Adventures in 1 Timothy
Catching fire, the three marks of a man of God.
Recently a good friend of mine was made a deacon at his local church. This guy is more like a brother than a friend. We went to high school together, church together, and even lived together in college. Our old youth pastor, Doug Lewis, gave the message for the service. It really struck me deep. I was convicted to the core. Doug’s message was from First Timothy 3:8-13. An obvious choice since it is about deacons. However, he soon tossed out the word deacon and replaced it with “man of God.” He reasoned that a deacon is really a man of God who’s been asked by the church to serve. Doug picked on 3 things that should mark a man of God:
- What they avoid.
- What they approve.
- What they achieve.
What they avoid
A man of God, Doug said, is marked by what he avoids. He avoids the right things. A man of God is not childish but mature. He treats important things with a weighty and serious matter. A man of God has only one voice. He doesn’t lie, he doesn’t gossip. A man of God is the same man at church, home, work, or anywhere else. There are no “parts” to his life. A man of God is not marked by addictions. He practices self-control is and is free from addictions of any kind. A man of God has the right attitude toward money. Greed and lust for material things can’t be a mark in his life.
What he adores.
A man of God adores the mystery of the faith. This mystery is the Gospel. A man of God never gets over the gospel. It marks every aspect of his life. A deacon should be Bionically literate. He might not be a theologian but he should be able to point to big parts of scripture that define our faith. He should get truth and knowledge and live it. He should be a man of the word. A man of God will have a clean conscience. There won’t be anything in his life you can lord over him. He won’t be marked by secret sins that no one else knows about. A man of God adores the right kind of woman. A deacon’s wife is a big part of his ministry. She must be dignified and faithful. She can’t be a gossip or hurt other people. A man of God also adores only one woman. He’s a one-woman-man. Doug said that a deacon should “redefine faithfulness.” Flirting and looking is only for his wife. A man of God doesn’t even notice other women. This love and faithfulness spill over into the family. The man of God is a family man. He is a leader and his family learns from him. The home is the proving ground. If the man can’t lead his own family, how is he going to lead God’s family?
What he achieves.
A man of God gains a good standing with people both in and outside of the church. As he loves other people and serves other people he “climbs the ladder” so to speak. He is humble to God and God lifts him up. However, respect is earned and not given. No title can give respect. The life lived by the man of God is what gives him respect. When he stops serving, he stops being great. A man of God receives confidence and assurance in his faith. He’s living out what he knows. He’s an open book to the rest of the world. There’s nothing to hide in his life. Avoid the right things, adore the right things, achieve the right things.
This message cut me deep because while I used to be on this path, somehow I got off. Doug told us as kids that “If you take one step in the wrong direction it’ll take you places you never thought you would go.” This is true in my own life. Over the course of 5 or so years, I’d pretty much stopped reading my Bible altogether. Jesus says’ he’s the source of our life. When you cut off the source you stop getting life. You stop living. I was convicted and God was calling my number. I set about answering that call. Salvation is of the Lord and nothing I do can save me. Sanctification — the slow work of becoming like Christ — is shared. I abide in Christ and he abides in me. I started reading First Timothy to get more context on this message. God used it to put me back on the right path. I’ll be posting my notes from the last couple of weeks.
“If you take one step in the wrong direction it’ll take you places you never thought you would go.” ~ Doug Lewis
