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A Pastor/Elder
and Deacon-“Qualities” of First Timothy Chapter-
Ruling his own house
well”
We will now
continue on in our thought concerning the pastor/elder and of the deacon as we
find it in 1st Timothy chapter 3, and verse 4 and 5, “One that
ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of
the church of God?).” I cannot stress how important that this quality
and again I stress the belief that it is a quality is for the
offices of both the pastor/elder as well as the deacon. Especially as these
two offices are “intertwined” in their service with one another, and in
their service to the church body.
We read in Acts
21:8-9, “And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came
unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was
one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters,
virgins, which did prophesy.” Notice if you will that a pastor/elder and a
deacon must be a family man. This was not Philip the apostle, but the very same
Philip that we find who was chosen and set aside by the church for the apostles
or elders to lay their hands on in order to fill the first office of a deacon
in Acts 6:5. If we are to believe our historical accounts this happens about
twenty years after this Brother Philip was ordained to the office of deacon.
Without a doubt, we can say that he was indeed a FAMILY MAN! We can see that in
Acts 8:5, some years later that he was set aside, leaving the office of deacon,
to the office of an elder. We know this because he preached Christ to
people in “the city of Samaria.” It was at this time that he had his
experience with the Ethiopian eunuch, who was returning from worshipping in the
temple at Jerusalem on the road to Gaza. However, I want to emphasize that
Philip was a MARRIED MAN…he was a FAMILY MAN! Again I am not saying that a
pastor/elder or a deacon MUST be married, but I am saying that it must be
shown…proven that he has the quality of being a family man. Do you see
what I am trying to say here? Remember Paul asks the question, “For if a man
know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?”
In addition, this question must be answered before anyone is set into an office
in the service of the church of the Living God. Beloved how many times have we,
as members of the Primitive Baptist Church visited in the homes of the families
of such precious pastors/elders and faithful deacons while we traveled away to
meetings? I know that I have been thus blessed on many occasions.
Marriage and the
home are of Divine origin. God created man by a direct act of creation, He
breathed life into his nostrils and the man became a “living soul.”
Moreover, unlike the beast of the field he came into the union of one man and
one woman, as a picture of the relationship between Christ; the Bridegroom, and
the church, His Bride. If this admonition goes unheeded, the effectiveness of
the man’s pastorship/eldership or deaconship will be greatly diminished.
And we find that in
1 Tim. 3:11-12 that we are to consider the wives of such men, for the Apostle
Paul also tells us a little something about their wives, he writes “And even
so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let
the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own
houses well.” Keep in mind that the offices of a pastor/elder and a deacon
are intertwined by God’s design. Now, this most certainly excludes the
possibility of any women being placed in the office of a pastor/elder and a
deacon, because it is impossible for her to be the “husband of one wife.”
However, it is also equally clear that the wives of the pastor/elder and deacon
should enter into the responsibilities along side of their husbands and share in
the sweet promises of their office in support of their husbands without being
publicly set apart by the church in an ordination service.
However, does this mean that having a wife is a prerequisite for being a deacon?
Moreover, I would be quick to say that the answer is no, it does not mean
that at all. Nevertheless, this scripture most certainly does teach us that he
must be the husband of one wife; that is…IF HE IS
ALREADY MARRIED. The emphasis is without any doubt upon the fact that
there must only be one wife. It is safe to say that a man; pastor/elder and
deacon must not have two legal wives according to the laws of God…that is to say
living wives. In addition, it does not matter what men may tell
us, our confidence does not lie with man, but in the word of God. That is to say
that if he is divorced, this must have met with the requirement that are set
forth by our Lord Jesus Christ who said, “except a man put away his wife for
other than fornication’ (that is to say sexual sin) ‘he causes her to
commit adultery, and any man who marries such a one commits adultery.”
Therefore, any man or woman who divorces for any other reason, and if they
remarry they must be considered to have more than one living, legal wife,
especially in the eyes of God, and therefore they ought never to be considered
for ANY office in the church. In addition, for that matter if such were
found to be within the membership of the church body, it would become necessary
for the church to deal with him. Moreover, any such who holds an office and fall
into such a state should be removed from that office.
However, by now you are not doubt asking yourself, “Well Brother Thomas, what
about an unmarried man? Can an unmarried man be called to the office of
deacon?” My answer to that question would be “yes.” But it
should be understood by this man that if he is chosen by the church, that before
he accepts the office, that if he were to marry that he abide according to the
scriptures as in 2 Cor 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?” He ought to not go aside of the
church and into the world to seek his wife, and why not? Well, simply because
this action is liable to become the cause of confusion within the church that he
is serving. Before he marries, he must first consider the office to which God
has provided for him to serve, to which the church has placed him in. He must
consider whether the person he wishes to marry will accept without any
reservation the primary obligations of his office. He must, and this with
must prayer, consider the question of “What will his prospective bride bring
to his office?” Will she bring the things that God expects, and the church must
have in order to insure the proper function in the blessings of God? Will she
live the life of a deacon’s wife? He must ever be mindful that his sacred vow
was made first to God and before the church, and that this vow is for life.
Moreover, because of the sacredness of his obligations to his calling he must
consider all of these questions to know what his marriage will mean to his
service to God and His elect children in the House of God.
The woman who is
considering become a deacon’s wife, she must also prayerfully consider something
too. To start out with, the very fact that this man is a pastor/elder or a
deacon will affect the kind of home that he MUST have. Is she thus
willing to live in the manner that is required in order for her to be able to
support him in his God called ministry? She must be willing to do so, or not
enter into this union. As she considers these questions, let me say a word of
encouragement here, his office will have both a demand on, as well as a
wonderful contribution to the home that she will have. If she and her husband
live faithfully in accordance with and in the manner of good stewards before the
church of Christ, I am certain that God will bless their family with His untold
blessings. And so with these things in mind she should very carefully, and with
much prayer consider what it means to be a deacon’s wife, along with the things
that her husband is expected to do as a man who is to be of service to God and
His elect children in the Church Kingdom of Heaven. She should read and meditate
on the passages found in 1 Tim 3:11 asking herself, "Am I willing to be a wife
who is grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things,” and
especially the latter part of the verse, “faithful in all things?” All of
these things should be considered before he enters into the union of marriage.
Next time we will
more fully consider the qualities of a deacon’s wife. God bless you dear ones.
Elder
Thomas McDonald
Notes on Matthew
Chapter 3 Part 7 Baptism of Jesus
Matt. 3:13 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized
of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and
comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now:
for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo,
the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
We
make the following observations concerning the above passage:
1. Jesus walked to Jordan from Galilee a distance of approximately sixty miles
to be baptized of the only man on earth who had the authority of God to baptize
at that time. Anyone who thinks it doesn't matter who performs water baptism
should consider the Lord's example.
2. When Jesus said, "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness," he was
not referring to him and John fulfilling all righteousness, but he was referring
to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost as fulfilling all
righteousness.
3. Water baptism is immersion and not sprinkling as Jesus went up straightway
out of the water. In order for him to come up straightway out of the water he
had to first go down into the water.
4. If baptism were a means of being born again or of being saved from sin, then
why was the Lord baptized?
5. The Lord set an example for us. Should not we follow his example?
6. The Lord set forth in his baptism his intention to die for our sins, to be
buried, and to rise again the third day. When we are baptized we are setting
forth our belief that Jesus died for our sins and that he arose again victorious
over death, hell, and the grave.
7. The Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) expressed His pleasure and
approval of the Lord, what he was doing and of his example.
Chapter
4 Part 1
Temptations – General
Matt. 4:1 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil."
According to James 1:13 "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:
for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every
man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death." From this passage we draw the following conclusions:
1. God cannot be tempted with evil.
2. God does not tempt man to do evil.
3. Man has lust (desires).
4. Man's desires can be enticed to do evil.
5. When man's desires and the enticement to do evil conceive, then sin takes
place.
6. The consequences of sin is death.
There are three types of desires in man: 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world. It is through these three types of
desires (lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes; and the pride of life) that man is
enticed to sin.
Satan is an enticer. He uses our flesh nature, the world, and suggestions in
our mind to entice us to do evil.
Satan tempting Eve is an example of the above: Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was
more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said
unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the
trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the
garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest
ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to
be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and
gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Eve saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh). She also saw that
the tree was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eye). Finally, she saw that the
tree was desirable to make one wise (pride of life). When these lust conceived
with the temptation to become as gods, she ate of the tree and thus sinned.
When sin was finished it brought forth death.
The same principles work in each of us and it was by these principles that Satan
attempted to tempt Christ.
Chapter 4 Part 2
Christ v. Adam
Matt. 4:1 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungered." The scriptures set forth a strong contrast between
Christ and Adam. Note the following contrasts:
1. Adam was in the garden when he sinned. Christ was in a wilderness when
Satan tempted him.
2. Adam had all the trees of the garden, which were good for food to eat, and
yet he chose to eat of the tree that God forbad him to eat. Christ was in a
barren land (wilderness) that had no food to eat, yet he refused to succumb to
the devil's temptation.
3. Adam had never had a reason to be hungry. Christ had fasted forty days and
forty nights.
4. Adam sinned willfully, thus plunging himself and his posterity into sin and
death. Christ refused to sin, thus becoming the perfect sacrifice whereby he
delivered his elect from the condemnation of sin.
Chapter
4 Part 3
Christ v. Moses
4:1 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of
the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was
afterward an hungered."
According to John 1:17 "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came
by Jesus Christ."
The above invites us to compare Christ with Moses. When Moses went up into the
mount the first time, he fasted forty days and forty nights. God gave to him
two tables of stone on which were written the ten commandments. When Moses came
down from the mount and saw the children of Israel dancing naked to their shame
and worshipping a golden calf, he threw down the tables of stone and broke
them. Moses went back up into the mount and fasted an additional forty days and
nights. God gave Moses the ten commandments the second time on two tables of
stone. This time the stones were placed in the ark of the covenant for safe
keeping.
The ark of the covenant is a type of Christ. When Moses was given the ten
commandments the first thing that he did was break them. Christ refused to
break the ten commandments even though he too had fasted forty days and forty
nights. Christ kept the commandments of God perfectly and then at the appointed
time became at the cross the perfect sacrifice for sin for the elect.
Chapter
4 Part 4
Temptation #1 Lust of the Flesh
Matt. 4:3 "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God,
command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God."
The desire for food is essential to the health of man. However, for many of us
we do not eat just to satisfy our body's requirements for health, but rather to
satisfy the way eating food makes us feel. In the case of Jesus who had fasted
for forty days and forty nights, the body would have a natural craving for food
just to satisfy the health of the body. It was in this situation that the Devil
approached Jesus to tempt him.
One of the devices of Satan is to call in question the word of God and the
authority of God. The phrase "if thou be" is a phrase attempting to make one
doubt. Notice how often Satan through his lieutenants used the phrase calling
in question the Son-ship of Jesus:
1. Matt. 4:6 "And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down:
for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their
hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone."
2. Matt. 27:40 "And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in
three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross."
3. Lk. 23:37 "And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself."
4. Lk. 23:39 "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him,
saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."
5. John 10:24 "Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long
dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25 Jesus
answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness of me."
Satan also uses this device on us to cause us to doubt. Some examples of this
type of calling in question are:
1. If you are a child of God then why are you sick?
2. If you are a child of God, then why do you not just trust in God rather than
take medicine?
3. If you are a preacher, then why do you have doubts?
4. If you just have enough faith, then your spouse will be cured of that
incurable disease.
Christ answered the temptations of the devil with the phrase, "It is written."
He successfully quenched the fiery darts of Satan with the shield of faith. "It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God." This was a quotation from the Old Testament: Deu. 8:3
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna,
which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."
A
part of the armor of God we are to put on is faith: Eph. 6:16 "Above all, taking
the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of
the wicked." Faith is more than just trusting in God, it also involves trusting
his word. How can we trust his word, however, if we are not familiar with his
word? David said in Ps. 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against thee." Job said, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more
than my necessary food." We cannot hide God's word in our heart until we have
it in our mind. We need to give attendance to reading that we may gain
knowledge of God's word. Then we need to "study to show thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth"
that we may gain understanding of God's word. Next, we need to meditate on the
word of God that we may have it in our heart. Finally, we need to answer the
enticements to the lust of the flesh with "it is written."
Elder Vernon Johnson | 
