1 Timothy 3:8

1 Timothy 3:8 says, Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;   Paul then gave God’s requirements for deacons, those who were to assist the bishops, or pastors, in carrying out the everyday tasks of the church.  They were very similar to the requirements of the bishops, and in neither case did it mean that they were somehow to believe themselves to be better than any other Christian.  They would simply be doing what God had called them to do, just as every follower of Christ should. 

Verse nine adds, Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.  The deacons were to be true believers in Christ and hold His truth to be more important than everything else.  They were to believe in the mystery of salvation, which could come only from putting their faith in the crucified and resurrected Lord.  Without doing this, none of the other requirements would matter, even if they met them all, which they would be unable to do. 

Verse ten continues, And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.  Paul said that the person who would be a deacon should first be proven to be faithful in their relationship with Jesus Christ and also should be a good witness to the world by the way that they live their lives.  If a person is to be a deacon today, I believe that they should feel called to do so by God and that their life should reflect Jesus Christ to the world.  

Verse eleven states, Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.  God even stated some requirements for the wife of a deacon.  Since in the eyes of God they had become one person, in their actions they should make sure they each reflected God to the world.  Wives were to be truthful, sober, and faithful to God in all things.  Though they would at times fall short on this last requirement, they were still to strive to be.  This still applies today, I believe.

Verse twelve adds, Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.  This requirement is basically the same as stated for bishops or preachers.  The life of the deacon was to be orderly and reflect well on God.  I believe that we can take this even further and say that the lives of all Christians should be this way.  

Verse thirteen continues, For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.  God said that those who faithfully lived up to the requirements of being a deacon would purchase for themselves a good degree, or reputation in the world I believe, since we cannot buy salvation or even heavenly rewards by our own ability, but can only do so by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and living under the power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.  

1 Timothy 3:1

1 Timothy 3:1 says, This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.  Paul said that if a person desired to be a bishop, that he desired a good work.  Of course, I believe that a person must be called to be a bishop, or preacher, and not just become one because they want to be one.  

Verse two adds, A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  Paul then lists some of the qualifications for being a bishop, or preacher, or maybe more specifically a pastor.  We usually focus on the husband of one wife and tend to ignore some of the other listed qualifications, but I don't believe that Paul was doing this.  All are equally important.

Verse three continues, Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;   I believe that we often fail to see that not being greedy for money as a limiting factor.  As a matter of fact, many preachers seem to believe that they should have an abundance of wealth, and too many seem to think that they should be able to move to larger churches and gain more wealth and would be unwilling to serve as pastor of a smaller struggling church where they might have to struggle financially themselves. 

Verse four states, One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;  I believe that this requirement is often overlooked, and I don’t believe that preachers are always going to be able to lead their children to always do what is right, and after they reach a certain age the children become responsible for their own actions, but a preacher must do his best to lead them to be obedient to God.  I believe most preachers with children would quite often fail to meet this requirement.  Still, it is God’s standard for preachers, and they should do their best to fulfill it under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  

Verse five adds, (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)  This is a question that only God can answer.  We know that the answer should be he can’t, but if God has called a man to preach, He can empower him to do so, even if he fails in some of these areas.  

Verse six continues, Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  A novice would be a new Christian, no matter how old they might be.  If a new Christian was to suddenly be over a congregation, he might tend to become full of self-pride thinking that he was somehow better than other Christians because he had suddenly come to a position that made him better than the average Christian.  Of course, if the new Christan and other Christians were following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, this would never be an issue.  

Verse seven concludes. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.  Paul said that God also expects preachers or pastors to have a good reputation in the community outside the church.  Even if there will always be some people who will speak badly of preachers, it should not be because the preacher did something that would make them look bad in the community.  I also believe that if they do something wrong and repent and take responsibility for it that if God has called them that He will still work through them.  Still, it might be hard for the community to accept them.