“This is a faithful
saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” (1 Timothy 3:1 NKJV)
So, what is a bishop, anyway?
The Greek word is episkopes
from which we get the word, “Episcopal.”
It means, “visitation; supervision.” There
is this insight: ἐπισκοπή episkopē; from 1980a; a visiting, an overseeing:—office(1), office of overseer(1),
visitation(2).[1] The Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament says it is, “an intensive construction…denotes continuing or careful
scrutiny.”
How can a shepherd care for his flock unless he is among
them?
He must go where they are.
He cannot isolate himself in his “ivory tower” enveloped in books and
blogs, but instead must immerse himself in the people’s lives—although there is
certainly the need for study, that he might feed them and lead them
effectively.
In secular Greek usage, a form of the word was used for a
building supervisor who would oversee the construction project. A pastor’s duty, similarly, is about the
building of the church—not the bricks and mortar of a place of worship, but the
spiritual construction of the people of God who are the church. We must guide the work and call for progress
of the church according to the Biblical blueprint.
Another vital dimension of oversight is the safeguarding of the
sheep. There are wolves that would
destroy them.
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock,
among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God Acts 20:28-29 )
A PRAYER
Blessed Father,
Thank you for sending Your Son to walk among us as a real
man. You are not detached from us—aloof
in the wild blue yonder. Instead, You
are intimately acquainted with all our ways.
Help Your shepherds to be every mindful to be among your people—to
invest time being with them, listening and loving. Never let us look at people as problems to
avoid, but opportunities to serve.
In the name of Love Incarnate,
Amen.
[1] Thomas, R.
L. (1998).New American Standard
Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim : Foundation Publications, Inc.
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