Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20120408.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Timothy: God's Ministry Roles For Church Leaders And The Local Church
Part IX: God's Qualifications For Local Church Elders
B. God's Family Life Qualifications For Local Church Elders
(1 Timothy 3:1, 4-5 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. God's plan for the local church involves a key role for its human leaders who must necessarily meet certain qualifications that help and not hinder God's work in the body.
    2. In view of the vast dysfunction that exists in many homes in our decaying societies, it is essential that the elder's role be exemplary in relating to and keeping order in his marriage and family life.
    3. Accordingly, 1 Timothy 3:1, 4-5 et al. clarify the family life qualifications for local church elders:
  2. God's Family Life Qualifications For Local Church Elders, 1 Timothy 3:1, 4-5 et al.
    1. Paul claimed in 1 Timothy 3:1 that if one desired the office of elder, he desired a kalos work, one "at once seen to be good" by others versus an agathos work, one which "is good in virtue of its results," U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 723; Moulton & Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek N. T., 1972, p. 318. Thus, it is essential that elders (and all church leaders by application) be immediately seen by all onlookers as being qualified and good for the office itself, be it even immature believers or the onlooking lost world!
    2. This leads to qualifications for elders that keep them above immediate question, and, one area of great importance in view of great dysfunction in many families in the world's societies is the upright family life of the local church elder as taught in 1 Timothy 3:4-5 et al. (as follows):
      1. Paul directed that an elder must be a man who "ruleth well his own house" (KJV), the word "ruleth" in the Greek Testament being proistemi, meaning here both "to lead" and "to care for," 1 Timothy 3:4a; U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 723; Theological Dictionary of the N. T., vol. VI, p. 701.
      2. This does not mean he is to be an abusive dictator, nor does it mean he should be irresponsible in not assuming oversight, but it carries the thought of caring oversight much like a shepherd who rules his sheep in a way that nurtures and protects them as sheep.
      3. Indeed, Paul's 1 Timothy 3:5 claim that if a man does not know how to proistemi his own family, he can not "take care of" (epimeleomai = "care for", Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the N. T., 1967, p. 296) the Church of God shows proistemi here has both a ruling and a nurturing focus!
      4. Accordingly, an elder must be a man who in his family life responsibly takes the ruling oversight, but an oversight that also edifies and nurtures his wife and children for their benefit, 1 Timothy 3:4-5:
        1. The result of an elder's properly overseeing his family (proistemi) will be seeing his children "obey him with proper respect" (1 Timothy 3:4b NIV).
        2. The word "obey" is from the Greek word hupotage, "subordination, obedience" (Ibid., p. 855), and "proper respect" is from semnotes that means "reverence, dignity, respectfulness," Ibid., p. 754.
        3. Well, Ephesians 6:4 shows a father achieves this response from his children by not provoking them to anger, but by raising them in the paideia ("child training", Ibid., p. 608) and nouthesia ("admonition, warning", Ibid., p. 546) of the LORD! In other words, a father both leads and cares for his children, rearing them properly as he fills his own mind with God's words and then he conveys these to his children in the power and leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit to where it is GOD Who USES the father to DISCIPLE his children! (Psalm 128:1-6 with Galatians 5:16-23)
        4. The same goes for the elders' oversight of his wife: Ephesians 5:25-33 directs husbands to nurture their wives as Christ does the Church, so an elder must apply Scripture in his life with his wife that GOD THROUGH him might DISCIPLE her, giving her balanced direction and nurture.
        5. This way, an elder shows God's balanced leading and care of his wife and children that functions as an example before a world with numerous families with dysfunctional male leaders!
Lesson: In his family life, an elder must have his whole way of thinking and acting in relation to his wife and children be impacted by God's viewpoint of Scripture and the indwelling Holy Spirit so that he is balanced in being both a ruler as well as a nurturer opposite the worldly dysfunction of many men.

Application: May we who are elders heed this passage, and may we all promote it throughout the body!