Charge to the Church: Jeff Jewel Ordination Service
Notes
Transcript
The What and the Why
The What and the Why
The Apostle Paul was one of the first and is likely the greatest missionary/church planter in the history of the Church.
Not long after the death and burial of Jesus, Christ Himself called Paul from a life of persecuting Christians, saved him, and gave him the mission of bring the Gospel to the Roman world.
In the book of Acts, we have the 3 missionary journeys Paul went on recorded for us and what we see is that Paul, led by the Spirit, went to cities and began to preach the Gospel.
As people came to know Christ, Paul would gather them together and some of the first local churches were established in places like Ephesus, Laodicea, Corinth, and other cities all the way to Rome.
Before he left those places though, Paul would raise up men in the churches to lead and shepherd the people.
23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
It was their practice to lay hands on the men and “ordain” them to the ministry of leading the church.
Paul wrote a letter to one of these pastors named Timothy saying in it
14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.
Timothy was a pastor, a man whose gifts were recognized, who was set aside, and who was sent out for the purpose of leading and pastoring God’s people.
That is our purpose today, we are here to do 3 things:
To RECOGNIZE and AFFIRM Jeff’s gifts and calling.
To SET ASIDE Jeff as one called by God to lead and shepherd God’s Church.
To COMMISSION Jeff as a MISSIONARY leader of the Church.
What we are NOT doing.
What we are NOT doing.
It is important that we understand what we are NOT doing in this service this evening.
This is not a MYSTICAL or SUPERNATURAL Ritual-
1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
There wasn’t a special power or mystical nature to the laying on of hands. It was an acknowledgement of calling and a commissioning to service.
There is a danger in believing that what we are doing today has more power than it actually does.
Jeff will be the same guy leaving today as he was walking in.
Our job today is the acknowledge his calling and send him out to live it.
We are not SETTING Jeff ABOVE anyone else.
Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 that we are the church are “one body in Christ” and in Christ we have been gifted to serve His church in a variety of ways
Some are called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.
Though we have a different calling, we are unified by our shared hope and shared mission.
The role of Pastor is important, but it is does not make Jeff higher, better, or more essential in the life of the body of Christ.
He is simply called and gifted to serve differently than others in the church.
We are not putting Jeff on A PEDESTAL.
Jeff isn’t perfect, he isn’t the most mature, most gifted, and more spiritual person in the room.
To hold him to that standard is to place a burden on him that he will never be able to carry.
Though we see in Jeff a gifting, a calling, and an obedience that leads us to affirm and call him as a pastor, we do so knowing that he is still a man in need of grace, in need of the Spirit, and in need of the church.
Heb 10 19-25 describes the purpose of the Church in the lives of believers. And it serves as a warning for those of us that see ourselves as not needing the church in those ways.
It is a word not only for you but also for Jeff, myself, Andy, and whoever is a follow of Christ.
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—20 he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Jeff needs you for accountability, for encouragement, for building up, for confronting, and for teaching.
Here is what we are committing to as a church family:
Here is what we are committing to as a church family:
Being present
being here and serving alongside Jeff is truly the only way for us to do what the author of Hebrews instructs us to do.
Make Sundays a priority.
Find a place to serve
Get in a small group.
Live, learn, love, and lead alongside Jeff.
Be a brother/sister in Christ
Encourage Jeff, Jen, and their boys in the Lord.
Build them up, challenge them to walk in obedience, help them to grow up in the faith.
Just because Jeff is ordained doesn’t change his need for brothers and sisters in the faith.
Pray for Him
Though the role of a pastor doesn’t raise us above anyone in importance, it does place a target on our backs for the evil one.
He desires to kill, steal, and destroy and what better way to destroy God’s church than to attack His leaders.
Pray for Jeff to have power over sin.
Pray that the Word of God takes up residence in his heart.
Pray that God protects his marriage and his family for the schemes of Satan
Pray for boldness to share Christ
Pray for humility, that he will not grow proud in his calling.
And pray for God to use him to impact His Kingdom in mighty ways.