Jump Start # 1903

Acts 6:3 “But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, who we may put in charge of this task.”

This is the third crisis facing the young church in Jerusalem. The first, found in chapter 4, was the rising persecution. It was directed at first, towards the apostles, but soon it affected everyone. The second crisis, comes from chapter 5. Here, a couple chose to lie and mislead the apostles. God knew. They both died instantly. Great fear came upon the church. The first recorded death of any Christian, and it came about from God. Now, in the sixth chapter, yet another crisis. Some were feeling neglected. This was brewing to become a real storm and possibly a division. The apostles looked into the matter and told the church to appoint seven godly men to take care of this task. Nothing is said about this again in the Scriptures. Apparently, the problem was solved and everyone was calm and content.

Delegating is what the apostles did. They could have done this, but so could others. They gave the job to others. It is this aspect that I want to consider today.

Yesterday, something big happened to me. Few noticed. For the past 35 YEARS, I have edited and printed a weekly church bulletin. Every week for 35 years. Never missed one week. Birth of kids. Death of mom. Out of town. Vacations. Storms. Computer problems. Every week. Yesterday was my last one. We are not stopping the bulletin. I am giving the job to our new preacher. He’s young, sharp and full of ideas. He’ll bring a freshness to the bulletin. He asked me what I recommended. I didn’t answer him. It’s his now. He may change the shape, size, and name. I’m not upset about this. All of this was my idea. It’s time. It’s time for someone else to put their touch upon it. It’s time for him to do it.

And that’s the point that people need to see today in the church. We need to recognize when it’s time. For some, it’s knowing when it’s time to step down as an elder. The pace, demands and keeping up with the way people communicate is hard for some. It’s important to realize when it’s time. Few things are more uncomfortable among brethren as seeing a man who cannot serve, who is out of touch, cannot connect with people, is too tired, and has become more of an obstacle than a help. It’s important to recognize when it’s time.

The same goes for us preachers. All my life I’ve heard preachers proudly proclaim, “I’m going to keep preaching until they carry me out feet first.” That sounds noble and grand. Those are great dreams to have. But what if you have lost your effectiveness? What if you are out of touch? What if the church starts to die because you haven’t? Some don’t have the heart to tell the old preacher, “It’s time.” Some, because of economic reasons, need to preach. They need to keep working.

I believe it’s a valuable lesson knowing when “it’s time to hand things over to others.” Pride has something to do with this as well. Some don’t want to say it, but there are some younger men who are doing better jobs than us older guys. That’s hard to swallow. It’s hard for some of us to learn from younger guys. They are sharp, spirited and not afraid to try things. While some of us are stuck doing things the old fashion way, these younger ones are running circles around us.

Letting someone else do things involves trust. If you do a good job, you actually work yourself out of a job. You show others the ropes. You show them what it took you a long time to figure out. You help them. Rather than developing a competing spirit, you be a teammate and more, you be the best cheerleader for those you hand things over to. There are many levels of this in the church. The guy who has been the treasurer for decades, someday needs to realize “it’s time.” He hands the books over to the next guy. Those that teach classes, get to a point when they realize, “it’s time.” They may still help, encourage and fill in, but they realize that they no longer have the energy it takes to teach small children.

I think recognizing “it’s time,” comes from a heart that longs for the church to do well. It is so much better when a person sees it in themselves than to have others come with the sad message, “it’s time.” The church is always bigger than we are. It will continue on long after we are finished here, especially if we have done our job in helping those who follow us.

Much of what we are talking about is legacy. Leaving footprints for others to follow, but also, getting out of their way so they can do their job. One of the hard things about turning things over to others, is realizing that they are going to do things differently than you did. As long as it is Biblical, encouraging and helpful, you may find that they are actually doing things better than you did. Don’t be jealous. Don’t shoot down the good that others are trying to do. Be thankful that you are on the same side. Help when you can. Stay out of the way when you should. Always pray for them, just as others have prayed for you.

It’s time—I don’t know what our new bulletin will look like this week. I really believe it will be awesome! I believe that because it’s in good hands!

Roger