132
`But man, proud man,
Dress'd in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he's most assured,
* * *
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As make the angels weep'.
The figures of a shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep, and of a father in his own household, should
have been sufficient to prevent any misunderstanding of the word `rule'. The word itself (in 1 Tim. 3:4 and 5) is
proistemi, which means `to preside', and then `to stand before' so as to defend and maintain (compare Titus 3:8,14).
The figure of a father presiding over and maintaining his own house, is then transferred to the bishop `taking care' of
God's house, the church. The only other occurrences of epimeleomai, `to take care' are found in the parable of the
Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34,35).
In Ephesians 4 the apostle speaks of the order of ministry given by the ascended Christ as follows:
`And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers' (Eph.
4:11).
We have already seen that a bishop must be `apt to teach' (1 Tim. 3:2), and that the office of a bishop is inter-
changeable with that of an `elder' and a `shepherd'. The word `pastor' in Ephesians 4:11 is poimen, which is
translated `shepherd' in John 10:14, and is linked with episkopos in 1 Peter 2:25. The office of `elder' or `bishop' is
therefore included in the gifts of Ephesians 4:11 under the double title of `pastors and teachers'.
The introduction of bishops and deacons in Philippians 1:1 is in line with the teaching of this particular epistle
which stresses service rather than salvation. Their presence in this epistle also provides an interesting parallel with
the epistles to Timothy and Titus as shown in the skeleton structure below:
The seven epistles of Paul, after Acts 28
A EPHESIANS. The Mystery.
a
B PHILIPPIANS.
Bishops and Deacons.
b
The Prize.
C PHILEMON.
Truth in Practice.
A COLOSSIANS. The Mystery.
B 1 and 2 TIMOTHY. a
Bishops and Deacons.
AND TITUS.
b
The Crown.
On closer examination we find that even the rule of bishops and deacons had failed by the time 2 Timothy was
written, and that ruin rather than rule seems to be the keynote of the Church's external order from this time onwards.
It is not in any sense a ground for boasting that we can see no rule of bishops and deacons today. If we are obliged
to walk an individual path, let us not boast, but rather remember the position from which the Church, in its manifest
aspect, has fallen. Nevertheless, we can rightly rejoice - that, though all should fail, `He faileth not' - and in these
closing days, with apostasy on the horizon, we can but cling more closely to the One Who is more to us than bishop,
elder or pastor could ever be.
The Prison Ministry Foreshadowed (Acts 20:17-38)
Paul surveys his `Acts' ministry (Acts 20:18-21)
If the reader will refresh his memory, by turning back to page 261, he will see that the opening member of the
structure, with its reference to `Elders', occupied all the available space. We must now turn our attention from