The Duties of Elders

The Importance of Biblically Appointed Church Officers

0:00 We come this morning to the second in our series of messages dealing with the biblical teaching regarding church offices and officers, the nature of the office, and the biblical requirements for the filling of such an office. And I've kept my promise to give you mimeographed notes of each message after it's preached, and on the table at the rear of the church as you leave this morning, I would urge you to take the pink stapled sheet which has the substance of last Sunday night's message in it, the main scriptures, the main structure of the outline, and I ask you to take that, not to adorn the covers of your Bible, but to seriously study it, so that every one of you, if asked, where can you find a verse that teaches the number of church offices that there ought to be, you'll instinctively be able to say Philippians 1.1. And if someone should say, well, what is the basic function of an elder, you'd be able to turn to Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5 and have some scripturally based understanding of these tremendous areas of biblical truth, which, as I stated last week, I am convinced, second only perhaps to the decision we made, a little later this week,

1:16 over a year ago on the basis of the truth of the word of God, to start out afresh, in terms of importance, I don't know of anything which I feel as your pastor is of greater importance in the history of the Trinity Church than this matter that is now before us, namely the selection of God-appointed office bearers within the framework of the Trinity Church. For in a very real sense, this is an acid test of our submission to the headship of Jesus Christ. We profess to believe that he is Lord, that he is King in his church, but he exercises that kingship by his word. And if we are indeed the subjects of King Jesus, then we will act in accordance with his word, where his word does not leave us in doubt or leave us in darkness regarding the nature of biblical church officers, their responsibilities, their requirements, and the duty we owe to them as a church. And if we are indeed the subjects of King Jesus Christ, then we will act in accordance with his word, where his word does not leave us in doubt or leave us in darkness regarding the nature of biblical church officers, their requirements, and the duty we owe to them as a church. And if we are indeed the subjects of King Jesus Christ, then we will act in accordance with his word, where his word does not leave us in doubt or leave us in darkness regarding the nature of biblical church officers, their requirements, and the duty we owe to them as a church. Perhaps some of you have wondered, why have we been so long getting our deacons and elders?

2:24 Well, for the simple reason that I believe this is the pattern of Scripture. If you will read the book of the Acts, you will notice that after the apostle and his associates would establish churches, then they would come back through sometime later to ordain the office bearers. You will find this recorded very clearly in Acts 14, verses 21 to 24, where the apostle Paul and his companions went back over the area that had originally been evangelized by them. Churches had been established by them, but on their second journey through, we read, verse 23 of Acts 14, or perhaps verse 22, confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith.

3:07 Verse 23, and then, Verse 24, Then they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting. They commended them to the Lord, on whom they had believed. They did not do this in their initial evangelizing. They evangelized, baptized, professed converts, established them into local churches, then went on their way.

3:28 Sometime later, months later, came back. Now that there had been opportunity for the trial of the gifts of those in the assembly, now that there had been opportunity for the genuineness, the genuineness of their conversion to either show itself or fail to show itself, there were people who could then meet the qualifications for biblical church offices. Where Paul could not go back himself, you read a passage like Titus 1.5, he appointed a representative, Titus, and he said, I left thee in Crete to do what?

3:59 To ordain elders in every church. The church was established. Believers were already there, but they did not have office bearers. Some time had passed.

4:09 Now there was opportunity to see if certain ones met the qualifications. And so it has been with this biblical perspective in view that I have not encouraged rushing in to the selection of elders and deacons. Let some time pass that we might know when we come to the requirements those among us who are blameless, who do rule well their houses, who are sound in doctrine, who are apt to teach. For many who have come among us were not with us.

4:38 We have been with them for years in the other structure, and it also takes time to purge away some of the misconceptions that we have encumbered ourselves with over the years. So this is basically my purpose in delaying this until now, but I believe the time has come when, if the well-being of the Trinity Church is to be secured, elders and deacons must be duly appointed for their God-given tasks and responsibilities. So we are. We are considering from the Scripture what the Bible teaches on this most important subject.

5:14 And I would remind you of those classic words that I read last week of John Brown, that though the Christian Church is a very free society, they mistake the matter who consider it as a democracy. It is a monarchy administered by inferior magistrates chosen by their fellow subjects who are to execute the King's laws, being guided solely by His word, and neither by their own judgment or whims, nor by the opinions and will of those whom they govern. Do you get this? The Church is a monarchy.

5:47 Christ is the head. Inferior magistrates, elders, bishops, chosen by the congregation, are to execute the laws of Christ, not executing their own whims, nor bowing to the whims of the congregation,

6:03 but executing the law of Christ. Christ is the Lord. And He administers His government by officers appointed according to His ordinance and regulated by His laws. It is of great importance, both to the office-bearer and to the private members of a Christian Church, that they have distinct scriptural views on this subject, that the former, that is, the office-bearers, may not exact what they have no right to, and that the latter, that is, the congregation, may not refuse what, by the law of Christ, they are bound to give.

6:36 Amen. People may think, well, Pastor, here you are now, writing an issue so forcibly. Why? Beloved, you don't sit where I sit.

6:44 If you could sit where I sat this week, and have a pastor drive almost three hours to come and pour out his heart to you, and have another sit down and write you a two-page, single-spaced letter pouring out his heart, and as you seek to counsel with him, you realize the root of the problem in the Church as they pastor is right here. People are office-bearers who have no business being office-bearers, or the congregation. The congregation will not recognize the authority and respect due to the office-bearer. And you've got nothing but chaos.

7:13 Nothing but chaos. And so I'm deeply, deeply concerned, deeply convinced, that what Mr. Brown says is absolutely true. We must have distinct and clear scriptural views on this subject, so that our office-bearers may not go beyond what is their right, and that we as a congregation may not fall short, of what our responsibility is to them.

7:41 And as in so many other areas, beloved, we've got to start from the foundation. We're in such a mess in evangelical circles, we can assume nothing. We've got to start from the ground level up. That's not pessimism.

7:53 That's downright, hard-nosed realism. And so I'm deeply concerned that we lay line upon line and precept upon precept. I will not take a lot of time to review. You've got the pink slip.

The Elder's Office: Oversight and Its Breakdown

8:05 I'll make you do your own review. If I can't make you, I will encourage you to make your own review. We considered, first of all, what offices are designated, deacons or bishops, I mean elders, bishops, or deacons. Then we asked the question, what are the particular functions of these offices, and we started last Sunday evening, that's all, to lay out the functions of the office of an elder or a bishop.

8:30 The key word, oversight. The key concept, the oversight of a father in his family, a shepherd in his flock, a ruler in his assembly. Scriptural basis of all that, right here. I will not take time to go over it.

8:46 Now, this morning, we want to further develop this thought of the office of an elder or a bishop, and the discharge of that responsibility of oversight by asking the question, how does that responsibility break down in specific work and in specific duty? What are the specific breaking downs, or the specific breakdown of the duties of elders? Will you turn, please, to 1 Timothy chapter 5, and we'll move right into the heart of our study today. 1 Timothy chapter 5.

9:21 In this work of oversight, that of the father, of the shepherd, and the ruler, there is a breakdown of responsibility. And this breakdown is taught in this key text, 1 Timothy 5 and verse 17. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine, or in the word and teaching, or in preaching and teaching. Any one of those things would be a relatively accurate translation.

10:04 Now, what does this text tell us? Well, look at it carefully, if you will. Without being a profound scholar, without even needing to be a mature Christian, you see that this verse teaches several things very obviously. Number one, that all elders rule.

10:22 Some rule better than others. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. But it's obvious that all elders rule. That's where we get the concept that the oversight of an elder is not only a father in the family, the shepherd in the flock, but the ruler in an assembly.

10:41 Now, the second thing this text tells us is that some rule primarily by laboring in the word and in doctrine. Notice, let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they. Now, this doesn't refer to all of them. All who rule well are worthy of honor, but in a special way, honor is to be given to those well-ruling elders who labor in the word and in doctrine.

11:12 Their primary exercise of rule is found through the channel of preaching and teaching the word of God. That's the second thing that's obvious. All elders rule. Some rule primarily in the discharge of a teaching-preaching function.

11:28 Well, then the third thing is obvious, that some rule and rule well without functioning as teachers and preachers. Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor. Not only those who labor in the word and doctrine, they are to have special honor, but those elders that rule well without laboring in the word and in doctrine. So, what conclusion can we draw from these three very obvious things taught in the text?

Distinguishing Teaching-Ruling Elders and Ruling Elders

11:56 Well, we draw this conclusion that the administration of the elder's duty of oversight, father, son, father, shepherd, ruler, breaks down into two main categories. Teaching-ruling elders and those elders who primarily simply rule. Now these terms are used often in any books dealing with church government. Teaching elders, ruling elders.

12:26 Now you must not think of these things as two airtight compartments or think of them the way unions think of the distinctions between a laborer a laborer and a mechanic. You call the man that handles the trowel on the construction job, you call him a mechanic. He's the professional. He's the one who lays block to brick.

12:46 And if you're in a union situation, here's a fellow that's laying up some brick, and he gets toward 4.20, and it's about quitting time. He's got one more brick to finish, to put on top of the chimney, and he's all out of mortar. We call it mud in the construction business, and he needs some mud. And the laborer is off tearing down some scaffolding. Well, he dare not go over and even take a little bit of cement and sand and put a little shot of water and mix it up. If he's found so much as doing one task that is the task of the laborer, he'll be called before his union boss. He's to operate as a mechanic and a mechanical owner. The laborer, he's never to touch the mechanic's tools. Never, never. Now, the kind of work I did as construction was a non-union job, and I was a laborer. I was a cool. You used the term that we used. I was the donkey. That's another term you use. Construction work

13:37 has its own vocabulary. And I was hired not as a mechanic. I wasn't very adept with a trowel. I'd never had any experience with it. So I would mix cement. I would mix up the mortar. I would carry the mud. I'd carry the block and the brick. I'd carry the hod. But once in a while, when I'd get all my cement tubs filled up and had all the cement mixed up ahead that I could, then I'd pick up the cement. And I'd pick up the cement. And I'd pick up the cement. And I'd pick up the cement.

14:02 And I'd pick up the trowel. And I'd start doing what you call buttering up the ends of the block. Or after a course of block was laid and you were going to get ready for the next course, you'd take your trowel and just put off a strip of mortar all the way down. Well, I'd pick up the mechanic's tool, and I'd do a little bit of mechanic's work.

14:18 And then when they'd holler for mud, why, then I'd put down my trowel and go back and get them some mud. Now, I was not a bricklayer. I was not a mason in the sense that I was a professional. I was a coolie. I was a laborer. But there was some overlapping.

14:32 And my boss was such that if he saw me up to my neck sometimes trying to supply three laborers and he ran out of mud, he wasn't beyond taking the wheelbarrow and going and throwing out some mud. And he would overlap and do the task of a laborer. Now, that's the way the teaching, ruling responsibilities of the eldership are. It's not the hard, fast category so that a man says, I am a teaching elder. That's my union card. I will not be involved in any distinct, nasty aspects of ruling. Or over here, you've got the ruling elder, who says, I am the ruler. No, don't think of it that way. Now, that's a fallacy into which some have fallen, and it will not stand the test of Scripture. There is an overlapping.

15:12 But nonetheless, a laborer is not a mechanic, and a mechanic is not a laborer. And so this text teaches that some elders who rule, rule primarily and essentially by teaching and preaching, whereas others rule without the teaching and preaching ministry being the dominant avenue through which they can rule. It's like three brothers who are co-workers in a business, co-owners of that business. In terms of the stock of the business, in terms of ownership, they stand on an equal plane. But one of them is out on the road in sales, another one's home in the personnel office doing the hiring and firing, and the other one's out in the shop as shop manager and production control manager. Well, you see, there's a diversity of administration, though they all stand on an equal footing. In terms of being co-owners of that business. So the eldership, the elder, the office of an elder, the office of a bishop is one office with the responsibility of oversight as a father, a shepherd, a ruler. But in the administration of that oversight, some are particularly given

The Specific Function of the Teaching-Ruling Elder

16:23 to ruling by the word and doctrine, some particularly given to the details of ruling without laboring in the word and in doctrine. Now, I don't want to appear to insult your intelligence by laboring a point and going over it by review, but I found by painful experience that's the only way any of us learns. And I want this stuff to be so ingrained in your mind that nothing but death or insanity will root it out. Now, with that principle before us, that the responsibility of the eldership is distributed into these two main, these two main categories, the next question that should come to our minds is this. What is the particular function of the teaching, ruling elder? Don't ever call him just a teaching elder. He's a teaching ruling elder, the other one's just a ruling elder. Well, he is described

17:20 as the person who labors in the word and in doctrine. In other words, his whole business is that of being wrapped up in the ministry of the Word of God to the local assembly. This is why they actually, most of the time, live of the gospel. Will you notice the context of 1 Timothy 5.17?

17:46 He says, Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine for the scripture saith. What does it mean to count them worthy of double honor? For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, and the laborer is worthy of his reward. If not exclusively, certainly at least this is part of it.

18:13 Honor and honor's fruit is that the man who labors in the word and in doctrine as a teaching ruling elder is to live of the gospel. This ministry of being a teaching ruling elder, this laboring in the word and in doctrine is such a demanding task that this man lives of the fruit of his ministry. He is what we would call a paid pastor or paid pastors. Now, the term pastor is the one we usually give to the teaching ruling elder, and it's a scriptural term, for it's found in Ephesians chapter 4, where it speaks of the ascended Christ giving gifts to his church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the building up of the saints for the work of ministry. And it's all, it's all right to call a certain man a pastor. If in so doing, we do not look upon the pastoral office as some kind of a distinct office other than that of a teaching ruling elder amongst other ruling elders and possibly even other teaching elders. For the moment we isolate the pastoral gift into a distinct office, then we usually end up with a mini-pope concept, where the pastor is the mini-pope,

19:33 and this works havoc and has in our evangelical churches for years. Now, having sought to identify the teaching elder, the teaching ruling elder, as the man who labors in the word and in doctrine, the next question is what makes him such? Why should one be a teaching ruling elder and not another? Why should some basically simply rule without teaching?

Qualifications and Gifts for the Teaching-Ruling Elder

20:00 Why should some not only rule, but exercise the rule by teaching, by laboring in the word and in doctrine? Well, the obvious answer is that every elder must meet the general qualifications for the eldership, right? If a man desire the office of an elder, he desireth a good work. 1 Timothy 3.

20:21 Then the requirements are given. We're going to start looking at them next Lord's Day evening, God willing. Titus 1 says, Ordain elders in every city, if a man be, and there's the list. Now, every elder, be he a teaching ruling elder or simply a ruling elder, must meet those general qualifications without exception.

20:41 And part of the qualification is he must be apt to teach, 1 Timothy 3. Titus 1.9 says he must be able to exhort and to convince. The idea that certain elders are simply ruling elders with no gifts to teach is not founded in Scripture.

20:57 Both lists require some aptitude to teach. But what makes a man a teaching, ruling elder is that he not only has the minimal gifts necessary for any elder, but he has peculiar gifts that equip him to be a teaching elder. Now, will you turn to Romans 12, where dealing with the subject of gifts, this principle is so clearly taught.

21:28 Romans chapter 12.

21:38 Now, Paul is writing to the believers in general, and he is not dealing with, but he's dealing with offices in particular, but he's dealing with gifts in particular. Notice verse 3, Romans 12.3. For I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

22:02 You're to have a sober, accurate self-assessment. You're to know what your gifts are and what they are not. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not been given, not the same office, so we being many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Now, here's his subject.

22:20 Verse 6. Having then not offices differing, but having then gifts differing, according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, that is preaching, let us preach according to the proportion of faith, or ministry, service, probably a reference to those qualified in the special way for the office of a deacon, let us wait on our ministry. Now notice, or he that teacheth on his teaching, or he that exhorteth on his exhortation, he that giveth with simplicity, he that ruleth with diligence. Now, the principle that I want us to see in the passage is this.

22:58 Paul says, Have a sober self-assessment. Then, discerning what your gifts are, give yourselves to the full employment of your God-given gifts. Is it prophesy? Then give yourself to prophesying.

23:12 Is it teaching? Is it teaching? Give yourself. Give yourself to teaching.

23:15 Is it exhorting? Give yourself to exhorting. And the inference here is obvious, that nowhere do all of these gifts meet in one person. He says, Having then gifts differing.

23:31 And yet, you see, the common concept is that we've got to find a man in whom all of the gifts of prophesying, of teaching, exhorting, of ruling, of ministering, all are summed up, and then he's to give himself wholly to all of these gifts all of the time, so what does he end up being? A general flunky.

23:50 And the church suffers by the paucity and shallowness of his teaching and exhorting ministry. Why? Because he's trying to give himself to ruling with diligence, trying to give himself to ministering with, to wait on his ministering, and to be all of these things which is humanly impossible and scripturally inaccurate.

24:11 Beloved, I've had to fight tooth and nail for the past 12, 13 years simply to try to obey this principle, trying to soberly assess, what my gifts are and what they aren't, asking prayerful, discerning men of God what they think my gifts are and aren't, and then simply to try to obey this, give myself to my preaching, to my teaching, to my exhorting. And if the other stuff has to go, let it go. I've had to fight. My wife will tell you.

24:39 Times I get awfully unbearable to live with because I sense I'm losing the battle, and I feel that issue after issue and thing after thing is keeping me from simple obedience, to a passage like this. Now, what qualifies then a man to be a teaching, ruling elder? Well, he has not only the general requirements of the gifts and graces of an elder, but he has peculiar gifts to teach, to prophesy, to exhort.

25:09 Therefore, he is Christ's gift for the health and upbuilding of the church. According to Ephesians 4.11, he has given gifts, pastors and teachers. Therefore, he is to be employed in the exercise of those gifts within the God-given office.

25:29 But now notice, the fact that he's in the office of an elder does not negate his responsibility to give himself to his own peculiar gifts. Follow me? Just as the fact that he has gifts don't necessarily qualify him for the office, there are some people who can prophesy, who preach well, who don't qualify to be elders.

25:51 But they have the ability to do so. They have the privilege of preaching and teaching in the jurisdiction, under the jurisdiction of elders.

25:58 Are all you Sunday school teachers elders? Yet you're teaching? Why? Because God's given you gifts to teach.

26:06 And you're giving yourself to your teacher. You see, the gift does not necessarily qualify for the office. Nor does the office in any way negate the responsibility to exercise that peculiar gift. We must, in our thinking, make a distinction between the office and the gift.

26:24 And realize that just as the gift does not necessarily qualify for the office in itself, there must be other things to make a man qualify. If he does qualify in other things, that office does not now negate the responsibility to exercise his God-given gift. John Brown, in his commentary on 1 Peter 5, and I'm quoting more, perhaps, from books than I have ever before, because this has just opened up a whole new thing to me, and he says it so beautifully. Listen to what he says concerning the ministry of the teaching, ruling elder.

27:03 First, then, Christian elders are to act the part of shepherds and overseers to those under their care by providing and administering instruction to them. It's an important part of the shepherd's duty to find wholesome, nourishing pasture for his flock. It's an important part of the duty of the overseer of the family. You see, the concept of the father in his family.

27:25 To see that every member of it be furnished with a sufficient portion of suitable food. The truth as it is in Jesus, the doctrine and the law of Christ serve in the spiritual economy a purpose analogous to that which food does in the animal economy. Suitable, wholesome food must be eaten and digested in order to health and bodily growth, and indeed, to the continuance of animal life. And divine truth must be understood and believed and thus become influential on the intellect, conscience, and affections in order to the continuance of spiritual life and to the healthy exercise of the functions of new creatures.

28:06 Then he goes on to say, providing this food is one of the great tasks of the elder. And then he goes on to say, the Christian preacher, if he is really wise when teaching the people knowledge, will give good heed to his doctrine, notice now, that it be both wholesome and nourishing, and if possible, palatable. He will seek to find out first true and important thoughts, and then plain and acceptable words. Isn't that beautiful?

28:37 True and important thoughts, plain and acceptable words, and then he will seek to fasten his words as bows, riveting nails, into the minds of men that the truth might stick fast. The teaching elder, ill-discharges this his highest duty, who satisfies himself with commonplace statement or empty declamation, or who spends the hours devoted to Christian instruction in mere theoretical discussions and questions that profit not. And then he goes on to develop this thought. Well, you see, beloved, if that's the basic task of the teaching ruling elder, to find true words, and then say them in plain language and in clear words, and in clear words, and in clear ways, and in clear ways, and in clear ways, do you see why the Bible uses the term certain elders labor in the word and in doctrine? I want to give you a little peek behind the scenes. I was studying upstairs yesterday, working on next week's messages on the requirements for the elders, having had the material for today fairly well in hand, and I was going over those lists in Titus and in 1 Timothy, all those things. The bishop then must be blameless, husband of one, wife, sober, discreet, all the rest.

29:52 I'm trying to say, all right, now, first of all, what I've got, what I've got to do is see if there's any kind of organization of all this. How in the world can I preach just going through one word after another? I'll put the people to sleep after about three minutes. So is there any way it can be organized?

30:06 So then I had to go through the both lists and ponder and meditate until I began to see some structure. It's the elder's relationship, first of all, to the characteristics of general piety and godliness, then to his domestic characteristics, then to his social characteristics, then to his peculiar gifts, then to his experience. Well, to see it organized so you can get it. Then it was a matter of going back, what do these words mean?

30:30 And you know, in order to say next week in one sentence the word sober means, it's meant on some of those words a half an hour work to be able to say that knowing I'm saying what God really meant. Now, beloved, if that's so, if I'm to fulfill that task, do you see why you must recognize that that is my peculiar place in this assembly? And why we must recognize that other elders do not stand in a place of lesser authority, but when they exercise the ministry of ruling, they are exercising a ministry that is valid? For I cannot, if I am given to laboring in the word and in doctrine, be involved in all of the details of administration and ruling.

31:11 It's utterly impossible. One man can't do it.

31:15 Now, you've got to understand that so that you will not look upon the word of another elder with less authority than you would upon my own word if it's true to the word of Christ. It's the only way. It's the only way. It's the office of the elder that has in it the authority of Christ, whether it's the teaching ruling elder or simply the ruling elder.

31:33 And this is a principle that we must understand. So if the teaching ruling elder is an overseer, acting as a father, spreading the table with good food, Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2 says, we dealt with you as a father with his children, exhorting, encouraging you, comforting you, the shepherd seeking to feed his flock, the ruler, how does he rule? Hebrews 13, 7, remember them that have the rule over you who spoke unto you the word of God. He rules by the administration of the word of God.

The Specific Function of the Ruling Elder

32:06 So much then for the teaching elder, teaching ruling elder. Now, what about ruling elders as such? Those who rule well and are worthy of honor, the scripture says, but who do not labor in the word and in doctrine. What is their main task?

32:23 Well, their main task, of course, is ruling, governing, seeking to oversee without peculiar ministries of teaching and preaching. Now, what makes them ruling elders? Well, just like the teaching elder. First of all, as the teaching elder must meet the general requirements for the elder or bishop, so the ruling elder must meet the same requirements.

32:45 There's no double standard for a pastor and the elders. You won't find that in scripture. You won't find it.

32:52 The bishop must be, whether he be teaching bishop or ruling bishop, the bishop must be. So, the ruling elder is one who meets all those qualifications set forth in Titus 1 and 1 Timothy 3, but in addition to those general qualifications, just as the thing that makes a general elder a teaching elder is his peculiar gifts to preach, exhort, to teach. So, the thing that makes a man a ruling elder are his peculiar gifts to govern and to rule. And did you know that these are listed as peculiar gifts?

33:28 Will you look with me first of all again to Romans 12 and then we shall look at 1 Corinthians 12. It should always be easy to remember that the gifts chapters are Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12,

33:44 and then Ephesians 4.

33:48 Now, notice verse 8 of Romans chapter 12. He that exhorteth is to wait on his exhortation. He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. Now, notice.

33:59 He that ruleth with diligence. There is a peculiar gift of ruling.

34:07 It's not teaching. It's not exhorting. It's not prophesying. But it's listed as a distinct and peculiar gift.

34:15 Will you turn to 1 Corinthians 12 and notice verse 28.

34:22 1 Corinthians 12, 28. God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments. And it's interesting. This word, governments, comes from the verb which means to steer.

34:43 The same word is used in Acts of the helmsman, of the master of the ship, the man that stands up at the helm and determines which direction the ship's going to go. Here's a peculiar gift, governments, the ability to help steer the ship, miss the shoals of false dock, and to steer clear of the reefs of the sea, internal friction. Ability to know how to steer the ship of the local assembly. That's a peculiar gift that God gives.

35:14 Called in Romans, the gift of governments, I'm sorry, the gift of ruling, here called the gift of government. And it's the same basic word that's used in the text we looked at to begin with this morning. The elders that rule well, the word for rule there is the elders that steer well. The elders that are enabled by God's grace to help steer the assembly, the assembly into the right places doctrinally and practically and experimentally.

35:45 So what qualifies a man to be a ruling elder? He meets the general qualifications and he has peculiar gifts to steer the people of God. They've been furnished with those mental and spiritual capacities to give wise counsel and direction. They are sufficiently experienced in the ways of God to help others less experienced.

Duties of the Ruling Elder (John Owen)

36:08 That's why the scripture says he's not to be a novice who assumes this tremendous responsibility. Let me quote briefly from John Owen in his section on the true nature of a gospel church where he lays out the duties of the ruling elder. Number one, to watch diligently over the ways, walking, and conversation of all the members of the church. To see that it be blameless, without offense, useful, exemplary, and in all things answering to the holiness of the commands of Christ, the honor of the gospel, and the profession which in the world they make.

36:51 To watch diligently over the ways and walking of the membership. Two, to watch against all risings and appearances of such difference and divisions on the count of things civil or ecclesiastical. He's dealing here, they must be sensitive to any divisions within the flock. Obviously, they must never be part of such.

37:10 Three, their duty is to warn all the members of the church of their special church duties that they be not found negligent or lacking in them. Let me again show you beloved what a tremendous problem this is. I'm smitten sometimes when word gets back to me that somebody's been absent or sick and I haven't thought of it, but can you appreciate what it's like to come on a Sunday with your mind filled with the message that you've been marinating your head in all week sometimes for at least the past several days? I don't know.

37:38 I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

37:39 I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

37:39 I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. And you're thinking of that message and its application to this one and that one and you've got three messages on the Lord's Day and you're laboring in the word and in doctrine and then can you appreciate this?

37:52 See, I'm not giving a sob story this morning, but I want you to see how real this is. God knows this. This is why he says there are to be ruling elders who are watching over the ways of the church so that there are some who notice and say, ah, so-and-so is not with us. And they don't have to go run to the pastor and tell him about it.

38:10 They can go, they can go, they can go and call and then when the elders come together, the teaching ruling elder or elders and the ruling elders, they can say, Mrs. So-and-so was absent or Brother So-and-so was absent and I gave them a call and this is the problem. I think it's one that, Pastor, maybe you ought to deal with or maybe it's one we...

38:26 You see, this is the concept of a plurality of elders laboring together in the work of the local church. Thirdly, their duty is to warn the members of the church. Fourthly, they are to watch over the beginning of any church disorder Fifthly, it belongeth unto them to visit the sick, especially as those inward and outward conditions expose them to more extraordinary trials. Sixth, it belongs to them in their office to advise and give directions to the deacons as to making provision and distribution of the charities of the church.

The Necessity of a Plurality of Elders

39:03 If the deacons are to minister to the poor, the elders must be sensitive to those needs to give direction to the deacons. Seventh, and then he goes on and enlarges this and when he's done makes you realize the office of a ruling elder is one that no one will run into quickly because of its tremendous responsibility. Well, the last question I want to ask this morning in thinking through this breakdown of the elders' responsibility into the teaching and ruling elder, I hope I've given you at least some basic biblical concepts. The last question I want to ask is how many elders then are needed to perform these duties?

39:41 Are the elders to exercise oversight as the father, the shepherd, the ruler? Is that oversight to be broken down into teaching, ruling elders and ruling elders? Well, then the question is how many do you need to accomplish this?

40:00 Well, I know one thing for sure. You need more than one.

40:06 Now, Scripture doesn't give us any clear and final answer and say, thou shalt have six elders if thy membership is over a hundred.

40:14 It doesn't say that. But it does give us some guidelines and I want to give them to you this morning very quickly as I draw this to a close. A plurality, that is, more than one elder was the general rule in the New Testament churches. And I want you very quickly now to just go through a few passages with me.

40:31 Turn first of all to Acts. And I'm starting and moving from left to right here in the passages so that it shouldn't be too difficult to find them. Acts chapter 14.

40:43 We looked at this verse a while ago in another connection.

40:47 When they had ordained them an elder in every church, No, that's the way we do it today. We call us a pastor. And he's the teaching, ruling elder, and he's the deacon and deacons and all the rest. And we pay him so he ought to work so that settles it.

41:08 That's the way Paul thought. When they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they had believed. They ordained elders, plural, in every church, singular, plurality, of eldership was the rule of the apostolic direction. Chapter 15 in verse 2.

41:30 And certain, start with verse 1, and certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, except to be circumcised after the manner of Moses you cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles, plural, and elders about this question. They're going up to the apostles to the church from which these people said they came. They said, look, we're missionaries, not of the church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints.

42:01 They came to our door the other day. But we're missionaries of the church up at Jerusalem. Oh, you are? Yes, sir.

42:08 And we come down to tell you fellows that you're just not quite in because it's not enough to believe. You've got to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. And so they have a real knock-down, drag-out discussion and they get nowhere so they say, all right, what we're going to do is we're going to go on up there to that Jerusalem, to that Jerusalem church because that's where all the apostles are and we're going to consult with the apostles and the elders of that church. They didn't go along the way and pick up elders at all the churches and have a big assembly.

42:33 No, they didn't. They went to the elders of that particular church at Jerusalem because that's the church from which these people came. But there were elders, plural, at the church at Jerusalem. Not singular.

42:44 Not an elder. Not one pastor, but elders, plural. Then Acts 20 in verse 17, Paul is concerned with giving a final charge to the church at Ephesus. So what does he do?

42:58 Acts 20 in verse 17, and from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the, plural, elders of the church. Not elders of the churches, but elders of the church. The church at Ephesus had a plurality of elders. Then Philippians 1.1,

43:19 the verse we looked at last Lord's Day evening, and all we're trying to see is that plurality of eldership was the general rule in the New Testament church. Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ to all the saints, lots of them, in Christ Jesus at Philippi, with the bishops, plural, and the deacons, plural. They had more than one bishop. They had more than one deacon.

43:46 How many? We don't know, except to say they had more than one. Hebrews 13.17,

43:55 that phrase more than one doesn't sound good. It doesn't sound good. It doesn't sound good in church, does it?

44:03 I've got you all wondering what I meant. It just brought to my mind that silly advertisement for a certain brand of beer.

44:12 And I thought it might have brought that to the minds of some others, and I wanted you to know it wasn't because I've been listening to that thing too much. 13.17 of Hebrews, Obey them, plural, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves, for they, plural, watch for your souls, as they, plural, that was given, account that they, plural, may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. And then the last two passages, one in James chapter 5 and verse 15, verse 14, is any sick among you?

The Dangers of a Single Pastor and the Benefits of Plurality

44:48 Let him call for the elders of the church, those elders that are in that assembly that know this brother and aware of his problem and his need. They're to call for the elders, plural, 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 1, verse 1, the elders which are among you I exhort. He's not talking about elders, office bearers of other churches miles away. He's talking about the office bearers within those particular local assemblies.

45:18 Now what conclusion can we draw then from this? Well, I hope you've drawn the conclusion that the idea of the mini-pope, I got that term from Mr. Levy, elder in the church at Cookfield. That's the term they use.

45:33 At least there in Cookfield. The concept of a mini-pope where there's one teaching, ruling elder seeking to give himself to the ministry of the word and doctrine and to give himself to ruling and to governing is neither right nor is it safe. Neither right nor safe.

45:52 For many men have had grace from God not to abuse that office. But beloved, there's church after church that bears the scars of the abuse of the mini-pope concept. There's been nobody to check this little mini-pope. Because he's been the only one with office-bearing power.

46:11 And that's not right. It's not safe. I confess that one of the reasons I'm so desperate in my own heart, in my prayers, and now in my preaching on this subject is that I know how much I need my brethren. I desperately need some men who can be a check upon me.

46:32 I desperately need the combined wisdom and experience of others. If for no other reason than that I desperately need a plurality of eldership within this church. You desperately need it. You should not have all your spiritual direction and feeding coming through one man.

46:47 That's dangerous. Terribly dangerous. Let that man fall and you all come crashing to the ground. Let that man fall and let him be laid aside through sickness and the work of the assembly comes to naught.

46:58 That should not be. Should not be. Let that man be called of God to go to another place and the work comes to a standstill and so on. That should not be.

47:08 In one of the reasons why by the grace of God I've determined to stick with this particular ministry here among other things and you know some of the other reasons I've mentioned them to you. I just love to preach and minister to you both but one of the reasons is that I'm convinced that the greatest service I can do to the cause of Christ in this area is under God number one to see a church established on the full orb teaching of the word of God. By the grace of God I believe we've come that far. We've unembarrassed in our commitment to the historic Christian faith in our doctrinal position.

47:42 But then secondly there must be a church established with biblical office bearers. True teaching ruling elders. True ruling elders. So that the work of God in and through that church is not dependent upon one man.

47:57 And one of the elders can come or go but the work of God goes on because Christ has been pleased to bless that church with scripturally qualified office bearers. That's why I'm not interested when I get a call as I recently did Mr. Martin we're interested in you and heard some good reports about you. We've got a church with 950 members.

48:16 We've got this and that.

48:19 Sorry, not interested.

48:22 Not interested. It's not work to do.

48:26 Some of the people on the west coast were shocked. One of them said this evening he said something about he said well you know in essence he was trying it was an awkward way of him trying to say he was blessed and healthy. And he said something about well I can understand why you preach to a large congregation back east. I said I got news for you friend.

48:43 I preached to 110 people Sunday morning. And it was just like I kicked that fellow in the shins. He couldn't understand that.

48:51 Well that's not without purpose. Beloved I've got one life to live. One life. One life.

48:55 And I'm going to stand before my Lord for what I've done.

49:00 And if I'm in this wrongly I'm in it with my eyes wide open. And I lay my heart bare before you. This is my vision and burden under God to see a church established with biblical office bearers. With teaching, ruling, elders who are biblically qualified.

49:15 Spiritually equipped.

49:17 And then if God's pleased to put me on my back for six months at a time the work will go on. God please pick me up and dump me down in the middle of nowhere to start all over again with some other group of hungry hearted Christians. The work will go on. Isn't that what you want?

49:30 It's what I want. To see the work of Christ flourish. And the Lord Jesus the great head of this church knows that it flourishes best when his church follows his direction. Next week God willing we'll start with a qualification for an elder.

49:45 Both the teaching ruling elder and the ruling elder please be conversant with 1st Timothy 3 and Titus chapter 1. Read those passages over. Get some questions in your mind. And then the Lord willing we shall have some answers from the word of God.

50:04 Well let us pray.