Lesson 16: Faithful in leadership
1 Timothy 5:17-25 - www.bible.com/bible/59/1ti.5

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
24 The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.


Most of us will, at some time in our life, be a leader to someone else. Whether this is as the parent of a child, the owner of a company, a teacher of a class, or any number of other ways, today’s verses give us guidelines for how we are to treat those whom we are leading.

First, we lead by example as we give honor and respect to those who are over us. Those under your leadership will never honor or respect you if you cannot demonstrate this with your living example.

Second, be honest and just with giving those under your leadership what they have earned. It doesn’t matter if it’s wages for work or recognition for accomplishment, the rule of “treat them like you want them to treat you” is valid (Ephesians 4:32).

Third, don’t hear or believe gossip. If something negative is brought to your attention about someone under your leadership, always investigate before you make a judgment, including giving the person the opportunity to explain what happened (Proverbs 11:13).

Fourth, if someone does something wrong, correct them in the same way in which the error was made – if no one else knew about the error, then correct the person in private. But if others knew about the error, then correct the person in public so everyone can see justice is being done and can also learn from the error (Matthew 18:15-20).

Fifth, take care of yourself to the best of your ability so you can continue to be used of God to lead others well (1 Corinthians 6:19).

*As you read through the five guidelines for treating those we lead, which one(s) stood out to you as an area needing improvement? Is God gently convicting you to ask anyone’s forgiveness for falling short in your leadership role?