Peter exhorted the elders of the church, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”(I Peter 5:1-4)
The fact is as God’s people we need guidance. Sheep tend to go astray. They need a shepherd to go after then and show them the way back to the path. We also need instruction as we saw on Monday. When you feel unsure of how to parent your little children, your pre-teens or your teens, the advice of an older believer who has raised their children well may help us in a wonderful way. So the church is the place for the guidance we need and the elders should be the first place we go and then to one another for that guidance.
God has provided this help and structure throughout the life of His Church from Levites and Priests, to Judges and Prophets, to Apostles then elders and deacons. All along the way the elders have and are to serve as examples to follow. Hebrews 13:7 exhorts the members of the Church, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” The elders care for us through their faithful prayers and service to the church as commanded by God. (Acts 6:4- “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”)
And then we are called upon to support, pray and obey their godly leadership even though it is limited and flawed, but still seeking the Lord’s best for the flock He has placed us over. “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things (Hebrews 13:7).” Clearly, this verse refers to the elders of a local Church. If God wants us to submit to the authority of a local Church government, He surely wants us to join a local Church. Otherwise, who keeps watch over our souls? Who warns us when we stumble? Who seeks to help us discover and use our God-given gifts effectively for the Lord?
The Apostles were called by God to set up an organized government for the Church by God’s design. The community of God’s people is an organized community. Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in each city (Tit. 1:5) (a mark of a healthy church). Throughout the New Testament, we find references to these rulers of local Churches (Acts 11:30; 15:2ff.; 16:4; 20:17; I Tim. 5:17ff.) To this end the Westminster Confession states, “I. The Lord Jesus, as king and head of his Church, has therein appointed a government in the hand of Church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate. II. To these officers the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are committed, by virtue whereof they have power respectively to retain and remit sins, to shut that kingdom against the impenitent, both by the word and censures; and to open it unto penitent sinners, by the ministry of the gospel, and by absolution from censures, as occasion shall require. (WCF 30.1-2).”
So being a member of a Bible- believing, Christ- Centered, elder led church provides a wealth of resources and grace to us and our families. It is a blessing to place ourselves in a place that we and our families are guaranteed to grow. When the Bible is taught correctly and the church is led well, all Christians receive the grace intended them so they will be fully equipped for all good works. There are no solitary Christians in the Bible; God always calls those He loves into a community. This is who we are. Westminster Confession of Faith, 25.2: “The visible church . . . consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.” The Church, then, is where will get the care from the elders and from one another that we and our families need to continue to worship and learn how to grow God’s kingdom and to glorify Him.
God Bless y’all.
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
