Rev Dr Quek Suan Yew

                                                                                                                             AN ELDER -- MUST BE NO STRIKER, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE, PATIENT AND NOT BE COVETOUS

1 Timothy 3:3, "Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;" [Emphasis added]

No Striker -- The Greek words for "no striker" is "me plektes." "Plektos" comes from the verb "plasso" which means "to pound or to flatten up or to shape." The addition of the negative "me", to the word "plektes", means that the elder must not "flatten" people. This applies to physical violence, but more so to the injury of the person’s character. The elder is not quarrelsome. He does not use his tongue to "kill" a person’s character or good name. He keeps his tongue in check. His tongue is under control. Burkitt explains correctly that the elder must not strike, "either with hands or tongue, no quarreller, that cannot keep his hand from hurting, no word-striker, no striker with the tongue, and passion, and anger; a word, we say, wounds deeper than a sword; the ministers of God may wound the consciences of men with the sword of the Spirit, but they must not wound the reputations of men with their own wrathful spirits; we must use our tongues rather to heal than wound, or if at any time to wound, it must be in order to heal." [William Burkitt’s Expository Notes, Swordsearcher 8.0.]

He does not retaliate when it comes to personal injury. He obeys dutifully what the LORD teaches in Holy Scriptures as an obedient child of God. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:39-42, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

There are three cases of personal injury that a Christian has to bear in life, for the gospel’s sake. Case #1: If someone slaps a Christian on the cheek, probably using the right hand as most people are right handed, and with the back of the right hand, the command is to turn the other cheek. To be slapped with the back of the hand is most humiliating and yet the Christian is commanded by Jesus to let the person slap the other cheek as well. The teaching is to accept the humiliation for Christ's sake. The Christian’s own name need not be defended! Defend only the Name of Christ! The problem with most Christians today is that they would spend thousands of dollars to defend their name which is worthless; but they will not defend the Name of Christ which is priceless! No one can be saved by believing in the name of any man; whereas all can be saved by believing in the Name of Christ! Every born again believer must ensure that this is his principle in life. The requirement for every elder is that he must truly decrease and Christ must increase. One of the best ways is to keep his temper in check.

Case #2: Loss of personal property. The personal loss is total. The people at that time wore an outer coat and an inner cloak. When someone demands the outer coat, give him the inner cloak as well. "Every where our blessed Lord shows the utmost disapprobation of such litigations as tended to destroy brotherly kindness and charity. It is evident he would have his followers to suffer rather the loss of all their property than to have recourse to such modes of redress, at so great a risk. Having the mind averse from contentions, and preferring peace and concord to temporal advantages, is most solemnly recommended to all Christians. We are great gainers when we lose only our money, or other property, and risk not the loss of our souls, by losing the love of God and man." [Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, Swordsearcher, 8.0] When it comes to financial loss, Jesus says it is better to suffer such loss and bear a good testimony for Christ than to retaliate for filthy lucre’s sake. We may win the case but we will lose a soul in the process. Do not go to court for personal gain.

Case #3: Surrendering personal rights. The Roman soldiers had the right to conscript anyone to run errands for them "at the drop of a hat". The enlisted one must stop his own work no matter how important or urgent it may be, and do the Roman soldier’s will. If not, he could face death. Jesus says that under such injury to personal rights, go the second mile. Do not be unhappy about it. Never demand your rights. For the sake of Christ and the person’s soul, be Christ-like and not like the world!

All these three qualities above must be found in an elder.

But the Christian must defend the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ even unto death, if need be, like the apostle Paul, ". . . . .for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." [Acts 21:13] He is no striker when it comes to personal injury but not so when it comes to Christ and God's holy and perfect Word. He must earnestly contend for the faith when it comes to defending the perfect Word of God. He must expose evil men and false teachers and false pastors wherever they are and must not give in to them, not even an inch. The Word of God is very clear on this point. Every faithful believer of Christ must fight the good fight of faith, even unto death! This means that no quarter must be given to these attackers of God's truth. Many today are not convicted by this teaching. They tend to reverse the emphasis. They would defend their own names but not God's Name and His holy and perfect Word. This is very sad. Their testimony for Christ is severely damaged when they do not defend God's holy and perfect Word.

With such a godly attitude, every Christian will be able to not strike back, whether he is attacked verbally or physically for the sake of Christ. He will learn to submit and accept willingly his Heavenly Father’s will. Jesus Christ is his example par excellence because He, the very Son of God, was led as a lamb to the slaughter. An obedient believer who is no striker will make a good elder. He knows when to stand firm and when to be humble for Christ’s sake! We need such men today!

Not Greedy of Filthy Lucre -- The Greek word for "filthy lucre" is "aischrokerdes". It is a compound word that is made up of "aischro" which means "sordid" and "kerdos" which means "gain." Combine the two words together and we have the phrase "sordid gain."

This is not describing poverty as an attribute or a virtue to be sought by an elder. It is not that the mere status of being poor is to be sought after by a Christian. There are many poor people who are very greedy. This notion that being poor has some sense of "spirituality" stems from church history and some "popular" books. These emphasize the unbiblical teaching that a believer must live a "simple lifestyle." This is not taught in the Bible. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were very rich and godly. King David was extremely rich and he was called "a man after God's own heart." Paul was very poor and yet he was extremely spiritual. Being poor or rich in material things has nothing to do with being spiritual. A simple lifestyle is unbiblical because it can never be defined and quantified! No man is able to absolutely define what the simple lifestyle is in the practical sense! Many naïve believers have been deceived into thinking that he is more spiritual when he is suffering or in poverty! This is a lie of the Devil. Such thinking results in legalism and fills man's heart with sinful pride! Therefore a poor believer can become an elder.

It also does not mean that a wealthy person cannot be an elder. The Bible is not giving us the impression that being wealthy is carnal or sinful. King David was very, very wealthy as he was the king who united Israel and brought into his kingdom great wealth and fame. Job was also very wealthy and so were men like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as mentioned above. All these men were godly at the same time. Joseph was the prime minister of Egypt and Daniel was made counselor to the king of Babylon and the first president to the king of Persia. They were very godly, wealthy and influential as well. The emphasis of spirituality is precisely what the term means. It is measured in terms of spiritual qualities and not material! Thus it is sad that many churches today have unspiritual men of the world who have material abundance and worldly accolades being made elders. These men make carnal decisions when they are supposed to make only spiritual decisions for the spiritual well-being of God's people. One must not be disqualified or made qualified for eldership because of material and worldly status. These have nothing to do with the position of eldership.

The adage "the love of money is the root of all evil" emphasizes a trait that must not be found in an elder. Money is not the root of all evil but the LOVE of it is. An elder who loves money, which is what "greedy of sordid gain" means, will be corrupt in his judgements. He will give affluent members in the congregation preferential treatment. The elder will choose to be blind to the sins of the wealthy members. Not only will he cover up or ignore their sins, he might even endorse them for positions in the church. Proverbs 28:21 describes such elders well, "To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress." Such elders will sin "for a piece of bread".

Godly leaders are needed in the ministry in every age. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, told him to seek out men who could help him rule the over two million Israelites who came out of Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. Exodus 18:19-22: "Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee." [Emphasis added]

Moses was to teach these leaders the Word and wisdom of God so that they could help him rule and counsel the ones who needed attention on a daily basis. Moses could not look after them alone. Jethro rightly defined the character of these men. They were to be "able men" who feared God, men of truth (i.e. characterized by truth), and men who hated covetousness. When we truly fear God we will not fear any man. When truth is most important to us, we will not practise situational ethics and we will definitely ensure that truth is paramount in all decisions. When we hate covetousness, we cannot be bought with or be influenced by money. These same spiritual qualities are very much needed in our church today.

If an elder looks at the faces of people before he makes judgements, he will ruin the church. Flattering "the right people" with the right words and "looking out for them" for the right amount are sure ways to destroy God’s people. An elder who is greedy for filthy lucre will sell his office for a piece of bread. His judgements will be corrupt and made according to the "face" of a person. Therefore, it is imperative that an elder must not be greedy of filthy lucre for the safety and well-being of God’s church. Amen.

Must be Patient -- The Greek word for "patient" is "epieikes." This is used five times in the entire New Testament. On three occasions, the KJV translators translated it as "gentle" (cf. Titus 3:2; James 3:17; 1 Peter 2:18). Once it is translated as "moderation", in Philippians 4:5. This word "patient" is different from the usual word for "patience" or "patient" (hupomone) found 31 times in the New Testament. "Hupomone" is a word that describes a Christian’s "endurance in the face of difficult circumstances." When the Christian faces a trial like persecution or sickness or loss of a job not of his own failure, he is counseled to be "patient", i.e. to endure hard circumstances and not give up! But "epiekes" translated here as "patient" refers to a gentle person. The elder is to have a mild disposition, one who is well mannered and approachable.

He does not fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. The opposite of a mild mannered demeanour is that of a brawler. Hence the contrasting disposition is that the word "patient" is followed by the phrase "not a brawler." The word "brawler" appears only twice in the whole NT. The other occasion is found in Titus 3:2, also translated as "brawler" and is also used in the same context of good Christian behaviour. The elder is not a fighter. There are some "Christians" and even "elders" who have a quarrelsome disposition. Their nature is sour and cantankerous. The facial features are likened to a "sour plum", all wrinkled up and constantly frowning. Burkitt rightly describes "a brawler" as one who is a "contentious person, often engaged in law-suits." Elders who threaten other elders to "fight" it out outside the church or threaten them with lawsuits if they cannot get their way must not be elders. Brawlers are people who will often insist on their way and that theirs is the only way! The brawler is definitely not teachable and unapproachable. He behaves like a gangster who beats people up with his words and attitude. Such a person ought not to serve in any leadership position in the church!

However, the elder who possesses this attribute of gentleness is peaceable. He is at peace with people around him. He may be a defender of the truth but he does it in such a way that his firmness is constantly tempered with gentleness. He is not easily moved by flattery or bought with money; however, his gentleness must not be mistaken for weakness. Underneath his gentle demeanour lies a heart for God. He is not a weakling or a compromiser. He deals with sin uncompromisingly and he is a man of deep convictions and is resolute in his stance for the perfect Word of God with unwavering steadfastness.

The greatest example is our Lord Jesus Christ. He was the gentlest person who walked this earth. He attended to the weak and sickly and healed all who came to Him. He ministered to them even when He was tired. He did not turn away any sinner who came to Him in repentance. He was constantly and firmly determined to do His father’s will, no matter what the cost was to self. The ultimate price was His death and crucifixion at Calvary. Yet when He had to deal with sin, including the sin from one of His closest disciple, Peter, Jesus did not waver. He firmly, but lovingly, rebuked Peter. His standard for truth and righteousness was never lowered or compromised. Jesus says in Mark 8:33-38, "But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

The elder must be like his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, able to be firm and yet gentle at the same time. He will not condone sin or the sinner who refuses to repent; but firmly with gentleness he will deal with both, always according to Holy Scriptures. He is approachable and demonstrates a "patient" demeanour, prepared to help and counsel anyone, any time and any day.

Must Not Be Covetous -- The Greek word for covetous is "aphilarguros." This word occurs only twice in the entire New Testament. The other occurrence is in Hebrews 13:5. In both instances, the KJV has the word as "covetous." It is a compound word made up of three words. The word "aphilarguros" is made up of the negative "a," the word "phileo" which means "love" and "arguros" which means "silver or money." The three words combined literally means "not a lover of money." Therefore, the Christian who desires to be an elder must not be a lover of money. This is not the same as being rich or having lots of money. As mentioned above, the Bible is not saying that a rich person cannot be an elder. The problem is the love of money and NOT possessing money. Both the poor and the rich can be lovers of money. Do not discriminate against the rich and the poor. Do not prevent someone from being an elder simply because he is poor or rich. It has nothing to do with a person’s financial status. It is a spiritual and heart condition and not a condition of his bank account. To vote someone to be an elder because he is rich is a transgression. To disqualify someone who is poor is also a transgression. The person's status in society is of no consequence at all in the evaluation of his spiritual qualification for eldership.

A covetous elder is a man who can be bought with money. For money, he will distort his judgement. Truth to him will be like water having no shape but taking the shape of the container! The elder's decision changes according to the money that is offered to him. If he believes that he can gain financially or materially, his decision can be easily changed. He can be likened to pastors who come into churches because of pay and perks. Their slogan would be "more money more preach", "less money less preach" and "no money no preach." They will bargain and make monetary demands and perks. They will not die for the flock. They will move on when a better offer comes along. They are like the Levite in the book of Judges who was offered a bigger congregation to leave his smaller one. Judges 18:19, "And they said unto him, Hold thy peace, lay thine hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest: is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?"

A covetous elder is one who will look at the "faces" of man when he makes judgements. For rewards, he will "colour" his judgement. Proverbs 28:21 also describes this type of elder well, "To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress." He will be "offered" positions of leadership in the church by these rich men. Doctrines can be put aside for them. He will support the financially well-off ones to be deacons regardless of doctrines. The covetous elder will also make sure that these deacons are aware that he is the one who "promoted" them. On the other hand, he will throw God's judgement at those who are not rich. Such elders are like leaches that will suck the blood; they will suck the money from the rich. An elder who loves money does not care for right or wrong. He is a man will little or no Bible convictions. His life consists of the things that he possesses. This is how he measures himself and also how he would measure others around him. The ones with more money are seen as more godly to him and will be treated with special favours. A covetous elder serves for money and serves "money people." He has very few moral convictions and fewer doctrinal positions. He can move from one conviction to the next according to personal benefit. He is loyal to no one but himself. He cares only for himself and would be ready to compromise anyone or anything, including God and His perfect Word, for filthy lucre.

How do we find out if a person is a lover of money? One of the ways is to visit that person’s home, talk to him and observe what occupies his thoughts and heart. The Bible says in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." A lover of money will not live by faith but by works. His conversation will constantly revolve around money, properties, and worldly endeavours. He seldom studies or reads the Bible. He has little interest in spiritual matters and his knowledge of the Bible is replaced by his knowledge of worldly pursuits. At every meal, he talks about how to make more money. The economy of the world consumes him. He is obsessed by money and rich people. Sadly, such elders and pastors are a dime a dozen. They come into "office" with one agenda, and that is to make merchandise of the flock.

Elders have the grave responsibility to make decisions involving the spiritual well-being of God’s people under their care. If we should choose one who loves money, it would be like inviting a wolf to live among the flock which will be his buffet spread.

One of the best ways to ruin the Lord’s church is to vote in a covetous elder or pastor.