THE IMPORTANCE OF ELDERS

(Message delivered by Pastor at the True Life Church 10.30 am Service, Apr 24, 05)
Text: Titus 1:5-13

“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: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the  gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith.”

Last Lord’s Day Dr Jeffrey Khoo spoke to you about Deacons. Deacons mean servants in the part they play in the Church to take care of the more mundane things such as “serving tables”, according to Acts 6:1-7. Nevertheless, they should be of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost whom the Apostles might appoint over the business.

This week which is our Annual Congregational Meeting required by law when we not only have Annual Reports but also our First Election of Elders and Deacons, the Session, it is my turn to speak on “The Importance of Elders.”

Originally the Presbyterian System allowed only Elders to be in the Session, which governed the Church. This is still so with the American B-P Church. But when I joined as pastor of the Teochew Say Mia Tng at Prinsep Street which had a modified system, the Session was made up of Elders plus Deacons to govern the Church.

When we left Prinsep Street with our newly built Church at Gilstead Road completed in 1963, we carried over the practice of our Prinsep Street English Service of Elders and Deacons until today.

At this juncture it is expedient for me as pastor to inform you the new congregation of True Life Church the importance of Elders over the Deacons.

Paul writes to Titus in Titus 1:5-13 especially on Elders. Elders are also called Bishops (overseers). The word “Elders” referring to the man, the word “Bishops” to the function of the office. The functions of the Elders are to rule, especially to guard the body of revealed truth from error.

Hence Paul says in Timothy an elder must be apt to teach and in Titus, an elder must hold fast the faithful word that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convince those who err. For illustration when my two assistant pastors in Life Church said there were mistakes in the Bible, I as pastor had to rebuke them and declare we have a 100% perfect Bible without any mistake. Those two assistant pastors who also taught at FEBC immediately resigned from the College.

Because Life Church Session had more Deacons than Elders, who lacked the sound doctrine of Elders, they gave way to the particular error of the assistant pastors, and I stood alone with some Elders, we withdrew to True Life worshipping at RELC.

Now, the Elders nominated with the Pastor who should be No. 1 Teaching and Ruling Elder, you must elect after serious heart searching and the Deacons who had been picked to serve by the Interim Committee you must also likewise elect.

Before God it is your duty to cast your vote for the names who are nominated Elders and names who are nominated Deacons. God, I believe, has infallibly led us to this point, and now He likes to accept your part. The two Commissioners sent by Calvary Tengah B-P Church are Elder William Seah and Elder Peter Goh and the results of acceptance of Reports and Election will be declared to you next week.

 

 

GENESIS

Notes From A Weekly Study Conducted by Pastor Quek
(Taken from Newsletter of Cherith Fellowship, Vol. 1 Issue 1, April 2005, edited by J.T. Joseph)
CHAPTER 2
Verse 8
Eden – a particular location, standing in contrast with such as Sodom or Gomorrah.
Verses 16, 17
God’s injunction and warning were given to Adam – not Eve. He must then have passed it on.
Satan somehow knew of the situation.
Verses 24
Moses’ comment? – more likely to have been God’s instruction for the establishment of the human family [cf. Mark 10:7; Eph. 5:31].

CHAPTER 2 TO CHAPTER 3
How many weeks have elapsed? We can’t say for sure, but it is likely to have been a short period, as Eve had yet to conceive.
CHAPTER 3
Note the extensive use of polysyndedon (and .. and ..), signifying that all the ‘actions’ reported herein were deliberate or wilful: cf. Gen. 22:9, 10.
Verse 1
‘Subtle’ = ‘beautiful and clever’ or ‘cunning’?
Most likely the former, as sin had not yet entered the world (‘beautiful’ in comparison with the other beasts of the field).

Was the serpent ‘Satan transformed’ or was the creature possessed by Satan?
Most likely the latter, as demons can possess only living things.
Note:

• Satan had been cast to Earth upon his fall from grace, but the Earth was not yet under his dominion – Adam had yet to sin.
• The serpent will remain cursed, even in the Millennium.Verses 1 – 5
  Arguably, Adam was not with Eve when the serpent approached her.
  Verses 2, 3
  Eve’s capital mistake – not accurately handling God’s Word in the context in which she found herself: OMMISSION + SUBTRACTION + DISTORTION.

Was this a sin of ‘ignorance’? – then, how did Eve know she had been ‘beguiled’ [3:13]?

Also, check out Numbers 15: 24, 25.
Note:

• Eve sinned by tampering with the Word of God.
• She sinned before Adam but, as she was not the representative of the human race, mankind did not fall with her.Verse 4
  Satan’s frontal attack – a direct challenge to God.
  Verse 5
  ‘ye shall be as gods’ – note the lower caseing.

  Satan’s intent was to introduce idol worship where the only knowledge, thus far, had been of the one, true and living God.
  Satan’s definition of ‘god’: merely, a being who knows good & evil [cf. Verse 22].
  Note: Adam and Eve had cognitive knowledge of good & evil, but, before the Fall, they had experiential knowledge only of ‘good’.
  Verse 6
  
  Eve ate first – then gave the forbidden fruit to Adam.
  Now he had to choose and choose in the full knowledge of God’s explicit command to him:

• Choose God and separate from Eve?
• Choose Eve and be (both of them) separated from God?Verse 9
• God always calls the sinner.
  Verse 10
• We see the sense of shame rising spontaneously [as Calvin commented].
  Verse 12, 13
• Fallen beings so want to have companions in sin!
  God always demands of the sinner that he owns up to his sin [no ‘ifs & buts’] – such a man would be after God’s own heart [cf. David].

 

The Good Word
by John Tow

Like a father who loves His son,
He reaches out to everyone
Through His Word that His Will be done.
Thus, not one jot, and no, not one,
Or one tittle will get undone
Till all be fulfilled ‘neath the sun.
Acknowledge then His majesty.
Accept His counsel humbly.
If mortal man can yearn to be
Perfect in ways that’s beyond me,
Why can he not readily see
The logic of God’s primacy?
He brought forth life at His command,
Created all things with His hand.
He’ll surely help us understand
His Kingdom which now draws at hand.
He’s able in a way that’s grand
To speed His Word o’er sea and land