An element of an overseer/shepherd is that of a “rule.” Paul speaks of those “who rule well” in 1 Tim. 5:17. We broke this down in an earlier section of this chapter.[1] The Greek words translated “rule” will be introduced here to gain an understanding of its meaning. W.E. Vine gives six verbs that translate…
Another description of the same role of a shepherd is the word, “overseer”. The word means “a watchman over or upon.” The word “superintend” is often used to describe it. It describes a responsible task. The word itself does not specify the particular task for which one is responsible. But, its use in our context,…
Someone may present the work in Antioch of Syria (Acts 13) wherein there were no elders mentioned. The fact that shepherds are not mentioned in the church at Antioch does not mean that they did not have them. The mention of “teachers” may have included them and others, but where there are prophets and apostles…
Consider the following passage as the existing pattern of their selection. (1) Acts 14:23 “And when they had ordained them elders in every church (ekklesia) and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed..” When the Apostle Paul began his return home from his first journey, he and Barnabas…
The word “elder” is translated from the Greek presbuteros, meaning an older man comparable to our word “senior”. The term is a designation that implies rank due to age, i.e., experience. In other words, he is an older man of experience who is held in honor. Campbell’s work concludes that in both Jewish and Graeco-Roman…
Paul used the word “overseer” in 1 Timothy 3 and the word “elders” in Titus 1:7 when giving a very comparable list of qualifications. Some argue from the Pastoral epistles that “elders” are in the plural and “overseer” is in the singular. Therefore, it is argued that these refer to two different church offices. …
In our last post, we noticed how shepherds led by providing a living example. What is equally clear is that they could not wield their influence without being “among the sheep.” One cannot be a leader until he has followers and he cannot have followers until such a close companionship of shepherd/sheep is developed. The…
We will see that the description of the men God gave the ekklesia in Ephesians 4:11 overlap each other. For example, the role of apostles, shepherds, and teachers share not only the responsibility to teach, but they were also qualified to lead by example. While their primary role is that of teaching, we assume that…
In the past years, I used to come down hard on the shepherds of God’s flock who have become careless, undisciplined, and negligent. I would compare many to Isaiah’s description of blind watchmen, who know nothing or like “dumb dogs unable to bark, dreamers lying down, who love to slumber” (cf. Isaiah 56:9). But, then…
The shepherds also watch for false teachers and any of Satan’s devices whereby sheep are led away from God. They “watch for your souls” (Heb. 13:17). Just as a physical shepherd protects against wolves, these shepherds protected against wolves in sheep’s clothing. How do you suppose he protects against wolves? To answer this we must…