Men do not design pastors to be used by themselves for their own personal means. God Designed Pastors to be Used by Himself for the Body.
Recognizing Biblical Pastors and Pastoring (1 of 8)
God Designed Pastors to be Used by Himself for the Body
(Children's Sheet for Sermon Interaction is at bottom. Notes are throughout sermon)
Pastor Kerry Kinchen, Bridgeway Bible Church
This morning, we begin a series that has to do with certain men who have been called to minister in a certain way in the church. They are men who have been gifted to be gifts for the body. They have certain responsibilities that God has ordained. Biblically, we find that such men are called pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, and stewards of God; they are also called those who rule (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17). All of these biblical designations refer to the same person. Throughout this series we will endeavor to explore how the Bible explains who these men are; what they do; and why they exist. Most of the sermons are going to deal with the qualifications of such men. This one has to do with God's design. More specifically, it has to do with God's design of pastors to be used by Himself for the body. With this in mind, I ask you to please prepare your heart to learn, along with me, in this first sermon of this series,
Recognizing Biblical Pastors and Pastoring (1 of 8)
God Designed Pastors to be Used by Himself for the Body
[prayer]
Starting out this morning, I want us to think about God's creation of the human body. Our bodies are precisely designed, intentional, and amazing creations. We each have numerous organs that work together in harmony in a grand concert of millions of actions taking place each moment. Each organ helps the whole body function properly as a single entity. God made you this way. When we look at our bodies in more depth, we can perceive that there are some organs that we have that seemingly have no purpose. This has led to some strange beliefs. Since some people have not discovered the purpose that those organs fulfill, they believe that those kinds of organs must be a byproduct of a fictitious evolutionary process. Consequently, they call them vestigial organs. The whole belief in vestigial organs finds its roots in the false religion of macro-evolutionary dogma. The particular faith is preached that at one time certain organs had a purpose. Over time, they lost their purpose. So, a vestigial organ is supposed to be a meaningless byproduct that you inherit from the ancient past. The main problem with these beliefs is that they are wrong. They are based upon ignorance of God's creation. Nevertheless, the religions of the world are constantly changing certain points in their creeds. Consequently the world is discovering what Christians already know. Every organ that God has given us has always had a specific purpose for our body, and still does. The tail bone, for instance, was once believed to be a vestigial inheritance from a imaginary monkey ancestor of humans. Consequently, when people would injure their tail bones, doctors would remove them. But finally evolutionary devotees have come to grips with the fact that the tailbone is an important mechanism that has an intentional design for making our bodies function properly. God designed the tail bone to enable us to sit comfortably. People who have had their tail bones removed have tremendous difficulty sitting; but God already knew that. Aside from this, various muscles attached to the tail bone are important for facilitating bowel and labor movements; for supporting internal organs, and for keeping the entrance of the alimentary canal closed. The tailbone is really the end of the backbone. God put the end there because He knew that we needed it there. Another organ that has fallen into evolutionism's disrepute is the appendix. The typical evolutionist views our appendix as a devolved vestigial organ. In fact, to this day, you can look up the definition of appendix in a deficient dictionary, and it will define it as a vestigial organ, in honor of the religion of evolutionism. To add to the confusion, a surgeon can remove an appendix from someone and at the outset there doesn't seem to be any noticeable effect. But the belittled appendix has an intentional design for protecting the body. The appendix is rich in lymphoid tissue (meaning that it acts as a filter and removes bacteria) and it protects the intestines from infection. The appendix makes antibodies that your immune system needs. The white cells harbored in the appendix are a powerful ally in our immune system's network. When you take away the appendix, you eliminate part of the system. But God already knew this when He designed and created the human body. Like the appendix, the humbled tonsils have been believed by evolutionary adherents to be vestigial organs. This belief became so strong that the poor tonsils became indiscriminate targets of scalpels all over the world whenever they became infected. But God thought tonsils are important, so He decided to create them into us. God knew that He designed the tonsil as a producer of antibodies and as an aid to cell-mediated immunity. The tonsil is an important lymphoid organ. It defends the upper respiratory tract against infection. Consequently, doctors are now reluctant to remove the tonsils or their cousins, the adenoids. I want us to think about all of this for a moment. Consider that when we start with certain presuppositions, then we tend to proceed with life according to those presuppositions. The Faith system of evolutionism, with its false god called "chance" and its fictional genesis account called "spontaneous generation" in a false garden called "primordial soup" is what came up with the myth of vestigial organs. As a consequence, important parts of our bodies have been wrongly classified by some medical and biological sciences as not being necessary. So what happened is that their unique design, function and purpose had become foolishly ignored and unappreciated for proper worship of God in His creative genius. Now listen to me very carefully:
The same thing can happen with the body of Christ in respect to God's historic and biblical mandate for elders in the church as leaders of the body of Christ. The point is that such men have a design, function, and purpose that God has created as members of the body for the body's edification.
/1/
This is the first principle. God designed pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, as His stewards to be used by Himself for the body in a functional relationship among the members of the body. As we look into this principle, I want us to think about some biblical exhortations concerning this functional relationship. Let's consider Paul's request,
"But we request of you, brothers, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction." 1 Thessalonians 5:12
Also, the urging in Hebrews,
"17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you." Hebrews 13:17
Paul's charge in Acts,
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28
And Paul instructs,
"The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." 1 Timothy 5:17
All these passage give us a picture of functionality in the relationship that God has designed for the pastoral members in respect to the body. Now let's consider some of the terms being used to describe the leaders in this relationship. For example "elder" is an English word translated from the Greek word, presbuteros. Presbuteros is where Presbyterians get their name. Presbuteros is one of those words that has more than one meaning in its semantic range. Presbuteros can mean "an old man." Presbuteros can also mean an official ministry ordination in the church. In respect to the specific calling and office that God has ordained in the church, presbuteros finds its roots in the name for leaders in the Jewish community. It was also the title for the office of priestly leadership in the Jewish synagogue. The church utilizes the God-given term in a similar way. This is important for us to know because just being an old man does not qualify someone to be a leader in God's church. There are lists of character qualifications for being an elder who oversees in the shepherding capacity. In fact, a young man such as Timothy (an ordainer of elders) can be an elder because of his spiritual maturity. Paul told Timothy not to let anyone look down on him because of his youthfulness in 1 Timothy 4:12. Timothy's eldership was in respect to spiritual maturity--not physical age.
The other term used for church leadership in the Bible is "overseer." Overseer comes from the Greek "episcopos" which means one who has oversight. The Episcopal church gets its name from this word. For a proper relationship to exist in harmonious function in the body, it is important to recognize that an overseer and an elder are the same thing. Paul says to Titus in Titus 1;
"For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint presbyterous/elders in every city as I directed you, ..."
Notice that Paul is referring to elders. He goes on and calls them overseers.
"... namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the episcopos/overseer must be above reproach as God's steward" Titus 1:5-7
So we see that the overseer and the elder are interchangeable terms. "Elder" describes the man with reference to his calling, office, and standing. "Overseer" describes the man with reference to his function and duty in the practice of his spiritual gifts in his calling. In other words, in one respect, he is called an elder and overseer. In the other respect, his eldership practice is that of doing spiritual oversight like a shepherd--a pastor. We see the same thing in Acts 20:17-28,
"[Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. ... Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd (to pastor) the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:17, 28
@1 Overseers are __________________ by the Holy Spirit. Acts 20:28
Elders and overseers are the same organ in the body that the Holy Spirit has made. This means that the generation of these organs into the body is a miracle. The same distinction is found in 1 Timothy 3:1, and 5:17.
"if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do ..." 1 Timothy 3:1
Then later in the same context, Paul says,
"... The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." 1 Timothy 5:17
The point is that we must understand what God understands about His design--Elders and oversees are the same thing.
I want us to consider another term. We must consider the term "pastor" which is also "shepherd." Pastor and shepherd is poimen in the Greek. Paul says that,
"[God] gave some ... as pastors-teachers." Ephesians 5:11
@2 God ______________________ some men as pastor-teachers to the church. Ephesians 5:11
The verb form of poimen, is poimainein, and it means "to shepherd' "to guide" and "to feed." It means to pastor. More specifically for the church, it means to shepherd in spiritual matters. The chief way that a pastor guides and feeds the flock is through teaching God's word, 1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:9. This is how God's shepherd feeds. This is how I am supposed to feed you. The pastor uses God's word for the nutrients. We find the shepherding-flock relationship metaphor used all throughout the New Testament. We see it when Paul encouraged the elders,
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd [to pastor poimainein] the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." Acts 20:28
@3 God purchased the church with His _____________________ in being manifested in bodily form. Acts 20:28
Peter makes the same pastoral connection. He says to the elders,
"shepherd [pastor] the flock of God among you, exercising oversight ..." 1 Peter 5:1-2
In the same manner that elders are important organs in the body, for the body, their role as shepherds is recognized as needed too. Shepherds are servants of the Chief Shepherd. They love and care for the body according to their gifting and callings they receive from the Chief. Shepherds should be respected in regard to their gifts and calling. On the other hand, shepherds are not spiritually superior. Further, God's shepherds should not be despotic leaders. They are guides, and protectors, who have a great responsibility to both God and His flock. This is why it is vital that all pastors recognize that God owns all of His people. Further, God desires to gift and use all of his people as co-ministers. This means that God wants to use you as a co-minister with the rest of the body. So, in this respect, a shepherd is on equal footing with every other member of the flock. A way to understand how this shepherd-flock aspect of God's ordained relationship functions is in recognizing that Shepherds as guides and protectors. They are spiritual guides among the body who co-minister with the body as part of the same body.
"4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." Romans 12:4-8
Shepherds are not elites. They are not designed by God to be the ones who do everything in the body either. As guides, they operate best in guiding the body spiritually according to their roles in pastoral calling. When a pastor starts to stray from what they were called and designed to do in the body, then problems begin to occur. I want us to consider an analogy for a moment that I think will help us see this relationship in its proper perspective. Think, for a moment, about a group of people. They have been commissioned by the king to go on a Mountain climbing expedition. So here is this group of called and gifted people. Each one is equipped, and is being further equipped, for the upward call. The king has ordained certain men to be the guides of the group. This is what these particular men do full time. They guide, they teach, they protect, and direct. Their primary role as guides is to instruct as they oversee expeditions. The group is on a mission. The guides are on the same mission. Everyone works for the same king. They are all part of a team. As each member of the team follows the lead of the guides, each one grows in the knowledge that is taught. Each member is being transformed by the renewing of their minds. They learn what it means to be a child of the king. They learn what it means to exist under the kings jurisdiction. They learn what their goals are according to the kings manual. They are urged onward to the great height of their upward call. The guides are constantly exhorting, encouraging, and urging everyone with these things. They work hard to ground the team in the various truths for living that the king has provided in manifesting the traits of the very same king. In the whole process, the team functions in harmony according to each person's practice of their gifts and talents. Now, about midway up the mountain, the guides discover that one of the group has decided that he wants to go off in another direction. He wants to do his own thing. His own thing is outside the will of the king, but he wants to do it anyway. In the meantime, the job description that the king laid out for the guides is not one in which they can forcibly make the rogue man stay with the rest of the team. They are not empowered to control the mind of the man. The king did not commission the guides to control people like they are puppets. It's only their job guide, feed, and protect. So the leadership-guides can urge the man toward a different course through the teachings laid out by the king in His book. They can pray for the man in accordance with the king's will. They can plead with the man in accordance with the king's will. They are not empowered to force the man to stay with the group. The man is accountable to God for His actions which means that he should be recognizing the authority of the leaders, and he should submit in a spirit of unity. This leads to recognizing the protective aspect of the guide's leading oversight. He is attempting to bring about unity, and growth, in the process. If someone is harming the team and causing discord among the team, then the guide is entrusted to take action to ensure harmony. This may mean that it is necessary to confront the one who is causing problems for the group. Why? To ensure that everyone manifests the example of the king, which also means to practice their gifts in harmony in manifesting positive fruits out of themselves as they work together for the upward call of the climb. The point is that the guides are are not despotic lords who are dictating their own agendas. The team is not made up of underlings. Everyone is equal in their ownership, spiritual identity, value, and miraculous service to the King. The leaders lead diligently by guiding through teaching and by example. Peter says,
"I exhort the elders among you ... shepherd the flock of God among you ... not as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock." 1 Peter 5:1-3
@4 God is the one who has _____________________ pastors their charge over the local church congregation. 1 Peter 5:1-3
This means humility. It means leading by serving. This fosters a group dynamic in which every member manifests Christ out of themselves in beautiful concert as we move along in togetherness in our spiritual journey. To further illustrate this principle--particularly in respect to church discipline, let us consider that the expedition team has been advancing along. After a while it is discovered that two of the team members have been living in sexual immorality. They are living in sin. The leadership follows the king's book and explains the options to the immoral couple. According to the king's book, the two need to be accountable to the king. They need to cease from their immoral activity. In respect to this, they need to submit to the guides, and their instructions to stay on course. If the two want to get married, then that is fine and good in the name of the King. Or, there is another option. They must separate from the rest of the team if they choose not to obey the king and His ordained guides by ceasing. Why? Because this is what the king would have them do for their own good and for the good of the team. For their own good by demonstrating that what they are doing is not approved of. They need to stop transgressing the kings decree. For the good of the rest of the team, so that the group will not be infected with treating the sin as okay to allow to be among them. Infection inhibits proper function. Now, here is where the rest of the team comes into play. The rest of the team must abide by the king's words in the book and follow the example of the king's leadership stewards in affirming and enforcing the points in this confrontation. For the church, such passages as 1 Corinthians 5:4-5, and 1 Timothy 5:19-20 support this way that the body should function. This is part of a working relationship where Pastors and elders are spiritual guides and protectors. They urge, teach, and show the way to direct the rest of the group spiritually, yet at the same time the individuals in the church are called to practice their gifts, and to serve God in complete responsibility to Him. If church discipline is administered, then the whole church is involved to some degree. I don't want us to lose the main point I am making in this first principle; God designed pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, as His stewards to be used by Himself for the body in a functional relationship. The relationship is definable, purposefully, needed, and it is mandated by God. The relationship is body of Christ oriented. The relationship is shepherd- flock oriented. The relationship is meant to build us all up in the Christ in true Christian community. It is meant for spiritual growth. This leads to the second principle.
/2/
The second principle in respect to God designing Pastors to be used by Himself for the body is that the general responsibility of the elder is biblically summed up in two aspects:
1) Governing
2) Teaching
When we analyze the New Covenant scriptures, we consistently see that elders govern and teach.
"17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching." 1 Timothy 5:17
What is enlightening about this passage is that Paul tells us what elders actually do. Paul says that elders "rule." This means that they govern. The other thing that Paul says that elders do is labor in preaching and teaching. Let's take a look at the first aspect.
--2a--
First, God has ordained elders to manage the body. Recognizing a man's role in managing his own household will help us to understand what this means. Elders take care of the church with a leadership capacity much in the same way that a father manages his family. Paul says that an elder,
"... must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under subjection with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)," 1 Timothy 3:4-5
The Greek word Paul uses here for manage has the same root as the one for govern. When Paul speaks of taking care of the church of God, he means that Elders provide leadership to the church spiritually through example, precept, correction, protection, encouragement and organization. This is what a father is entrusted by God to do with his family. The father is the overseer. In respect to the pastor, this entails care and nurture in the things of the Spirit. Another biblical way to understand this relationship is by considering how shepherds function in respect to their sheep. The shepherd manages and tends to the needs of the flock. This is why Paul says to elders,
"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, [The Paul explains why.] to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. " Acts 20:28
Peter says,
"shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight ..." 1 Peter 5:2
All shepherds manage their flocks through example, precept, correction, protection, encouragement and organization. When we see these things we instantly understand certain key principles don't we? We understand that the role of a pastor has great responsibility on his part, and we know that we also have a great responsibility to operate by respecting his function. Just as a father with his family, or a shepherd with the sheep, maintaining a proper relationship in this area keeps us balanced on the stable ground that God wants us to be on. Show me a Christian who does not recognize pastors in the body the way they should be recognized, and I will show you a Christian who demonstrates imbalance in the rest of his life. This goes for the elders too. Show me a pastor who thinks he doesn't need other leaders to influence his life, and I will show you an imbalanced man. He is either not operating as a father, shepherd, or steward would in respect to biblical spiritual care, or he is imbalanced in some other biblical areas in his life. This is why Paul is strong on his request for this appreciation of elders. It is not a mere suggestion. It has to do with the necessity, and importance, of the call to be the spiritual leader. It is a request,
"we request of you, brothers, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction," 1 Thessalonians 5:12
@5 Pastors do not have charge over the local church fellowship in themselves. They have charge in the ________________. 1 Thessalonians 5:12
Notice that this passage identifies those two things that are the primary responsibilities of elders. The first one we are focusing upon now is leading, and then that second one, which is instructing. The point is that God has ordained elders to be appreciated in the two primary works that they are called to do. In Hebrews, we see the same type of request from God's word,
"Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account." Hebrews 13:17
Watching over souls is difficult. But leading and instructing in that leadership is what the pastors do with the watch. The responsibility of the rest of the body is to obey, submit, and appreciate, this relationship. So the first aspect of the responsibility of elders that God has ordained for us is management. The other aspect is preaching and teaching. Paul says that God
"... gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors [who are] teachers, for the equipping of the set apart ones for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;" Ephesians 4:11-12
There is an important point that needs to be recognized concerning this passage. In the Greek construction here, pastors and teachers go together concerning the exact same person. It's easy to miss this by just taking a quick look at the English sentence. The best way to see this is to know that all of the other people listed here, the apostles; the prophets, and the evangelists--all have the Greek article tous before them, which means "the." So Paul is identifying the apostles, the prophets, and so on. But teachers is without the article. The reason is because in the Greek Paul is indicating that the pastors and teachers are connected in the same office and function. Paul is meaning to describe the elder as his pastoral overseer role, and as teacher in his spiritual instruction role. The same pastor is manifesting both gifts simultaneously that God uses to edify the flock. This goes along with what Paul taught in the passages we have been examining, but it is really made evident in passages such as where Paul asserted to Timothy that
"An overseer, then, must be ... able to teach," in 1 Timothy 3:2
This has to do with ability to perform the responsibility. We must also recognize that this qualification to be able to teach is not only expected, but it is also unique. In other words, it is different from the tasks that deacons perform in the church. Those who hold the office of deacon within the church, are not required to be able to teach. Just like there are lists of qualifications for elders in the Bible, there are also lists of qualifications for deacons. Deacons are official servants in the church. Biblically we never find teaching as a qualification for official deacons. Teaching and preaching is the benchmark gift and calling of the elder. There is a reason for this. It is the primary way that elders do the first work of spiritual management nurture. In other words, I am preaching right now. But notice that the preaching I am doing is meant to manage us in feeding upon spiritual truths. Everything I have been saying is meant to govern--to guide. In a big sense, I am being used by God to equip all of us, and the equipment comes from God as I lead with the same method. Equipping and leading both come through teaching. This is why governing and teaching are inseparable when it comes to elders. Paul expresses the immense importance of this aspect in the body, when he describes,
"17 The elders who rule well are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,' and 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'" 1 Timothy 5:17-18
Paul has already made it clear that overseers must be able to teach. But Paul indicates that there are some who "work harder" at it. That is, they devote more time and energy to teaching than other elders do. Such men are worthy of doubled honor which in the context, means financial provision. This is an item that is often overlooked by a great number of Christians in our generation. There are Christians who do not give double honor to church leaders who work particularly hard at preaching and teaching. I believe that this problem has a twofold foundation. One, is that some people think that teaching and preaching is not hard work. Such a smug mindset is self deception. It is a slap in the face of the countless preachers who spend hours upon hours of time in study, research, prayer and effort to rightly handle the word of truth and then bring it to the flock for edification. Secondly, which is the big one; a) they either reject this passage of scripture, or b) they forget that God has ordained it, or c) they are ignorant of it, or d) they simply ignore it though they know that the Spirit directs them to do otherwise. The Spirit is saying that we are to consider the elders who rule well, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching, with double honor. This reminds me of a confrontation I had once with a maverick who didn't want anyone to teach him concerning God's word. He did not recognize the body of Christ the way God designed it to be. He said to me,
"I have no need for anyone to teach me. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth to me. Only He teaches me."
He was quoting out of 1 John 2:27, where John says,
"26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. 27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him," 1 John 2:26-27
I tried to explain to the man that if indeed this scripture means what the man thinks it means then we must ignore this scripture because John--being a man--is obviously trying to teach. Further, John would be contradicting Paul the apostle who says that a) teachers and teaching is a gift to the body that we need, and b) we must give double honor to those who work hard at it as pastors. But yet John says to the Christians in Asia that they have no need for anyone to teach them. Is John wrong? No. I explained to the man that of course John is right, because 1 John was written to combat a kind of emergent proto-gnosticism cultic movement which claimed to have the secret gnosis--or the secret knowledge, and so the gnostics claimed that one had to be taught the deeper spiritual truths, and those so-called truths could only be found in gnosticism. Remember, John said in his actual contextual statement,
"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you." 1 John 2:2
They were people who denied that Jesus came in the flesh. The Gnostics thought all matter, including the flesh, was evil. So they asserted that Christ could not have come in the flesh (cf. 1 John 4:2 with 2 John 1:7). Then I explained that to teach this passage the way the man wanted to teach me what he thought its meaning should be without any contextual consideration, not only negates itself because John is teaching to people as if people have a need to be taught, but also, John would be contradicting Paul the apostle in the passages we have already covered; but further, it would negate the man's double standard assertion in trying to "teach" me what this Scripture means. The point is that we all need God's truly ordained teachers. In fact listen carefully because I need to say something that is of great importance; I, and all pastors, need teachers too. I think of the quote from the great Reformed Baptist preacher of the 1800's when he gave this advice to preachers,
In order to be able to expound the Scriptures, and as an aid to your pulpit studies, you will need to be familiar with the commentators: a glorious army, let me tell you, whose acquaintance will be your delight and profit. Of course, you are not such wiseacres as to think or say that you can expound Scripture without assistance from the works of divines and learned men who have laboured before you in the field of exposition. If you are of that opinion, pray remain so, for you are not worth the trouble of conversion, and like a little coterie who think with you, would resent the attempt as an insult to your infallibility. It seems odd, that certain men who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.—CH Spurgeon
No pastor should think so little of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to other teachers. The main point here in recognizing that God designed pastors to be used by Himself for the body is that the Spirit teaches us that God has ordained elders to be ministers of His word. Elders are to do this so that they will be properly prepared to exhort the church in solid doctrinal teaching--even correcting those who contradict. Not all elders need to be able to do public preaching like I am doing up in front of the whole group. Exhorting and refuting those who contradict, means that the elder must have a solid grasp of doctrine. He must have the ability to spot and correct errors. He must be able to explain Biblical truths plainly.
I think that this sufficiently breaks the ground in this eldership series. It gives us a good foundation to work from as we explore the qualifications for elders found in God's word. I want to briefly recap what I have been sharing from God's word this morning. God designed pastors to be used by Himself for the body. They are not vestigial organs in the body of Christ as if the body of Christ has evolved into something different than its roots. With that understanding, we see that God's ordained design, function, and purpose for elders is essentially summed up in two things: governing us as we exist as the body of Christ, and teaching us as we exist as the body of Christ. Pastors, elders, overseers, shepherds, bishops, as God's stewards, are responsible to God for the feeding, care, and ministry of His people. It is a huge call, and it is a huge responsibility. I encourage you to consider the calling and the responsibility of eldership. Be thinking of all these things as we look at the biblical qualifications for elders in the next couple of weeks. But, be remembering in the long term, that God designed pastors to be used by Himself for the body.
[prayer]
@1 Overseers are __________________ by the Holy Spirit. Acts 20:28
@2 God ______________________ some men as pastor-teachers to the church. Ephesians 5:11
@3 God purchased the church with His _____________________ in being manifested in bodily form. Acts 20:28
@4 God is the one who has _____________________ pastors their charge over the local church congregation. 1 Peter 5:1-3
@5 Pastors do not have charge over the local church fellowship in themselves. They have charge in the ________________. 1 Thessalonians 5:12
