#188 - Kyle Thompson // Do You Have What it Takes?

We wrap up our week-long deep dive into the qualifications for overseers from 1 Timothy 3:1-7, focusing on the final requirements of spiritual maturity and good reputation among outsiders.

• Not being a recent convert protects new believers from pride and premature leadership responsibilities
• "You can't be an elder if you've never elded anything" - spiritual leadership requires proven experience
• Leadership qualifications aren't about age but spiritual maturity and tested character
• Overseers must maintain good reputations with non-believers as ambassadors for Christ
• Enemy tactics often target church leaders to create ripple effects of doubt and disillusionment
• Paul's qualifications provide an aspirational identity for all men to strive toward
• Every Christian man should aspire to these character qualities whether in formal leadership or not
• The church needs more qualified men ready to step up and lead with integrity

If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review. Stay sharp.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to The Daily Blade
• 0:24 Qualifications of Overseers in 1 Timothy
• 1:39 Not a Recent Convert
• 3:21 Good Reputation Among Outsiders
• 4:31 Aspiring to Leadership Standards
• 5:34 Episode Closing and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2: 0:24

All right, guys, let's wrap up the week. This week we are doing a deep dive into the qualifications for overseers as described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 3, verses 1 through 7. I'll read it for the last time here. The saying is trustworthy If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity, keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert or he may become puffed up with conce. 6 and 7, but before we get to that, let me remind you of the question that you should have been considering all week into today Do I have what it takes to be an overseer? So back to verses six and seven. He must not be a recent convert or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into the snare of the devil. So not a recent convert, okay. So not a novice. So it literally means that you are not newly planted. So if you are new to the faith, our reaction should be welcome to the team, not welcome to the leadership team, right? Why not? Because you're definitionally immature. You just have not been tested yet, right? I mean there's a reason in the corporate world why someone coming straight out of college with a business degree isn't added to the C-suite just have not been tested yet, right? I mean there's a reason in the corporate world why someone coming straight out of college with a business degree isn't added to the C-suite of a Fortune 100 company.

Speaker 2: 2:10

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that you need to be an older guy, but it is probably a good idea if you are. I mean, old dudes have been around the block, they've seen some things and, as Joby says, you can't be an elder if you've never elded anything. But ultimately, whether the overseer is a little younger or significantly older, they just can't be spiritually green, okay? So another good way to look at it is it's not how many years the person's been a Christian, but how many hours you know. That's going to be reflective of their sanctification process and their level of maturity. So, again, the role is just too important and too heavy. It's just too heavy for, you know, a baby deer believer.

Speaker 2: 2:45

Right Now, back to verse six, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. So guys that are young in the faith you know kind of the whippersnappers, if you will are especially susceptible to pride, and pride can be an absolute killer for a young believer. So they might get to a place where they wake up on third base but think they hit a triple right and I think we've all been at that place at one time or another where we get a, you know, just a little bit of knowledge and a little bit of experience and then we think we can run the entire show right. Yeah, I mean, it's just really not a good person to have as an overseer if they, if they, act that way.

Speaker 2: 3:21

Now verse seven. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. So an overseer must have a good reputation, they need to have a solid testimony, and nonbelievers, those who are outside the church, should be able to look at an overseer and think, you know, I may not agree with what that guy believes, but he's a solid dude, right, and at the end of the day, an overseer or elder is an ambassador for Christ. And at the end of the day, an overseer or elder is an ambassador for Christ. So the non-believing culture should be able to look at an overseer and conclude that that person is operating with a high level of integrity. Because here's the thing, as verse 7 says, if the guy doesn't operate with a high level of integrity, he could easily fall into disgrace.

Speaker 2: 4:08

I mean, if I was Satan, I would definitely go after the leaders within the church and try to discredit them, right? I mean, it's the same thing. In the same way that people think in war, if you can take out one of the generals, you do it because it will have a negative ripple effect through the rest of the troops. And the same applies for leaders in the church. You know, cause one of them to fall and not only will outsiders sneer and snicker and all that, but insiders believers will be stuck in feelings of doubt. So again, let me take you back to our question for this week. Do I have what it takes to be an overseer.

Speaker 2: 4:35

Now, if any of you guys listening to this are currently crushing it in all of the categories listed in the qualifications of an overseer, let me just say that I would be a little bit skeptical. Okay, I would venture to say that every single one of us is lacking in at least one, if not several, of these areas. But that should not crush your spirits, okay, it should actually lift you up. It should encourage you, because Paul is giving us an aspirational identity. He's giving us the words that we should pray to God in terms of the sanctification journey that he has us on right. He is literally laying out a cheat sheet for all of us, because every single one of us, every single one of you listening to this, should be striving towards being this kind of a man every second of every day. The bride of Christ needs more men ready to step up and to lead. So, guys, either lead or get the hell out of the way. Thank you for your attention this week. Stay sharp.

Speaker 1: 5:34

Thank you for listening to today's episode Before you go. If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five-star rating and review. Stay sharp.