1 Timothy 3:1-2 (NET) This saying is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work.” The overseer then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher
Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy was very instructive. It was written to give Timothy a guide for his assignment of establishing the churches and appointing reliable leadership that would continue the work.
In today’s verse, we see Apostle Paul guiding Timothy on those who are to be appointed as overseers or bishops over a local church.
The first thing we can observe here is that the position of overseer in God’s house is open to any believer who can meet up with these criteria. It is not necessarily reserved for those who occupy the ministry offices but for those who have had a track record of faithfulness in their service to the Lord.
Another thing I would love to point out here is that the leadership of the local church was not given to one man but to a group of bishops or overseers. This is the same pattern we see in the first church in Jerusalem. The apostles were the overseer of the church in Jerusalem. Even though Peter was the one who preached in Acts 2 and 3, it was the [plurality of the] apostles that oversaw the church and made the crucial decisions like appointing deacons, etc. Peter was accountable to them. For example, he owed them an explanation when he acted outside their tradition by preaching in the house of a Gentile (see Acts 11:1-18).
Go into today knowing that the greatest authority in the body of Christ is wielded by the church leadership. Those who attain this position are believers who have had a track record of faithfulness. Any believer can attain the zenith of kingdom authority if he would remain faithful. Faithfulness is the key to greatness in God’s kingdom.
Prayer: Ask the Lord for the grace to be faithful.
Want to be saved? Go here: streamglobe.org/33
—Abraham Damilola Arigi
Yearly Bible Reading: Psalms 143-145 (In Devotional Audio)
Credits: Bible (Bible Experience, Zondervan)
Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let’s touch lives together.
Streamglobe Devotional is nondenominational and interdenominational
Contact us (WhatsApp): +15155195600, +234813822454
Listen to Streamglobe 24/7 Christian Radio here☞ https://streamglobe.radio
Download our sermons here☞ https://streamglobe.org/34
Podcast: Play in new window | Download ()
Subscribe: RSS