Pastor Railton would consider it a privilege to talk with anyone about the church, living the Christian life, how to become a Christian or any problem or discouragement you may be experiencing. Let him know and he will be glad to either come to your home or meet in the office.
Elders That Eld
I. LIFE NEED
A. One "De" Liners (E-mail)
B. Stay With Me.
1. This may all tie in, in a loose sort of way. If teachers
teach, and preachers preach, if shoppers shop and buyers buy, if sellers sell, and readers read, what do
elders do? They must "eld!"
2. I've entitled my message, "Elders That
Eld!" Each year we elect Elders. I'm wondering if perhaps some are not aware of just what it is an Elder is supposed
to do. We may each have our own idea, and we may have our own expectations, but what does the Bible
say? What does the Lord require?
3. During this past year the Elders have done a study as
to just what does the Bible require of Elders? That's what I want to share this morning. We'll read the
qualifications. Then we'll consider several scriptures that identify exactly what God expects of those men
who are elected to this position of leadership. I should mention that as your pastor, I also am an
Elder, and responsible for these same things.
II. BIBLE LEARNING
A. Let's Begin With the Biblical Qualifications
1. I Tim. 3:1-7.
2. Titus 1:5-9.
B. There are many passages where the leadership of God's people are given specific responsibilities. In this study, I
have focused largely on Paul's writings and teachings to Timothy, and to Titus, though I have brought in a few
other passages that I will mention. As we work our way through the scriptures, I'll mention how frequently these
responsibilities are presented. We won't look up all the passages, but just a sampling. Any responsibility given is
important, but you will notice some things are addressed much more frequently. I would take that to be an
indication of priority.
1. The Public Reading Of Scripture - 1 Time.
a. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in I Tim.
4:13, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to
teaching." We'll talk more about preaching and teaching later.
b. For now, I would note the importance of the
public reading of scripture. Now, in Paul's day, there were few copies of the scriptures
available. That made the public reading of scripture all the more important. For many, that
was all they got. Even though we nearly all have a copy of the Bible today, it's still important we
read it publicly. It acknowledges the importance of the Lord, and his Word. God has exalted his
word - so should we! Much teaching takes place even just in the hearing of the Word.
c. I don't know if you've noticed, but lately I've
been reading longer passages of scripture, and I intend to do that more and more.
2. Persevere With Commitment - 2 Times.
a. II Tim. 2:3-7.
b. II Tim. 4;5 adds, " . . .keep your head in all
situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your
ministry."
3. Pray - 2 Times.
a. I Tim. 2: 1-4,8.
b. You may remember the problem when the
apostles were overwhelmed with work in Acts 6. They proposed finding others to take care of the
care giving of the congregation, so that they might focus on prayer, and the ministry of the
word. Prayer was an important aspect of their work.
4. Focus On Your Area Of Giftedness - 2 times.
a. In I Tim. 4:14, Paul told Timothy, "Do not
neglect your gift which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of Elders laid
their hands on you."
b. In II Tim. 1:6 Paul told him "fan into flame the
gift of God."
c. Our Elders should focus on their giftedness. This
is true of all of us for the matter. Sometimes we wrongly try to bring someone up to speed in an
area where they're not gifted, when in fact it would be better to excel in the strong areas. This
isn't to say we don't have to at least function in perhaps all areas. But we should encourage -
myself as pastor, each of our Elders, and all of us as ministers - to focus in the areas where
we're strong, and to raise up others to serve in areas where we're weak.
5. Rebuke / Confrontation - 3 Times.
a. II Tim. 4:2.
b. Titus 3:10,11 say, "Warn a divisive person once,
and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure
that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned."
6. Shepherd / Pastor - 4 Times.
a. I Peter 5:1-4.
b. Explain shepherd / pastor.
7. Overseer / Administration - 8 Times.
a. We just read this in I Peter 5, that Elders are to
be overseers.
b. Heb. 13:17.
8. Being An Example - 10 Times.
a. Heb. 13:17.
b. Titus 2:7,8.
9. Protecting / Guarding The Truth - 14 Times.
a. Acts 20;24-31.
b. I Tim. 4:16.
c. I Tim. 6:3-5.
d. I Tim. 6:20,21.
e. II Tim. 1:13,14.
f. Titus 1:9.
10. Teaching / Preaching - 22 Times.
a. One of the qualifications for being an Elder is to
be able to teach.
b. We read earlier, I Tim. 4:13, "Until I come,
devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching."
c. Actually we read this over and over, in relation
to the Elders. Teaching is a major function of the position. I can provide verses for all these
responsibilities, and there are actually other responsibilities, but these get the most emphasis.
III. BIBLE APPLICATION
IV. LIFE RESPONSE