Chapter Seven

Forms of First-Century Leadership



“How To” books or pamphlets of instructions are wonderful if they are clearly written. If they provide information from someone who understands the need and the situation, the information can be invaluable. A good “how to” book is helpful in many situations when you need clear guidance on what to do! However, a “how to” book is good for nothing but laughs if the writer does not know how to communicate. If the information does not address the need or grasp the situation, it is frustrating instead of helpful.

Maybe the writer does not know the language. Maybe the writer assumes too much about the need or the situation. Whatever the circumstance, the writer is not able to address the need of the person seeking guidance. The result is hilarious if the situation is not critical or frustrating if the situation is critical.

The New Testament is not a “how to” book. It is a discipleship book. It involves a believer in Jesus Christ if the believer commits to a transition in personal lifestyle. Because it has been and is often treated as a “how to” book, the end result has been endless arguments, divisions, and countless frustrated individuals.

Does that mean that we should be unconcerned about doing Bible things in Bible ways? No! It means we should not try to force the New Testament to say things it does not say. It means we should not make a first-century statement address a twenty-first century problem the original writer WAS NOT addressing.

Yes, context matters! Our twenty-first century doctrines should not determine the meaning of biblical statements. The meaning of biblical statements should determine our twenty-first century doctrines. We do not form a doctrinal system and then force every statement in scripture to “agree” with our system. We seriously consider all biblical statements in context to determine our doctrines, even if that demands we allow ourselves to “see” information we never have considered. It means every generation continues the quest to grasp fully God’s will by building on the past to address the present.

Convenient? No! However, we seek God’s will in every age with a faith that seeks understanding. Will another conscientious believer in Jesus Christ reach different conclusions because the believer places the emphasis or priorities differently than do we? In all likelihood, that will happen—it does happen and always has happened.


Forms of Early Leadership


As an example, consider first-century concepts of ekklesia leadership. Since the ekklesia did not have what we know as “church buildings,” the responsibilities of ekklesia leadership were not consumed in matters such as parking, air conditioning, heating, leaks, adequate space for an endless variety of purposes, land deeds, contracts, and the use of property.

Do such considerations meet real needs in today’s societies? Yes! However, may we not seek to make such considerations “legitimate” by forcing a New Testament phrase or statement to say something that was not the point of the New Testament writer.

(1) Most congregations in the New Testament had at least five kinds of leadership available to them. They had apostles. At times this meant the twelve men who followed Jesus. These were the men who (after Jesus’ death and resurrection) were located in Jerusalem for a while (Acts 6:2; 15:2). These men especially were involved in the lives of the ekklesia at Jerusalem (Acts 15:4, 22; 16:4).

People other than the twelve were also called apostles (Acts 14:14). The word “apostle” simply means one who was sent. It typically implied (by context) that the person sent was commissioned to act on the behalf of the sender.

The twelve were commissioned by Jesus (Matthew 10:1-5; 28:16-20). [Acts 1:21-26 discusses God’s selection of Matthias to take the dead Judas’ place. This passage affirms that a group of disciples (besides the twelve) followed Jesus from his baptism and witnessed Jesus’ resurrection.] The twelve occupied a special position as representatives of Jesus Christ as did no others (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Others were commissioned by congregations for a mission to be performed on their behalf. In those instances, the Greek word for apostle(s) often is translated by the English words “minister,” “delegate,” or “representative” (all of which represented basic responsibilities of an apostle). For examples, consider 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Philippians 2:25.

Thus the Greek word was used in two ways. It was used to refer to Jesus’ twelve disciples. It also was used in a more common sense as reflected in 1 Corinthians 15:5-7 (in the contrast of the twelve to all the apostles). Yet, there is no doubt that the twelve served a unique role in the leadership in the first congregations (Ephesians 3:4-6; 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31).

(2) The first congregations had leadership from God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit commonly was active among the first people in Christ. Those first Christians could not imagine the Spirit not being active in future generations. From the selection of Matthias (Acts 1:24-26), to the formation of the first ekklesia (Acts 2:1-4, 11, 12), to the spread of the gospel among Jewish people (Acts 3:7-10; 4:29-31), to addressing the first congregational problem (Acts 6:3), to including non-Jewish people in the presentation of the gospel (Acts 10:19, 20, 44-47), to the selection of the first missionaries (Acts 13:2), to resolving a Jewish-gentile conversion conflict (Acts 15:8, 28), to taking the message about Jesus Christ and his teachings to the gentile people (Acts 16:25, 26; 19:2, 6; 20:28), God’s Spirit played an active, essential leadership role.

(3) These first Christians also had the leadership of evangelists. Fortunately for us, three of the New Testament books were written to evangelists (see Ephesians 4:11 and 2 Timothy 4:5).

Timothy was left in Ephesus to instruct Christian teachers about the content of their teaching. His personal instructions included (a) an encouragement not to be discouraged (1 Timothy 1:19), (b) instructions not to allow his youthfulness to become an issue (1 Timothy 4:12), (c) an urging not to neglect his spiritual gift (1 Timothy 4:14), (d) a challenge to give careful attention to his relationships (1 Timothy 5:1-16), and (e) directions to exercise care in his personal life because he represented Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:20, 21).

Emphasis on his responsibilities as an evangelist in Ephesus were (a) to encourage prayer for the idolatrous rulers (1 Timothy 2:1-4), (b) to encourage Christian women to have a godly lifestyle (1 Timothy 2:9-15), (c) to appoint overseers and deacons in the ekklesia (1 Timothy 3), (d) to teach believers in Jesus Christ to avoid a focus that produced division (1 Timothy 4:1-11), and (e) to enact instructions on Christians’ behavior (1 Timothy 5, 6).

In 2 Timothy, Timothy was encouraged not to allow Paul’s circumstances to discourage him (chapter 1). He was exhorted to “hang in there,” to keep reminding, and to be kind instead of quarrelsome (chapter 2). The situation would get worse, but Jesus Christ, not difficulties, should shape who he was (chapter 3). Timothy was urged to be devoted to his ministry and to come to Paul quickly (chapter 4).

In the brief book of Titus, the specific reason given for Titus being left on the island of Crete was to appoint elders in every city (1:5). That would include seeing that rebellious, empty deceivers did not provide leadership for the ekklesia (1:10). He was to be careful in his relationships, and to teach Cretan Christians in every age group and relationship how they should behave as Christians (chapter 2). The Cretan Christians were to be reminded of transformation in Jesus Christ (the source of their blessings). Why? Their behavioral change would NOT result from continuing their old way of life (chapter 3).

(4 and 5) The early ekklesia also had leadership from local elders and deacons. We, because of the exposure of experience and teaching, are likely much more familiar with these forms of leadership than the other forms.


The Assumptions


Assumptions easily are made. Though we often realize our assumptions are not factually based, we do not question our assumptions because (a) those assumptions reflect our experience, (b) it is difficult for us to imagine that which lies outside our experience, and (c) it is simpler to assume nothing has changed than it is to deal with the realities of change.

Consider the elder form of local leadership.

  1. We assume that 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are overlays of the qualifications of the men who should be allowed to provide leadership in a local congregation.
  2. We assume those first-century men who provided leadership in local congregations were all the same.
  3. We often assume that if a man was an elder in one congregation, he was prepared to be an elder wherever he moved.
  4. We assume that elders exist to manage things that did not even exist in first-century congregations.
  5. We assume that good elders focus the disciples’ concerns even if disciples’ concerns focus on lifestyles instead of focusing on Jesus Christ.
If many of today’s Christians were asked to thoughtfully reflect on those assumptions, we would acknowledge difficulties or qualify those assumptions. We often acknowledge that our assumptions are oversimplifications. As an example, it is obvious in assumption #1 that 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 are not an exact overlay. In assumption #2, we know (if we are more than new converts) that all elders are not the same, as if they were the product of some divine production line. In assumption #3 we understand that an elder’s relationships within the congregation are critical to the success of his leadership. In assumption #4 we know elders must deal with twenty-first century realities that were not a part of first-century congregations. In assumption #5, we realize that the expectations of a congregation are a significant factor in what elders can and cannot do effectively in their guidance.


Contrasting Ephesus and Crete


Ephesus was the fourth largest city in the Roman Empire. It had a population of around 250,000 people. The city served as a major connecting point for caravans and ships sailing for Rome. Militarily, Ephesus was a strategic city for around a thousand years.

The city was also an important religious center for all of Asia. The principal Temple of Artemis (Diana) was located there. It also contained three temples dedicated to the emperor cult, a group who practiced the magical arts (Acts 19:17-19), and a large colony of Jews.

As an indication of the influence of monotheistic Christianity in a polytheistic environment, Christianity had an economic impact on the powerful Temple of Artemis (one of the world’s seven wonders then). Christianity impacted the Temple of Artemis economically, politically, and socially (Acts 19:23-27). Christianity also caused a significant rejection of the magical arts (Acts 19:19).

Ephesus was among the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire. It was a city of wealth, sophistication, significant culture, and a cultural heritage. The Christians there confronted environments and needs that did not exist in rural towns.

The contrasts between Ephesus and Crete are numerous. Ephesus was a city with broad-reaching influence; Crete was an island whose society and nation often were regarded with disdain. Timothy was left in the city of Ephesus to address “strange doctrines” that had infiltrated the Christian community (1 Timothy 1:3); Titus was left on the island of Crete to (a) “set in order what remains” and (b) “to appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:5). Timothy’s work in the city of Ephesus involved (presumably) one Christian congregation/community in one city; Titus’s work involved multiple Christian congregations/communities in multiple cities (Titus 1:5). Whereas Ephesus enjoyed a reputation of sophistication, Cretans were looked upon as being a crude people (Titus 1:12-16).

For centuries, Crete had an earned reputation for piracy that was repressed first by the Greeks and then by the Romans. They also served as mercenaries in numerous conflicts. The quote Paul used regarding Cretans being liars, evil beasts, and gluttons was from Epimenides, dating to around 600 B.C. Cicero wrote (The Republic 3.4.15): “Indeed, moral principles are so divergent that the Cretans consider highway robbery to be honorable.” Polybius (Histories 6.46.1-3) wrote: “Their laws go as far as possible in letting them acquire land to the extent of their power ..., and money is held in such high honor among them that its acquisition is not only regarded as necessary, but as most honorable.”

So much did sordid love of gain and lust for wealth prevail among Cretans that they were considered the only “civilized” people in the world in whose eyes “no gain is disgraceful.”  Diodorus of Sicily related a story of a Cretan soldier who betrayed his army to the Romans for money, rejecting valuable Roman citizenship (Histories 6.47.5). It is not an exaggeration to acknowledge that the Cretans had an earned reputation, acquired for generations, as being a greedy, violent society who honored and did things other societies regarded as immoral.

The contrast in the social climate of the city of Ephesus and the social climate of the island of Crete is quite remarkable. The contrast is so remarkable that it indicates that the challenges that would confront Christians in Ephesus would distinctly differ from the challenges confronting Christians on the island of Crete.


IF YOU ARE GOING TO BE A SHEPHERD, WALK IN THE PASTURE, Chapter Seven
Copyright © 2008, David Chadwell
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