Identity Crisis: Who is this Man of God?
(Elder, Overseer, Shepherd, Pastor, Bishop, Steward?)
1Timothy 3:1-7; 5:17-22; 1 Timothy 5:17-22
Dorn Ridge June 09 and June 16, 2013
[Because of the length of this message, I divided it up preaching it over two Sundays.]
=======================================================================================================
link an MP3 recording of the first half of this message delivered June 9, 2013. http://chirb.it/5sqsr2
link an MP3 recording of the second half of this message delivered June 16, 2013: http://chirb.it/PEKdd4
=======================================================================================================
INTRODUCTION:
1.) Within the Church of Jesus Christ there is an office that has over the majority of the years of the church had to deal with an identity Crisis.
2.) The Bible speaks of leaders in the church with the titles of: Pastor, Shepherd, Bishop, Overseer, and Elder.
3.) Over the history of the church these titles have been broken up, and used to refer to different offices, some of which are Biblical, some which are not.
A.) This week, and next week I want us to look at 1 Timothy 3 as we come to try and understand a bit more of this office.
B.) It may surprise us in these sermons to see that though they have been separated into different offices, that my understanding of Scripture is that each of these titles refers to the exact same office within the church.
I. THE OFFICE OF ELDERS
1.) A man must desire the office.
-- 1 Timothy 3:1
A.) The first qualification that the Word of God gives on the office of the elder is that he must desire the office.
aa.) The task of the Eldership is an important role within the church.
aaa.) It is not to be taken as a casual office, but one of great importance.
aab.) As such God realized it would best be accomplished by those willing to honour and desire the position.
ab.) The elders are to have the authority for spiritual matters of the church.
aba.) One of the problems that often takes place within the church is that a man may not necessarily
desire the task, but is sometimes railroaded into the position, regardless if he is qualified or not, just to have the office filled.
abb.) the Church of Jesus Christ is important enough that God wants men in the office who want to be serving Christ in the Leadership of the Church.
B.) the other side of desiring the office is that there needs to also be caution at times, because sometimes a man can desire the office too much.
ba.) There have been times that someone will desire the office for their own prestige, or power, and even campaign for it.
bb.) Sometimes, such a one may be looking at the office of the Eldership for the wrong reasons.
bba.) Sometimes a man may desire the office for the reason of promoting his own personal agenda, rather than working to advance the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
2.) The office has different titles in Scripture, and the
titles help to describe the office.
A.) The First Word is Pastor.
aa.) The Greek word that is used here is “Poimayne”.
ab.) Sometimes this word will be translated as “Pastor”, but it is the exact same word that is also translated as “Shepherd”.
aba.) It is a word whose root meaning refers to a man who would tend a flock of sheep that are out to pasture.
abb.) 1 Peter 5:1-2; Eph. 4:11
ac.) This word for a sheep farmer is the exact same word that often will be used to describe the elders of the church.
aca.) Today when we have come to hear the term pastor, it is a term that the church has incorrectly used to label the preacher, and no other within the Church.
acb.) I want to stress that that to use this term in reference to a preaching minister of the church is correct in that it is one of the roles he is to play as an Elder of the church.
acb-1.) Yet at the same time it is wrong to use that term exclusively in reference to only the preaching minister.
acb-2.) To be true to the Word of God, this term would be equally correctly used with each of the elders of the Church.
acb-3.) If I was to call Hilton or Raymond a pastor of this church, many of you would look at me with questioning looks and feel that I was inappropriate in using that term on them.
acb-4.) Many would feel it inappropriate because our culture and the church have both conditioned us to use this term only with the paid Elders who preaches from the pulpit.
acb-5.) Biblically these men would all be considered to be Pastors of this church.
B.) The second word Is Bishop.
ba.) Bishop or overseer comes from the Greek word Episcopos.
baa.) This is the same word that we use when we talk about the Episcopal church in the United States. It is a church that is governed by Bishops or overseers, as the form of government.
bb.) This is the word that is used here in 1 Timothy 3.
bba.) Paul is calling the Elders of the church by the title of Overseer or Bishop.
bbb.) For those of you who would feel uncomfortable with addressing the Elders of this congregation as Pastors, how do you feel about addressing Hilton, Raymond, and I as bishops?
bbc.) Certainly we tend to be uncomfortable with these titles not because they are not legitimate titles of our Elders, but because society and the church have given them meanings that are different and greater than what the Word of God has placed on them.
C.) The third word, and the one with which we would be most comfortable is Elder (presbyteros).
ca.) Again, this same Greek word is where we get terms such as Presbytery, or Presbyterian Church.
cb.) The basic meaning of this word is elder or older man.
cba.) This is a term that can mean older or elder in terms of either
physical or spiritual
development.
cbb.) Usually, this term will be used in the church referring to both the physical and Spiritual maturity of the man.
cc.) Among the Jewish religion those of the council of seventy better known as the Sanhedrin went by this title of the Elders.
cca.) The Sanhedrin were older men physically, but they were also men who were considered to be men who had studied the Old Testament law, and who knew what the Word of God had to say. ccb.) They were men considered mature enough in both life and the Word of God to lead the people of God.
cd.) When the New Testament Church came into existence many of the men who had been given the title of “Episcopos”, which we translate as Bishop or overseer were also given this term as an indication of both their physical age, and also spiritual maturity.
cda.) 1 Peter 5:2; 1 Peter 2:25
II. QUALIFICATIONS FOR POTENTIAL ELDERS.
1.) He must be a man who has demonstrated himself to be a man of character and spiritual maturity
within the church.
-- 1 Timothy 3:2-5
A.) The first qualification I would say is that the person to hold this office must be a man.
aa.) We touched on this last week some, but this passage clearly speaks that he must be the husband of one wife, and other such statements which all indicate this office is to be filled by the men, and that they are to have the leadership within the church.
B.) He must be above reproach.
ba.) This is not to say that this is a man who is perfect, as it would certainly exclude all of us from that position.
bb.) I stress this because sometimes in churches, and more often in the mind frame of candidate to be considered for the office men will be excluded because of not being more perfect.
bc.) God is not looking for a man to be perfect to meet the requirements of the office, but to be upright, and Godly showing that his life is under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and that he is being led by the Spirit of God.
C.) He must be the husband of but one wife.
-- This brings up many questions: I am only going to briefly address some of these issues this morning because of time. If there is a desire for more of an in depth look at this subject, then maybe down the road we could look at a sermon or Bible Study series on the matter.
ca.) Can a single man be an elder?
caa.) I guess the first question we would have to ask in this regard is if we would look at the minister(s) within the church as being Elders of the Church.
caa-1.) Certainly if ministers are considered as elders than many of the young men leaving Bible College would not at that time be married, but yet our congregations would certainly acknowledge their role in ministry even without marriage.
cab.) Many congregations would consider the Minister (at least the Senior position of ministry as being part of the Eldership of the church.
cac.) Many churches consider the minister as one of the Elders, and certainly as we get to the portion of this message dealing with paid and unpaid Elders, I will show that Paul seems to have looked at the minister as being one of the Elders of the congregation.
cad.) Certainly not every church would agree with this view, and some would insist on the office of the minister, and of the Elders being considered as two separate offices within the church.
cb.) Can a man who is widowed qualify to be an elder within the church?
cba.) Certainly this is a question that has been a challenge to many churches particularly if the widowed Elder is a man who has demonstrated good leadership within the church.
cbb.) Most churches that have been faced with this situation have usually felt that that man could continue to serve in that capacity, though certainly there are some churches where that man would be considered as disqualified for the office at that time.
cc.) Can a divorced man be an elder?
cca.) Certainly there are a wide range of views on this subject.
ccb.) I do not believe personally that divorce automatically disqualifies a man from Eldership of a church.
ccc.) If I felt that it did automatically disqualify a man, I would have left the ministry when my own marriage broke down 15 years ago.
ccd.) There are none the less, a good many Christians, and churches that would consider divorce, regardless of the circumstances as a permanent disqualifier to either ministry or Eldership within a church.
ccd-1.) The local Bible College up river in Hartland would certainly hold to that view, and would not permit a divorced man to even take classes there as they look at the purpose of that College to prepare men for ministry.
ccd-2.) I know myself, that prior to divorce I was being asked to hold special services in various churches on a fairly regular basis.
ccd-3.) Following divorce I had gone a full ten years without being invited for speaking engagements, with the exception of a couple of brief devotionals at the Church in Fredericton
cd.) Having said that divorce does not automatically disqualify one from the Eldership or ministry, there are perhaps times when it might.
cda.) Certainly if the man had been involved in an adulterous affair that caused the divorce, or other such actions which caused him to fall into reproach, and to lose the respect of the people, than perhaps that would be an occasion when he may actually forfeit the right to hold such an office.
cdb.) In a situation where that is the issue, or a congregation is unable to accept divorce regardless of the situation, it may be that a divorced man would not be eligible to serve in that capacity in that congregation.
cdb-1.) This would be not because of Biblical condemnation on the matter, but because he would not have the respect of the congregation.
ce.) I believe myself that the heart of what Paul is addressing here is not the matter of a man’s marital state as being: single, divorced, or widowed.
cea.) I believe that what is being dealt with is a practice that had come into the early church that had never been part of the plan or desire of God for mankind and marriage.
ceb.) The issue I believe Paul was dealing with was that of polygamy within the church.
ceb-1.) The church did not outright condemn the practice that was already part of the culture of the day.
ceb-2.) To have done that would have forced many of these second and third wives that men had, as well as the children from those relationships out on the street unsupported. Such an action would have forced many of the women and their children into prostitution, or other sinful practices.
cec.) Instead of that, the Apostle Paul re- established what the word and will of God was for marriage, by setting it as the standard for leaders in the church. From there the teaching came back into the church, and back in to society thereby affirming God’s will for mankind of one woman and one man together in marriage.
D.) He must be temperate.
da.) He is a man who is well-balanced, and not led to extremes in his life.
E.) He must be self-controlled.
ea.) And certainly Galatians describes this as evidences of the Spirit of God working in a person.
eb.) Certainly a very self-evident trait. I think in many ways, this like some of the other characteristics for an elder is traits that come from both maturity in physical age, and also maturity from growth in Christ.
F.) He must be respectable.
fa.) He is a man you can look up to and depend upon. Somebody who lives and demonstrates a relationship with Christ.
fb.) Somebody who is true to the Word of God, as well as to his own values and convictions.
G.) He must be hospitable.
ga.) Hospitality was a big part of the early church. Christians were and are expected to share their homes with others, especially within the church as needed.
gb.) This could be for food or lodging for someone passing by, or even as we do in our Mid-week Bible study of meeting in each other’s homes to study the Word of God.
H.) He must be able to teach.
ha.) As a spiritual leader in the church God wants that one to be able to teach and lead others in the ways of God and righteousness.
haa.) This can be seen in the teaching and preaching of God’s Word.
hab.) It can be practiced in mediations, and thoughts at the table, and elsewhere.
hac.) It can be by his dealing with people on a one to one basis sharing what Scripture has to say on a certain matter, or answering the questions they might have about the faith.
I.) He must not be given to drunkenness.
ia.) Certainly the Bible does not condemn the use of alcohol, though it certainly condemns, and condemns very strongly the abuse of alcohol.
ib.) The leaders within the church are to be men who set an example to others in regards to the use of alcohol.
ic.) This may be a matter that will become an even greater issue in the future of the leadership of the church as it was in the past.
ica.) Even though the Bible does not condemn the consumption of appropriate amounts of alcohol, I think there are three major cautions that need to be made in regards to alcohol:
ica-1.) Alcohol, unlike food, air, or water is not needed by the human body.
ica-2.) Nobody who is today an alcoholic or a drunk ever felt this is something that would ever happen to them.
ica-3.) Even if one who makes use of alcohol never develops a problem with it, he needs to be careful of the testimony he is giving to others who may develop an issue with it.
ica-4.) Certainly the last thing anyone would want to do is to lead another person into sin.
icb.) I fear this may become a greater problem within the church and it’s leadership.
icb-1.) Perhaps a few decades ago it was less of an issue, but today it has surprised me the number of times I have heard in recent years of Elders, Deacons, and ministers both consuming, and also making alcohol for their own use.
J.) He must not be violent, but gentle, He must not be quarrelsome.
ja.) Again, these are characteristics that many times are developed both through physical and spiritual maturity.
jb.) Many times younger men can be more aggressive and quick-tempered.
jba.) The man of God chosen to be a leader within the church needs to be one who has sufficiently matured and come under the control of the Spirit of God.
jbb.) He needs to be a man who will not become so upset and out of control as to do dishonour the name of Jesus Christ.
jbc.) I have been told of one Maritime congregation about 60-70 years ago where there was a major issue that came up within the church.
jbc-1.) The men of that congregation carried the issue to the front yard of the church property following the worship service.
jbc-2.) Sadly, for two to three generations after that, the legacy to the community of that church was of the day the men got in a fist fight after church.
jc.) That is not the kind of reputation any church wants to have.
jca.) This is exactly the reason we need leaders in the church with self- control and maturity in Christ.
K.) He must not be a lover of money.
ka.) Jesus place a great deal of importance on this.
kaa.) In fact, one fifth of the teachings of Jesus dealt with money.
bb.) The reason for this is there are many people whose chief motivation in life is that of money.
kc.) God wants men as elders in his church who are motivated by living for God, rather than living for money.
kca.) Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34)
L.) He must manage his own family well.
la.) The family, and the way a man carries himself as a husband and father is to be a testing ground of a man’s worthiness as a leader in the Church.
M.) He must not be a recent convert.
ma.) Even in the past couple of years, I have seen churches put new Christians into leadership positions.
mb.) This is a dis-service to the one chosen for that position.
mba.) 1 Timothy warns us that he may become conceited and fall under the same sin of pride that led Satan to sin.
mc.) This is also a dis-service to the body of Christ.
mca.) The body of Christ- the church needs men with spiritual maturity to lead the church.
md.) For a man to be a leader in the church he needs to mature in Christ.
mda.) After coming to Christ he needs to have at at least a few years to himself grow in Christ.
mdb.) Knowledge and living the Word of God does not automatically come like osmosis when we come to Christ.
mdc.) Many times it will take a man years to develop to that point. Just because a man may be a leader in the community or business does not mean that he is spiritually mature enough to guide and direct the church.
mdd.) Certainly God’s view and standard of leadership is much different than those of the world.
2.) He must be a man with a good reputation in the
community.
A.) If a man desires the position of an elder within the church, he must have a good reputation within the community at large.
B.) It is not just what is this man like within the church, but how is he seen in the community.
ba.) Some men can appear to be fine Christian men in church on Sundays, but throughout the week can live lives as hypocrites, liars, and cheats.
bb.) He must also be respected within the community to be chosen as a leader in the church.
bc.) Sometimes, this is an area that a church will negelect to look at when choosing a man for the Eldership of the Church.
bca.) The Apostle Paul makes it very clear that it is an area of importance in the selection of a leader for the church.
III. IT IS AN OFFICE TO BE RESPECTED.
1.) As we have seen one appointed to the office is to be a Godly man of good character.
A.) The Church of Jesus Christ is different than any other organization on the planet.
B.) The church consists of the redeemed of Jesus Christ, who are continually growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ on a daily basis.
C.) Likewise, the man who would be a leader in the church and to serve the church as an Elder needs to be a man who is led by the Spirit of God, and who strives daily to become more like Christ.
D.) That means that an elder in the church is somebody whom the church has selected because he has proven himself to be a man of God, with a heart for God, and growing in the likeness of God.
E.) If that is the character and type of person that is to be chosen to lead the church, he is to be a man who is considered worthy of respect within the church.
2.) The Elders are responsible for the leadership of the congregation.
A.) The Spiritual leadership of the Church is not meant to be determined by any other way than through the Eldership of the Church.
B.) The term Bishop or overseer suggests the idea of governing the church, and being a leader to direct the affairs of the church.
ba.)We hear the term Pastor or Shepherd, and our minds go back to Psalm 23.
bb.) “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.”
bba.) The shepherd provides for our needs.
– Elders are to provide for our spiritual needs.
bbb.) Spiritual Shepherds also need to show consideration and gentleness to the flock of God.
bc.) “He leads me beside quiet waters.”
bca.) The sheep cannot go to a fast running deep river; they need a supply of water with quiet waters.
bd.) “He restores my soul.”
bda.) The role of the Elder, pastor, shepherd, or bishop is to see that the soul of his flock are refreshed spiritually.
be.) “He guides me in the paths of righteousness.”
bea.) That is exactly the role of the Elder.
beb.) He is to help guide the flock of God in the ways that will lead them in righteousness.
C.) The Elder or Older man.
ca.) This term for the Elder suggests to us another aspect of the job and duties of an elder.
cb.) As an Elder, the man is a man of maturity.
cc.) He is to be one who can bring to the church the guidance and direction that have grown as the fruit of wisdom from years on this earth, and in Jesus Christ.
3.) There is to be care used in bringing a charge against an Elder.
A.) Men selected as Elders are to be carefully chosen to represent The church.
B.) As men of God, with wisdom they are to be recognized as men to be respected within the church.
C.) As such, there is to be due caution in bringing a charge against the Elders.
ca.) As leaders within the church there will be times that the Eldership will have to make decisions for the spiritual welfare of the church that might not be popular with everyone in the church.
cb.) Because of this, the possibility was there for false charges and accusations against these men merely from anger or resentment of decisions they may have made for the church.
cc.) God has given guidelines to follow in dealing with issues with the Eldership:
cca.) 1 Timothy 5:20-21
4.) Because of the role and position Elders are to have, the selection of these men is very important.
A.) 1 Timothy 5:22
B.) They are chosen because they are men of God with wisdom and the Spirit of God.
C.) As such, the office is to be an office of respect.
IV. WITHIN THE CHURCH THERE IS TO BE A PLURALITY OF ELDERS.
1.) The churches in the New Testament had more than one elder.
A.) Acts 14:23; Acts 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus1:5
B.) In every church of the New Testament, the Word of God clearly teaches there is to be a plurality of elders within the church.
2.) The idea of only one elder in a church is unscriptural.
A.) The early churches seem to have had more than one man bearing the assorted names of Elder, Bishop, overseer, Pastor, Shepherd, etc.
B.) The authority of the Church was never placed under the leadership of only one Elder.
C.) But sometime after the first century, the church came to the place of recognizing the elders of the church, and the minister or preacher as being totally different positions within the church.
D.) Over the centuries, the preachers in many churches were given titles of the Eldership, to the exclusion of all others who were Elders.
da.) Many churches began to use the term Deacons in a manner similar to what the Word of God would use for the Elders.
db.) From there the offices and terms have become further complicated with the addition of terms such as: archdeacons, and archbishops, and other such titles to give way to a hierarchy within many of the churches, that is not consistent with the Word of God.
E.) The Bible and the New Testament Church would recognize no such distinctions within the church.
ea.) The New Testament Church had Apostles and prophets, which both ceased to exist by the end of the first century, or the very latest into the early part of the second century.
eb.) Beyond that, the early Church, and the New Testament would recognize only the Eldership (which I would say includes preachers/evangelists, to be in charge of the Spiritual end of the church, and
ec.) Deacons, who under the direction of the Elders were to look after primarily the physical affairs of the church.
3.) The church may have both paid and unpaid elders.
A.) Within the early church most of the Elders of the church would have been men who volunteered their time to the service of God.
B.) It would also seem that some of the Elders of the church had also become a paid Eldership within the church.
ba.) 1 Timothy 5:17-18
bb.) Some were paid to preach and teach within the church.
bc.) Certainly the preaching and teaching was not limited to just these men, but the early church realized that to do justice to the Word of God, in preaching and teaching to others, that many times a man could do a better job, if he was freed up from financial concerns so as to devote himself exclusively to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.
bd.) For this reason, some of the Elders were paid by the church in order to be devoted to blessing the church to a greater level through the proclamation of the Word of God.
CONCLUSION:
1.) As I close today, I would like to recap what we have looked at this past two weeks on this subject of the Eldership.
2.) The role of an elder is one that a man must desire, and not have forced on him.
3.) There are three words we use to describe the office of an Elder, and though different in meaning, we and Scripture will often use two or more of the terms in the same sentence referring to the Elders.
A.)The first word is “poymayne” which comes from a sheep farmer, and we would translate as either shepherd or Pastor. This word has the idea of guiding, and directing the flock, and looking out for their spiritual needs as a shepherd would tend to the sheep.
B.) Second Word is “Episcopos”
which we translate as Bishop or Overseer, and has the idea of being kind of a spiritual manager to supervise and direct the spiritual affairs of the congregation.
C.) The third term is (presbyteros) which we would refer to as Elder.
ca.) This word refers to a man having both physical and spiritual maturity to have the wisdom to guide the people of God.
4.) The men appointed to this office must be carefully selected based on their spiritual maturity in Christ, and being led by the Spirit of God.
5.) The office is to be respected, and there are to be a plurality of Elders within the church.
* Some of the word study information in this message on the offices came from W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary Of New Testament
