All good motives for Christian service should be rooted in love. As believers, we have a God-given responsibility in the area of hospitality. Twice the Bible refers to being “given to hospitality” (Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2). The First Timothy passage specifically speaks of the qualifications of a bishop. However, God never intended for hospitality to be limited to church leadership. In fact, the passage in Romans identifies hospitality as a responsibility for all believers. To be “given to hospitality” means to be led by or under the control of hospitality. In other words, everything we do involving others should be motivated by the desire to be hospitable. Titus 1:8 takes hospitality a step further by declaring that a bishop must be “a lover of hospitality.” Christians should purpose to find joy spending time with others, sincerely desiring to strengthen and encourage them in some area of need.
Fear introduced is faith attacked. As such, we should not be partakers of the world’s fears. Instead, we should “sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be” our fear (Isaiah 8:13). Throughout scripture, the Lord admonished His people not to fear the world. Why? The answer is twofold: (1) the Lord was with them (Genesis 26:24) and (2) fear of the world yields bondage (Proverbs 29:25). This worldly bondage never originates with the Lord (Romans 8:15) for He has given Christians a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). We need not fear those who can destroy the body (Matthew 10:28); rather, we ought to say the Lord is our helper, and we will not fear what men will do unto us (Hebrews 13:6).
If you bite and chew your food enough times it will break down into small pieces and disappear into your stomach. In our passage, the apostle Paul informs us that our relationships with others bear the same truth. If we bite and devour one another, we will eventually consume each other. Many believers have quit attending the house of God and given up on serving the Lord because Christians have allowed their words to devour and consume. Just as food can only withstand so many bites before it is fully consumed, other believers can only take so much backbiting before weakened beyond their willingness to withstand. As the people of God, we are responsible for strengthening each other and surely will answer to God for any backbiting.
Zeal involves a fervent desire to accomplish some particular feat. The Bible tells us that Christ died on the cross to redeem a people who would then become zealous of good works. Every Christian should strive to be zealous in his service to the Lord. Many believers during periods of great persecution zealously gave their lives for the gospel’s sake. Acts 15:26 tells of men who “hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These people recognized that they were no longer their own but God’s. They had been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and willingly sealed that testimony with their own blood. The more the enemies of God persecuted them, the more freely the gospel spread.
Today's passage presents a list of qualifications for a man who desires to be a pastor holding the office of a bishop. Though this list specifically deals with a ministry office, it could serve as a list of admonitions for anyone desiring to serve the Lord. Bible teachers and preachers often focus on a few of the most publicized qualifications while neglecting some of the others. For instance, very rarely is much attention focused on the necessity of temperance in the life of the man of God. Temperance plays an important part in the life of God's servant. Failure of those in leadership to be balanced will lead to a whole church full of people lacking temperance. This same truth holds for anyone who leads or serves in any ministry of a church.
Timothy was a young man who had been nourished up on the pure words of God since childhood (2 Timothy 3:15). His mother and grandmother invested the necessary time to teach him about good and bad, right and wrong. This early development helped him to understand the importance of purity (2 Timothy 1:5). Because these two women brought him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Timothy had been shielded from much of the wickedness and filth to which others were exposed. With this upbringing in mind, Paul called upon Timothy to be an example in purity. Paul stressed the importance of Timothy maintaining his purity so that other believers might be able to see his life and follow in his example.
Believers should seek to be pure in every facet of life. One might consider limiting this to the places he goes or the things he hears and sees, but purity demands a much greater focus. Believers ought to think on pure things (Philippians 4:8) with pure minds (2 Peter 3:1) and pure consciences (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3). In particular, believers should have pure hearts before the Lord (1 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 2:22). A pure heart will lead to a pure conscience and a pure mind. A pure heart changes where a man goes, what he looks upon, and the things he allows to enter into his ears. Every Christian should strive to make sure that all things are pure.
Purity often involves a process. The twofold purification process in the believer's life commences at the moment of salvation. This process then progresses as the believer walks with the Lord. The individual's faith in the finished work of Christ washes away one's sin in Christ’s blood. Christ's blood cleanses completely and purifies every believer from his sin. This cleansing and purification remains forever settled between the Lord and the believer. The born-again Christian will never and can never again be any less pure in his position with the Lord. Peter confirms the positional purity when he wrote that his audience had “purified” (past tense) their souls (1 Peter 1:22). Our purity in position, settled by trusting Christ as Saviour (Titus 2:14), cannot be reversed. However, positional purity does not guarantee purity on a daily basis during our walk. The Christian's practice (his walk) must by choice remain pure.
Living the Christian life is not limited in time or place. In fact, the workplace serves as one of the most important places for a Christian to exemplify a testimony for the Lord Jesus. Yet, Christians can fail miserably by being lazy workers or disobedient to employers. According to scripture, servants are to obey their masters (Titus 2:9) from the heart (Colossians 3:22) with fear and trembling (Ephesians 6:5-6). Not only are Christians responsible to obey godly bosses, but the Bible commands the same respect to be given to those who are froward (1 Peter 2:18). Believers ought to behave beyond the norm in their service in the workplace. The Bible affirms this truth by saying that servants should “please” their masters well in all things (Titus 2:9). Many lost people have been led to Christ by Christians who live godly and display an impeccable testimony at work.
The home was God's first institution. God gave specific instructions on how the home was to be ordered. In any home dedicated to God's service, each individual has a responsibility to be accountable in the area of obedience. First and foremost, a father or husband is to be obedient to the headship of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3). Second, the mother or wife is accountable to submit to the authority of her husband (Genesis 3:16; Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:4-5). Lastly, the children are to obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). The home failing to follow God’s plan could possibly have some limited success but will ultimately experience great difficulties. Yet, God will faithfully bless the Christian home where each member submits to his or her God-given authorities.
