Hurting The Sheep

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Titus 1:6

God’s word is divinely inspired and rightly ordered.  Nothing written is insignificant.  Paul didn’t pull six ungodly attributes out of the air. They were the very things God led him to mention.  Each one is a giant in importance as it relates to appointing overseers in the church. 

Notorious ~ How can a man lead and inspire others to follow him if is not blameless, if he is notorious for wrongdoing?  He does not practice what he preaches.  Contradictions abound.  Those who hear him give counsel fail to take him seriously.  They reason, “If he doesn’t do it, why should we?”

Overbearing ~ How can a man lead and inspire others if he is pushy?  He does not invite others to serve, allowing them time to be prayerful as they consider his request.  He quenches the Holy Spirit by the pressure he exerts. The result is that holy offices are given to those who end up working in the flesh just to please their leader. 

Quick-tempered ~ How can a man lead if others if they walk on eggshells around him?  They will not dare be authentic in their interactions with him for fear of displeasure.  They will see him as an angry father, one where they need to keep a low profile with near perfect behavior.  

Drunkenness ~ How can a man lead if he has so little self-control that he allows alcohol to be his master?  How will anything he says hold any weight when he has lost his credibility?  His teaching will be discounted as whispers of his drunken behavior circulate. 

Violent ~ How can a man lead if he is known to act violently?  How will others trust, and then follow, someone they fear?  He will be famous for his cruelty rather than the righteous acts that bear witness to the glory of the God he claims to worship.    

Greedy ~ How can a man lead if he has so little regard for his neighbor that he will seek to exploit them out of self-interest?  Whatever he is greed for ~ is gotten at their expense.  The results are collective feelings of betrayal and distrust of God’s anointed.

These six negative attributes create a toxic spiritual environment.  No wonder Paul had to write so directly, to spell out these traits with pinpoint clarity.  Any one of them would bring great harm to a church family.  Distrust of church leaders could span generations.

You must grieve to see such dysfunction in your church, played out amongst impressionable sheep.  Give us a passion to do things your way.  Amen