Jump Start # 3656

Acts 14:23 “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

They appointed elders for them in every church. What a joyous and monumental occasion this was. This is part of God’s design. Sheep need shepherds. They need direction, guidance, care and protection. What is so amazing about this passage is how quickly this was done. Reese in his writings believes that these men may have been leaders in the synagogues before this. Roper in his piece on Acts, thinks these men had been Christians only a few months. Lipscomb shows how Paul had been there and left for a year or two and then came back and appointed these men as elders. Any way you look at it, all of this happened in a short period of time.

And, then we think about our times. Some congregations go decades, even generations without elders being appointed. How is it that they could do this so quickly and we can’t? Let’s put some honest thought behind this.

First, it may be that some are comfortable and even like the situation without elders. In the absence of elders, most congregations have some form of business meetings, where the business of the church is discussed. Every person, or at least, every male member, young or old, strong or weak, gets a vote and has a say. The government of the church looks more like a democracy and some fear having elders would take away all of this.

God’s design is for qualified men to lead the flock. That’s the way God wants it. And, when we don’t, we are not in the same lane with the Lord.

Second, it may be that we have made the appointment of elders a near impossibility. We’ve added our thoughts to what is written in Timothy and Titus and are looking for men who are as close to perfect as can be. And, since no one is perfect, other than the Lord, no elders will be appointed. I think many today would have raised doubts about what happened here in our verse. They haven’t been Christians long enough. The apostle didn’t think so. They need to know the people better. The apostle didn’t see it that way. Just bring up the subject of “believing children,” and the sparks will fly with so many different opinions. And, that just may be the problem. Opinions. Maybe we ought to just let the Scriptures speak for themselves.

Third, it may be that bad experiences in the past have led some to distrust leaders. Oppressive and demanding leaders is not what the Lord is looking for. A shepherd, like in Luke 15, who brings that wayward sheep home, wrapped around his neck. A shepherd, like the father in Luke 15, who runs out to meet the prodigal, not with a thousand questions, but with the call for a celebration.

Bossing others may be the way to driven cattle, but we are sheep. We need to follow shepherds. The shepherds must be in the forefront, showing us the way. They need to be the example for us. It’s easy to be gun shy once one has had a bad experience in the past. There have been false teachers in the past. That doesn’t keep us from having a preacher.

From what Paul would write to Timothy and Titus later on, we can well assume that he did not randomly pick a group of guys, like picking who you want on a game of basketball. These men were spiritual. These men loved the Lord. These men had a heart of serving and leading. And, today, we must do more than just march through the qualifications of an elder as found in Timothy. We ought to understand what leading means. We need to learn how to recognize spiritual disease and understand how to prevent it.

Sadly, far too many places never talk about shepherding or elders until there is a crisis. An elder moves away. An elder dies. Panic races through the church. The preacher pulls out some dusty sermons on the qualifications and quickly some names are put on the floor to be possible elders. Those guys often don’t have a clue as to what being a shepherd means. A couple of weeks pass by, a name or two survives the intense nit-picking that often takes place and they are appointed. The church breathes a great sigh of relief. Everything is put back on the shelf until the next elder crisis.

Does that sound all too familiar? Maybe it’s time to readjust how we study, talk and discuss this subject. Maybe long before men are ready, that they are talked to, shown things and sit with elders for a while. Maybe more of mentoring approach would be better. Maybe every year, different layers of shepherding ought to be presented to the congregation. Maybe the culture needs to change and rather than viewing serving like being drafted into the military, the honor, privilege and joy of helping and leading God’s people needs to be shown.

Appointed elders in every church…sure is something to think about.

Roger

Jump Start # 3652

Acts 9:26 “And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing  that he was a disciple.”

After the conversion of Paul in Damascus, he goes to Arabia for three years. He returns to Damascus and begins preaching that Jesus is the Christ. A death threat leads to Paul being lowered over the wall in a basket at night. He makes his way to Jerusalem, where our verse is found. It was Barnabas that puts the church at ease about Paul.

In our verse today is found the word “associate.” Others word this as “join.” It’s the word used by our Lord in describing the marriage relationship as leave and cleave. The cleaving, associating, joining that brings the accountability, intimacy, closeness that we commonly call “fellowship.” We are family in Christ.

Preaching on this recently, I took the audience down memory lane and had them write down how many congregations that they had been a member of since their baptism. We were talking about this after services ended. Most had been part of 4 or 5 congregations. I had been a member of ten. Another said that she was a member of a dozen. But the highest was 18. Someone who had traveled often in the military and even lived several years overseas. How about you? How many congregations have you been a member of since your conversion to Christ?

This journey into the past, thinking about these congregations we have been a part of reminds us of several things:

First, there have been good people in all of these congregations. Many of us have made life long friends and leaving, often to move to another city, was hard. It is always precious going back and visiting dear friends in these places that were a part of our lives. We prayed for those people. We taught Bible classes, had people into our homes and the congregation was a vital and extremely important part of our lives.

Second, when one goes back and visit, one realizes that things have changed. Life is like that. Life is fluid and rarely do things stay the same. People have passed on and are no longer there. Preachers move. New faces in the leadership. Even the building may look different. I remember visiting the church building I grew up in decades later. I walked through the basement and was amazed how small and narrow the hallway was. It had not changed. I had. I was no longer a little kid.

Third, as one reflects back on some of the places that he has been a member of in the past, he also realizes that he has changed as well. For some, there has been some painful nightmares that took place in those congregations. Things were not right. Harsh judgmental spirits ruled and many felt their souls crushed. Some took a real hit in their faith as they tried to understand how some brethren could be so mean and demanding and lacking the compassion of our Lord. As some left, they also left the Lord. Others moved on to different places. It took a while to trust brethren again. They had to learn that not every place is the same. True shepherds with compassionate hearts do exist today. As they find that lost sheep, like Luke 15, they carry that lost one home upon their shoulders.

Each place you are a part of becomes a growing process. You learn. You share. You see the good. You learn patience. You realize that doctrinally each congregation can be the same, but there is a different feel, a different flavor to each place. Some are so inviting and warm. Others seem distant and cold. Some are an oasis of learning with so many tools and opportunities. Others not so.

But as we grow and learn and take what we can, we also leave a part of us with every congregation. People remember us. They remember how active, strong and faithful we were. They remember how we walked with the Lord.

And, as life takes us different places, we come to understand that God has an enormous family. And, how thankful and rich we are to be a part of that amazing family of God. Worldwide. Never ending. Transcending even the passage of death, God’s kingdom endures and succeeds.

Associating with the disciples. I preached that recently and ended that lesson with the thought that if one wanted to find Paul, he’d be with the disciples. With the disciples, what a great expression to put on a tombstone. Whether here or up there, we are “with the disciples.”

Roger