ELDERS

One of the most confusing aspects of American churches is the way they are governed. Some are ruled by what amounts to a one-man dictatorship; some have boards like the great corporations of our nation. Some churches have an international bishop who controls everything those churches believe, teach and practice. Not one of these arrangements has scriptural authority. The New Testament authorizes elders and only elders to lead, to discipline and to protect the flock. A careful reading of the New Testament will confirm that fact beyond dispute. I invite you to study with me today the simple topic, "Elders."

The New Testament uses several different Greek words to describe the office of elders. The word "elder" is a translation of the Greek presbuteros and literally means older. In some contexts one form of the word (presbutes) is simply translated "aged." For example, Paul encouraged Titus to "speak the things that become sound doctrine; that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience" (Tit. 2: 1-2). But in several passages Paul uses the word of elders of the Lord's church. I shall give you examples as we continue in our study of this very vital topic.

Elders are also called "bishops." The Greek episkopos is transliterated "bishop" (Tit. 1:7) and translated "overseer" (Acts 20:28). The use of the word "bishop" is confusing because of the unscriptural practices of some religious organizations. The word ought always be translated "overseer." The New Testament also uses the word "shepherd" (poimen) of elders. The word is also translated "pastors" (Eph. 4:11). These are the three basic Greek words that describe the office of elders of the Lord's church.

Does the New Testament actually arrange for the churches of Christ to have elders and only elders as the leaders of the Lord's people? Two passages in the New Testament are of great significance on this topic. After Paul and his companions had established churches in many different places, they revisited those churches, "confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Please listen carefully. "And when they had ordained elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed" (Acts 14:22-23). If the Holy Spirit had wanted offices other than elders, do you not believe he would have mentioned them in this verse?

In his letter to Titus, Paul reminded the young preacher: "For this cause left I you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are wanting (or lacking) and ordain (or appoint) elders in every city, as I had appointed you" (Tit. 1:5). If other offices were needed or allowed, would not the apostle Paul have made arrangements for those other offices? There are literally dozens and dozens of different kinds of offices in modem denominations. In fact, many modern churches are more like civil governments or giant corporations than they are the New Testament church.

My major concern in this study is the work of elders of the Lord's church. God has charged them with the sacred duty of leading his people into paths of righteousness and keeping them free from false doctrines and unscriptural practices. In his letters to Timothy and to Titus, Paul provides some insight into the duties of elders. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul says concerning an elder: He must be "one who rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity: for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God" (1 Tim. 3:4-5)? Paul does not delineate in these verses what is involved in taking care of the church of God, but we shall learn it in other passages.

In his letter to Titus, Paul says that an elder must hold "fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" (Tit. 1:9). Should we not learn from this passage that elders are to know the Bible and to be able to use it effectively in teaching and in correcting others? In my long life as a preacher of the gospel, I have known elders that could not tell an alien sinner what he had to do to be saved if their lives depended on it. They may have been good men, but they knew little or nothing about the word of God. If they are not good Bible students, how will they be "able by sound doctrine to exhort and to convince the gainsayers?" How can men teach what they do not know? The word "convince" means to convict or to reprove. Elders of the church must know their Bibles so they can teach the truth and refute whatever false doctrine is being taught. The "gainsayers" are those who oppose or speak against the truth. Obviously, Paul is stressing the need for elders of the church to be diligent Bible students. If they are not devoted to studying the Bible, they should not serve as elders.

Acts 20 records Paul's visit with the elders of the Lord's church at Ephesus. He had been preaching in a number of places and was on his way to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost. From the seacoast city of Miletus, he called on the elders of the church at Ephesus. Incidentally, the elders are also designated "overseers" or "bishops" (Acts 20:28). Paul reminded the elders of the work he had done at Ephesus. He had kept back nothing the church needed. He had taught them publicly and from house to house, "testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." He informed them of his intentions to go to Jerusalem, although he did not know what awaited him, except he believed that bonds and afflictions were in his future. But he would not allow any threats from the enemies of the cross to deter him from his purpose to fulfill the ministry he had received from "the Lord Jesus Christ, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20: 17-25).

As Paul concluded his speech to the Ephesian elders, he charged them: "Take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). If elders and other members of the church have not thought of the serious responsibilities of elders, they need to analyze this verse and the verses that follow in this chapter. Paul commanded the elders: "Take heed to yourselves." The verb, "take heed," literally means to pay attention to. The tense of the verb demands habitual concern for one's behavior. If an elder is slack in any of his Christian duties or if he is an immoral person, he has no place in the eldership. Does that mean that an elder must be perfect? If it means that, there will be no elders. There are no perfect people. But an elder must be a good man, one who strives to live by the word of God. Paul wrote concerning the kind of men who should be chosen to be elders of the church. "Moreover he must have a good report of them who are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:7). If elders are not respected by men and women outside the church, that would be a hindrance to unbelievers' obeying the gospel.

Years ago, I knew an elder who exercised little or no control over his temper. If you disagreed with his interpretation of a biblical passage, he would become angry and refuse to discuss the topic. I also knew an elder whose wife had died. After her death, he took the preacher's wife and married her. One elder actually stole thousands and thousands of the dollars from the church treasury. These elders, except for the one who often lost his temper, resigned from the eldership. But their conduct brought shame and disgrace on the Lord's church.

Paul admonished the elders at Ephesus to take heed to the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers. When faithful elders give careful attention to the flock, they make sure every member has an opportunity to mature in the faith. They must delegate work each member can perform and fit the task to the member. How can a church be all God expects it to be if every member does not use his time and talent to further the cause of Christ? Paul compared to the body of Christ to the human body and then wrote: "God has tempered the body together" (1 Cor. 12:24). Every member can do some kind of work in the Lord's service. The elders must understand that truth and keep all members busy serving the Lord. I do have a question about the expression, "the Holy Spirit has made them overseers." How does the Holy Spirit make men overseers? Does he select the elders supernaturally? There are religious teachers who seem to lean in that direction. But that is not how the Holy Spirit operates. The Holy Spirit guided Paul to list the qualifications an elder must possess (1 Tim. 3: 1-7; Tit. 1:6-9). When an elder is willing to serve and possesses those qualities the Holy Spirit revealed and the church members want him to serve, the Holy Spirit has made him an overseer.

Faithful elders of every local congregation must "feed the flock." The word "feed" is a translation of the Greek poimaino which literally means to shepherd or to tend the flock. We do not normally use the word "shepherd" as a verb, but that is the meaning of the Greek. The English Standard Version translates the term "care for." This we know: Elders of the church must do more than feed the flock. Their work certainly involves seeing that the sheep are fed, but it means much more than that. Does it not mean protecting the flock from destructive elements? I shall examine that responsibility in just a moment, but first let us take notice of the expression, "'purchased with his own blood."

If you have ever had the slightest doubt about the importance of the church of the living God, think seriously about this fact: Christ purchased the church with his own blood. The word "purchase" is not the common Greek word meaning to purchase or redeem. The word means to secure or to acquire for oneself. The King James Version renders the noun form of the word "peculiar people" (1 Pet. 2:9). When Christ shed his blood for the church, that made the church a people for his own possession. That truth ought also to show us how very vital the work of elders is. They are overseeing the Lord's people-not a human organization.

One of the duties of shepherds is to keep wolves away from the flock. Paul informed the elders at Ephesus: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30). False teachers can and do arise from two sources: outside the church and inside the church. The real conflicts among churches of Christ in my lifetime have come from within the church. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, there were preachers among churches of Christ who promoted premillennialism. Some elders allowed premillennial preachers to speak to the congregations where they served. As a result of the compromising views of those elders, many of those churches were led into error. But there were preachers among churches of Christ, such as, N. B. Hardeman, H. Leo Boles, G. C. Brewer, Foy Wallace, Jr. and a host of others who vigorously refuted the unscriptural doctrine of premillennialism. Churches of Christ, generally speaking, have not been troubled by that doctrine for more than sixty years.

Today there are preachers among churches of Christ who are working diligently to turn the church of our Lord into a denomination. For example, Max Lucado of San Antonio, Texas, has led many astray by his false views about salvation. He has told people on his radio program: "All you have to do is just call God Father." He knows that the Jews on Pentecost already thought of God as their Father. But when the believing Jews asked Peter and the other apostles: "Men and brethren, what shall we do?", Peter commanded them: "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Do Max Lucado and similar left-leaning preachers believe they have a better plan of salvation than the one the Holy Spirit has revealed in the Bible? Is it not the height of arrogance for a lowly human being to elevate his views of any topic above the teachings of Christ and of his apostles?

An interviewer for The Christian Chronicle, a periodical published in Oklahoma, asked Max Lucado if he believed baptism was essential for salvation. He said he believed baptism was essential for obedience but not for salvation. What in the world does that mean? Does he not believe that obedience is necessary for salvation? What did Paul mean when the told the Roman Christians: "Do you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you, being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6: 16-18)?

What was the form of doctrine the Roman Christians had obeyed? A careful reading of Romans 6:3-6 will show conclusively that it was the Roman Christians' obedience to their Lord in baptism. They were baptized into Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. Paul's letter to the Colossians emphasizes the same truth. The Colossian Christians were "buried with him (Christ) in baptism, wherein also" they were "risen with him through faith in the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:12). If Max Lucado does not know these passages, he ought to stay out of the pulpit and off radio. If he knows them and does not preach them, he is not being honest with his audience.

Did you know that some elderships have invited Max Lucado to preach in gospel meetings? Is that not bringing in a wolf to feed the sheep? Do not those elders know what the scriptures teach about the plan of salvation? If they do not, I have a very simple suggestion for them: Read the book of Acts and demand that your preacher teach the great truths in that book. Elders should realize that God will hold them accountable for what they allow to be preached from their pulpits? Elders are to watch for the souls that are entrusted to them (Heb. 13: 17). If there is a more awesome task than that, I am not aware of it.

The apostle Paul pled with the elders at Ephesus: "Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31). The word "watch" is a present active imperative and demands that the elders constantly watch. Since Satan constantly seeks to lead God's people astray (1 Pet. 5:8), the elders must constantly be on guard to keep false teachers from destroying the flock. The word "warn" gives some modern preachers trouble. They view the word as being too negative. But the Bible is full of warnings. Paul commanded the Corinthians: "Wherefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10: 12). A preacher who fails to warn should be doing some other kind of work. That preacher certainly is not imitating Paul and other faithful first century preachers. Elders have an obligation to demand that their preachers warn the members of the church and others.

Paul knew that the Ephesian elders did not have enough wisdom on their own to guide and protect the flock. He recommended: "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). How are elders going to know how to serve as elders if they are not good students of the word? Paul told Timothy that elders must be "apt to teach" (1 Tim. 2:24). The Greek word translated "apt" means more than merely having the ability to teach. Elders of the church should be skilled teachers. That obviously means they must know the word and be able to present it in an effective way. An elder must hold "fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" (Tit. 1:9). The "gainsayer" is one who speaks against the truth of God's word.

Paul concluded his great speech to the Ephesian elders by reminding them of his manner of life. "I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel. Yea, you yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them who were with me. I have shown you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:33-35). Would to God that every eldership in the world would memorize Paul's message to the Ephesian elders!

Winford Claiborne

The International Gospel Hour

P.O. Box 118

Fayetteville, TN 37334