Over the last week we have heard this phrase said in so many different ways “the Bishop is human just like me or us”. It sounds innocent and is used like duct tape or a band aide to excuse away any accountability and responsibility or any possible misconduct that may have occurred or not. I am here to say that those in the pews that like to hype men up as paragons of piety, that want to give honor when honor is due, who want to separate and elevate our leaders to demigod like status because of their titles and higher calling must realize, that they cannot have it both ways. We cannot be a respecter of persons and separate our leaders to worship status and then when they get “caught up” they are “just people just like us”. The irony is God’s “offices” are sovereign and have holy requirements that even though bishops are “men just like us”, the offices and the titles that they carry have CLEAR biblically standards that DO NOT allow for this COP OUT of accountability and responsibility. 

A minister is called to serve God’s people and the members of Christ’s body and thus they are required to have MATURED and GROWN to a LEVEL higher than the rest of the people they serve.  Bishops can be susceptible to some of the same things like us but they CANNOT “BE JUST LIKE US”. Just like President Barack Obama can’t wear a hat to the back and sag his jeans or post up at the bar at the club, he cannot drive around on 26's or wear gold chains like Slick Rick why? Because he is in a high office with a high calling with higher standards of accountability, we can’t dumb down the ministry.

1 Thessalonians 5:22  From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves.

 Don’t take my word for it read the bible for yourself 

BREAKING NEWS – the bible says that Bishops are NOT held to the same standard as the rest of us. 

1Ti 3:1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 
1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 
1Ti 3:3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 
1Ti 3:4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 
1Ti 3:5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 

God is making it very CLEAR that those who desire to be a BISHOP must be held to a HIGHER STANDARD of MORAL CONDUCT. The Bishop can’t be just like us, how can a teacher teach calculus when he has not mastered algebra. We cannot have leaders on the same moral level as those they serve. In verse #5, God is saying if your personal life i.e. house is not in order, how are you going to take care of the church of God.  I know we live in a dysfunctional society but God’s order and servant leadership model is not dysfunctional. Yes we all fall and make mistakes but what people are missing is that God does not change HIS charge for any of HIS offices and callings. 

Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

God’s church (assembly) will stand regardless and is NEVER depended on a man, he did not say the gates of hell would not prevail against a man because when man messes up in “office” God has a history of sitting down, chastising or removing that leader. Look at what happened to Moses and Aaron, high priests who were elevated above the people, held to a higher standard. God told Moses to speak to the rock and noticed what happen.  

Num 20:10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 
Num 20:12 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them." 
Num 20:13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy. 

Moses was as BIG TIME as you could get, his ministry had well over a million+ people in it as members, plus the mixed multitude. I use Moses as the perfect example because despite what the bio may say there is NO BISHOP alive today greater than who Moses was. Yet let’s look at the standard God held Moses accountable to. This same Moses walked with Kings , had worldwide influence, he had wrought plagues with the staff the LORD gave him, split the Red Sea , walked through it , had a pillar of fire by night and a cloud going before him by day and YET God STILL held him to the STANDARD. God said “"Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them”

Moses by HIS ACTIONS did NOT UPHOLD the LORD as HOLY before the people of God (you all need to think about that one). So God says Moses you are NOT going into the promise land, you are NOT entitled to keep LEADING “just because you have done this or that”.  Now let me dig deep into what God was saying here in verse 12, let’s look at it in some different translations:

"Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel

"Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel

It is CLEAR when MOSES and Aaron sin, when leaders get “caught up”, it is NOT like when Israel (the people in the pews) sins, they are not just like us. 

Now back to 1 Timothy

1Ti 3:6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 
1Ti 3:7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 

If we begin to get arrogant and  prideful in office we run the risk of falling into the same condition as the devil. Verse 7 says a Bishop MUST have a good testimony with those outside of the church; he can’t be “just like them”. In verses 8-16 God goes on to explain even deacons can’t be “only human” meaning in the “flesh” and sinning just like “us”.

This whole CHARGE of a HIGH CALLING is so IMPORTANT that God had Paul write about it twice:

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 
Titus 1:8 but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, 
Titus 1:9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.  

Verse 9: How can a Bishop CONVICT those who contradict the word when he himself is not above reproach? When he is “human just like us”. Now I am not saying we are all not human but the whole point is this, if you are going to walk in these lofty titles and accept the praise and adoration of men and revel in being honored in the chief seats in feasts then you cannot get “caught up”. We cannot have it both ways. Notice in Titus it talks about leaders who have gotten “out of order” and left the CHARGE TO KEEP. 

Titus 1:10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 
Titus 1:11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 
Titus 1:12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." 
Titus 1:13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,  

Verse 10- 12 proves my point, here it reads that there are Bishops and leaders who ARE NOT keeping the charge nor are they preaching the TRUTH, instead they are destroying households. Verse 11 says these must be stopped and we must “Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, “

This note is not about any one man or an attempt to condemn anybody, it is to REMIND the body of Christ that seems to be led by “feelings” and NOT the WORD, that God is CLEAR in these matters. The church does not, nor should ever revolve around the guilt or innocence of one man. That whole concept was settled at the cross when ONE MAN Jesus (innocent) died to redeem us all (the guilty). So no longer is God nor the church going to be in “crisis” because of the actions of one man (who is NOT the Christ nor the Father).  God did not let Moses behavior determine if the people would make it to the promise land. God replaced the leader and kept HIS congregation moving FORWARD. We have a lot of opinions out here but very few have the courage to speak the TRUTH. We who are sober minded must realize the church (assembly) foundation is NOT on flesh but Christ, we got to stay focused, prayerful but most of all use discernment in these matters. As the old preachers would say this is "tight but it is right"