While there are many spiritual gifts, the offices of the bishop and of the deacon are the two official offices that exist in the biblically defined New Testament church for leadership and operation under the authority of the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 3:1, 8).

The office of the bishop is synonymous in scripture with that of the elder and is a term to denote the called and qualified preachers of the Word of God. There are many proofs that bishops and elders were the same, and it was not until the apostasy of the Roman Catholic Church that a distinction was created.

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(The following account is an illustration of what could possibly have taken place amongst the disciples. It is drawn from the following scriptural passages:  Luke 22:24-27; Mark 9:33-36; Matthew 18:1-4. KJV)

As Jesus and the disciples walked down the dusty road  toward Capernaum, the disciples walked slower and slower. They soon fell behind Jesus as they began to quarrel amongst themselves as they disputed “who should be the greatest” (Mark 9:34b).

They envisioned being delivered from the occupation of the Roman Empire and ruling over Israel with the Messiah as kings and princes. The disciples did not yet understand that the kingdom of God was not political but was a spiritual kingdom (Luke 17:21; Romans 14:17).Read more