THE WORK OF BISHOPS The apostle Paul wrote, “If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.” – 1 Tim. 3:1. It therefore means that it is an office of work, not of luxury. There are several work offices in the church: evangelists, teachers, pastors etc – Eph 4:11. Some works are not meant for evangelists, but for bishops. The concept of division of labour is for efficiency and church growth – Acts 6:1-7. The bible mentions the works of bishops in at least ten passages. Although, some of these may be repetitions, each one shall be treated separately here. 1. To Shepherd the Church of God – Acts 20:28, 1 Pt. 5:2 From the Old Testament to the New Testament, God’s people are metaphorically referred to as sheep. And qualities of sheep are really interesting. According to wikipedia, sheep is one of the earliest animals to be domesticated. Its natural inclination to follow a leader is one of the reasons for this. Sheep need shepherds to lead them to green pasture and still, clean water. They need a constant supply of water, and may refuse to drink if the source is polluted. And since sheep are afraid of fast-flowing water, they need ‘still waters’ (Ps 23:2). Only shepherds who are sheep-oriented can help the sheep lie down in the comfort of God’s house, which is the church of the living God – Ps. 122:1, 1 Tim. 3:14 - 15. 2. To Take Care of the Church of God – 1 Tim 3:5 Caring is an aspect of shepherding, but it is much more specific. Simmons and Ekarius, quoted in wikipedia says that “sheep can become stressed when separated from their flock members.” They therefore need to be cared for. And in order for a shepherd to care for an individual sheep, he must know her and her needs. The bishops care for the sick, the widows, the poor, the elderly, the young, and the needy, etc. It is the same way shepherds care for injured or stressed sheep. 3. To Rule Well – 1 Tim. 5:17, Heb 13:17 Decision making and enforcement is a difficult task. It is not meant for every member of the church. As overseers, shepherds guide the church in the rightful application of God’s word. They do this with the awareness that they are like caretakers who must give account to the landlord. 4. To Love What is Good – Tit. 1:8 Although, bishops take decisions for the church, they also listen to suggestions from the sheep and from other leaders – cf. Acts 6:1,2. When someone else brings a good suggestion to the bishops, they are to love it because it is good. They are not to shun it merely because it comes from an unlikely source. Bishops are to love good things – in principle and in practice. 5. To Hold fast The Faithful Word – Tit 1:9 In a world where people preach what their fans want to hear, and the gospel is being diluted, bishops are to stand for the truth. The perverted gospel brings curses to the flock,just as poisoned waters harm the sheep – Gal.1:6-9. Bishops are not just to twist or allow anyone to pollute the doctrine of Christ which the flock has access to. This means, no book, video lecture or audio message can be circulated in a congregation except the elders have studied it and approved that it is good for the sheep. 6. To Exhort and Convict Those Who Contradict – Tit. 1:9 There will always be members who will rebel and want to be handled by the Bishops with the Rod of God’s word. The unruly are to be exhorted and convicted. And if they continue to resist, they are to be disciplined – 2 Thes. 3:10-15, 1 Tim. 5:20, 2 Jn. 9-11, Tit. 3:10. Elders who handle such sheep disease with permissiveness will have the entire flock infested. And more souls would be eventually destroyed. 7. To Watch Out for the Souls of Members – Heb. 13:17 The major interest of pastors should not be the bank account of members, but their souls. Shepherding is a long term investment, because it is on the last day that Bishop works will be evaluated by Christ, the General Overseer – 1 Cor.3:12-15, Heb. 13:17. Elders should have a list of members names – a spiritually-centered register – for regular marking of those names, based on spirituality. If they do this, before any member will be permanently spiritually absent, they will know. 8. To Pray For The Sick and to Administer Prescribed Medication – James 5:14 Sick members quickly judge how much they are loved by the level of visits they receive from church leaders and brethren. Remember, sheep are stressed when separated from their flock members. The same thing happens when a Christian is separated from their church members. They need the prayers of the Overseers and the soothing touch of the shepherds. When pastors pray over the medication prescribed for the sick, he will take them with faith. CONCLUSION There are lots of other things that shepherds should do, but this article is too short to treat them all. Yet, it does not mean that he who does not make it to the eldership should seclude himself from God’s work, for the names of even gatekeepers in God’s house can be in the Books of Remembrance and of Life – Ps. 84:10, mal. 3:16.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:33:29 +0000
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