On the honor issue, honor very seldom refers to the exchange of money in the NT. Confer: Matt. 13:57 Matt. 15:4 Matt. 15:6 Matt. 19:19 Mark 6:4 Mark 7:10 Mark 10:19 Luke 18:20 John 4:44 John 5:23 John 5:41 John 5:44 John 8:49 John 8:54 John 12:26 Rom. 2:7 Rom. 2:10 Rom. 9:21 Rom. 12:10 Rom. 13:7 1Cor. 12:23 1Cor. 12:24 2Cor. 6:8 Eph. 6:2 Col. 2:23 1Ths. 4:4 1Tim. 1:17 1Tim. 5:3 1Tim. 5:17 1Tim. 6:1 1Tim. 6:16 2Tim. 2:20 2Tim. 2:21 Hebr. 2:7 Hebr. 2:9 Hebr. 3:3 Hebr. 5:4 1Pet. 1:7 1Pet. 2:17 1Pet. 3:7 2Pet. 1:17 Rev. 4:9 Rev. 4:11 Rev. 5:12 Rev. 5:13 Rev. 7:12 Rev. 19:1 Rev. 19:7 Rev. 21:24 Rev. 21:26

We should sometime look very closely at 1 Tim 5: 17 which is the alleged basis of Protestantism's "church government". Baptist, Presbyterians, Methodists, Churches of Christ, etc. all point to this text to maintain their status quo. It is from here that the ruling elder and teaching elder dichotomy is adduced. Think of this text as a Trojan horse which brought clergy/laityism through the city gates in broad daylight. Having found eldership to be inescapable, the burden of somehow wringing hierarchy out of it was all that remained.

It reads: Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of -double honour-, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. But notice that Paul has just given directives to the older females: 1Tim. 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.

Honour in this text would have likely included monetary supplement but there is no reason to believe that the basis of such had anything to do with church offices or office bearers! The subject here is the treatment and welfare of the older members of Christ's body. Paul is merely saying: Respect these Christian seniors - they took care of you so you take care of them. Just as the ox who worked hard partook of the reward let these workers be "counted worthy."

Teaching, you see, was the responsibility of every elder. (...apt to teach)

Double honour was only a figure of speech as was the double portion of which Elisha requested. (2 Kgs. 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.)

If there were two kinds of elders brought into view (ruling elders and teaching elders) in I Tim 5:17 as has been maintained by a great majority of Christians, observe that it is the ruling elders __too__ who are worthy of double honor. Where is the church that pays its ruling AND teaching elders a salary or stipend, if this is a salary thing ???? Just one of those questions that never seems to come up.

Even Edmund Clowney, former President of the renowned Westminster Seminary, candidly admits: To begin with it is not clear that the word in 1 Timothy 5:17 is used of office rather than of age. In the whole intervening passage, Paul is discussing the place and responsibilities of older and younger men and women in the church. ....

In this setting it is most natural to interpret 1 Timothy 5:17 in this way: "We have been considering the older women who are widows, their service and support. Now let us return to the older who are not to be treated without respect (v.1) but are to be honored... (From Order in the Offices, Mark Brown, editor, p 61.)

If the apostles could be raised again and brought back to this earth, one of the first things they would surely ask would be: Office of elder - what??? Office of servant (deacon) - you're kidding me, right?