Desiring to Lead by Serving

1 Timothy 3:1-7    
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

It is good to want to be an overseer or elder in the church.  But there are qualifications of character in thought and deed that must be lived out to avoid a bad reputation and entrapment of the adversary.  This is a position of service for a man with great responsibility to guide and care for the people of God whom He calls out in Christ to the ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia), the church body of the called.  Qualifications begin with the reputation of which no charge can be brought against, then include marital faithfulness, sound reasoning from scripture, gentle in serving, caring for others, founded in scripture to be able to teach it, not a drinker, not physically harmful, and not greedy for gain.  He is to be the head to lead his house by God’s standards, raising respectful children (which translates into dealing with those in the church under this serving authority), and not a newly regenerated disciple so as to have learned humility with years of walking with the Lord.  These are many high aspirations, so the desire to serve in this manner is never to be taken lightly or without great self assessment.