Feb 1 2012

why should a church have elders?

 

The church of which I’m a part is about to embark on a journey toward the selection of additional elders. With that in view, I’ll pen a brief post each weekday this month and next (Feb. thru March) with elders in mind. These posts will be rather random in order, but will deal with some of the questions I commonly encounter from the pew during a time of elder selection. You’ll also occasionally see quotes from others included in these posts along with links to helpful resources connected with these questions.

The first of these questions is fundamental: why should a church have elders?

Short answer …

For the same reason followers have leaders; they need them.

Longer answer …

Why should a church have elders? Because whether or not it realizes it, a church needs them. Such was the understanding of God’s apostles and the practice of the early church. One of the best words to this point is from the apostle Paul as he once wrote to one of his lieutenants, Titus:

“The reason I left you behind in Crete was to organize whatever needs to be done and to appoint elders in each city, as I told you.” (Titus 1.5 CEB)

Paul considered the appointment of elders within a group of Christians as something that was a part of basic organization, something that needed to be done. Other renderings of this same passage bear out this same point:

“The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order hat was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.” (Titus 1.5 NIV)

“I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions” (Titus 1.5 The Message)

No doubt if Paul had been asked this question, he would have answered that the placement of elders in a congregation would not only help bring some sense of structure and organization to a body of believers, but would also be imitative of God’s good way of doing things.

“God isn’t a God of disorder …” (1 Cor. 14:33 CEB)

However, in addition to the positive effects of organization and leadership, a church should have elders to minimize or avoid the potential for a host of negative events. Without elders, a church would be more vulnerable to some of the very things Paul tells Titus was going on in the elderless churches in Crete (i.e. – rebellion and deception – vs. 10, dishonesty and uproar – vs. 11, corruption and disobedience – vs. 15-16), things which were destructive to true discipleship. The qualities that Paul mentions of an elder (vs. 6-9) stand in stark contrast to the ways of the anarchists in Crete (vs. 10-16).

Know also that the appointment of elders was not a new development on Paul’s part or simply something that was unique to the needs of the church in Crete. Rather, such was a part of his longstanding habit of appointing elders in churches he helped plant.

“Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the good news to the people in Derbe and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, where they strengthened the disciples and urged them to remain firm in the faith. … They appointed elders for each church. With prayer and fasting, they committed these elders to the Lord, in whom they had placed their trust.” (Acts 14.21-23 CEB)

Why should a church have elders? The answer could quickly take on book length, but for now, we’ll satisfy ourselves with simply following the wisdom of a Spirit-inspired apostle of God: churches need them in order to imitate the qualities of the God they serve and to not leave themselves open to a host of matters that could lead to disruption and derailment from their purpose and mission.

In tomorrow’s post we’ll address this same question a bit further even as we move on to another question: how does the Bible refer to elders? We’ll find that churches need elders the same way the younger need the older, sheep need a shepherd, and workers need supervision.

Jan 30 2012

serving as a steward

 

The Lord and I were talking with each other this morning and the conversation went like this …

Thank you, Father, for allowing me to own what I own. I know many own little or nothing. And yet, you’ve allowed me to own clothes, an education, cars, a house (well, that’s a ‘work in progress,’ right?), and …

“… the whole earth belongs to me.” (Exodus 19.5 CEB)

Huh?

“Everything under heaven is mine.” (Job 41.11b CEB)

Even the stuff I can’t see, like the air?

“Clearly, the LORD owns the sky, the highest heavens, the earth, and everything in it.” (Deut. 10.14 CEB)

People, too?

“The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too.” (Psalm 24.1 CEB)

But Father, I thought I could “give” you things. I want to give you things. Things like my money, my time, and my service.

“… the whole world and everything in it already belong to me.” (Psalm 50.12 CEB)

But, if everything already belongs to you and stuff doesn’t define me, what am I and what am I to do?

“… a servant of Christ who has been given the work of explaining God’s mysterious ways. And … [your] first duty is to be faithful to the one … [you] work for …” (1 Cor. 4:1-2 CEV)

So even my own body I work with …

“You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body.” (1 Cor. 6.20 CEB)

Got it. It’s my job to treat everything in this world, including myself, like you own it – because you do – and you’ve just entrusted it to my good care and keeping.

“The earth and all that is in it belong to the Lord.” (1 Cor. 10.26 CEB)

Father, let me own that understanding in every way, big and small!

Jan 29 2012

as we approach a congregational meeting …

 

In just a few minutes, our church will engage in a congregational meeting. The topic on the table is the current state and future of our eldership. The preceding week, I have looked forward to this evening’s meeting and simultaneously, had this past week’s memory verse continually come to mind. That verse is:

“Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord!” (Romans 12:11 CEB)

This memory verse and the meeting this evening have converged in my mind and so, gave rise to the following four thoughts. As members and leaders dialogue this evening, might I suggest to myself and to all …

1. “Don’t hesitate.” Which means time must always be a point of true consideration. Let us make the most of this God-given moment to the glory of God and the benefit of Christ’s body. May we respect the use of the body’s time together.

2. “Be enthusiastic.” Together we serve the Great God. He has given to us amazing grace upon grace. He has stooped and sacrificed to include each of us in his family and purpose. He it is who daily enables us to reflect his holiness. These are things truly worth getting excited about.

3. “Be on fire in the Spirit.” Let us make certain any “fire” within us, or coming from us, comes from, and respects, God’s Spirit. Scripture is not silent as to what our God thinks of “unauthorized fire.”

4. “Serve the Lord.” Let us all remember our place. None of us are masters; all of us are servants. Our way is not to please ourselves, but to please our Lord. To please him is our top priority and is to be our truly good pleasure.

Amen. And amen.

“Don’t hesitate to be enthusiastic—be on fire in the Spirit as you serve the Lord!” (Romans 12:11 CEB)

Jan 29 2012

word for the weak (5)

 

Stewardship: noun; the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

Stewardship is the theme of the texts that make up this week’s reading in the Uncommon Truth for Common People project. Following is the schedule we’ll use in our reading this week.

The verse of Scripture to memorize and make your own this week is Psalm 90:12, which reads:

Teach us to number our days so we can have a wise heart. (Psalm 90:12 CEB)

Jan 29 2012

picture Bible commentary

Even though you scrub yourself with soap or strong powder, the stain of your sin is still before me, declares the LORD God. (Jeremiah 2:22 CEB)

Jan 28 2012

this went thru my mind

 

20-Somethings: The Religious Views of 20-Somethings (parts one, two, and three) by Brandon J. O’Brien

“… those students who do consider themselves religious—most of them Christians—saw their religious beliefs having very little impact on their personal or professional goals.”

Communion: The Argument for Excluding Wine from the Lord’s Supper by John Mark Hicks

“Interestingly, the extended argument was needed and pushed by the Temperance Movement because churches generally, until very recently, had all used wine in the Lord’s Supper.”

Criticism: Criticism by Joshua Graves

“If you have the gift of criticism and gossip, you should consider what this says about the state of your own emotional health and the toll others are paying for your anxiety, toxicity.”

Depression: Depression and Serotonin

“One after another, the experts grant that there is no real evidence linking depression to low serotonin. Amazingly, they justify the propagation of the ‘low serotonin story’ simply because it is easy to understand. In other words, it doesn’t have to be true to be helpful.”

God: All Religions Are Not One

“I am for tolerance, but tolerance isn’t ignorance. Tolerance doesn’t equate to pretending differences don’t exist. Tolerance falls short of its own goal–both in inter-religious and inter-racial dialogue.”

Grief: Good Grief (parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, the way of grace, post mortem & sermon on earthen vessels) by Ben Witherington

“When a person suffers the devastating loss of a loved one, you should — however well-intentioned you might be — keep your mouth shut. Or at the very least, you should think long and hard before you say anything. Here are some of the things I recently heard that did not help, and frankly were not true.”

Marriage: What I’ve Learned After Being Married for 33 Years by Jim Martin

“I knew very little about marriage when we began. At this point in life, I am still learning.”

Parenting: * 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters by Michael Mitchell; * Should We Read Our Kids’ Texts? by Jonathan McKee (thank you, Adam Marshall, for pointing me to this article!)

“… to all you Dads out there – be sure you pay close attention and heed these wise words …”

“I agree with all my parents’ guidelines except the one about them being able to read my texts at any time. I’m not gonna do that one with my kids when I’m a parent.”

Personal preferences: Scripture and Our Druthers by Timothy Archer

“It’s time to take the ‘I feel’s and ‘I like’s and put them in a drawer. It’s time to seek what’s best for the body as a whole.”

Reading: How to Read a Book by Chad Hall

“For several years I’ve used a method I call the “Reading Pyramid,” which provides five categories of reading. Perhaps it will be helpful for you. Here goes …”

Time management: The Biggest Myth in Time Management by Peter Bregman

“The idea that we can get it all done is the biggest myth in time management.”

Jan 27 2012

let me help you study Scripture

 

One of the quickest and easiest ways to stretch your encounter with Scripture from reading to study is to simply read Scripture in a variety of renderings. Don’t just settle for always reading your Bible in the same translation. Challenge your mind by deliberately reading the Bible in various versions. Compare the translations, noting the similarities and differences.

What’s that you say? You only have one translation of the Bible? Well, we can remedy that today without it costing you a single cent! Once a week here through the end of February we’re giving away a free copy of the Common English Bible (CEB). And so, the first person who comments on this post with the following words – “I will study Scripture by studying the Common English Bible” – will receive a free copy of the CEB.

How do you comment? Simply click on the balloon icon in the upper right hand corner of this post and leave the comment “I will study Scripture by studying the Common English Bible.”