Published: July 12, 2026 | Speaker: Tim Freitag | Series: The Law of Liberty 2 - Part 11 | Scripture: Titus 1:1-5
Transcript
View Full Transcript →
0:07
if you want to turn with me to Titus in your Bibles. your Bibles. I do um certainly never want to exasperate anyone. I think we're going to possibly
0:18
move a little slower here than we have in some places because I intend for us to be able to use this section um to examine closely some of the things in regards to the eldership.
0:30
Often Titus is used in that way and not without reason. Titus and Timothy really are the two places where we have the most concentrated descriptions and
0:41
instructions in regard to the eldership. And so it seems to be an appropriate place to examine what Paul has to say to us in regards to the eldership. But I certainly do not want to leave behind
0:52
the other things that are in here. I mentioned much earlier in the study that sometimes I think Titus um has the misfortune of being used as only proof text about eldership um instead of
1:03
dwelling fully on the various things that um that um that Paul has to say here that he writes to Titus. So, I'm going to read just the first um
1:13
first um about nine verses as we open this morning and then um we'll we'll go through some points here in terms of
1:25
Beginning in verse one, he writes, "Paul, a bond servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness in
1:36
the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested even his word in
1:47
the proclamation with which I was entrusted, according to the commandment of God our Savior, to Titus, my true child, in a common faith, grace and
1:57
peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. For this reason I left you in Cree that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I
2:08
directed you. If any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion, for the overseer must be above reproach as God's
2:21
steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sorted gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled,
2:34
holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who
2:45
contradict. So I want to begin at the beginning as we are here, but I also want to say a word before we do that um in terms of who Titus was. Um it will be relevant in
2:57
terms of his uh authority and his work that's done here. Um and so we we'll see what we see in the scripture of of Titus before we dig fully into what's written
3:08
here. But specifically we have right here in the book itself Paul refers to him as him as uh my true child in the common faith. So
3:19
most take this and I don't see any reason not to take it as understanding that Paul was one who led him to uh the gospel but certainly he has the same kind of familiarity or same kind of
3:30
address that he uses to Timothy. the idea that this is his child in the faith, one whom he has fostered in their belief and in in um walking according to
3:40
the gospel. We read in Galatians um couple of things here and I'm going to you don't have to turn to all of these. I'm going to bounce around a little bit
3:50
just to point out a couple of things we know about him. We know that he is a um
4:06
Sorry, find Galatians 2 here. Um, and this heading in my Bible, the council at Jerusalem is somewhat relevant here. Um, I'm going to read from verse one in Galatians chapter 2. He says, "After an interval of 14 years,
4:17
I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also, and it was because of revelation that I went up and submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. I did
4:28
so in private to those who were of high reputation for fear that I might be running or even had run in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be
4:41
circumcised. Okay, so he was there and central even perhaps his witness was central to the debate over whether or not the law of Moses would be extended to all of the Gentiles. So he was a person very close
4:53
um there. If you go to Acts 15 where it's described, um I think Titus is is in there in terms of what uh the phrase says, other believers who went with them. Um so he was there. Uh the other
5:07
pieces that we have primarily come from second Corinthians. We don't have a ton of information about him. He doesn't really show up almost at all in the descriptions in Acts. Um but in 2 Corinthians, Paul says a number of
5:21
things regarding Titus. Again, just trying to sus out who the man is and thus what he's doing in terms of the ministry here.
5:32
ministry here. 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul says,
5:43
I'm going to read from the beginning of the chapter there. He says, "We wish, brethren, we wish to make it known to you the grace of God which has been given to the churches in Macedonia that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy in their deep poverty
5:55
overflowed the wealth of their liberality. For I testify, sorry, in the wealth of their liberality, I testify that according to their ability and even beyond their ability, they gave of their
6:06
own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in supporting the saints. And this not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us by
6:17
the will of God. So we urged Titus that he had previous as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. Further down in the chapter, he
6:30
describes that Titus will be the one to come to them. here um in verse 16 it says be thanks be to God who put the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus for he not
6:42
only accepted our appeal but being himself very earnest he has gone to you of his own accord. We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches. Not only this, but he
6:54
has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself to show our readiness taking precaution that no
7:05
one will discredit us in our administration of this gracious gift. So he went along to take the monetary gift with them. um in earlier in the book in
7:16
chapter two. I'm sorry, I know I'm hitting a lot of references here, but I don't want to spend too long setting it up before we dig into the word itself. Here
7:30
in chapter 2 it writes uh Paul writes to them in the second half of 2 Corinthians 2 verse 12. Now when I came to Churaz for the gospel of Christ and a door was open to me in the Lord. I had no rest for my spirit because I could not find
7:41
Titus my brother. Taking my leave of them I went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of knowledge for him in
7:53
every place. later we read in here that um Titus caught up with Paul in Philippi. He says
8:06
in chapter 7 again interesting how much we read of Titus just here in uh 2 Corinthians. But in uh chapter 7 he writes first of all I'm going to pick up
8:17
in verse 5. When we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side. Conflicts within, sorry, conflicts without, fears within. But God, who comforts the def
8:29
depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, even mourning, your zeal
8:41
for me, so that I rejoiced even more. And down at the end of this same chapter, uh, picking up in verse 13, for this reason we have been comforted, and
8:51
by besides our comfort, we rejoiced much more for the joy of Titus because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.
9:06
Um, for if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame. But we spoke all things to you in truth. So also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. His affection abounds all the more toward you as he remembers
9:18
the obedience of you all. How you received him with fear and trembling. And I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you. Finally, um that section where we read there in uh
9:29
chapter 8 and then down at the end of uh um we read where it says that uh Titus will
9:40
be the one to bring them the letter in yeah in verse 23 it says as for Titus he is my partner my fellow worker among you
9:52
as for our brethren they are messengers of the churches a glorious to Christ. Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and our reason for boasting about you. So we
10:05
read here in Titus that Paul left Titus behind in Cree which is interesting because we don't read specifically of his work there in Cree but we are
10:15
generally understanding it to have happened probably between his imprisonments that uh Paul went to Cree um because he says here later in Titus that he um has asked for Titus to meet
10:27
him in a place that again we don't read that he gets to before he is arrested for a second time. So most understand this to have been written just before that second imprisonment that took him
10:38
to Rome. So all of that to say Titus is described by Paul as a fellow worker who went with
10:49
him on his various ministries that he was um many people like to use the very big term of apostolic leot. But I think frankly I would use the term of evangelist of him. he was an evangelist
11:02
or a missionary if you like in the same way that Paul was in the same way that Timothy and Barnabas were. Um that he was one who was traveling to various places to aid the churches not as a
11:14
primary pastor of them or at least not that I can read but as a um minister as a missionary like I said uh one who did the work of an evangelist and part of
11:25
that work was to see that the churches were established correctly. That is what Paul is getting at here I think in the beginning of the book. So the um
11:38
the the idea of him as fellow worker here but picking up in verse one Paul writes this address um of himself as he writes to him Paul a bondervant of God
11:50
an apostle of Jesus Christ. Now I want to look just for a moment at this phrase here. For the faith of those chosen of God or some of your translation translations may even say elect of God.
12:01
That is a perfectly reasonable translation of that. It it just means chosen. Um and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness. Um I think there are sort of three
12:12
things there that Paul finds it significant to include in his opening. I don't know that Titus didn't know these things, but as Paul was sitting down to write this, what he wanted to be clear
12:22
was in writing to this to you, I have three things in mind. The faith of those who are the elect, the knowledge of the truth, and that they walk in accordance with godliness. where I think we can say
12:35
uh from just this salutation that the doctrine of the gospel is truth itself that knowledge of that truth is the ground of faith and that where that
12:46
truth dwells it will frame the heart in godliness that that truth will have its work in walking according to godliness and that cuts both ways as we've already seen in Thessalonians walking to
12:57
according to godliness is also a mark of walking according to faith the knowledge of the truth that is the ground of it. So again, the way that Paul packs these things in here, he speaks also here uh
13:11
beginning in verse two of the hope and eternal life which God who cannot lie promised long ages ago. Now, I don't particularly like my translation here promised long ages ago because it's um
13:23
certainly trying to get over what some commentators have felt is a technical difficulty of the language because it's um almost the most sort of woodenly
13:34
literal way to read that would be God which uh promised who cannot lie before began eternity. So where it says long
13:44
ages or some of yours may say eons um it's literally the word for eternity like before eternity began which yes
13:55
Aaron just noting what the says they have a footnote here so they say in the main text promise before ages began before time
14:06
right yeah before times I mean the word Kronos effectively or conjugation of it is in there times um it's a somewhat somehat odd construction. odd construction. Again, I don't know that I want to
14:17
burden us by going into all the intricacies of the Greek here or all the ink that was spilled on it. The simply that it is from the foundations of the world as we read in other places that God had this purpose in mind
14:30
effectively before he even began creation. He had purposed that he would do these things among men that man would have a a promise of life from the very beginning. There are those who contend
14:42
that you should translate this differently and you should understand this phrase to mean the what is sometimes called the proto evangelon given in Genesis 3 which is not before
14:52
the foundation of the world. It is after uh the fall of man. So I don't quite understand um ironside in particular is one who feels that and I generally respect what he has to say but I
15:04
couldn't find that in my digging through the Greek of a way to read it that way. I don't know if he's a particular dispensational person who you're laughing like the answer is yes. Okay.
15:15
Saint Oh, okay. I am not familiar with his um with his uh name as much. I I did laugh to myself again. I'm not a fan of booking. Okay. I have suggestions.
15:26
Well, see here here's why I laugh also though. Um I was looking around for books on Titus. As you can see, it takes up basically one page in my Bible. um
15:36
looking for books on Titus. I the one I picked up that I found on the shelf was Ironside had Hebrews and Titus and he does not explain why those two in one book. The section on Titus is about 20
15:48
pages in his book as far as I can tell. The only other book that I could find that was on Titus specifically was from an Elizabethan scholar whose chap uh verses one and two here
16:00
took up about 26 pages. Wow. I'm going to try to not be on that end of things and exasperate you all, but I'm also going to probably do slightly more maybe than some of them
16:11
did. So, anyways, I I frankly think that the the meaning of this is not so obscure as sometimes people want to make it. Frankly, that God has promised from the very beginning
16:22
of his purposes to to give life eternal. That's what Paul is getting at here. The reason that I sit here and dwell on these things is as Paul is beginning his instruction to Titus for these things,
16:35
it is clear even from the way that he is um indicating of himself, I'm writing this letter before he even says for this reason I left you in that these things
16:45
are core to Paul's purpose in even picking up his pen. the idea of uh the gospel, the knowledge of the truth, that that ground of faith and that it is um
16:59
related to this idea, the the hope of eternal life which God promised. So hold on to those pieces. God promised it, therefore its foundation is sure.
17:11
Um, if you want a little more of the Greek, and again, I don't want to overburden anybody here, but the the specific word used here of promise, we don't have a lot of different words for
17:21
promise in English. The Greeks actually had a few more than we did. And this is one that is actually distinguished from the more legal uh promisory requirement like you would find. And this is really
17:32
much more the idea of a personal commitment rather than a legal binding thing. It is often um highlighted in various other parts of scripture as that idea of the free grace of God or the
17:42
free promise. It is that idea of of one party one side has committed themsself uh in this way. God is cannot lie. Therefore the promise
17:55
is infallible is infallible and that God's care and love towards man prompted this promise frankly even from the beginning of existence. Okay. So
18:05
hold on to those pieces as Paul begins this um phrase. The other thing that I think is is interesting here or curious to look at. He says at the proper time
18:18
manifested even his word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the command of God our savior. Um certainly I think most of you
18:28
are familiar with Paul's being called and that Paul's being called was very dramatic. And yet, it's interesting here
18:39
that he phrases this as that he is preaching, that he is doing the things he's doing to spread the word at the command of God our savior. Um, so he is an obedience to those things that he is
18:52
submitting himself or bracketing his authority. I don't know what the quite the right phrase is in terms of how he's viewing himself here um as preaching by command. Now then to
19:05
the um unless there's any particular questions or comments before I move. Okay. Yeah. Ele
19:30
Yeah, it came came from all the way back there. Yeah. No, that's a good point. I mean, that that is so beautiful,
19:40
Yeah. No, I thank you for pointing that out. And again, I I appreciate the fact that this is simply, you know, the way that Paul's opening his letter um gets set off in my Bible as its sort of own
19:51
paragraph. But again, I think to Paul's mind, it's important to ground what he's saying in these things before he says what he says here. Um, so we've spoken
20:02
about Titus. We've spoken about the idea that he is um, as Paul refers here, my true child in the common faith. Now, I want to pick up with uh, verse five where it says, "For this reason I left
20:13
you in that you would set in order what remains." Um, some of your translations may say, "What lacks or what is missing." Um, those are reasonable
20:23
translations of the wording, but it's really just things that didn't get done because Paul had other places to go on his ministry. I don't know that anybody needs to be perturbed by that um
20:35
phrasing there. So, he says, "Set in order what remains." And then says, "And appoint elders in every city as I directed you." And then goes to speak on the qualifications of the elder. Now, I
20:47
intend for us to spend some time talking about the qualifications of the elder, but it seemed to me um reasonable that we speak on this idea of appointing
20:58
elders in every place. Yes. Do you take the order and appointing elders as two different?
21:11
No, I I take uh appointing elders as subset of setting an order. Do you disagree with that?
21:33
Sure. and can be. Okay. Oh, okay. So, directly causal setting in order by appointing elders. All right.
21:47
Um, I didn't consider it in that way. I wouldn't be opposed to reading that necessarily, but I think the way what I can read and the context that I can read, the appointing of elders was not
21:57
the only thing that lacked, but I don't know. We don't have a lot of evidence. Ariel, you had your hand up. Just from the
22:17
Yes. And he goes on in this passage where you saw negative things to say about
22:33
Yeah. So I wonder
22:45
Yes. Yes. So, um I think there is a reason that it's Titus in particular. Um and I was thinking that we would do this a little bit later, but we can talk about it now. So, Cree, um I don't know how familiar you are with your Mediterranean geography, but Cit is a
22:56
fairly large island about 250 miles long. Sits just sort of just below Greece and just above Alexandria and just to the west of um you know, the
23:08
coast of Israel and Syria and all of those things. It's kind of right in the middle of where you would want to be to trade with all of the things in uh the Mediterranean. As such, it had a
23:19
reputation which you read here. Um it was effectively every town in Cree as far as I can read the archaeology and the history and the accounts of other people at the time including my no it
23:29
wasn't my somebody's different uh Greek. Anyways, apparently we know where this quote comes from. We found a text that says the same thing. It was basically you imagine the roughness of every sort
23:40
of port city and the reputation of of port cities with populations coming and going and all the various vices that cater to people. Apparently cree was like that wallto-wall end to end was the
23:53
reputation. Okay. So one of the things that's pointed out the difference between the book of Titus and the book of Timothy is that Titus has a lot to say about personal behavior whereas Timothy has a lot to say about doctrinal
24:05
purity. Both of them have overlap, but oftentimes the distinction between the two is pointed out that Titus has more of a focus on how you behave, whereas Timothy has more of a highlight perhaps
24:15
on what you say. Not that there's any contradiction between the two of them, but I think there is a relative highlight. The second part I'll say of that is that Cree actually had quite a large Jewish population. um which I did
24:28
not know until I was reading and digging into some of this, but a large portion of the diaspora had apparently moved there in no small part to engage in various mercantile trading. It was a it was a decent place to be able to go and
24:39
set up shop and and earn a living doing various kinds of trading. So there were a large number of um Jewish folks already living there in the
24:49
various places. Um it uh you know if you're a real history buff this is where the Manowans were way back but um you know that not
25:00
particularly relevant to this other than that it has always been sort of in the middle of the highways around the Mediterranean is a great place for people to stop and do various things. So yes, I think you're right to highlight
25:11
um what we saw of him earlier that he was among those who had initially been brought to the council in Jerusalem to deal with the Judaizing. That's part of what's in view here is Paul is saying
25:23
I'm counting on you to do as we have already done and not allow this to take root. I saw Abe first and then come back
26:03
That's that's a reasonable point. I suppose the reason I bring it up is because I don't know of any other place where Paul brings up a phrase saying they're all liars and this is true.
26:18
Corinthians, yeah, I mean Corinth certainly had its problems. all these people. But yeah, I don't know why he singles them out, but I would say that about any of these
26:31
I I guess that it's reasonable enough that every place has its um issues and and unbelievers everywhere are unbeliever unbelievers in various forms. It seems to be particular to Paul here
26:42
that he he needs to mention to Titus or feels compelled anyways to to write to Titus um that there is a particular problem of of lying and deceit here in
26:53
in the creation. I saw Chuck first and then we'll come back. If opposing the Judaizers was a primary function that is primary duties of
27:13
I guess I raised the point because most people in modern evangelical see an elder congregation is an option. If you have this opened set in order
27:26
and then you have elders two separate things. Then what do you fill this box with general assemblies? general assemblies? You know, you fill it with other things
27:37
that are really your own imagination. There's no no detail given as to what said in order. But if you look at what needs to be said in order
27:48
and then you look at the description of the elder that is that is their I think that's why pushing that I
28:00
believe they're synonymous terms. Okay. Um I appreciate you you bringing that out. I I don't disagree at all that um the overseer and and the reason why so
28:12
much of the letter of Titus deals with the overseer is because it is important to Paul that this be set correctly um in order to combat those things. Abigail, you had your hand up. Yeah. Just to A's point, I think it's
28:23
true that
29:05
That's right. Yeah. Epimenities is the one that that at least as I can read
29:17
right? Yeah. Again, I I I suppose I bring it up just to your point to to address what Paul himself will say here. Um but I don't wanna I don't want to jump all the way down there necessarily. I think the the opposition to the Judaizers is a key thing that's
29:29
happening here. And I do agree that uh as as Chuck points out, the appointing of um overseers was missing here. Um
29:39
that that that's why he's asking Titus to do all of these things. He will tell him at the end of of the letter to come join him in a particular place once he's done this. So I do want to to to address
29:51
this specific question here. Um, and I will say just since we've we've now used both words, we have a couple of different words. And
30:02
sorry, I got too many thoughts. I want to back up slightly to the point you said. Um, said. Um, many congregations today don't or view elder congregations as optional. I don't
30:13
think that's an issue here. So, I'm not going to necessarily address that in in the whole the idea we have an elder church. We have had an elder church for
30:24
I don't know how many years now. That has been our policy and we find that here in scripture. Um it has been a while for me and I apparently I got the one that has the sticker like welded on.
30:36
So um but there are a few more of these back in the library. Um many years ago we went through Alexander Strauss's biblical eldership. He's very thorough, very even-handed. I highly recommend it
30:47
if you haven't read it or it's been a while. Um, so I don't necessarily want to go into things that I don't think we're struggling with, but I do want to be
30:57
clear since we're here, this is a place where we find doctrine of eldership, and I want to talk about it. So, we've used these two words now. And
31:11
um, despite the fact that he will tell us in Timothy not to get into disputes about words, I don't think we're going to be in a dispute. But this is one of those things where people dispute these words or what they mean.
31:25
Overseer and elder. Um, again from the Greek, elder is just the same way. We don't, it's an archaic form in English. Now, I don't normally say my elder brother, but that's all that means is literally in the Greek. It's just those older. It has all the same connotations
31:38
of that that we would think of. even to the point where he says um you know in Timothy he says don't let anyone despise you on account of your youth. It's not that you had to be above a certain age to be an elder. It was the idea of those
31:50
who had experience in a thing were able to communicate. It's exactly the same roots of words and the same thing is used in the Septuagent all the places you read in the Old Testament of the
32:01
elders of the people all of those things. So unless there's a particular upset or question about that, that word elder is used that way. The reason why some people get wound up about it, um,
32:14
you get your, um, pressery. Yeah, presbes.
32:26
Yeah, presbes. You get some of your words for that come out of out of transliterating the Greek here. We're going to follow what we read here in scripture. And if you have a question
32:36
as we go along, by all means, ask me the question. The other one that you come here is uh overseer. And this just it it kind of comes from the two pieces of the Greek. Um and I
32:49
again, we didn't do this intentionally. I that's going to be in first Peter 5 this morning where this word comes up again. As does elder, right?
32:59
Peter makes up another word. fellow. Fellow elder. Yeah. Co co-elder or something. Yeah. something. Yeah. Okay. So, Okay. So, um th this one is very literally again
33:12
in the Greek comes from these things. Your prefix here is is epi which has to do with like um touching or or connected to and seeing literally intently looking
33:24
is your other root there. So it's it's literally just the same way we there's nothing special about these other than that we have built up uh a couple of millennia of church arguments about
33:34
them. These words mean what they mean in a in a fairly transparent way. Elder and overseer. Now we will see what Paul is doing with them and how he communicates
33:45
them, what he wants us to see with them. Um and I will say right now that I see these words as synonymous. Um, as we go forward, let me know if you want to
33:55
argue that point, but I think elder and overseer are used basically interchangeably. Are they synonymous in that they have the same meaning or are they synonymous
34:06
because they refer to the same? The second one. They refer to the same people. They refer to the same people. I
34:16
my own title and the overseer is really the function again the same people. Yeah. But it helps explain what they do.
34:28
Okay. I don't object to that title and function. Um now you know you could think of this more as you know if you like maybe the
34:39
honorific and when this is used is is in terms of what they're doing. Um Paul will use this several times in both here and Timothy and a couple other places that an overseer must be. I mean he says
34:51
it right here. So it might be useful to just get Yes. Sorry. Sorry, I didn't put the other your
35:04
scopas. Um, yes, you will see some translations put bishop in here. Um, not any of the modern ones, but if you know you're a Dewey res kind of person, you find bishop in here. Not that any of us
35:15
should be. Um, but yes, you're right. Episcopal and um, you know, all of the things that things that I can't talk and write at the same time,
35:28
those all come from this. So, okay. Um, which brings us to the question. And unfortunately, uh, we probably shouldn't
35:39
open this question with five minutes to go, but I'm going to open the question with five minutes to go and we'll see where we get. And if we pick back up here next time, then we pick back up here next time. Um, the question now
35:49
comes to us, how does one get to be an elder or overseer? Because we read right here in this verse, Paul says, go around and appoint in every city. Um, by the way, by some counts, Cree had about a
36:01
hundred major cities. So, he had a lot of work to do. Um, but he says a point in every city. Now, the question here, and this is actually not the only place
36:13
we read this, um, idea of appointing. We just talked about who Titus was and what his authority was to do these things. He here has a direct
36:24
license uh if you like from Paul or even command to go and do these things. We also read um in Acts um chapter 14
36:55
Yeah. So, near the end of um Acts chapter 14. Oh, where did we pick up? So, I'm going to pick up in verse 21. And he says, "After they had preached the gospel to
37:05
that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, saying, "Through many
37:15
tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God." And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them all to the Lord in whom they had believed, and they passed on. And it it
37:26
goes on to describe to us some of their continuing journey there as they worked their way back along. So um you read a couple of places where this idea that the the evangelist in particular who
37:38
visited th that place or founded those churches appointed an elder which brings you to the question of once that evangelist is gone or the church succeeds another generation who's in
37:50
charge how does the elder come to be the unfortunate thing is that for the most part at least as far as I can find and read there is not a clear instruction in
38:00
terms of how This succession happens in terms of who is who is appointing or how do the elders come to be from there. The description of an elder his function his
38:11
work who he should be how he should do that work is very very clear. I think even Stra near the end of his book I think it's his 14th chapter where he
38:21
gets to the idea of appointing elders looks at some of these things and suggests that there is not an outright clear description of this. Some people and and Stra brings this up. Some people
38:32
will take you to Acts chapter 6, okay? Where and this is the uh classic passage for the foundation of the
38:44
deacon, which is not synonymous with an elder, but we'll talk about that in just a second. Acts chapter 6, it says, "At this time, the disciples were increasing in number.
38:55
A complaint arose on the part of the Henistic Jews against the native Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving. So the 12 summoned this congregation to the disciples and said, "It is not desirable
39:07
for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in
39:17
charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Okay. It then goes on to say that they it found approval with the congregation and
39:28
they chose and then names these folks. Now that is not the same as an elder. Those are the deacons. There are those who feel that this is analogous and that
39:39
this ought to be given to the congregation. I will tell you what I think what I see here. Um, here. Um, we read in 1 Timothy chapter 5 the idea
39:49
that the elders are those who rule, those who have the governance of a congregation. If you have a person who has all of the qualifications that we read of of the elders, which I know I'm
40:01
doing this slightly back to front because this is where it lands in Titus and I'm trying to follow the passages. After we have seen all of these qualifications, if you have a person who is able to lead well, a person who is
40:12
well-versed in the scripture, full of the Holy Spirit, knowledgeable, um he even says here in Titus, steward in God's house, and you don't involve that person in choosing the succession of who
40:25
should be next to lead, I don't see that that's wisdom at all. And that is effectively what Strak says in his book that those who are guiding
40:36
and leading and leading the church, why would you not have them guide and lead the choice of who comes next? Ariel, next? Ariel, you see a pattern just
41:06
the the answer is only sort of because there's so few places where it's referred to that I have a hard time describing it as a pattern. Um in his book Stra actually examines that a
41:17
little bit and says that it seems to him in some places that uh not having an elder is not necessary or having an elder is not necessary to be counted a
41:27
church in the view of the way that the wording is used that there are places it says they appointed elders in every church that it seems like the congregations had formed they were
41:38
coalesing around the word and as Paul came back through he said there's a nucleus here big enough for me to say I'm appointing an elder. The places that we've read are effectively the only places that I see
41:50
other than in Timothy where he tells him also to appoint. So I have a hard time describing it as a pattern because there's so few data points. Does that make sense? Jenny, you had your hand up.
42:20
So, that's a a reasonable point. And again, we we'll probably need to do more of this next time. Most of these places came out of places that had a large Jewish population already had a synagogue and Paul
42:30
frequently was converting large numbers of people out of the synagogue who already had a community there where you could tell who was leadership in various ways. also the Jewish community even in
42:42
the diaspora as far as we can read followed the pattern that we read um it's not exact but the pattern that gets laid down even in the old testament the idea that there are elders in charge of
42:53
various groups who then meet together to administer the the group or the the people together people together out of whom frequently one of them would become the elder a lot of that is
43:05
inference though because we don't read a ton of description so this is where I'm trying to be careful because the idea that you go well this person was already a leader therefore he becomes the elder
43:17
only by inference where we see that that's probably logical in places it's not described that way in detail you had complicates the issue
43:49
Yeah, it is ultimately God who sets the elders. There's some interesting wording that I think we're going to look at also in um I think it's in second Timothy where he connects some of the idea of laying on hands to some of this um that
44:01
something is communicated there. We'll get into it. We're running out of time for this morning. So, um, Elely, you had a thought. Yes.
44:28
One guy for this church, one guy from this church. this church. No. So I I that one I can speak to because um unlike the word appointment, we actually find in a number of places the pattern is quite clear that it is multiple elders per church. Even the
44:40
Greek wording here is elders plural, church singular. So the idea that every church gets several elders not described how many or ratio or anything like that, but that is actually very clear in all
44:52
of the places that we read. Um even some of the places where appointment is not there. We read of Paul summoning the elders from various it says summoned the elders from the church at Ephesus for
45:04
example. You know the idea that each of those places had multiple elders is is quite clear um in the wording. So what I would suggest here is um we need to
45:15
close for this morning so that we're not beyond time. We're going to pick back up with some of this question here. But I would also encourage you in your own readings this week if you have time to uh look at some of these things, read
45:26
some of these things so we can continue the discussion when we come back uh next Sunday morning. But let's close in a word of prayer.
45:37
Father, we do thank you for your word. We thank you for granting to us overseers who overseers who earnestly desire the good of the flock and the health of the body. We ask that you would help us all as we read the
45:49
word and that the elders as they teach it to us that we would receive it in that same spirit that we share with one another. I do ask now as we turn our attention to
46:01
to gathering around the praise and prayer and listening to the word preached that you would be with us and among us that we would be knitted
46:11
together in that bond of love but also that you would grant a greater grace to Mark as he stands to preach that your word would have its work and that we might be thoroughly blessed by it to
46:22
receive it equipped for the work of ministry. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.