Authority:Elders and the Church

Presented, July 3, 2003 am

ELDERS AND THE WORK OF THE CHURCH

We have been studying various elements of the work of the church in previous lessons from time to time. Because the church is a manifestation of God’s wisdom, Ephesians 3:10, we ought to respect the authority of His word in every aspect of it. We have been careful to notice the importance of the autonomy and independence of a local church. In our lesson today, we want to examine the work of elders within the local church.

Scriptural leadership is a key element to properly doing the work of the church. The Bible is as specific about leadership within the church as it is about how she is to be organized and what is her work. In our lesson today we will begin by noticing a few things about elders. After that we want to examine what their work involves and what they can and cannot do. We will conclude by noting what our responsibility is toward the elders.

I. God’s Word and Elders

a. What is an elder – he is the Biblically authorized leader of a local church. 3 words are used to describe him.

i. Overseer (Bishop) – It is a word that means a watchman, a superintendent, overseer. (WS Dictionary) Thayer says of the word, “to look upon, inspect, oversee, look after, care for.” The word is used of Jesus in 1 Peter 2:25. It is used of elders in Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5

ii. Shepherd (Pastor) – A word that is used to describe a shepherd of sheep. Defined as “to shepherd, tend”. Figuratively to care for, provide,…” (WS Dictionary).
Thayer – “to feed, tend a flock, keep sheep.” Also associated with, to govern or rule.

iii. Elder (Presbyter) – the actual word has reference to one who is aged and advanced in life. A word that was used to describe some in the Jewish council. It is a reference to one who is aged and therefore has experience. This fact is clearly borne out in the qualifications that are outlined in God’s word.

iv. ALL 3 describe the same person. Acts 20:17, 28, 1 Peter 5:1,2

b. A God given and honored work – The above texts bear this out. Hebrews 13:17 also notes they will answer to God. 1 Timothy 3:1says it is a good work.

c. An office to be desired – 1 Timothy 3:1. As such because of the strict qualifications, it is something to be considered early in life. Young men, NOW is the time to decide if you want to be an elder. If so, think about that as you look for a mate, a job, etc.

d. Strict qualifications – 1 Timothy 3:2-7 shows strict personal, family, community and maturity qualifications. While we could look at each individually, and EVERY requirement is important and necessary, hence the few who really qualify, together we see one who have lived a wise life and started at a fairly young age seeking the Lord.

e. Always a plurality –

II. The Work of Elders

i. To shepherd the flock – Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2. We have already mentioned the term. In this we find the importance of elders leading the flock and ensuring they are properly fed.
NOTE that their responsibilities to lead deal with your spiritual life. They are not your financial managers, family counselor, job analysts, etc. While they may be able to give advice in these areas, what they teach deals primarily with your soul and how such things will make you a better Christian.
When they make decisions, they are not always popular, but they ought to be based upon what is best for the entire congregation, or in a given situation.
BTW, that is why you will NOT always get your way when decisions are made.

ii. To lead by example – 1 Peter 5:3 specifically points this out as it also says to no “lord it over them” meaning to be an arrogant dictator. Godly elders have done the work they expect you to do and they are living the life they expect you to live. That is seen in the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3.

iii. To oversee the work – we have already seen the term is associated with supervision. Understand elders are not expected to do everything. You cannot appoint them to do your work for you. But they are to be there when you need them. They may make decisions to direct you where you want to go. Thayer notes of the work of Bishops (overseers), the care of the church rested upon them. This indicates that what they do carries with it great responsibility and thus our obligations in following them.

iv. To expose false doctrine and educate the flock. Titus 1:9 – they are to be able to exhort and to convict. This means they have more than a superficial knowledge of God’s word – they UNDERSTAND it completely and use it in the decisions they make.

v. Understanding their responsibilities, is it any wonder we ought to hold them in high esteem?

III. Limitations to the Work

a. Always a plurality – One can never serve as an elder alone. In every passage dealing with the office of an elder, where numbers are involved, we always find a plurality. Acts 20:17, 14:23; Philippians 1:1, etc.
This actually is a wise consideration and safe. When there is no plurality, there is the danger of a dictator or single-minded decisions without consult. There is no checks and balances, etc.
And it only makes sense considering the nature of their work.

b. Limited to the local church over which they are overseers.

i. Both Acts and 1 Peter 5 bear this out CLEARLY.

ii. We have noted much about the importance of churches maintaining independence and autonomy. Elders have no business overseeing the work of another congregation at ANY level.

iii. Whatever they do, is based upon the impact it will have upon their local work. There may be a time when they need to expose false teachers who are threatening the local flock or false doctrines that are being advanced. They may not “endorse” or recognize another congregation because of proven unscriptural practices, or if they are not sure as to their soundness. That is a challenging area to consider that we may address at another time.

iv. WHEN elders take on a work involving a sponsoring church or a human organization they are either usurping more authority than authorized OR they are surrendering their authority in a given area to that organization or the elders of another church.

c. No legislative authority –

i. Make no mistake about it. Elders cannot create rules arbitrarily. They will answer to God for the decisions they make.
As with anyone else, they can only speaks “as the oracles of God.” 1 Peter 4:11
James 4:12 says, “there is only one Lawgiver, who is able to save and destroy”.
All they do must be, “in the name of the Lord” – Col. 3:17

ii. Hebrews 13:17 says they will give account for the way they rule.
1 Peter 5:3 says they are not to rule as “lords” over those entrusted to them. A “lord” rules and makes laws.

iii. The history of the apostasy of the church can be attributed to elders overstepping their bounds and creating their own laws and systems of organization for the church.

iv. Thus elders can only enforce God’s word and determine HOW it is to be carried out (w/o compromise). What ever decisions they make address how to be execute God’s word.

IV. Our Obligation to Our Elders

a. Obey them –

i. Let it be understood, we HAVE TO obey the decisions of the elders. Read Hebrews 13:17 again.

ii. There is only ONE exception – Acts 5:29

iii. Cooperate with them - Hebrews 13:17 also says we don’t make them regret what they are doing.

b. Honor them –

i. Like so many jobs today, a well executed eldership is often a thankless job. When something goes wrong, they are quickly criticized. And seldom are they thanked and honored for their work. Such ought not to be the case.

ii. 1 Thess. 5:12-13 – note them

iii. Hebrews 13:7 – we are to esteem them highly.

iv. 1 Timothy 5:17 – let them who labor be counted worthy of “double honor.”

c. Follow them – this goes along with obedience.

i. Shepherds are only effective if their sheep follow them.

ii. Consider Jesus as the true shepherd – John 10

iii. They are to be our examples. We follow their faith. Hebrews 13:7

d. Pray for them – we ought to be praying for one another. It is something we do for every leader.

e. Be careful as to receiving accusations against them – Paul was careful to ensure that Timothy understood this fact. 1 Timothy 5:19-20 says this plainly. There are a number of reasons for this. Chief is the fact that when we loosely receive accusations against the leaders, it will render damage to the entire body. Let us learn to think no evil in all things, but especially when it comes to the our leaders in the church.

Thus we can see the importance of elders within a congregation. While much of the religious world misunderstands their work, we must be careful in this as in all things to strive to follow God’s pattern for them in our lives. If the church is to continue to thrive spiritually, it depends on that fact. Think about it.