Read the Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-7
1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.
The notable thing in this paragraph is that the very first point the apostle wants Timothy to make at Ephesus about this subject is that the office of an overseer or an elder is a very important and significant role, not to be taken lightly at all. Paul calls it “a noble task.”
The appointing of elders in a local church is Jesus’ own provision for leadership. This is not a human invention. Too many churches today are being operated by a corporate or country club model and run for the benefit of their members. In this fashion, they go about electing their own leaders according to democratic procedures. But in the New Testament, you never find leaders chosen like this. There you see that it was Jesus Himself who set up the structure of leadership. He is the Head of the church. As such, He has designated the type of leaders and identified their function within the church. (DeLucia)
The elders had basically one primary task. Like the apostles in the church at Jerusalem, their whole task was to be accomplished through the ministry of the Word–teaching, preaching, studying, and learning the Word of God. Through prayer, they were to discover the will of the Lord Jesus, who was Head of the church, who was present in every church, and ready to direct its activities through the Spirit of Christ.
This is the great and exciting truth that today’s churches have largely forgotten. It appears that very few people have a consciousness of Christ’s being a living Lord in their midst. They don’t seem to be aware that Christ is still in His church, ready to direct its every activities. By the leading of Christ, the church will challenge the culture of the day and explore the great possibilities that arise as the changing circumstances of people’s lives create hunger for deliverance from bondage. (Dr. Roberts)
It takes a living Lord in the midst of His people to direct the activities of the church, and the elders are the human instruments for the divine direction of the church. The elders are to be the means and the channels, through which the Lord’s innovative, unexpected approaches to life are carried out and brought into being through the body of Christians who meet together. (Gracetoyou.com)
In truth, every Christian is in “the ministry”. It is not only the elders who are to do the work of the ministry. You are directly related to the Lord Jesus so that He can say to you at any time, “I have opened up a door here in your church, city or neighborhood for you. I want you to reach these people.” Elders are to be watching for this. That is what the word for elder, episkopos, means: “looking over.” Elders are to be looking to see what the Lord is doing with His people and utilizing the opportunities that arise on every hand. They are to be instructed in what the Lord has said in His Word so as to be able to guide this new and exciting thing that is coming into being, correcting it if need be. That is the work of elders.
How do we apply this to our personal and church life? With Christ at the helm, leadership can steer a righteous course in every context. Are we earnestly praying for our leaders to follow Christ with integrity?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the elders You have already placed in the family of Harvest Pointe Fellowship. We ask that you begin now to reveal the leaders who will guide this church by Your wisdom and discernment. Remind us to pray for those who will grasp the noble task of leadership.
Resources:
- Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts – “The Mission of God and the Missional Church”
- Tony DeLucia – “Elders Among You”
- Answering the Key Questions About Elders – Gracetoyou.com
Deeper In God’s Word
Tom Renew