Character Qualifications for Elders

Transcript

GR 746
9/10/1986
Character Qualification for Elders
Titus 1:7-9
Gil Rugh

The Book of Titus in your Bibles. Paul's letter to Titus and the 1st chapter. Paul's concern in the Book of Titus is godliness or good deeds. How we live our lives as believers. He opens this letter by focusing attention on the appointment of godly leaders in the churches on the island of Crete. Key to godly churches is godly leaders. So Titus has the responsibility entrusted to him to appoint elders, overseers or pastors--all three of those names referring to the same position or person--to oversee or shepherd the flock of God. He is now discussing the qualifications of these men. How do you know the men that God has selected and appointed for these key responsibilities?
Acts 20:28 says the Holy Spirit appoints the elders. How do I recognize those that the Holy Spirit has appointed? One of the key ways is to look at the qualifications that God has set down and measure, then, the men that we have in light of those qualifications.
We began with a family qualification in v. 6. The elder, if he is a married man, must be devoted to his wife. He must be a man of one woman or a one-woman man literally. We noted that does not mean that he has to be married, but the general practice will be that men will be married. So the elders, for the most part, will be married men. They must be devoted to their wives. There should be no question about that relationship or the loyalty in that relationship of that man to his wife. If there are children who are older, those children must be believers. The negative? They cannot be accused of dissipation or rebellion. Another indication that they are older children that are being talked about and evaluated here. One, they have to be old enough to understand and respond to the Gospel. Two, they are old enough to get involved in the kind of conduct and activities that would be characterized as dissipation and rebellion. So, a responsibility of the elder is to be ruling his home. Paul talks about this in some detail in 1 Timothy chapter 3, where there he says the elder must be ruling well his own home, otherwise he cannot take care of the church of God.

Now he continues this theme in v. 7 by repeating the point that the elder must be above reproach. He began by saying in v. 6 that if any man be above reproach. Now he says the overseer, in v. 7, must be above reproach. He is repeating, but he is establishing more clearly the reason the elder must meet these qualifications. Why must he be in control of his family and devoted to his wife? Well, the "For" connects to that. "For the overseer," the word bishop here. Same word, though, as the elder. "For the overseer must be above reproach." There can be no questions in his life, no areas that can be called to question or that he could be accused of being out of line with God's Word. He must be above reproach. You know why? He is God's steward. He must be above reproach as God's steward, and there's the key as to why it is so important that a man meet these qualifications if he is to be an elder or a leader of God's people. He is God's steward. Now a steward is a manager of a household. And the word 'steward' is a compound word. It is the word 'house' and the word 'law.' House-law. And a steward was a house manager. He might be a slave, and this slave is given the position of responsibility of managing the affairs of this household. A position of great responsibility and great accountability. And God says that the overseer, the elder, is the manager of His household. We'll see in a moment that His household is a reference to His local church. The church is God's house or God's household. Now He is appointing those who will manage His house, oversee and manage the affairs of His household.

This is why in 1 Timothy 3 He says the elder has to rule well his own house. Because he is going to be ruling or managing God's house. Now this picture of a steward is a favorite one of Paul. He uses it a number of times in different letters. He uses it in Ephesians, First Corinthians, Colossians, to refer to the responsible position of believers as those entrusted by God with the responsibility of service. And they are responsible to carry out that service faithfully. Look back to First Corinthians chapter 4. We won't look at all of them, but just a couple.

First Corinthians chapter 4, Paul writing in v. 1, "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." As a servant of God he has been entrusted with the responsibility to care for, manage, and dispense the revelation that God has given. "In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy." You note here, a key responsibility in stewardship is being trustworthy. Someone who is reliable, dependable, will carry out his responsibility faithfully. So the elder as God's steward must carry out his stewardship in a trustworthy and faithful manner.

Over in chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians, Paul referring to his responsibility in preaching the Gospel. He says in v. 16, "For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." Then note v. 17, "For if I do this voluntarily, I have a rewards; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me." I want you to note here, there is a binding obligation attached to stewardship. You see what Paul says? If I want to preach the gospel, that's wonderful and I'll be rewarded for it. But you know what? Even if I don't want to, even if I don't feel like it, I still have to do it because God has entrusted that responsibility to me. That helps simplify my life as a servant of Jesus Christ. Some Christians get all tied in knots because they're wrestling with whether they feel like this, whether I really want to serve in this way. You know what Paul says? I do it if I want to and I do it if I don't want to. You know why? God has entrusted a responsibility to me. And it doesn't matter whether I want to or I don't want to. All that matters is, a responsibility has been entrusted to me and I have to carry it out faithfully, in a trustworthy manner. That must characterize the ministry and service of elders.

Look over in Colossians chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, v. 25, again Paul writes: "Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit." Again, you see how Paul saw his life and ministry? It's a responsibility given to him by God. So he was driven by that desire to be faithful and trustworthy with what God had given him. That must characterize the elder and their role, but it must characterize every one of us as believers as well. As those gifted by God as members of His body. It's not your option to function; it's not my option to serve. That's a stewardship entrusted for which we will be held accountable.

Now Paul is saying the elders have been given this stewardship responsibility of managing or ruling God's house. For that, they must be above reproach, no question about their life or conduct that would bring them into disrepute. Because if they are brought into disrepute and dishonor, that will cast a shadow over God's house as well. And we see what happens. What happens when a pastor or a preacher gets involved in moral problems? What does that do to the reputation of the church? You can see the importance of the elders. If there is a man who is an elder in the church who has a business and he conducts his business with shady financial dealings, what does that do to the reputation of the church where he serves as an elder? God is concerned about the managing of His household and those who have that responsibility.

Come back to Titus 1. Again, a reminder that we've looked at in earlier studies, since it's God's house, it has to be managed God's way. And it doesn't really matter what you think; it doesn't really matter what I think. All that matters is what God says.

So he goes on now to some of the details of these various qualifications. And be careful, any time you have a list, it's easy to just read the list. We have to be careful. I have to evaluate myself in each of these areas. Not all of us are going to be elders, but all of us are to be growing in godliness. So these qualities ought to characterize us. So I have to look--here's one I may be a little deficient in. That's an area I need to work on.

The first one is, "not self-willed." Not self-willed. Literally it means 'pleasing himself.' And this is basically a person who is self-centered. Who makes his decisions on the basis of himself only. He doesn't really care what others think. He doesn't really care what anybody else's opinion is. All he wants to do is whatever he likes. He's a selfish person, a self-willed person whose goal is to please himself. Well, obviously, if you're going to manage God's house, you have to do it to please Him for the good of God's people. Then how can a man who is self-centered motivated only by what gives him pleasure administer God's house in a way that pleases God? He can't. "Not self-willed."

Now you're going to note as we move through this--I want to observe it here and I'll comment on it further as we go along--you can only observe a certain part of this. You don't really know what goes on in my heart. Timothy could not look into the heart of the men on the island of Crete. So he could only look at the manifestation of their life and their conduct. That does not mean the heart is not important, but sooner or later what's in the heart manifests itself in the way you live and in what you do. So we can only act on what is visible. So that recognition. We don't have any more difficulty with this than Titus would have had. He had to deal with what he could see in men's lives.

The second thing he mentioned in this particular list is "not quick tempered." He can't be a person who doesn't have his anger or passion under control. This person must have himself under control. This idea of self-control is going to come out a number of times in the things that he mentions. And more so if you go into the list in 1 Timothy as well and put the two lists—1 Timothy 3 and Titus l--together. This cannot be a person who has his anger out of control, who loses his temper easily. Now I want you to note here. Some people think mature Christians have to be vegetables. No feelings, no passion. They're just blah-ah-ah. That's not what he's talking about. You know Paul does write to the Ephesians and tells them to be angry; he also warns them 'but don't sin.' There's nothing wrong with anger but it has to be channeled. I have to have myself under control. I may be angry with sin. God is angry with the wicked every day. But a person who loses his temper, does not have his passions under control is not qualified to be an elder.

Now some of these things, as you'll note, will be more manifest in the home than they would in the church. We don't have too many people who fly off the handle in the foyer on Sunday morning. But some people have all they can do to contain it until they get home after the service. So this has to be a person who is under control and not quick tempered. Just jot down James 1:19,20. "Be slow to speak and slow to anger." Now note the reason. "For the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." Be slow to anger. A quick tempered man is not achieving God's purposes in bringing about righteousness.

A third one, "not addicted to wine." Now some of these we say, Well, it seems rather obvious; you don't want a drunk to be on the board. Well, I know some pastors who are drunks. I sat with and listened to a man who is a well known speaker talk about how there was an evangelist, and I don't remember his name so I'm not trying to hide his name, but he said they used to put him in a tub of cold water to sober him up before he went out to preach. Man's not qualified. Now it means 'being drunk' or over indulging. This does not say he cannot have a glass of wine. The point here is drunkenness, overindulgence. Paul will encourage Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach's sake. Here he is talking about overindulging. The issue of whether an elder ought to drink or not has to be resolved in other questions. In this local church, one of the things we ask of elders is that they not indulge in liquor of any kind, wine, even socially or in moderation. We do that because of certain other passages dealing with Christian liberty like Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 10, where it's different issue. But here, he's dealing with the fact there can be no question about whether he has his drinking under control or whether he overindulges in that.

The next one is a good one: "not pugnacious." Isn't that an ugly little word! Pugnacious! It's one of those words that gives you the feeling when you say it of the kind of person you're talking about. The word literally is "not a striker." And it refers to the sort of person who resorts to physical violence under pressure. Some people, the way they strike out. Some men are like this in their homes. They lose their temper; they strike out. Elder can't be in danger of that. Hard to think, what kind of board meetings would you have if you were afraid that the man sitting next to you was going to haul off and poke you? Interesting. In one of the early writings of the church, it was set down (which indicates there must have been a problem) that any elder who physically a member of his congregation was disqualified from office. So, it's here as a reminder! If Don ever punches you in the nose, come tell me. Better you than me

"Not pugnacious." The next one is one that gives us some difficulty. "Not fond of sordid gain." Living in affluence we struggle with. What does it mean 'not to be fond of sordid gain'? The Bible puts no particular premium on being poor. It puts no particular premium on being rich. It does tell us that we ought to learn to be content in whatever condition we are. But what does it mean not to be fond of sordid gain? I take it, very simply we're talking about there ought to be no question in his financial dealings. The financial area of his life. There ought not to be questions about the way he runs his business financially. He ought not to be charged with income tax evasion. The way he handles his money ought to be above board. He ought not to be a person you look at and have questions whether, boy, he seems like he might be motivated by greed. Now again, you can't see what my heart is. You can't look into my heart. So you can only deal with external manifestations and that's true in any church at any time. It was true of Paul as well. But we can also recognize, and there are people we have concern about, it seems they are driven by a desire to have. Material things have an important and almost supreme place in their life. That kind of man is not qualified for an elder. Now the particular context of concern is, men who would want to use their position as elder to make money. Greed motivates them. This was going on in Crete. Look down in v. 11. As he talks about rebellious men, false teachers, he says in v. 11 they must be silenced "because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach, for the sake of sordid gain." Illicit gain, wrongful gain. They are twisting and distorting the Word of God to get money. So this is why the warning here. Elders, as we'll see, are to be leaders and teachers. They have to be careful that a man doesn't become an elder who would be willing to adjust his teaching and twist the Word of God because it would please people.

Look over in 1 Timothy chapter 6. First Timothy chapter 6, v. 5. Again, Paul is warning about false teachers in v. 3, "If any one advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing." Down to v. 5, People of "constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." These false teachers were into godliness, if you will, because they saw it as a way to get rich, to make money. Peter warned the elders in 1 Peter chapter 5 not to take that responsibility because they wanted the money. Strong warning. That pressure is there. Remember a pastor back in the East that our family visited with that was challenged regarding his preaching as he claimed to be a believer in Jesus Christ and a believer in the Word of God. An older man. When we challenged him on why he did not preach the truth of the Word of God he said very simply, I'm an older man; all my pension money is wrapped up in this denomination. If I begin to preach that, I'll begin to lose everything. He had begun to corrupt the Word of God for a means of gain, for the ^purpose of gain. You know, that pressure is always there. It's already building for me. Some of you have been looking ahead into Titus chapter 2--when we get to Titus chapter 2, we're going to have to talk a little bit about the role of women. And some are saying "Oh no, he's not going to talk about the role of women again." And quite frankly, I'm in my study saying "Oh Lord, I'm not going to talk about the role of women again."But, the question is, when I come to a passage, will I teach what I believe the Word of God says or will I try to make adjustments? Because if I preach something you don't like, you might leave and go to another church. And if you leave and go to another church, the offerings might go down. And if the offerings go down, they might start paying me less. So subtly I look for ways to say what you'll like because subtly that means I'll get more. Because don't preachers of big churches make more than preachers of little churches? Don't know I have to do a study on that one of these days. The subtle pressure is there. So as we look for men for this responsibility, we have to look as much as we can. Doesn't mean some men won't have things. Just because a man has much affluence doesn't mean he isn't qualified to be an elder. But if he pursues gain in the wrong sense and in the wrong sense, that's the guideline.

You know, it's not wrong for an elder to be paid. If they weren't paying elders, there wouldn't be any need to talk about the kind of money they were going to make. In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, v. 14, Paul says that it's God's plan that those who preach the Word live of the Word. In other words, they make a living by preaching. That's God's plan. In 1 Cor. 5:17 they say those who labor in the word of doctrine should be paid doubly. So there is going to be financial reimbursement there. We have to be careful, then, that it's not abused and misused, and it goes on in an abundance of ways today. Men who are distorting and corrupting the Word of God. Tickling people's ears and getting rich in the process.

In v. 8 Paul turns to a series! of positive things. V. 7 was negative. These are the things an elder cannot be. But here is what an elder or a prospective elder must be: "he must be hospitable," a word that literally means 'a lover of strangers.' In biblical times, preachers, evangelists, the apostles, as they travelled were dependent upon the hospitality of believers to put them up for the night. The inns were notorious for their immorality and unsatisfactory conditions. So opportunity for believers to open their homes and care for these traveling preachers. That's why First John warns you don't open your home up to false preachers and teachers to enable them to carry on their ministry. Now for us today, I take it being hospitable includes all the things that we think of. People opening their homes, being willing to use their resources, being friendly and kind and loving to other believers. So there are a variety of things to be included here. You ought to jot down 1 Peter 4:9, because 1 Peter 4:9 says "be hospitable to one another without complaint." We have to be careful here. Oh I do it, but I do it grudgingly. Doesn't count. I must be joyfully hospitable. That doesn't mean everybody's going to do the same thing so I'm going to sit down and if a man and his family had people in their home 2 days a week he's qualified; but this one only had them one day. Or they served a full dinner and they only gave ... We know about those kinds of things. We know what we're talking about when we talk about being hospitable. A friendly person, a person who is willing to make you welcome. That's the kind of man an elder ought to be.

"Loving what is good" is a broad one, and I take it intentionally so. The elder ought to be identified and devoted to those things which are profitable, worthwhile and beneficial. You know, some men delight in living their lives in gray areas. I think the only time they come to the Word is to find out if this is a gray area; and once they find out it is, that's what they want to do. Well, elders can't live their lives in gray areas. They have to be characterized by what is good, worthwhile, beneficial, profitable as a believer. Those are the things which are to characterize an elder, to characterize me. Devoted to what is good.

The next one is one of the most important for the churches at Crete. It's mentioned most often in Paul's letter here. "Sensible." And I like this word. It means a person who uses sound judgment. We use the expression "level headed." This is a person who uses his head. Sometimes with our young people they'll do something and we'll say, I expect you to use your head. Well, this is a person who uses his head. A reliable, dependable person. A person you'd come to for advice because you respect his judgment. He's not swayed by impulses. He's not up and down. He has the ability to evaluate and make a determined decision. That's the kind of person you'd want advice from. When you're going to make a decision you say, I'd like to know what he thinks about it. You respect his judgment. Interesting. This word is used in the Gospels as a person who comes back to his senses, to be put in their right mind. Look back in Luke chapter 8.

In Luke chapter 8, Christ has cast out the demons from the demoniac at Gerasene, and down in v. 35 of Luke 8: "The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." That's the word translated "sensible" in Titus 1. So this man had at least one of the qualifications for being an elder. He was in his right mind. That's what we're talking about for an elder. This man is in his right mind. Balanced, sober, sound judgment.

Look over in Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, v. 3, "For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment." For the word 'sound judgment' it's the same as the word 'sensible' as we have in Titus 1. If I am thinking incorrectly about myself, if I think more highly of myself than I should, I'm not thinking with sound judgment. Comes from proper evaluation. That's the kind of person we're talking about.

Look in Titus how Paul uses this. We see v. 1 where it's used as a qualification of an elder. Over in chapter 2, v. 2, "Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible"--there's our word. The older men are to have sound judgment. Look down in v. 5 where the older women are to teach the younger women, v. 5, "to be sensible," or use sound judgment. V. 6, "Likewise urge the young men to be sensible." Down in v. 12, "The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly." The world doesn't live this way. The world doesn't live evaluating its decisions on the basis of God's revelation. We, older men, older women, younger men, younger women, in light of the grace of God that has come to us, are to be making sound, biblical decisions. That's one of the qualifications to have a responsible position of leadership. Isn't that the kind of person you'd want managing your house? If you were going to entrust all of your household affairs, you'd want a person who has good sound judgment, wouldn’t you? Well, that's the way it is in God's household as well.

Back in Titus 1. These last three go together, "just, devout, self-controlled." Just, referring to our responsibility to one another as believers. Devout, emphasizing my relationship and responsibility to God. And self-controlled, denoting my responsibility to myself. Just has to do with conduct that conforms to the standard. Righteous is the same word, translated just or righteous. It conforms to God's standard. My dealings with other people are in line with what God has set down in His Word is what is being said. Something is just or right when it conforms to the standard. God is the standard; His revelation. My relationship with other people ought to conform to God's standard. There ought to be no questions in my dealings with other people.

Devout. A word that can be translated and is in some versions, holiness. Emphasizes personal godliness. Again, you don't see my heart. But over time I will only be able to keep up my facade so long. It begins to crumble. So people who think they're so pious by tucking their Bible under their arm, walking along. Well, you don't have to be around them very long to know they don't know anything about it, and they're not very submissive to it. Devoutness, godliness. One commentator said: this is the man who is at home with God. There are people, there are men here in this context that you recognize they are comfortable in their relationship with God. You're comfortable in their relationship with God. Godliness characterizes them.

The last one, self-controlled. This concept is important. It's related to a number of the ideas mentioned here. This is a person who has power over himself. Now, don't get lost here. There is a wrong sense of self and there is a right sense. This is the right sense. Where I have my body, my passions, my desires under control. I'm in control. We tell our young people as they're growing up,
You have to control yourself. You can't just do what you want or what you feel like doing. But you know, some of us get to adulthood and still don't have ourselves under control. We're still controlled by our feelings and our passions, desires. But the mark of a mature person is, he has those under control.

Paul evidenced this quality. Turn back to 1 Corinthians chapter 9. First Corinthians chapter 9. It's not necessarily easy. Paul's using some athletic metaphors, and in v. 25 of 1 Cor. 9, he says "And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control." There's our word. It's not the same word, but it's a related word. Self-control. When you're in an athletic event, you have to exercise self-control. "They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I boxi in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." He says, In athletic events the world's athletes use self-control to discipline their bodies, to accomplish the goal. He says, I have a far greater goal, so far greater motivation to discipline my body and keep it under control. When he says "I buffet my body, the word 'to buffet' comes from an express that meant 'to hit under the eyes with the fists' and you know what happens when someone's been hit under the eyes with a fist, they turn black and blue. The expression means literally to beat black and blue. And Paul says "I beat my body black and blue and bring it into subjection." That's encouraging to me. Paul, just like we saw earlier in chapter 9 in our study, had to preach the Gospel--when he wanted to and when he didn't want to. Some day after a hard day of making tents, he didn't want to go out and preach the gospel and teach the Word. His body said, I'm just going to prop up here. Paul says, Like fun you are. (Wham!) And his body rolled out. Why? Paul says I decide what my body's going to do. You think Paul didn't have lustful desires? The flesh didn't work in Paul? But Paul decided what his body was going to do in light of what God had called Paul to do. So as mature believers, as one who is called to be an elder, you must have your body under control.

Now you ought to note something here. Just jot it down, Galatians 5:23. The fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control. You don't do this by psyching yourself up. It's not the kind of self-control God's looking for. He's looking for a person who has himself under control because he has submitted himself to the Spirit of God and is drawing upon the power that the Spirit gives him to lead a life disciplined according to the Word of God. So that's the key, and the key in all of these areas, for that matter; that we're living lives filled with the Spirit, controlled and dominated by the Spirit of God. So my body is under control. My body is not telling me; I'm telling my body. Doesn't matter whether I felt like preaching today or not. I told my body what it had to do today. Doesn't matter whether I felt like studying this week or not. I tell my body what it has to do. Doesn't matter that my body has a craving for this or that. It's not in accord with what the Word of God sets down for me as godliness, so I don't allow my body to have it or do it. The Spirit of God, I take it, gives us the power to do that. Mature men who are to be elders are to have themselves under control. Come back to Titus 1. There's one more qualification that Paul mentions here, and he elaborates on it because it's of crucial importance because it carries us into the realm of duty or responsibility of the elder. We noted in our early part of our studies that the elder or overseer is given the responsibility of leadership or ruling the body, the church, the household of God. He is also given the responsibility of teaching or feeding the people of God. And that's what Paul now zeroes in on in v. 9. The qualification of being committed to the Word of God so that he can teach and defend the Word of God.

"Holding fast the faithful word." The elder, or the man who would be an elder, must have a firm unshakeable commitment to the Bible as the reliable, trustworthy Word of God. That's what he means when he says "holding fast." It means to have a firm, unshakable grip on something. And the grip is on the faithful word. A concept here, the reliable word, the trustworthy word. There is no question or no wavering. I believe this is God's Word in its entirety. I am unshakable in my commitment to the Bible from Genesis to Revelation as God's Word, totally trustworthy, totally reliable. That commitment is a requirement of a man who is to be an elder. That requirement alone would rule out many men in the pulpits around the world today. That commitment to the Bible as the revelation of God. He says "the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching." Now remember, Titus did not have a completed New Testament. He was just getting a letter in the mail, so to speak, from Paul. He couldn't turn in his Bible and say, just after 1 and 2nd Timothy look at Titus. So what he had to measure by is the faithful word, that is the word that is in accordance with the teaching-- the teaching that Paul has given him, and the other prophets and apostles which we now have recorded as our New Testament in addition to the Old Testament. That's what you must have that firm, unshakable commitment and grip on. And there's two reasons for having this hold on the Word: you have to teach it, and you have to defend it as an elder. Number one, you have to exhort in sound teaching." Believers need to be exhorted, persuaded, taught, challenged by healthful teaching. That word 'sound' is the word 'healthy or healthful.' Sound, healthful food for the believer. Remember in 1 Peter chapter 2 Peter said, "As new born babes, long for the pure unadulterated milk of the word of God, that you might grow with respect to salvation." It is the elder's responsibility to nurture and nourish the people of God on the Word of God. How can you do that if you don't really have a commitment that it is the Word of God? You end up standing up and giving your opinions and your ideas and your thoughts. That's not what God calls elders to do. He calls them to communicate the truths of God. Amazing, on a basic, simple area like this how far we have wandered. And so we have schools, called seminaries, training men for ministry; and the position of that school is that the Bible is not the Word of God and totally reliable and trustworthy. And these men are channeled out like out of a pipeline by the devil into the pulpits of the world to undermine the work of God. That's like you saying, I've acquired a large household with many holdings, and I want to put this thief in charge of it.

And he's ready to do everything he can to steal and pilfer and to destroy my family, and I turn it over to him. Yet that's what happens in the churches when we have men who don't believe the Word of God. They say, I'm not going to do it God's way. They can't nourish the people of God on healthy teaching. So what do you end up with? Unhealthy believers. And the deterioration sets in.
There's also a second thing he has to do: "he must refute those who contradict." Again, you must have this firm hold on the Bible as trustworthy in order to be able, have the ability, to exhort and to refute. There are those who contradict, and this is what Paul is going to go into in his extended discussion of the false teachers through the rest of this chapter. There are those who oppose the Word of God. There are those who stand against the Word of God. The elder must be ready to take a stand and do battle with those individuals, to refute them. Now that doesn't mean he wins them over, but he must be willing to engage in the battle. Saying it is the Word of God. I don't have to be able to answer all their arguments, but I must stand unshakable that this is true, God says it. And you oppose it, and you're wrong! Destined for hell as a false teacher. Now this gets to be a delicate area, because there are always dear people, when I do get in and I don't do it very often--gracious man that I am-- in mentioning false teachers. Some people think it's unchristian and unloving. But you note one of the responsibilities of the elders is to refute those who contradict, to oppose those who challenge the Word of God. As an elder I don't carry out my responsibility unless I do that. Remember that Paul told the elders at Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, v. 28, that they were to be on guard for themselves and for all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Because Paul knew after his departure there would arise, even from among the flock, those who would attempt to discredit the Word of God and scatter the people of God.

Second Peter 2 speaks of this; Jude speaks of this, as well as other passages I think sometimes we as believers have lost stomachs for the battle. Do we have to do battle with the unbeliever? I mean, do we have to oppose and at least we ought to do it in nice terms? Most people wouldn't mind if I opposed false preachers and some of the false pastors that we have in this city if I didn't say unkind things about them. But we must oppose them, expose them. Look over in Acts chapter 13. Again, I'm not arguing that we shouldn't be loving, but we're dealing with those who are attacking the Word of God and attempting to undermine the Word of God, it's the responsibility of the elders to lead the way into battle Acts chapter 13 Paul is on his first missionary journey. He comes to the home of Sergius Paulus, v. 7, an intellectual man. He invites Barnabas and Paul to minister the Word of God to him. He wants to hear what God has to say. But, v. 8, "But Elymas the magician (for thus his name is translated) was opposing them." So here you have Paul and Barnabas teaching and preaching the Word of God, and here you have one who contradicts or opposes them. "Seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith." And everyone who opposes the Word of God is doing exactly that, attempting to turn people away from the truth of God and faith in Christ. Note how Paul handles it in this battle. "But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,"--1est you get any idea Paul was acting in the flesh here. He was acting under the control of the Holy Spirit. "Fixed his gaze upon him, and said, 'You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?" That's pretty direct. That would not pass the Dale Carnege course on How to Win Friends and Influence People. I dare say that many of us as believers in our attitudes towards false teaching and false teachers and have been more influenced by the culture of the day and etiquette of the day than we have by the Word of God. We're dealing with false teachers, we need to be direct. We're dealing with issues in which eternity is the issue. Heaven and hell. For this man to be attempting to turn Sergius Paulus away from the faith is to keep him from coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, which alone will keep him from an eternity in hell. And Paul should handle Elymas with kid gloves? Lest people think he wasn't kind or nice? Now again,
I'm not saying the elders ought not to be kind or ought not to be nice, but when we're dealing with those who are attacking the Word of God, there has to be a battle. Elders have to be men who are willing to stand. Dare I say they must have a stomach for the battle? Some people don't; some men don't. Then they have to follow the elders. But be careful then, that we don't criticize them for doing their job. This is the position then that is being laid out by God. Man who is going to oversee His house must manage his own house. Must evidence God's character in his own life and in his dealings with others and in the way that he handles himself. He must be a man of the Word; he must know the Word. He must have a commitment to the Word. He must be able to teach the Word, as Paul says in 1 Timothy 3. He must be able to defend the Word. All this, so what? So that the people of God can managed in the way God wants them to be managed; so that His flock or His household can be developed and built up to honor and exalt and glorify Him. Because keep in mind, it's the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. You don't belong to me. I don't belong to you. We as believers in Jesus Christ are the redeemed. We belong to Him!

What a glorious privilege. But that means I'm not free to do as I like or as I please. I'm free to do with my life as He pleases for me, the same as for you. This is not my church, in spite of what some people say. This is not your church. This is HIS church. We're privileged to be part of it. My burden is that we conduct ourselves biblically. That I as an elder in this church be a godly man, have my life submitted to the Word, willing to be used of God in your life to accomplish His purposes. That we together function that way, for then and only then will we be a people that honor and glorify the One who owns this house, who is none other than our Heavenly Father. Let's pray together.