by Hugh DeLong<\/p>\n
Text: I Timothy 3<\/p>\n
“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do<\/em>” (I Timothy 3:1).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There are several important words to identify:<\/p>\n
Office:<\/h2>\n
The word does not primarily mean office in the sense of a position or title. It means the function of oversight – the act of attentive watching and responsible care. English translations that render it as “office” convey a more institutional flavor than the Greek does.<\/p>\n
Overseer:<\/h2>\n
Interestingly, this comes from the same root word as above: one who looks after, a watchman. What they ‘watch’ are people.<\/p>\n
“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock<\/em>” (I Peter\u00a05:1-3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Work:<\/h2>\n
“Work, deed, task, labor – something\u00a0done\u00a0<\/strong>and not merely\u00a0held<\/strong>. Yet Paul adds ‘good\u00a0<\/strong>– that which is fitting and admirable. ‘ “<\/p>\n
Aspire and Desire:<\/h2>\n
Actually, there are two <\/b>words here:<\/p>\n
\n
- To aspire is to extend oneself toward an object, a directional word of movement towards a goal.<\/li>\n
- To desire is to have an inner passion to reach the goal aspired to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What we experience is that there simply are not many men who aspire to or desire this kind of work. Men, are you one of the Lord’s disciples who desires this work?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Hugh DeLong Text: I Timothy 3 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do” (I Timothy 3:1). There are several important words to identify: Office: The word does not primarily mean office in the sense of a position or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[123],"class_list":["post-96352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-elders"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56250,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/five-synonyms-one-office\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":0},"title":"Five Synonyms: One Office","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 26, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeff Smith In the New Testament, we find at least five words that describe both the office an elder holds and the work that he does. Elder\u00a0is from the Greek word,\u00a0presbuterous. Paul told Titus to \"appoint elders in every city\" in Titus 1:5. The lexicographer, Thayer, comments that this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1497,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-man-be-both-a-preacher-and-an-elder\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":1},"title":"Can a man be both a preacher and an elder?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can an elder function as an evangelist and vice versa? Answer: The word \"pastor\" in\u00a0Ephesians 4:11\u00a0comes from a Greek word referring to a shepherd. This is the man charged with the care and feeding of a flock. As with the office of the evangelist, this office is described by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47886,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-a-pastor\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":2},"title":"What Is a Pastor?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant The term \"pastor\" is a familiar term to people in most denominations. It is usually applied to the men or women who stand before the congregation and deliver a message from the Word of God as the preacher. And in many situations, the pastor is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1486,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-appoints-elders\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":3},"title":"Who appoints elders?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 18, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who appoint elders? Answer: The qualifications for the position of elder are found in lists recorded in\u00a0I Timothy 3:1-7\u00a0and\u00a0Titus 1:5-9. That the eldership is a distinct duty is clearly seen in\u00a0I Timothy 3:1, \"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50630,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-elders-only-needed-for-a-limited-time-and-in-limited-places\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":4},"title":"Were elders only needed for a limited time and in limited places?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: First, greetings in Christ, and may His peace be with you.\u00a0 I'm a brother and find your site very useful! I do have an issue on this page:\u00a0Can a church be scriptural without elders? At the beginning of the commentary, there's a sentence that goes: \"Obviously there can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68628,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-elders-called-by-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":96352,"position":5},"title":"Are elders called by God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello Brother, I hope you are well. I am a member of the Lord's church. I have a question: Are Elders called by God to serve as Elders? If so, why did God give us the qualifications in scripture? 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