Episkopos
Unless you understand that all men with “youngers” under their authority by scripture are the elders, you simply will not get the principles of the “Episkopos”.
By “under” I mean the scripture tells the children to obey their parents in the Lord. Obedience requires submission, and submission requires a person to submit to. That is the job of the fathers. If they win the heart of their children they are the cream that rises to the top!
People even Christians hate this, they think they moved out and do not have to be under their parents. Okay! But I do not see that in scripture!
Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13* Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
The “Episkopos”…. bishop, is the overseer of the church.
The term “bishop” really upsets people, the greek is “Episkopos” So as not to upset people I will try to use the Greek.
Our world has been run and ruled by democratic principles for our whole lifetime so a republic form of government is foreign to our thinking. We like to elect someone and then submit to his or her rules. This is orderly, but not God’s kingdom. The very thought that a ruler could be one by his own integrity and moral uprightness without an election is a foreign and in some cases odious consideration.
Episkopos (bishops) are the chief elder of each family in the communion (local church) (they rule their house) and if they meet the moral and strategic criteria and desire to be one, and if the church allows it they also are the overseers of the local church.
1. desire a seat on the ruling board.
3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Have you ever heard a man say he desired to be an officer in the “office” of the episkopos (bishop) in your church? In the church world I have circled in, this would be put down as a type of pride that makes one a lost soul headed for the eternal flames, destined for unbelievers! It would project a whispering campaign and an eventual removal from the fellowship. The existing leadership would consider you a troublemaker, the people in general would attribute the desire as if you are an unreasonable attention grabber. It is there in scripture however, the desire is not only allowed but mentioned arguably as a prerequisite to becoming one.
Lie #1: You have to have a special “revelation from God rather than a desire to be an overseer.
2. A closer look and you will see this office of overseers is open for all qualified men and not by election, but by the standing of their character, and his extended family integrity and is policed by his family doing well spiritually, again soak this in: it is not by election:
Tit 1:6 If any be…
Now this shows that there is no “politics” involved, Most systems evolve around a man, or a few men “ruling” all decision making, but the assembly described is scripture allows that any, may be an Episkopos if he has all the other qualifications. The proof that he is “worthy” is found by looking at his family.
Now if it is known that “if any man has a ticket, he may come into the theater” Does the ticket allow him into the show? So if all qualifications are there, a man should be able to be an overseer.
Lie#2 (it says “if any” but it does not mean that)
3. Ordination is not by the laying on of hands because “any” qualified willing man “is” the episkopos (bishops). Message this principle into your head, they just are. People get stuck on this, because they cannot fathom a church with a root based government and no politics involved giving rise to leadership by only the character and willingness of the leaders, we are so steeped in hierarchy by appointment, election or legal force. I cannot prove that there is no laying on of hands, but you cannot prove there is, and the “desire” coupled “with any” proves you cannot refuse or remove a man because of a personal or political distaste, he just “is”.
All that is necessary to have it this way is for the group or organization to ordain or appoint it as a set of principles of tradition for it to be so.
Lie #3 (not all qualified may be one)
4. Titus 1: 5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:...... 7 For a bishop must be:
This admonition is to the elders in Crete, It is to set up or draw out of the body of elders an office that will oversee the work. Not all the elders are to be the episkopos (bishops) but only those elders that are being set in order to oversee the work.
Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be:
An episkopos (bishop) is an elder as well as most other men in the assembly but an elder is not necessarily an episkopos (bishop) . If an extended family is in the congregation, the senior elder is the one that can be a bishop, if he wants to be and he is qualified, and if his whole family is in subjection with all gravity: There is the possibility for only one episkopos (bishop) in each family. There is a reproach to the whole family if the whole family has one in it that is haywire.
One of the worst parts (lacking parts) of the American hierarchical system of churchology is the theft of the scriptural episkopos (overseers or bishops). If that were implemented, it would give the fathers a tremendous tool to keep his children and grandchildren in the “way”, for their waywardness is a huge sign to the rest of the faith community that the senior patriarch has been pulled out of leadership by the sins of the sons or daughters. It also gives him a reminder that he needs to set his own house in order if his desire is to lead others as opposed to care for his family.
This is a natural taught thing that is missing in the political position of a working family, if implemented and became a way of the church system, there would be a reproach to any family who has a child or dependant that is disorderly because his or her disobedience forces the authority of that family out of leadership. So a child about to go haywire will well consider the disappointment of his siblings, and the disappointment of it becoming acknowledged to all members of the church that he pulled his dad or grandfather off the seat of overseers.
You may not see this a spiritual thing but if you have teens and they love their parents but still want to go “unruly” this pressure is a great tool to bring them to adulthood without wrecking their life until grace is fully implemented, and is a benefit of scriptural authority given to the senior member of the family, it is sadly lacking in the Laymen vs ordained elder leader church system as we know it.
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
I have found that for believers who in many other areas of obedience are all in for God, but for them one of the hardest things to accept is the fact that our elders remain our elders after our age of accountability and conversion to Christ. They somehow ignore some of the most important principles of Godliness.
Unless you understand that all men with “youngers” under their authority by scripture are the elders, you simply will not get the principles of the “Episkopos”.
By “under” I mean the scripture tells the children to obey their parents in the Lord. Obedience requires submission, and submission requires a person to submit to. That is the job of the fathers. If they win the heart of their children they are the cream that rises to the top!
People even Christians hate this, they think they moved out and do not have to be under their parents. Okay! But I do not see that in scripture!
Mark 7:11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13* Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
The “Episkopos”…. bishop, is the overseer of the church.
The term “bishop” really upsets people, the greek is “Episkopos” So as not to upset people I will try to use the Greek.
Our world has been run and ruled by democratic principles for our whole lifetime so a republic form of government is foreign to our thinking. We like to elect someone and then submit to his or her rules. This is orderly, but not God’s kingdom. The very thought that a ruler could be one by his own integrity and moral uprightness without an election is a foreign and in some cases odious consideration.
Episkopos (bishops) are the chief elder of each family in the communion (local church) (they rule their house) and if they meet the moral and strategic criteria and desire to be one, and if the church allows it they also are the overseers of the local church.
1. desire a seat on the ruling board.
3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
Have you ever heard a man say he desired to be an officer in the “office” of the episkopos (bishop) in your church? In the church world I have circled in, this would be put down as a type of pride that makes one a lost soul headed for the eternal flames, destined for unbelievers! It would project a whispering campaign and an eventual removal from the fellowship. The existing leadership would consider you a troublemaker, the people in general would attribute the desire as if you are an unreasonable attention grabber. It is there in scripture however, the desire is not only allowed but mentioned arguably as a prerequisite to becoming one.
Lie #1: You have to have a special “revelation from God rather than a desire to be an overseer.
2. A closer look and you will see this office of overseers is open for all qualified men and not by election, but by the standing of their character, and his extended family integrity and is policed by his family doing well spiritually, again soak this in: it is not by election:
Tit 1:6 If any be…
Now this shows that there is no “politics” involved, Most systems evolve around a man, or a few men “ruling” all decision making, but the assembly described is scripture allows that any, may be an Episkopos if he has all the other qualifications. The proof that he is “worthy” is found by looking at his family.
Now if it is known that “if any man has a ticket, he may come into the theater” Does the ticket allow him into the show? So if all qualifications are there, a man should be able to be an overseer.
Lie#2 (it says “if any” but it does not mean that)
3. Ordination is not by the laying on of hands because “any” qualified willing man “is” the episkopos (bishops). Message this principle into your head, they just are. People get stuck on this, because they cannot fathom a church with a root based government and no politics involved giving rise to leadership by only the character and willingness of the leaders, we are so steeped in hierarchy by appointment, election or legal force. I cannot prove that there is no laying on of hands, but you cannot prove there is, and the “desire” coupled “with any” proves you cannot refuse or remove a man because of a personal or political distaste, he just “is”.
All that is necessary to have it this way is for the group or organization to ordain or appoint it as a set of principles of tradition for it to be so.
Lie #3 (not all qualified may be one)
4. Titus 1: 5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:...... 7 For a bishop must be:
This admonition is to the elders in Crete, It is to set up or draw out of the body of elders an office that will oversee the work. Not all the elders are to be the episkopos (bishops) but only those elders that are being set in order to oversee the work.
Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be:
An episkopos (bishop) is an elder as well as most other men in the assembly but an elder is not necessarily an episkopos (bishop) . If an extended family is in the congregation, the senior elder is the one that can be a bishop, if he wants to be and he is qualified, and if his whole family is in subjection with all gravity: There is the possibility for only one episkopos (bishop) in each family. There is a reproach to the whole family if the whole family has one in it that is haywire.
One of the worst parts (lacking parts) of the American hierarchical system of churchology is the theft of the scriptural episkopos (overseers or bishops). If that were implemented, it would give the fathers a tremendous tool to keep his children and grandchildren in the “way”, for their waywardness is a huge sign to the rest of the faith community that the senior patriarch has been pulled out of leadership by the sins of the sons or daughters. It also gives him a reminder that he needs to set his own house in order if his desire is to lead others as opposed to care for his family.
This is a natural taught thing that is missing in the political position of a working family, if implemented and became a way of the church system, there would be a reproach to any family who has a child or dependant that is disorderly because his or her disobedience forces the authority of that family out of leadership. So a child about to go haywire will well consider the disappointment of his siblings, and the disappointment of it becoming acknowledged to all members of the church that he pulled his dad or grandfather off the seat of overseers.
You may not see this a spiritual thing but if you have teens and they love their parents but still want to go “unruly” this pressure is a great tool to bring them to adulthood without wrecking their life until grace is fully implemented, and is a benefit of scriptural authority given to the senior member of the family, it is sadly lacking in the Laymen vs ordained elder leader church system as we know it.
1Ti 3:4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
I have found that for believers who in many other areas of obedience are all in for God, but for them one of the hardest things to accept is the fact that our elders remain our elders after our age of accountability and conversion to Christ. They somehow ignore some of the most important principles of Godliness.