Leaders in the Church
‘This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.” So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? A church leader must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap. In the same way, deacons must be well respected and have integrity. They must not be heavy drinkers or dishonest with money. They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience. Before they are appointed as deacons, let them be closely examined. If they pass the test, then let them serve as deacons. In the same way, their wives must be respected and must not slander others. They must exercise self-control and be faithful in everything they do. A deacon must be faithful to his wife, and he must manage his children and household well. Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
The Truths of Our Faith
I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith : Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.’ 1 Timothy 3:1-16(NLT)
‘And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.’ Ephesians 5:21-24(NLT)
Once upon a time, a group of soldiers became lost in the Alps. They were hungry and disoriented. They argued about which way to go, but in the fading light, every peak looked the same. The soldiers had no chance of surviving the night in the freezing temperatures. One of them found a map sewn into the lining of his kitbag. He plotted a route and marched them briskly back to base. Later, when they were warm and well fed, the soldier looked closer at his map. It actually was of the Pyrenees—hundreds of miles away. It’s like the old saying “when you’re lost, any old map will do.”
Leadership entails vision. Otherwise, where are you leading people to? If you don’t know where you want to go to—and if you can’t communicate that direction effectively—then you have no right to ask people to join you on the journey. And the same thing goes for being the leader of a family.
The role of the husband in the Bible begins with leadership. A husband’s role defined is to lead, and leadership is defined by his influence. According to Timothy 1:3, a husband is to have a healthy control of his life and his home. Husband’s are not to rule like a dictator over their wives and children; instead, they should lead by influence and by example. They should exemplify, with their voice and their actions, attributes that bring glory to God and value to their spouse and family. The fruit of a good biblically-based husband is a strong, confident, spiritually mature wife and family. A good husband helps bring leadership and vision to the home.
UNCOMMEN Reflection: Write down the purpose for your family. How are you leading your family to that purpose? What steps can you practically take to lead your family to that goal this week? Call a family meeting and talk about it.
Bible References:
1 Timothy 3
Ephesians 5:21-24
from Uncommen: Husbands Defined