Husband of one wife....

[firestormx]

i believe the passage is talking about polygamy also. polygamy was a common practice at the time, and God was specific that some 'offices' should not be held by those who had multiple wives.

Thanks for the comment. I've never seen this verse from the perspective of polygamy.

[firestormx]

No, it doesn't apply to the death of one's spouse.    As for divorce it depends on the reason and circumstances.

I agree with you, but I was stating the most common position I've heard, accurate or not. By the way, Do you know the meaning of this verse in Hebrew/Greek? Would you explain why some say overseer, How some get pastor from this verse as well as bishop, while others say just Bishops? Either way thanks.

 

P.S. the difference in my understanding between bishop and pastor is bishop oversees many churches, whereas Pastor leads just one.

[Guest shiloh357]

 

No, it doesn't apply to the death of one's spouse.    As for divorce it depends on the reason and circumstances.

I agree with you, but I was stating the most common position I've heard, accurate or not. By the way, Do you know the meaning of this verse in Hebrew/Greek? Would you explain why some say overseer, How some get pastor from this verse as well as bishop, while others say just Bishops? Either way thanks.

 

P.S. the difference in my understanding between bishop and pastor is bishop oversees many churches, whereas Pastor leads just one.

 

Bishop and overseer are used interchangeably along with the concept of "shepherd" which is another term for pastor (Acts 10:17-30 

[firestormx]

 

 

No, it doesn't apply to the death of one's spouse.    As for divorce it depends on the reason and circumstances.

I agree with you, but I was stating the most common position I've heard, accurate or not. By the way, Do you know the meaning of this verse in Hebrew/Greek? Would you explain why some say overseer, How some get pastor from this verse as well as bishop, while others say just Bishops? Either way thanks.

 

P.S. the difference in my understanding between bishop and pastor is bishop oversees many churches, whereas Pastor leads just one.

 

Bishop and overseer are used interchangeably along with the concept of "shepherd" which is another term for pastor (Acts 10:17-30 

 

Thanks for the comment and the verses

[LanceA]

I read it as pologymy as well.  If you have someone that was married and not saved, or didn't know about Christ at all, that person gets a divorce and lets say 10 years later he is a Christian then all of his previous sins are washed away by the blood of Christ.  Now lets say he gets married as a Christian and he feels God calling him to be a pastor, would his previous marriage keep him from being a pastor? He could very well be keeping his current life in order because he has Christ now. 

Edited August 27, 2014 by LanceA

[firestormx]

I read it as pologymy as well.  If you have someone that was married and not saved, or didn't know about Christ at all, that person gets a divorce and lets say 10 years later he is a Christian then all of his previous sins are washed away by the blood of Christ.  Now lets say he gets married as a Christian and he feels God calling him to be a pastor, would his previous marriage keep him from being a pastor? He could very well be keeping his current life in order because he has Christ now. 

Thanks for the comment

[firestormx]

Bishops, Deacons and elders were created positions for the purpose of taking the carnal needs off of those ministering the Word.  On the other hand, the Apostle, Prophet, Pastor and Teacher are all direct callings of God, and the gifts and callings are without repentance.  I don't believe God directly calls people into the office of Bishop, Deacon or Elder.  People seek those positions because they want to help out.  They are required to meet certain standards in order to hold those positions.  Over the years, with the creation of the full time Pastor, many churches have placed job descriptions on them, that include the duties of a Bishop, and they have eliminated that office, or they place the duties of Bishop on Deacons, or the Pastor is acting as the Pastor and Deacon.  If Pastors were just doing the ministry they were called to, ministering the Word and praying for the congregation, and acting as a spiritual shepherd, they are not held to the requirements given to Bishops, Deacons and Elders.  That doesn't mean their character isn't of the utmost importance, but we make a mistake when we claim that a man that is a called Pastor is disqualified because he can't qualify as a Bishop or Deacon.  We need to restore the offices to what they were intended to be. 

Thanks for the comment. I like the way you worded this. I've always thought of them as different offices as well. Would you mind listing what the different responsibilities of an overseer or bishop is in comparison to the pastor?

 

Either way thanks for the comment.

[Guest shiloh357]

The biblical role of a pastor is three-fold - Bishop (overseer), elder (administrator) and Shepherd (watch-care, counselor).

[Enoc]

I've happen to come across the verse or someone discussing the verse below from 1 Timothy 3:2, That this applies to all pastors.

 

1 Timothy 3:2

 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

 

 

It's got me wondering, does this apply to all callings? I mean all, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher and of course Pastor. If  not, why just Bishops and pastors? I'm not really sure what to think about this, because My now ex-wife left me years ago and divorced me against my will. So my judgement in this may be biased. 

 

 

I welcome all comments and discussions on this subject.

 

God Bless 

Firestormx

Joseph

 

 

I see bishop in the text so I wouldn't go beyond that. It's not necessary to second guess God, although being human it can be a reflex at times. Bishops, correct me if I'm wrong, establish/oversee more then one church/pastor.

 

With that said, if you are not able to be a witness/example that represents a higher standard, it would be hard to establish credibility of spiritual authority with the new Pastors and/or carnal Christians. 

[firestormx]

I tend to look at a Bishop as someone that deals with church finances and the general running of the church.  They would make sure the pulpit is filled, and that there are teachers in place for the classes, and if necessary, would fill in themselves.  I see the Deacon as someone that would minister to the widows and would visit the sick, and visitors.  They would sort of serve as a go between where they would present the needs to the Bishops when it comes to financial concerns.  Another way to describe them would be that they "wait on tables."  I would love to see people actually serving in these offices, not only to take some of the burden off those with direct ministry gifts, but so the Pastor isn't looked at as the only leader.  Look how many churches crumble or split when a long serving Pastor leaves.  I envision having a church where you have everyone with a calling able to minister from the pulpit, and Bishops making sure they get an opportunity.  I am not sure how easy it would be to change the mindset of how a church is run, but I think it would be worth a try.  It would help with stability.  I think it would also help to allow people to actually perform the ministry they are called to do, as opposed to being pushed into taking positions they feel no interest in or qualifications to perform.  When you have a temporary opening, the Bishops would fill in.  I can see all kind of benefits to it.

 

Back to the OP.  If you feel called to the office of Pastor, I wouldn't let the fact your wife left you stop you from fulfilling that calling.  Your primary calling would be to be the spiritual leader, preaching the gospel, and praying for the needs of the congregation.  I would also imagine you would at times need to be a counselor, but of course, you would have to use discretion when you are dealing with female members of the church.  You would need to use common sense about not being alone with women where you could be accused of doing something wrong or even where you could find yourself tempted to sin.  I am sure you already know that, but I feel like if I don't say it, someone else will point it out. 

Thanks for the explaination