1 T his is a faithful saying: if a man seeks the office of an overseer, he desires a good work.

It is true that if a man wants to be a church leader, he wants to do a good work.

2 T he overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching;

A church leader must be a good man. His life must be so no one can say anything against him. He must have only one wife and must be respected for his good living. He must be willing to take people into his home. He must be willing to learn and able to teach the Word of God.

3 n ot a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous;

He must not get drunk or want to fight. Instead, he must be gentle. He must not have a love for money.

4 o ne who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence;

He should be a good leader in his own home. His children must obey and respect him.

5 ( but if a man doesn’t know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the assembly of God?)

If a man cannot be a good leader in his own home, how can he lead the church?

6 n ot a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

A church leader must not be a new Christian. A new Christian might become proud and fall into sin which is brought on by the devil.

7 M oreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.

A church leader must be respected by people who are not Christians so nothing can be said against him. In that way, he will not be trapped by the devil. What the Church Helpers Must Be Like

8 S ervants, in the same way, must be reverent, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for money;

Church helpers must also be good men and act so people will respect them. They must speak the truth. They must not get drunk. They must not have a love for money.

9 h olding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

They must have their faith in Christ and be His follower with a heart that says they are right.

10 L et them also first be tested; then let them serve if they are blameless.

They must first be tested to see if they are ready for the work as church helpers. Then if they do well, they may be chosen as church helpers.

11 T heir wives in the same way must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.

The wives of church helpers must be careful how they act. They must not carry stories from one person to another. They must be wise and faithful in all they do.

12 L et servants be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

Church helpers must have only one wife. They must lead their home well and their children must obey them.

13 F or those who have served well gain for themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Those who work well as church helpers will be respected by others and their own faith in Christ Jesus will grow. Why Paul Writes to Timothy

14 T hese things I write to you, hoping to come to you shortly;

I hope to come to you soon. I am writing these things

15 b ut if I wait long, that you may know how men ought to behave themselves in God’s house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

because it may be awhile before I get there. I wanted you to know how you should act among people in the church which is the house of the living God. The church holds up the truth.

16 W ithout controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory.

It is important to know the secret of God-like living, which is: Christ came to earth as a Man. He was pure in His Spirit. He was seen by angels. The nations heard about Him. Men everywhere put their trust in Him. He was taken up into heaven.