Good morning. Our subject this morning is on 'elders'. But it's not Billy's fault because I think I'm the one who gave the wrong steer when I mentioned last week or two weeks ago what we're going to talk about. So, we're going to look, Lord willing, this morning on the subject of 'elders'; and then next Sunday, 'deacons'; and then the following Sunday 'the priesthood of the believers'.
Would you turn with me please to your Bible to Acts 20. We'll have just a short reading here. By the way, one of the elders, before I came up here, said that I should take the full time that we need for our study. So, if I seem to go overtime, I have permission; and we'll try to hold right to our time.
I have in my little outline for this morning seven points or seven topics to cover under the subject of 'elders'. We'll try to move through them quickly without spending too much time on anyone, and we'll have to abbreviate some of these things, but at least I'll try to suggest the references so that you could study them on your own.
Now first of all a word of definition. There are two Greek words that are important here. One is the word 'presbuteros' and the other is the word 'episkopos'. Now those are Greek words that are translated respectively 'elder' and 'overseer'. So when you read in your Bible 'elder' or 'overseer', and you may read the word 'bishop' and that's just another word for 'overseer', these words all apply to the same individual - the one who is given spiritual responsibility for leadership in the local assembly.
And I think we might just take a moment and look at Acts 20 and make sure that we understand that 'elder' and 'overseer' and 'bishop' are not different individuals but that they are the same person.
Acts 20:17 says "and from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church." Paul summoned the elders of the church of Ephesus for a meeting. And then in verse 28 he says to them, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, (or bishops - same word) ..."
Let's also go to the little book of Titus please, right after 1 and 2 Timothy, ...Titus 1, and we can see the same thing is brought out in Titus 1:5 and 7. Let's just read verses 5 and 7.
So then we have at least two passages that show us that 'elder' and 'bishop' are two different words to refer to the same individual. Now, please may I say, the elder is not a spiritual gift. The elder is a position or a function in a local assembly. If you want to call it an office, it's okay; but anything to let us know that any man could conceivably be raised up to be an elder or an overseer or a bishop.
There are many terms that are tossed around in the Christian world today. It's not my purpose here to be critical or unkind, but I do think for the sake of simply being faithful to the word of God we need to remind. And also there are always young believers among us whose views of Scripture and of local church fellowship are being formed - they're in the formative years of their Christian walk. So I think that we need to remember then that such words as 'pastor' are never in scripture used to describe an office. Now many times today, unfortunately that word is being used in that way. But you never find such a thing as the office of the pastor in Scripture. In the Bible, 'pastor' is one of many spiritual gifts. And I think that it's entirely wrong that this word has been taken out of its context of a spiritual gift and has been somehow transformed into an official position in the church. There is absolutely NO Biblical warrant for the office or position of pastor in the local church. There is certainly the NEED for pastors.
But pastors, like all other spiritual gifts, are just that - they are spiritual gifts. You cannot take a young man who has been given by the Spirit of God the gift say of teacher or evangelist or some other gift, send him away to any school and cause him to be a pastor. Now you can do that in this world's terminology but you can't do it in the eyes of God. In the mind of God, God has given to each believer the spiritual gift or gifts that we should have. And therefore we would do better to seek what those are and develop them, than rather try to be something that we are not. I think this accounts for a lot of the frustration and problems that many men who "go into the ministry" face. They're trying to be something that they have not been gifted to be. And there's frustration and hurt many times.
Secondly we want to notice the number of elders. And very simply we can say in the New Testament it is ALWAYS a plurality. There are many, many, many scriptures that we could look up, but there is no scripture which shows us one man who is called the elder of the local church.
In James, James said if anyone is sick, they should call for the elders.
In Acts 11:23, Paul goes from church to church appointing elders in each church.
And right through the New Testament, in Philippians 1:1 he addresses the elders or the bishops and the deacons.
So we can simply say then there is to be a plurality of leadership in the local assembly. You'll never find a one-man ministry in any local church in scripture. And that is very important.
I think it might be helpful for us here just to take a moment and go back in our minds over some of the forms of church government, the words that we hear used, because some may have questions as to how these may have arisen. Now in the early churches, we find in the book of Acts, the early New Testament church had always had a plurality of men over one local church. And these were called elders. This pattern was maintained without any difference for perhaps the first 200 or 300 years.
And then there were those who came in and said, "Well, of all the elders one should take precedence and be the president." And he eventually became known with the title 'bishop'. And that is the formation of what we call the Episcopal form of government - one man over a number of churches.
During the time of Martin Luther in the 1500's, God used that man and John Calvin and others, and there was a mighty reformation that many of us know about. And a new wave of interest in the things of God swept through the world at that time. And there was really a turning back to God. It would have been a wonderful if they had gone back to the word of God to determine God's will for church fellowship and government. But, sad to say, they did not do it. And the result in Europe was the formation of what is called the Presbyterian form of government. This provides a number of men, a plurality of men, but they are over a plurality of churches.
Then of course we know in our own beloved country (America), a new country needs a new start, and sad to say, instead of going back to the scriptures, once again another form of church government was popularized; and this is the Congregational form of government. And many good churches follow that form of government. Personally, I think it's the most objectionable of all. Because this is the form of government that says each person gets one vote. I have many good Christian brothers and friends in this type of churches and it always surprises me that they never see the fallacy of having a person who is saved yesterday, absolutely new in the faith, have one equal vote in matters of the church with somebody who've walked with God for fifty years. It really does seem strange. But this is the way it is done and this is democracy - the rule from below coming up - the rule of the people.
Well, I don't think we want to be critical or unkind in our thoughts or remarks. We simply want to be aware of these things. But let's recognize that the Bible does not set forth any of these forms of' government for the local church. The scriptural form of government is a plurality of men over one local church. These men are called 'elders' or 'overseers'.
I suppose there are those here who might wonder why we would even need to cover a point like that. Some time ago I heard one lady, in face here in the chapel, say to another person, "Well, I never could figure out why this church couldn't get a minister." And when I hear a statement like that it always reminds me that from time to time we do need to be taught from the word of God. We need to remind ourselves that if we're going to follow the word of God we're going to have to follow it as HE wrote it. And of course the danger - once you say, "I don't choose to follow this particular plan that's laid down in scripture" - the dangers we've been pointing out, you may have a different plan but then you've got to write a human rule book to follow it because you can't turn to scripture when you have a problem.
So these things are important, and the number of elders is always to be plural.
Thirdly, let's think about the appointment of elders. One of the things that constantly confronts us when we work with the smaller assemblies - they say, "Well now we need elders. How is God going to raise up elders?" And it would be so nice just to follow some easy mechanical process. You know, everybody put up your hand up and say who you think, or everybody write a name on a piece of paper, or however it is. But the word of God has provided directions and even though it's an exercise to the spiritual man - it's a good exercise and we'll grow if we follow it.
Now I think there's a three-fold process by which elders are raised up. I'd like to give that to you.
First of all, we read in Acts 20:28, Paul says there that the overseers, says, "take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers ..."
We need to realize that the initial step in this process is THE WORK OF GOD. God, the Holy Spirit, makes an overseer. God makes an elder, and it is God who works first. If only we can remember that ... because the source of anyone who is in leadership - the source of their authority - is most important in time of trouble. And if your authority rests on those under you, well if they disagree with your leadership and your ruling, then they'll just get rid of you in the next election.
So, then it's very important that we understand that an elder does not become an elder by some kind of contest or vote. He is made an elder by the Holy Spirit first.
Secondly, and we might turn to 1 Timothy 3:1. There is to be a DESIRE: "This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop (or the function or the work of the bishop), he desireth a good work." And then in verse 2 through 7 the apostle Paul spells out qualifications, and we'll think about those qualifications in just a moment.
But the second point in the raising up of leadership in the assembly then is a desire that manifests itself in the heart of the person. "If any man desires ...", Paul says, and of course that desire then is going to give rise to WORK.
In other words, the elder isn't going to say, "Well I have the desire to be an elder but I won't do a thing until some day when I'm recognized." He begins then to serve the people of God, and he becomes visible and active in various ways - not so much pushing himself forward, but just simply recognizing that the spiritual oversight of a congregation of God's people is a very weighty and time-consuming and burdensome matter. He begins to take care and give help wherever he can in these areas. He also is one who would KNOW THE QUALIFICATIONS in verse 2 through 7, and he would strive as much as possible to see that God might fulfill these things in his own life.
So, we see then secondly, a desire; and we see also a work, and the work of God in his character that shows us that the work of the Holy Spirit first is now having a response in the heart of the person.
Now this response moves further eventually when the CONGREGATION RECOGNIZES this. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12 - by the way, put a marker here at 1 Tim. 3 because we need to come back to that ... For our third step, in writing to a very new congregation, I'm sure they did not yet have recognized elders, Paul wrote to them and said, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you." Here was an appeal by Paul for the Christians to know - or we could translate 'recognize' - those who were laboring among them and were over them in the Lord.
So the third step in appointment then is the recognition on the part of the people.
Now if you stop and think about it, not only is this a supportable progression from scripture but it's entirely logical. Recognition of anything in the spiritual realm always proceeds from the most spiritual to the least spiritual. In other words, those who are closest to God would see that first, and those who are out on the fringes or maybe just new Christians take the longest to perceive what's going on.
And think of what we've really considered this morning - first of all we've said that the Holy Spirit knows, and He works first. Then in response to that, the individual whose heart He has touched, that person knows. Then there begins to be an awareness among those who are most spiritual in the congregation - in this case, Paul. And this helps us see why the apostle Paul in moving around amongst the churches that he helped to found could recognize very early who had been touched by the Spirit of God, and who were doing the work. Sometimes young believers take a while before they can see, "Oh yes I now can see and understand why God has raised that person up."
So, as we consider the topic of the appointment of elders then, let's try to keep away from our minds the idea that this is some very mechanical process like a vote.
Actually there's a scripture we've referred to - Acts 14:23, we might just look at that because it is a key passage - Paul and Barnabas here helped the new local churches by pointing out elders in each church. I think it's a fascinating fact - it was a real discovery to me when I realized that there is not a single case in the New Testament where elders were pointed out or were raised up in the first visit of Paul or anyone else to an assembly.
Now that's very important -- NEVER on a first visit were elders raised up. And why is this? Why, e.g. when we read in Titus, did Paul tell Titus to appoint elders - set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders? We can say, "Paul you were there, why didn't you just appoint them?" Well, it wasn't a mechanical thing where Paul would just go into a congregation and say, "Okay, every third man, you and you, are elders." There was a time allowed to elapse so that those who really had a burden in their hearts began to serve and then this was recognized and Paul later could say, "Titus I want you now to appoint elders in each church."
POINT THEM OUT - and this is the word that is used in Acts 14:23. It's translated in our King James as 'ordained', and the closest thing we can get to it in English would perhaps be the word 'to point out'.
Some have tried to say that this means 'a vote', 'the lifting of the hand' or 'the raising of the hand'. I protest against that because it's specifically said that it's Paul and Barnabas who did whatever it is. And a vote among two men standing there in front of the whole congregation is ridiculous. Paul and Barnabas pointed out for the congregation ones that they saw who were doing the work.
Notice 'elders' (plural) in each local church. So, it's also important for us to remember that this was on a return visit to the churches. This was not their first contact. This was on their way back through the area. So, as I've said, there were never elders pointed out on the first visit. It took some time for them to be raised up.
You know, speaking practically, I know that many of us, and those especially in the younger works are very sensitive about this. And very often they'll say, "We need more elders." Or in the case of the little churches, "We need elders." And why doesn't God just give us elders? And why can't we just hurry up and just get some? Well, it may take a while to wait on the Lord. But in the end its always better. It's very hard to correct a mistake that's made in this area. And it's better to make sure that those who are raised up truly have the hand of God upon them. And this takes time to manifest itself. And we could speed the process perhaps best by being in prayer about this matter.
Now fourthly, we want to speak about the qualifications of an elder. The two scriptures that lay out the qualifications for this very important leadership role are 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
If you were to take those two lists of qualifications, and eliminate the ones that are duplicated - i.e. that overlap - and list them all out, you will find that there are 22 different qualifications for this position, this function. I don't know of any work for God anywhere in Holy Scripture that has this many qualifications listed, even the High Priest of the Old Testament. I don't know of anything that seem to be so very important to the heart of God as this matter of an elder or an overseer among God's people. We don't have the time this morning to go through all 22 of those qualifications. I really want to just leave these two references with you and ask that in your own time to read and study them. I would like, however, to just briefly make several suggestions about this matter.
Sometimes people say, "Well I'm just a young person;" or "I'm just a sister" or "I don't plan to be an elder", and "therefore I might as well just doze when a subject like this comes up." As you read through this list, it's very striking that these are CHARACTER QUALITIES. And this list is one that we could all apply to ourselves - everyone of us. It would be a very wonderful thing if every child of God would sit down and read a list like this, and say, "This is what God requires in leadership but undoubtedly this is what would please the heart of God if even the flock were like this. So each one of us then would do well to take these two lists and read through them and see.
Another observation that we might make is that as you go through this list of 22 items, you don't find that a single spiritual gift is required for a person to be an elder. This list is very filled with qualities that have to do with a persons character should really speak volumes to us about where it's at for the Lord as far as those who would lead His people. He does not specify that one must be a teacher. He says "apt to teach", i.e. one who would be willing to communicate 'the truth that he knows', perhaps this could be on a personal one-to-one level. It does not specify that one must be an evangelist or a pastor or have a gift of mercy or prophecy or any other gift. The whole matter of spiritual gifts is lacking from this list. And I want to stress again - the outstanding point in this list is character qualities. This should be a real encouragement to any especially younger man of God who desires in his heart, who feels that there's a desire there, to serve and to lead and to bless the people of God in his life eventually. God is saying, "You let Me work in your life. You let me form within you the character qualities of the Lord Jesus, and you will be well-suited to lead the people of God." Whatever your individual spiritual gift might happen to be, God would use that and make it fit in its place. The fruit of the Spirit, I guess is what we're saying, rises far above the gifts of the Spirit in this matter.
We'd like to talk about the duties of elders. Years ago when I used to consider this subject, I used to have only two things down on my list. That list has grown a little bit over the years, because I've encountered other scriptures, and I now feel that there are at least five responsibilities of elders.
In Acts 20:28, perhaps the most outstanding one would be 'to feed the flock of God'. Peter tells the elders the same thing in 1 Peter 5. Feed the flock of God.
It is very very important for the assembly to pray that elders will have the wisdom to make sure that all who come are receiving spiritual food - a balanced diet. We see the results.
I was talking to a brother some time ago, and he said, "We have a lovely work going in a place in New England." He and his wife had labored for the Lord there and a number had gotten saved and come in and were fellowshiping. They were very much encouraged. The work was going on and building up. And along came a man who is very popular, a well-liked young man, a very charismatic kind of a person, and he began to teach from the word of God. And before long there began to come out from his messages a slant, always heading in one direction. And before it could be stopped, he picked up and left, and he drew off fully half of the congregation away with him as followers. He got off on a subject that we may call ultra-Calvinism. Some of you may know what the teaching of that is - the idea that "man is like a puppet on a string, that God is absolutely sovereign, that there is absolutely no place for free will, everything that you do had been decided and determined, you have no free will choice whatsoever; you just sit back and whatever happens, well, God made it happen, you have no free will." Well, it's unfortunate the assembly was split right in half. These are the kinds of things that can happen, and elders have a responsibility to care for the feeding of the flock.
I don't believe that God requires the elders personally to do all the teaching in one congregation. I think rather that God requires that elders be responsible for the teaching. We thank God here for the work at West Woods that the elders are behind the scenes, studying the word of God and making sure that what is taught agrees with scripture. And at any time if what is taught does not agree with scripture, they will have to step forward and deal with it.
So, feeding the flock of God ... and by the way, feeding is a very broad thing; I believe counseling, talking to people one-on-one, guiding them, providing for them, visiting them could all be lumped under this category of feeding the flock.
Secondly the responsibility of overseeing. Now, feeding is the positive side; overseeing is the negative side. This is the discipline or correction. You know in Ephesians 6:4 ... "Fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in nurture and admonition of the Lord."
We've spoken about that in the past - how important it is in the human family for the children to receive nurture and admonition. If you're here this morning as a parent of young children, and you give them all nurture and no correction, you'll have spoiled brats. But if you're here this morning and you have young children, and you give them all correction but no nurture, you'll have a child with a broken, discouraged spirit. And so we need then a balance of nurture and admonition.
The same thing is true in the work of the family of God. We're to see that the saints have nurture and admonition. And this is the responsibility of elders - to feed and to correct. Hebrews 13 tells us, admonishes us as Christians, in verse 17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you." So, we are to obey them and we are to submit ourselves to them. They watch for our souls. And the very title 'overseer' - one who has an authoritative looking-over function, and the responsibility to admonish and correct when it's needed.
You know these things are only given to us by God for our own well-being. Each one of us should thank the Lord that we have men who are in prayer for us, and who are willing to stand up and say what is sometimes unpopular, and say, "We may not agree with this but this is what the word of God says." Sometimes a family needs to have the elders come and say, "Look we feel that the process that you're engaged in, maybe your work, or your friendships, or your whatever-it-is, is going to have a detrimental effect on your children or soul, and we're here to warn you." I hope none of us will ever feel we're being singled out or picked on. Let's remember that it would be a lot easier for the elders just to say, "Well, let's not do that because that's hard to do; that's unpopular."
So sometimes the elders have to take a stand then. It's not all the positive side - the feeding. Sometimes the assembly or those in the assembly need to be admonished or corrected. That's also a protection from God for our families and for the work as a whole.
Thirdly, elders of course have the responsibility to lead. One of the things about sheep is that they tend to go astray very easily. David in Psalm 23 - one of my favorite portions that has to do with the whole matter of the sheep and its relationship to the shepherd - talks about the rod and the staff that are a comfort to him.
The shepherd carried a rod and a staff. The rod is a blunt thing like a club where he could ward off the wolves and other animals. But the staff is a long thing with a hook on the end where he could get a hold of the sheep on his neck or his leg and pull him out of the thorns, or if he would start to stray away.
David very wisely said, both the rod and the staff are a comfort to me. One time I was talking to a brother on the subject of elders and he was saying that he felt that in leading, the elder just had to set a good example. I said to him, "How much do you know about shepherd and sheep, brother? Suppose you had a flock of 100 sheep, and you're going to take them about 4 miles away through the woods to a pasture you knew. You just said to the sheep, 'Now listen here all you sheep, we're going about 4 miles today to feed. Now you just follow me.' And then if he went out to the front and just walked and never turned his head one time, by the time he got to the field, how many do you think would be behind Him? He'll be very fortunate if there's one or two. All along the way they'll be getting into trouble and problems." And David knew this, and he said "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
One thing we all need to know is our own heart's tendency to go astray. And God sees this and God has made provision - elders are spiritual leaders. But leading means more than just standing up in front and being an example. It means knowing what the staff is for, and knowing how to use it. And I'm sure when the sheep decides that he knows much better than the shepherd - which way the pasture is - and he decides to take a detour, and he feels that hook pulling, I'm sure he can get a bit exasperated sometimes and say, "Now don't you understand about religious freedom, brother? Don't you understand that I should be free to do what I want with my life?" And we need to praise the Lord, that God has given us individuals who can put that staff out and say, "Well now, that may be the way that seems right to a man, but I know the end thereof is the way of death."
Number 4, we read in Acts 20:29-31 , the responsibility of elders to guard the flock. Paul says, "after my departure shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." Not only do the flock need to be guarded from the external danger of wolves coming in, but Paul says, "and of your own selves shall men arise" - within the assembly, seeking to draw away disciples after them.
So the elders then in guarding the flock have a two-fold responsibility - they need to be watching for danger from outside; they need to be watching for danger from inside. May I just say a little quick word here.
If you're ever traveling some place perhaps on vacation in summer and go to visit an assembly and you come in on Sunday morning, and an older gentleman greet you at the door, and says, "Good morning, What's your name?" And you introduce yourself and tell him that you're there to remember the Lord, and he says, "Well do you know the Lord as your Savior?" or "Could you tell me about your salvation?" Do like it says in 1 Peter 3:15, ... be ready to give a reason for the hope within you, and be glad to tell how you know the Lord as your Savior, and why you're there. Sometimes people have said to me, "I was offended at the very idea of someone meeting me at the door and asking me personal questions." Remember that that brother is there doing what Paul told him to do - to guard the flock. Now of course this can be carried to extremes where the people of God can be grilled and embarrassed, and this is certainly not the mind and will of God. It's not the purpose of elders and it certainly shouldn't be to embarrass anyone or to ask them questions that are searching and personal and embarrassing. But on the other hand, any child of God in visiting in a strange place ought to be very willing to say a few brief words as to how they know that they have received the Lord Jesus as their Savior. We ought to be willing to do this. And I would say that there would be something wrong if someone was not willing. So the responsibility then of elders is to guard the flock.
Some years ago there was a situation that arose here, I won't mention what it was, many of you would remember it. One of the elders found it necessary to stand up and give a teaching that dealt with that very difficult subject. And there was a young woman here, she doesn't fellowship here anymore - she's in the assembly at Cheshire - but I never forget what she said after the meeting. I caught her right back at the back door, and she was walking by me, and I never forget what she said. She said, "Well I haven't got the faintest idea what all that was about. But I was just sitting there praising God how wonderful it is to know that the elders have been watching for the wolf, and they must have seen one somewhere, and that must be what all this is about. And I didn't even see the wolf. I don't even know where he is. But they see him, and they've taken care of him, and I can go home and relax." And I thought, "My, isn't that nice? She sat through all of that, and she didn't even know what it was all about." And she said, "Well, it doesn't matter. I was just praising God that the elders saw the wolf and they're dealing with him and I don't have to." Well, that's a good thing.
Number 5, let's go back to the little book of Titus. It's only about two years ago that I came upon this word, and began to meditate upon it, and I see here a very weighty responsibility of spiritual leaders. Titus 1:7 - "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God." It's the responsibility of elders, I believe, to act as God's stewards.
Now a steward is one who has responsibility for resources which belong to someone else. And as we look at the local assembly - the local congregation of God's people - one thought comes to my mind as I read a verse like that. What a tremendous stewardship! Think of all the lives, the talents, the spiritual gifts, the potential, the resources, the prayers, the ... everything(!) that is represented in just an auditorium with this many people in it. What an awesome responsibility to be a steward and to see that all of those potential resources are used and steered into the work of God. What a responsibility to make sure all of our young people understand that they have a spiritual gift and that it's given to them for the service of the people of God.
So I see then a very great responsibility upon the shoulders of elders to help the congregation, the assembly, recognize their spiritual gifts and their abilities and to see that these things, as Paul says to Timothy, "the gift that is in you", see that it's fanned into flames. He used an expression there that means a little spark, and you blow it and you fan it to light a fuel, and pretty soon you have a nice warm fire. Paul says, "Fan that spark into a flame." You can't cook a meal on a spark, but you can cook a meal on a flame.
And so elders then are stewards of God. And what's our responsibility? How do we relate to that knowledge? Well, here again, it would be easy to think that the elders could be prying into your business. Or maybe you might think that they are asking you personal questions. One family was called and told by the elders they'd like to visit them. And the family got so nervous, they got sick. "And what in the world could we have done wrong?" The poor elders were sad and then said, "Oh we didn't mean to make anyone feel bad or sick, and there wasn't any trouble. We just want to go and visit them." Well, perhaps the answer to that is a little bit more regular visitation program or something else. But when the elders need to come and visit, or when the elders draw aside the young person and have a few words with him, it's not a prying business or to embarrass you - it's simply recognizing that as stewards of God, your gifts and abilities need to be fanned into flames. You'll feel better. You'll be a more fulfilled Christian as you learn what your abilities are, and how you fit into the local work to bless others and to glorify God.
Now very quickly, our sixth point is the privilege of elders. Elders because of their very heavy responsibility have a number of special privileges. I don't know if 'privilege' is a good word, but it's the best that I could think of.
1 Timothy 5 has a great deal to say about this. First of all, 1 Tim. 5:1 ... an elder is not to be rebuked. "Rebuke not an elder; exhort him as a father." There is a way to disagree with an elder. And one way is to appeal to him or to exhort him in the sense that speak to him in a way that you would to your own father. We should not rebuke elders, even when we disagree with them.
1 Timothy 5:17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor." We can certainly say that all the elders should be counted worthy of honor. So they're not to be rebuked; they're to be counted worthy of honor. Some would even see here a possibility a reference to an elder who is laboring full-time in the work to be supported by the congregation. It might be. I think the word 'honor' is the ordinary word 'honor' and there's no need to push that too far.
Thirdly, 1 Tim. 5:19 "Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses." Now because of the many times that elders are going to have to deal with problems, there's going to be a very frequent possibility that someone is going to try to accuse the elders. And so Paul then lays down the rule here - not to receive any accusation - and may I say that, when you hear something said about one of God's .....
1 Thessalonians 5 - elders are to be highly esteemed. 5:12-13 says, "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves."
Fifthly (still on privilege of an elder), Hebrews 13:7 - elders are to be remembered, i.e. in prayers. "Remember them who have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their manner of life."
The elders will have no rewards in this life, unlike deacons where some rewards are in this life.
1 Peter 5:4 "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." The crown of glory is given only to elders.
Being an elder is a thankless job here on earth.