Qualifications for Elders #2

Maturity is only gained little by little, day by day by a person who has deliberately taken certain steps as an act of the will, steps of denial of self and doing what God wants in little things, day by day over long periods of time.

Mature, godly spiritual leaders don’t build organisations around themselves but rather they build organisations around the One personality that is truly a glorious Person of substance, who died and rose again and said he would build his church with Himself as the head.

The Elder’s character

When we turn to the Scriptures we find that God does not require wealth, social status, senior age, advanced academic degrees or even great spiritual giftedness of those he designates and matures to shepherd His people.

What we do find is that God wants people who have met him in a genuine encounter that shows the mark of the Spirit of Christ on them.

This encounter with Jesus becomes visible in their character… they have a character that is growing in maturity over the years, year on year… to become more like Jesus.

Hugh Sidney was a political columnist for Time magazine and last century he wrote about the leader of the US, indeed the man who is often seen as the leader of the free world: ‘The Presidency to this day rests more on the character of the person who inhabits the office than on anything else. The Founding Fathers designed it that way. It was their idea to find a man in America with a great character and let him invest a tradition and shape a national character. They found George Washington. He did his job splendidly.”

Hugh Sydney died in 2005. I wonder how Bill Clinton’s antics in the 1990’s shook his belief… never mind the recent President who freely owned up to saying and doing things that can’t be said in a Christian sermon?

It seems to me that the sad reality is that in a world that has radically departed from God’s ways in so many ways that even though people still talk about maturity… particularly in matters of spirituality, emotions, ethics, honesty and integrity that few really understand what it means to live these terms out in our relationships with God, self, family and others.

That’s bad… but it gives us another point of difference to the world in which we live. We can live out and demonstrate the reality of a better story than what they live out in the world around us.

The Elder’s Maturity - God and His Word

A godly maturing disciple of Jesus is developing an unshakeable belief that the Word of God is the only thing in this world that is straight.

Every single one of us has been born to parents that, to one degree or another, were bent and broken; we were taught by teachers that were bent and broken, we have admired and tried to be like people who were bent and broken…

But some of God’s people are learning that the Bible is the only place on earth where we learn what it means to be straight.

Have you ever noticed how our Lord Jesus acted and reacted in his interactions with both his friends and his enemies.

For example, in Jn 8 Jesus started a conversation by saying, “I am the light of the world, those who follow me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life”… but it ended with this accusation from his antagonists “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon possessed?”

Wow! They said that to the Son of God who left all the glory and splendour of heaven to come and die for us on a Roman cross?

You reckon God made me for the fires of hell! I’ll make the ground slowly open up under you and you can fuel the fires of hell.

You know what Jesus did? He answered, “I am not possessed by a demon, but I honour my Father and you dishonour me.”

That’s maturity; that trust in God’s direction for his life. That’s what straight looks like when we’re attacked and accused unfairly.

Others will say and do whatever they say and do… but he monitored himself and responded in ways that pleased the Father.

Spiritual maturity as self-mastery is seen in 1 Tim 3 in that an overseer is to be temperate (or sober-minded, restrained, one who has a bridle on himself), self-controlled (prudent, having right thoughts guide right actions), not given to addictions or violence, but uncontentious… able to put a case clearly, but let others challenge.

We read in the qualifications for elders in Tit 1:9 “9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

That’s straight. Not the media; not our friends… nor our enemies.

The trustworthy message of the gospel of Jesus received and embraced and lived out in a life of sacrificial service for others to the glory of God.

Encourage others by demonstration in his own life; and refute others from the word when they oppose it.

1 Tim 3:6 “6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.”

Those we choose to lead us must be people who trust the word of God more than their own instincts.

And it’s a whole lot more than simply knowing what the Bible says.

It’s easier to be smart that to be good… isn’t it?

It’s one thing to know that the Bible tells us to forgive our enemies, not be a lover of money, to love our wives as Christ loved the church (or for ladies to respect their husbands and teach the younger women how to love their husbands)… but it’s a whole different ball game to be people who do it… even on a semi-regular basis!

People of maturing character, growing Christ-like character know that the Scriptures, rightly understood and applied intelligently in the light of the whole of the Bible’s teaching and with the church being the first-fruits of the new creation believe and want to obey what it says.

Maturity is about trusting what God says more than what we think ought to be true and using that to master ourselves infinitely more than laying down the law and trying to rule over others.

The Elder’s Competence

So to be qualified to become an elder a person must be a mature Christian who has personally met Jesus, who acts in line with God’s word and trusts God’s word more than his own instincts.

Surely that must be what every Christian desires to become!

But we also notice among the list of qualifications for becoming on overseer are those three little words… he must be “able to teach.” v2.

That’s not saying that every elder must be able to preach a 20 minute sermon… but every mature Christian ought to know something of what they have personally learned from God’s word and have the ability to share it with someone else.

Whether it’s with our kids or spouses, someone after church or a neighbour who’s just been told that someone they love is very ill; an elder is someone who has read and thought through and lots of things for himself so has something to say to others.

The Elders ability to Lead. (“...to so influence others as to cause them to follow a recommended course of action”.)

There is also the question of whether or not a potential elder can lead.

Look at 1 Tim 3:4-5 “4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)”

The word manage means lead, rule over, manage… to so influence others as to cause them to follow a recommended course of action.

If a person thinks he’s a leader but no one’s following he’s just out for a walk!

Next to Jesus probably the apostle Paul may have been one of the best leaders the world and the Word and the gospel has ever produced.

Think about him being taken prisoner in Jerusalem.

We read about him arriving in Ac 21… and being arrested… for the trumped up charge of turning people against the temple in Jerusalem.

The city is in uproar, the people seize him and try to kill him… the Romans arrest him to save his life.

Paul doesn’t panic or complain. Paul is a true leader, teacher and a disciple of Jesus par excellence. As soon as he gets the opportunity to speak with the crowd so he shares his testimony with them… that he used to be just like them… but Jesus showed him how misguided he was on the road to Damascus.

The people riot and some swear not to eat or drink until they rid the earth of him. (Talk about cancel culture!)

Paul stands before governor Felix and begs to be let free? Not at all. He talks about the resurrection and discourses on “righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come”.

Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”

He’s left to languish for over 2 years in prison, finally during another pseudo trial before Festus who succeeded Felix, Paul appeals to Caesar and sent off to Rome.

Before he is sent there is more delay as he is faces another trial in front of King Agrippa.

Again Festus is challenged, but Agrippa says Paul should be set free… but Paul is sent to front Caesar… and is sent off by ship to Rome as a prisoner under a Roman guard.

Think about this. Paul is a prisoner, undergoing trial after trial, but it’s those in authority that are either silenced or amazed or enraged!

Paul has no authority, no responsibility, no rights. He is the lowest of the low… but he monitors himself, trusts that God will handle the big events in his life… and he confronts people with the claims of Christ at every opportunity!

They sail up the coast a few miles and landed at Sidon. Paul is allowed to go to his friends so they could provide for his needs!

That is amazing.

Paul is a prisoner; if he doesn’t come back the centurion will pay with his life. Why does he let Paul go? Because he knows Paul is trustworthy. He will do what he says he will do.

Paul is a true leader; he will do everything in his power to do good to people and nothing to do them harm.

Leaders who provide for themselves find that people abandon them and go elsewhere.

They set sail again and get put on a bigger ship with 276 passengers. But it is too late into the season. There is great danger of running into a storm.

Paul (the prisoner) wisely advises them that it is too dangerous to go on. Here’s the prisoner advising the sailors. But Paul’s already been shipwrecked a couple of times. They go on anyway.

The storm hits. The storm rages for days. They throw cargo overboard. There is no sun or stars for days. They don’t know where they are.

Ac 27:21-26. A leader speaks authoritatively and honestly from God’s word

None will be lost; the ship will be destroyed… it wasn’t his opinion, he had a word from God.

The ship is wrecked but thanks to Paul’s advice all make it safely and land on Malta where the natives welcome and care for them.

So Paul sat back and enjoyed their hospitality? Well, actually he is serving his people; he’s out collecting firewood for them.

That’s leadership… under enormous stress and strain. But Paul monitored himself, determined to bring glory to God at every opportunity… and entrusted God to work out the circumstances of his life.

And the book of Acts ends by saying that when he made it to Rome, for two whole years Paul is still under house arrest… but you know what he’s doing? Preaching the word of God boldly and without hindrance!

The Elder’s Life Circumstances

1 Tim 5:8; Sometimes life circumstances prevent men from taking responsibility for leading, teaching and praying for people. They might have demanding jobs, ageing parents, young children.... look at 1 Tim 5:8 “8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

There’s a time and place for very qualified leaders to say No, at least not now, to considering the offer of eldership. Leadership of any kind.

Conclusion: The Trajectory of His Life

Not met every qualification in full and final detail. But the trajectory of the lives of elders should be spiritual and emotional maturity… a walk with Jesus that is clearly evident and an ability to lead those around him in ways appropriate for his personality and explain the Scriptures to others.

Elders are trusted with leading and teaching and guiding God’s dearest and most costly possessions.