Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
September 16, 2001 A.M.
There Is Something In The Name
Reading - Acts 20.13-31
God chose to communicate with us through words. Words are important.
God has revealed Himself to mankind through the use of words.
You want to know what God thinks on a subject... any subject... Consult God’s Word.
Paul said... I didn’t know sin... What sin was... Except by the Law.
Paul is saying that God’s word told him, demonstrated to him what sin was.
Here it is, church...
-God reveals Himself...
-He calls us to Him...
-He pricks our hearts... Nudges... Encourages... Leads... and informs us through words.
More to the point, through The Word.
You see... Truth from God on matters spiritual came by divine revelation.
This book is a product of divine revelation.
Paul, to the churches of Galatia says... I want you to know, brethren, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:11 & 12)
Peter asserts that holy men of old did not speak of their own will but literally, carried along, by the Holy Spirit of God. (II Peter 1:20-21)
Our Elders announced last Sunday that they would be selecting and ordaining an additional Elder next month... and again next fall.
On Sunday mornings during September we will be looking at the kind of men God desires as Elders... Shepherds of His flock.
Then on Sunday evening... We are studying Biblical Principles of Leadership.
So as we talk about church organization and appointing qualified leaders... Elders... We must consult God’s word as our guide.
Church... It really makes little or no difference what you and I think here... What we think is not important... But what God has to say on the subject is the way it’s to be done.
It is easy for us to express our personal opinion... Or repeat what some well known preacher or writer in our brotherhood has said on the subject of church government.
It doesn’t make any... Not one bit of difference... What kind of organizational chart AT&T has... Or what kind of new management techniques have been discovered by Wal-Mart.
What does God say?... What is His word or words on the matter?
So when we approach this most important task in this church... Let us stay in the book. Amen?... Amen!!
You see... God communicates with us through the use of words.
Let me demonstrate how important every word is in the Bible.
In fact... Not just the word... But also the tense of the verb is important.
Allow me to give an example from Matthew chapter 22... The context is that the Sadducees, who do not believe in the resurrection, are trying to trick Jesus by asking him if a man married two different women in this life, which one will be his wife in the world to come?
In verse 32... Jesus said you misunderstand the concept of the resurrection... Of life after life because you missed the verb tense of Exodus 3.6 when God told Moses... I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Jesus is saying, if you’ll notice the verb, it is present tense. God is the God of the living, not the dead.
Here it is church, if the Sadducees had been careful Bible students they would have had no problem with the concept of resurrection, spirits, angels and life after life.
In the original autographs, every word... every verb tense... is inspired of God.
We must believe this or else there exists no basis for truth.
Now... What I want to do is apply this same kind of thinking to the Bible words for Elders and see what we can learn. I hope we have established that
(1) God communicated spiritual truths through words.
(2) That Biblical words have meaning... Even the tense of the verbs are important,
(3) So then... There must be something in a name... There must be meaning in the name.
Let’s notice some New Testament titles... New Testament names for Elders and see what we can gain from them.
Our first word is PRESBUTEROS.
It is the Greek word used in verse 17 of our text... From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the Presbutros... for the Elders.
This word is sometimes translated Presbytor. The main connotation of this title is age.... Elders are to be older men. One that is mature in chronological age as well as mature spiritually. Paul later tells Timothy one of the negative qualifications for an Elder is that he not be a novice.
This has to do with his spiritual, Christian maturity.
Presbutros speaks of the... Maturity... Experience... Dignity that come with age.
We must let the wisdom of God rule supreme in the church of Christ.
When we look at the Old Testament... The first dispensation was Patriarchal.
Which means... (WHAT??)... Father Rule... The older man ruled.... He was head of the clan.
Moses appointed Elders to help judge Israel. Throughout the Old Testament, Elders sat in judgment seats at the gates of the city. Their wisdom was respected. Rulers of the Sanhedrin and the synagogue were Elders.
This does not mean that God cannot or will not use the young.
Joseph... Samuel... David.... Daniel... John Mark... Titus and Timothy are examples to the opposite... But they were not Elders and did not act as such.
Church... The Bible teaches us that Elders are to be men of AGE!!
Well... The next question is obvious isn’t it... How old must an Elder be?
I don’t know... And anyone that tells us a numerical age is showing his or her ignorance. I know the arguments... Culturally in Jewish... Greek... and Roman times, an elder was generally considered to be over 40.
But to make 40 a definite age qualification is going beyond scripture.
To me personally... It is like trying to say that a Christian must give 10%... That is not Bible either. I can make a case that no faithful Jew ever gave as little as 10%. Let’s speak where the Bible speaks... Be silent where it is silent... And we’ll always be safe.
Our word Presbytros... Presbyter... Elder... Means one of older age and maturity both chronologically and spiritually. That’s it... For me to say more is too much... To say more is beyond what we know the Bible to say.
Our Second word is Episkopos in the Greek.
In most translations... It is rendered overseer or bishop.
Look at verse 28 in our text... Episkopos is defined as... A man charged with the duty of oversight... Guard yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you Episkopos... Overseer... Bishop.
-Elders are those who are charged with seeing that things are done correctly...
-They serve as a guardian... A superintendent... As a manager.
Literally our word means... See over.
I believe the Bible to teach that... Bishops... Elders... are to SEE OVER all of the work of the church all of the time.
-They can consult with you and me...
-They can ask our opinion...
-Yes... They can delegate authority...
-But they never relinquish oversight of the local church.
Church problems always arise when an Eldership relinquishes their oversight. Today, we have some that contend the Elders... Bishops... have no authority. I believe that our text denies this... The very meaning of the word used for their title denies this idea of no authority.
Notice with me some scriptures which teach Oversight of the bishops... of the Elders.
I Thessalonians 5.12 & 13.... Now we ask you, brothers... To respect those that work hard among you... Who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you... Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.
Hebrews 13.7... Remember your leaders... Who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
The Hebrews writer understood that some in the church were serving as LEADERS... RIGHT?
Acts 20.28... Take heed... Guard yourself and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers... or Bishops... With oversight comes authority... RIGHT?.
I Peter 5.2 & 3... Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof... Not by constraint, but willingly; not because of money but because you are eager to serve. Neither as being Lords over God’s heritage, but examples.
Titus 1.7... An overseer must be above reproach as God's steward... A steward is one entrusted with the care and oversight of another’s property... In this case... an Elder has the oversight of God’s household... his family... the church.
I think we must be quick to point out here that as overseers... the bishops... the elders of a congregation... Do not have legislative powers. They cannot make laws... rules... push oversight beyond what God authorizes.
-I Thessalonians five says... Over you in the Lord...
-Hebrews 13 reads... Who spoke the word of God to you...
-Acts 20.28 says... Which the Holy Spirit has made...
You see... Elders are under the authority of the word... Under the authority of Scripture.
Here it is church... Legislative power is in God... through the word.
This is why we have denominations today... because of Bishops... Elders... Overseers... Pastors... Who think they have legislative power to speak where God has not spoken.... To make laws and rules where God has not... Or to suspend laws and rules that God has made.
When this happens in a church... That church ceases to be the church of God... And become the church of man or men... Becomes just another religious organization.
We must be careful here that we understand that God-ordained Elders are men whose authority and oversight are under the Word of God ONLY!!
This brings us to our third word - Pastor.
It is Poe-ia-mame in the Greek.
Poe-ia-mame is translated shepherd in our text.
It means a feeder... a tender... a guide... one who disciplines.
Look at Verse 28... Be shepherds of the flock.
Church... The Eldership is not a board of directors. They are shepherds... There is a world of difference. Shepherds... Elders... are in the people business. Elders are not to leave the people business in favor of the trivial matters.
The Apostles put it so well in Acts 6... It is not right that we leave the word of God to wait tables.
Folk... Neither is it scripturally correct for Elders to leave shepherding the flock to sit in board rooms.
Look at it this way... Pastors shepherding the flock don’t have time to attend board meetings which center around what plumber to hire to clean out the drains.
I believe we can rejoice... When we can attend Elder’s meetings where nothing is discussed but SOULS... How to save them... And how to keep them saved... RIGHT?
Elders... I challenge you to be shepherds... Feed the flock of God which is among you... Over which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops.
That’s I Thessalonians 5.12... and Acts 20.28 put together.
Before we conclude this morning... Let’s talk about some misconceptions and distortions of the leadership model as it appears in the New Testament.
First... The concept of plurality.
Galatians 3.16 reads... Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to His seed.
Notice that SEED is SINGULAR. He does not say... and to seeds... Referring to many but rather to one... And your seed... That is Christ.
Paul is making the point here that words are important in the Bible... Even to numbers. When God said seed he meant seed... SINGULAR... NOT SEEDS PLURAL.
The worlds... Elders... Bishops... Overseers... Shepherds... Pastors... Presbyters... are always used in the plural. I believe this tell us that we can conclude that they are to serve in plurality.
The New Testament knows nothing of one man rule for God’s church here on earth.
-Jesus chose twelve Apostles... Not just one.
-Acts 14.23 says... When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
-Paul addresses the book of Philippians to the Bishops... not Bishop of Philippi.
-Paul calls for the Elders of Ephesis... not just THE ELDER.
The fact is... There is absolutely no Biblical evidence that a singular overseer presided over a church... Or group of churches.
Folk... Let us not try to rewrite the Bible to accommodate our own personal opinions or preferences.
Secondly... Let’s note the difference between a PASTOR and preacher and teacher. Our religious world has clouded the distinction between the two.
Ephesians 4.11 reads... And he... (speaking of God)... Gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.
There seems to be here... A distinction drawn here between the PASTOR and the evangelist... and teacher.
From our study this morning... We have found that a PASTOR is...
-A shepherd...
-A Bishop...
-An Elder...
One who not only Teaches... Guides... Leads... but one who also oversees.
I believe we can say this morning that all PASTORS are to be evangelists... and teachers...
But not all Evangelists & Teachers are PASTORS.
I am a preacher... teacher... evangelist... But I am not a PASTOR from the pure Biblical sense of the word.
PASTOR in the New Testament seems to be a term reserved for those who are OVERSEERS... BISHOPS... ELDERS.
I hope that the study this morning has been meaningful... And will aid and assist you in selecting and recommending an additional Elder to serve our church family.
Again... This lesson has not been one of an evangelistic nature... But... If you are here this morning and would like to become a child of God... A member of His household... His family... the church... You can by faith, repentance, and New Testament baptism.
Perhaps as His child we have wondered from the flock of God and need to return home... Seeking the forgiveness from Him and from the church family... This invitation is for you.
Maybe... You need to make something right with God or His family.
Perhaps your need the prayers of the church.
Come let your desire be known... Respond as the Word of God has spoken to you this morning... Will you come??
