Week of June 25

John MacArthur has said, “According to Scripture, virtually everything that truly qualifies a person for leadership is directly related to character. It’s not about style, status, personal charisma, clout, or worldly measurements of success. Integrity is the main issue that makes the difference between a good leader and a bad one.” Paul knew this, and he addresses some key issues related to ministers and their character. Hold on a minute before you close out the devotional and look for something that applies more directly to your early-morning spiritual needs, because this text does relate to all of us. Let me explain.

My goodness, one would think that for all of the leadership literature—and now even academic degrees—that we would not have to provide instruction in moral leadership. Sadly, Paul needed to do so, and so do we. He wanted Timothy to take the initiative in handling the problems that church leaders were creating. He did this in three ways which include: a charge (5:21), warnings (5:22-23), and general platitudes (5:24-25, NAC).

The adage states, choose your rut carefully because you will be in it for miles to come. Our focal verses mean that the absence of a bad reputation does not necessarily mean that a leader possesses the desirable qualities for leadership! The opposite holds true as well. The lack of a good reputation should not automatically lead to rejection. Well, where does this leave us, then? One word comes to mind—patience. Paul knew that the qualities for leadership often require time to surface and, over time, a genuine leader will emerge and establish himself/herself.
 
This begs a question for us. What precisely does Paul mean when he writes that some leadership-hindering sins take a long time to appear? Tommy Lea believed that such hidden sins were stated in 6:4-10: pride, strife, and materialism. How are these sins to be addressed? When Paul writes of judgment (5:24), he does not refer to eternal judgment but to a rejection of an unfit leader by Timothy or the church. If a church did not move to address the situation, then “sharing in other’s sins” would occur (5:22).

Honor those who lead well. There are several ways that we may support our leaders well. First, we may recognize those who do well for their service in our behalf. Paul writes of “double honor” and this indicated recognition for a job well done (5:17). A card, phone call, personal word of encouragement, all will help leaders to know that they are appreciated.
 
Proper timing for correction. Secondly, there is a proper time to issue a warning or correction for a leader who persistently sins (5:20). Churches often allow these sorts of behavior to continue for long periods of time without addressing them. This contributes to unhealthy leadership and follower-ship in a church.
 
Careful selection. Thirdly, we all need to exercise caution with the selection of our leaders. This calls for prayers, patience, and persistence as a church seeks the Lord’s will for who will become a leader. In Ashlock speak, bad berries do not produce good juice. Take your time with the fruit of the leadership vine!

A precious woman in my first church has been home with the Lord for many years. She would make dewberry juice for us to use when we observed the Lord’s Supper. I know, some think that it is heresy not to use Welch’s grape juice, but let’s attempt to stay focused here. Seriously, she made the juice, and it went bad! I mean, it went really bad! Who knows if the berries were bad, but she later told me that the end product smelled awful and had a foamy substance on top. There were no other options in that rural community, so she decided to scrape the foam off the top of the juice and fill those Lord’s Supper glasses anyway!
 
I knew we had a problem the moment I opened the trays and caught a whiff of the juice. Noses began to wrinkle, and eyes began to bulge, as the ushers distributed the elements among those in attendance. Something was bad, and we all knew it! It was not a miracle, but that dear woman had indeed turned ordinary juice into some sour wine.

In hindsight, there had been a span of time between picking the berries and serving the juice where we should have observed that something was wrong and taken action, but we had not done so. There is a moral lesson in this humorous event.
 
C.S. Lewis says, “We have a strange illusion that mere time cancels sin. But mere time does nothing either to the fact or to the guilt of a sin.” Paul knew this truth, so he reminded Timothy of it. His focus was on leaders because he knew how easily they could abuse their moral authority and bruise others in the church family.

The point today is for the body of Christ to take the extra time needed to allow the fruit (character) of its leaders to become evident before they are placed into their roles. We all do well when we consider our own character prior to assuming oversight in the body of Christ.

1. Having a “warm body” and a willingness does not qualify a person for leadership. Godliness is a necessary characteristic of a leader. First, ask God to develop your character. He will open doors in the right time.
 
2. Churches may find good leaders by taking the corporate lead in prayer, patience, and persistence. Strong leadership is the fruit of ongoing discipleship. Commit to leaders who are growing disciples.

3. For Families: This may be a wonderful week to take stock of the leaders your family respects and honor them in a special way. Your kids can make cards, help to bake a favorite edible gift, and go along to deliver it to your selected leader. Showing appreciation in tangible ways always makes the heart glad, both in the one doing so and in the one who receives the special thank you!

May your paths be straight,
Larry C. Ashlock