1 Timothy 3:2d – Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach… respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
Respectability in ministry is about one’s character, not one’s confession. If pastors are going to take Paul’s instruction seriously, they must hear it in concert with what he has said elsewhere. In our attempts to be respectable, we must never forget that we serve and preach the bloodstained message of the wrath-satisfying, resurrected, and returning Lord of eternity. As Paul would say in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved by it is the power of God.” No degree of cultural accommodation apart from an abandonment of the truth of the gospel will make our message respectable. From the outsider’s perspective, we believe and preach a message that is radically subversive. We preach that a previously dead man not only rose from the grave after three days but that He ascended into heaven as the Lord of the universe.
Furthermore, one day this Lord of all will descend from heaven to vanquish all evil, righting every wrong forever, judging every unrepentant sinner, and reigning as king in the cosmic temple of the new heavens and the new earth in the new Jerusalem with all of His people. If you think that this message is inherently respectable in our present culture, you are either living and ministering in a Christian saturated sub-culture with minimal contact with unbelievers, or you are living ashamed of your faith and will not share your hope with the hopeless. To the natural man, there is nothing respectable about the message that we preach; yet, our transformed lives should reflect something of the compassion and care of Jesus, which was undeniably respectable and in many ways desirable. People could disagree with Jesus’ teaching (and many did), but his life was compelling in a counter-cultural type of way.
In keeping with the Christ-like character of the minister, Paul also exhorts Timothy to appoint ministers that demonstrate hospitality. In other words, pastors, regardless of their natural inclination, should strive to be welcoming of others. Just as Jesus spent a fair amount of time simply hanging out with his disciples, pastors, likewise, should have people into their home regularly. Now, some, for different reasons, will object to this directive, saying, “I can’t afford to have people into my home” or “My home is not nice enough to accommodate several people.” Well, first of all, you do not have to have a home to be hospitable. Remember, “foxes had holes and birds had nests, but the Son of Man had no place to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58). It is not about the food on the table or the even the door on the house; it is about a sharing of life and time with one another. Without this shared life, one could hardly be considered respectable or hospitable.
Pastor, do not confuse Paul’s command to be “respectable” with your attempts to shave off the rough and troubling edges of the glorious jewel that we call the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more palatable. Instead, commend the radical message of Christ through a respectable ministry of Christ-like integrity, humility, and hospitality. Do not just tell people about the transforming grace of Christ, demonstrate the transforming grace of Christ through hospitality.
CBH
