The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded… (1 Timothy 3:1-2a).
Because the task is noble, an overseer must be sober-minded. No doubt this was on Paul’s mind as he coached Timothy to deal with the false teachers in Ephesus. Timothy would need to make sure those who became overseers in the church were the sober-minded ones, not the sloppy thinkers that were veering into doctrinal nonsense.
For us ministering in the App Region, let’s remember that we too must be sober-minded. This can literally mean sober, as in not intoxicated. It can also mean generally temperate, vigilant, and clear-minded. It’s associated with:
- Wakefulness
“So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:6-8). - Diligence
“As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2). - Readiness
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded…” (1 Peter 1:13). - Focus
“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7). - Watchfulness
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
Pastor, we must be sober-minded in all of these ways because we are engaged in a noble task. This kind of temperance is not a bonus. It’s a “must.” It’s listed alongside being the husband of one wife. We wouldn’t ordain a serial adulterer into pastoral ministry. We shouldn’t ordain anyone who is mentally negligent either. And if we notice ourselves drifting toward murky-mindedness, we should take it as seriously as if we were drifting toward adultery.
Let’s take some time to consider what might make us become less than sober-minded. I’ve brainstormed a list of…
9 Threats to Sober-mindedness
One: Drunkenness
Several years ago I heard about a famous pastor who had started turning to drink to relieve stress and, over time, it grew into a debilitating slavery. He had to step down and seek help. If you are in a habit of drinking too much alcohol, it will cloud your thinking. Come into the light and seek help.
Two: Busyness
It’s hard to remain mentally diligent while you’re sprinting. Yet we often have to sprint through our days to keep up with all our responsibilities. The HVAC unit breaks again, the car needs an oil change, and tax returns are due. There are soccer games to attend, meals to cook, dishes to wash, church members to visit, Bible studies to conduct, deadlines to meet, sick coworkers to cover for. We don’t mind tending to these things, but when they all come at once, it creates a challenge for our mental readiness.
Three: Gluttony
It’s hard to focus when your blood sugar crashes after a gas station honeybun and all you want to do is take a nap (you can tell I’m writing from personal experience…). Proverbs talks a lot about the connection between overeating, sluggishness, and poor thinking. For example:
The sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.
The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes
than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Proverbs 26:15-16).
Four: Noise
My wife, Meredith, recently helped compile the Maranatha anthology. She noticed a decline in the quality of thought around the 1940’s and 1950’s. Could it be a coincidence that that’s when the television first became common in American households? Probably not.
First century Christians needed the reminder to be sober-minded and they didn’t have TVs, let alone smartphones. What were they distracted by? Birds? Breezes? We need to be even more watchful than them because we face more distractions than human beings have ever experienced before.
Five: Stress
Several years ago I had to make a 10:55 A.M. decision about whether I would preach my sermon as planned, knowing that it would offend an unexpected visitor, or adjust it slightly to avoid controversy. I decided to preach it as planned and there was painful fallout. I found the whole episode tremendously stressful. Afterward, I slept and ate little. My mind clouded so heavily that I wasn’t even sure if I should continue being a pastor anymore.
Meredith suggested I take a day to get away. I drove about an hour to Crowder’s Mountain. I didn’t even think through what I was doing. I was dressed completely wrong for hiking in warm weather. I didn’t bring any water. All I had was my Bible and my journal.
I walked up the mountain, trying to pray, stopping to read. By the time I got to the top my mind was clearing. By the time I returned to my car I was crystal clear. What came from all that hiking/praying/reading/thinking was a significant development in my approach to pastoral ministry that became a guiding principle for the remainder of my ministry there.
Had I not escaped the anxiety pressure-cooker I was in and found a way to sober up my mind, I might have done something stupid.
Six: Lack of Skill
It’s not a given that we all know how to cultivate sober-mindedness. I’ve often thought we should teach pastors skills like this rather than assume they’ll develop them naturally. We’ve received training in how to preach clearly. Why do we not receive training in how to think clearly?
Seven: Lack of Discipline
It’s not a given that, if we do know how to be mentally watchful, we will put in the work to do it when it counts.
Eight: Over-spiritualization
Often, we mistake a go-with-your-gut mentality for walking in the Spirit. When we do this, rather than giving diligent thought to a subject, we take a lazier approach and call it faith.
Nine: On-the-spot Syndrome
Often, as pastors, we’re put on the spot to weigh in on something important. We feel pressure to answer immediately and confidently, but inside we’re not sure because we haven’t had the time to develop our thoughts.
All of these things threaten our sober-mindedness.
I want to encourage you, based on God’s word, to overcome these obstacles this week. Recommit to irreproachable mental focus because we have things about which we need to think soberly. We have doctrines to clarify. We have scriptures we understand. We have churches that may need to replant or even close. When should you retire? To whom will you pass the baton? What will you tell that church member going through the messy family situation? How will you handle the conflict you sense coming?
Here are some suggestions that might help you approach your life and ministry sober-mindedly.
8 Suggestions for Cultivating Sober-mindedness
One: Search the Scriptures
Get disciplined about letting the Bible guide your thinking in every respect. Don’t just say or do what seems good. Ask What scriptures shine light on this subject? Get specific.
Two: Pray
God told us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).
Three: Write
For me, if I haven’t written it, I haven’t thought it—at least not as clearly as I’d like. Pen and paper sober my mind, but everyone is different.
Four: Talk
Travis Hutcheson would probably say he clarifies his thoughts through conversation. For some, talking it through is thinking it through. Where I have to write my way into clarity before I can talk about it, others have to talk their way there.
Five: Get Advice
If you haven’t already, recruit a panel of unofficial advisors whom you can call or text for advice as you need it. I find that people are willing to help this way (or at least they’re unwilling to not help).
Six: Research
Whatever you’re thinking through, it’s likely that smarter people have already thought through the same kind of thing and have written about it on the internet. Just be careful to read trustworthy Christians who base their thinking on the Bible.
Seven: Turn Things Off
The Amazon driver who delivered our packages yesterday had a movie playing on her phone in the truck. I love movies; but there’s a time and place. Some times and places are better suited for silence so you can think.
One note on this one: Don’t substitute listening to podcasts or audio books for thinking. Keep listening to those things, just not all the time. Your brain needs some breathing room to process things.
Eight: Take Your Time
Keep a couple of phrases handy like, “let me get back to you on that” or “I need to think about that before I weight in because it’s important and I don’t steer you wrong.” Then search the scriptures and pray. Take a walk or a drive. Sleep on it. Don’t weigh in until you’re clear.
Take the time you need to be sober-minded—to be temperate, vigilant, and clear. Doing so is not optional. It’s a “must.”
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For more information about the App Region, visit theappregion.org.
And always feel free to get in touch: matt@theappregion.org.
Let's test those who wish to serve as deacons before throwing them in there. ”For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 3:10).