ELDERS AS STEWARDS OF GOD
The author of Hebrews explains why
the work of elders of the Lord's church is the most responsible task on earth.
"They watch for your souls, as they who must give an account, that they
may do it with joy, and not with grief' (Heb. 13:17). Obviously, it is a great
honor for a man to be selected as an elder of the church, but it is much more
than an honor. God demands that elders be skilled teachers (1 Tim. 3:2),
"examples to the flock" (1 Pet. 5:3) and "stewards of God"
(Tit. 1:7). Our study today will focus on that last expression, "Elders as
Stewards of God."
The word "steward"
appears ten times in the New Testament. The King James Version always
translates the word "steward," except in two verses. In Paul's letter
to the Romans, the word is rendered "chamberlain." The English
Standard Version renders the word "treasurer." The word is also
translated "governors." "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he
is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he is lord of all; but is
under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the father" (Gal.
4:1-2).
Our English word
"steward" is a translation of the Greek oikonomos. The
Greek word is composed of two Greek words, oikos, meaning
house, and nomos, meaning law. A steward is the law of the
house or the house manager. The word was used in New Testament times of a slave
who managed the affairs of a family. He was usually a slave over other slaves.
Jesus Christ used the word in a conversation with the Apostle Peter. Peter
asked, "Lord, do you speak this parable unto us, or even to all? And the
Lord said, Who is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make
ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due
season" (Lk. 12:41-42)? The Apostle Paul used the word of his work as an
apostle. He told the Corinthians: "Let a man so account of us, as of the
ministers (or servants) of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor.
4:1-2). As you can discern from this and from other passages where the word
"steward" appears, there is an essential relationship between the
word "steward" and the word "faithful." The house manager
or steward could not squander his master's goods without serious consequences.
He had to take care of the master's house as if it were his own.
By divine inspiration, the Apostle
Paul provides two lists of qualifications of elders of the church - l Timothy
3:1-7 and Titus 1 :5-11. I invite your attention to a reading of the passage
from Paul's letter to Titus. "For this cause I left you in Crete, that you
should set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city,
as I had appointed you: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having
faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be
blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to
wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of hospitality, a
lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word
as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and
to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and
deceivers, especially of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who
subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's
sake" (Tit. 1:5-11).
Paul makes it very plain in these
verses that elders are also called "bishops." Paul said he left Titus
in Crete to appoint elders in every city. He then provided Titus with a list of
qualifications of bishops (Tit. 1:5-8). Luke tells of Paul's meeting with the
elders of the Lord's church in Ephesus. In his farewell message to those
elders, he referred to them as "overseers" (Acts 20:28). The word
"overseer" comes from the Greek word that is transliterated
"bishop." Biblically speaking, elders are overseers, pastors, shepherds
and stewards.
Elders as stewards have two primary
duties: to be morally upright in their personal lives and to be faithful to
their master in looking after the affairs of the church. If a man were going to
be given the responsibilities of the master's house, like Joseph in the house
of Potiphar, he had to be completely honest in his personal behavior. He could
not cheat or steal or lie. Should not our political leaders - all of whom are
stewards of our great democratic ideals - learn from those ancient stewards?
Should they not learn how evil and un-American it is for them to lie and to pad
their bank accounts at the expense of the American people?
Elders of the Lord's church must be
men who are morally upright and who are faithful stewards of the word of God.
Paul specifically lists the moral and spiritual qualifications which elders
must possess. Elders must be "blameless, not self-willed, not soon angry,
not given to wine, no striker (that is, not violent), not greedy of gain; but a
lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate"
(Tit. 1:7-8). Tragically, there have been elders of the church who trampled on
many of the qualifications Paul listed in 1 Timothy 3 and in Titus 1. For
example, many years ago I worked under an elder who did not control his temper.
If someone disagreed with him, he went into orbit, figuratively speaking. I
knew an elder who got into a fistfight with one of his neighbors. The fistfight
was over politics. One elder admitted to stealing thousands and thousands of
dollars from the church treasury.
What influence do unfaithful elders
have on outsiders? When non-believers hear of corrupt religious leaders, they
may conclude that all religious leaders are corrupt. Men like Jim Bakker, Jimmy
Swaggart and Ted Haggard bring shame on the whole religious establishment. That
was Paul's reason for telling Timothy: Elders must a good report of them who
are without (that is, not members of the body of Christ); "lest they fall
into reproach and a snare of the devil" (1 Tim 3:7). That is also the
reason Paul commanded the Ephesian elders: "Take heed to yourselves"
(Acts 20:28). How can elders hope to turn men from Satan to our Savior if they
live like Satan? In the words of Geoffrey Chaucer: "If the shepherd is
dirty, what can we expect of the sheep?"
But it is not enough for an elder
to be a good man, although that is absolutely essential. I have already
mentioned that an elder must be a "skilled teacher" (1 Tim. 3:2). How
can he be a skilled teacher if he does not know what to teach? How can he know
what to teach if he is not a devoted student of the Bible? I once worked with
an elder who knew almost nothing about the word of God. I seriously doubt he
could have told an alien sinner what to do to be saved. How can such an elder
protect the flock from wolves? Please notice what Paul told Titus about elders.
They must hold fast the faithful word as they have been taught, that they may
be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to rebuke those who contradict it.
"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they
of the circumcision: whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses,
teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake" (Tit.
1:10-11). Could Paul actually mean that some teachers are more interested in
the fleece than in the flock? Are there teachers like Balaam the son of Bosor,
"who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2: 15)?
I am fully aware that it is
politically incorrect to warn of the false teachers one hears on radio, on
television and in many pulpits. Tragically, many of the so-called
"positive thinkers" do not want to lose their influence and their
income by warning about false teachers. Do you honestly believe Joel Osteen and
Robert Schuller will ever warn their congregations or their television
audiences about false teachers? Do such preachers believe they are preaching
the whole counsel of God? Do they believe they know more about what ought to be
preached than Jesus and his apostles?
If you think I might be
exaggerating the compromising spirit of some modern preachers, I shall give you
one example of such an attitude. Doug Murren's book, The Baby Boomerang:
Catching Baby Boomers as They Return to Church (Ventura, CA: Regal
Books, 1990), encourages preachers to "visit those how-to sections of your
local bookstores." He then recommends: "Limit your preaching to
roughly 20 minutes, because boomers don't have too much time to spare. And
don't forget to keep your messages light and informal, liberally sprinkling
them with humor and personal anecdotes" (pp. 102-103). I have just two
questions for preachers like Doug Murren:
How do you keep messages about the suffering, death and resurrection of
Christ "light and informal?" How do you encourage and comfort those
who have lost loved ones by keeping your messages "light and
informal?" Such advice to preachers is insulting to our intelligence.
Have Joel Osteen or Robert Schuller
ever preached a complete series of lessons on our Lord's great Sermon on the
Mount? 0 they may have discussed the Beatitudes, but did they see only
so-called "positive messages" in those great principles? For example,
Christ told his disciples: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall
see God" (Mt. 5:8). Do they apply this powerful message to those who are
not pure in heart, like men who are addicted to pornography? In this same
chapter, our Lord warned: "You have heard that it was said by them of old
time, You shall not commit adultery: but I say unto you, That whosoever looks
on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his
heart" (Mt. 5:27-28). Is that the way the positive thinkers deal with the
explicit teaching of God's holy word?
Jesus knew the enormous damage
false teachers would do to the cause of Christ. Do you remember what he said
about false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount? If you have forgotten or never
knew, please listen to the one who is "the way, the truth, and the
life" (John 14:6). "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You shall know them by
their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so
every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil
fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree
bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn
down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know
them" (Mt. 7:15-20).
How can a man stand in the pulpit
week after week for years and completely ignore the fundamental principles of
the gospel? Joel Osteen has an opportunity to speak to hundreds of thousands
each week. If he had the desire, the courage and the knowledge to refute the
false positions of liberal theologians like John Shelby Spong, he could do a
great amount of good. Does he believe he can replace the great truths of the
gospel by telling his audience, "Y'all be good, you hear?" Most pop
psychology books teach as much Bible as preachers like Joel Osteen, Robert
Schuller and Doug Murren. There is no excuse for not preaching the whole
counsel of God.
Virtually every book in the New
Testament warns Christians about false teachers. Let us return for just a
minute to Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders. He first explained
his work as a preacher among them. "You know from the first day that I
came into Asia (that is, Asia Minor), after what manner I have been with you at
all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears
and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: and how I
kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shown you, and have
taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and
also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ .... Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the
blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of
God" (Acts 20:18-21, 26-27). Do you honestly believe the language of this
powerful passage could be applied to the so-called "positive
thinkers?"
Paul next provides the Holy
Spirit's instructions to the elders at Ephesus. "Take heed to yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to
feed to the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. For I know
this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that
by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day
with tears" (Acts 20:28-31).
I need to make a number of
observations on this passage. I have already stressed that elders must take
heed to themselves. They must be blameless, holy and self-controlled. They must
also take heed to the congregation they serve. We know the temptations,
troubles and tragedies that occur regularly among members of the body of
Christ. Elders must keep abreast of what is occurring in the local
congregation. They must also know how to apply the scriptures to situations
that arise.
Paul commanded the Ephesian elders
to take heed to the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers.
He urged them to feed the flock. The Greek word translated "feed" is
much broader than our English word "feed." The word is the verb form of
the word "shepherd." I have never had any personal experience with
sheep, but I know that shepherding involves much more than mere feeding.
Shepherds must make sure the sheep have enough food and enough water and are
protected from wolves. Paul warned: "For I know this, that after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also
of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them? Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three
years I ceased not to warn every one of you night and day with tears"
(Acts 20:29-31).
Do you believe Paul would have been
faithful to his calling as God's spokesman had he not warned the elders of the
false teachers that would arise - both from within the church and from the
outside? Would the elders have been faithful had they not listened to Paul's
inspired advice? Tragically, there have been elders among churches of Christ
who have allowed false teachers to lead congregations into error. May I remind
elders of the words I earlier read to you from Hebrews? "They watch for
your souls, as they who must give an account, that they may do it with joy, and
not with grief' (Heb. 13:17). God will unquestionably hold elders responsible
for bringing in wolves to feed the sheep.
The Apostle Peter also warned his
contemporaries of the dangers of false teachers. "But there were false
prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among
you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord who
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2 Pet. 2:1).
The word "privily" in the King James Version literally means to bring
in alongside of, to smuggle in. Have you ever known a false teacher to
announce: "I am a false teacher? You should beware of what I say."
They most often worm their way into the confidences of the people. When elders
and other members awaken to what is going on, it is often too late to save the
congregation. It has happened over and over in my lifetime and is still
occurring.
If the false teacher alone were in
danger of losing his soul, that would be serious enough, but many shall follow
the pernicious ways of the false teachers; "by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be spoke of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned (or well
turned) words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time
lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not" (2 Pet. 2:2-3).
The Apostle John, whom we often
call "the apostle of love," was just as explicit in warning of false
teachers as Christ, Paul and Peter. He told his readers: "Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many
false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4: 1). There is
hardly any doubt John was preparing his brothers and sisters to resist the
teaching of the Gnostics. But was not his teaching too negative?
I have great respect for faithful
elders of the Lord's church. Their burdens are very heavy. I gladly submit to
and honor the elders under whom I labor and who oversee the work of this radio
ministry. May God bless all faithful elders!
Winford Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour