Answer: Elders must NOT serve because they
"must;" they must NOT be greedy for money; they must
NOT lord it over those entrusted to them (the flock, the local
church over which they are overseers), (verses 2 and 3).
MORE INFORMATION AND/OR OTHER SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
"serving as overseers--not because you must, but
because you are willing, as God wants you to
be..."
Desire is a prerequisite to success in any undertaking.
The office of elder is certainly no exception to this rule.
The office of elder is one to be filled only with those who desire
it:
1 Timothy 3:1: "Here is a
trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an
overseer, he desires a noble task" (NIV). "This
is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he
desireth a good work" (KJV).
"not
greedy for money..."
An elder must be one who loves souls more than dollars, and
the church more than worldly gain. Not avaricious. Not loving
money. Not greedy. (Bauer) In general, he must be
one who lays up treasures in heaven.
From Scriptural Organization of the Churches of Christ
by Jim Massey:
Not greedy of filthy lucre. An elder is not
covetous. Filthy lucre is money or worldly gain. A
covetous man is one who thinks that his life consists of the
abundance of the things which he possesses (Luke
12:15). He lays up treasure for himself and is not
rich toward God (Luke 12:21). Jesus said we
cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24).
Covetous men are idolaters (Colossians 3:5).
They will not enter heaven (1 Corinthians
6:9-10). They must be disfellowshipped from the
church (1 Corinthians 5:11). Christians do not
seek to be rich. Their greatest gain is godliness.
Having food and clothes they are content. They keep
themselves from the temptation and trap of riches which drown men
in destruction. They know that the love of money is the root
of all kinds of evil and leads men to err from the faith and pierce
themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy
6:6-10). He avoids the selfishness and greed which
the love of money brings. Elders must be men who have set a
strong example in being free from the love of money and worldly
things. They are not greedy of filthy lucre.
Matthew 6:19-21, 24: [Jesus said,]
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where
moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and
rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...No
one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money."
1 Timothy 3:3: [An overseer must]
"not [be] given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not
quarrelsome, not a lover of money."
1 Timothy 6:6-12: "But godliness
with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into
the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have
food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who
want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many
foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and
destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God,
flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith,
love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the
faith. Take hold of the Eternal Life to which you were called when
you made your good confession in the presence of many
witnesses."
Titus 1:7: "Since an overseer is
entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not
overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not
violent, not pursuing dishonest gain."
Hebrews 13:5-6: "Keep your lives
free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to
me?'"
"not
lording it over those entrusted to you..."
From Banner of Truth Web Site, Volume 7, April, 1998,
Number 4 - "God's Plan for Elders in the Church
by Walter Pigg:
OTHER UNSCRIPTURAL IDEAS RELATIVE TO ELDERS:
5. Elders have dictatorial power. The idea that
elders are "bosses," as we commonly use that term, that
they have authority to "dictate" is foreign to
God's Word. The Holy Spirit, through the apostle Peter,
expressly deals with this issue. "Neither as being
lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the
flock" (1 Peter 5:3). The desire for
power constitutes a serious problem with some elders. They
have the idea that they are sort of "above the law,"
that they are not to be questioned about anything. They have
the spirit of Diotrephes [3 John 1:9-10]. In
some instances the flock is kept completely in the dark concerning
the business of the church. A few years ago brethren in an
Arkansas congregation went to court to force the elders to make
available to the congregation the finances of the
congregation. The elders maintained they had authority to
keep that information from the members. When elders fail to
keep the flock informed as to what is going on, they are violating
Peter's instruction, not to lord it over God's
heritage. Elders are not dictators.
Ezekiel 34:1-4: "The Word of the
Lord came to me: 'Son of man, prophesy against the
shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: "This is what
the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only
take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the
flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and
slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the
flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick
or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or
searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and
brutally."'"
Matthew 20:25-28: "Jesus called
them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants
to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants
to be first must be your slave--just as the Son of Man did not
come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom
for many.'"
