Revelation 1:4 speaks of “the seven churches which are in Asia,” and verse 11 says, “What you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” Asia was a province of the ancient Roman Empire in which were the seven cities mentioned in verse 11. The seven churches were in those seven cities respectively, not all in one city.
Elders as overseers were appointed in these churches by the Spirit (Acts 20:17, 28). To the elders of the church in Ephesus Paul said, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers” (Acts 20:28a). It was the apostles who appointed the elders in every church. But here Paul, the leading one who did the appointing, says that the Holy Spirit did it. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was one with the apostles in their appointing the elders and that the apostles had done this according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
From Paul’s word concerning the Holy Spirit placing overseers among the flock we see that the establishing of the churches is altogether due to the Holy Spirit, not due to the apostles. Although the apostles had appointed the elders, here Paul says that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. This reveals that a local church comes into existence only through the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the work of the apostles concerning the churches should be absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit establishes the elders, it is the Holy Spirit who establishes the churches.
The overseers in Acts 20:28 are the elders in verse 17. This proves that overseers and elders are synonymous terms denoting the same persons. To make an overseer a bishop of a district to rule over the elders of various localities in that district is grossly erroneous. This is what Ignatius taught. His erroneous teaching gave the ground to rank and brought in hierarchy.
The Greek word for “overseer” is episkopos, from epi, meaning over, and skopos, meaning seer; hence, overseer (bishop, from Latin episcopus). An overseer (1 Tim. 3:2) in a local church is an elder. The two titles refer to the same person: elder, denoting a person of maturity; overseer, denoting the function of an elder. It was Ignatius in the second century who taught that an overseer, a bishop, is higher than an elder. From this erroneous teaching came the hierarchy of bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope. This teaching is also the source of the Episcopal system of ecclesiastical government. Both the hierarchy and the system are abominable in the sight of God.
The spreading of the churches continued and eventually reached Europe. Churches were raised up in the province of Macedonia, and in 2 Corinthians 8:1 Paul speaks of “the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia.” Macedonia is a province of the Roman Empire in southeastern Europe between Thrace and Achaia on the Aegean Sea.
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