The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: - Vital Christianity

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15. “Not self-willed” (Titus 1:7)—Stubborn and one who tries to have his own way. He must
not be an insensitive person, forcing his own ideas and opinions on other people.
16. “Not quick-tempered” (Titus 1:7)—One who gets angry quickly and “flies off the
handle.” He must be in control of his own spirit.
17. “Loves what is good” (Titus 1:8)—Doesn’t follow after and desire those things which are
evil. He must be the kind of person who desires to do the will of God in everything (I Pet. 5:2).
18. “Upright” (Titus 1:8)—Just, fair, impartial. He must be one who can make objective
judgments based upon principle.
19. “Holy” (Titus 1:8)—Devout and separated from sin and the world. He is a man whose
holiness is developed and worked out in human behavior--practical holiness.
20. “Holds firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught” (Titus 1:9)—Stable in
his faith and obeys the Word of God in all respects. He must not be hypocritical, teaching one
thing and living another. Paul makes the point that this characteristic is important “so that he the
elder can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).
21. “Sincere” (I Tim. 3:8)—Honesty of mind or intention. Truthful and straightforward.
without guile.
22. “Tested” (I Tim. 3:10)--Has shown Christian attitudes and conduct on previous
occasions. Has weathered challenges and difficult situations. Irreproachable.
Obviously, no one of us meets all the above qualifications. Therefore it is unreasonable to
expect perfection, but if we treat these qualifications too lightly, then they become meaningless.
After all, Paul and Peter did set them as a standard for leadership.
Leaders need to prayerfully seek the Lord and let Him show them areas in which they need to
grow. It is not enough to acknowledge weaknesses if we do not make the effort through the
enabling of the Holy Spirit to overcome those areas.
Paul admonishes the Christians at Thessalonica to respect those “who are over” them in the
Lord (I Thess. 5:12). The writer to the Hebrew Christians tells them to “imitate their leaders’
faith,” (13:7), to obey them and submit to their authority so their work will be a joy and not a
burden (13:17). Leaders (elders) who rule well are to be given special respect and ample income
(I Tim. 5:17).