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Elders and Church Life.
Introduction:
In this letter, Paul has given detailed instruction to how the elders and deacons are chosen by qualifications.
This is in response to false teachers that have claimed authority in the church in Ephesus.
They were snakes upsetting the lives of the body by their poisonous teachings of demons.
So after giving clear definition to what would qualify elders and deacons in (3:1-13), he turned to the elder’s responsibilities emphasizing the pastor role.
So starting last week, Paul gave instructions for the church in first of all their horizontal relationships in loving one another as well as caring for the widows.
Today, we will look in detail how the church has a responsibility for their elders.
Laid out in their care, discipline and selection.
These three points will support the main idea that with proper treatment of elders, Christ is going to be exalted and praised because the body will know how to behave as God’s children.
Point #1 - Elder Care.
The sinful nature always leads us away from Jesus.
The divine nature always leads us to Jesus.
The influence of the world points us to selfishness.
The influence of the Scriptures reveal to us God’s will in leading us to selflessness.
Paul is fully aware of the consequences of these false teachers leading the church he planted away from Christ in many ways.
So in establishing biblically qualified elders, he tells Timothy (17) that elders are to be considered worthy of double honour.
What does this mean?
Well, as we first stated last week, true widows are the ones without any family and are worthy of honour (3).
This means they are to be respected and cared for in both physical, spiritual, emotional and financial means.
Now Paul says that elders are worthy of “double honour”, meaning they are to also be respected and cared for financially.
There is an escalation of his emphasis of those who are worthy of this type of support.
He raises it even further in (6:1) where masters of slaves are worthy of “all” honour.
But if you will notice, where he mentions who is worthy of this honour he adds a qualifier or two.
For widows, they must be Christian and all alone with no family.
For elders to receive this double honour means they must rule well and be labouring in preaching and teaching.
For the master, they receive all honour so that the name of God and the teaching of God is not reviled.
We will flesh this out more next week God willing.
So, what qualifies elders for this double honour is twofold.
They first of all must rule well.
They are not authoritarian dictators.
From (4:11-16) they are to be examples to the flock in godliness.
They are to be like Jesus in being servant leaders, dying to protect the flock, ministering to them, being patient and kind to them so that they will follow you as you follow Christ.
They who rule well are under shepherds that the Lord has raised up to genuinely care for the flock.
The second qualifier is that they are labouring in the preaching and teaching of God’s word.
Paul himself raised many of his own funds through tent making so that he would not be a burden on these new churches he planted.
But he never said that he wasn’t worthy to receive it.
He grounds this reasoning in (18).
For the Scripture says “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” and “The labourer deserves his wages.”
These texts are given from and .
The oxen in the field dragging a large millstone to grind out the grain from the crop were to never be muzzled.
They were free to eat from their labour as needed.
The labourers are to be paid for their work Jesus says.
So in these texts that Paul has cited, those labouring in preparing, preaching and teaching deserve to be paid.
Elders that rule well is not to say that they are perfect, for no one is.
But if they are a good example of what Scripture says about a Christ follower and spends much time labouring in the ministry of the word, they deserve to be compensated.
For this body, I am so grateful that you have honoured me in such a profound way.
In your generosity with a salary and bringing meat or wood has greatly blessed Nancy and I.
You also have recognized Jason’s labour in the word as well as Chloe in spending each summer at camp and through meals for missions give to them for their labour.
In doing this, God is pleased for you are doing as He commanded.
However, if an elder who is being compensated for his time is not ruling well, being a heretic or lazy in handling God’s word.
He is not to be paid for he has disqualified himself.
In some churches however, there has been an effective ministry of the pastor.
But some members of the church have bought into the notion that God is to keep them humble and we will keep him poor.
This is not good.
It is not a good testimony to the community in that an attitude like this means that God’s word is not valued for being proclaimed or for the vessel that He has called to feed the flock.
The Christian flock led by the Spirit is to be generous.
Giving from a cheerful heart.
A flock that is generous appreciates the shepherd who labours to feed them God’s word and how he is a model or example of righteous living for them to follow.
Transition:
Therefore, the churches have a responsibility to their elders in respecting them and giving them a fair honorarium for their good governing and labouring in preaching and teaching.
Now Paul moves to a rather difficult aspect of church life.
The discipline of an elder.
Point #2 - Elder Discipline.
When we think of this word, for those of us that are have been in the church for several decades can tend to make us squirm a little in our pews.
For many of the younger generation, this can be a foreign thought.
Sadly, this aspect of church life has rarely been seen in decades.
I believe this is a result of the pendulum swing of where church discipline was too harsh and legalistic in the past.
Now it has swung so far the other way that we have bought into any type of stepping on toes for sin as terrible and we are just to love one another.
Here is the crux of that belief system.
Love without truth is insincere and leads to heartache and pain as all the wrongs done are just shoved under a rug.
We all know what happens, a blowup where eventually people just have had enough and people say things they shouldn’t out of anger and much damage occurs.
On the other hand, speaking truth without love leads to oppression and dictatorship.
Cold hard truth without grace and compassion will stifle and crush those who are on the receiving end of heavy handedness.
But truth spoken in love is a beautiful thing.
A gospel oriented discussion filled with truth and love leaves both parties understanding what is going on, hopefully having the offending party humbled by their sin.
True church discipline laid out in Scripture has one goal.
Anyone know the answer?
Repentance, a godly grief that leads to true repentance and reconciliation.
So in (19-21) Paul is teaching how elders who refuse to repent are to be handled by the church.
In (,) slander, clamour and malice is to be put away from us as Christians.
Instead we are to be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving as Christ forgave us.
Gossip in the coffee shop or speculation of details about another without the facts can lead to the murder of one’s character.
They then pass that onto others and all of a sudden the elder/pastor is under fire because of a loose tongue.
So Paul tells Timothy that if someone has a charge against an elder, he is not to accept it as truth unless it is verified by two or three witnesses.
Paul is following the law given to Moses in )
15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed.
Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.
16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days.
18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother.
So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you.
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