[:en] Our Daily Verse (1/31/20)[:]

[:en]SCRIPTURE:  1 TIMOTHY 3

“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

“Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.  They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Timothy 3:8-9)

The church is an organization which must have good leadership to function effectively.  “Overseers” are “elders” which can also refer to as “pastors”. Deacon means “one who serves”.   This position was started by apostles in the Jerusalem church to care for the physical needs of the congregation especially to the Greek speaking widows.

Qualifications of Overseer or Elders or Pastors:

  1. Above reproach
  2. Husband of one wife
  3. Temperate
  4. Self-controlled
  5. Respectable
  6. Hospitable
  7. Able to teach
  8. Not given to drunkenness
  9. Not violent but gentle
  10. Not quarrelsome
  11. Not a lover of money
  12. Manages his own family well and his children are obedient
  13. Not a recent convert
  14. Good reputation with outsiders

Qualifications of Deacons:

  1. Respectable
  2. Sincere
  3. Not indulging in much wine
  4. Not pursuing dishonest gain
  5. Keep hold of the deep truth of the faith with a clear conscience
  6. Be tested first before they are asked to serve
  7. Worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy
  8. Husband of one wife
  9. Manage his children and household well.

Paul described the local church as:

  1. God household – As church of the living God, all believers are children of God and the church is His family.  So,  Paul gave instructions on how the members of God’s family should behave.
  2. Pillar and foundation of the turth – God’s truth should be the pillar and foundation of the church.  The local church must hold on to God’s truth by faithfully preaching and practising the truth.
  3. Body of Christ – All individuals who believe in Christ are sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.  They belong to the Body of Christ.
  4. Mystery of Godliness – It involves His birth, death and resurrection which had been summarized in His earthly ministry.  The Church as Body of Christ on earth should pursue godliness and continue His mission through evangelism.

Lastly, Paul concluded with a short hymn that affirmed the humanity and divinity of Christ.  The heart of the Gospel consists of:

  1.  He appeared in a body- meaning Jesus was born as a man
  2. He was vindicated by the Spirit –  His resurrection showed the power of the Holy Spirit
  3. He was seen by angels – taken up to heaven
  4. He was preached among all nations – gospel has been proclaimed to the earth.
  5. He was  believed  on in the world – many people had come to know and believe in Christ
  6. He was taken up in glory – Jesus is now sitteth at the right hand of the Father .                                                                                                                                                                              LESSON:                                                                                                                                   “Elders” and “Deacons” have great responsibility to meet high expectation.  They must live a blameless and pure life.  They must be grounded ifirmly in faith and God’s truth.  They must have a solid Christain life style and knowledge of God’s Word.  They must pray and ask God to guide and teach them to be more like Him.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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