God's Teaching Plan

Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
 
IN the early days of the United States as people settled into new territory, men and women would come into new settlements to teach the children. Parents soon formed schools and hired these teachers to oversee the systematic education of their children. The children would not learn well if teachers came for a short time and moved on to new settlements. This is likely true in your particular country, too. Good education needs good leaders to oversee a good system.
   This is the same in the church., isn’t it? Acts has informed us of many evangelists, preachers and teachers moving from settlement to settlement to teach the gospel. They taught, and people in those cities and villages came to faith in Jesus, Lord and Savior. These new believers had the basic truth of Christianity to form a church. Now it was time to establish good teachers in the church to oversee a good Bible education system.
   Paul and Barnabas acted under God’s plan. When they appointed elders to oversee the church, they followed God’s good system for educating his people. This is the first time elder is used to designate church leaders. This was not Paul’s and Barnabas’ idea. It is God’s plan from ancient days.
   The term elder is rooted in a Hebrew word that means priest. Look back to Exodus to remember what God did to teach Israel about himself when he brought Israel from Egypt. God gave the law. Then he named the Levites to be priests – to be elders – to oversee God’s systematic instruction for daily life and worship. This was God’s good education system to teach his people who he is. To fully enjoy God’s blessings they needed to purposefully learn God’s good commands. We note Barnabas was a Levite (Acts 4:36), and Paul was a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). These men knew the need for good, orderly education. This was the Jews’ legacy. Appointing elders advanced the learning into the new church.
   Today the office of elder is in every church. But not all teachers and leaders in churches are called elders. Some are called priests, a correct title for Bible teachers. Others are called bishops. This means overseer. Teachers and pastors oversee the true teaching in the church. Thus elder, bishop and priest are appropriate terms for Christian pastors and teachers.
   In truth every believer is called to teach and oversee the education of God’s Word. This begins in our individual lives, extends to our families and influences the church. Peter exhorts the church to know, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
   Each Christian is responsible to teach God’s Word in a good systematic way. This is God’s good plan to help each of us personally know the wonder of his call out of darkness into life.