God's stewards act & speak with His full authority. We call them elders.
Titus 1:5-9 (NIV)
CONTEXT: Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus are referred to as the 'pastoral epistles.' Both men were ordained by Paul to serve the churches, Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete.
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders (presbyteros) in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer (episkopos) manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 30: The Government of the Church
We believe that this true church
ought to be governed according to the spiritual order
that our Lord has taught us in his Word.
There should be ministers or pastors
to preach the Word of God
and administer the sacraments.
There should also be elders and deacons,
along with the pastors,
to make up the council of the church.
By this means
true religion is preserved;
true doctrine is able to take its course;
and evil men are corrected spiritually and held in check,
so that also the poor
and all the afflicted
may be helped and comforted
according to their need.
By this means
everything will be done well
and in good order
in the church,
when such persons are elected
who are faithful
and are chosen according to the rule
that Paul gave to Timothy.
Summary
The question probably crossed Titus' mind often - 'Paul, why on earth did you leave me in Crete of all places?!?' The Cretans described themselves as being "liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons," and still today a good way to insult a person is to call him a Cretan. What a place to plant a church, especially when there were not a load of church planting books and consultants to strategize with as there is today!
Paul could likely sense his young protégé's angst, so he gets right to the point. "I left you there in Crete, Titus, that you might put in order what was left unfinished." Churches had been planted and people were joining, but there was unfinished business that needed completion, and Titus was to see that it got finished.
Paul's design for these Cretan churches filled with liars, evil brutes and lazy gluttons remains the same strategy today for developing a strong, healthy church. He instructed Titus to appoint elders in every town.
Paul uses two different terms to describe these men which we still use today. He first calls them presbyteros, from which it's not hard to see we get the word presbyterian from. In our Reformed churches, we utilize a presbyterian style of governance in which elders and deacons have authority in their local congregations. Paul also uses the word episkopos, from which we derive the word bishop. Other denominations, like Methodists and Roman Catholics, have an episcopalian type of government in which regional bishops exercise authority.
Although Paul used two different words to describe elders, it seems most likely that he used them synonymously and didn't intend there to be a distinction.
Dig Deeper
Although Paul uses two different terms - elder & bishop - to describe these men, he uses just one word to describe their primary job: they were to manage God's household. In the Roman Empire, rich landowners would appoint stewards to manage their far flung properties. These stewards spoke and acted with the full authority of the owner in all matters, and their primary objective was to promote and defend the owner's interests.
So it is with the elders in your own congregation. God appointed these men, not because He doesn't have the time or energy to manage it Himself or can't be present everywhere, but because as we've consistently seen, God ordinarily uses ordinary means to accomplish His will. So one of the highest priorities for each congregation is to appoint these stewards to manage God's household (the Church).
We'll dig deeper into the qualifications for these men at a later time, since we see similar lists elsewhere in scripture as well, but let's not end without understanding how a steward is to accomplish his task. "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who owns all things, and appoints stewards to oversee His most precious possession: His Church;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for your church's elders, that they would hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 1
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