Provide Counsel to Those Over Them
“King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, ‘How do you counsel me to answer this people?’ Then they spoke to him, saying, ‘If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.’ But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.” (1 Kings 12:6)
The book of Acts describes the authority structure in the church as, “the apostles, the elders, and the brethren.” (Acts 15:23 NKJV) While the subject of apostles is beyond the scope of this article, it is important to note that the main ministry of apostles is to “devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4) More than apostles, elders tend to be more directly involved in the lives of those entrusted to them. Because of their association with the people of God, they tend to have greater insight to the condition of the flock and the needs of the people. This insight can prove to be a valuable asset to the principle ministries leading or overseeing a church. They are uniquely qualified to provide counsel as to the needs of the people and how people are being affected by the ministries within the church.
At the reunion of Jacob and Esau, Esau offered to let his men lead and escort Jacob's sons, wives, and livestock back home. Jacob turned down the offer, saying, “But he said to him, ‘My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds which are nursing are a care to me. And if they are driven hard one day, all the flocks will die.’” (Genesis 33:13) Jacob reminded Esau of the needs of his flock. He was concerned for their health and well being. In the same way, elders should look out for the needs of the people. Their voice should be the voice of the people. They should be the eyes and ears of the apostolic ministry among the people. Together, elders and apostles can prove to be a dynamic team to shepherd and care for the people of God.
David Robison
Greetings from Tennessee, brother. Good words, today. Glad to have lit upon your blog, brother.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that there are a number of old and new testament texts such as this one which reveal what the scriptures mean by elder. It's so simple that most miss it. I did, too, until I read in FF Bruce's commentary on Acts where elders and brothers was better translated as elder brothers. Whoa.
1 Peter 5 is one such passage. After exhorting the elders to be shepherds, the apostle immediately enjoins the "younger ones" with a "likewise."
Have you given this any thought? Could elder really mean elder? If elder no longer menat what it meant in King Rehoboam's day, surely this would have been documented over and over.
Thanks for your comments. I do think that we often do miss the fact that they were called elders because they were in fact elder. Today we see a number of young men, with young children, in church leadership. I think that the church in general often forgets that these men cannot devote the same amount of time to leading the church as an elder brother might. In the case of an elder brother, especially if they don't have children at home, they can devote more time to leading, counseling, and shepherding, however a younger "elder" needs to spend more time with his family. I think it would be well for the church to remember this and to not place a huge burden on younger "elders".
ReplyDeletehi im mark ,when it comes to home vistations ,how offen should elders visit to watch over there sheep to make sure the wolfs dont try to get a foot in the door,an just visit an learn one another .question 2,, should elders keep an eye on those on who are dating ,at times christains will date or marry a non christain which is not a good thing to do it can be trouble.should a elders try to talk this peron out of dating a nonchristain.thanks mark
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. Honestly, I do not believe that it is the responsibility of the elders to perform visitations, this is the responsibility of the brethren. It is the brethren who should live in relational connection with others that they may care and look out for one another. When this is joined with a submission with each other than care is given to all. I hope this helps. David
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