Leadership | Dealing With the Devil (Part 5)

Introduction

This is a continuation of a study I'm doing on "Dealing with the Devil," based on a 30 day scripture plan I found by The Ruffled Mango.[1] In this post, I'm covering days 19 and 20—we're going to look at:

• 1 Timothy 3:1-3
• 1 Timothy 3:4-7

³This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. ²A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 1 Timothy 3:1-3 KJV

1 Timothy 3:1-3: Characteristics of a Leader

This passage defines the traits of a "bishop" (KJV) or "overseerer" (NASB), which is simply put, a leader. These traits are echoed in Titus 1:7-9.

Though this passage is likely referring to leadership within the church, it is fitting for all areas of our life. We should be exemplifying this definition of leadership in every aspect of our lives. Remember, just because you are not officially a leader, it doesn't mean soemone isn't looking up to you as a leader!

Good Traits to Have

• Blameless
• Monogamous
• Vigilant
• Sober (Sober-Minded)
• Hospitable
• Good Behavior
• Teacher
• Patient

Bad Traits to Have

• Drunken
• Quarrelsome
• Violent
• Greedy
• Covetous

⁴One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; ⁵(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) ⁶Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. ⁷Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1 Timothy 3:4-7 KJV

1 Timothy 3:4-7: Pride & Rapport

In the next part of the passage, 2 major things are called out as being behind the fall of a good leader: pride and ill rapport with the poor.

One thing I'd like to call attention to is the statement that a leader should not be a novice. In most organizations I've been in, the president of the organization is required to have been in the organization for some period of time and to have held a position within the executive board (e.g., Vice-President, Treasurer, or Secretary) prior to becoming president. It is unwise to have someone who doesn't understand the process, the history, or the mission, in a position of power.

Knowing this, it also makes sense that the fist test of leadership is your own life and family. Note, that is not to say that if your family does not fit the perfect image that you are a bad person or even that you are a bad leader, however it does mean that perhaps you time should be spent with your family instead. I've often wondered if the reason peacher's children have a reputation for actting out is because they are seeking attention from a parent who gives all their attention to the church. Sometimes we are capable of providing the necessary attention and dedication to both, but sometimes we are not. In the latter case, it's ok to take a break or to step down to focus on family.

Conclusion

This passage teaches us about the importance of leadership. The reason it is important to follow God's outline of leadership and to elect Godly leaders is because this is the easiest way for the devil to "take over." If Satan can cause one leader to fall, he can wrestle many souls from God. A perfect example of this is all the heinous crimes committed by so-called leaders of the church, such as the phedophila scandal in Catholicism, that turns people away from God.

We each have a responsibility to hold our leaders to this definition of leadership and to be leaders by this definition.

References

1. "June Scripture Writing Plan". The Ruffled Mango; visited October 4, 2020
2. "Strong's G1985. ἐπίσκοπος". Blue Letter Bible; visited November 7, 2020
3. "Strong's G4131. πλήκτης". Blue Letter Bible; visited November 7, 2020

Thou Shalt Not Covet

A look at the tenth commandment: thou shalt not covet. Coveting is more than just wanting; it involves jealousy and envy. Romans 7:7 tells us that lusting is to covet. From this we can gather that coveting goes beyond a mere want, erring toward obsession. Envy is something we feel when we aren't satisfied with what we have. Coveting is what we do when we become envious. An important distinction to make is the difference between wanting and coveting, and why God would tell us not to covet. We all want things, and wanting is one way of setting goals for ourselves.

Introduction

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Exodus 20:17 KJV

Coveting is more than just wanting; it involves jealousy and envy. Romans 7:7 tells us that lusting is to covet. From this we can gather that coveting goes beyond a mere want, erring toward obsession.
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Commandment

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.Exodus 20:17 KJV

Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.Deuteronomy 5:21 KJV

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Bible Verses

1. Deuteronomy 7:25
2. Job 31:24-28
3. Psalm 62:10
4. Luke 12:15-14
5. Romans 7:7
6. Romans 13:9
7. Ephesians 5:3-5
8. Hebrews 13:5
9. James 4:1-2

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Discussion

Envy is something we feel when we aren't satisfied with what we have. Coveting is what we do when we become envious. An important distinction to make is the difference between wanting and coveting, and why God would tell us not to covet. We all want things, and wanting is one way of setting goals for ourselves. For instance, I want to go to Heaven; going to Heaven is my goal, from this I will order my steps toward that goal. Coveting occurs when we want something some one else has, or because someone else has it. The Bible gives us the example of coveting someone else's wife (or husband). A less obvious example is wanting to be (or be like) someone else. In middle and high school, we often wish we were as cool or as popular as a particular person, we wish we had their style or their ease at talking to the opposite sex. As we age, this form of coveting tends to lessen, however we may still suffer from coveting others' hair, legs, smile, etc. This form of coveting stems from insecurity, but also is a subconscious denial of God:

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Pslam 139:14 KJV

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. God didn't make any mistakes on us! When you wish you were someone else, you imply God didn't make you well enough, that yourself isn't good enough. while I'm sure God doesn't want you to think that, this is also dangerous for yourself. If God had wanted two John Does, He would have made two John Does, but He didn't, He made you because you are the one He wanted.

So why is coveting worse than wanting? As I said in the previously, want is a way of setting goals, but coveting is tied to lust. When you merely want something, you are willing to work for it and won't lose your mind if you don't get it, however when you covet something, you become lustful of it and will do whatever it takes—right or wrong—to get what you desire. Coveting is about wanting to take something from someone else or wanting something without putting in the work; when you covet you don't worry about how other people are affected in your pursuit. It would be covetous of me to want my neighbor's house and to think I should have their house or a better house. However, wanting to work so that I can have my own place with my own style is a totally different matter—I'm not trying to take someone else's house, I don't want to show them up, and I'm willing to put in the work to get to that point. Coveting is a fruit of an entitlement mentality.
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Examples from the Bible

Haman, the antagonist in Esther, clearly covets power. He specifically covets the king's power and thus trivial actions, such as Moredcai's refusal to bow to him, trigger him into a rage. Haman attempts to kill an entire race of people because one man refused to honor a request. Haman wanted a respect he hadn't earned.

Examples from Real Life

The most common expression related to coveting is "keeping up with the Joneses." This phrase is used to refer to people who strive to be as rich, worldly, cultured, etc., as a particular group. For instance you may want a car because all of your friends have a car, not because you need a car but because you want to be like your friends. Some people are never happy with what they have, and have a need to be the first to get the latest technology, or have to upgrade their belongs when people around them "out do" them. I've even seen people who tried to 1-up each other over the number of kids they had! This mentality has become so prevalent in our society that one of the most popular TV shows, "Keeping up with the Kardashians," is all about wanting to be the Joneses!

Keeping Up with the Kardashians

In titling their show "Keeping up with the Kardashians," the Kardashian family is implicitly saying "we want you to watch us, and wish you were us." They are encouraging their followers to be envious and covet their life style. Never mind whether their actions glorify God or not, young girls idolize the Kardashian girls and mimic many of the things they do, from "Kylie Jenner lips" to contouring to fashion. They've become star struck and are molding themselves in the image of a Kardashian instead of in the image of our Savior, Jesus. We're supposed to be trying to be like Jesus, not like our neighbor. Holding ourselves to the standard of another person—trying to be as tall or as rich or as pretty—does not help our self worth. It doesn't help us to value ourselves, nor does it encourage us to stand strong in what we believe in; it encourages us to follow. On top of that, in this case their actions do not reflect the fruits of God. Kim Kardashian, possibly the most famous of the family, claims to be a Christian,^[5] yet her break into stardom came from a leaked sex tape, she married a man for 72 days,^[3] and is now married to Kanye West who named one of his albums Yeezus, which led to someone desecrating a Bible by replacing every instance of God in Genesis with his.^[4]

Explaining that [Kanye] initially discussed his ideas with a pastor, he admitted that his now-fiance Kim Kardashian had questioned if it might be “weird” if Jesus came on stage.

Not at all, he explained: “We do plays all the time where people play Jesus. What’s awesome about Christianity is that we’re allowed to portray God.”^[1]

What Mr. West has neglected in his statement is that we are not allowed to portray God. Where in the Bible does it say it's ok to pretend to be God or act like God or portray God? The 2^nd commandment says not to make an image of God (or anything in Heaven). Part of the reason they killed Jesus is because they thought He was pretending to be God; when Jesus forgave sins and said He was the Son of God, He was stating that He was God, but the Pharisees did not believe Him, if He was not God then He had to be lying and therefore pretending. To pretend you are God is to bear false witness since you are not God, are not perfect, and cannot understand the mind of God, thus breaking the 9^th commandment as well. We see that Mrs. Kardashian West questioned this at first but eventually was convinced to go along with it (after all she was only his fiancé at the time and they've been married for more than 72 days so it wasn't an issue). On the album in question Mr. West has a song entitled "I am God" with lyrics in which Kanye claims to be a god.^[2]. This is antichrist behavior, not Christ-like behavior. They're selling the bootleg, "cool," version of Jesus, where you pose naked in front of cameras, glorify yourself, and show up to award shows drunk with a bottle on hand. Those who want to "keep up" see no problem in this and may even begin to do the same. They will refer to Mr. West as "Yeezus" and go bed at night wishing they had a butt that would break the internet.

These are not actions God would want you to aspire to! Many make mistakes, some lead horribly lives before finding Jesus, but she has not changed her behavior to reflect that of Jesus. Just like the devil can quote scripture, anyone can say they're a Christian. Many are only a Christian when its convenient but it doesn't work like that. Either you follow Jesus (which may still lend to mistakes along the way) or you do not and the actions of those involved in this show suggest they do not.
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Social Media

It's not just the show or the Kardashians, in fact Mrs. Kardashian West may be a victim of this next topic herself. Social Media is the breeding ground for a "keeping up with the Joneses" (or Kardashians) mentality. People create fictional images of themselves just to gain followers and to be envied, meanwhile others see the lifestyles of others and become jealous. To be a successful celebrity these days you must be a master at Instagram, Twitter (the place in which Mrs. Kardashian West professes her faith), Facebook, and all other social media platforms. Posting Bible quotes is not likely to "break the internet" but tweeting controversial photos, mixed with some Bible verses might. It's obvious how celebrity influence in social media can cause jealousy, but this trend can occur for normal people as well; when everyone is posting pictures of their new babies and you are unable to have one, or when everyone is out buying a house but you're still trying to pay off your student loan and stuck at your momma's house. Social media not only makes these things readily available for you to see, but prompts us to be more forthcoming with the information. Mingled with the issue of envy is the desire to be envied. We want to get as many likes as we can or as many followers. We want to be the Joneses that everyone else is trying to keep up with. Which means we're more likely to flaunt our new car, or our new engagement ring, or what have you, because we have a place that allows us to do so while simultaneously gathering data on people's reaction. We have to be careful as we proceed in this world. If you find yourself envious while using social media, it may be time to unplug.
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References

1. "Kanye West reveals religious message behind Yeezus tour and talks Illuminati Classim and using his "white voice"". FactMag. October 2013
2. Thomasos, Christine. "Kanye West Reveals Meaning Of 'Yeezus' Album Title". The Christian Post. June 2013
3. Blumm, K.C. "Kim Kardashian Thought Her Career 'Was Over' After Split with Kris Humphries". People. June 2015
4. Stone, Natalie. "'The Book of Yeezus' Bible Replaces Every Mention of God With Kanye West". Billboard. April 2015
5. Thomasos, Christine. "Kim Kardashian Making Jesus Her Priority?". The Christian Post. April 2014

Exodus 18-20: God's Commandments

Moses trains leaders to judge God's will and is given the Ten Commandments by God himself.

Introduction

One of the most notable portions of Exodus (aside from the Israelites escape from Egypt) is God giving Moses the Ten Commandments. In this post we talk about a few events leading up to this, and a little about the Ten Commandments given. Links to more in depth posts on each commandment are also provided.
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Moses as a Judge

As God's messenger, Moses acts as a judge for the Israelites. He meets with concerned parties and determines what God would say about the matter (essentially the first incarnation of "what would Jesus do," only it was "what would God do").
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Jethro Visits

After defeating Pharaoh and escaping Egypt, word of Moses' success and connection to God spread throughout the area reaching all the way to Midian. Upon hearing the news, Jethro travels to the location of the Israelites to see Moses. He also brings Zipporah and Moses' sons (Gershom and Eliezer) to meet him (implying that at some point, Moses had sent them back to Midian). It is through his conversation with Jethro that we understand Moses' position as judge.
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Jethro's Advice

Jethro recognizes that there are too many people for Moses to judge every matter that comes up. He suggests Moses train trusted men as leaders, specifying that they should be God fearing, haters of coveting, honest, and able. When they are knowledgable about the ordinances, he can delegate trivial matters to them and only hear complex matters. Moses takes his father-in-law's advice and sets up such a system. Jethro then returns to Midian.
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The Ten Commandments

In the third month of their journey,the Israelites come to the wilderness of Sinai. God tells Moses the Israelites will be a holy nation and kingdom of priests, provided they follow His commandments. When the people accept God's offer, God tells Moses He will visit the people as a "thick cloud" and urges Moses to sanctify the people and allow them to wash their clothes (note that washing their clothes is separate from being sanctified) before God arrives. Moses is given the command that no one (man or animal) is to go near the border of the mountain or touch the mountain; anyone who disobeyed was to be stoned. In addition, we are told that Moses commands them not to have sex before meeting God, this is further evidence that they already knew at least some of the ordinance and commandments Moses receives, as Leviticus 15:16-18 tells us that semen causes both the man and woman to be unclean. They are given three days to prepare for God's visit.

When God descends upon the mountain, He comes in fire. Moses tells us there is smoke, like that of a furnace and that the whole mountain quaked at God's presence. There is the sounding of a trumpet which grows louder and louder until Moses calls out to God and God answers.
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Moses Called to Sinai

God calls Moses to come to the top of the mountain, but then tells him to go back down to the people to ensure that none of them follow Moses up the mountain to gaze at God. God warns that if they do, they will die. Moses reminds God that none of the people can come near the mountain, since God has set bounds. God sends Moses down anyway, commanding Him to tell the people nonetheless as well as to bring Aaron with him.
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Commandment Overview

	Commandment	Bible Verses
1	Thou shalt have no other gods before me	Exodus 20:3
2	4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.	Exodus 20:4-6
3	Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.	Exodus 20:7
4	8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.	Exodus 20:8-11
5	Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.	Exodus 20:12
6	Thou shalt not kill.	Exodus 20:13
7	Thou shalt not commit adultery	Exodus 20:14
8	Thou shalt not steal.	Exodus 20:15
9	Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.	Exodus 20:16
10	Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's..	Exodus 20:17

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More Information on the Commandments

The following links lead you to posts that go into more detail about the importance of the each commandment. Some posts include information on what the command actually means (for those that are not as straight forward as "thou shalt not kill") and/or examples from the Bible of God's people keeping the commandment.

1. Commandment 1: No Gods Before YHWH
2. Commandment 2: No Graven Images
3. Commandment 3: Do Not Take the Lord's Name in Vain
4. Commandment 4: Remember the Sabbath, to Keep it Holy
5. Commandment 5: Honor Your Mother and Father
6. Commandment 6: Do Not Kill
7. Commandment 7: Do Not Commit Adultery
8. Commandment 8: Do Not Steal
9. Commandment 9: Do Not Bear False Witness
10. Commandment 10: Do Not Covet

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The Fear of God

When the Israelites see the God's display of power—the thunder, lightning, trumpet, and smoking—the stand far away. They ask Moses to speak because they are afraid if God speaks, they will die. Moses tells them not fear God because God has simply come to prove Himself to them. Moses informs them that their fear of God is meant to scare them away from sin.
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References

The Ten Commandments

Discussion on The Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai.

Introduction

The 10 commandments can be separated into two parts: the first 4 commandments, which deal with how we should respect and treat God, and the last 6, which tell us how to respect and treat other people. Jesus reiterates this division in Mark 12:28-31 when He says the greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor. If you love God, you will not put other gods before Him, nor will you go against His wishes to carve false images of Him or other gods, or blaspheme His name, or forget to worship and commune with Him on the day He declared holy. Similarly, if you love you neighbor (fellow man), you will be respectful to them (i.e. honor your parents, because you love them), you won't kill them, or steal from them, or lie about them, or cause them pain by cheating on them (or causing their spouse to cheat), or envy that which they have earned. This principle is echoed in Romans 13:9-10. Given to Moses straight from God, the Ten Commandments are the laws He gave us to show us what it means to love God and to love our neighbors.

List of the Commandments

The commandments (in their given order) are:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy
5. Honor thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor
10. Thou shalt not covet

To Rule Them All

What is it about power
That has the ability to devour
Capture the heart and minds
Of humanity most refined?
Disturb a person's actions
Divide us into factions--
One against another in war
Always greedy for a little more.
We fight each other without repose
Corner each other with heavy blows
Until one can emerge a victor...
Our past is this great predictor
And it seems a winner appears
Trust and peace disappears
So all that's left is chaos and destruction
The offspring of power's great seduction.