God's Elders

A man who is able to teach must practice self-control and be convinced that the Word of God is true. He also understands the Scriptures sufficiently to be able to "exhort" in sound doctrine and to "refute" those who contradict (Titus 1:9). We cannot communicate God's truth without knowledge of the Word of God. This is why Paul wrote Timothy the following lines:

As maturing Christian men we must constantly be learning more and more of God's Word and understanding it. Only then can we teach it. Again Paul's words to Timothy are our example:

3. He must understand the Word of God sufficiently in order to be able to teach that Word (Getz, Measure of a Man__2004).

An excellent book that I recommend from my reading list is written by Gene Getz, The Measure of a Man. This book is addressed to those who wish to be leaders. Those who desire such positions need to demonstrate prudence and astuteness when studying the Holy Writ and learn how to Shepherd.

There is only one thing that will keep any accountable person from understanding the Bible and that is one's own determination not to understand it. The study of the Bible is necessary if one is to mature. The truths which the Scriptures present are the basis for our faith in Jesus Christ. The Old and New Testaments are the records on which we base our convictions. The Holy Writ serves as a means of spiritual nourishment, moral ideology, and ethical order. Salvation at least to some extent is contingent on a Christian's ability to study and understand Scripture. We are not here denying the grace of God where people must depend on others to read and teach but it is critical for the assembly to grasp the essence of God.

When I decided to write this article, I was thinking of a question I read in a church bulletin not long ago called "What is the Answer" ___June 14, 2009__Author Unknown.

I want to state up front that I am not being critical of any individual and this ought not be construed in that manner. I intend to instruct and offer areas of thought for the brotherhood. To some extent problems in the brotherhood often have a basis in ignorance and poor leadership. The church is not teaching Scripture and has in many cases substituted basic biblical principles with material meant to appease members. The bottom line is more members means more money. Money changers in the temple is not just a quaint notion we find in the Bible.

Barnabas reminds us to be faithful to the Lord with purpose of heart (Acts 11:23). Preachers who are not honorable, elders who endorse questionable doctrine, and a membership that claims to be religious but refuses to separate themselves from iniquity are pulpiteers of deficient and failing leadership (1 Tim. 5:22). We are obligated to live a life of holiness by the death and the RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

In the Revelation of John, the Lord made it clear that He knows our works and that includes attitudes and secret desires. The poet was perceptive although unknown:

The responsibility for "feeding the flock of God" (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-4), is great. The preacher and elders serve different functions in the church. Different as they may be, they are nevertheless symbiotic. The preacher ought to be prolific in his ability to expound the gospel of Christ. The Elder or eldership is composed of men who serve as spiritual shepherds. Part of their function is to "oversee" the local assembly of Christ along with many other duties. In our culture we have reached the point where the preacher now is exalted above the elder or perceived to have a position above that of an elder and this ought never be. The eldership is for the glory of God and by means of study and a review of the history of the eldership it many renew the proper expression of love, dedication, faithful reverence, personal accountability, humility, and the relationship that exists between the elder and God.

In ancient times the older men of a community were known as the elders. These men were usually the heads of families, tribes, or clans. This also includes the pagan or gentile world. This position usually involved seniority combined with practical knowledge and skills necessary for survival.

In the book of Exodus we find God instructing Moses to gather the Elders of Israel and prepare them to leave Egypt (Ex. 3:15,16). At this point in time elders where the heads of their tribes. We also notice that the elders of Israel were sent with Moses to the king of Egypt (Ex. 3:18), and later Moses called on the elders to institute the Passover (Ex.12:21). We now notice that the burden that Moses was called to bear was great and ever increasing. The father-in-law of Moses suggested that Moses get help (Ex. 18:17-27). Jethro prepared a burnt offering to God and Aaron came with all the Elders of Israel to eat (Ex.18:11,12). If we read Exodus 18:20,21 and compare those passages to what we read in Timothy and Titus concerning elders we should recognize that one mirrors the other.

We later find Moses going up the mountain at Sinai with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, ¹ and the seventy Elders of Israel. (Two remained in camp prophesying). According to the text, these people maintained their distance but they saw God and ate and drank in the presence of God (Ex. 24:1-18). This represents a "Peace offering " and fellowship between man and God which will be explained later in the book of Leviticus. The seventy elders were consecrated with the Holy Spirit (Num. 11:12,25).

After Israel settled in the land of Canaan the elders continued their function. Each settlement had its own group of elders (I Kings 8:1; 1 Sam. 16:4; Ezra 10:14). Elders made up the Sanhedrin after the return from Babylonian exile and presided over the nation of Israel and this continued into the New Testament era. It is in the Sanhedrin that we find the nearest representation of the present day eldership but we must also mention that these very same "elders" were deeply involved in the crucifixion of Christ.

Men that serve as elders are required to be blameless in their lives but also obedient to the truth in their faith (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9). Men who rule well and teach the Scriptures are worthy of honor (1 Tim. 5:17). When the Lord's assembles took shape, elders were appointed over those assemblies (Acts 14:23). The biblical model throughout the New Testament was for a plurality of men to be appointed in each assembly (Acts 14:23, 20, 17). Christians seem to forget that "men" are to be "raised up" and qualified by the work of the Holy Spirit. The irony is that assembly politics seem to disregard spiritual oversight and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The confusion, confrontations, and condemnations are ominous and it is only "through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14: 22b).

When we allow sin to remove us from God our physical and psychological health suffer. The symptoms become synonymous with the disease. For example, when there is a lack of correct spiritual leadership this may be followed by a lack of spiritual exercise in the assembly. It is possible for this to result in other emotional conditions such as the inability to rest, not eating, loss of appetite, depression, no desire to work, lack of concentration, and many more psychosomatic illnesses. Yes, physical health is often related to spiritual health.

One just needs to remember 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11 and realize that judgment is coming and excuses will not satisfy as an explanation to why we did not accomplish our mission while on earth.

The church that Jesus Christ established is at a point of crisis and demands that its leaders choose between truth and fiction. The society in which we live expresses a great amount of influence on the way we think and make choices. It is obvious that God has been left out of the equation. And here we have members of the church, many who have been raised in the church their entire life, endorsing the idea of a "revolving eldership" or "interim elder-ship" (an elder-ship that goes in circles). This type of leadership does not coincide with the teachings of the New Testament. What a shame to have thrown away Bibles and replaced it with friendships. This type of leadership cannot be found in the Bible and amounts to a heresy.

In closing, we cannot help but think of the words of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-22.

The Eldership is as important today as it was in the time of Paul. It is still the job of the local preacher to discover and train good men to be godly elders.

It is here that we must remind people that Nadab and Abihu were part of a very privileged group. They went up the mountain to see God and were embraced by God only later to be destroyed. Did they fall from Grace?