Common - I Timothy - 3

3:1  It is a trustworthy saying: if any one aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.

3:2  Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

3:3  not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

3:4  He must manage his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity

3:5  (If a man does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?).

3:6  He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall into the same condemnation as the devil.

3:7  He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

3:8  Deacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, and not fond of sordid gain;

3:9  they must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.

3:10  They must also first be tested; and then if they are beyond reproach, let them serve as deacons.

3:11  The women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.

3:12  Deacons must be the husband of one wife, and must manage their children and their households well.

3:13  For those who have served well as deacons gain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

3:14  Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that,

3:15  if I am delayed, you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

3:16  By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: he was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.