Eldership A Word Study

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Eldership A Word Study

• Greek words used for elders
• Presbuteros elder, aged man
• Episkopos overseer, guardian Verb forms
  (episkeptomai, episkopeo) to visit, be
  concerned for, examine
• Poimen shepherd, pastor Verb form (poimano) -
  to shepherd, tend, or feed
• Oikonomos steward, manager

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Eldership A Word Study

• Terms are interchangeable
• Acts 2017, 28 (elders, overseers, shepherd the
  church)
• Titus 15-7 (elders, overseers, stewards)
• I Peter 51-3 (elders, shepherds, oversee the
  flock)

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They Keep Watch Over Your Souls

• Hebrews 1317

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The Nature of Shepherding
What Is The Work Of An Elder?1 Peter 51-3
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Elders As Shepherds

• Ezekiel 34
• The shepherds work was to involve
• Feeding the flock (v.2)
• Strengthening the sickly diseased (v.4)
• Bringing back the scattered lost (v.4)

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Elders As Shepherds

• Ezekiel 34
• The shepherds were guilty of
• Feeding themselves, but not feeding the flock
  (v.2)
• Not strengthening/healing the sickly (v.4)
• Not bringing back the scattered and the lost
  (v.4)
• Dominating the sheep with force and severity (v.4)

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Elders As Shepherds

• Ezekiel 34
• The result of the shepherds poor work
• Sheep were scattered with no one to search for
  them (v.5, 6)
• They became food for every beast of the field
  (v.5)
• The condemnation of the shepherds (v.10) (see
  also 331-16)
• The Lord himself would deliver (v. 10)

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Elders As Shepherds

• The Shepherding Metaphor Shows That Elders Are
  To
• Feed the flock
• Lead the flock to good food and water
• Search for and bring back strays
• Examine each sheep for injury or disease
• Protect their sheep
• Know their sheep
• Be accountable for their sheep

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Elders Who Rule Well

• 1 Timothy 517

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Elders As Rulers
1. Elders Rule In Matters of Faith. God has
already made the decisions in all matters of the
faith. An elderships task is to stand up for
Gods will. This is not really decision-making,
but discovery. These are not matters of
judgment but matters of the faith.
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Elders As Rulers
1. Elders Rule In Matters of Faith. Brethren do
not always agree on matters of the faith the way
they should. There are times when members of the
church differ on matters of doctrine. They do
not agree on what should be taught. There are
times when some members favor certain practices
and argue that they are Scriptural while other
members of the church oppose the practices as
being contrary to the will of God. In such
cases, elders must decide what will be taught and
practiced in the congregation. (Yeakley, p. 42)
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Elders As Rulers
1. Elders Rule In Matters of Faith. Elders must
discover the will of God and in that sense make
some decisions about what is and what is not
Scriptural. But when they make such a decision,
they should never say that this is what will be
taught or done because this is what the elders
have decided. Instead, they should say that
this is what will be taught or done because this
is what the word of God teaches. They must be
able to back up their decisions on such matters
with Scriptural proof. (Yeakley, p. 43)
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Elders As Rulers
1. Elders Rule In Matters of Faith. Titus 19-11
holding fast the faithful word as he has been
taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine,
both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
For there are many insubordinate, both idle
talkers and deceivers, especially those of the
circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who
subvert whole households, teaching things which
they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. This Is A
Rule By Persuasion, Not By Lording It Over.
A. 1 Pet. 53 elders are not to lord it over
the flock but are to be examples. B. 1 Tim.
412 Let no one look down on your
youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct,
love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example
of those who believe.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. This Is A
Rule By Persuasion, Not By Lording It Over.
C. Heb. 137 Remember those who led you, who
spoke the word of God to you and considering the
result of their conduct, imitate their faith.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. This Is A
Rule By Persuasion, Not By Lording It Over.
Good elders do not need to demand respect for,
or compliance to, their leadership. Good elders
obtain the congregations respect and willingness
to follow by being a spiritual and moral model.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. A Study of
Four Words Proves That Elders Rule By Persuasive
Example.
A. Hegeomai leaders them that have the rule
over you KJV (Heb. 137, 17, 24). 1. Thayer
says, leading as respects influence, controlling
in counsel. 2. Used in only 3 other NT passages
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hegeomai leaders
a. Acts 1412 The people at Lystra perceived
Paul as the chief speaker (lit., the one
leading the speaking). It was not Paul's
authority over Barnabas that made him the chief
speaker. After all, they thought Barnabas was
Zeus!
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hegeomai leaders
b. Acts 1522 Judas Silas were
leading men among the brethren. They were
respected for their faith, their knowledge of the
scriptures, and their ability to lead. That is
why people trusted them and listened to them.
They had persuasive authority.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hegeomai leaders
c. Luke 2226 Whoever is a leader
is to be as a servant. Jesus says that a
leader in the church is not to see himself
primarily as an exerciser of authority, but as a
provider of service. His leadership is by
persuasion, not by command.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Peitho obey
B. Peitho obey (Heb. 1317). 1. In the
passive voice carries the meaning to be
persuaded by someone or take someone's advice
(BAG, 645). 2. Vine states, The obedience
suggested is not by submission to authority, but
resulting from persuasion (p. 806).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Peitho obey
3. The writer could have used the Greek word
peitharcheo which means obedience to authority
(Acts 529 Tit. 31), but he didn't. They were
to obey in the sense of allowing themselves to be
persuaded by the counsel, leadership, and advice
of the elders.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Peitho obey
4. Other uses of peitho in the passive voice
confirm this understanding of the word (Luke
1631 Acts 2114 Acts 2628 Acts 536
Acts 2321).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Peitho obey
5. In this arrangement where the leader bears
the burden of persuasion, he acknowledges
brotherhood for, not dominance over, the
follower. And the follower shows pliant respect
for, not mindless enslavement to, the leader
(Smelser, p. 9).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule.
C. Hupeiko submit (Heb. 1317) 1. Used only
here in the NT, it means to retire, withdraw,
...yield, submit (Vine's, 1110. 2. Deference
submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion,
will, etc. of another.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hupeiko submit
3. "If (elders) are the kind of men they ought
to be, we know that in matters of judgment the
leadership they provide is not self-serving, but
out of consideration for the whole congregation.
If the consensus they bring about should conflict
with my personal preference this time, let me
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hupeiko submit
yield, retiring my preference, and likewise act
for the good of the flock. This is easy to do
when elders have a reputation for thoughtfulness,
fairness and honor (Smelser, p. 10).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hupeiko submit
4. In this term we have the strongest word
used to... stop divisive competition from anyone
who may be jealous of the respect accorded to
qualified elders. There are people who chafe at
the fact that others have more influence than
they. They gain attention, and hope for
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hupeiko submit
sympathetic response, by questioning everything
the congregation does following the leadership of
the elders. The text says rather to submit
(Smelser, p. 10).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Hupeiko submit
5. An eldership must not hesitate to reject a
factious man after a first and second warning
(Tit. 310). 6. A church is to mark those who
cause dissensions and hindrances (Rom. 1617).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule.
D. Proistemi rule (1 Tim. 517) 1. lit.
to stand before, hence to lead, attend to
indicating care and diligence (Vine, p. 989).
2. The combination of leading and caring...
agrees well with the principle of Lk. 2226 that
the leader is to be as one who serves (Kittel,
abridged, p. 939).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Proistemi rule
3. 1 Thess. 512-13 tells us to know and esteem
very highly in love those who have charge over
you in the Lord and give you instruction.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Proistemi rule
4. 1 Tim. 34 combines the ideas of leading
diligently and caring for others when it says
that a potential elder must manage (prositemi)
his own household well if he expects to be able
to take care of the church of God.
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Proistemi rule
a. An elder takes care of the church like he
manages his own household. b. A
husband/father seeks to lead by persuasion, not
by force. He works hard to communicate with his
wife and children as he leads and cares for them.
He wants their input and participation in
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule In Matters of Judgment. Persuasive
Rule Proistemi rule
the decisions the family makes. He delegates
much of the day-to-day decision-making to the
family members. Although he exercises his
authority when necessary, he much prefers to
obtain their submission to his judgments based
upon their love and respect for him, not based
upon his inherent authority as the head of the
household.
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Elders As Rulers
3. Elders Rule As Representatives.
A. In order to truly represent the members,
elders must provide adequate information and
welcome input in return. Elders sometimes fail to
effectively communicate with the church the facts
and reasons behind their decisions, and then they
wonder why brethren dont understand or agree
with their decisions.
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Elders As Rulers
3. Elders Rule As Representatives.
B. If elders are aware of significant opposition
(many mature Christians) on a matter of judgment,
elders must be careful not to lord it over the
flock (1 Pet. 53).
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Elders As Rulers
2. Elders Rule As Representatives.
C. The church is not a political institution.
There is no place for a loyal opposition to
constantly criticize the efforts of the majority.
Elders must not tolerate contentious men (Tit.
310 Rom. 1617).
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Elders As Rulers
Elders Rule By Persuasive Example.
Hegeomai lead Proistemi rule Peitho
obey Hupeiko submit
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Have You Obeyed The Gospel?
Hear the Gospel (Rom. 1017) Believe that Jesus
is the Son of God (Acts 837) Repent of Your
Sins (Acts 238) Confess that Jesus is the Son
of God (Acts 837) Be Baptized for Forgiveness
of Sins (Acts 238) Live Faithfully until You
Die (Rev. 210)