So You Want to Be a Leader

A good work (3:1). “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” A bishop, or overseer, is a leader who cares for a church, like a pastor. Wanting to serve God’s people this way is a good thing. What God looks for. God does not ask first for leaders who are rich, famous or the best speakers. Almost every quality Paul names is about character: who a person is on the inside. Blameless (3:2). “A bishop then must be blameless.” Blameless does not mean perfect. It means no one can rightly point to a wrong he keeps on doing. A clear head. Temperate and sober-minded describe someone with self-control, who thinks before he speaks or acts. Paul adds “not given to wine”: a leader keeps a clear mind. An open door. Hospitable means welcoming people into your home. Able to teach means explaining God’s Word so others can understand it. Gentle, not fighting (3:3). A leader must be “gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous.” Quarrelsome means always ready for an argument. Covetous describes a heart that is never satisfied and keeps reaching for other people’s things. Safe and kind. A good leader never hurts children. If any leader, even at church, hurts you, frightens you or tells you to keep a secret, tell a parent, a teacher, a pastor or a relative. It is never your fault. The heart first. Talent can impress people for a day. Character shows who you are every day, and God cares about it most. Not only for grown-ups. Is this list just for pastors? No. Jesus grows these same qualities in every child who follows Him: self-control, kindness, gentleness and a welcome for others. What this means for you. Pick one quality from 3:2–3 this week. Ask Jesus to help you grow in it at home and at school.

A faithful saying (3:1). “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” Bishop translates episkopos (say: eh-PIS-koh-pos), one who watches over others. Paul uses it for the leaders who shepherd a local church. A good work. Paul calls the role a work, not a title. Leading God’s people is service, and it is right to want it for the right reasons. Character over talent. In 3:2–3 only one quality, “able to teach,” is a skill. The rest describe the person. God fills His church with leaders whose lives match their words. Blameless. “A bishop then must be blameless.” This is not sinless perfection. It means no charge of an ongoing wrong can rightly stick to him. A clear mind. Temperate and sober-minded point to self-control and clear thinking. “Not given to wine” belongs to the same idea: a leader keeps a clear mind. Ordered and open. “Of good behavior” describes a life that is orderly and respectable. Hospitable means a ready welcome for guests and strangers. Gentle strength (3:3). “Not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous.” A leader can be firm without being harsh, and he serves people without using them for gain. Safe leaders. Godly leaders protect the weak. If any leader, at church or anywhere else, hurts you, scares you or pressures you to keep a secret, speak up to a parent, a teacher, a pastor or a relative you trust. It is never your fault. The heart. Long ago God told Samuel, “the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He still does. For every believer. Nearly every quality here is asked of all Christians somewhere in the New Testament. You can start now: control your temper, tell the truth, welcome the new kid and hold money loosely. Application. Choose the quality in 3:2–3 that is hardest for you. Ask Christ to grow it in you, and ask a parent to help you notice it this week.

What does God look for in a leader? Paul gave Timothy a list. Leading God’s church is good work. But God is not looking first for smart or popular people. He looks for a good heart. A leader must have self-control. He must welcome people and teach God’s Word well. He must be gentle and peaceful. A good leader does not like to fight. He does not love money either. Is this list only for grown-ups? No. Jesus can grow these things in kids too! Good leaders are safe leaders. No leader, even at church, should hurt or scare you. No leader should ask you to hide a secret from your family. If that happens, tell a parent, a teacher or a pastor. It is never your fault.

God wants leaders who are kind and gentle. A good leader never hurts or scares children. If any leader does, tell your teacher or a parent.

Home first (3:4–5). Leaders should love and care well for their families. Caring for “the church of God” takes the same patient, faithful love. Not a new believer (3:6). A bishop must be “not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.” A novice is someone who has just started following Jesus. Puffed up. Puffed up is a picture of a balloon full of air: big on the outside and empty inside. Pride makes us think we are better than others. Why pride matters. Paul says pride brought judgment on the devil. Pride is nothing to play with, but God gives grace to humble hearts. Time to grow. A new believer is loved and welcomed right away. Leading others comes later, after faith has had time to grow. Well thought of (3:7). “Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside.” Those outside are people who are not part of the church, like neighbors, coworkers and classmates. No double life. A leader cannot be one person at church and another person at home or at work. People should see Jesus in him everywhere. What this means for you. Would your neighbors, teachers and teammates say you are kind and honest? Ask Jesus to make you the same person everywhere you go.

Home (3:4–5). Leaders should love and care well for their families. Paul’s question in 3:5 shows why: caring for “the church of God” is a family kind of care, patient and faithful. Not a novice (3:6). “Not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.” Novice is neophytos (say: neh-OF-ih-tos), meaning newly planted. Roots before fruit. A young plant may look healthy while its roots are still shallow. A believer needs time to grow deep in Christ before carrying the weight of leading others. The danger of pride. Puffed up pictures something swollen with air. Paul links pride to the devil’s judgment, so pride is no small thing. God opposes pride, and He gives grace to the humble. Welcomed, then trusted. New believers belong fully to the church from the first day. The caution is only about leadership, which comes after faith has had time to grow. A good testimony (3:7). “Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside.” Unbelieving neighbors watch the way Christians live. Reproach means public disgrace, and a leader with a hidden pattern of wrong brings it on Christ’s name. One life. Character is who you are in every room: home, school, team and church. Integrity means being the same person in all of them. Application. Think of one place where you act differently than you do at church. Ask Christ to make you the same person there, and thank Him that He keeps growing you.

Paul said leaders should care well for their families. Then he said a leader must not be a new believer. Why did Paul say that? A new believer is like a little plant. It needs time to grow strong roots. A brand-new leader might become proud. Pride puts self first and forgets that we need God. God loves humble hearts that know they need Him. Paul also said people outside the church must respect a leader. Neighbors and friends should see a kind, honest person. You can be like that too. Be the same kind person at home, at school and at church!

Leaders should love and care for their families. A new believer needs time to grow. God wants us to be kind everywhere we go.

Deacons (3:8). Deacons are helpers who serve the church in practical ways. The word deacon means a servant. Reverent and honest. “Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued.” Reverent means serious about God. Double-tongued means saying one thing to one person and something different to another. Not greedy. Deacons must be “not greedy for money.” They help people because they love them, not to get something. Faith and conscience (3:9). They must be “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.” The mystery of the faith is the truth about Jesus that people could not know until God showed it. A pure conscience means believing that truth and living it, with nothing to hide. Tested first (3:10). “But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.” Faithfulness shows up over time, in small jobs done well. Trustworthy (3:11). Paul adds, “Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.” A slanderer spreads hurtful stories about others. Faithful in all things means people can count on you. Serving well (3:13). “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Serving brings respect and a stronger faith. Jesus the Servant. Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Every helper in the church follows Him. What this means for you. Serving does not need a title. Set up chairs, hand out papers, welcome a visitor or help a younger child, and do it with an honest heart.

Deacons (3:8). Deacons are servants of the church, chosen to meet practical needs so that the whole body is cared for. Reverent. “Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued” (3:8). Reverent describes a person who takes God seriously and is worthy of respect. One tongue. Double-tongued pictures someone who tells one story here and another story there to please whoever is listening. A servant’s words can be trusted. Hands open. Someone who serves God’s people must not be greedy for money. Service is never a way to get rich. Belief and life (3:9). “Holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience.” Here the mystery is the gospel, the truth about Christ that God has now revealed. Holding it with a pure conscience means sound belief joined to an honest life. Proven (3:10). “But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.” The testing is a season of watching how a person handles smaller responsibilities. Trusted speech (3:11). “Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.” A slanderer uses words to damage others. Faithful in all things means reliable in every task. Good standing (3:13). “For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Humble service is not a step down. It builds respect and a confident faith. The pattern. Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Every deacon, and every believer, serves in His steps. Application. Find one unseen job at church or at home this week and do it well. Keep your words the same no matter who is listening.

Who are deacons? They are helpers who serve God’s people in the church. Paul said they must mean what they say. Do not tell one friend one thing and another friend something else. Deacons must not cheat to get money. They must believe God’s truth and do what is right. Paul said to test them first. People could see if they were faithful over time. Paul also warned against gossip. Gossip hurts people and breaks friendships. Those who serve well grow very sure of their faith. Jesus came to serve people, and He shows us how. Kids can serve too! You can stack chairs, hand out papers or help a younger child.

Deacons are helpers who serve God’s people. They mean what they say. You can help at church too!

Paul’s plan (3:14–15). “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly.” Paul wanted Timothy to be ready, even if Paul could not come soon. The house of God. Paul says the house of God is “the church of the living God.” The church is people who belong to Jesus, not a building. A church can meet in a big room, a house or a park. The living God. Our God is alive. He is with His people when they gather, and He cares how they treat each other. Pillar and ground. Paul calls the church “the pillar and ground of the truth.” A pillar holds a roof up high where everyone can see it. Ground means a strong base. God’s people hold up the truth about Jesus by teaching it and living it. The great mystery (3:16). “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” Without controversy means no one can argue with it. Godliness means living close to God and honoring Him. Lines about Jesus. “God was manifested in the flesh”: God the Son became a real man. “Justified in the Spirit”: the Spirit showed that He was right and true. He was “Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” A song. These six lines were most likely part of a song the early church sang about Jesus. Many Christians see the angels in it as the ones who praised God at His birth and spoke at His empty tomb. The perfect Leader. He is blameless, gentle and welcoming, and He is the best teacher of all. Church leaders follow Him, and so can you. What this means for you. Thank God for your church family. Pray for your pastor and the church helpers by name this week.

Why Paul wrote (3:14–15). “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God.” The letter gave Timothy instructions he could use at once. Household. The house of God is “the church of the living God.” House here means household, a family of people. The church is a family of people who belong to God. Pillar and ground. Paul calls the church “the pillar and ground of the truth.” Ground is hedraioma (say: hed-RYE-oh-mah), a firm base that holds something steady. The church does not invent the truth. It holds the truth up and keeps it steady for the world to see. The mystery of godliness (3:16). “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness.” Godliness is a life of true reverence toward God. Its secret is not a method but a Person. Flesh and Spirit. “God was manifested in the flesh”: the eternal Son took a real human body. “Justified in the Spirit”: the Spirit showed Him to be righteous, most clearly when He was raised from the dead. Seen and preached. “Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles”: heaven watched His work, and the nations heard the news. Believed and received. “Believed on in the world, Received up in glory”: people trusted Him, and He returned to the Father in honor. A song of the church. These six lines were most likely part of a hymn the early church sang about Christ. Many Christians see the angels in it as the ones who praised God at His birth, served Him after His temptation and spoke at the empty tomb. The model Leader. Christ is perfectly blameless, gentle, self-controlled and true. Leaders are under Him, and the church follows Him first. Application. Pray for your church leaders by name. Ask Christ to make you a faithful part of His household, holding up the truth by how you live.

Paul wanted Timothy to know how to act in God’s family. What is the church? It is not just a building with a roof. The church is God’s people who trust Jesus. Paul said the church holds up the truth. It is like strong posts holding up a roof. When God’s people live His way, others can see His truth. Then Paul wrote about Jesus. Jesus came as a man and lived a perfect life. Paul said angels saw Jesus. Many Christians see them as the angels of Christmas and Easter. Jesus is the perfect leader. He is perfectly gentle, honest and good! We can pray for our church leaders. And we can follow Jesus every day.

The church is God’s family. It is people who love Jesus. Jesus is the best leader of all!

So You Want to Be a Leader

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