Who's Greater: Elder, Overseer, Bishop or Pastor?

Berean Bible Baptist Church

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Who's Greater: Elder, Overseer, Bishop or Pastor?

Philippians 1:1, 2

March 4, 2012 • Roger Skepple

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Message Outline:

The Book of Philippians

Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11) (Part 4)

Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2) (Part D)

A Gospel Partnership Remembered (Part 4)

I. Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11)

A. Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2)

1. The Authors of the Letter (1:11-7)

2. The Recipients of the Letter (1:18-23)

a. Their Spiritual Identity (1:18-14)

b. Their Physical Location (1:115-18)

c. Their Representatives (1:119-23)

1) The Elders (1:119-21)

a) The Nature of New Testament Eldership

(1) The Biblical Connections

(2) The Lexical Definitions

● episkpos overseer, bishop; a ruling governmental official

● presbuteros elder; senior member of a family, clan, city, or nation

● poimen pastor, shepherd; tender of flocks

(3) The Practical Implications

(a) The General Application of Eldership to the Local Church

(b) The Specific Outworking of Eldership in a Local Church

b) The Old Testament Foundations of Biblical Eldership

(1) The Lexical Definition of an Elder

● zagen a aged person; person holding a position of leadership in
the community

(2) The Seventy Elders of Israel

(a) The Problem that Gave Rise to Them

(i) Jethro’s Solution (Ex. 18)

(ii) God’s Solution (Num. 11)

(a) The Choosing of the Elders

(b) The Functioning of the Elders

The Role of Deacons in the Church

May 20, 2012 • Roger Skepple

Message Outline: The Book of Philippians Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11) (Part 10) Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2) (Part J) The Officers of the Church (Part 7) I. Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11) A. Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2) 2. The Recipients of the Letter (1:18-23) a. Their Spiritual Identity (1:18-14) b. Their Physical Location (1:115-18) c. Their Representatives (1:119-23) 1) The Elders (1:119-21) 2) The Deacons (1:122-23) The Lexical Meaning of Deacon 1. The Terms ● diakonos — servant ● diakonia — serving ● diakoneo — to serve 2. The Terms Compared to Elders 3. The Terms’ Meaning 4. The Terms’ Distinctive Usage a. Christian Service b. The Gift of Service (Helps) c. The Office of Deacon? The Special Case of the Deacon 1. Their Identity 2. Their Origin Deacons and Elders Compared 1. The Similarities Between the Offices 2. The Differences Between the Offices

Why the Church Submits to its Elders

April 29, 2012 • Roger Skepple

Message Outline: The Book of Philippians Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11) (Part 9) Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2) (Part I) The Officers of the Church (Part 6) The Church and New Testament Eldership Hebrews 13 (Part 4) I. The Nature of the Church’s Responsibility to Her Elders (3:17a) II. The Elder’s Responsibility to the Church (3:17b-c) III. The Purpose of the Church’s Response to Her Elders (3:17d-e) A. The Immediate Goal of the Church’s Response in Reference to the Elders (3:17d) 1. The Nature of Their Response: It Please God a. It Fulfills God’s Will b. It Reflects God’s Design 2. The Fact of Their Response: Its Inspires the Leadership a. It Produces Christian Delight b. It Averts Ministerial Sorrow B. The Immediate Goal of the Church’s Response in Reference to the Church (3:17e) 1. Stated: It Avoids Personal Damage 2. Proven: It Matches God’s Pattern IV. Summary of Eldership

Elders: Held Accountable

April 22, 2012 • Roger Skepple

Message Outline: The Book of Philippians Paul’s Introduction to Philippians (1:1-11) (Part 8) Paul’s Salutation (1:1-2) (Part H) The Officers of the Church (Part 5) The Church and New Testament Eldership Hebrews 13 (Part 3) I. The Nature of the Church’s Responsibility to Her Elders (3:17a) II. The Elder’s Responsibility to the Church (3:17b-c) A. The Prime Nature of Their Responsibility (3:17b) B. The Ultimate Accountability for Their Responsibility (3:17c) 1. The Character of Their Accountability a. They Were Obligated to It b. They Were Answerable for It 1) The Biblical Link Between Judgement and Obedience 2) The Biblical Pattern of Their Accountability a) Revealed in Their Role as Shepherds b) Revealed in Their Role as Stewards (1) The Problem of Sectarianism in Corinth (2) The Function of Stewardship (a) In Terms of Its General Nature (b) In Terms of Its Evaluation (c) In Terms of Its Ultimate Evaluator 2. The Implications of Their Accountability a. The Divine Object of Eldership b. The Seriousness of Eldership 3. An Illustration of Their Accountability