High standards for church leaders — and me too!

The New Testament is vague with the words describing church leadership. One is ‘bishop’ or ‘overseer.’ The denominations with independent local churches might interpret this as elders in their congregation. Other denominations with accountability to a head office might call them bishops or other terms. In my thinking, the structure is not nearly as important as the qualifications because those in leadership cannot lead beyond their own level of maturity and godliness. The standard is high!

Paul outlines this in his first letter to Timothy. He says these men must be good, moral people with the following qualifications:

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife (a one-woman man), sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:2–7)

I’m not an elder or a leader and never have been, but it is my opinion that if this describes someone who is supposed to lead me, then I should follow what he teaches and exemplifies in my own life. This means I am also to be above reproach, not a person who can be criticized. That is a tall order!

Also, I’m to be a one-man woman, not a flirt or interested in men in an inappropriate manner. Think of the problems avoided in the church if this described not only the leaders but everyone else.

Sober-minded means ‘not given to extremes’ which could cover food, drink, and all sorts of other things. Self-controlled describes the moderation that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. Respectable is just that; having the respect of others.

Hospitable intimidates me. My mother was such an expert in this that I’ve always felt diminished in her shadow. I can be cordial and generous but it does not come naturally, only with deliberate decisions. Able to teach is easier for me — to the point that I sometimes need to be quiet and let others lead in this area.

I do not drink and am not violent or quarrelsome — praise God for that. I don’t think that I have a desire for acquiring wealth because the generosity of God is a total amazement. He always takes care of our needs and then some.

Verse 4 about managing the household gives me mixed emotions. Our children have made professions of faith but are Christian parents ever satisfied with that? Or is it just me? My spiritual gifts come with this ‘never good enough’ that characterized the prophets. I not only pray for the godliness and maturity of my adult children, their children and our grandkids, but for everyone else that I know. This passage does not mean Christian leaders should desire to manage their household but that they actually do it. I can do the house part but am never satisfied with the people part.

The warnings about conceit and reputation add another dimension to be a mature Christian, worthy to lead others in their walk with Jesus. The idea is that the devil should not be able to rightly accuse me of anything or trap me into being a jerk so that those outside the church are turned off by anything I do or say.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, I will never be a church elder or in any place of leadership like the description just read, but I want to live in such a way that pleases You. Thank You for giving me a heart that desires to always be growing more like You and to always do well in whatever You give me. The challenges never end, but neither does Your grace and mercy.

Today’s thankful list . . .

Another ‘summer’ day when it is normally autumn.

Christian music playing all day.

Fresh dinner rolls.

My hairdresser who does a super job.

Another quilt nearly finished.

Mexican food and the ability to make it.

To Live is Christ — not my own goodness

After hearing a simple gospel message, four-year-old Hanna looked at me with large brown eyes and said, “But I’ve never murdered anyone.”

Even at her young age, Hanna defended herself against the idea that “all are sinners” by the things that she did not do. In her mind, and in the minds of many, no big sin means no condemnation and salvation is not necessary.

Why do people need to be saved from sin? Is it about murder and stealing and doing horrible things? If it were, where would the dividing line fall? Whose lives would pass muster and be good enough? And whose lives would fall short?

The propensity to sin is something that came into the human race in the garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and instead did what seemed to them like a good idea. Every person has this same tendency. We do what we think is the best thing for us. Sometimes choices are based on what the Bible says about goodness, such as being kind to others, but godliness is more than goodness, especially our human idea of living a good life.

Godliness is living in a relationship with God where He is our life, where He speaks and we listen. Godliness is Christ in me, like a hand in a glove. Just as a glove cannot move without the hand, I can do no godly thing apart from Jesus Christ. 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11–12)

Both denying sin and saying yes to godliness are possible through the grace of God. Yet self-control and what appears to be a righteous life can happen, in part, without Jesus. It is external and about a strong will, not a changed heart. It is self-determination for personal gain, not an inward motivation from the Holy Spirit. Goodness is self-motivated; godliness has no concern for self gain. Godly people are interested in pleasing only God, often at great personal cost.

Lately I’ve realized the difficulty of explaining this to anyone who thinks they are good. Hanna grew up and eventually took the gospel to heart and became a Christian. Others retain that wide-eyed “Who? Me?” childhood response to the gospel into adulthood. Some take it to their grave. They have decided that their goodness is good enough.

Isaiah 53 describes the coming Messiah and His death for the sins of the world. He says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Every living person turns to their own way, whether that includes murdering someone who gets in their way or simply deciding for themselves that their goodness is good enough. It is for this self-directed living, this ignoring or denying what God says about sin, that Christ died.

To live is Christ means letting grace teach me what to deny, but also how to live in His power. It means avoiding contentment with mere outward appearances and letting His Spirit deeply convict and cleanse me. It means yielding to grace that can conquer the sin that is in me. It means Christ ruling every part of my thoughts, words and deeds and giving Him the glory because without Him, there is no godliness — and my own goodness will never pass the test of God’s judgment.

Christians in politics

In a rousing conversation yesterday with my son, we did agree on several things in the two hot topics we discussed: religion and politics.

One of them was that it is easy to be deceived, both by religion and by politics. Far too many people either believe everything they hear (and thus sway back and forth without solid commitment to anything), or their decisions about what to believe are strongly colored by their personal “I-wants.” Either way, decision-making becomes dangerous.

My devotional reading today points to a verse that offers one way to keep on track. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, “Reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.”

This verse tells Christians to concentrate on being godly, and turn from that which is profane or secular, that is, anything disrespectful of religious practice. For most of us, avoiding the profane is not difficult, yet even Christians will say that religion has no place in politics. Think about that for a minute. . . .

Jesus said that He is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no one can come to the Father except through Him.” If I truly believe that, then it will affect everything I do. This will be my focus in my role as a mother, a teacher, an artist or a member of my community. If, in any area of my life, I deny or push aside the fact that Christ is the only way to God, then I am secularizing that part of life. If I say religion and politics don’t mix, then I am saying that God does not belong in the lives or decision-making of those in public leadership positions.

Yesterday’s discussion also concerned the law about separation of church and state. I believe this goes both ways. The church cannot be ruled by the government any more than the government is the responsibility of the church. Yet if a Christian is part of the ‘secular’ legislative body, they are compelled by God to live as Christians in that position. Not only that, they will bring their perspective of leadership and community need into the church.

If a Christian who is part of the church moves into a political position, the commands to love God and love your neighbor cannot be set on the shelf when that person walks into his or her office. Their Christian faith will affect their leadership role just as their leadership role will affect their church activities.

Regardless of role or position, Christians must not use religious beliefs for personal gain, nor even personal comfort. Christ saved me so that I might glorify Him, not so I could ask Him to swing the vote my way, or give me power to pass laws that would sanction my lifestyle or that of my friends. He did not save me so I could be comfortable and ignore what is going on in the rest of the world either. In other words, and in this my son and I agreed, Christians are just as responsible, and perhaps even more responsible than anyone else to put “God and country” first.

Yet being in the public eye brings public scrutiny. Those who call themselves Christian make the same mistakes as those who do not have faith in Christ. For some reason, those mistakes are more glaring, and certainly deserve the hypocrisy label. We who call on the name of Jesus are expected to live godly lives.

But sometimes we don’t.

It may not matter to the world that deep in our hearts we want to make a difference and we want others to live in peace, enjoy freedom, be treated with dignity and given opportunities to make their own choices without fear. Yet in that desire, we also struggle with our sinful human nature. Sometimes we want those things for ourselves even more, and in that desire, we lose perspective of who comes first.

When I do it, the world doesn’t shake its fist at me because I’m not in a position where most of the world even notices, but when a president or a governor or a candidate who professes the same faith as I do makes a fleshy blunder, the uproar is deafening. This makes me wonder if Christians should go into politics.

It seems that mixing faith into government is a recipe for becoming a target at the very least, but as my son and I discussed, what about the alternatives? Those who are not Christians also bring their belief system to their position of power. When their belief system is just a subtle ‘me first’ hidden behind a lot of high-sounding rhetoric, then what? If their belief system says there is no God, or if there is He doesn’t matter or enter their decision making, then what?

It seems to me that ‘no faith’ is far more fearful than bumbling faith. The secular mind makes truth relative and puts self first. They cannot help it as this is the human condition without the transforming power of Christ. Because of that, without absolutes and objective truth, a secular person will rule their corner of the world whatever way their whim goes.

My son and I also agreed on one other issue. When ordinary people are self-seeking, other ordinary people consider this normal and seldom offer strict judgment, but when Christians disobey God and become self-seeking, it is considered a terrible thing and harshly judged. We both felt great concern that the ordinary person has been lulled into thinking that they will escape the wrath of God for doing the same thing.

Winning the Gold

We stayed up late last night and watched about half of the 2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremonies. What an impressive show! I read this morning that Beijing spent 43 billion dollars to put this all together and I’m sure the opening was a large part of that incredible budget.

Today the cameras are on the sport events. As we watch the athletes in their efforts to do their best, and perhaps win a medal, I’m amazed at the incredible timing of today’s devotional reading. While the world focuses on and applauds athletes and physical prowess, God says this: “ . . . exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”

The Bible often uses figures of speech related to the body, even to athletics. In the days it was written, they didn’t have HD television or the Internet to broadcast them, but sports events were nonetheless very popular. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Paul uses the metaphor of athleticism to say more about developing godliness. He points out how what he does with his body affects his determination to follow the Lord.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Exercise is important to me. I’m no athlete, but if I don’t get my body moving at least five times a week, I gain weight, feel sluggish and do not have the energy to do things more important. My body needs this discipline, yet my spiritual life profits from it as well. When I can discipline my body, it seems much easier to allow God to discipline the rest of me.

On those days when I don’t feel like walking, biking, lifting weights or anything else, I remind myself that my goal is godliness. At the same time, I know there is no value in being fit with abs of steel if I cannot be kind to my neighbors or love my family. A gold medal is useless if God is not pleased with the way I treat others. Why exercise my body if I am not willing to exercise my will in obedience to Him? The reading for today focuses on the value of exercising godliness. It says (and I’ve edited a bit):

What is “profitable”? It is that which does the soul good. Godliness is profitable for all things in that it does the soul good in all circumstances. Here it stands apart and separate from everything of a worldly nature. In this verse, it is distinguished from “bodily exercise that profits a little” by instead being “profitable for all things.”
In sickness, in health, in sunshine, in storms, upon the mount, in the valley, under whatever circumstances the child of God may be, godliness or the exercise of godliness is profitable. These circumstances will even draw it out. It lives in the face of trials, is strengthened by opposition, becomes victorious through defeat, gains the day in spite of every foe.
Godliness does not die away like bodily exercise. It does not bloom and fade away in an hour. It is not like Jonah’s gourd that grew and withered in a night. It does not leave the soul in the horrors of despair when it most needs comfort, nor is it fickle, a false friend that turns its back in the dark and cloudy days of adversity. Godliness is “a friend that loves at all times” because the Author of godliness “sticks closer than a brother.”
Godliness can come to a bed of sickness when the body is racked with pain. It can enter a dungeon as it did with Paul and Silas when their feet were in the stocks. It can go, and has gone, with martyrs to the stake. It soothes the pillow of death, takes the soul into eternity, and therefore is profitable for all things. It is a firm friend, a blessed companion, the life of the soul, the health of the heart. It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” and God’s own work, grace, Spirit, life, and power, and ends in God’s own happiness. Therefore it is profitable for all things.

Some of the athletes competing in the Olympics may know these verses about bodily exercise. Some may realize that their sport and the disciple it requires has some profit, and that discipline can carry over into their spiritual lives. If they know that, they will also know that the real gold medal winner is not the best physical performance but the exercise of godliness as they compete, the godliness made possible by their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Clean houses? Or clean hearts?

The old saying, “Cleanliness is next to godliness” may have some merit. Most godly people I know keep themselves clean and presentable. Does that extend to their homes? I’ve wondered, and the text I read this morning in Leviticus makes me wonder even more.

“When you have come into the land of Canaan, which I give you as a possession, and I put the leprous plague in a house in the land of your possession, and he who owns the house comes and tells the priest, saying, ‘It seems to me that there is some plague in the house,’ then the priest shall command that they empty the house, before the priest goes into it to examine the plague, that all that is in the house may not be made unclean; and afterward the priest shall go in to examine the house” (Leviticus 14:34-36).

The phrase that caught my attention is: “when . . . I put the leprous plague in a house . . .” God told His people (at that time living in tents) that a day would come when their houses could be infected by some sort of leprous-like mold that could bring that structure to total ruin, and He would be responsible for putting it there.

My questions are obvious. Why would God inflict their houses? And since most of the instructions in this part of the Bible point to the spiritual condition of His people, what did this plague in their houses represent?

After a few minutes of digging, I found that this passage has been linked to God’s curses on people who do not love and obey Him. A couple of examples are Zechariah 5:4, “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the just” and Proverbs 3:33, “I will send out the curse,” says the Lord of hosts; “It shall enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name. It shall remain in the midst of his house and consume it, with its timber and stones.”

Is it possible that God would inflict my house if there is sin in it? I know He could inflict my body, not just from experience, but from Exodus 15:26. “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

One commentary says, “The leprosy of sin ruins families and churches. Thus sin is so interwoven with the human body, that it must be taken down by death.” I’m also reading a medical book about the connection between emotions and illness, and how the mind and body are interwoven. I see more and more that sin affects my physical body as well as my mental state. However, the passage in Leviticus says God puts the leprosy in the house. Certainly He does not put sin in my life or in families, or the Body of Christ, or in the places we live? If not sin, what then does this plague represent?

The answer (at least I think so) is from an online sermon that says that the leprosy in this passage is not sin, but more like pain or guilt. Pain is a sign that points to the fact that something is not working the way it should or that I have been injured. I would not know I was sick without symptoms of some kind. Guilt is the same. It signals me that I’ve done something to violate God’s will and need to take care of it. Both are gifts from God to help me live well.

The person who wrote the sermon said that leprosy put in a house by God was like pain and guilt in that God did this to show the owner of the home that something needed to be more closely examined and taken to the priest. Unless this was done, that plague could spread and ruin the entire structure.

If the plague represents a warning from God, then why He inflicts a house is easy—He does it because He loves the person who lives there and wants their lives clean and holy. He sends a sign or a warning that things are not as they should be and gives direction in how to deal with it.

How is this practical? I cannot speak for every Christian, but for myself I notice that the state of my home is often a reflection of my state of mind or the condition of my life. If not these, it certainly reveals the condition of my to-do list. When I am too busy, and do not have a handle on all the things I’ve committed myself to do, then my space has piles of paper and stacks of stuff. I try to keep the stacks organized, but doing so is a continual battle that often keeps me from getting anything done. I’m too busy trying to put it in order to actually tackle any of the projects, a procrastination of sorts, but also poor stewardship of the time and abilities God has given me.

My granddaughter says I’m the “cleanest person” she knows. Part of this is to protect my husband’s immune system (he has CLL), and part of it is to keep my scattered mind a bit more ordered (I have ADD), but before these things came into the picture, I’ve noticed that whenever I am out of fellowship with God, I don’t care as much about what my house looks like or if it is clean. This chaos warns me that I need to take something in my life to my Priest, Jesus Christ, and let Him examine and cleanse it.

I’ve looked at Leviticus as a not very interesting read about rules for people who lived a long time ago. Today God used a short phrase to show me that I need to pay closer attention; this part of His Word is also for me.