Elder Installation Charge

[Jim Watt]

“*TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE” MINISTRIES*

*Jim & Marie Watt*

*Tel: 253-517-9195 - Email: jmbetter at gmail.com*

*Web: www.2rbetter.org*



   *A SUGGESTED “CHARGE” FOR AN “ELDER” INSTALLATION SERVICE*

*A General Eldership Charge - See 1 Timothy 3:1-11 and Titus 1:5-9*

*For a Specific Apostolic Eldership Charge - See the Following 12 Points*

*Note: The 5-fold Epbesian 4:11 Ministries - are All Elders.*

*See 1 Peter 5:11 (5:1-5) - Peter an Apostle, calls Himself a fellow-elder.*

*According to Acts 20, the following are all synonyms:*

*Overseer or bishop - ePISko-pos, Strong #1985, 5x*

*Elder - presBUte-ros, Strong #4245, 67x*

*Pastor or Shepherd - poiMEN, Strong #4166, 18x*

*(All 3 of these words are used in Acts 20 interchangeably)*


 Paul chose Timothy, mother a Jew, father Greek; had him circumcised, and
set apart in a Presbytery service conducted by elders from 3 city churches.
Paul then intended to train him as his successor for Ephesus. There were a
number of areas in which Paul did train Timothy, and in these specific areas
he exhorted Timothy to diligently walk in. I would like to apply these
principles as a “charge” for an installation service.


 *1. 1 Timothy 1:18-19 (1:18-20) GOOD WARFARE: BASED ON A PRESBYTERY
INSTALLATION. “This charge I commit to you, Timothy child, according to the
prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you war the good warfare;
19 having faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust away made
shipwreck concerning the faith.” *This is a most important concept, and was
the *first* that God restored in the 1948 Visitation on February 11 in North
Battleford, Saskatchewan. In line with this is 1 Timothy 4:15 (4:11-16) *PAUL'S
CHIEF CHARGE TO TIMOTHY. “Be diligent (through vocal meditation) in these;
give yourself wholly to these; that your :progress be apparent to all. 16 Take
heed to yourself, and to the teaching. Continue in it; for in doing this you
shall save both yourself and your :hearers.” *1 & 2 Timothy and Titus deal
with the ordering of “City Churches”, and the churches in the home within
each city, which were the local churches of those early days. The word “Be
diligent” could equally be translated, “Vocally meditate” on these concepts
- and - give yourself *wholly* to them. The proof of obedience on Timothy's
part was that leaders and people in Ephesus could see him progressing in all
that Paul stood for. Centuries later, George Muller of Bristol, England,
felt the same way about this.


 *2. Joshua 1:8 (1:1-9) VOCAL MEDITATION: GOD'S CHIEF CHARGE TO JOSHUA.
“This book of the law (Torah: Teaching) shall not depart out of **your mouth
**, but you shall **meditate** (vocally, because of Hebrew parallelism) day
and night, that you may observe **to do** according to **all** that is
written in it: for **then** you shall make your way prosperous, and
**then**you shall have good success.”
*With the death of Moses, God Himself takes charge in the final preparation
for the ministry of Joshua to complete what Moses started. Just as Joshua
represented Jehovah as Salvation in his day, *Jesus*, Jehovah the Savior,
followed on from Joshua as a type, and led and founded the Church on Himself
as the “One New Man,” and by the Holy Spirit brought in the Kingdom of God,
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit in our hearts. His Second
Coming will bring the Kingdom into open manifestation world-wide, starting
with Jerusalem and Israel.


 *3. Psalm 1 (1:1-6) THE BLESSED MAN: A MEDITATION IN TORAH LIKE DAVID - a
man after God's own heart, established 500 years after Joshua, the type of
the Kingdom that our Lord Jesus would consummate. “But his delight is in the
law of Jehovah; And on his law does he meditate day and night.” *All of the
NT that directly related to Jesus in the Gospels, and that He spoke through
His apostles in the epistles, are the *Teaching* or *Torah of God* just as
was the OT to Joshua, David and the Prophets. *See Hebrews 8:6 8:1-13) THE
NEW COVENANT: NOW CONSTITUTED AS TORAH! “But now has he obtained a ministry
the more superior, by so much as he is also mediator of a better covenant,
which has been enacted*

*(or better - **constituted as Torah)** upon better promises.” * The New
Covenant is now *constituted as Torah* (Teaching), just as the Old Covenant.
Dr. David Stern correctly translates this verse in his translation of the
Bible.


 *4. Romans 1:16 (1:15-17) THE GOSPEL OF PAUL: KEYED HERE IN PASSOVER, AND
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is God's
power unto salvation to every believer; to Jew first, also to Greek.” *Oswald
Chambers, is a leading exponent of “The Redemption” - the Key Reason why
Jesus came. Because of His great love on our behalf before we were born, and
while we were yet unsaved, leads us to *“Personal, passionate devotion to
Jesus.”*


 *5. Ephesians 3:3 (3:1-12) THE MYSTERY OF THE CHURCH, THE “ONE NEW MAN”,
EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT AT PENTECOST.* *“How that by revelation was
made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words.” *This whole
context deserves careful meditation upon! It is the key to this whole
epistle of Paul to the Ephesian city church. We come into the church as
converts through the light shed by the prepositions “eis” into, and “en” in
- but at Pentecost the Holy Spirit comes upon - *Epi* - proving our
obedience (Acts 5:32) - and demonstrating that now we are truly
*disciples!*“Rees Howells, Intercessor” by Norman P. Grubb excels in
making Pentecost a
Reality. Note that Passover and Pentecost of the 4 Spring Feasts and
Festivals are *intimately* related. In God's eyes, the 50 days between the
two are *not* completed until Pentecost is realized on the basis of
Passover. First the *blood* - and *then* the “oil.” The counting of the Omer
with its 50 days is but another confirmation of the close linkage of these
two.


 *6. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 (5:1-11) JESUS' SECOND COMING: AS A THIEF IN THE
NIGHT. “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need
that anything be written you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that
theLord's day comes as a thief at night.”
*1 & 2 Thessalonians deal in large measure with the Second Coming of our
Lord Jesus - “The Feast of Tabernacles.” It is important to see the Kingdom
of God in 2 aspects: Hidden during the church age of 2000 years;
*Open*during the Millennial Rule of our Lord Jesus now at hand. George
Muller
spent *much time* reading and studying the NT from beginning to end on this
subject. He held a Pre-millennial, Post-tribulation position like Tregelles,
H. A. Baker, Dr. James R. Graham and many others, by basing his conclusions
on the NT alone and forsaking the traditions and teachings of men,
movements, churches and denominations.


 *7. Matthew 24:14 (24:3-31) LAST DAY ORDER OF EVENTS. “And this :gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a witness
unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.” *The 4 gospels are
unique. They represent the 4 faces of the cherubim in Ezekiel: Matthew the
Lion; Mark the Ox; Luke the Man; and John the Eagle. *Jesus* is all 4 in
perfect balance. We each represent but a portion of Him as our Head, but in
His Body we complement and supplement one another. George Whitefield,
evangelist, marvelously brought this Evangel forth in America. He strongly
influenced Benjamin Franklin in his part in our Constitution, and was one of
the great 3-fold influences in the life of George Muller. Paul wanted
Timothy to understand Jesus in the Gospels. Note: It is the *death* of Jesus
in the 4 Gospels, comprising ¼ to 1/3 of each, Not His birth of but 4 Gospel
chapters, that the Holy Spirit emphasizes.


 *8. Acts 1:8 (1:6-12) ONE GREAT PURPOSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. “But you shall
receive power (dunamis, dynamite), when the Holy Spirit is come upon you:
and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all :Judea and
Samaria, and unto the uttermost of the earth.” *The book of Acts
representing Pentecost is the 50 day fulfillment of Jesus in the Gospels for
Passover. Smith Wigglesworth extraordinarily represented and demonstrated
the potential of this truth. He averred: “*The secret of why God uses me, is
because I use my devotional prayer language 4-5 hours every day.” Paul had a
similar testimony.*


 *9. Jude 20-21 (17-23) A SPIRIT-FILLED EXHORTATION. “ But you, beloved,
building up yourselves on your most holy :faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in God's love, looking for the mercy of our :Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life.” *James through Jude are like “High School”, if
the Gospels are “Elementary”, and Acts “Junior High.” John Wesley is a
potent example of this. His cell meetings composed of 70,000 consistent *
disciples* - *not* just believers - saved Great Britain from the tragedy of
the French Revolution. The 7 letters between Acts and the 14 Pauline
epistles, are especially directed to Jewish believers, who predominated in
the early church. They were directed not just to Jewish believers in Israel
- but to the “*diaspora*” also, Jews living in other countries, chiefly
because of past persecutions. Because Gentiles are grafted into our Jewish
Roots, we of course share equally in these blessings, without having
recourse or obligation of walking in Jewish law. Acts 15 and the book of
Galatians make this abundantly clear.


 *10. The 7 City Churches of Paul addressed in his first 9 epistles: Rome,
Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossi and Thessalonica: *express a
maturity here, that Peter acknowledges some immature and undisciplined souls
have perverted to their own destruction. See 2 Peter 3:16 (3:14-18) *“as
also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstedfast wrest, as also the
other scriptures, unto their own :destruction.”* But Paul nonetheless holds
Timothy responsible to diligently *meditate* in these things too. *This* is
like being in a College of a University. However - those who give themselves
to read, study, pray over, and meditate, by the help of the Holy Spirit, can
excel in understanding here also!


 *11. Hebrews 6:1-2 (5:11-6:8) THE HEART OF THIS EPISTLE! “Wherefore leaving
the word of the beginning of the Christ, let us be borne on unto the
perfection; not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works, and
of faith toward God, - 2 the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of
hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”* The book
of Hebrews is like the book of Romans. Both letters deal with “Foundation
Truths”: Romans especially for Gentile believers; Hebrews for Jewish
believers. Because of Romans 11 truths, Gentiles can make use of all that
pertains to Jews.


 *12. Revelation 1:1 (1:1-3) JESUS' REVELATION: THROUGH AN ANGEL TO JOHN. *If
the Pauline epistles are like University - then the Book of Revelation is
like a Post-graduate course. Only the Holy Spirit can open this book. Dr.
Daniel Juster received a key through *Passover and the Book of Exodus* that
in a seven fold manner opens up its secrets. H. A. Baker in his “Visions
Beyond the Veil” - by what little Chinese beggars and orphans received in
the home he and his wife provided - also opens its secrets.


 *CONCLUSION:* But back to the beginning, *1 Timothy 4:15*. For an
apostolic-elder like Timothy, Paul's exhortation focuses on an elder's
responsibility in a city church like “Ephesus, and in the churches in the
home. I personally from a careful study of the 3 so-called pastoral
epistles”, do not see a plurality of elders in the small home church, such
as Aquila and Priscilla led in Rome, Corinth and Ephesus. It appears to me
that in the beginning, plurality of Eldership was city-wide, not church in
the home. But as Paul in 1 Corinthians 7 had the permission of the Lord to
give his opinion on marital matters, I believe the Lord gives us permission
to make adaptation in local churches, that in one instance has grown to
750,000 members! However, all large local churches such as that of Pastor
David Yonggi Cho's of Seoul South Korea, should have many cell groups or
churches in the home. There, but one leader, and in the case of Aquila and
Priscilla, elder and his wife - should lead. And their leadership should
conform to the Lord's directive through Paul in 1 Corinthians 14. George
Muller successfully led in such a situation of some 1400 members in Bristol,
England, but with many churches in the home. The elder of such churches did
not dominate services, but brought discipleship and maturity to all members
- yet all had freedom in the Spirit to share in the various functions as
indicated in 1 Corinthians 14. They also had communion or “breaking of
bread” each Sunday morning.


 So though we have permission to adjust - I yet believe the Lord would have
us keep to the beginning goal, and believe and seek to return to the
simplicity and edifying of that which George Muller experienced as recorded
in the New Testament.


 One added point - the 5-fold ministries of Ephesians 4:11 are *all elders*.
Peter an apostle, in 2 Peter 5:1 (5:1-5) - *“The elders therefore among you
I exhort, the fellow-elder, and witness of the sufferings of the Christ, who
am partaker of the glory to be revealed.” - *here calls himself a *
fellow-elder* with what I take to be the local elder-leader of each church
in the home, who met regularly as a plurality of city elders to sit as it
were the Eldership in the gate of the city. I acknowledge that some of the
above concepts do not line up with present day practice. However, it is my
personal conviction that current world conditions will be, even in our own
country, causing us to relook at the concepts practiced in his day by George
Muller. And I do believe that above insights do reflect an ideal charge to
the installation of elders - either to a local church in the home, or an
apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher - serving in a city church composed of
many cooperating local churches - and also in a traveling ministry between
city churches and nations - such as the apostle Paul performed. One elder of
a church in the home, is there the shepherd or pastor. He may or may not
have a strong teaching ministry. Where he lacks the latter, then the Spirit
will use those with a teaching ministry to supplement his lack. - Jim Watt




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