Transcript

Stewart Ruch writes this, At the age of 23, Second Lieutenant Karl Marlantes was in charge of 40 marines during an intense battle in the Vietnam War.

Marlantes had moved his men into the jungle as they waited for U.S. jets to bomb a hill that North Vietnamese soldiers had overtaken. Unfortunately, the jets came and dropped their bombs on the wrong hill.

So when Marlantes led his men out of the jungle, they were instantly under fire from untouched machine-gun positions. Marlantes knew it would only take a few minutes before the enemy rockets and mortars found his troops.

The entire mission ground to a halt as the U.S. soldiers ducked behind downed trees and huddled in shell holes. Marlantes knew what he had to do next. He writes:

“If I didn’t get up and lead, we’d get wiped out. I did a lot of things that day, but the one I’m most proud of is that I simply stood up, in the middle of that flying metal, and started up the hill. I simply ran forward up the steep hill, zigzagging for a bunker, all by myself, hoping [my own soldiers] wouldn’t hit me in the back.

“It’s difficult to zigzag while running uphill loaded down with ammunition and grenades. But then in the midst of my solo charge up the hill to take out the enemy, I suddenly saw some movement in my peripheral vision:

“It was a marine! He was about 50 feet below me, zigzagging, falling, then getting up and running again. Immediately behind him a long ragged line of Marines came moving and weaving up the hill behind me.

Behind the line were spots of crumpled bodies, lying where they’d been hit. They’d all come with me. Everyone was intermingled, weaving, rushing and covering, taking on each hole and bunker one at a time in groups.

“WE, the group, just rushed forward all at once. WE couldn’t be stopped. Just individuals among us were stopped, but WE couldn’t be. I was WE, no longer me.”

Stewart Ruch continues: “If there’s any segment of our society that understands the need for qualified leaders, it’s the military. From the moment a new batch of undisciplined, wide-eyed recruits steps off the bus at the training center, the drill instructors begin identifying leaders, and they make their choices with efficiency.

“They don’t worry about feelings, seniority, politics, or popularity because, when bullets fly and missiles explode, others’ lives depend on capable leadership. Unqualified leaders get soldiers needlessly killed; qualified leaders accomplish their mission.”

When we consider the eternal stakes involved in Christian ministry, the issue of leadership cannot be taken lightly. Ministry is about eternal life and eternal death. Thus God makes the standards very high for those He calls to leadership within His church.

And spiritual leaders are to have the same mindset as Karl Marlantes, to boldly lead so that “we,” the church move forward, and that being a part of the church it becomes, “we, no longer me.”

Titus 1:5: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.”

Paul here describes his purpose for leaving Titus on the island of Crete.

Acts 27 records Paul’s boat stopping temporarily in Crete on his trip to Rome, but being a prisoner at the time, and with Titus not said to be with him, it was likely not at this time Paul ministered here and established churches.

Paul’s time in Crete with Titus more likely took place after his release from his first Roman imprisonment and prior to his second and final imprisonment which led to his death and martyrdom for Christ.

After spending some time on the island with Titus at this time, evangelizing and planting churches, Paul moved on to minister in other places, but because there was much work still to be done, he left Titus behind.

And in verse 5, Paul reminds Titus of his duty in appointing elders. If the churches planted in Crete were to grow spiritually and stand firmly for the truth, they needed structure and guidance and leadership and Titus needed to set these things in order.

It had been Paul’s standard operating procedure to ordain elders in the churches he planted. After ministering and planting churches in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, Acts 14:23 reads, “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed they commended them to the Lord.”

The charge of verse 5, coming from the Apostle Paul, gave Titus the authority before the churches in Crete to carry this exhortation out and it also would have served to “light a fire under him” and encourage him to perform this necessary duty.

Paul telling Titus to “set in order the things that are wanting,” speaks of carrying out what was left undone, completing unfinished business.

Paul was concerned about the lack of leadership structure in the local churches. What was “wanting” and unfinished was that responsible elders needed to be appointed in them.

Titus 1:6: “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”

Many times, churches seek the wrong qualities when choosing their leaders. The world wants an impressive resume that demonstrates a track record of proven success in business. While corporations want shrewd businessmen, full of charisma and those who wield powerful influence, the church needs men who conform to a different standard.

The church needs servant-leaders, who bear the qualities of the Lord who “came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Mark 10:45). It’s been rightly said that, “The only leader worth following is the leader who is following Christ.” The church needs Christ-like, servant leadership which models His grace, patience, and love.

The church needs men who demonstrate Christ’s compassion, exude His joy, and like Christ seek the highest good of others first. The church needs men of faith, men of the Word, men of prayer. The church needs men who sacrifice, who work and serve, whose dreams are in heaven and who have vision for Christ.

One stormy night a boat could make no headway, and while the captain was struggling to get into port, a nervous passenger said to him: “Do you think we shall get in all right?” He replied: “This is a leaky old boat, and we may go down; and the boilers are not in very good condition, so we may go up. But, whatever happens, we are going on.”

Leaders are to stand before the church and influence it by their determination and steadfastness to move the church forward no matter what happens in this world.

So many want to stand still and bemoan the horrible condition of the world with a “woe is me” kind of attitude.

But leaders are called to lead God’s people to move by faith and to share the gospel, because Christ is the Answer to the problems and wickedness of this world.

Paul describes the kind of man suitable for the office of elder using 17 qualifications, each one defining a necessary quality for spiritual leadership.

This is a hard portion. It’s hard because it’s convicting. God’s standard is very high for elders, leaders and overseers in His church. This is for the spiritual good and spiritual safety of an assembly of God’s people.

One author has rightly said that “We should use this list as a spiritual maturity profile in our own lives. These qualifications obviously apply to elders, but these qualities can help us measure our own maturity level in Christ.”

God’s first requirement for elders is “if any be blameless.” This quality is so important that it is listed first and is stated again in verse 7.

Being “blameless” is a general quality of character forming the frame for all the rest of the qualities to follow.

Being “blameless” is not a requirement for sinless perfection or a pristine past. It does not mean that an elder must be completely flawless or faultless, otherwise no one could serve in this capacity.

Being “without blame” has to do with unquestioned integrity. It’s a general assessment of a man’s spiritual maturity and reputation.

Being blameless speaks of giving others no occasion to accuse you, doing nothing blameworthy, having nothing that could call their godliness into question.

Will Rogers once said, “Live so that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.” That would be living a blameless life!

Blameless speaks of outward conduct and suggests a life lived for Christ that is both undeniable and unhypocritical. A leader’s lifestyle and reputation must stand out so that he will have the respect and confidence of those he is leading.

Paul turns to the home life of the elder and says he should be “the husband of one wife.” First, the clear teaching of Scripture here is that elders are to be men.

Paul uses the masculine pronoun throughout this list and here speaks of elders as husbands. “The husband of one wife” in the Greek literally means “a one-woman man.”

A Christian and a Mormon were arguing about polygamy, having more than one wife. The Mormon said, “Give me just one verse in the Bible that forbids polygamy!” The Christian quickly answered, “That’s easy. ‘No man can serve two masters.’”

The issue of allowing men who are divorced and remarried to be an elder in the church is one that you need to study and come to your own conviction about with God’s Word.

I will say that we need to be sensitive to the fact that each case with divorce is different and should be considered in light of the circumstances surrounding it. Sometimes it is completely out of a person’s control, sometimes it took place before they were saved.

For me, I like to look at this requirement at its most basic level. “The husband of one wife” refers to a man who is married to one woman and living in harmony with her. It implies faithfulness, sexual purity and a reputation for love and devotion to his wife.

Appearing second and high on the list, shows that an elder’s marriage is important to God. How a man conducts himself in his marriage says a lot about how he will handle the responsibilities of spiritual leadership in the church. And God requires the church to determine whether a potential elder’s marriage is whole, healthy and solid.

This qualification does not require that an elder must be married and thus disqualify widowers or single men. To follow this line of thinking would mean that it would require that an elder must have children as well, which Paul goes on to speak of next in this verse.

“Having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” describes a man who has effectively accomplished at home what God hopes to accomplish in the church.

This verse teaches that the training ground for a married elder who has a family is in the home. If a man demonstrates leadership and responsibility in his home, having a loving marriage with children who are not out of control, this is a man who would demonstrate same within the church and in his care of the Lord’s people.

As Paul writes in I Timothy 3:5, “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” It’s been said that: “True ministry may one day extend beyond your family, but not before it is established within your family.”

An elder’s children must not be open to the charge of being out of control and disobedient, and unwilling to submit to parental authority. And elder is to have their children under loving and obedient control.

As the God-appointed head of the family, the father is responsible for his children’s behavior. He is to be the overseer of the family, and involved in each of their lives, providing correction as well as positive spiritual training and influence in the home.

Again we’re not talking about perfection here. Parents aren’t perfect and there are no perfect children. Every parent experiences difficulties in the home with their children, and this does not disqualify a man.

And this is also in the context of being blameless, and so we’re talking about being a godly parent of integrity, being above reproach in marriage and in parenting.

Kent Hughes writes, “Good leadership is not determined in the absence of difficulty, but in the prudent discipline of handling problems when difficulties come.” And this is true in family life and in the difficulties that often arise in the home.

Titus 1:7 reads, “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.”

Paul refers to the elder as a “bishop” and a “steward” in verse 7. From the meaning of “bishop” we learn that he is to be an overseer of the local assembly, over-seeing and watching out for the assembly’s well-being and with their spiritual good at heart.

From the meaning of a “steward” in Scripture we learn that he is to manage what the Master has put into his hands and carry out His will in the care of His Church.

An elder is a “steward OF GOD,” and so he is directly accountable to God for how he serves and manages the church. And he is to lead, manage and oversee it according to God’s instructions given in His Word, rightly divided, and carry out His will.

And a “steward” does not own anything, he only manages what belongs to His Master. So the local church does not belong to the elder, it belongs to God.

An overseer must never see himself as the owner of the church, but as one entrusted by God with the spiritual nourishment, growth and behavior of the family of God.

Often in ministry leadership there can be a negative viewpoint of God’s people.

The old clichés are: If it wasn’t for people, ministry would be easy, or, To dwell above with saints we love, oh that will be glory. To dwell below with saints we know, well, that’s another story. But as elders lead the Church, they must remember that the people they lead, are people that Christ purchased with His own blood. Christ died for them.

As Acts 20:28 says: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.”

The Church is of infinite worth and value in the eyes of Christ. Each person is dearly loved and treasured by Him. He shed His blood for them so that they might His forever.

And so elders should lead the church with deep carefulness and love in light of how precious they are to Christ and how deeply He loves them.

As he manages the local assembly verse 7 teaches that he is not to be “self-willed,” or self-pleasing and overbearing. He must not be “bossy” is the idea.

He’s not to be selfishly and stubbornly pushing constantly to have his own way, forcing his opinion on others. Elders are to be loving leaders, not dominant dictators. He must be willing to listen to the advice and counsel of other men of God with whom he serves.

He is to be “not soon angry,” or not quick-tempered, not flying off the handle. It is a man who avoids explosions of anger. He should have a righteous anger against sin, but should not be prone to sinful, selfish, angry outbursts.

Someone once said, “Temper is such a wonderful thing that it’s a shame to lose it.” Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:5, that love is “not easily provoked.”

He is to be “not given to wine,” or he is not to be given to overindulgence, drunkenness or addictions with drink or anything else. God wants the believer and the elder to be under the control of the Spirit, and not under the control of drink.

And he is to be “no striker,” or not a fighter or a violent person. He is not to be looking for trouble, be quarrelsome, or to have a combative spirit.

He is to be “not given to filthy lucre.” He is not to be using the church for dishonest, selfish, personal gain, i.e., to fill his pockets. Leaders in the church must not love money more than people, more than ministry, more than the Lord.

Titus 1:8 teaches, “But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate.”

Verse 7 tells us all the “must nots,” or all an elder ought not be and should not be doing, while verses 8,9 tells us all he ought to be and should be doing.

First, he should be “a lover of hospitality,” or “show love and kindness to strangers” is the idea, being kind to all people, and being willing to help in any way.

It’s about being willing to open our hearts to the needs of hurting people, and to do whatever is necessary to show Christ’s love to others.

And he should be “a lover of good men.” An elder should surround himself what is good and with those who do good according to God’s Word.

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Paul teaches by that verse that evil company corrupts good habits. The company we keep often influences our behavior, for good or bad.

As we keep company with those who are good, solid, godly people, it strengthens and encourages us to do and be the same way.

As Paul taught Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22: “pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

An elder should be “sober,” which speaks to being sensible, reasonable, level-headed, one who exercises sound reason and judgment.

“Just” speaks of being upright, fair and reasonable in his dealings with others.

In relation to people, he is to be “just,” in relation to God, he is to be “holy.” “Holy” speaks of being set apart, devoting one’s life to the Lord, consistently living a set apart life which demonstrates that they belong to God and that they live for His purposes and glory.

“Temperate” speaks of “self-control,” and speaks to one who is able to say “no” to that which is wrong, so he can cultivate that which is best in his life for Christ.

An elder must be disciplined and trained and under control, so he can respond appropriately and godly to various out of control situations and people in the church.

God’s church needs leaders who won’t run when the bullets start flying in the spiritual battle, but are temperate, and disciplined and will stand faithfully for Christ.

Titus 1:9: “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”

Verse 9 tells us that he should be “holding fast” or holding firmly to, cleaving to the Word of God, which is faithful and trustworthy.

His book is to be the Bible. It is the Word OF GOD, of the God who cannot lie as v. 2 says, therefore, it is faithful and can be wholly relied upon and trusted and lived by.

Elders are to be men of the Word. He needs to know the Word, grow in the Word, rightly divided, standing for and living their lives based on sound, healthy doctrine.

The elder must hold fast to the faithful Word, for their own sakes, for their own spiritual health, understanding, guidance, strength, and growth.

AND in their position as overseers, they must grip the truth of the Word for the sake of those in their assemblies as well, for their spiritual health and protection, so that the people they oversee are not led astray by false teachings and unsound doctrine.

Elders have a twofold ministry of God’s Word in the church according to verse 9: “both to exhort [believers]” and “convince the gainsayers.”

By the faithful Word, the elder is to “exhort,” or challenge, counsel, encourage and help the saints. They do so through the teaching of “sound” or healthy doctrine by the Word of God, rightly divided.

I Timothy 3:2 says, that an elder should be “apt to teach” the Word of God. Teaching the Word is an important qualification because it brings a deeper level of spiritual maturity when you spend time studying the Word to be able to teach it to others.

And the elders need to protect the church and “convince” or convict the gainsayers, to be able to refute by sound, healthy doctrine those who would oppose the truth and spread unhealthy doctrine which can cause spiritual harm in the local assembly.

Overseers must be declarers and defenders of the Bible as they lead and feed God’s people. Charles Spurgeon once said, “It is blessed to take the Bible into the very soul until at last you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord and the very essence of the Bible flows from you.”

Elders need to be saturated with Scripture so the essence of the Word flows from them, so they can lead by example and properly guide and protect the church.

1 Timothy 3:1 says, “If a man desire the office of an overseer, he desireth a good work.” If you fall under these qualifications, we encourage you to actively pray about becoming an elder and leader of your local church, and make that desire known. Scripture says it is a good work to serve the Lord in this way.

The Church needs qualified men for leadership. The Church goes the way of its leaders. Having leaders who are qualified and dedicated, who live by God’s Word and lead God’s people by faith, the Church will be able to accomplish great things for God’s glory.