Jeremy Hoover

In this 10 minute audio post, I summarize our discussion of 1 Timothy 2:8-15. This often-contentious passage details some of Paul's instructions about both worship and teaching leadership and authority in the church.

Biblical leadership is exclusive.

In the Pastoral Letters, Paul lists several character traits that must be present in the life of someone who is a candidate to become an elder or deacon. He also mentions some things that would disqualify someone from becoming an elder or deacon.

For example, Paul states that an elder must be “above reproach” and “gentle” and must “have a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:2-7). Presumably, a candidate for eldership who is a laughingstock in the community or is a violent man would not be considered further.

However, Paul also limits the eldership to those with spiritual experience. He says a candidate “must not be a recent convert” (1 Tim. 3:6). Deacons “must first be tested” (1 Tim. 3:10). If they pass the test, then they may serve. Elders are to be family men (1 Tim. 3:4-5; Titus 1:6), which cautions against younger men, many of whom lack the wisdom that comes from experience guiding a family unit.

In a biblically functioning church, elders and deacons lead the church into deeper spiritual growth even as they continue to grow spiritually themselves. But not everyone is included. The eldership and deaconship are exclusive—limited to those men who distinguish themselves in a godly manner in several ways.

Other passages attest the exclusivity of biblical church leadership:

• In Acts 1:23-26, the apostles needed to select another man to join the apostleship. There were at least two men who met the qualifications, but only two were nominated. Of the two who were nominated, only one was selected—and this after prayer and spiritual discernment.
• In Acts 6:1-6, the apostles learned about a problem where food was not being distributed throughout the community in a godly way. Their solution was to delegate this task to godly men. Rather than simply gathering all the men together and asking them to handle it, they asked the congregation to choose only seven men who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. These men would handle the food distribution.
• In Galatians 2:1-10 (esp. 2, 6), when Paul went to Jerusalem to share his gospel with the believers there, he did not meet with all the men but with “those who were held in high esteem.” Why? Didn't this leave some out? Yes, it leaves some out, but it reinforces the principle that biblical church leadership is not inclusive of everyone but exclusive—according to God's word.

Biblical church leadership is not inclusive of everyone; it is exclusive. It is not for everyone. There is a high standard set for those who would lead God's people. It's not for us to worry about how people might feel or to impose a democratic voting situation on top of the church, such that eligible folks have the “right” to vote in a meeting.

There are no “rights” in the church. We give up our rights for other people. Godly leaders know this and exemplify it.

What objections do you have to this? What other scriptures would you use in this discussion?

Here are some questions for you to work and pray through as we finish up 1 Timothy 2 and move into chapter 3.

1 Timothy 1 Study Questions

1 Timothy 2 Study Questions

Church Leadership: Elders

1. Why does Paul consider the saying in 3:1 about desiring the overseership/ eldership "trustworthy"?
2. Look at 1 Timothy 1:15; 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; and Titus 3:8. How does the use of this phrase in those passages influence your understanding of this verse?
3. Why is being an overseer (or elder) a "noble task" (3:1)?
4. Is someone arrogant or prideful to "aspire" to be an overseer? Why or why not?
5. Are all the traits listed in 3:2-7 required? Are they applications of what it means to "be above reproach" (3:2)?
6. Must a candidate for eldership excel in every area? Is there room for an elder to continue to grow spiritually or must he have topped out already?
7. Read this passage in several translations. Do they all read "husband of one wife" (3:2)? What does that phrase mean?
8. Must an elder have multiple children (3:4)? Must the children believe?
9. How can we gauge these traits in a candidate (3:7, for example)?

Church Leadership: Deacons

1. What does "in the same way" mean (3:8)?
2. Why does it mention "testing" for deacons (3:10) but not for elders?
3. Read several translations of 3:11. Do they all read "their wives"? What other options exist?
   
4. Why does the phrase "in the same way" repeat in 3:8 and 3:11?
5. If we interpret 3:11 to refer to deacons' wives, why are character traits listed for deacons' wives but not for elders' wives?
6. What is the result of good service (3:13)?

I'm preaching from Luke 4:1-13 on Sunday. Here are some notes and study questions to get you thinking about Jesus, temptation, and your own spiritual growth.

Did You Know?

• Luke portrays as the "new Adam," much like Paul does in 1 Cor. 15. He expressed the absolute humanness of Jesus by mentioning how hungry Jesus was, and much like how Adam faced false promises from the serpent in Genesis 3, so Jesus must endure the false promises of the devil. "He has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin" (Heb. 4:15).
• Luke also reports the presence of the Spirit in Jesus. Make no mistake--Jesus didn't endure these temptations because he used "magic powers" to overcome. He became the example par excellence for us by relying on God through the Spirit. He taught us, through his example, the power of the Word of God and the Spirit of God in our lives.
• Jesus overcame temptations about physical needs, power, and pride by relying on the power of the Spirit and the promises of God.
• Note that the devil did not go away permanently; he only left until "an opportune time" (4:13).
  

Study Questions

• Why did Jesus have to face these temptations?
• How did he get through them?
• Why did the Spirit lead Jesus into the wilderness (4:1)?
• Why did the devil twice bait Jesus as "the Son of God" (4:3, 9), but not on the second temptation (4:6)?
• Why did Jesus respond to the temptations with the phrase, "It is written," twice (4:4, 8), but not on the third temptation (4:12)?
• Why does Luke remind us that the devil only left Jesus "until an opportune time" (4:13)?
  

On Sunday we'll continue our bible study in 1 Timothy. As we consider chapter 2, please read 1 Timothy and think through these questions.

Christians, Prayer, and the Government (2:1-7)

1. What, if any, differences exist between the types of prayer listed in 2:1?
2. Who are we to pray for (2:1-2)?
3. What is the purpose behind praying for governmental leaders (2:2)? What types of prayer might this require? Is this a different perspective than you've heard before?
4. What two reasons are listed for why it is good to pray for governmental leaders (2:3-4)?
   
5. What is the evangelistic function of prayer for governmental leaders (2:3-4)?
6. How does Jesus function in reality like the governmental leaders ceremonially do (2:5-6)?
7. Why is Jesus a better mediator than governmental leaders (2:6)?

How Christians are to Worship (2:8-15)

1. What are men asked to do (2:8)? Should this be the posture of prayer today for men? Why or why not?
2. If men don't need to lift up their hands in prayer because that was cultural, does the "cultural argument" apply to the instructions to women in 2:9-15? Why or why not?
3. How are women to "dress" (2:9-10)?
4. How are women to learn (2:11)?
5. What is the reason given for why women need to learn in quietness and submission (2:12)? Is this Paul's reason or a biblical reason (see 2:13-15). How do you determine this?
6. What does "assuming authority" over a man (2:12) mean? How do we go too far or not far enough with this?

Improper bible reading gives up on the bible too easily, focuses too much on acquiring knowledge, and promotes pride. Proper bible reading, on the other hand, transforms you: it leads to worship, good works, and stronger faith. Be transformed by reading the bible, making a plan to minister, and taking action.

Improper bible reading gives up on the bible too easily, focuses too much on acquiring knowledge, and promotes pride. Proper bible reading, on the other hand, transforms you: it leads to worship, good works, and stronger faith. Be transformed by reading the bible, making a plan to minister, and taking action.

Below is a short outline of my sermon for Sunday. I tackle the difference between improper and proper bible reading and what that means for our transformation. Any feedback? Is anything unclear? What would you like me to expand?

True bible reading is transformative and teaches us how to do God's will.

Introduction.

• Compare a bible to a novel in number of pages, size, time to read, etc. Why do we read one [the novel] over the other [bible]?

Transition: Reading the bible, when we get to it, is challenging. These challenges can lead to several ways we improperly read it.

Improper bible reading will not transform you.

• Improper bible reading gives up too easily [challenge of sticking to a bible reading plan].
• IBR focuses too much on acquiring knowledge [all answers, no action].
  
• IBR promotes pride [looking down on others because you know more or attend more].

Transition: We learn about transformative, proper bible study in Neh. 8:1-10.

Proper bible reading transforms you.

• leads to worship (6).
  
• leads to good works (10).
  
• leads to stronger faith (10) [also include Romans 12:1-2].
  

Transition: So if we know what happens when we read the bible reading properly, how do get there? How can the bible transform us?

The Best Bible Reading Plan Ever.

• Read (not study) the bible [explicate the difference].
  
• Meditate and make a plan ["world's best bible reading plan"].
  
• Take action [do something].
  

Application step: Read the bible, make a plan, and take action.

Nehemiah 8:1-10 (Introduction)
Good bible reading goes beyond merely acquiring information. To read the bible properly, we need to do so transformatively, seeking application that leads us to action.

In Nehemiah 8:1-10, Ezra the priest called the Israelites together for worship. This worship was quite unlike anything we'd expect today. Rather than singing praise songs for an hour or listening to a 30 minute sermon, the Israelites heard Ezra read from the law for hours at a time. And they "listened attentively to the Book of the Law" (8:3).

The immediate result of listening to the law being read was worship (8:6). The people understood from the law that God was holy and they needed to be his servants. But they became self-absorbed with their worship. Perhaps they began to feel that they had accomplished a lot simply by worshiping God. Perhaps they dwelt too long on their sins.

Nehemiah noticed that the people did not properly understand the purpose of the bible study they were involved with. He reminded them that bible reading and study was not to result in prolonged introspection and weeping. Proper bible reading is to be transformative--it needs to result in action.

This is why Nehemiah commanded the people to stop mourning and weeping (8:9). They were not wrong to feel this way. But these feelings were not the goal of the bible study--action was. So he told them to stop mourning and weeping (8:9).

Instead, they were to feed themselves...and others. They were to "send [food] to those who have nothing prepared" (8:10). This is what all good, proper, transformative bible study does--it provokes us to action.

The Dangers of Bible Study
There are some dangers in bible study, however. The first danger is to simply stop reading. Bible study and reading can be difficult. We do well to read the bible, but because the bible is a large book that contains many different genres, we can become unsure how or what to read. The temptation is to stop. We need to overcome this temptation by pressing on, reading, learning, and doing.

The second danger of bible study is to focus on knowledge for its own sake. When we read the bible, we become excited about what we're learning. But we go wrong when our excitement flows over into merely acquiring knowledge. Our spiritual growth isn't about how much we know, but about how much we are being changed--by God, through his word.

The third danger of bible study is to become prideful because of the knowledge we are gaining. This is different from the second danger because that danger focused only on knowledge acquisition. This danger is worse, because it causes us to look down on others who don't know as much as we do. We should never compare ourselves to others based on bible knowledge or how many bible studies we attend.

The Purpose of Bible Study
In contrast to these, proper bible study leads us to worship God. As we learn about the bible, we learn about God--who he is, what he's done, and what he's going to do. We learn about his plan of salvation. We learn about Jesus, and how we are to live like him. This leads us to worship, to be in awe of God.

Proper bible study should also lead us to good works. Just as Nehemiah encouraged the Israelites to ministry, we need to learn from our bible reading to be involved in ministry. This is merely an extension of Jesus' ministry, so as we learn about him, we learn what we need to do--serve and love others in his name.

Finally, proper bible study strengthens our faith in God. The motivation given to the Israelites for overcoming themselves and serving others is to allow the joy they have in God to be their strength. Bible reading should promote strong and growing faith in God. And as your faith increases, your joy does as well!

As Paul reminds in Romans 12:1-2, God desires for us to serve him. He transforms us as we allow him to. As we read the bible and seek to apply it, God teaches us how to serve him better. Proper bible study leads us to worship God, to good works, and to stronger faith in him.

This is an audio recap (approx. 6 minutes long) of our adult bible study from Sunday, January 10, 2010. The text we studied was 1 Timothy 1:1-7.