1 Timothy 3:9-11

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9 They (Deacons) must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11 In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. ~ 1 Timothy 3:9-11

In today's text, the Apostle Paul addresses the heart of the deacon. In v.9 we read, deacons "must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience." The deacon is to be known as one who knows and understands the deep truths of the faith. As with anything worthwhile, it takes time and serious effort to know and understand the deep truths of the faith. The key is to be known by these deep truths. This means we must have the humility and the willingness to entertain and wade through the deep questions of life which is more painful than I can say. There is no knowing and understanding these deep truths without going through the dark moments which leave us with the Lord Jesus and Him only. 

In Psalm 42:7 we read, "Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me." There will never be a substitute for a personal relationship with the Lord wherein He is becoming more and more important to us on a daily basis. As this happens, we will discover that we are being increasingly defined by Him. This is when we will be known by the deeper truths of the faith.

The Apostle Paul also tells us to hold to these deep truths with a clear conscience. When we run to the Lord for His definitions of life, we discover that He defines us. It’s not enough just to know the truth, we must be known by the truth which is the Lord Himself. And, of course, He knows all things, but as we avail ourselves to Him, we will be known by Him in an experiential way, in a way that He does not force on us. It is a way of being known by being vulnerable to Him. This type of knowledge he defines in that passage where He says to the goats, "Depart from me for I never knew you." (Matthew 7:21-23)

Throughout 1 Timothy the Apostle makes a major point out of sound and accurate doctrine. And, the spiritual character of the deacon is founded upon his affirmation of New Testament teachings. The key in doing this is discovered in Paul's words:  "with a clear conscience." The deacon possesses a conscience that is clear because he is walking with the Lord. The Lord is defining Him. Winston Churchill said it best when he said, "Mountaintops inspire leaders but valleys mature them."

The stronger our theology, the stronger our conscience will be. The more we understand the Bible, God's definitions of things, the stronger our faith will be. When we have strong doctrine and theology, we will be very strong in our conscience. Strong conviction yields a strong conscience. Conviction leads to the commitment to the truth which will yield a soul influenced and framed up by the truth. Then, that welcome mat before our hearts will render a love for the truth, for God and others.

Elders and deacons are models of what the rest in the church are to be. A pure conscience only exists where a person lives out his biblical convictions and knows no accusation against himself. And, by God’s grace and power and the confession of forgiven sin, we can know this pure conscience. So a deacon in the church is tested by personal trials which he encounters in his walk with the Lord.And, through the trials, he will be tested.

In v.10 we read, "They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons." The verb used here for tested is a present passive verb, which means it’s an ongoing test. This means that those who are deacons are tested and proven people. They have tested the truth to discover its stability.

The words in the remainder of v.10, "and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons." introduces us to a word that means to be blameless. To be blameless is to have no blot on his life, without spot, without blemish, nothing for which he could be accused and therefore disqualified. 

The difference between the elder and the deacon is in function. The elder is to be a skilled teacher and that is never a qualification of a deacon, because the function of the elder is uniquely the public teaching of the Word of God. Deacons may teach, they may teach very effectively, they may be on their way to becoming elders but the primary function that they serve is the carrying out or the application of the teaching being done by the elders.

In v.11 we read, "In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything." 

This verse clearly shows a woman can be a deaconess. In Romans 16:1 Phoebe was called a deaconess. And, unlike the elder, the deacon can be a woman. God has been known to raise up women in the church who serve in many ways: caring for the poor, ministering to the sick, providing meals for families, counseling, and teaching little children.

The qualifications in v.11 are almost the same as in v.8. In v.11 the Apostle uses the word diabolos, the word for "devil" to describe what her speech is not to be. "The Deaconess' are not to be slanderers." The devil, of course, is the supreme slanderer. In other words, they’re to control their tongue and give no place for the enemy to bring havoc in our ranks. They are not to have a tongue that is not only gossipy but not also slanderous.

People who say the wrong things, whether gossip or slander, say it because of their lack of self value. And, only the Lord can give us our proper self value. The tongue speaks what the heart thinks, and the person who is not building others up are in no position to lead. Leadership is for those who have no self in the game. The leader must be wise in what he says and how he says it. Only that which is constructive should come out of the leaders mouth, never anything destructive for that which is destructive ultimately serves the kingdom of darkness.

 

1 Timothy 3:8

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In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. ~ 1 Timothy 3:8

Today, we dive back into the Apostle Paul's instructions to Timothy about the leadership in the local church. Although these teachings are primarily for the leaders in the church, these teachings are applicable to anyone who is a leader.

Having instructed the overseers or the elders, the Apostle Paul now turns to addressing those who are known as deacons. The Greek word used for deacon means servant. In Acts 8, we learn that the first deacons were appointed to be assistants to the apostles.

The qualifications for being a deacon are not in any sense inferior to the qualifications of that of an elder. In fact, the qualifications for the deacon and the elder are basically the same. They both look at a man’s personal life, character, home life, leadership capability, and commitment to the service of the Lord. John Wooden once said, "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."

At the beginning of v.8 we read, "In the same way." This means in the same way as the Apostle had instructed the elders. The various word forms for deacon are used at least 100 times in the New Testament. This word diakonos simply means “servant” which in its original meaning, had the idea of serving tables. Through time of usage, it has come to mean servant, serve, serves, or service.

Now, in John 12:26, the Lord Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me.” To be a follower of the Lord Jesus is to be a servant, but this doesn't mean that a person who serves the Lord is to be recognized as a deacon. Even though it is characteristic of the believer in Christ to be a servant, there are specific marks of the deacon that qualifies him as a deacon. 

The work of the Deacon is not specifically mentioned in the scriptures until our text for today, 1 Timothy 3:8-10. This passage is the only discussion of the specific work of the deacon.

Now, the Apostle Paul wrote 1 Timothy to try to set things in order in the church at Ephesus. It had become clear that the church in Ephesus needed not only instructions for the teachers of the Word who were the overseers or the elders, they also needed instruction for the deacons, those who would provide support leadership to the elders.

In v.8 we read, "deacons are to be worthy of respect." This phrase "worthy of respect" comes from a root verb sebōmai, which means “to venerate” or “to worship.” It brings with it  the idea that this person has a carriage about him that demands respect. This is a person who by virtue of his spirituality has a certain awe about him because of his walk with the Lord.

In v.8 the Apostle Paul gives the second mark of the deacon which is: "he is to be sincere." This is the only place in the Scripture where this word appears. It is dilogos in the Greek and it literally means two-tongued. This simply means that a deacon is not to be gossipy person. He doesn’t say one thing to one person and another thing to another. He doesn't go around giving out inside information about others in the church, especially the deeply felt needs of others. The idea here is integrity of speech.

The third mark of a deacon in v.8 is "not indulging in much wine." Note the Apostle Paul wrote "much wine" because wine was not prohibited, but drunkenness was. The Apostle used the Greek word prosechō which means “to hold near” or “to turn one’s mind to” or “to occupy oneself with.” The deacon is not to be preoccupied with too much wine. He is not to develop the habit of drunkenness.

The fourth mark of the deacon is he is "not pursuing dishonest gain." Basically, he is not to be greedy, because the deacons handled the gifts and offerings that were collected during the various meetings of the church. And, then they had the responsibility of passing out money to widows, to orphans, and to those who were needy.

Undoubtedly, it was tempting to the deacon to borrow funds from the church. And, then, once he borrowed from the church, he could have gotten to the point that he could rationalize that he was needy like the widows or the orphans and it would be okay for him to be helped by the church. This scenario merely underscores the way sin works into our lives. We rarely take large leaps into sin. No, it usually happens through a series of small choices that lead us to sin. This is why the Apostle addresses the heart of the deacon in the very next verse which we will consider in our next blog and next podcast.

Finally, I leave you with another great quote from the late John Wooden. "Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

1 Timothy 3:6-7

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6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. ~ 1 Timothy 3:6-7

The Lord Jesus will always call leaders to perfection all the while knowing leaders will never reach such a plateau this side of heaven. God has ordained a standard for spiritual leaders, and as much as is possible, by God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, those who lead are to attempt the meeting of that standard. 

Our inability to be perfect is a means by which we grow in our dependence upon the Lord. This is a product of the Fall, yet it is a good reality because there are times that we must be reminded that we are in desperate need of the Lord at all times. Having said that, the leader must not get out of sorts when he fails at being a leader. Those who are wise will embrace the humility and the Lord will, through the failure, make of him a more authentic leader.

 In v.6 of today's text we read, "He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil."

The issue here is not that this man might not be a good teacher of the Bible or a strong leader, the issue is if a new convert is put in a position with other mature, godly men, he’s going to have a battle with pride. This is why a person should only be acknowledged as a leader after he has been doing the work of a leader for some time.

Now, the Apostle references the judgment of the devil. This judgment was a demotion from a high position, and that’s exactly what God says will happen to the man lifted up too soon. When others look up to us, it is easy to get a big head. Pride creates a false standard of our own spirituality. Once this happens, we then become too pious and too proud. Pride will always show up in judgmentalism of some form. And, you'll remember, it was pride that inaugurated sin, it gave sin its birth in the first place.

The test of leadership is the test of humility which is the antidote of pride. And here we must use great caution so that we do not lift ourselves up to a place where we are no longer defined by the Lord.

In v.7 we read, "He (the leader) must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap."

The word “reputation” means testimony. In fact, it is the Greek word marturia which means “martyr.” In the community, this man is to be known as a good man one who dies to himself daily. This is the key, "die to the evil desires that are yet in us even though we are born again." No one can influence others unless he is respected by those whom he wants to influence. 

 

Notice the purpose found in the middle of v.7, "so that he will not fall into disgrace." This phrase paints the picture of the unforeseen fall that awaits the one who is not walking with the Lord Jesus. It is interesting the Lord uses the word "disgrace" here, suggesting that all of our successes are by His grace and all of our failures are in direct correlation to moving out from under His grace.

 

"The devil's trap" is like an animal trap. As the animal is lured to a certain spot, it is suddenly caught by an unseen danger. This is the potential plight of the leader who desires a reputation that draws others to his Lord. 

 

No temptation appears as a temptation. Each temptation always seems attractive and tame. Temptation is not sin, it baits us and entices us into sin but temptation in and of itself is not a sin. To be tempted literally means “to bait a hook.” No fish deliberately gets caught, but when the hook is baited with the right worm, well, temptation starts trying it's lure on us. 

 

Temptation always carries with it some bait that appeals to our natural desires. The bait not only attracts us, it also hides the fact that yielding to the desire will eventually disgrace us.

Sadly, it is that disgrace that keeps the unsaved from His grace. Disgrace is brought upon the Lord and His message and the unsaved are kept from the only one who can save them. God delights in making outsiders insiders and so should we. We do this by remaining very close to the Lord daily through confession of forgiven sin, through living in His word, and through covenanting with our eyes not to look lustfully upon another woman.

1 Timothy 3:4-5

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4 An overseer must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) ~ 1 Timothy 3:4-5 

Godly leadership is a must in order to have a healthy church. This is the subject of 1 Timothy 3. I believe it was John Maxwell who once said, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." As is illustrated in these first three chapters of 1 Timothy, if we do not have a personal and advancing walk with the Lord, we will not know the way for ourselves and we will not be able to show the way to others.


Today, we come back into a context where the Apostle Paul has given us instruction on being before doing. A leader is followed before his teaching is embraced. Thus, leadership is influence, and influence primarily is a direct result of a man's way of life. This is why, in 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul lists the characteristics of an effective leader, because it is the influence of the one with the vision that sets the vision for those who follow.

It is not enough to teach the truth, the truth must be modeled. But, before we can influence others for and in the way and the truth, we must know the way and the truth for ourselves, otherwise, we dole out second hand information due to the fact that the way and the truth is only known on a first hand basis.

In v.4 of our text we read, "An overseer must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect."

To this point, the Apostle Paul has given us twelve marks of a good leader. Today, he gives us another very big mark of an effective leader: He leads his family authentically. The late Sam Walton once said, "Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish."

Those who stand in the place of spiritual leadership must have demonstrated the capability of such leadership in the home before they would be counted worthy to demonstrate it in any other setting. The family has always been the proving ground for leadership skills. This never will mean that the leader has a perfect family, it just means that he has a healthy family.


The word “manage” in v.4 has several dimensions of meaning to it. It means literally "to stand before." And one can stand before as one who leads when he does so as the one who protects or provides. The focus in this verse is care. We can see that at the end of the verse. The verse starts with the leading of the family, but it ends with a reference to caring for the church. Manage is a word that is not a flimsy word for it requires of the leader to say "no" to his family on certain things for their good. The trust that the leader's family gives him comes from the authenticity that grows out of his selfless love and concern for his family.


There are a lot of men who manage their family, but do they manage it well? If not, they will not get the desired effect which is summed up in two words: obey and respect. 

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone in a world of torrential waters. This confidence comes from his authentic and personal relationship to and with the Lord. And, this is something that can not be faked before his family. This confidence in the Lord will produce in him the courage that he will need to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of his family. True leaders do not set out to be such, but after some time they discover that they are true leaders because of their authentic walk with the Lord. 

Spirituality is not the same as morality, however, when a man is walking with the Lord, when he is walking in His Spirit, he will be a moral man. Spirituality is so much more than morality, it is the giving of God's heart to the man who demonstrates what he wants to see in his family. And, of course, the Lord gives His heart to those who are giving their heart to Him. When this happens, the children of the leader will recognize the authenticity of their father and will render the proper obedience and respect. This is a pattern from the Lord and His word does not come back void. The leader's authenticity mixed with his humility and honesty is what garners obedience and respect from those who follow.

1 Timothy 3:3

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Now the overseer is not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ~ 1 Timothy 3:3

We are all involved in an unseen battle, a battle between good and evil, a war between God and Satan. Our task is impossible apart from an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. When we were "born again" the Holy Spirit not only made us alive to God as He moved into our being, He also made it possible for us to do the tasks He has called us to in this unseen war.

Now, God has given many gifts to His church, and, of course, we all have different gifts. But, today we come back to 1 Timothy where God through the Apostle Paul gives instructions to those He has ordained to be the leaders of the church. Our text today provides five more instructions to those who desire to be effective leaders. Emphasis here is placed on who we are to be long before he instructs us on what we should be doing.

Thus, the Apostle writes, "Now the overseer is not given to drunkenness." This is the eighth characteristic of the leader: he must not be given to drunkenness. 

In v.2, the Apostle informed us that the leader must be temperate or wineless. Here in v.3 the leader is not to be given to drunkenness. The idea here is there comes a point when you surrender to the effects of the alcohol.

In those days, the people diluted their wine with water to make sure it was not too strong. It was a well-known fact that water was not pure in those days, so that weak wine taken in moderation would have been healthier to drink. However, there is a vast difference between the cultural use of wine in Bible days and giving oneself to drunkenness.

In Isaiah 28:7 we read, "And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions." 

The leaders of Israel had turned away from God and His way, only to lead the people down the wrong road. The waywardness of the people began with the unwise decision of the leaders to give themselves to beer and wine.

The fact that Paul advised Timothy to use wine for medicinal purposes in 1 Timothy 5:23 indicates that total abstinence was not demanded of leaders. Sad to say, some of them gave themselves to drunkenness.

Of course, the alternative is to give yourself to the Lord which is not a one time event. Since God gave His Son to purchase us, we gladly agree with that by renouncing all claims upon our lives. Choosing to surrender completely to Him only a daily basis is the choice of love. When we lose sight of His great love for us, we are in danger of giving ourselves to something or someone else rather than to Him.

In today's text, the Apostle writes, "The overseer is not to be violent." This is the ninth characteristic of the true leader. This word literally means not a giver of fist blows. A true leader doesn’t punch people when he gets upset. Most people who drink are violent. A real leader is a man who can deal with things with a cool mind, with gentleness, who doesn’t fight.

The tenth characteristic of a leader is he is gentle. The word the Apostle uses here means to be considerate, forbearing, and gracious. This is a man who easily pardons human failure in not only himself but in others.

The eleventh characteristic of the leader is he is not quarrelsome. This phrase describes a person who is not argumentative. He is not looking to get into an argument for the argument sake. A real leader is one who is a peacemaker; he looks for ways to calm the situation so that cooler heads prevail.

And then, finally, the twelfth characteristic of the leader is found in in v.3. The leader is "not a lover of money." A real leader is not covetous. The scriptures remind us that the love of money is the root of all evil. The love of money is a greedy lust for power, prestige and status. We can covet many things besides money: popularity, a large ministry that makes us famous, ministry advancement of some other kind.

Those who live focused on money do not know the Lord as their provider. I've discovered financial need is a major way God reveals Himself to us, and the more desperate we are for our needs to be met the greater the light will shine on the Lord for those who are the recipients of His provision. The power in a many ministries is forfeited due to the lack of patience and trust in the Lord.

1 Timothy 3:2

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Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach. ~ 1 Timothy 3:2

The number one overall theme in 1 Timothy is leadership, something that was lacking in the church at Ephesus. There were some who were teaching false doctrine, fables and genealogies that didn’t edify anybody, and weren’t even godly. There were some who wanted to be teachers of the law of Moses, but they had no idea about the purpose of the law.

In the church at Ephesus, there were some women trying to undermine God's pattern of leadership given us in His word. There were all kinds of people who were trying to rise to leadership because of money, position and prestige.

 

In all of the epistles of Paul, he addresses the matter of false teaching from the false leaders. False teaching is a very important matter because how we view God is the most important thing in our lives. The antidote of the false is the true. So, in today's text the Apostle turns our attention to the truth.

In this one verse the Apostle gives us seven qualifications of the effective leader. Paul writes, "Now the overseer is to be above reproach."

The first qualification for those who lead is being above reproach or blamelessness. The Greek word for "is to be"

is dei which is better translated "must." It is an absolute necessity that this man be above reproach or blameless. 

 

Coupled with this idea of blamelessness is the Greek word einai which is a present participle of the verb "to be." He must be in a present state of blamelessness. This does not mean that he has never committed a sin in his whole life. It does not mean that, in the past, there wasn’t something that was wrong. What it does means is, in the present, he is blameless. And, everything else that comes after this first requirement defines what is meant by blameless. 

 

Now, to be above reproach means to not be able to be held or taken hold of. In other words, you can’t grab him as if he had done something deserving of apprehension. He is beyond accusation. There’s nothing to accuse him of. He must be a man whose life is not marred by some sin, some vice, some evil, be it a habit, or be it an incident, or be it an attitude. It could be anything that will cause him to be accused. He is to be beyond accusation. 

 

Now, this does not mean he is perfect or there will not be times when he fails or when he does something wrong. It does mean that his failure will not be his lifestyle. It does mean there is not a public sin in his life, to which everybody could point and accuse him of accordingly. There is no issue in his life that is an ongoing problem of sin which would cause others to blame him and thus distract from the truth.

 

The second qualification of a leader is; he must be “faithful to his wife.” The Apostle Paul is not addressing his marital status. He is pointing out that a man's ability to be a one-woman man qualifies him to be a leader. The leader must not be sexually promiscuous, he must not be an adulterer.

The third qualification for a leader is that he must be temperate which means unmixed with wine or wineless. In Proverbs 20:1 we read, "Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise." In Ephesus at that time drunken orgies were part of the culture. The Temple of Diana of the Ephesians was replete with drinking of alcohol. A leader is to be temperate which is to be alert, watchful, vigilant, clearheaded. He never allows himself to be put in the position to get intoxicated. 

The fourth qualification is he must be self-controlled. The leader is the person who knows how to order his priorities. This word carries with it the idea of a man with a sure and steady mind, who is not rash, but who is very thoughtful in his judgments.

The fifth characteristic is he is respectable. He has the ability to be viewed as responsible. Others see the discipline of his heart and mind in the discipline of his duties and his actions. He is trusted to be responsible with the care of others.

 

The sixth characteristic is he is hospitable. The Greek word the Apostle used here is philoxenos which means lover of the stranger. In Hebrews 13:2 we read, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." 

 

The example the writer of Hebrews uses is Abraham and Sarah, who in being gracious to serve a meal to three strangers found out, when looking back, that the strangers were none other than God and two angels come in the form of men.

 

The seventh characteristic of an overseer is he is able to teach. This is the only qualification given in the entire list related specifically to the function of an overseer. It means skilled in teaching. It is used only here and in 2 Timothy 2:24. Only those two times is it used. He is to be a skilled teacher. This is the thing that sets elders apart from deacons. There is a marked skill in teaching that goes along with the other qualifications. The man is highly qualified who has the skill of teaching.

1 Timothy 3:1

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Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ~ 1 Timothy 3:1 

Everything rises or falls with leadership, whether it be a family or a local church. Hosea said, “Like people, like priests.” People are like those who lead them. The Lord Jesus put it this way: “When a man is fully taught, he will be like his teacher.” It is inevitable that we become like the ones who teach us.

As we transition into 1 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul gives us the most important quality that God has ever given to leaders. Many years have passed since the Ephesian church began, and Timothy was given responsibility for the leadership of the church in Ephesus which was beginning to drift away from the truth due to the false doctrine taught by the false teachers.

Notice that the Apostle Paul addresses the false teaching by lifting up the spirituality of those who want to be Overseers in the church. The antidote for the false is obviously the real. And, there is one vital quality that sets one apart for leadership. And, if one does not have this vital quality, he will never be a leader, even though he may be gifted greatly. The quality is intimacy with the Lord. A leader who does not have an intimate walk with the Lord will be subject to being weak in his leadership.

In 1 Timothy 3:1, the Apostle Paul writes about the call to leadership. Long before Paul addresses any other qualities for the leader, God leads the Apostle to begin with: “Whoever aspires.” The one with with the walk and the desire is the one with the call from God. And, this call will be a compulsion in and from the heart. 

The Apostle Paul says in v.1, "And if you desire that, that’s a good thing to desire." The word for desire brings with it a yearning that the leader perhaps does not fully understand. There is a sacredness to it.

The Apostle Paul begins today's text with, "Here is a trustworthy saying." This phrase is used five times by the Apostle in 1 Timothy 1:15, 1 Timothy 3:1, 1 Timothy 4:9,  2 Timothy 2:11 and Titus 3:8. "Here is a trustworthy saying." To put it simply, “This is the truth, and everybody knows it.” It will be so clear to everyone. And, this is only the formula used in the pastoral epistles, which means that it didn’t come into use until late in the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

The call to the ministry is the call to Spirit-generated compulsion to do ministry which cannot be diminished. This is not a question of choosing the best of options. This is not, "I can't do engineering, so I must go into the ministry." It is not a question of analyzing all of one's gifts or a personality profile, it is a question of a compulsion, a deeply generated desire given by the Holy Spirit to be used of God for the betterment of others.

Again, the Apostle writes, “Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.” The construction of this verse in the Greek indicates these leaders are to be males. Paul uses the Greek word "tis" which is a masculine pronoun, meaning, “if any man desires.” This is in keeping with the order of these things as indicated in the previous chapter.

Notice the Apostle writes, "Whoever aspires to be an overseer." The Greek word used here for overseer is episkapos. This word means so much more than a position, it is a work. This was a word that was used to describe men who taught and exercised care for a group of people, much like a shepherd.

The Apostle Paul is saying, "If a man desires to do the work of an overseer or a spiritual leader, it is a good thing." This desire is the aspiration of a heart which has itself experienced the grace of God, and which longs to see others come into a personal relationship with Him. Ambition for a position corrupts but a desire for service purifies. The leaders who are sent by God are leaders who are compelled from the heart to do the needed ministry.

The word noble is used to describe the task. This word means excellent, honorable, or high-quality work. To those who are called to this task see it as the highest and the greatest and the most worthy calling to which anyone could ever be called. 

Years ago a young man in a church that I was speaking to said to me, "Why won't the leaders in this church acknowledge me as a leader?" I said, "Do you want the title of the leader or do you desire to do the work of a leader." Needless to say, being a leader is not about the approval of others. Leaders will always receive their share of criticism. A very wise man once said, "Never silence your critics for they serve to clarify your message." Being a leader is the product of giving one's heart to the Lord. Being a leader is about the passionate desire to do the work of helping the flock grow in their walk with the Lord Himself.