10-29-2014, 05:11 PM
Dunno if it will help anybody or if it is correct, but the way I see it is:
Not let anyone call us leaders = not develop any permanent relations of leader-follower. The leader in such a relation needs to be blamed so the victim feels free to recognize the problem without blaming him/her self.
Episkopos = overseer, a person who cater for the physical needs of the congregation. There need not be any leader-follower relations for this to work, right?
If so, we get an idea of what they do by reading Acts 6:1-6, in summary people perceived that some of the poor got more food than the others, so certain Christians asked seven other Christians to help make sure the food was divided justly.
What happened in the first century, and keeps happening is that humans (including Christians) have a habit of turning to bad, hypocritical and violent persons as leaders. Some of the people who wished to join congregations were probably hypocritical, with a violent past and with many wives. If anybody was likely to try to become a leader, it was probably such an individual, and that would mean the end to meaningsful Christianity.
In 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6, I perceive that Paul only reluctantly pass judgement on the person the Corinthians had asked him about, that he expects them to judge (5:12) and to me verse 3 of chapter 6 seems to indicate that Paul expects every member of the congregation to judge for them selves and to be able to pass judgement in conflicts between brothers and sisters.
Not let anyone call us leaders = not develop any permanent relations of leader-follower. The leader in such a relation needs to be blamed so the victim feels free to recognize the problem without blaming him/her self.
Episkopos = overseer, a person who cater for the physical needs of the congregation. There need not be any leader-follower relations for this to work, right?
If so, we get an idea of what they do by reading Acts 6:1-6, in summary people perceived that some of the poor got more food than the others, so certain Christians asked seven other Christians to help make sure the food was divided justly.
What happened in the first century, and keeps happening is that humans (including Christians) have a habit of turning to bad, hypocritical and violent persons as leaders. Some of the people who wished to join congregations were probably hypocritical, with a violent past and with many wives. If anybody was likely to try to become a leader, it was probably such an individual, and that would mean the end to meaningsful Christianity.
In 1 Corinthians chapters 5 and 6, I perceive that Paul only reluctantly pass judgement on the person the Corinthians had asked him about, that he expects them to judge (5:12) and to me verse 3 of chapter 6 seems to indicate that Paul expects every member of the congregation to judge for them selves and to be able to pass judgement in conflicts between brothers and sisters.