“For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain” (v7).
According to the great philosopher and theologian Homer Simpson, you can always count on Lee Marvin. “Wait, wait! Here comes Lee Marvin! He’s always drunk and violent!” While the late actor cashed a career of checks playing liquored up brawlers, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that none of Marvin’s characters would qualify as an elder in the local church. Being an addict or ready to throw down are immediate red flags that you need to get help, not provide spiritual leadership.
Paul has left his go-to guy Titus on Crete. The grace of Jesus has just rolled over this Mediterranean island like a spiritual tsunami. God has deployed the apostle elsewhere, probably the Greek seaport of Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). To wrap things up, he gives the assignment to his trusted righthand man Titus. He leaves the Big T with a three point objective. Fill the leadership vacuum in local churches by appointing elders (Titus 1:5). Shut down the message of a team of false teachers (Titus 1:10-11). Establish a self-sustaining and replicating process of teaching and discipleship (Titus 2:1-10). Don’t worry about a worship team. Setting up a nursery and children’s ministry aren’t at the top of the list. What are the priorities? Spiritual leadership, correcting false teachers, and sustainable disciple-making. I might be wrong, but these might be the front burner issues for anyone planting a new church.
When it comes to appointing elders, Paul gives Titus a list of qualities, “must haves” and “must NOT haves” (Titus 1:6-9). They should be men of integrity with no hint of scandal. They must be faithful husbands, faithful fathers, and faithful followers of Jesus. They need to always remember that while they watch over the spiritual welfare of believers, they only have their authority because they are under the authority of Christ. Then the apostle turns to the red flags. “He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain” (v7). Is he a self-absorbed hot head? If so, that resume immediately goes in the round file. Does the dude have a addiction issues? Is he looking for a fight? Yeah, these are warning lights of disqualification as well. Jesus isn’t looking for leaders who are drunk and violent. This is His church, not a biker bar.
When describing the “drunkard” (v7), Paul uses the Greek term paroinos. It’s a compound word that literally means “beside (para-) wine (-oinos). Is this somebody that always has an open bottle of wine next to them? But he’s talking about so much more than a bottle of Merlot or Chardonnay. This is someone addicted to alcohol, someone who habitually drinks too much, or someone who drinks to get drunk. Don’t limit this to simply drinking alcohol to excess. Anyone with any sort of physical addiction is unfit for leadership. An elder must be ready to follow Jesus when making tough decisions. He can’t be preoccupied with searching for his next hit, next high, or next hangover. The apostle went on to tell his Ephesian friends not to let mind-altering substances dominate your life. “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). The big point here is whatever fills you, controls you.
So is Paul telling Titus that spiritual leaders can’t drink alcohol? I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Jesus Himself enjoyed enjoyed a glass of good wine. Shoot, His very first miracle was to keep the wedding reception going in Bethany when the wine ran out (Jn 2:1-11). He used wine to symbolize His shed blood at the Last Supper (Mt 26:27-29). He even said that He looks forward to that great day when we can all enjoy a glass of wine together at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb! What was Paul’s take on alcohol? He instructed his buddy Timothy that having a glass of wine for health reasons (1Tim 5:23). Tim just happened to be a pastor in Ephesus at the time. So it’s really a slippery slope to try and use Scripture to ban elders from taking a drink of alcohol. But let’s be clear here. VERY clear. Any person should be vigilant in avoiding anything that can steal the place of priority that Jesus must have in our lives. As our Lord, Christ is our boss. Not a bottle. Remember, whatever fills you, controls you.
It’s not surprise that the very next leadership disqualifier Paul lists is being “violent” (v7). They call alcohol “liquid courage” for a reason. Too many times, folks under the influence are looking for a fight. Yeah, this pretty much eliminates any of Lee Marvin’s characters from sitting on the elder board. But this is more than just being a drunken brawler. A closer look at the original language reveals the Greek word plektes. This literally describes a striker, hitter, puncher, or bruiser. Somebody who’s a bully has no place as a leader in Jesus’ church. Believers shouldn’t have to worry that their pastor or leaders might punch them in the face. Paul is also warning spiritual leaders to stop looking for a fight. There is no spiritual gift of aggravation or confrontation. There are plenty of opportunities for that without prowling for a fight. Our leaders should be tough as nails. But they shouldn’t skate around the ice like a hockey goon looking for anyone willing to drop the gloves.
When it comes to spiritual leaders, you can’t be drunk and violent. Sorry, Lee Marvin.
No comments:
Post a Comment