 First Timothy 3 We're going to be looking today at verses 1 through 7 so allow me to read to you first Timothy 3 verse 1 through 7 and We'll get into our into our study what we're looking at in chapter 3 are what are called qualifications for pastoral leadership And you'll see that in Verses 1 through 7 beginning at verse 1 first Timothy chapter 3 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 That's 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 you fall into reproach and the snare of the devil Now why would Paul outline these qualifications for church leaders? He intends to instruct Timothy concerning the kinds of men who should lead You see the church is a spiritual organization and needs spiritually mature Leaders so the list that he's going to give is going to serve as an outline to outline their spiritual Qualifications and that's to safeguard the church from doctrinal error as well as unholy living So when outlining these character traits he exposes unqualified leaders in the case of the church of Ephesus these leaders have already begun to infect the church What have they done? Well, we've seen up to this point a few things in chapter 1 verse 3 We've seen that they have introduced bad doctrine and in chapter 1 verse 6 We saw that they spout worthless words where Jesus is not the center You see Bible studies that are not centered on Jesus Christ are spiritually without value you need to remember that and Paul made that clear when he was writing to the Corinthians in 1st Corinthians chapter 2 verses 1 through 5 he said this He said when I came to you brothers I did not come with Aliquance or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling my message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words But with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom But on God's power So he he was already pointing out that true Bible teaching will always center on Jesus Christ The gospel message is not to be tainted by man's philosophy beautified by men's efforts Crafted to give glory to men devoid of the centrality of the cross Changed to make Jesus acceptable to people or emptied of the power of the Spirit to convict and to transform and So he's sharing concerning that He also has pointed out that they have misunderstood the law and they've misunderstood the gospel You saw that in chapter 1 verses 7 through 11 and then finally It seems that they have placed women in pastoral positions And you see that in chapter 2 verse 12 when he had said I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man But to be in silence and so he's dealing with these things in the church and he's instructing Timothy concerning leadership in the body of Christ The church has been called an organized organism You have what is called the church invisible which is made up of all believers throughout all history But you also have what is called the church visible the church today that exists throughout the world and That would include a specific group of believers that are located in the same fellowship and they would call that the local fellowship and So in the local fellowship there is a system of biblical authority We know that Timothy is the pastor of the church in Ephesus. So Paul is giving him commands He says in 1st Timothy 3 15. I write I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God For the church to be properly led the elders and the deacons are the ones who direct the spiritual affairs And the church is not led by by vote It is led by elders and deacons who are to direct the spiritual affairs The church is led by scripture and the Holy Spirit And so you have elders and deacons who serve in that position When he speaks in verse one of bishop notice that word bishop He says if a man desires a position of a bishop that word bishop is a Greek word Episcopay it means overseer It speaks of an office of an elder. He speaks of the deacon diacon us It's a table waiter one who serves food and drink Paul is speaking about the leaders in the church and he's speaking about the qualifications of those who lead in the church And I want you to notice as we go through this all of the qualifications that are listed are spiritual in nature He's not concerned with the day-to-day duties so much as the spiritual character You see the church is spiritual in nature and it needs to be led by the spiritually mature Because ungodly leaders do much harm for the cause of Christ So here he outlines qualities or qualifications of allorship He's really writing on what we would call the qualities of a godly man And so he begins here in chapter three verse one by saying this is a faithful saying If a man desires position of a bishop he desires a good thing So notice with me he says this is a faithful saying it's interesting how Paul likes that phrase He uses the term faithful saying three times in first Timothy and two times in second Timothy We saw it in chapter one verse 15 When he had said this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners Of whom I am chief He uses it again in chapter four verse nine when he says this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance in other words in regarding to Exercising yourself to godliness so that communicates That what is being said is weighty and must be remembered So what must be remembered and what must be understood and this is what he's saying The desire for the difficult and strenuous work in the church is a noble one For the office of elder is honorable And in those days it meant harsh and ceaseless work As well as grave and constant danger So it's thought as well might a man desire the office of chief pastor It was indeed a good work Such a dignity could only be held by one possessing many qualities So let's look at what those qualities are First he said church leadership as a pastor elder Is reserved for a man notice verse one if a man desires the position of a bishop He already stated that that a woman was not to teach or hold authority over a man That means that pastoral roles are reserved for men Secondly, he says if a man desires Desires The word desire means to stretch out It's as if you're stretching out to grasp something It carries the connotation of passionately setting your heart upon something So if you have a you know, I may be speaking to somebody in this room right now who feels a call to ministry So you may want to keep these things in mind One of the evidences of a calling to leadership is a godly desire to serve in that capacity You see there are those who enter into ministry As a job Or they enter into ministry thinking they'll make some money There are those who enter into pastoral leadership for prestige And there are others who make it what we would call a second career But that's not the proper reason to pursue full-time ministry Pastoral leadership is a calling that is put on your heart by god God places this into your heart When he has called you to lead And he's the one who calls you in john 15 16. Jesus said it like this He said you didn't choose me But I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit In that your fruit should remain Pastors can be trained by colleges and they can be trained by seminaries But they're gifted by the holy spirit In acts 20 verse 28 paul said take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock Over which the holy spirit has made you overseers to feed the church of god Which he has purchased with his own blood So serving as an elder in the church isn't a job and it's not a carnal aspiration It is a spirit inspired call to lead that cannot cannot be satisfied doing anything else Charles spurgeon once said I always say to young fellows who consult me about the ministry Don't be a minister if you can help it Because if the man can help it god never called him But if he cannot help it and he must preach or die Then he is the man in Jeremiah Chapter 20 verse 9 Jeremiah writes then I said I will not make mention of him nor speak any more in his name But his word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones I was weary of holding it back and I could not If a man desires the office of a bishop he desires a good thing If a man has an internal desire To go out and do the work of ministry that is a calling from god who has placed that on that person's heart It's not because they can't find a job doing something else It's not because they like just to talk It's not because they're eloquent or intellectual Those things are all good and they go along with the package sometimes But the initial thing is a relationship with god the initial call Is the desire to take what god has given to them and to give it to others And he desires this and he wants this because god has placed this on his heart And he says the desire for the position of overseer or bishop is a good or a noble thing He doesn't take it lightly because it's a noble work carrying great responsibility Because when somebody goes into ministry They are influencing people not only for the now, but forever When you're in ministry and you're giving the word to people and sharing with them the things of god There needs to be a healthy sense of the fear of the lord in you because what you're doing Is not just affecting them for right now They will carry those things For the rest of their life James three verse one says my brethren Let not many of you become teachers knowing That we shall receive a stricter judgment See ultimately as a pastor I give an account of my ministry to the lord In hebrews 13 17 it says obey those who rule over you be submissive For they watch out for your souls as those who must give account Let them do so with joy and not with grief For that would be unprofitable for you So this fear of the lord is to be present in anyone that is placed in leadership And when you look at this when he says if a man desires a position of a bishop he desires a good or a noble work He begins the share concerning the qualifications And I want you to notice with me that these qualifications really are revealing a person's character Let's look at them individually verse two a bishop then Must be blameless The word blameless speaks of a spotless character. They need to be above reproach Blameless speaks of one against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrongdoing Such as could stand impartial judgment. It speaks of being morally upright One who can be a moral and spiritual model worthy of imitation And can stand the scrutiny of christians as well as the outside community He's to be of spotless character He's to be a person who can say what paul said in first chrinthins 11 verse 1 imitate me As I imitate christ You see in many places this high standard has been reduced if the person who's pastoring is liked by the congregation We need to be aware of the fact that somebody with a winsome personality doesn't necessarily make them a pastor He speaks secondly Of the husband notice of one wife When he says the the bishop is to be the husband of one wife It has been translated a one woman man In other words for him, there is only one woman and he desires her alone He values he cherishes And he looks at her as the only one for him You see in the midst of loose and sexual morals The elder is to have christlike love for his wife That permits him to minister to women with without indiscretions It serves as an example To the church believe it or not most pastors many pastors Are actually What's the word They become they can become Attractive to women in the church they can be as ugly as a toad And there'll be somebody who's after him And then that's just the truth and I won't go into long detail about this is just the truth And so as a pastor It is of utmost importance for that person to have won an inner desire to please the lord If he desires the office of the bishop he desires a good thing an inner desire That god is placed in his heart To do a noble work That noble work is tied in with a healthy fear of god and awareness of the responsibilities that they hold thus they do not Desire to be a teacher Simply because they like to speak or because they want to influence people or or get money and prestige from that But they do it because there's nothing else they can do and when they have a relationship with the lord that That prompts them in that inner desire to do that Then what they want to do is live a life that lines up with the uh with the with with the beauty of the gospel And part of that would mean that in their marital relationship that there's only one woman On the face of the earth that they they desire because that safeguards them When they do ministry and women will approach them and sometimes they do And they make themselves available to that pastor, which has happened even to me several times in in the years that i've ministered Awkward times where where people have made themselves available to me And so if you're not a man Who loves that woman your woman and there's no other woman except that woman you can fall into in discretion Because there are those who are very open in their desire to take you away from your wife And yes, that's happened here more than once Someone said paul fully conscious of the low and debased moral tone which then pervaded all society in the empire In these few words condemned all illicit relations between the sexes And directed that in choosing persons to fill holy offices in the congregations of christians Those should be selected who had married and remained faithful to the wife of their choice Whose life and practice would thus serve as an example to the flock He needs to be a one woman man He needs to be the kind of man that only sees the one woman And so he's when he says this he must be the husband of one wife He's not saying the husband of one wife at a time He's saying the husband of one wife. There's only one woman in his life that has won his heart Because that causes him in his fear of the lord to remain faithful not only to his wife, but to the church A third thing he is to be temperate He's to be self-restrained He waits on the lord He doesn't react emotionally And he doesn't react impulsively Impulsively In in proverbs 29 11 a fool vents all his feelings A wise man holds them back. So he's to be temperate fourth He's to be sober-minded the word sober-minded means self-controlled He's calm and he's wise. He's not given to rash actions He makes decisions prayerfully and he does so patiently Proverbs 18 13 says he who answers a matter before he hears that it is falling ashamed to him A sober-minded man listens and is self-controlled A fifth thing he's of good behavior The word good behavior speaks of being honorable or dignified He is one who is respectable and has earned the respect of people His conduct in all ways reflects the dignity of the office So when you meet him regardless of whether it's in the church during the service or after the service Or you see him in Costco or a restaurant Or on a ball field watching his children play He's the same person He doesn't put on the pastor role when he stands on the platform and the ordinary guy role When he's in the community he is always aware of who he is He's a person who is dignified sixth. He's hospitable the word hospitable literally speaks of a love of strangers In other words, he makes people feel welcome He obviously loves people he cares about them because people matter In third John John gives an example of a bad elder won by the name of diatrophies In third John verses nine and ten John says I wrote to the church But diatrophies who loves to have the preeminence among them does not receive us Therefore if I come I will call to mind his deeds which he does Prading against us with malicious words And not content with that He himself does not receive the brethren and forbids those who wish to putting them out of the church So a bishop is to be hospitable. He's the person And the word bishop we use that now sometimes in Church hierarchy the word bishop was really the word that could be used for pastor And now they're overseer He makes you feel welcome. He makes you feel like you belong A seventh thing he's apt or able to teach He's anointed by the holy spirit to practically explain as well as to apply scripture He's to be diligent in his study and he's to practice what he preaches Paul could say it like this in Philippians 4 verse 9 He said the things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me These do and the god of peace will be with you So as a teacher he makes sure that he's teaching god's word to the people church services Are to center on the communication of the word of god There are a lot of places today that that's not so But church services are to center on the word of god the communication of it and the application In 2nd timothy 2 15 paul said be diligent to present yourself approved to god A worker who does not need to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth But there are large congregations that are led by those who do not do this I believe that this requirement to be a teacher of the word of god Has been largely ignored especially if the church is growing aw tozer once said There was a time when people went to church Heard the truth and it wept over their sins today People go to church hear a motivational speech and ignore their sins And that's true That's true This is a man Who feels that the word of god should be the center of everything that church believes In verse 3 he says not given to wine. That's an interesting phrase not given to wine It literally is not lingering at the cup not addicted to wine Not only does he not drink He is also not associated with drinking He doesn't start what has been called a beer and bible study There have been plenty of those even in in our in our area They call them beer and bible studies where the pastor has people over In a cafe a bar They open up the bible they drink their suds their beer And uh, that's what they do He's not associated with drinking. I remember when our church was new Somebody approached me and they had a question of being they said listen I need to ask you a question because I'm starting to come here, but I was going someplace else and And I just want to know what what your take on this is and I said well, what is it you're concerned about? They said well On new year's eve the pastor invited select members of the church whom he referred to as a more spiritually mature To come to his house for a new year's eve service So we went because we were invited And while we were there He was the bartender and he was serving drinks To all of the people that he invited and I just want to know whether that's right or wrong because I felt that it was wrong Well, it's wrong The pastor is not to be given to wine. He's not to be associated with drink and in doing so He's he's if he is given to drink He's revealing that he's not wise and unqualified In proverbs 20 verse 1 it says wine is a mocker strong drink is a brawler whoever is led astray by it is not wise Night He's not violent He's not a brawler. That may be because he lingers too much at the cup. I don't know He gets drunk and he hits people But what it literally speaks of is he is not intimidating to people He controls his temper in ministry 99 percent of the church comes And then leaves immediately A few may stay afterwards and visit So while everybody else is gone on occasion, there are those who linger Who actually try to start problems And I've I've had people After bible studies more than once Who have wanted to start a problem with me After church, they're usually my elders, but One's in a while. It's Marie and so But they do I've had I've had them come up And tell me that that god has told them to smite me. I've gotten letters saying Tal Rosales to be careful because you know, I'm carrying a gun and stuff like that and And I've had people get in my face, you know get very aggressive And and a minister is not to be a brawler He's not to be somebody who responds to Aggregation like that where where suddenly he takes the gloves off and just just hammers somebody He's not to be that way, you know, he's he's to have a A compassionate spirit and not not given to violence Because again when you're on the outside and you're looking in You don't know what's going on in You just have your idea of what may be but you don't know I remember I had a guy in this fellow. I'll give you one one story There was a guy in this fellowship. He was a big guy, you know, I'm not a big man by any means and he was He was six two or so at least six two and he weighed probably 260 to 280 at least He was a lot bigger and and he was playing on a basketball team. This is over 30 years ago. So I can say it now and And he he was playing on one of our basketball teams and he caused problems and so The coach said to him, you know, you really can't be on the team because it brings out the worst in you You're constantly Causing struggles and quarrels on the court. This is obviously not good for you So we're going to have to remove you from the team and and this guy was a big guy very very much a bully I mean on one occasion He got mad at his wife in the church and he slammed this metal door that we had so hard It caused the whole building to shake. He banged out the door I mean this guy had a real volatile temper and and he approaches me when he was removed from the From the basketball team And he's and and he was very gentle. He was speaking to me with a very soft voice He says pastor may I speak to you and I said, of course He says, can we go into a room by ourselves? I said, no You're gonna use me as a basketball. Nope They'll find me all crumbled up in a corner I said no No, if you have anything you need to speak to me about This is a great place to do it There has to be some wisdom in this but you also have to be a person Who is not prone to violence You have to be Because there are people who have such need that sometimes they're angry and they take it out on you And not only that you don't have to be a big person to be an intimidating person So you have to be aware of how you deal with people how you speak to them How you treat them Because you can intimidate them just by the power of the office And so he says be aware of that this is a person who controls his temper and is not intimidating to others Proverbs 16 32 says he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit Then he who takes the city And he goes on in verse 3 to say he is not greedy for money It's eager for base gain The love for and the longing for money Is a motivator for many a false teacher Titus 111 speaks of false teachers whose mouths must be stopped who subvert hold whole households Teaching things which they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain In 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 3 Peter speaking of false teachers said By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words You see a genuine shepherd is to serve without greed Like it says in 1 Peter 5 to shepherd the flock of God which is among you serving as overseers Not by compulsion but willingly Not for dishonest gain but eagerly So you don't put yourself in a position Where you are attempting to make money and riches off of congregations You don't do that. You don't serve for that reason You serve because you want to with purity encourage people to know the lord He gives another qualification. He said he is to be gentle The word gentle speaks of a sweet reasonableness. It speaks of being gracious and kindly It speaks of being forgiving You see false teachers often bully and abuse. They often control and hurt the sheep Paul was outraged because that took place in Corinth and he even writes to the Corinthians and he says In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 19 and 20 he said to them you gladly put up with fools since you are so wise In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you Or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face In contrast a genuine pastor or elder is gentle He's one who doesn't insist that he's always right He's ready to yield in some degree for the sake of peace A 12th thing is he's not quarrelsome. He's a non-combatant He's not always picking arguments and trying to create Create strife and and prove in his point 2 Timothy 2 24 The servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle to all men apt to teach in patient See whenever I teach there is always somebody who disagrees That's that's normal And if they come up which on occasion they do and want to debate a point or whatever or write me Facebook is a great place for people to hide behind Keyboard and tell you what they think I just dealt with that this morning. I mean it happens all the time Um, you have to be very careful that you don't always look to pick an argument with somebody When when a pastor is teaching the word of God Jesus said it like this. He said it is the spirit of your father that speaks in you Through you And so the bottom line is is if the word is rightly divided and it's being presented properly Then you simply let the word defend itself And if people want to argue which on occasion they do The best that you can do is to try and patiently encourage them to see these things and ask questions You know because there'll be times that people have approached and I'll they'll say something and I'll say Were you here just now? Yes. I was because sometimes they're not sometimes It's one service and they're just arriving for another one. So I'll say were you here? Yes. I was okay. Did you hear this? Yes, did you hear this this? Oh, I see. That's what you meant. Yes So you're not there to argue you're there to point out what the point really is So you're not there to argue you're a non-combatant 13th not covetous Well, when he speaks like that Not covetous. He's he's saying He's not shopping around for better pay The pay that he receives is not what motivates his service to the lord or the church In acts 20 verse 33 Paul said I have coveted no one silver or gold or clothing This is somebody who lives by faith. He trusts the lord to supply his need Many years ago. There was somebody that I I I knew well enough for him to speak to me in this way and And he asked me and his fellowship is is a is a large fellowship much larger than ours And he asked me a question once he said Dave. Have you ever thought of trading churches? Where I would take over his and he would take over mine and his fellowship Probably And he's in another state and I'll leave him unnamed But he his fellowship was quite a lot quite a quite a bit larger than our fellowship And I remember smiling at him and saying no, of course not No, I've never thought of that. You know pastors are not supposed to be trying to trade up You know trying okay, I make this much here. So if I go here, I'll make this much there And then if I go here, I'll make that much there You know, it's it's not a ladder that you climb And you don't do it for ministry and you're not covetous of other things. You just you just are blessed to be where you're at In verses four and five he he says he rules his own house well Which means he manages his family properly His children are trained to be respectful and obedient that helps to reveal his priorities being correct Now one of the things that we're aware of is is that he cannot make his children believers But there is evidence that he's done his best to evangelize and raise them in the ways of the lord It's not that the pastor will have a perfect family Every child grows to the point where they have to make the decision up for themselves Whether they're going to follow christ or not The key is did that pastor neglect them? Did that pastor not train them up? Did that pastor not do his best? And ultimately that's what you look at his children are to be people of faith But he only can stir it and encourage it. They ultimately are going to make the decision on their own He says in verse six not a novice Not a new convert Not one who's undeveloped in faith Why because it can become puffed up that word puffed up speaks of being clouded or even diluted He's saying a convert a new convert who becomes a leader Can be diluted by pride And pride causes him to become blinded by the authority that they have by the power That they receive And he will fall You know, I'll be honest with you and I don't know if this makes it this probably won't But I I say it on occasion. Forgive me. You may have heard this before You won't believe this but it's true More than I can count I've had people I I can only count to four but very often Very often I'll put it that way Without hyperbole very often over the years I have had people speak into me after a service or someplace else You know, I run into him in a store in the area or whatever And and you won't believe this and I'm saying this for a reason. I'll get there in a moment They are literally shaking their bodies will shake They're so nervous And I'll look at them and I'll and they'll say pastor david can I Take can I take your time for a moment? I'll say you're not taking anything. I'm giving you it I just want and they'll start and I'll say how come you're so nervous Well, because I'm talking please don't do that Please don't do that You know, I'm your brother I'm your brother. I remember my own pastor chuck smith. I was speaking to him years ago now And as I was speaking pastor chuck was some of you may remember him some of you grew up under him Pastor chuck was a very very well known pastor throughout the world Very well known invited by the president of his in reagan and others who wanted him to go and advise and this and that in the white house and and he said no He said my job is to minister to my sheep and to to pastor my church That's what I'm called to do not to become some advisor to to Others but to care for my own and I loved him for that. He was very famous though He was very well known and I was speaking to him on one occasion and and I said Pastor blah blah blah and at that point you said Dave always remember. I'm your brother Remember I'm your brother. I remember the first time I had a real conversation with my pastor How the Lord taught me that this is a man who is just a man just like you Admire the work that God has done but admire the God who's done that work And so in our relationship here, you know, I don't know how long you're called to be here You you may leave today and I may never see you again But you may be someone who's been free years in this fellowship always remember one thing I'm your brother, you know, and I love you and no, you're not taking time for me When I'm in restaurants and I on occasion somebody will approach me. I don't want to take your time I'll always say the same thing. You're not taking my time. I'm giving it to you But I'll also give you my bill so you can pay for me. How's that sound? Because we're brothers and and and oh, we don't walk on water You know You know, if I step off of this platform, I am going to hit the ground. I'm not going to levitate Do you know what I mean? I don't have to tell most of you I don't have to tell pretty much and maybe I don't have to tell any of you this But there's always at least one or two who are intimidated and I'm telling you, please don't be Please don't be because we're family in christ We belong to one another It's a body of christ, you know, and and and a minister needs to understand that He's not some special person in the church. He's a member of the church who has responsibilities within the church And hopefully he does them well and hopefully these things apply to him But he's not someone who's puffed up. He's not deluded. He's not blinded by his authority He's not blinded by his his his power He's a person who is simply there to serve. Remember that pride is the sin that turned angels into devils In proverbs 18 12 before destruction the heart of a man is haughty and before honor Is humility Seven verse seven a 16th thing. He must have a good testimony A good testimony verse seven moreover. You must have a good testimony among those who are outside who aren't christians In other words lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil Someone said no minister of the gospel can possibly do unbelieving people good Unless they regard him as an upright and honest man and that is so true because People who are well known have failed all of us All pastors have gotten a black eye You have thousands of people who love the lord multiple thousands over five hundred thousand people in the united states are ordained pastors over five hundred thousand And yet you'll hear about one person over here or one person over there that failed And i receive I receive the criticism that fell on them They will say things to me as if i have lied as if i have gone out on my wife They do i've had this happen so many times Oh you pastors are all thieves I remember a guy telling me that You guys are all thieves He has to have a good testimony amongst non-believers Even if they don't agree with him they ought to respect him Even if they reject what he's saying they ought to respect the fact that he believes that Because bad leaders bring the church into disrepute So that's why it's important for me as a pastor To remember who i am at all times within my home And outside of it And again You could speak to my children and you could ask them Does your father live The same way in the home as he does in the in the pulpit and they will tell you that i do why Because a pastor is not what i play at The pastor is who i am it's what i do It's my personhood. This is what i am called to do So why would i put something on here That i don't live at home He said he can fall into reproach And the snare of the devil By failing to live out the gospel he falls into the trap laid for him by the devil if he fails It causes the whole message to look powerless to change lives And for this reason timothy do not lay hands on anyone hastily You see genuine elders Are to have the habit of safeguarding the gospel Second corinthians chapter six verse three paul said it like this We give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed We preach a message of transformation And if you have a heart to be a leader If you have a heart to one day Be a pastor young man Look at these qualifications And pray that god will make you into this and what's interesting about this And if you look at it closely for one more moment All of the things you see here should apply to every believer To be honest with you every believer Every one of us in this room from a male or or female perspective Should have this we should be blameless. We should love our husband or wife if you're married We should be temperate sober minded good behavior Hospital we should be able to share not given to wine not violent not greedy for money We should be gentle not quarrelsome not covetous. We ought to rule our own house well And we ought to be careful to mature. These are all things you can apply to yourself today Even if you're not called to be a pastor may god form that character in us as believers