1. Acts 20:28

2. God is a God of order – I Cor. 14:33, 40 God has set forth order within the world and the church – I Cor. 11:3 Christ is also the head of the church – Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18 God had a plan of leadership for His church – Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5

3. The wisdom of God placed these leaders within His church These weren’t just any men, but men who met certain qualifications (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9) God chose men to shepherd His flock, but what do these shepherds do?

4. 1. To Be An Overseer “…among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28) The elders have the duty of overseeing the flock at the local congregation Overseer – inspectors, superintendent, officer in general charge

5. 1. To Be An Overseer Deacons – servants; Evangelist – preacher; Elders – overseers Heb. 13:17 – “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.” They oversee the spiritual!

6. 2. To Provide Order and Structure God is a God of order and therefore must have order in His church Titus 1:5 – “…that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you”

7. 2. To Provide Order and Structure In any working organization there must be structure and a hierarchy This is another reason why there are qualifications for elders Those who are at the top of the order making spiritual decisions shouldn’t be just anyone

8. 3. To Feed The Flock Acts 20:28 – “…to feed the church of God…” (KJV) Elders are a part of the work of feeding or teaching the congregation I Tim. 3:2 – “able to teach”

9. 3. To Feed The Flock Heb. 13:7 – “…who have spoken the word of God to you” Titus 1:9 – “…that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict” They must be involved in feeding the flock

10. 4. To Be An Example It’s important for an elder to set a good example among all I Tim. 3:7 – “Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside…” All the qualifications point to setting a good example

11. 4. To Be An Example Heb. 13:7 – “…whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” We can look to our elders as an example of how we should live and speak in our spiritual walk

12. 5. To Stand Up To False Teaching Elders must be able to recognize false teaching, but also have the courage to stand against it Titus 1:9-13 It’s another reason why they must be able to teach

13. 5. To Stand Up To False Teaching Acts 20:28-31 Paul warns them about men who rise up to speak perverse (misleading) things Elders must be watchful for this, but willing to speak out against it

14. The job of a shepherd is not an easy one That’s why we should “obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account” (Heb. 13:17) “Let them do so with joy and not with grief…”