If anyone wants to provide
leadership in the church, good! But there are preconditions: A leader must be
well-thought-of, committed to his wife, cool and collected, accessible, and
hospitable. He must know what he’s talking about, not be overfond of wine, not
pushy but gentle, not thin-skinned, not money-hungry. He must handle his own
affairs well, attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if
someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s
church? He must not be a new believer, lest the position go to his head and the
Devil trip him up. Outsiders must think well of him, or else the Devil will
figure out a way to lure him into his trap.
The same goes for those who
want to be servants in the church: serious, not deceitful, not too free with
the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent
before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things.
Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No
exceptions are to be made for women—same qualifications: serious, dependable,
not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be
committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking
after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly
respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith.
THINK
BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.
[Quote from 1 Timothy 3:1-13,
The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993,
1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson]
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