I remember somewhere
in the mid - nineties calling an older
seasoned pastor, saying to him, ”please
help, I am struggling to give the church direction amidst some
difficult challenges from some
people”. I distinctly remember his
fatherly tone and sensible biblical advice
which he gave me, and it made all the difference at that time!
The
church at Ephesus, led by a young pastor called Timothy needed
help from Paul, his fatherly mentor.
In chapter 1 we have seen Paul settling the matter of apostolic doctrine as opposed to the heterodox teaching
by certain persons in the church. He tells Timothy to
charge certain persons not to teach any
different doctrine. The work of the pastor elder is to protect the church
from spiritual wolves and to maintain sound doctrine.
In chapter 2
Paul addressed a few matters pertaining
to the public worship of the church. He
addressed the importance of public prayer
for all kinds of people and especially those in authority. The stability
of family, church and country
depends on this. Furthermore,
Paul addressed the matter of the public conduct of men and women in worship.
We observed that his teaching is
a mixture of biblical principles (which are unchanging) and peculiar
cultural matters related to
the unique setting of the church in the city of Ephesus,[1]
which was hugely dominated by the cult of the goddess Diana, otherwise known
as Artemis
of the Ephesians [2].
In chapter 3 Paul now addresses the matter of pastoral
and diaconal leadership in the church. Here
we find a vital key to
the health of the church. The health of the church depends on
the quality of its pastoral and diaconal leadership. At Eastside
we have been making slow but significant
progress in this area. I have been amazed at the resistance and
apathy to the establishment of these biblical offices in the church over 27 years, but I do understand
that Satan would resist our
attempt to develop biblical leadership, since he cannot flourish in churches where a biblical church order prevails. Sound
leadership is essential and we see
this in the O.T. where the welfare of the nation was always dependent on the effectiveness of its leaders. Israel
was either blessed or cursed
under good or bad leaderships.
The same is true for the N.T. church. The
secret of good church leaderships seems
to lie in the fact that we choose our elders and deacons according to the
biblical pattern prescribed in 1 Timothy 3.
A STUDY OF 1
TIMOTHY 3 :1-7 Concerning
Overseers
Before we look at the aspects or qualifications that
would guide us in the appointment of church elders, we must consider
the introductory statement in v. 1 : “The saying is trustworthy”. This is the second time which Paul makes this statement (see 1:15)and he will continue to make a series of such
statements throughout the pastoral epistles[3].
So, this is a reliable public saying,
which Paul endorses here as reliable: “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer,
he desires a noble task.” We point
out that the word overseer (Gr.
episkopos), pastor (Gr. poimēn), elder (presbuteros) and
are used synonymously in the Bible.
Some people may be asking at this point whether the desire
to become an elder or pastor
lies with one’s own desire. It is clear from Scripture[4]
that the root of such a desire lies with the God who calls and equips us for such a ministry. It is also true however to say that such a call works itself out in terms of an inner desire, as was the case in my own
calling to the pastoral ministry. There
is a threefold process involved in a pastoral calling (i) the call
of God (ii) the inward aspiration (iii)
the affirmation of the church.
In this regard we must
point out that whilst pastoral gifts
(along with all gifts) belong to men and
women alike, pastoral leadership is restricted by God to
certain qualified males
(described in our text). We all have the
duty to choose them wisely.
The Marks of Elder
Leadership :
As we survey the marks
of elder leadership we take note that they relate to the moral and spiritual character of the man.
“Therefore an overseer must be above
reproach.” The meaning of "above reproach" is defined by the
character qualities that follow in our text. cannot mean “faultless”, for no one would qualify, if that were the case. But it
must mean that such leadership must be
exemplary. In both of Paul’s lists of elder
qualifications[5],
the first, specific, character virtue itemized is "the husband of one wife." This means that each elder
must be above reproach in his marital
life.
The other character qualities
stress the elder’s integrity, self-control, and spiritual maturity. Since elders govern the church
body, each one must be self-controlled in the use of money, alcohol, and the
exercise of his pastoral authority. Since each elder is to be a model of
Christian living, he must be spiritually devout, righteous, a lover of good,
hospitable, and morally above reproach before the non-Christian community.
In pastoral work,
relationship skills are preeminent. Thus a shepherd elder must be gentle, stable, sound-minded,
and non- contentious. An angry, hot-headed
man hurts people. So, an elder must not have a dictatorial spirit. He must not be quick-tempered, quick to get embroiled in fights and arguments
, or be self-willed. In addition
an elder must not be a new Christian. He must be a spiritually mature,
humble, time-proven disciple of Jesus Christ.
Abilities:
Within the lists of elder
qualifications, three requirements address the elder’s abilities to perform the
task. He must be (i) able to manage his family household well, (ii) he must provide
a model of Christian living for others to follow, and (iii) be able to teach
and defend the faith.
(i) Able
to manage his family household well: The scriptural reasoning here is that if a
man cannot shepherd his family, he can’t shepherd the extended family of the
church. Managing the local church is more like managing a family than managing
a business or governing a city or country. A man may be a successful businessman, a
capable public official, a brilliant office manager, or a top military leader,
but be a terrible church elder or father. Thus a man’s ability to oversee his
family well is a prerequisite for overseeing God’s household.
(ii) Able to provide a model for others
to follow: An elder
must be an example of Christian living that others will want to follow. Peter
reminds the Asian elders "to be
examples to the flock" (1 Pet.
5:3b). If a man is not a godly model for others to follow, he cannot be an
elder, even if he is otherwise a good teacher and manager. The greatest way
to inspire and influence people for God is through personal example. Character
and deeds, not official position or title, is what really influences people for
eternity. We need to see authentic
examples of true Christianity in action. That is why it is so important that an
elder must be an example and a living imitator of Christ.
(iii) Able to teach and defend the
faith: An elder must
be able to teach and defend the faith. It doesn’t matter how eloquent a
man may be in his speech, or how intelligent he is. If he is not firmly committed to historic, apostolic
doctrine and able to instruct people in biblical doctrine, he does not qualify
to be a biblical elder (1 Tim. 3:2;
Titus 1:9). The New Testament
requires that a pastor- elder "must hold firm to
the trustworthy word as taught,
so that he may be able to give
instruction in sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9). This means that an elder
must firmly adhere to orthodox, historic, biblical teaching. Elders cannot
afford to experiment with
the latest religious fads and doctrines. Since the local church is "the pillar and buttress of the
truth" (1 Tim. 3: 15b), its
leaders must be rock-solid pillars of biblical doctrine, or the house will crumble. An elder must be
characterized by doctrinal integrity. A
prospective elder must have acquired
for himself a solid
habit of years of reading and study of Scripture. He must be
able to reason intelligently from Scripture. He ought to have formulated his doctrinal convictions. He ought to be able to
teach others.
A biblical eldership is
a biblically qualified team of shepherd leaders. The local church must
insist on biblically qualified elders, even if such men take years to develop. Unqualified
elders provide no significant benefit to the church. It is better to have no elders than the wrong ones! Because
of the real problem of pride, Scripture also advises
us that a recent convert should not be an elder: " He must not be a new convert, or he may become puffed up with
conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6).
Serving Elders !
New Testament elders
are to be servant leaders, and not
rulers or dictators. Elders are called
to live a life of service. Like
the Lord Jesus , their leader example
, elders sacrifice their time and energy for the good
of others.
In addition to shepherding others with a servant spirit, the
elders must humbly and lovingly relate to one another. They must be able to
patiently build consensus. The must be able
to compromise on non- essentials.
They must be able to listen, handle disagreement, forgive, receive rebuke and
correction, confess sin, and appreciate the wisdom and perspective of others. Older, stronger and more gifted elders must
not use their giftedness to manipulate. Power struggles in the pastoral leadership endangers the unity and the peace of the entire congregation.
To be a serving elder does
not imply, however, an absence of authority. The New Testament terms that
describe the elders’ position,"shepherd,
overseer, elder” imply authority as well as responsibility. As shepherds of
the church, elders have been given the authority to lead and protect the local
church (Acts 20:28-31). The key
issue is the attitude in which elders exercise that authority. They depend on God for wisdom and help, not on
their own power and cleverness. Biblical elders do not dictate; they direct.
True elders do not command the consciences of their congregation, but they would appeal to their congregation to faithfully follow the Lord Jesus in obeying God’s Word.
True elders bear the
misunderstandings and sins of other people so that the assembly may live in
peace. They lose sleep so that others may rest. They make personal sacrifices of time and energy for
the welfare of others. At times they face
attacks. At all times they guard
the church’s liberty and freedom in Christ, and to create
an environment in which the members are encouraged to thrive
and to develop their gifts, and
so to become mature.
These are the kind of men we ought to pray for, to lead our church. Pray that God will give Eastside
Baptist Church godly shepherds – even better ones than
you have had.
Don’t take them for granted.
Pray for your elders.
Be involved in choosing them when such times
arise.
Encourage them by your obedience to Jesus.
Amen !
[1]
See last week’s sermon : http://joachimrieck.blogspot.com/2016/07/1-timothy-28-15-men-and-women-in-worship.html
[2] See
Acts 19:21-41 . The Temple of Artemis or Artemision (Greek: Ἀρτεμίσιον) also known less precisely as the Temple of
Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. It was located in
Ephesus (near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World, it was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual
destruction in 401 AD. Only foundations and sculptural fragments of the latest
of the temples at the site remain. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis]
[3]
See also 4:9 ; 2 Tim 2:11 ; Titus 3:8
[4] E.g. Acts 20:28
[5] here, and
Titus 1: 5-9
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