Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Ist Timothy 3:1-16

August 23, 2026

Message: “Leadership in God’s Church!”

by Pastor George Gnade

Listen to the Message

8:05

Introduction:

1. Most scholars believe that the Apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome for two years before he was found innocent of the charges of the Jews and released. 

2. What is interesting to me is how this same approach is used to attack Christians all over the world. First they attack us. Then they complain to the authorities that it is our fault. That is what the unbelieving Jews did to Paul.

a. That may be one reason why the Book of Acts was written. It points out how Jews who became Christians were often attacked by Jews who were not (Acts 8: 1).

b. After Paul became a Christian, the very ones who encouraged him before he was saved, attacked him after he was saved. Unbelieving Gentiles did likewise. But over and over again, Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts, points out that Paul was innocent of the charges against him.

3. So it should not surprise us that after two years, Paul was found innocent of the charges being brought against him. It just took a lot of time because the legal system was notoriously slow in bringing cases to court.

a. About 3 or 4 years later, Nero blamed the Christians for burning down Rome. As a result, Christianity soon became an illegal religion. And it should not surprise us that Nero had Peter and Paul put in prison and killed.

b. But the question is: “What did Paul do during those 3 or 4 years?” Conservative scholars believe he spent some time in Spain (Rom. 15:28). But he also wrote the letters to Timothy and Titus and spent some time in Crete (Titus 1:5).

4. These three letters are called the “pastoral epistles” because they were written by Paul to Timothy and Titus who were ministering to the churches instead of writing to the churches themselves. 

a. This explains why the style and content of these letters is a little different than the letters to the churches.

b. Besides that, every new church needed instruction on how to choose a pastor and deacons.

A.  That is the subject of Ist Timothy 3.

1. Vs. 6 says they should not be recent converts. That is because this life is full of trials and hardships. New Christians are more likely to fall away than a Christian who has more experience.

a. In the parable of the sower, Jesus spoke of those who responded to the Word and seemed very sincere, but that is exactly how some people act when the Word, like seed, lands on shallow soil. Many times it doesn’t last.

(Mark 4:1-20).  

b. That is why most new pastors were to be chosen from those who were elders, from older Christians with more experience. As a result, in the N.T., elders and pastors are often used interchangeably.

2. Verse 7 says they had to have a “good reputation” in the church and even in their own community (outsiders) so they would not “fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

 In plain words, being a pastor or even a deacon is not an easy job. Having some maturity can be a big help.

B. Consider some of the ways they were encouraged to evaluate an elder’s reputation before choosing him to become their pastor.

1. Verse 2 says they were to be “the husband of but one wife.”

a. Polygamy was allowed in the O.T. Many men of God had more than one wife. But the conflicts caused by polygamy are clearly visible. 

b. The Lord Jesus has but one bride called the church. Ever since the coming of Christ, Christians were encouraged to have just one wife. I think that is all Paul meant. 

2. Now if your wife dies, the Bible teaches you are free to marry again. And if your wife (or husband) cheats on you, you are free to divorce her and marry again. 

a. Remember how Joseph planned to put Mary away privately until he learned the Holy Spirit had caused her to be pregnant with Jesus. He was not doing anything wrong. He would have married someone else instead. 

b. Some scholars believe having “but one wife” would exclude someone who remarries from being a pastor. But situations like that are often outside a person’s control. So each situation should be looked at carefully but not necessarily exclude someone from being a pastor.

3. In verse 4-5, Paul writes: “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”

a. There is a lot of truth in that. But in our culture, our families are often exposed to all kinds of sinful behavior. So you can’t always control what they will do.

b. My family have all stayed close to the Lord, but I think that is something to be thankful for, not something to brag about. My heart and prayers go out to pastors who have not been so fortunate.

4. Paul also mentions being “temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to much wine, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (Ist Timothy 3: 2-3).

a. Again, remember Paul himself. He was violent and quarrelsome before God saved him and called him. Once again, that is the value to choosing someone who has been saved for quite a while so you can see how they have changed. Clearly Paul had changed.

b. Our past should not necessarily exclude us from serving the Lord.  All Paul seems to be saying is a pastor’ job is often very challenging so a church should always be careful when making this decision.

C. In Ist Timothy 3: 8-13, Paul gave much of the same advice to the church as they chose Deacons.

1. In Acts 6:1-7, as many people came to know the Lord, it soon became clear that the apostles couldn’t handle it all.

a. This was especially true in their efforts to help people in need. So they gathered together to take care of those matters and chose deacons to concentrate on those issues.

b. That way the apostles could spend more time in prayer and preaching, something every pastor should do. 

2. The fact that they were encouraged to choose these deacons with similar care shows how important it is to pick people who are right with the Lord whenever we choose people who hold positions of importance.

a. In Acts 6, many of these men who were chosen to be deacons were used mightily by the Lord and often did teaching and even preaching besides their other duties. 

b. This reminds me of Ist Cor. 12 and Rom. 12 where it lists the many gifts and ways God can use us to serve Him.

3. So let us remember to always give thanks for each other.

In Conclusion:

1. In Ist Timothy 3:15, Paul concludes this passage by saying: Now “you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”  

2. No wonder the Bible includes this letter so it can help us in our day to choose church leaders too (Ist Timothy 3:15). Amen!