Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20120422.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Timothy: God's Ministry Roles For Church Leaders And The Local Church
Part X: God's Qualifications For Church Workers In General
(1 Timothy 3:8-13)
  1. Introduction
    1. Down through Church History, not only have Church overseers been in the public eye, but Christians serving in the Church under them have still been viewed by the public as representing the Church.
    2. Thus, it is essential that all local church workers, even those who serve under elders, meet God's qualifications in character and spirituality that the Church's Christian testimony be upheld.
    3. 1 Timothy 3:8-13 clarifies these qualifications for general local church workers (as follows):
  2. God's Qualifications For Church Workers In General, 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
    1. God presented qualifications for male church workers in general in 1 Timothy 3:8-10, 12-13 as follows:
      1. Moving from the qualifications of elders, Paul gave qualifications for "deacons", the Greek noun being diakonos (Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 183-184).
      2. This word indicates men who serve under the church elders like the first "deacons" of Acts 6:1-7 did.
      3. As such, these general male church workers who were in the public eye as their roles left them representing the Church's testimony had to meet the following qualifications, 1 Tim. 3:8-10, 12-13:
        1. Deacons were to be men "worthy of respect" (semnos, Ibid., p. 754), "not insincere" (me dilogos, Ibid., p. 197; U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 723), "not given to much wine" (1 Tim. 3:8c), "not fond of dishonest gain" ( me aischrokerdes, Ibid.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 24), 1 Timothy 3:8.
        2. Above all, they were to "keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience" (1 Tim. 3:9), namely, their lives had to conform with godly beliefs, Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 738.
        3. To insure this consistency between belief and life, time was needed for men to live in a way that they could be approved by onlookers before serving in the role of deacon, 1 Timothy 3:10.
        4. Finally, a deacon like an elder was to be the husband of but one wife and to manage his children and his household well, 1 Timothy 3:12 with 1 Timothy 3:2b, 4-5.
    2. Then, God presented qualifications for female church workers in general in 1 Timothy 3:11 as follows:
      1. Though the KJV, NIV and ESV all make 1 Timothy 3:11 address the qualification of deacons "wives", the Greek text addresses female church workers in general for the following reasons:
        1. The noun the versions render "wives" here is gune that can be translated either "wife" or "woman", Ibid., U. B. S. Greek N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrinch, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 167.
        2. Well, the Greek text at 1 Timothy 3:11 has no possessive pronoun [like "their"] to indicate these women were specifically the deacons' [or the elders'] wives, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.
        3. Also, the term "hoautos" rendered "likewise" introduces first the deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8 and then the gune in 1 Timothy 3:11, indicating Paul was addressing separate categories of Christian servants -- first the elders, then the deacons, then the gune. (Ibid.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 907)
        4. Paul did not set qualifications for elders' wives in giving elders' qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, so it is unlikely he would give qualifications for the wives of men of lesser rank in 1 Timothy 3:11.
        5. Then, Paul addressed both the elders' and the deacons' marriage and family lives in 1 Timothy 3:2, 4-5 and 3:12, so it seems awkward to give their wives' qualifications separately in 1 Timothy 3:11.
      2. Thus, these gune were not necessarily anyone's wives, but female local church workers who served the needs of believers under elder oversight who were in the public eye, women like Phoebe, Romans 16:1. Of necessity, this role in today's culture almost always appl ies to the wives of elders and of deacons.
      3. God then wanted female workers in the public eye to be women "worthy of respect" (semnos, Ibid., p. 754), "not slanderous" (me diabolos, Ibid., p. 181), "temperate; sober" ( naphalios, Ibid., p. 540), "faithful, dependable, trustworthy" (pistos, Ibid., p. 670-671; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.), 1 Tim. 3:11.
Lesson: Not only local church overseeing elders, but any Christian man or woman who serves in a public capacity under these leaders, being representative of the local church's testimony, must meet the 1 Timothy 3:8-13 qualifications God has for them as godly representatives of the local church.

Application: May we who labor in the Church meet these qualifications, and may we promote them.