Right Overseeing

It is of utmost importance that we oversee or supervise persons or things correctly in the scriptural sense. Otherwise when we oversee incorrectly we are called a busybody.

The Bible says nothing good about a busybody. In fact the sin of a busy body can't be over exaggerated:

"But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters" (1 Peter 4:15, NKJV, emphasis added).

The first three, a murderer, a thief, an evildoer are clearly undersirable, and Christians are saved from doing such awful things. Notice that a busybody suffers unnecessarily and his sin is lined up with the other three types of sinners.

The Greek word for "busybody in other people's matters" is "allotriepiskopos" which according to Standard Greek Lexicon is "One who takes the supervision of affairs pertaining to others but in no way toward himself. He is a meddler in other men's affairs"

In simple language a busybody is one who oversees things that God has not given him the authority to oversee.

Wrong Overseeing

The Greek word for "overseer" is "episkopos". An overseer is also called a bishop or a superintendent. Jesus is a Shepherd and a Overseer:

"For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:25).

A shepherd (Pastor) is one who oversees the sheep - congregation of a Local Church.

How can you be an overseer of people or things that don't belong to you? Or to put it bluntly, how can you be a busybody without even knowing it? Here are several examples:

1. Too critical about other people's children

The responsibility of the parents is to bring up their own children. God does not give us the responsibility to bring up other's children. Problem comes when somebody comments about how other parents did a bad job of bringing up their children.

2. Ignoring God's Law of Liberty

We are not allowed to trespass other people's privilege and freedom given by God:

"Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him" (Romans 14:1, 2, 3).

Some Christians don't eat meat or certain types of meat. Some drink wine or other forms of liquor. If you show contempt of what they eat or drink then you are a busybody.

3. Problem with mothers-in-law

God said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen. 2:24).

Father and mother do not have any right to dictate to their son and daughter-in-law how they are to run their home. It is their responsibility; they have been given the authority by God to oversee the running of their home. But this does not mean that they are not to offer counsel or help. I believe when they wish to offer counsel it is more effective when it is asked for.

Right Overseeing

There are many things that God has given us to oversee. In fact He created us to rule and to govern:

God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Gen. 1:26, emphasis added).

Even after the Fall there are elements of God's original purpose of creation left. There is something in man that isn't satisfied unless it is fulfilling that God given impulse to oversee. What we want to do is to find the legitimate way to give expression to it so that we oversee people or things the way God wants us to oversee.

Overseeing is Progressive

The Biblical way of overseeing is always practical and progressive. The God given Divine order always start with some thing small and then move up to some thing bigger. A man who does not succeed in the small will not succeed in the big.

Jesus said, "he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10, NKJV).

It is wise to start to train a child to be an overseer with some thing small like taking care of his toys and pets. When he grows up and gets married he is ready to oversee his wife. Every married Christian man has at least one sheep to begin with - his wife. Later on when children come along he has a family to oversee.

If he is a Pastor and he can't rule his own household he is not fit to oversee a congregation:

"A bishop (overseer or pastor) then must be blameless, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God" (1 Tim. 3:2, 4, 5)?

If his children are rebellious and out of control; or even worse, if his wife runs off with another man, then this Pastor is not fit to oversee a Local Church!

Areas of Overseeing and Supervision in the New Testament Church

The twelve apostles said to the disciples, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:2, 3, 4).

There are essentially two areas of overseeing in the early Church - the material and the spiritual.

1. The Material

There will be danger of division and confusion when material problems are not fairly and wisely handled. Even in the Local Church now if we can solve the financial problem we'll go a long way to solving spiritual problem. If we don't handle the material things right we'll mess up the spiritual things.

Those who look after the material needs of a Local Church are the Deacons:

"But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deasons, being found blameless. For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 3:10, 13, NKJV, emphasis added).

Serving as a deacon is a time of testing. So if you have served well as deacon, if you have been successful in overseeing the material then you are qualified to be promoted to oversee spiritual things.

2. The Spiritual

The ministry in the spiritual realm is two fold - The ministry of prayer and the ministry of God's Word. You can't minister the Word of God effectively unless you are also a prayerful person.

There is a general basic spiritual principle pertaining to secular (material) ministry and spiritual ministry. I believe a man who could not be successful in the secular realm would not be called by God into spiritual service. In other words, a man would not be called by God out of secular failure into spiritual ministry. A man who could not make it in the secular employment would not be successful in the pastoral ministry.

Every Christain is an overseer and needs an overseer

Every Christian needs to be an overseer and at the same time needs an overseer. This is basically how the Local Church ministry functions. Every Christian should face up these two questions:

1. What do I answer for? 2. Whom do I answer to?

Everyone, even the youngest, oversees something. There is hardly any Christian who isn't held accountable by God to oversee something. At the same time every Christian needs an overseer. You job as a Churchgoing Christian is to find the place, in God, that you are overseeing the things that God has put you over, and at the same time, being overseeing by whom God has put you under. In other words, you need to find the place, in God, where you are overseeing the things that God holds you accounted for. At the same time you need to be under those whom God has called to oversee you. This is your God appointed place in the Local Congregation.

Solomon said, "Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place" (Pro. 27:8, NKJV).

There is a great depth of truth in the above verse. What is more weak and helpless than a bird wandered from its nest? A man out of his place is just as weak and helpless. Furthermore he does not come under the covering of God if he is out of his God appointed place!

How is your Spiritual Place determined?

Your spiritual place in the Local Church is determined by relationships. You have to get rightly related to everybody that God has put in your life. In doing so you'll discover that these relationships are like many lines from different angles which would ultimately pinpoint at one place - this is your God appointed place! This is the place, and only one place, where you are rightly related to every single person that God has put in your life.

In this place, under somebody, over somebody, over something, rightly related with those around you, you will find security, serenity and comfort - this is your spiritual nest. God has commiteed to provide for you in that place. He has appointed different places for other Christians.

Requisites for finding your Spiritual Place

Here are some requirements on your part, if you want to find your spiritual place in the Local Church:

1. Acknowledge your need

As a member of the Body of Christ it is important that you acknowledge your gifts, you weaknesses and you need; especially your need of others. This is made clear by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 where he wrote about the parts of the Body of Christ.

"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased" (1 Cor. 12:18, NKJV).

This is the place set by God for individual members.

2. The willingness to lose your life

We must be willing to lose our life in the scriptural sense:

Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 16:24, 25, NKJV, emphasis added).

To "deny himself" means to "say no to himself" or to "say no to his ego".

I believe that everything we do for God that is of permanent value is always done out of self denial. As long as we serve ourselves we cannot serve others.

3. Humility

Learn how to humble youself before God.

Peter said, "Yes all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but give grace to the humble'" (1 Peter 5:5).

Jesus said, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).

Daniel's prayer was heard when he humbled himself before God (Daniel 10:12).