Church

Identity of Leaders and Pastors

Four words used to call the leaders

1. Elder, ‘presbuteros’. A church leader as one characterized by spiritual maturity and wisdom. That term, elder, is used over and over and over again in the New Testament. 1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 Their duties are outlined without any lack of clarity throughout the New Testament.

We understand very clearly an elder is who spiritually mature, spiritually wise man given responsibility to lead the church.

2. Bishop, Overseer: ‘episkopos’

Means to look over, to oversee that the church leader has the spiritual oversight and spiritual authority. In this word, you have oversight and authority. It is also used in,

Philippians 1:1 and

Acts 20:28,

3. Pastor, ‘poimn’

The leader in the church is characterized by spiritual feeding and spiritual protection. The duty of Pastor is to feed the flock and protect them from the wolves. So, the leader in the church is characterized by spiritual maturity, spiritual wisdom, spiritual oversight, spiritual authority, spiritual feeding, and spiritual protection.

4. Leader, ‘hgoumenois’, Meaning “those who led you.” One who is responsible as an overseer, elder, or pastor should be characterized by spiritual discernment and spiritual guidance. In other words, he is effective as a leader because he can assess the condition, and move people to a better condition, guide them in a right path.

What is the leader of the church? He is a man with ➢ spiritual maturity, ➢ spiritual wisdom, ➢ spiritual oversight, ➢ spiritual authority, ➢ spiritually feeds, ➢ spiritually protects people, ➢ provide spiritual discernment of their condition, and ➢ spiritual guidance to a better place.

That's the leader.

Role and responsibility

1. Spokesperson for God

1 Timothy 6:11, Man of God! Great privilege to be called God’s man, a man who belongs to

God in a personal way. It is never used in the New Testament for anyone other than Timothy, and that makes it unique. However, it was a common term in the Old Testament. What did it mean in the Old Testament to be a man of God?

First appears in Deuteronomy 33:1,

Judges 13:6,

1 Samuel 2:27,

1 Samuel 9:6, 1 Kings ¹⁷ it describes Elisha. 2 Kings 4, it describes David.

2 Chronicles 25:9, the prophet who confronted Amaziah;

Jeremiah 35:4, a prophet named Igdaliah

The term Man of God used for someone who belongs uniquely to God in that he speaks on behalf of God. He relays God’s message to the world.

2 Peter 1:21,

When someone speaks the Word of God he speaks by the power of the Holy Spirit. God has always had His Spirit- empowered preachers, prophets, and messengers. Men of God are those uniquely called to proclaim His word.

A pastor is the spokesman who spoke for God and spoke His revealed Word.

2 Timothy 3:16, Pastor is not only empowered by the Spirit, but he speaks the Scripture. “Man of God” is to be perfected by the Spirit and the Word. Paul writes to Timothy who is serving in a church at Ephesus with lots of problems, false teachers, sinful leaders, doctrinal error, and ungodliness. Timothy is confronting it, he’s young, and he tends to be timid. Paul talks about false teachers a lot in ¹ Timothy. In chapter 1, verses 3-7, he talks about false teachers. In chapter 4, verses 1-5, he talks about false teachers. In chapter 6, he talks about false teachers. So, he is contrasting the man of God to these false teachers. At the end of each of those discussions about false teachers, the contrast becomes clear.

1 Timothy 1:18-20, Contrast to false teachers, you are to be a trustworthy servant, fighting the good fight, preaching the true Word of God.

1 Timothy 4:6-7,

1 Timothy 4:14-16,

1 Timothy 5:17,

1 Timothy 6:11-14, Contrasting Timothy, a man of God, with the corrupt false teachers.

The prime responsibility of the pastor to be God’s man!