This sermon was originally preached in 2016. This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might… appoint elders in every town as I directed you. Titus 1:5 ESV Given that appointing elders in every town was Paul's primary directive to Titus, it is troublesome that so few of us understand the biblical …
Saul the Pharisee was zealous for the LORD and taught “according to the strict manner of the law” (Acts 22:3). Thus, when a new sect appeared, worshiping a crucified Galilean as being the Son of God, Saul met the heretics head on. He gave approval and held the coats of his companions as they stoned …
Having now addressed the responsibilities and qualifications for the two offices found within the church, we now turn our attention toward the entire congregation, the church members. As with elders and deacons, we will study both the responsibilities and qualifications of being a church member. Here we will focus on church members’ three big responsibilities: …
Having observed the ordination of the first seven deacons in our previous study, we constructed a biblical portrait of what deacons’ responsibilities are in the church, namely that they are servants, ministers, and guardians of church unity. As we did with elders, we now proceed to study what the qualifications are for being a deacon. …
After discussing the responsibilities and qualifications of elders, we now move on to the second office within the church: deacons. The ideas and traditions behind the roles and responsibilities of deacons are vast, diverse, and unfortunately often unbiblical. Much of this comes from the Bible’s implicit, rather than explicit, teaching on deacons; even so, the …
In the previous study, we observed the biblical precedent and imperative for churches being led by a plurality of elders. We briefly addressed the three titles given to a pastor in the New Testament: shepherd, elder, and overseer, which over time have formally become pastor, presbyter, and bishop. Ultimately, each of the title refers to …
But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. Acts 6:4 ESV In 1 Peter 5:2-3, pastors are given three commands which correspond to their three titles: shepherd the flock (pastor), exercise oversight (overseer), and be an example to the flock (elder). Each command is a different aspect of leading …
