QUALIFICATIONS FOR PASTORS
Keeping
the church properly
organized
Titus 1:5- "Set in order".
The
epistle of Titus
was written by
the Apostle Paul and addressed to a young preacher named Titus; who was
one of Paul's
converts to Christ. God would never leave the newly instituted New
Testament body of believers, (The Church) without a "Shop Manual" to
maintain it; much like an automobile manufacturer prints a shop manual
giving a step by step outline for keeping the mechanism in order. Titus
1:5- "That thou should set in
order things that are wanting".
Titus chapter one deals primarily
with two very important subjects:
1- QUALIFICATIONS FOR PASTORS AND
DEACONS.
Titus 1:6-9 and also 1 Timothy 3:2-13.
2-
KEEPING FALSE
TEACHERS
OUT OF AUTHORITY.
Titus 1:10-16.
Concerning the
qualifications of
those who are to oversee the House of God. A Bishop (Presbestos)
is the same
Greek
word used for Pastor. God through the Apostle Paul produced a written
manuscript
for the Church as a guide in selecting those who would lead a
congregation
of believers. I might mention at this point that there are many
congregations who do not have a Biblically qualified Pastor residing
over it.
1- QUALIFICATIONS
FOR PASTORS:
(1)- Introduction to the book
of Titus.
Titus
1:4-"To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace,
mercy, and
peace,
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour".
(2)- The purpose of the letter.
Titus
1:5-"For this cause left I the in Crete, that the shouldest set
in order
the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had
appointed thee:"
(3)- Qualifications for Pastors are listed.
Titus
1:6-"If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having
faithful children
not accused of riot or unruly".
Titus
1:7-"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not
self-willed,
not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy
lucre;"
Titus
1:8-"But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober,
just, holy,
temperate;"
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".
We want to discuss in this sermon, 5 Biblical qualifications for
Pastors, Missionaries or any
other ordained
Minister.
(1)- A Pastor must be born again.
John 3:3- "Ye must be born again".
A spiritless person who doesn't know the Lord in the free pardon of sin
can not get instructions from God to lead a church group. The bible
tells us, "If the blind lead the blind, they will
both fall into the ditch". Matthew
15:14.
(2)- A Pastor must have a call from God.
Acts 13:2- "The
Holy Ghost said, seperate me Barnabas and Saul for the work
whereunto I have called them".
(3)- A Pastor must be
the husband of one wife.
1 Timothy 3:2- "A
bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife".
The Greek word for One
is mee'-ah which means only
One! The only one he ever had.
(4)- A Pastor must have
Dedicated children.
Titus 1:6-
"having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly".
(5)- A Pastor must have
a testimony worthy of his leadership role.
I Timothy 3:2-7 list 13 specific things a pastor
must have to
be qualified.
(1)- blameless, which means unrebukeable in character.
(2)- the husband
of one wife, which means his first and only one.
(3)-
vigilant, sober which means an
abstainer of wine curbing one's desires.
(4)- of good
behaviour, given to hospitality, which
means modest and generous to guest.
(5)- apt to
teach, which means skillful in
teaching.
(6)- no striker, which means not a bruiser ready for a
blow, one ready for a fist fight.
(7)- not greedy of filthy lucre; which relates to money matters.
(8)- but patient, which means fair, mild and gentle.
(9)- not a brawler, which means an abstainer from fighting-
not a hot head.
(10)- not
covetous; which means not loving
money or the possessions of others.
(11)- One that ruleth well his
own house, meaning his wife and
children are in subjection.
(12)- Not a novice, which means not a new convert.
(13)- He must have a good report
of them which are without;
Titus
1:7-9 list
7 things A
bishop-(Pastor)- must have to be qualified.
(1)- blameless,
the husband of one wife,
(2)- blameless,
as the steward of God; which means
unreproveable.
(3)- not self
willed, which means not self
pleasing- not arrogant.
(4)- not soon angry, which means not prone to anger.
(5)- not given
to wine, which means not a
drunkard.
(6)- no
striker; which means not a bruiser
or one ready to throw a blow.
(7)- not given
to filthy lucre"; which means
greedy for money.
QUALIFICATIONS THAT NEED MORE ELABORATION:
(1)-
THE HUSBAND OF
ONE
WIFE IS ONE POINT THAT NEEDS ELABORATION.
The
Pastor MUST be the
Husband of One wife- Not one at a time as some try to get away with. 1
Timothy 3:2- "A bishop then must
be blameless, the husband of one wife",
One is the Greek word
mee'-ah which means "Only One". It means the only one he ever
had! This teaching is not talking about multiple wives either. Jesus
verifies that God made one man for one woman for life. Mark 10:6-9 -"But from the beginning of creation God
made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father
and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh:
so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder". (This passage is addressed to every child of God).
If
a man has a living wife whom he left or divorced; he can not
scriptually pastor a church. One of the highly recognized preachers of
our day got a divorce from his wife and addressed the congregation in
the beginning that he could no longer be their pastor because the
divorce disqualified him for the position. With this I agree and God's
word confirms it, Luke 16:18- "whosoever
putteth away his wife, and marrieth another,
committeth adultry: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from
her husband committeth adultry". (This passage is addressed to
every child of God)- However in short order someone
ask him to remain
their pastor and used the reasoning that God in His mercy and Grace
forgives all sin. With that I agree as well but the consequence for sin
is not taken away and a ministry is invalid in the sight of God where a
divorce is present. This
man is still pastoring his church and he now has other people believing
it is all right with God to serve in any capacity as long as you only
have one wife at a time. They also teach that a marriage does not count
if one is divorced before they are saved. As previously stated; God
forgives all sin but he does not remove the consequence for all sin.
The only way out for an ordained minister where the partner has been
unfaithful is to remain unmarried or reconciled to his wife and
likewise if a Christian woman is separated from her husband the only
way out is to remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.
1 Corinthians 7:11- "But and if
she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband:
and let not the husband put away his wife". (This passage is addressed not only to
Pastors and Deacons but to every child of God).
The Greek for "remain"
unmarried is men'-o which
means to continue and to endure that position.
A christian woman or man for that matter is bound by the law to stay
married to the same person while that person is alive but even if their
partner is dead
they are to marry only other christians!
1 Corinthians
7:39- "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband
liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to
whom she will; only in the Lord".
(2)- BEING BORN AGAIN IS OF THE UTMOST
IMPORTANCE.
A Bishop or
Pastor Must be
Born again: If the blind lead the blind, they both will fall into the
ditch as the scripture tells us in Luke 6:39- "Can the blind lead the blind? shall
they not both fall into the ditch"?
This
is not
secondary but primary in
God's sight. One who has not the indwelling of The Holy Spirit can not
get guidance and instructions from the Lord for the congregation.
There was a
pastor some years ago who had a visiting preacher address the
congregation who geared his sermon on "Knowing that you are born
again". The pastor suddenly realized that he wasn't certain if he died
at
that very moment he would go to heaven and at the invitation he
proceeded
to the altar and settled the matter. After the service an old deacon
who knew more scripture than most pastors came up to the pastor and ask
for his resignation. The pastor was puzzled and ask why? The deacon's
reply was: The bible qualification is- 1 timothy 3:6- "Not a novice, lest being lifted up
with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil". Do you
see how
qualifications can get you in trouble when mistakes are made ?
(3)- A WIFE IN
SUBJECTION IS AN ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION FOR PASTORS.
1 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"?
Many pastor's wives
rule the house and some of us need to read the sermon by the late Dr.
R.G. Lee titled, "Mousy Papas and Bossy wives". 1 Peter 3:1- "Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to
your own husbands"; (This passage
is not only for Pastor's wives but to all christian wives). I know that this is a
subject where women get angry with the Preacher and walk out but they
are in all reality walking out on God!
(4)-
DEDICATED CHILDREN IS AN
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION FOR PASTORS.
Titus 1:6-The
Pastor must have children who keep themselves in line with God's word
As long as they live in the same household or the pastor isn't
qualified.
Titus 1:6-"having faithful
children not accused of riot or unruly".
I
have seen some pastors children who would make the devil himself blush.
Some have a loud boom box
in their cars with some of the most vile
ungodly music you ever heard resonating from it's speakers. What about
those body pearcings! An ear ring in boy's ears and girls with their
tongues pierced or their nostrils pierced and some even have a gold pin
in their naval. What is going to happen next? God said in His word that
his people should not pierce their bodies and judgment would accompany
any who did so. Then there are those awful Tattoos young people seem to
think they can't live without. Lev.19:28 God said it is a sin to mark
your body which is a pagan ritual relating to worship of the dead.
What does God say about tattoo's and
piercings: Lev.
19:28-"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the
dead, nor print
any marks upon you: I am the LORD".
Those God awful tongue
piercings with a gold pin through it are an abomination to the Lord as
well as Naval piercings and Yes those awful nose piercings imply that
you don't care about spiritual things and your body is not an
instrument of Holiness as the Lord instructs!
A pastor is
responsible for his
household and as long as children remain at home he is to teach
them
to honor God with their bodies as well as with their minds. After the
children are grown and move
out to
start their own life, I think the
obligation of the father is removed and God starts dealing with them
separately. If you remember the story of the Prophet Eli in the Old
Testament; God killed him for not keeping his two boys in line and I
believe God has established a principal that fathers will give an
account for children who live under their roof.
(5)- A CHRIST HONORING TESTIMONY
IS
ESSENTIAL FOR PASTORS.
Titus
1:7-"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not
self willed,
not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy
lucre;"
Titus
1:8-"But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober,
just, holy,
temperate;"
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".
2- KEEPING FALSE
TEACHERS AWAY FROM GOD'S PEOPLE.
(1)-
STOPPING
FALSE TEACHERS FROM DECEIVING THE CONGREGATION.
Titus 1:10-"For there are many
unruly and vain talkers
and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:" Titus 1:11- "Whose mouths must be stopped, who
subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy
lucre's sake". Filthy lucre is
personal gain and
I have witnessed much of that from pastors and preachers who are lining
their pockets at the expense of not getting the gospel to the uttermost
parts of the earth.
(2)- STOPPING FALSE TEACHERS FROM HOLDING
LEADERSHIP POSITIONS.
In verse 10 the text
shifts from
qualifications to exhortation about letting false teachers gain
leadership positions and to keep them away from the flock of believers
lest they become deceived and fall into perversion. I want to say at
this point that there are many people in fundamental churches who have
allowed a deceiver to lead them astray. For instance the King James
Bible has been abandoned in multitudes of pastorates in order to try
and get a mostly spiritless constituency to understand what no one will
ever be able to understand until they are truly born again and are
growing in the grace and knowledge of God's word. The bible tells us
that the natural man comprehendeth not the things of God, "neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned". I Cor. 2:14.
During
my first
pastorate at
Wrangell, Alaska we found many unscriptual things lurking in the
shadows among which- no stand was taken on what translation of
scripture to use. I
began preaching on the reasons we accept no other translation than the
1611 KJV. We also placed into the church minutes a declaration that our
church recognizes no other version and will not allow another
translation to be used from the pulpit. If for no other reason you
should stay with the KJV; it is because literally multitudes
have come to know Christ as their personal Saviour through preaching
from it's pages. I have no problem understanding the "Old English"
wording and I cherish the poetic ring to the passages I have hidden in
my heart.
The
early church met
much opposition
from Jewish converts who continually wanted to mix the old testament
law of Moses with new testament doctrine and Paul wrote the book of
Titus to warn believers against letting false doctrine infiltrate the
ranks of Christianity. Many of those Jews were former Rabbi or teachers
of Judaism. They had just enough Biblical knowledge to get everybody
confused and many of them tried to keep the New Testament Church under
Judaism. It is not Grace plus The Old Testament Law as some imply but
the grace of God plus nothing and minus nothing as the writings
of
Paul so vividly describe in Ephesians 2:6-9.
In
Conclusion:
The
New Testament body of
believers should be properly organized with biblically qualified
pastors and deacons. If it isn't so, you can forget about asking God to
bless
your church because he would have to put his stamp of approval on sin
in order to do so.
If
you are one of
the trouble makers
who always seem to oppose what God is doing; you have two options. You
might be saved but I doubt it. If you are saved, you need to spend some
time on your knees seeking God's forgiveness and looking for direction
in your life. If you are one of those who see
everything from a negative standpoint; you most likely need to be born
again. If you will examine your heart and go back to the time you were
being dealt with by the Holy Spirit and you repented of your sin and
ask Jesus into your heart to abide forever; you will know what you need
to do. I was born again by the Grace of God over 35 years ago and I
have
heard preachers speak on knowing your heart and knowing that you are
born again which would cause
me to do as the scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5- "Examine yourselves, whether you be
in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates"? Please do this before you think
you have the authority
to make leadership decisions in the body of Christ!
After you know without a shadow of doubt
that
your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, you can study God's
Word and grow thereby until you are qualified for a leadership position.
By
James
T. Tyson Sr.