1 Timothy 5:16-25 Leading the church

1 Timothy 5:16-25

Today’s passage is all about church leaders.
Who should lead the church?
How should we respond to our leaders?
What do we do when a leader does wrong?
Let’s get straight into it in v17

1. Good church leaders should be respected and paid well

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”

First question is: what’s an “elder”? An elder is the Bible’s word for the church leader – the one responsible for teaching the church the Bible, for praying for the church, and for leading the church by example (that means the elder should be a picture (an example) of how to live as a Christian). In this church we have three elders: myself, Jack, and Christian. We are responsible for leading the church.

And a good elder – that is, one who teaches the Bible, prays, and leads by following Christ – should be listened to, respected, supported – paid well. It is the church’s responsibility to look after their elders.

Let’s spend a bit of time reminding ourselves of what an elder, or church leader is, and what they should be. How should they lead? Where should they lead us? What’s the elder’s job that we should be supporting them to do? Let’s turn back to chapter 3 :

1 Ti 3:1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honourable position.” 2 So an elder must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. 3 He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. 4 He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him. 5 For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? 6 An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. 7 Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.

An elder has authority to shepherd God’s people, through teaching the Word (the Bible) and obeying the Word himself, so that he leads by example. Did you notice that all the requirements of church leadership was “character”. Who you are. And also that nothing in that list is anything more than expected of every Christian? An elder or church leader is someone with a track record of following Christ. They’re a Christian.
An elder is not some kind of super-Christian with “heavenly anointing” or any such nonsense. God does not say that here, does he? He does not say “v2 An elder must be a man who has been filled with Holy Ghost fire” or “who sees visions” or “has a special anointing”. Equally it does not say “v2 An elder must be a man who has completed his Bachelor in Theology”. Because a man who has a degree or a man who appears to have a direct link to the Holy Spirit may not have the character to lead. I’ve met plenty of people who “prophesy” who I wouldn’t have anywhere near the leadership of the church – and I’ve met many with degrees who are so arrogant and full of themselves because they have a degree that they disqualify themselves from leadership!

Let us not be fooled by outward appearances when considering our leaders. Even who we listen to online – because you are putting them in authority over you. What’s their character like? That’s why God, through Paul, commands Timothy (and all of us after Timothy) to 5:22 Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Why? Because v24 Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

Basically, eventually character will out. Over time you will see what type of man that potential leader is. That’s why if you want to be a church leader - well that’s a good thing 3:1 This is a trustworthy saying: “If someone aspires to be an elder, he desires an honourable position. But you will be tested, over time. Your character will be evaluated. We will have to know you – or at least talk with the people who do know you. We’ll chat to your wife – what are you really like at home, in everyday life? Because character will out. And a godly character is the most important requirement of a church leader. Because as you go, the church goes.

People follow what you DO rather than what you say. So you may be a genius in the pulpit, you may be eloquent in speech and able to dazzle people with your charm, you may be up there with Augustine, Calvin and Luther in your theological expertise – but if it’s all up here and not in your heart. If it’s external not internal. If you don’t truly know Christ – your church will be full of bitterness and arrogance and fakery.

By the way, that’s why you’ve got to be really careful with listening to people online. Because you don’t know them. There’s a reason we have a local church. We know each other! We carry each other. We see each others’ struggles. We rub each other up the wrong way and annoy each other – which is a great opportunity to grow more like Jesus and forgive each other. No-one grows in a church of one! You’re never challenged – your sinful, selfish heart is never exposed. But come to church for a bit, and oh yes, you’re challenged!
And loved. And forgiven. And taught. And prodded. And have the joy of serving. And encouraging. Church is fantastic! God’s a genius for creating church.

Pity the elders who have to steer this ship! However, we are not alone. We have the Word of God, and the Spirit of God. The Word teaches us, the Spirit through His Word, drives it home and changes us from the inside out.

If you look at our organisational chart here of our church leadership structure, you can see how it works:

God the Father

Gives all authority in heaven and earth to his Son 

Our Lord Jesus Christ

Who is also head of the Church 

And leads through his 

Holy Spirit

Who speaks powerfully through his Word, the Bible. 

The elders (trainer of ministers)

Teach the Bible faithfully and prayerfully to 

the ministers (congregation)

Who will witness to and serve all people, and the elect will respond. 

An elder’s job is to lead the church, and the primary way he does that is through the Word of God, the Bible. That’s why we emphasise so heavily teaching the Bible in this church. And not teaching you “this is what it says” but actually getting you to read it and unpack it for yourselves. We are not interpreters, standing between you and the Bible, saying “this is what it really means” – and then giving you OUR thoughts. We’re like tour guides, making sure you don’t get lost or miss anything important, saying “keep your eyes on what is in front of you”.

As my friend Justin Mote says “The key to understanding the Bible is reading”. He introduces the two-year church apprenticeship program in the North-west of England with these words “Over these two years we are going to teach you to read”.
Because simply reading the Bible – reading what is there rather than what we think is written or what we want to be written – that takes discipline and hard work.

And that’s why the elder needs to be paid well so that he has time to read the Bible. Because it is so easy for us to twist Scripture to what we want. As I struggle with the text to preach on or teach a Bible study – my struggle is not with the commentaries or with understanding the words. My struggle is with myself. Can I move myself, my prejudices, my framework, my sins, my excuses for my sins, my desire to be popular – whatever it is – can I move that to the side and let God speak. That’s the struggle. And that takes time. Because it’s not just understanding the text and packaging it into a 20 minute talk…40 minute talk. That’s easy. It’s letting the Spirit loose on your heart and mind, turning yourself inside out. Being brutally honest with your own heart so that the Word can be sharp and real and you the congregation can hear the very word of God every Sunday. That’s the real work of the elder. It is unseen, but vital. Without the word, we die. And that’s why we support the elder. That’s why he is worthy of respect and should be paid well. Because it takes time. If he’s preaching regularly he does not have time to work a full-time job and prepare to preach as he should.

And it’s hard work. It is labour. And as v18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”

The ox quote is from Deuteronomy 25:4 and is the picture of the ox walking back and forth, working hard treading grain – which was separating the grain from the stalk and the chaff. So the ox would walk back and forth, back and forth, and would get hungry... and so would probably start to munch on the grain. Let the ox eat, says God, don’t muzzle it. It deserves payment (food) for the work it does. It deserves to be looked after.
Likewise the human labourer – the worker deserves his pay. Paul is quoting Jesus here, when Jesus sends out the 72 which we’ve just read on Wednesday in the Bible study. It’s in Luke 10:7.

So the elder deserves to be paid. 17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching Especially those or perhaps a better translation would be namely or that is. Elders should be respected and paid, that is those who work hard at preaching and teaching (since that is what an elder does).

How much do you pay? Enough! He should not be distracted by worry about providing for his family. But equally not too much that eldership becomes a pathway to riches – because someone who loves money should not be an elder.

So, elders, church leaders, respect them and pay them well. Honour their God-given authority over you. Give generously to support them.

But what happens when an elder goes bad? What happens when they abuse their power? Good church leaders should be respected and paid well, and

2. Bad church leaders should be disciplined

19 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. 20 Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. 21 I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favouritism to anyone.

When I first read those verses I wasn’t sure whether v20 meant the whole church or not. You know – one of you sins so I call you up here... come up here and confess your sins... CONFESS!

In fact this whole section from v17-25 has church leaders, specifically elders, as its focus. And v19-21 is about elders gone bad. See, the Bible is pretty realistic about us, about people. It recognises that elders will sin. It recognises that people might have less than pure motives for accusing elders, and it recognises what effect the elder’s sin can have on the whole church.

Firstly 19 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. This again is an Old Testament principle, it’s from the Jewish law courts, and where we in our courts today get a lot of our thinking about evidence and evaluating witnesses. It comes from Dt 19:15–21 “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 16 “If a malicious witness comes forward and accuses someone of a crime, 17 then both the accuser and accused must appear before the LORD by coming to the priests and judges in office at that time. 18 The judges must investigate the case thoroughly. If the accuser has brought false charges against his fellow Israelite, 19 you must impose on the accuser the sentence he intended for the other person. In this way, you will purge such evil from among you. 20 Then the rest of the people will hear about it and be afraid to do such an evil thing.

A case with only one witness is a weak case. Because we recognise that a single witness can be a liar. We’ve been through a case just recently where the court has taken the evidence of just one witness. Now that’s a bad court! Especially when the rest of the evidence doesn’t match her statements. Not good. So that’s why accusations should not even be heard unless there are further witnesses or confirming evidence - and especially accusations against elders. You don’t have to have been in ministry long before someone accuses you of something, I can tell you!

Why? Because being a church leader means that you will offend people – particularly if you’re a good church leader. Because the gospel is offensive. It is good news, fantastic news – but also offensive news! We are sinners – how dare you! Saved by grace. We cannot save ourselves, only Christ can save us. How dare you! It nails our pride, hits right at the heart of sin.
The heart of sin is selfishness, that desire to do away with God, to be God in my own life. If I believe that I am God – well, I’m certainly not sinner, I haven’t broken God’s laws, my laws, and He’s not angry with me. And if he is, well then I can just bargain with him because I’m also a God, and so I’ll do a few good things and be a nice man and he’ll be ok with that!
No, we are sinners. We have ignored God. We disobey him. We rebel against him. And that can make us angry and so we lash out at the messenger – the man in leadership. Start spreading rumour, saying false things or just being nitpicky and critical.

And you can imagine in Ephesus, Timothy’s church, how some of the false teachers who are told to be quiet or asked to step down as elders; and indeed some of the widows who were removed from the widows list and told to get married and have babies instead of being idle and meddling and making nuisances of themselves in the church – you can imagine some of them wanting revenge. So there must be confirming witnesses, and the whole matter must be judged impartially. Listen to the strong language in v21 I solemnly command you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the highest angels to obey these instructions without taking sides or showing favouritism to anyone.

So just because you may dislike someone you cannot condemn them – but equally just because you like someone and know them well does not mean that they’re not guilty. Weigh the evidence, make a decision – and if they have sinned, they must be v20 reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.
An elder who sins is serious because his life affects the church. Character matters – as he goes the church goes. So an elder who is habitually sinning and covering up that sin is going to affect the church badly. Scriptures will be twisted or the volume turned down to cover over his sins. People will do what he does – so they will need to be told that the way he was living was false and not to be copied.

Eldership, church leadership, is a public matter – and so the sin needs to be dealt with publically, as it affects all of us. It’s like getting married. One of the worst things I found about getting married is that my sin now affects my wife as well. It’s heartbreaking. And then you have kids. And you see you impatience, your short-temper, your jealously – reflected back in them. Oh no! So too with the church leader.
So because his leadership is public and connected with his character, any serious sin must be dealt with publically as well. It is not for everyone who sins in the church to be hauled up to the front to confess - otherwise we’d be here all day!

Good church leaders should be respected and paid well. Bad church leaders should be disciplined. So…

3. Be careful who you appoint as church leaders

22 Never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader. Do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

Because character is what matters in church leadership, more than skills or gifting, well, that takes time to evaluate. How do you know what type of man a man is unless you spend time with him: see him in different situations and in different relationships. See how he is with his wife, his children, his friends, at his workplace. Is this a man who follows Christ? There is no rush to appoint a leader. Take the time that is necessary. Because, Paul says, you may end up sharing in their sins. It seems v22 is talking about appointing a bad leader too quickly, and you either get associated with them or you then have to deal with the mess they’ve made! It may also be referring to reappointing the elders who have sinned and been disciplined. They will need to go through a reasonable time of proving themselves. So keep yourself pure.

V23 Don’t drink only water. You ought to drink a little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often. seems pretty random – although many think that Paul, thinking about Timothy’s purity, remembers that Timothy’s stopped drinking wine, probably to be different to the false teachers who were often drunkards – or maybe there had been some accusation against him. So for whatever reason, to maintain his purity, he’d stopped drinking alcohol. Unfortunately this was in the days before purified water and so water without alcohol would often make you sick. And being sick all the time makes it difficult to lead a church! So Paul says to Timothy - be pure, yes, but in this case I think you’ve taken it a bit far.

And then he rounds off this whole discussion on elders, church leaders with these words:

24 Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light.

You know, some people can fool you for some time, but eventually the real person will come out. I remember a well-respected lady at a previous church who seemed to be godly- but one day she was put under pressure and this vicious snake appeared, such venom and bile and anger – suddenly her façade of godliness was revealed to be just that: a façade, a fake front covering the sinfulness within.

Others I have known who I have heard terrible things said about them – which as time has gone on have been shown to be completely false. Character will out.

That’s why we can’t as Christians, fake it til we make it. There is only one way to follow Christ: fall before him, cry out “help me Lord, I am a sinner” and allow Him to change you from the inside out.

And your new character will start to shine through in all sorts of surprising ways.

One of the guys in this church said to me “I’m the same, but I just can’t do the bad things I used to do any more. I don’t know why, really”. Ha! There’s the Holy Spirit at work.

Good church leaders should be respected and paid well. Because a good church leader will be spending a great deal of time reading and reading and reading the Word, battling with himself to bring you God’s life-giving word.
Bad church leaders must be disciplined. Elders are sinners like everyone else – and sometimes that sin is serious, and needs to be dealt with publically. Publically, because an elder, a church leader, leads by example.
So be careful who you appoint as leaders! Take time to get to know them, because character matters.

A couple of weeks ago we read 4:16 Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.

So dear friends, pray for you elders. Support your elders. Give generously so we as a church can pay our elders as they need it – and appoint new ones! If we’re going to grow enough to reach only 10% of Notodden – that’s 1200 people, 1200 baby Christians who are going to need a lot of shepherding! Being a church leader is an awesome responsibility! The days are short. The work is vast! See, the fields ripe for the harvest. See, how many need to hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus – and to see that gospel lived out.