greek word translated "of good behavior" means "one who lives with decorum, modest, or orderly". Pastors must live a life that fits both good social standards and more importantly, one that fits Biblical standards. We are to be men who follow the rules. Every culture, even the bad ones, have good social standards and acceptable social standards. We must live up to good social standards. Just because something is permissible, this does not mean that we even consider partaking in it. Above any worldly standard, Pastors should follow Biblical standards for the sake of holiness. God tells His children to be holy as He is holy (I Peter 1:16). We cannot call people to holiness if we are not striving to live a holy life ourselves.

A pastor is also to be hospitable. This word comes from a Greek word that means "friend of strangers". That is what hospitality is. We welcome people into our homes and treat them as friends. In our modern world, it is so easy to only interact with those that we already share a bond. We live in our little bubbles and never venture out. There is no longer a societal norm of hospitality. This is especially true following the COVID outbreak. I find myself apprehensive, not of COVID, but of making someone else uncomfortable because of COVID. Often times I talk myself out of being hospitable in the name of being considerate. I must remind myself that I am called to be hospitable, not accommodating in reclusiveness.

The final characteristic in verse two is "A bishop then must be...able to teach". I will confess to you, this is my favorite characteristic. I love to teach. I have the privilege of teaching six days a week. There are times when it is exhausting, but still, I love it. However, a teacher cannot teach what they do not know. That means that a pastor must be a student of God's Word himself. To be an effective Bible student, we must also pray and ask God to open our eyes so that we can see the wonderful things in God's Word (Psalm 119:18). Teaching also includes more than preaching from the pulpit. The Levites of the Old Testament were to be among the people. Teaching Godliness is both spoken and demonstrated in how we live out our lives in front of people. Just as the fathers were commanded in the Old Testament, you should speak of God when you "sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 11:19).

Father, we are called to live our lives before others. We preach the Gospel, we teach Your Word, and we are to be an example to the brethren. It can all feel overwhelming sometimes, but we know that Your grace is sufficient. Rather than focus on the negatives, help us to count it a blessing and an honor to reveal You to our friends, family, and to the strangers that we show hospitality to.