Welcome to Sacred Sunday! Today we are reading I Timothy

Follow the Leaders

• Now, some rules for who can lead the church. Warning: it's a tall order.
• A bishop has to be a totally stand-up guy. He has only been married once, he's sensible and a good teacher, he's not a drunk, and he doesn't use violence. Also, he doesn't pick fights with other folks and isn't greedy. Basically, he's a well-respected man about town.
• He also has to take charge at home. Because if a guy can't control his wife and kids, how's he gonna run a whole church, right?
• Next up: he shouldn't be a new convert, and non-Christians should think he's a swell guy. That's gonna help avoid a lot of troubles down the road.
• Deacons, too, have lots of boxes to check before they can take the leadership reigns.
• Be serious, don't lie, don't drink, don't be greedy, and basically, be flawless.
• Women who want the post also can't be all gossipy and have to be super faithful.
• A deacon can only be married once and also needs to run a house that's in ship-shape. No skeletons in the closet or black sheep in the family tree.
• Yeah, this is intense.
• Paul concludes this section by explaining that he hopes to visit soon, but wanted to send this letter ahead so that everyone would know how exactly how they should be acting.