Self controlled (1468) (egkrates or enkrates from en = in + kratos [word study] = power from the stem krat- denoting power or lordship) is literally one in control of strength and thus one having power to "hold oneself in" or to "master self". This virtue describes "lordship" or dominion over self. The self-controlled individual exercises restraint over his own impulses, emotions, appetites and desires. Steven Cole... Paul uses this word (1Co 9:25) to refer to an athlete who exercises self-control in all things so that he may win the wreath. He doesn’t do anything that would hinder him from his goal. An elder must have control over harmful desires or habits that would interfere with knowing Christ more deeply or with being an effective shepherd of God’s flock. He will be disciplined about spending time alone with God in the Word and prayer. This word is the last of the fruits of the Spirit (Ga 5:23-note), which grow in us as we walk daily by means of the Spirit (Ga 5:16-note). (You may access my message from December 31, 2006, “Learning to Control Yourself,” which deals with this single topic.) There has been terrible damage to the church of Jesus Christ because unqualified men have been put into leadership. The pastor of the church that I grew up in was a quick-tempered man who tried to control the deacons (that church did not have elders) through intimidation. My dad served on that board and often was the object of the pastor’s anger, because he wouldn’t go along with things that were not in line with Scripture. It all came to a head when it came to light that the pastor was using church facilities for his private counseling practice. He was illegally channeling the income he received through a fund labeled “Youth Camp Fund,” to dodge the IRS. When my dad confronted him privately, he blew up. So, my dad confronted him at a church meeting. When the church would not correct the situation, we left the church. Within a few months, the pastor had left his wife and five children to run off with a counselee. We then started attending another church. We hadn’t been there very long until it came out that the pastor was carrying on wrongful relationships with several women in the church, including the wife of one of his staff members. That staff member and his wife subsequently divorced. The pastor left the church, but the denomination, rather than removing him from ministry, moved him to a large church in another state! He later moved back to California. A few years ago, I saw in a publication from that denomination that the governor of California had named a day to honor him! Somehow I think that God’s view will be a bit different! Whenever these things happen, many people are wounded. Some, who were shaky in their faith, leave the church and sometimes leave the faith. Unbelievers mock God and the church and find justification to go on in their sins. So it is imperative that we, as a church, only put into leadership men who are spiritually mature, as seen in their home life and in their personal character. Application Questions 1. If you had to single out one of these qualifications for church leadership, which one would it be? Why? 2. What should a church member do who is aware of an elder who glaringly violates one or more of these qualifications? 3. Often churches choose pastors like Americans choose political leaders: personal charisma, good looks, dynamic vision, etc. How can we avoid this tendency to insure godly leadership? 4. Should a pastor with an unbelieving, rebellious child (or children) leave the ministry? Why/why not? (Read the full sermon) Egkrates is used only here in the Scriptures. The self-controlled man is one who masters his emotions rather than himself being mastered by them. It has been well said that fallen Man can control almost everything except himself! The "self-controlled" man is beyond fallen man's capacity and "self effort". The only genuinely "self-controlled" man is the God-controlled man. To gain self-control, give Christ control. And then you will be enabled to exercise watchful discipline which refuses to pander to the appetites of the body at the soul’s expense. Considering the plethora of lurid images that come across our television screens today, one sage advised that we use self-control with our remote control. You exercise self-control when you control your desires rather than letting your desires control you. Barclay comments that the self-control does not contemplate a situation in which a man is emasculated of all passion; it envisages a situation in which his passions remain, but are under perfect control and so become his servants, not his tyrants. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press) It is interesting to note that self-control is one virtue that does not apply to God for His perfect holiness possesses perfect control. Christ in His incarnation was the epitome of the self-controlled man. He was never tempted or tricked into doing or saying anything that was not consistent with His Father’s will and His own divine nature. Secular Greek uses self-control of the virtue of an emperor who never lets his private interests influence the government of his people. It is the virtue which makes a man so master of himself that he is fit to be the servant of others. Self-control was especially vital for the overseer who would lead the church of the first century for many of the early Christian heresies taught that since the body was evil (they claimed) it was not necessary to curb fleshly lusts, only to think correctly. Any teaching which claims that knowledge emancipates one from the obligations of morality is false. A self controlled man is moderate in the enjoyment of what is lawful and refrains from all that is unlawful and harmful. This trait pictures the athlete who is self-restrained and self-disciplined but the distinction is that the athlete exerts self control in his own power. Synonyms include temperate, moderate, restrained, and an older probably less familiar term, continent (exercising self-restraint). The Greeks, especially the Stoics, placed great emphasis on personal discipline and self control but the Bible teaches that ultimately the only genuine control over and freedom from the bondage to man's selfish sin nature is the Spirit of God as discussed below. It is interesting but tragic that the first two leaders of the Stoic school committed suicide. Peter teaches that this virtue is to actively sought for as believers we have escaped (from the power which the moral decay and rottenness in the world has over him through his fallen, sinful nature) the corruption that is in the world by lust." (2Pe 1:4-note) He goes on to explain that Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love." (2Pe 1:5-note, 2Pe 1:6, 7-note) Note that maturation in the Christian life calls for the strenuous involvement of the believer, not self effort but cooperative effort. Peter's point is that spirituality, which includes self-control, does not come automatically or inevitably but is a choice each of us must make every day. Louis Barbieri writes that The Christian life is like power steering on a car. The engine provides the power for the steering, but the driver must actually turn the wheel. So the Lord provides the power to run our lives, but we must ‘turn the wheel.’ To a great extent the Christian determines the course of his life.” (Barbieri, L: First and Second Peter) Chrysostom says the self-controlled individual is One having his passions, tongue, hand and eyes, at command” John Stott wrote that Every time...we take a risk that strains our self-control we are sowing, sowing, sowing, to the flesh (cf Gal 6:8) Self-control means building the will to say "no" (cf Romans 8:13-note) when a powerful appetite inside you screams "yes". Self-control is a lifelong course (called sanctification) in learning attitudes and responses that do not come naturally and channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. The overseer who exhibits the power to curb his fleshly impulses, passions and appetites does so not by his own ability but by the power of God’s Spirit. As discussed above, self-control was a highly prized virtue for the Greeks but their focus was entirely on self-effort. The problem is that self-effort always fails in the long run because it may control the body but does not affect inward desires. When one surrenders his will to the control of the Holy Spirit, and He is in charge, the overseer will have self-control. The one who walks (click note below) "by the Spirit...will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Gal 5:16-note) and he or she will bring forth "the fruit of the Spirit" (those traits that characterize heaven, "a foretaste of glory divine") which includes "self-control" (Gal 5:22-note, Ga 5:23-note) When a person is filled with (controlled by) the Spirit, he has divinely empowered "self-control" and glorifies God. Such a person lives an exemplary life on the outside because they submit to the Holy Spirit’s control on the inside. Any man who would serve over others, be he a candidate for overseer or a teacher of children's Sunday School, must first be master of himself or herself. The short-tempered person speaks and acts impulsively and lacks self-control. Good Works (from source unknown)... 1. Love what is Good (Titus 1:8 - note) 2. Teach what is Good (Titus 2:3 - note) 3. Do what is Good (see Titus 2:7-note, Titus 2:14-note; Titus 3:8-note; Titus 3:14-;note) Good Watches -Some people are like good watches. They’re pure gold, open-faced, always on time, dependable, quietly busy, and full of good works. Source unknown Our Daily Bread describes one of the early church leaders (who) referred to his body as "Brother Donkey." Like that hardy animal with a reputation for being stubborn, his body served him well as long as he placed it under firm discipline. Temptation's face is young and soft And smooth in its appeal; But when it's through it ruins lives With velvet fists of steel. --Gustafson Solomon who paradoxically seemed not to follow his own wisdom when he took many foreign wives (corollary - knowing the truth is no guarantee we will obey the truth) wrote He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city." (Pr 16:32) Like a city that is broken into and without walls is a man who has no control over his spirit." (Pr 25:28) Paul discusses self-control in his letter to the Corinthians writing Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." (1Co 9:24, 25, 26, 27-Notes = Running to Win) John MacArthur comments that Walking in the Spirit is allowing Him to pervade your thoughts. It is saying, when you get up in the morning, “Holy Spirit, it is Your day, not mine. Use it as You see fit.” It is saying throughout the day, “Holy Spirit, continue to keep me from sin, direct my choices and my decisions, use me to glorify Jesus Christ.” It is putting each decision, each opportunity, each temptation, each desire before Him, and asking for His direction and His power. Walking in the Spirit is dynamic and practical. It is not passive resignation but active obedience...the amazing thing about being under control of the Spirit is that you don’t even have to ask questions, you just operate within the will of God. One way to get a practical handle on the Spirit-filled life is to see it as living every single moment in the conscious presence of Jesus Christ. One note of caution, however: To be Christ conscious does not mean walking around muttering, “I know you’re there … I know you’re there … I know you’re there.” That’s the legalistic, fetish approach that was used by the Pharisees. They were sometimes called “the bruised and bleeding Pharisees,” a name they picked up because they thought it was a sin to look upon a woman. Every time a woman came along, they closed their eyes, muttered something about “I can’t look...I can’t look” and walked smack into a wall or a tree! No, being Spirit-filled is a matter of living every day, with your eyes wide open, saturated with the presence of Christ. And how do you get saturated? It’s by studying His Word. The more I focus on Christ in the Word of God, the more the thoughts of God saturate my mind; the more God’s thoughts saturate my mind, the more yielded I am to Him. It is the same as letting “the Word of Christ dwell in you richly” (see Colossians 3:16-note)." (MacArthur, John: How To Get the Most From God's Word.. Dallas, TX: Word Pub) "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/titus_17-8.htm#selfcontrolled