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 # 3551

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.”

I was asked recently to teach a men’s class in another city about the important topic of “Preparing to be an elder.” Leadership among God’s people is necessary and something that many do not put much emphasis upon. God has always led His people. Moses & Joshua, the Judges, the kings, the prophets, the apostles, our Lord and today, through shepherds, God provides leaders to help guide His people safely through the jungle of culture and fear.

In working up some material, I presented the idea that many do not have this on their radar. It never crosses their mind to serve this way. Many don’t want to. In congregation after congregation, men are asked if they will do the work of a shepherd, and so many refuse. They want no part of it. This decision often hurts the church. It sends an unpleasant message among the people.

Why is it that some do not want to do this noble work of leading the people of God? Here is what I came up with:

First, some have seen the negative ways elders are treated. Such not only is shameful, but wrong. If someone is not doing the work properly, the other shepherds ought to talk to that person. But, most times, that is not the case. Complaining members are given the freedom to gossip and trash talk the leaders of God’s kingdom.

If David refused to kill King Saul, who was trying to kill him, because Saul was God’s anointed, what will the Lord think about our grumbling and griping about the elders? There is a path to follow if there are accusations to be brought against an elder. Most don’t want to do that. They’d just rather talk to one another about how they don’t like the elders. Such sins, and that’s what that is, will not go unnoticed by our Lord. It’s time for the people of God to refuse to listen to such things. Be Biblical or be still.

Second, some have seen the ugly approach to appointing elders. Much too often the process is started with the idea that we must find something negative about the man who may be an elder. Just like in the political arena, the ground is scratched and scratched until enough dirt is found that the man withdraws his name, hurt, disappointed and disillusioned. If these things people say are true, why hasn’t anyone said anything before now? Again, too many are not following the Biblical pattern of how to deal with one another and they demonstrate a lack of compassion toward one of God’s children.

It seems that many have stopped growing in their faith and learning of God’s word. They have the basics down for salvation and worship and beyond that, they stumble through life ignoring plain Bible teachings on such things.

Third, there is a major misunderstanding about the role of shepherds. Some see it as the stressful job of taking care of the building, paying bills and once or twice a year figuring out who will hold a gospel meeting. Running the church is not the role of elders. Jesus runs the church. Elders are not at the top, Jesus is. Aside from running through the qualifications or qualities of a bishop, only when someone wants to be appointed, the role, work and relationship of shepherds to God’s church is gravely ignored. I know this because I’m asked to go to so many places and teach upon this. I know this because of what I see and hear in so many places.

Having a special study for the entire church on the leadership roles is something that ought to be done once a year. Layers upon layers of lessons can be looked at and explored. Young people need to see that it is such an honor to lead the people of God. One finds himself in the crowd of other leaders, such as, Moses and Joshua, the Judges, the Kings, the apostles and even our Lord. God has always provided leaders for His people.

Leading the people of God and protecting those people is such a noble task. It should be held in the highest respect. It ought to be one of the highlights of a congregation’s history when shepherds are appointed. What we think and say about God’s shepherds can encourage or discourage others from ever serving.

In our next Jump Start, we will explore the steps to prepare to be an elder.

Roger

Jump Start # 2194

Acts 14:23 “And 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.”

Appointing elders, here from our passage, seemingly done quickly in these young congregations. It also seems that every church had them. This verse is raised up as a standard but for far too many congregations, decades, even generations, pass without having shepherds to lead and guide the people of God.

Let’s give some thought to this:

First, it may be the way we go about appointing men to be elders. Did you watch any of the Brett Kavanaugh meeting before the Senate judiciary committee last week? It was heated and harsh. One would think finding someone who was gifted enough and willing enough to serve on the Supreme Court would be a highlight of our country’s history. But instead of a joyous moment, tempers flared, fingers were pointed and motives were questioned. It was ugly. As I watch some of that, it reminded me of what some congregations go through with the appointment of elders. Instead of being one of the joyous highpoints of a congregation, it also, turns ugly with finger pointing, motives questioned and tempers flaring. I’m known people to leave and never come back. I’ve heard of congregations splitting during the process of appointing elders.

Some of this may come from a total misunderstanding of what shepherds do. They do not “run” the church. They oversee people. Those that view the eldership as a climb to the top, as the church’s CEO, do not understand the work and the nature of shepherding. They do not control the money, decide about the building and run deacons as managers who report to them. They oversee people. The people are not the parking lot, the copy machines nor the carpet. The people are the church. Not getting this, some wrongly view the eldership as a “promotion,” and a position of telling people what to do, rather than showing them by their example and helping them get closer to the Lord. Shepherding is a people business. It’s about leading, showing, teaching and helping God’s people.

With this, not only are unqualified people pushed to become elders, men who are not leaders, and men who do not know the word of God, but the appointing process begins with the idea of looking for something wrong in a person’s life. We turn critical, reaching back for decades and hanging on to rumors to keep a man from becoming a shepherd. Too often, we expect perfection. It is amazingly inconsistent to have fellowship with a man for years and years, to allow him to pray for the congregation, teach class and be active, but when his name is suggested as an elder, then all of a sudden all this dirt, mud and ugliness about his character comes out. Why is it ok to fellowship that and tolerate that as long as he is not an elder? Most inconsistent. Some how we have within us the thought that with every name presented to be an elder, we must look and look for something wrong with that man. We dig until we can find something, anything. Could it be that we are starting on the wrong foot? Could it be that we ought to rejoice that some among us are willing to serve and lead us to Heaven? Instead of looking for what is wrong, consider what we have been fellowshipping and what we know. If an man’s character is such that he cannot be an elder, possibly we ought to ask “why are we fellowshipping him?” The problem may not be in the man, but in us.

Second, having witnessed the ugly side of appointing elders in the past, some who probably would be wonderful shepherds, do not have the nerve to go through all that ugliness. I wonder if we have just done that to our country with Kavanaugh. Why would someone want, especially the media, to go through old high school year books and find what you wrote decades ago. There may be many judges after this who will be content to stay where they are and not put their lives through all of this intense ugliness. They may feel that it’s not worth it. And, I wonder if in some places we have done the same thing with future elders. They have seen what happened to others, and they want no part of that. Shame on us for leaving that impression upon others. In many ways it has crippled congregations for years.

Third, there certainly seems to have been a quick desire upon these men in Acts 14 to serve as elders. Two verses before, Paul is returning to Lystra, Iconium and to Antioch. They had just been to those cities for the first time in chapter 13. Now certainly some time had passed, maybe five years. And certainly the Holy Spirit was helping those new congregations, but still, there were men who were qualified, willing and able to serve. Today, someone’s name is mentioned about being a possible elder and immediately someone says, “well, they haven’t been here very long.” The very long, is five to six years. How long did it take in Acts 14? The spirit of those early churches was driven by men and women who put Christ before all things. Today, it’s the demands of work come before leading the people of God. Today, it’s the family needs to grow and move out before one will think about it. Today, as soon as a man is in position with work and family, he decides that he wants to travel and won’t be here much. One spirit that seems missing today is the willingness to put the kingdom first, before work, pleasure, and family. We are content to let others do what we could. Some of this is cultural. There was a huge shift in patriotic thinking between W.W. II and Vietnam. In W.W. II, young men, like my dad, still in high school, couldn’t wait to get out and enlist. They wanted to do their part. By the time Vietnam came, many did everything they could to avoid going. That cultural shift had many reasons, but it filters into the church as well. Instead of devoting lives to helping the kingdom, even having the spirit of Isaiah who said, “Here am I, send me,” many ask, “Why should I?” And this, “Why should I?” attitude is why every quarter, congregations beg for people to step up and teach Bible classes. It’s why some have given up on VBS and other things because no one wants to help out. So, this is much larger than being an elder, it has to do with discipleship, stewardship and being will to give my all to the King who gave His all.

Our verse states that every church had elders. Can you imagine that in this country. Every congregation, led by men who love the Lord and love the people. Every congregation having visionary men who are devoting their lives to helping the people of God. Every congregation having wisdom and love at the helm.

And, for those congregations that currently are blessed to have godly men leading them, who will take their place? What’s the legacy? What thought has been put into finding the next round and mentoring those men so when the time comes they are ready to serve.

Maybe more teaching needs to be done about shepherding and the attitudes of a congregation rather than just running through the qualifications found in Timothy and thinking that’s enough. Maybe we ought to see what’s happening in Washington and ask, why do we find a similar process in our congregations? Maybe we ought to ask the Lord to help us, change us and shape us to what we need to be.

Every church—every church had elders. What an amazing thought!

Roger

Jump Start # 1681

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.”

  The plan and desire of God was for congregations to be overseen by elders. These gifted and spiritual shepherds would not only help each soul, they would set the course and direction for the church. In the amazing shepherd Psalm, Psalm 23, the shepherd knew were green pastures and quiet waters were. He led the flock to those places to be nourished and helped.

What is so remarkable about our verse today is that elders were appointed in every church. The “every church” refers to the cities of Lystra, Iconiumn and Antioch. Paul had just returned to those cities. Even more remarkable is that we find Paul first going to these cities at the beginning of this chapter. He’s there and through his preaching, congregations are formed. By the end of this same chapter, he’s back and is now appointing elders in these churches. Understand, decades have not passed. We are talking about a couple of years possibly, at the most, probably, even less than that. How can a congregation go from just starting to having elders within a couple of years? Wouldn’t those new elders still be new converts? Obviously, many of these elders were from the Jewish background and had a solid faith and righteous practice to begin with.

There are a few things we need to consider here:

1. These men who were appointed as elders wanted to be part of God’s amazing kingdom. They saw the value and the importance of shepherding God’s people. The work of elders is people work. It’s guiding, teaching, and helping brethren on their journey with Christ. Sometimes that work is messy because of the problems we get ourselves into. Sometimes it’s heart breaking when some no longer want to continue with Christ. Paul found, not just in one city, but in all the churches, men who were willing to work with God.

Why is this so difficult today? Some congregations will literally go decades and decades without elders. Some currently have no elders and the present generation doesn’t look promising. Why is it this way? Do we find satisfaction in doing things differently than God’s arrangement? Do we like each of us, spiritual or not, having a say in the direction and the future of the church? Do we not like working in the kingdom? Have we seen the ugly side of things and we want no part of it? Are we too selfish and we do not want to devote the time nor the work to help God’s people? Shame on us for ignoring this amazing work. Shame on us for not developing men to see the joy and greatness of working in God’s kingdom. Shame on us for sitting on the sidelines of life, because we just don’t want to. I have heard far too many times, “A man must desire the work, and I simply do not desire it.” WHY? That’s not good enough. Get up. Get engaged. Don’t be satisfied sitting by when you could and you should help the people of God. Don’t bury your talent in the ground. Don’t hide behind “I have a family and just can’t,” or, “My work is really busy.” Paul found men in every church. Could he find men in your congregation?

2. There must have been a pool of men to draw from. I been to some small congregations and there may only be one or two men. That would really limit the opportunity for that church to have elders. To be able to appoint in every church, implies that there were many men in every church. This here and alone ought to kick the legs out of the idea that some have of keeping a church small. “I like a small church,” some say. “I don’t think a large church is good.” Those opinions are not Biblical. To keep a church small, means pulling the plug on evangelism. It means we will not interact with the community. It means we will not get the message out in every available media possible. Keep the church small and chances are there won’t be future elders.

3. These men that Paul chose to be elders had a great spiritual understanding. A person has to in order to be an elder. They didn’t just show up on Sunday and sleep through the sermon. These men were gifted, spiritual and growing in the Lord. They understood Bible warnings. They understood how the church operates. They knew what their mission was. Intensely interested. Knowing Scripture. Loving people. Realizing how they were gifted by God. These things are what enabled Paul to appoint men as elders.

4. The congregation found men that they would follow. Too often, the process of looking for elders turns into a character assassination and a witch hunt. The process begins with the idea, “we must find something wrong with these men.” If and only if, we can’t find anything wrong, then they will be elders. What a sorry attitude and wrong spirit to begin with. Why should the process of appointing elders be so negative and hard? Why is it that some will get so upset that they will leave? Something is terrible wrong with us. One of the greatest days in a congregation’s history ought to be the day that elders were appointed. It ought to be a fun and joyous occasion. The trouble is, men are chosen who can’t and don’t know how to lead. They may be nice guys. They may be our friends. But before all this elder talk, these men were always in the shadows. They were not the ones who were teaching classes, visiting folks. These were not the ones who had Bible studies in their homes. These were not the ones who were very involved in the church. They came, but they didn’t do much. Now, someone thinks that they ought to be an elder. Now, righteous folks scratch their heads. This guy lead? He never has before. Does he understand? Does he know what’s going on? That’s the problem, we are looking for good guys and friends, rather than natural spiritual leaders. It doesn’t seem that Paul had trouble find men to be elders. It doesn’t seem that those congregations were divided and split over the process of putting in these men. When this is done right, it’s a great occasion. Everyone is on board and everyone feels good about this.

5. Too often, we give little thought about finding elders unless a dire circumstance takes place. A current elder decides to move, and now the church is in panic mode to find his replacement. Everything buzzes about elders. The preacher will march through the verses found in Timothy and Titus so everyone can be getting ready. Finally and too often, reluctantly, one man is found. He is made an elder. A great sigh of relief falls over the church. And now things settle down and nothing is ever mentioned about elders again until the next crisis. Does this sound familiar? Does this look good? Why not offer a quarter class for all the men in their 20’s and 30’s to study shepherding, not the qualifications. We spend so much time talking about qualifications that a person still doesn’t understand what an elder is supposed to do. Study Psalm 23. Study Ezekiel 34. Study Acts 14. Study people. Study leadership. Study vision. Study nourishing. Study discipline. Study communicating with others. Get folks ready. Develop men now. So many congregations will bring in a young man who wants to preach to be mentored by an experienced preacher. He may spend two years in a program helping him understand the work of preaching. But when it comes to elders, nothing like this is done. A name is presented. If that man survives the process, he is now called one of the elders, but he is clueless as to what he is supposed to do. Why not bring men into elders meetings so they can witnesses what goes on? Why not take one along, as elders go and talk with people? Mentor and train men, so they will understand the work.

Paul found men to be elders in every church. Wouldn’t that be great if that could be said in our land and in these times! Too many churches are drifting with no one at the helm. Too many churches are stuck doing nothing and going no where. It’s time to rise up and get serious about the work of God.

Roger