Roles Inside the Church Part 2

Title: Roles Inside The Church Part II
Text: 1 Timothy 3Pastors and Deacons
Desiring to become an overseer desires a noble task (v.1). But why is it a noble task? Because becoming an overseer requires many things to consider. Below are the things that we have to consider if we desire to become an overseer or a deacon.

Characters
1. Above reproach – This means that other people cannot have or do not have anything to say against him. Now imagine if you see a pastor where lot of things can be said against him, which are true? Do we think he can be effective inside the church teaching things that we have to be like this or that? Or how about a deacon, who teaches to be prayerful and that we have to pray all the time and he himself does not pray?
Imagine a pastor who say, we have to support the prayer meeting and he himself is absent during the prayer meetings? The same is true with the deacons. Being one of the church leaders should always be above reproach.
Going back in the book of Ephesians 6:
2. A husband but of one wife – The issue that here does not concern the marital status but sexual purity.
One time when I am conducting a lecture with some pastors, we discussed about sexual immorality. There were two deadly sins of a pastor, which means that if a pastor sinned with either or both of these sins, his ministry will be more or less a disaster.
The two sins are “love of money” and “sexual immorality”. When a pastor commits these two sins, “most of the time” it is the mark of the of his pastoral ministry. Especially when it comes to sexual immorality. Note that this is one of the main requirements of being an elder.
3. Temperate – The Greek word used here means “wineless”. It must be noted however that this word was used metaphorically to mean “alert”, “watchful”, or “vigilant.” As an Elder of the church, he must be able to think well.
In short, this means that an elder of the church should be watchful of himself in becoming rude even in the midst of trials and problems. He must poses sound judgment and thinking.
4. Self-Controlled – Can also be translated as “sober-minded”. Simply means, “he knows what he is doing”. He is not hasty, but a well disciplined man.
5. Respectable – This can mean “orderly”. This is why we also give time teaching our trainees to become and look dignified even in the way they dress. Note that being respectable is way beyond that. Being respectable involves our attitudes and the way we go along with people.
It also involves our ethical behavior.
6. Hospitable – This means “love of strangers”. Of course we all the rule of thumb, “be aware of a stranger”. What the Bible is talking here is about being hospitable to someone that does not belong to your family, which results to being kind to everyone.
Filipinos are very known to be hospitable. In fact, we are very hospitable that we even reserve some things in our homes to be used only by our visitors. Some women in their respective home have their own collection of Tupperwares, Corning wares, nice fine glasses, nice fine plate, real silver spoon and forks, and other utensils. But they only used it when a visitor comes.
They used to have different utensils to be used regularly while others are only intended for special occasions or whenever there is a special visitor. When I was a kid, I really do not understand why I cannot use the fine glasses and fine kitchenwares. My mother gets mad whenever I used the good utensils. It does not make any sense for me. Later, there I found the answer, Filipinos are hospitable and they want to offer their best.

7. Able to teach – This is the only thing that distinguishes an elder to a deacon. This refers to the giftedness of an elder. This is the primary duty of pastors, elders, overseers. That is why we also train our pastoral trainees in the area of teaching.
A pastor is always a teacher. Meaning, he has to learn how to influence his disciples, teaching them in becoming good followers of Christ. Note that it does not measure

Virtues – a quality of doing what is right and wrong. It is admirable quality or attribute.
8. Not given to drunkenness – This one of the famous verses that we usually quote if we are Christians, yet we still used to drink wine. Once again, I do admit that the Bible does not really prohibit us from drinking wine. However, in our own ministerial context, drinking wine has its own detrimental effect in our ministry.
We advice abstinence from intoxicating liquors because it cannot do anything beneficial to our ministry and to our testimony. In addition to this, we will no longer be “above reproach” if we will be drinking wine which is supposed to be the first requirement that we have if we desire to be an elder or a deacon.
It must be understood, that our total abstinence from intoxicating liquor is more on choosing what would benefit us the most as Christians rather than doing something that would destroy or defame the name of the church and of our Lord.
9. Not violent but gentle – One of the detrimental effects of being drunk is violence. Being drunk with wine creates a big percentage to the causes of crimes all over the world. This is why we rather pursue holiness and being filled with the Holy Spirit rather than indulging ourselves with wine and all other vices.
The Bible says, we have to be gentle. I do not know if there is a drunkard who became more gentle when he gets drunk than he is in his state of mind. I haven’t seen one. Most of them becomes reckless, violent, clumsy, and out of control.
10. Not quarrelsome – If we are temperate, for sure we are avoiding to become quarrelsome. We do not look for fight. Instead of a fight, we pursue love. This is why even in our Bible study, we instruct our people not to engage in any debate for debates are not of our Lord, it is from Satan.
No one wins with debate, instead it promotes hatred. I have not seen any argument in debate where one will be able to prove to his opponent that he is right and then his opponent will join him.
11. Not a lover of money – This is the other deadly sin of an elder or a pastor. Loving money more than God can kill the ministry of a pastor. We have to remember that most pastor are not wealthy, and in fact most of them does not have any other major means of earning money. Earning money is just a part of their lives, and not their lives.
This is why; it is not surprising to see some pastors who can fall into temptation in not becoming a good steward. I would say, a pastor should become a good steward especially in the area of finances. When a pastor starts to get inside the church’s treasury for himself, then it is also the end of ministry.

“MUST” Qualities
12. Must manage his family well – When I was a kid, my father used to warn us that if we become stubborn and rebellious to them, then we will start packing our things so that our family can move out from the parsonage and we do not have to right to live in there.
It is indeed very important especially for pastor’s kids to learn how to obey their parents. This is simply because, any bad move from the kids reflects the parents. And if the pastor’s kids are rebellious, then it reflects the pastor.
How much more if he is going to advice to other members of the church on what to do in a certain family problem? Certainly, he do not have the power to do that since his children does not even obey him.
The worst-case scenario, if his wife turned against him.
13. Must not be a recent convert – For many years, many Christians have misunderstood this requirement. Many Christians prohibits new Christians to be involved in the ministry just because they are new inside the church. There has been a rule in most churches that new believers cannot be a ministerial player for at least a year.
Such belief resulted to detrimental and blowing effects to the church ministry. In long term cases, these churches only produced more “nominal Christians”. Christians that only goes to church to listen (I even doubt if they listen) and then go home afterwards with no involvement at all.
In our campaign in reaching the lost, this is one of our major things that we are pursuing, immediate training and involvement in the ministry.
These new Christians does not have to be leaders, but they have to be trained immediately on things that they are suppose to do in the near future. In doing this, we are keeping the burning desire to serve God inside them to be kept alive and be used for God’s glory.
They do not have to be the leaders and major players of the ministry. But they can do lot of help in our ministries. To guide them is the our main work.
14. Must have a good reputation with outsiders – Paul, does not have a good reputation when he started in the ministry. Paul can be accounted as a “Christian killer” in his time. But, note that even though Paul had this bad reputation, he exemplified to have a good Christian life when he became a Christian.
And this is very important for us to understand. To have a good reputation in becoming a pastor or an elder or even a deacon is very important. We can never be effective in the field of our ministry if we are known to be corrupt.
It is even shameful to know someone serving God for money. It is shameful to know someone serving God because he trying to pursue someone. And how about going to church just because your parents goes to church and you on the other once outside the church does not have a good testimony to your classmates or officemates? What a shame.

Conclusion
The role of Pastor/Elder/Overseer and deacons are very important inside the church and they have to be aware of these qualities of becoming like one. This is also one of the reason why we have to give them due respect for it is not easy to be a servant of God.
But again, becoming a servant of God is Noble. As a servant of God myself, I pledge to respect this office that I am holding. Amen.