As I look to Scripture I cannot come to the conclusion that these elders (bishops/overseers) are what we have been led to believe and a look at 1 Timothy 3 and 5 in the ESV Bible and the Geneva Bible showed me two very different examples of what these men were. One supports and promotes the 'church' system as we know it today, the other, the Geneva Bible, shows something totally different. All I can see when I picture the elders of the first and second centuries were men that were following the example Paul set before them. They worked with their hands, earning a living by their skills and effort not by Scripture or Christ's name and they labored in the Word and doctrine for the sake of the elect, protecting and preserving the very Word of God.
And so I sit here thinking of these men and it is the beginning of seeing into the lives of the elders. I still do not believe they were elders because they were old but elders because they were the elder, or more mature, in the Scriptures. These were not the elders of our modern day 'churches' but the elders of old, people put in the place of the Apostles, men that were divinely appointed to bring the New Testament into the world, men that saw Christ with their own eyes, men that were getting Christ's words through divine revelation from the Holy Spirit. And these elders stood in for the Apostles when their time to move on arrived.
In Acts we see that the Apostles met with the elders and that elders were there for various meetings:
When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. Acts 15:4 ESV
And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. Acts 21:18 ESV
There are numerous other verses that show us the elders were in meetings either among themselves or with the Apostles. We know these men worked hard at the task they undertook, regardless of whether or not they chose to be an elder or they were appointed to be an elder by the Apostles. The first set of elders were there, working hand in hand with the Apostles.
A careful study of 1 and 2 Timothy shows us Paul instructing the very man he tutored in the Scriptures. The man that his 'laying on of hands' appointed to eldership. Paul speaks of Timothy's youth and how he had been raised on the Scriptures and how he believes Timothy to have the faith of his grandmother and mother. Paul basically pours his heart out in letters to Timothy, instructing him, guiding him.
I think again of the elder that rules his family well (1 Timothy 3:4-5, 5:17) and what that would mean and look like. I've studied on the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the commandment from Christ to love (Matthew 22:39). I've read Paul's words on love (1 Corinthians 12 and 13), reading the very definition of what love is.
I can see in my mind this man that lives by the Scriptures, that shows the fruits of the Spirit, that rules his family not with an iron fist but with love and understanding, putting them first in all that he does, taking his role as provider seriously. Loving them.
And I can picture this man, working hard at whatever job he has, teaching Scripture because he has somehow found himself an overseer of it. I can picture him, hard at work, sweating in the heat of the day, or cold to the bone in the middle of winter, hard at work at his job when a man comes to him. This man is known about town. He is personable, fairly easy to talk to but it's known by all that he cannot keep a job and that he has family troubles.
This man leans against the wall and idly twirls a piece of hay in his hands while telling you how he just spent the last night sitting with his neighbor as the man passed his final hours on earth. He goes on to tell how he shared the Apostles teachings with this man and taught him of Christ, having the joy of seeing this dying man take comfort in knowing he would be with the Savior when he died.
The elder points out that confessions of faith on the deathbed may or may not be genuine but hopes that the recently deceased man will be like the thief on the cross and is with Christ this very moment. The other man, still leaning against the wall, waves his words away, "I heard his confession, saw the joy on his face. His faith was real, he is in heaven this very moment."
There's no getting through to the man so the elder gives up, continuing with his work while the other man talks. "And so I have decided that I am called to be an elder."
That get's the elders attention. He looks at the man slouching against his wall, 'you're what?"
"Called to be an elder." The man's smile looks an awful lot like a smirk. "I've been called to be an overseer of God's Word."
"Called by who?" The elder knows the Scriptures well, he has committed to heart all the qualifications for elder and this man does not meet them.
"God, of course." The man tosses his stick of hay into the midst of the elders hard work. "He's called me to oversee His word and I am going to quit my job and give the Scriptures to the people."
The elder can't help just staring at the man before him. "God called you to quit your job?"
"And give the Scriptures." The man nods as if it's the most logical thing in the world.
The elder doesn't quite know where to start. This man does not meet a single requirement for an elder and God quit calling Apostles into the giving of the Scriptures when he made Paul an Apostle.
"Let's look at Scripture." It's the only answer the elder has. The best answer. "Being an elder is a noble thing but God quit calling people into that role when He appointed Paul to be an Apostle while he was on the road to Damascus. Still, elders are needed but there is no pay. The only pay you will ever receive is the appreciation of those you share the Scriptures with and whatever the Lord hands out in heaven.
"I will gladly welcome fellow believers to help me oversee the Scriptures but Paul has given us rules on who can oversee it and who can't. To oversee the Scriptures one 'must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.' (1 Timothy 3:1-7 ESV)
"It hurts me to say that you are not above reproach, word around town is not favorable about you, you have had several wives, having set them all aside with a certificate of divorce when you tired of them, you have many children that are being supported by the local people because you set them aside with their mothers. You are hot tempered, lack control in your dealings with others and in looking after yourself. You are kind to others only when it suits you. You seek after money to better yourself. Your household is a shambles, your current wife is often seen in the market, drinking and out of control, your teenage son is rude and often in trouble with the rulers of the law. Your daughter has a child but has never been married. Your other children run amok, rude and uncontrolled in the streets. Even strangers in town know of you within minutes of their arrival. Your reputation precedes you and it is not comely for one that has responsibility for the very word of God."
The elder strokes his chin, seeing the anger in the other man's eyes, thinking of the extra child that slept at his own house last night because this man was on a drunken rage and his child was afraid to go home. "Now you tell me God has called you to oversee the most precious of Words, to oversee His Scriptures."
"That's right." The man nods in agreement.
"God no longer calls anyone to that task but even if He did...you, sir, do not meet the requirements. It's out of your own puffed up self importance that you feel you are called into this role. You cannot handle the Word of God. Go back to work and work on your own life, tend to your wife and children, clean up your own act. Work with your hands and stop seeing dollar signs in Christ's Word."
Again, I am only imagining what these encounters may have looked like and I painted the picture of this man claiming to be called by God into being an elder (or a preacher in our time) in the worst light, giving him the opposite characteristics of what was required of an overseer, not just one bad quality but all of them. I did this because any one of the things this man had against him would disqualify to handle the Word of God.
These men...these elders...overseers...were handling that which was Holy. This was not merely teaching the Scriptures. These men were literally acting in place of the Apostles, handling, preserving the very word of God.
Today we have people of all beliefs, all doctrines, all theologies, all walks of life, claiming to be 'called' by God to be a minister, preacher, teacher, missionary, etc. There is a certain calling in everyone's life. We all have certain interests, certain loves, certain leanings of our hearts and desires and these things of our hearts call us into what the Lord wants us to be. Because He controls the desires of our hearts, he does call us into whatever it is we do and are but that is not the same kind of calling as the 'preachers' and others of today claim they have in their lives.
Today we have people telling us they were 'called by God' to do this or that, usually some sort of preaching as a paid job, and we are to believe that this somehow elevates these men (women) because of this special 'calling' they claim to have.
Scripture does not support their claims:
"'Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.' So they put forward two men . . . and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles" (Acts 1:21-26).
Paul said he was the last Apostle:
and last of all, as to one untimely born, [Jesus] appeared to me also" (1 Corinthians 15:8 NASB)
Paul was the last man to have a literal calling from God. Preacher's (and others) today would have us believe, and our own modern Bibles have been altered to support this idea, that they are something special and that they can do something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.
The flaw in their system is that a careful study of any Bible, so long as one has an understanding of what the Apostles and elders were in Scripture, paints a different picture. One that shows us why these men of old were much, much different than anyone today.
Because the Scriptures were being brought into the world through the Apostles, they were living, breathing Bibles. They weren't called to read a few passages from the Bible and uplift the emotions, or even the souls, of people...they were called to bring the Scriptures into the world. There were no New Testament Scriptures anywhere on earth until the Apostles brought them into the world through divine leading.
The elders...overseers...were not 'called' into their positions by divine calling but by appointing of the Apostles (and in later times other elders). These men of God were there to oversee the preservation of the Scriptures in a time when there were no Bibles.
At first they did this along with the Apostles but in time the Apostles were no more and the elders were left to carry on on their own. Acts 20 shows Paul's final meeting with the overseers (elders) of Ephesus:
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.[c] 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by[d] the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,[e] which he obtained with his own blood.[f] 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. (ESV, verses 17-38)
He transfers the charge of overseeing the Scriptures to them and even warns them that:
...after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you...and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things... (verses 29-30)
If that doesn't show that there are some professing believers that are not truly of the elect, and that we cannot tell who is the Lord's and who is not, then I don't know what does say it. Paul said there would be men from among the overseers that would speak twisted things after he left. These men would have met all the qualifications of an elder and yet they would not stay the course once Paul was no longer with them.
Then Paul's very last instruction to them was:
I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
He warned them about coveting and used himself as the example they should follow, reminding them that it's better to give than to receive. Our modern day 'church' leaders appear to be incapable of seeing these verses.
A careful examination of modern translations of the Bible verses older translations shows a shift in words that are so subtle as to be all but unnoticeable but that closer look shows a leaning toward supporting the 'church' system and the teachings of our modern men. In other words our newer translations promote 'preachers' as if they were what the Lord had in mind all along. These men, be they 'preachers', 'teachers', 'elders', 'bishops', or 'overseers', are upheld to a higher level and made to seem as though they should be paid for their 'service' to their 'flocks'.
Some of them show the fruits of the Spirit, some of them don't. Some of them meet the qualifications of an overseer or deacon, most of them don't. Some of them live in love, some of them don't. Whatever these 'preachers' and 'elders' of today are, they promote a system that exists only because men throughout time have made small, subtle changes to Scripture and to peoples minds until one can no longer see anywhere that this is not what God set in motion.
Nor do most seem to be able to see that using Christ for their own gain is filthy lucre at it's worst. It's ill gotten gains in the highest form. It is a total disrespect for the Lord they claim to serve and it is an abuse of the power they claim to be 'called' by God to wield.
The Elders which are among you, I beseech which am also an Elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also
a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed,
2 Feed the flock of God, which dependeth upon you, [g]caring for it not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind:
3 Not as though ye were Lords over God’s [h]heritage, but that ye may be examples to the flock.
4 [i]And when that chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:1-4 (1599 Geneva)
'Preachers' today are used as examples in the 'churches'. Somehow these men, sometimes women, are set on a pedestal and held to such high regard that they are rarely looked at closely enough to compare them to Scripture to see if they even qualify for the job they claim to be 'called' into. They are not questioned on the 'message' they give to their 'flock', their words are taken as gospel and no one should dare to question them, much less point out that they might be in error.
The above verses from 1 Peter 5 appear to me to speak directly against the 'preachers' role in the 'churches' today. They are told to feed the flock...
I can't count the number of times I have heard the statement 'church is a hospital for sinners' referring to those that are lost. Every 'church' I have ever been to has counted souls 'saved' as some sort of accomplishment. They attempt, through fancy programs, to pull people in and they try to keep them there through programs and fun. Peter never says the overseers are to try to bring in the lost or unregenerate but that they are to 'feed the flock'.
The notes, written by the Reformers in the 16th century, says this about what the flock is:
The first rule: He that is a shepherd, let him feed the flock. He saith not, Offer for the quick and dead, and sing patched shreds in a strange tongue, but (Feed).
The second: Let the Shepherd consider, that the flock is not his, but God's...Let the shpherds govern the church with the word and example of godly and unblamable life...
It is interesting to see what these men of old, many of them having been priests and leaders in the 'church' of their time, had to say on the matter.
Peter tells the overseers to 'feed the flock that depends on you'. If the flock is those seeking for Christ...what are they feeding them? Again, these men literally stood in the place of the Bibles we hold in our hands today. They were preserving the Scriptures and 'feeding' them to the believers.
This was a high calling for those (the Apostles) that were called by Christ to do the job. And in the case of at least some of the elders (overseers) Paul said: ...the Holy Ghost hath made you Overseers to feed the Church of God...(Acts 20:28 Geneva).
These were not ordinary men but men with great tasks that were overseeing the preservation of the very Word of God, something we do not need in our modern times with the Scriptures preserved in written form. These men were special. These men had a remarkable task.
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul gives us great insight into what the Apostles were and what they were doing:
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
He says, 'we know in part and we prophesy in part but when the perfect comes...' What is the perfect? They knew the Scriptures in part. They knew only what had already been given to them and what was being given at that time. They did not know when the Scriptures would be completed. He said, 'now we see...dimly...Now I know in part, then I shall know fully.'
That was the job of the Apostles and the elders were brought into it. The Scriptures were to be preserved and shared. The elders had nearly as great a job as the Apostles did.
For that reason they were worthy of double honor...of respect. Just as the husband is worthy of the respect of his family, the overseer is worthy of the respect of those he is sharing the Scriptures with.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle,[c] encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22 ESV
Because of their work..respect them. Those same verses that say to respect those laboring (in Word and doctrine) among you also say to admonish the idle. Paul said, 'I worked with my hands'.
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 ESV
In the above verses we see a commandment to 'keep away from any brother...walking in idleness'. He says that they are to imitate 'us', meaning Paul and the others that 'were not idle when we were with you...but with toil ad labor we worked night and day'. He then goes on to say, 'if anyone is not willing to work (with toil and labor, not in idleness, working with his hands), let him not eat.
It's the next verse that gets me...'For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies'. I have never met a 'preacher' that was not in the middle of everyone else's business...the very definition of what a busybody is. They claim to be 'tending their flock' but they are truly meddling in everyone's lives. They counsel...therefore they are privy to all manner of secret family happenings. They admonish...therefore they must know what is going on in the lives of their 'flock'. They oversee the lives of those in their 'flock'. If they aren't busybodies, I don't know what is.
