City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ;

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NASB)

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. ² An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, ³ not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. ⁴ He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity ⁵ (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), ⁶ and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. ⁷ And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

Reflection

It is a good thing to aspire to positions of leadership in a church. Though, Paul makes sure that when he tells Timothy about this, that there are some safeguards put in place. Many people will seek leadership positions and to move up in a business because that’s what we are taught to do in a capitalist world. I.e. if you aren’t advancing in your career, then something is wrong.

Here though, it is different. God appoints people to positions of leadership, but at the same time, there isn’t anything wrong to aspire to this. You should aspire, even if you may never get a position of leadership.

You may aspire to be married. But just finding a random girl to marry won’t mean you have succeeded in a good way. First God has to prepare your heart and mind in order to agape love another human being. If you don’t allow for this, that marriage will most likely fall apart. God has to mold you to serve a woman(or man) and even when you think you’re ready, He may not give you anyone. Your joy in God no matter what is what God looks for. Same thing with leadership in a church. You may aspire to it, but until you are ready, both spiritually and mentally, God will not grant you this opportunity. And if you rush into it, it’ll end up a big mess.

Application

Leading others is a serious business. Never take it for granted. If you have a position of leadership, either at work or at church, pray that God can help you grow and humble you if there’s something that needs changing. You are meant to serve others in what you do.

If you do not have a position of leadership at this moment. Pray that God helps prepare you for an opportunity to lead and seek to grow in your faith each day.

Prayer

Father in heaven, help me to humble myself each day. Let me serve you by serving others and not to take leadership opportunities for granted. Make me more like You. In Jesus’ name, amen.