Roots Church Leadership: Part 1 "The Elders Who are Among You"
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Good evening men! Tonight is a very important night. tonight we start to examine Biblical leadership and really dive into what it means to serve God in the local church setting as a leader at Roots Church.
So far as a group we have looked to the book of Acts to determine how the Apostles lead when there was no script or blueprint for church planting in the first century to see how we must lead in planting a church here in Monument.
We have heard from our pastor in regards to servant leadership and looked to Christ’s example of how to lead.
Jonathan shared with us last month on the importance of family discipleship and that church leadership is not separate to family life, but in fact is intertwined in such a way that some of the qualifications to lead in the church are that you must be able to lead and disciple your families at home.
The Body of Christ functions wholly as a unit and there are many members but not all members serve the same function. Within the body of believers there are many giftings given by the Spirit as He sees fit to serve the body well.
gifting and calling can go hand in hand. Ive seen many gifted preachers that God called to proclaim His word that had an innate ability to speak publicly
but gifting and calling can be separate initially. God doesn’t always call those that we would think would be the best fit to lead. I think back to David and His bigger, better looking brothers. David wasn’t even in the conversation according to man’s standards....
and what about Moses....
If God wanted the best speaker and proclaimer to call Pharoah to let His people go, He likely would have chosen someone other than Moses
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?
If God wanted the wisdom of this age, He wouldn’t have called foolish men to the task to begin with.
But God’s methods are to give fallible men His Spirit and in turn, The Mind of Christ, and set them over His affairs.
In the Garden, God created man and gave Him dominion over all of creation. To be an Image Bearer of God is in some sense to rule with the authority given by God over the things in which He commands you to oversee.
In Adam, we failed this task horribly. God simply set us to tend a garden and name some animals. We were given only one restriction....Don’t eat a specific fruit.
We failed and the pride of life has been the driving force of man’s actions ever sense.
The rest of the Old Testament tells 2 stories side by side......
The Story of man attempting to rule again but this time by his own authority....building towers, ruling over kingdoms, turning to gods of his own imagination. and.....
The Story of God working out His plan to bring forth His own Son to be a new Adam, the only One with the authority to rule in righteousness and restore things to way they were intended to be.....God as Creator, Christ as King, and The Church as His image bearers.
I bring it back to this before launching into teaching about church leadership because we must understand at least a broad look at God’s design for governance before we can understand the calling of an elder, deacon, pastor, husband, etc.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
Paul basically teaches us here that We, “in Adam” “In Sin” are foolish. We have no business standing in a place of wisdom in any regard....In fact, in the early church, and still today, God called the foolish things of the world to proclaim the very message of wisdom to a lost and broken world.
Paul even sounds very much like Moses when he says he didn’t come with persuasive speech but simply proclaimed the wisdom of God by His Spirit and by God’s power
but look what Paul tells us in verses 29-31
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
God calls foolish people out of the world and into Christ. Who became for us wisdom. As believers we have been given wisdom from God to use for His glory....by His Spirit through His Son by faith.
Paul will go on to explain in chapter 2 how if we are In Christ, we have been given the Mind of Christ by His Spirit.... Therefore we, by God’s Spirit can and should be ambassadors for God here on earth during this, The Church Age.
So what does all this mean in regards to church leadership.
This means that we must by the power of God’s Spirit and according to God’s Word do it God’s way.
We must be reliant solely on God’s wisdom and God’s structure for governance to shepherd the church of God in Monument Colorado.
I’m less concerned with the traditions of men and more concerned with the plan of God. Unless the Lord builds the house, we are laboring in vain here at Roots Church.
So tonight we are going to examine God’s word and look to see how God wants His church to be governed.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Scripture is sufficient to equip us for the work that we have set before us....especially governance of the church of God.
This evening I want to focus on the biblical leadership position of Elder.
When examining the text of Scripture regarding church leadership, apart from the Apostles, which had specific qualifications that we cannot have now (seeing the risen Christ and being sent by Him first hand into a calling to start the Church of God in the first century) and therefore cannot be for today at least in a capital A apostle sense,
we have terms like shepherd, elder, overseer, bishop and deacon.
now most of these terms are interchangable…with the exception of Deacon, which we will get into in the next month..
in 1 Timothy 3:1
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
in the ESV the word Bishop is translated Overseer and is likely a better translation IMO. The english word Bishop came into use later in church history and then made its way into the Textus Receptus and thus into the KJV and NKJV as the english word used.
that word in the original language is Episkopos. So whatever english word is used either Overseer or Bishop, they both refer to this position in the church.
in 1 Peter 5:1 Peter uses another term when referring to church leaders...
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
the greek word for elder here is Presbyteros.
The role of episkopos (“overseer”) and presbyteros (“elder”) seem to overlap in some nt evidence, especially the lists in 1 Tim 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9. The list in Titus 1:5–6 begins with qualifications for the presbyteros (“elder”) and follows with those for the episkopos (“overseer”) in Titus 1:7–9. When both segments of this Titus list are combined, they are essentially identical in content with the list for the qualifications of an episkopos (“overseer”) in 1 Tim 3:1–7. In addition, the role behind both “overseer” and “elder” is essentially the same in Acts 20:17–38. Acts 20:17 refers to “the elders of the church,” and Paul later addresses these same men as “overseers” in Acts 20:28.
So we see Paul, Peter, and Luke in Acts referring to church leadership by both these terms and seemingly in reference to the same role.
so moving forward in our time tonight and at Roots Church, we will use the term Elder in reference to this specific role in the church.
So if Elder is a role of leader in the church, how do you become one? What are the qualifications to be one? and what are the responsibilities of being one?
first lets look at how you become one....
Now we need to glean a few things first in how God appoints leaders.
first we must understand that God is sovereign over these things. in the same way that Peter speaks of prophecy
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
men may have spoke, but God is the original source.
There are primary and secondary causes. God is the primary cause and man the secondary cause.
Chris and our pastoral team may appoint an elder in the future, but God is ultimately who raises a man to that position.
In the same way that Scripture was written. Paul and Peter for instance wrote using their own brains and penned letters with their own hand, but it is God’s word. Scripture is breathed out by God through men’s hands by His Spirit.
likewise, God is in control over the affairs of men in regards to church leadership and the raising up of men to rule under His authority in His body.
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Now this passage isn’t specifically about appointing elders, but look at the principle....
there were a group of 5 men and God’s Spirit chose 2 of them for a specific mission. Then it says the Apostles laid hands on them and sent them off on this journey.
So what I want you guys to see is that God picked them, the Apostles confirmed the calling and commissioned them and sent them.
Paul says this in reference to Timothy
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
and later he tells Timothy this...
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
so we see here that the gift of God in Timothy was confirmed by the elders laying hands on him and then Timothy is instructed to not lay hands too quickly on leadership. So this pattern of church leaders affirming and laying hands on other leaders as God raises them up is found multiple times throughout the New Testament and specifically when it refers to church governance.
Paul says the gift of God in Timothy was given by prophecy WITH the laying on of hands of eldership. Men working in support of God’s prophetic work.
Now as far as gifting, calling, and willingness goes....
some of you here among us this evening have a clear calling and some of you are already walking in that calling in function but maybe not fully by the laying on of hands and confirmation. Many of you may not be called to this specific role of Elder and that’s ok. God’s body has many members and all roles and gifts within the church are vital for its health.
some of you are very gifted in leadership and shepherding your friends and family.
Some of you have the desire to serve God in a leadership capacity and some of you probably kick against the call of God in this regard. Some of you here aren’t called to church leadership specifically...
This is a space to discern God’s calling and equip us for the work of ministry.
The Bible has instruction for each of you wherever you might fall.
Peter says this...
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
Elders are called to shepherd God’s people willingly not by force or coercion.
and on the other side of the coin
Paul says
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
so the desire isn’t bad as long as it is paired with a humble heart and right motives.
Ive witnessed both instances done wrong....Ive seen those resist what God would do in their ministries by not being willing and Ive seen men desire to lead from a prideful place that was with wrong motives.
So if im answering the question of “How does one become an Elder,” my short answer is....God calls, Church leadership affirms, and the individual answers the call.
If you guys are asking yourselves, “How do I know if Im called to be an Elder or Leader in the church?”
my first answer is, Has God put the desire or the burden on you?
and my second answer is....Has your Pastoral Leadership approached you about serving God in this capacity?
If that first answer is Yes and the second thing hasn’t happen yet, keep being available…keep leading from the back. God sees and God knows what He is doing with His church.
If you have no desire or if your stage of life and calling elsewhere conflicts with the ability to serve God in this capacity, that’s ok. Be available where God has placed you.
But I can tell you guys right now....Our Pastor needs faithful, available, and willing men to help him shepherd our church family. God has brought you all here and God is the one who raises up.
So now we know how God establishes this type of calling, but what kind of man does He call?
we will now shift from gifting and calling more towards character.
What are the qualifications of being an Elder?
for this question, we have a couple of fairly large instructional passages to look at...
turn with me to
1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Im not going to deep dive into each and every qualification because alot of these qualifications are pretty straightforward, but I do want to touch on a few of the more ambiguous qualifications...
first though, look at the gender.....
verse 1, if a MAN...
verse 2 Husband of one wife (not wife of one husband)
verse 4 rules HIS own house well…etc.
Elders and Overseers must be men. Here at Roots Church we are complimentarian. we believe that while men and women are equal in worth and value to God, they do not have the same roles and responsibilites given by God.
keep in mind this is not a question of capacity or gifting or value. my wife is a gifted leader and the bible is full of very capable women.
This is a question of God’s design and instruction to us.
Paul says just a few verses earlier in 1 Tim 2:12-14
12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
Notice how Paul, writing a letter to Timothy instructing him how to establish leadership in the church in Ephesus gives specific instruction about gender.
and Paul does appeal to culture here…He doesn’t say, “women aren’t supposed to teach or exercise authority in Ephesus because the some of the women here in this city aren’t qualified because of their background in Diana temple worship and prostitution...
He also doesn’t appeal to the Law of Moses and mention how Priests were to be men of the tribe of Levi
no he appeals to the created order. He goes all the way back to creation with Adam and Eve. This is one of the things that shows that this is God’s design from the beginning and not just something that sways to and fro with culture or that derives itself from the Law of Moses.
Also, keep in mind that the flow of this passage leads right into the qualifications for elders. Paul is teaching Timothy and by extension, us, in how to set the church in order. If we take 1 Timothy 2 to be cultural, then we have to take 1 Timothy 3 to be cultural too which would essentially cancel pretty much all of the application to the church throughout the rest of history and we are wasting our time here tonight. we would always need a cultural response from Paul for the ever shifting culture we as the body of Christ have to navigate year in and year out.
I don’t want to spend more time here than I need to for our time tonight, but ill move on to more qualifications by saying this....God’s word is very clear on this topic IMO. Most of the egalitarian arguments that would argue for women being able to lead in this capacity are from bringing feelings into the text and not from drawing out the clear teaching from the text and I believe that starts from the wrong view of the difference between equality in worth and value as opposed to difference in role and responsibility. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal in substance and being but different in person and role. Does that mean God is unjust by doing different things by His Spirit than He does in the Father? Is the Spirit less God because He is our helper and Jesus more God because God has granted Him to judge at the end of days and rule in righteousness? Its a similar concept with God’s design for gender roles within the church.
So first foremost we look to God’s design for gender.....now moving on to the character and qualities of these men.....
in verse 2 Paul says you must be blameless....Alright, thanks Paul. I guess we can all go home now and leave Jesus to run the church alone....
I know I used to read this and think....you have to be perfect.
This word for blameless just means above reproach or “living in such a manner that no one can bring a charge against you”
This doesn’t mean you never make a mistake but that you live an upright life of good character.
the question to ask yourself in regards to being blameless is this....
“does my overall life exemplify biblical qualities and is there anything in my life that someone could point to to bring a charge against me?”
the rest of these qualifications fall under that umbrella. If you fail to meet any of these qualifications in full practical living, then someone would be able to bring a charge against you.
Paul also tells us that you must “be able to teach” There is some debate as to the type of teaching. Some automatically think of preaching behind a pulpit and others simply think they must be sound and able to instruct others in the way of the Lord like a teacher would teach a student.
I think we get more clarity on the type of teaching Paul is describing here in a parallel passage in Titus.
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
an Elder should be able to both exhort and encourage others in sound doctrine and to rebuke and convict those that are against the word of God.
17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
This would show that while elders must “be able to teach” in a general sense, There is at least some distinction made between some that lead well and those that preach and teach regularly.
In whatever setting it takes place, whether it be in the Pulpit, in one on one setting, in small groups, and at however frequent or infrequent it may be. Elders must know God’s word and be able to explain it.
So if you are here and don’t feel like you could preach from the pulpit thats fine. Do you know sound doctrine?
can you share that with others?
can you warn those who don’t have sound doctrine?
Can you encourage your brothers and sisters in the Lord?
there is nothing mentioned about being charismatic or having great sermon illustrations. simply the right doctrine and the ability and willingness to share that with others for Kingdom purposes.
the last qualification i want us to look at is found in verses 4 and 5
4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
Now Jonathan spoke into some of this last week but church life and family life are initmately intertwined. In fact, the Christian Life is just that…your life. We don’t compartmentalize Jesus and add Him to our already busy life compiled of work, family, etc.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
So because Jesus is our life in general, it goes to say that it would definitely extend into church leadership as well. We, as leaders in the church are to set the example for the flock to follow. It must start with us.
Now in church leadership, I believe Paul instructs that men must be the husband of one wife (speaking to marriage) and have their children in submission and reverence (speaking to fatherhood) because both of these things are not just part of the Christian life but also pictures of our relationship with God.
Jesus talks often about children and how our relationship with God in His kingdom is like that of a child and Father.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:1
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
and likewise with Marriage we know that it pictures Christ and the church. Song of Solomon, Hosea, Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 5, the marriage supper of the Lamb at the culmination of all things all have aspects of pointing marriage to our relationship with God whether through type and shadow or direct instruction
So it makes sense that these would also be important areas to have in order in church leadership. Paul even says it in verse 5.
5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
If our relationship with God is a child/Father relationship and we are leaders are supposed to lead in the ways of God, then it would make sense that if we can’t shepherd our own families toward God in submission and reverence then It would speak to our ability to shepherd God’s children in the body of Christ that way as well...
Look what Paul says in a parallel passage in Titus
6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
This is Paul writing similar instruction to Titus in how to establish the church in Crete and he says
an Elder must have faithful children not accused to dissipation (or debauchery) or insubordination (rebellion)
Now there are 2 ways to look at the exacts of this passage. look at how it is worded in the NASB
6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.
the NKJV says faithful children and the NASB says children who believe.
the greek word here is Pista which is a form of the word Pistos which the NT translates as both faithful and believe. Context is most often the determining factor as to how the word is meant to be understood.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
the word believes here comes from the root Pistos.
but also look just a few verses down from Titus 1:6 in Titus 1:9
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
faithful here is the same word and is obviously not talking about saving faith or believing.
So the NASB translates it in regards to the children having faith or believing which would mean that an elder is disqualified if his children aren’t believers.
the NKJV translates it as faithful I think largely because of context. this would speak more to behavior than than the substance of believing in Christ for salvation.
in Timothy and Titus both, the instruction to the fathers and elders is to have your children and house in order. Paul says elders must have their children in submission with reverence (which I believe is more talking about reverence toward parents because of verse 5.)
4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
the comparison is between man’s house and God’s house. remember in school the old “this is to this As that is to that” methaphor example? I think that is what Paul is doing here....explain
if we are to be qualified to train God’s children towards God we must first show that we can train our children to show respect towards us.
It could very well be speaking about submission and reverence to God however. Obviously God is concerned about us bringing up our children in the ways of the Lord.
but the reason I am personally lean towards the NKJV rendering of “faithful” children instead of “believing” children is because of the immediate context of that same verse.
6 if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination.
Paul contrasts the descriptor word of faithful to the actions they should not be accused of.....dissipation and rebellion. Paul is basically saying that your children must behave in a certain way and therefore must be faithful children. and if they were rebellious then they would in turn be unfaithful
The implications this has is pretty big. If the NASB’s rendering is correct then any Pastor or leader would immediately be disqualified based on the faith or lack thereof of their kids......Keep in mind that free will is a thing. our children have it and we are to train our children up in the ways of the Lord but while Proverbs tells us that “when they are old they will not depart from it” remember that Proverbs are not always hard, fast rules that always take place, they are wise sayings that are principles to live by.
Now I have had a conversation around this topic recently with a brother and he disagrees and believes leaders are disqualified if their children are unbelieving......and that’s ok. there is definitely some ambiguity in the text....and because of the ambiguity I believe their must be discernment on a case by case basis.
That is the main reason that I personally believe there is some grey area by which we are to govern with grace and take each thing on a case by case basis as we examine God’s word in light of each situation when appoint elders or removing people from their positions.
obviously these type of decisions aren’t to be taken lightly and I think the final analysis is this.....
How you raise your children can and will affect how you shepherd God’s children and therefore can either qualify or disqualify you from serving God in a leadership capacity.
So we have looked at calling and qualifying....now lastly lets look at responsibilty.
Now let me start by saying that while Paul details the qualifications in pretty good detail in more than one place in Scripture, The specific responsibilities in the local church are not really discussed in detail.
Sure, broad terms are used like shepherd, care, warn, exhort, rebuke, and pray.
but specifics like “Tyler oversee the Connect Group ministry” or “Christian, pastor the youth” are not mentioned in that way.
Some would use this to take away from the role of youth pastor and other specific ministry responsibilities and say that because God doesn’t make a distinction in his word between these types of ministries that we should not either
and I would say this, Paul and Peter were both Apostles but God called Paul to the Gentiles mainly and Peter to the Jews mainly. the office is Apostle, the responsibility is slightly different for each.
Also, I think its beautifully appropriate for God to not give us distinct responsibilities for elders. This allows for church governance to be specific to location, needs, giftings, as well as provides some flexibility to pull principles from throughout Scripture in order to minister in your specific setting.
If I know that Jonathan has spent time on the mission field abroad for most of his life and God has taught him and grown him in that area, he would likely be a good candidate for a missions pastor in the future. Im not saying that is what God will do, God might have something different in mind but certainly he has valueable tools to add to that area of ministrty
or I used to be a drug addict for 15 years of my life and God has and I believe will continue to use me in that area, however, God has called me to something different as well.
So coming back to the responsibilites of elders in the church as a whole....I think we can look to a few specific scriptures to give us the broad calling and trust God, by His Spirit to make clear the specifics in the local church setting as needs are paired with giftings.
Elders should always
rule and lead in the church. 1 Timothy 5:17
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
in their ruling and leading, they are to teach and instruct.
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
9 holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
in their teaching and instruction they must also defend the faith and protect the flock from false teachers
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
an Elder must keep the whole in mind at all times. a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. for the sake of the flock you might have to have hard conversations.
you might have to make calls to protect the body that aren’t popular. The truth will always bring opposition and whether someone is a blatant false teacher or someone acting in ignorance, God’s word is always the tether that we tie ourselves to in order to walk in truth. Knowing God’s word will encourage you in the positive and protect you from the negative.
an Elder must be able to handle both sides of the sword. the truth and the lies. and defend from both sides for the sake of God’s church
Elders are also called to judge doctrinal issues and as well as set in order things that are lacking in the movements of the church body.
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
this “matter” in Acts 15 was the judiazers teaching that circumcision to new gentile converts was necessary in order to be saved and enter into the Christian faith.
James and the Apostles had a council to weigh this matter and come to a conclusion based on Scripture to handle what was obviously a new issue that had arose early on in church history.
The same could be said for elders and leaders at Roots Church....as a problem arises or as something needs to be considered and weighed in on, our church leadership team will need to be ready to council our pastor and make decisions regarding their individual ministry responsibilities.
I have many times had to sit down and weigh things with Chris and come to a biblical and appropriate course of action to handle a matter.
I submit to my pastor in his final decision as the Senior Pastor over this flock, but also he would tell you that he seeks council from myself, Pastor Christian, as well as our entire team of leaders to make decisions concerning Roots Church.
As we raise up Elders and Deacons moving forward, part of the responsibility of those roles will be to help shepherd the flock.
This means counseling.....marriage, one on one, discipleship.
overseeing ministries.
Christian is a pastor/elder in charge of Youth. I am a Pastor/Elder that has oversight of Connect Groups and Men’s Ministry. Randy, Ryan, Jonathan, Cody etc are all teaching and discipling in their respective ministries.
All of these things....protecting from the false, caring for the souls of the flock, teaching and growing and discipling individuals as well as the entire body corporately, coming alongside our Pastor, overseeing ministries, counseling, etc are all things that Elders at Roots church will do.
Not that everyone of these things every Elder will do, but these are definitely a broad list of responsibilities.
I want to close with a reminder and a biblical look at why we haven’t raised up Elders or Deacons fully yet......
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
as Paul and the Apostles planted churches they couldn’t have known who the Spirit was raising up without time to discern. They also couldn’t have known the conduct of the men in each fellowship to have a large enough sample size in order to qualify them for the role either.
Paul instructs Timothy to not lay hands on a leader too quickly
in Acts 14:21-23
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” 23 So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
They planted and came through region and shared the Gospel. They didn’t immediately set up Elders before they left the first time, but they returned to appoint Elders.
Here is what Daniel Werner says in his book “Elders and Deacons”
By the Scriptures we have cited, we perceive that Elders and deacons were not usually ordained by the Apostles, before having a place where the Lord had raised up His Church. But that after some time they returned and ordained Elders and Deacons in every Church. — Acts 14:21-23. The wisdom of this course is to give time for the Spirit to develop, and make manifest whom He has chosen to be the Elder. And so Titus was left in Crete to ordain Elders in every city, “if any be blameless.” So the ordination was not to take place wherever there was not yet a blameless man, fitted, and chosen by the Spirit of God for the work. The Church of God can then exist under the Chief Shepherd, without an Elder, and had better do so for a season, than lay hands suddenly on some one who might become puffed up and prove a curse to the cause, and a snare to his own soul.
Daniel S. Warner, Elders and Deacons (James L. Fleming, 2005; 2005).
He also says this....
the Divine ordination by the choice of the Spirit, and the infilling of His power, is the great and essential condition, and qualification for the Lord’s use, so that the laying on of hands, being of such minor importance, can well be delayed without materially detracting from any ones usefulness. And it had better be put off than to run any risk of partaking of the sins of an unfaithful man, by giving him this solemn sanction and godspeed.
Daniel S. Warner, Elders and Deacons (James L. Fleming, 2005; 2005).
So in closing....Be praying with us. Join us in the burden for this city and ultimately for the Gospel to go forth. Join us in being patient and allowing the Lord to raise up. Pray for Chris and our pastoral team as we attempt to discern what the Lord is doing....It is a hefty task to meddle in Spiritual affairs as fallible men. We must be wholly dependent on God’s Spirit and fully engage the Mind of Christ within us in order to follow God and shepherd here at Roots Church.
Be open to what the Lord might want to do in your life in this season. We need faithful, qualified, men to co-labor alongside us in the faith.
set your affairs in order and be available.
don’t wait for Chris to lay hands on you before you lay your hands on the plow.
who are you discipling right now? what souls has the Lord put in your care already.
Shepherd them well. rely on God to lead you and know His word.
Be ready to encourage and exhort in the truth. Be an example to all.
ill close with a few passages..
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
The Christian life is passive when it comes to the forgiveness of sin and the Gospel but very much active when it comes to laboring FOR the Gospel’s sake.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Walk in works brothers and be available to progress the Gospel.
There is nothing more important than God’s Kingdom and our stewardship of the small piece of it that God has entrusted to us.....
lets pray