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1 Timothy 3:7
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7 Moreover [de] [kai] he [autos] must [dei] have [echo] a good [kalos] report [marturia] of [apo] them which are without; [exothen] lest [hina me] he fall [empipto] into [eis] reproach [oneidismos] and [kai] the snare [pagis] of the devil. [diabolos] KJV-Interlinear
7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. NASB
The spiritual leader must be consistent in the pattern of his life.
The word for reputation, ‘maturia,’ is derived from the word for martyr. But here he is not dying physically, separating himself from life, because of what he believes, he is instead separating himself from the many temptations that surround him in the world.
Reputation means consistency within the pattern of ones life.
The spiritual teacher cannot be a fraud. He cannot compromise spiritual principles for fame, for fortune, for sensuous activities, for carousing in social venues, and such activities.
He cannot take advantage of youngsters, or widow women, or do things that serve his own ego.
And of course this not only applies within the sphere of those he knows, but also in other places where he might be tempted to go, just to hide his activities. Other places such as outside his circle of acquaintances, or in another town, etc.
His activities must be open and public. He cannot go into the local house of ill repute, spend the night or a hour, and then come out and say that he was there for Jesus. Standing outside with a sign ‘Repent,’ is one thing, but going inside for a more personal ‘confession’ is quite another. If you understand the message here.
And of course this applies to all believers with regard to their personal behavior in life. No one has the right to live two lives, one of sin and one of virtue. The two do not mix.
We just finished Rev. 2:14. That principle of compromising ones principles applies for everyone.
The consistent spiritual life, or pattern of life, must manifest itself in the personal life of the spiritual teacher, just as it does in his public life. No Jeckle and Hyde personality games.
Christians will face lots of temptations, so going out and finding and adding others into the mix will not help.
First, they face the temptation of discouragement. People will come and go in their ministry. That is a fact of life. Things will go right and things will go wrong in ones personal and public life. It is the devils world. You have to learn to deal with all types of discouragements and disappointments. Maturity helps in this regard.
Second, Christians will be tempted toward indifference. Often times we cannot see the end result. Many things do not go as planned, so why bother?
Third, Christians face the temptation of busy laziness. They do what they want to do, not what they need to do.
Fourth, Christians are tempted to compromise. They avoid saying what ought to be said for the sake of pleasing others (political correctness). They avoid doing things that they ought to be doing, because it is easier to be irresponsible, as it were, rather than responsible.
In order to avoid these and many more faults and failures in life, the Christian, especially leaders more than anyone, need to keep the armor of God on at all times, Eph 6:11. That is to stay alert (confession) stay focused (fellowship) and stay in obedience (Bible study).
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