Elders' Blog

Having been involved in pastoral leadership in some form for nearly 40 years, I find this qualifying phrase both frustrating and comforting. It simply teaches that God, by his Spirit, makes, appoints, and connects pastoral leaders to local churches.

This is frustrating because at times the church leadership appointment process does appear to be a thoroughly man-focused enterprise. A man has the position of eldership apparently due to his qualifications and the combined wisdom of the people who voted him into that responsibility. Thus we are sometimes led to over-value human leadership and under-value the hand of God in all things. This truth from Acts 20:38 is comforting in that, despite human weakness and growing pains, God in his wisdom uses and blesses our efforts in affirming and appointing church servant leaders. At the end of our careful and humble efforts of appointing elders and deacons, it can be said of each: he was made by the Holy Spirit.

As we rally our thoughts and prayers over the next few months to find and affirm those “Holy Spirit made” elders and deacons in our congregation, let’s keep a few key identifying marks in mind. Our task is to seek and submit to the oversight of God’s Spirit as he makes men overseers and deacons. As you participate in nominating men in the next few weeks and eventually affirming and appointing, keep these two simple concerns in mind.

First, we are looking for carefully attentive men. The Holy Spirit actively protects and advances the glory of Christ in the church through leaders that are focused, disciplined, alert, and attentive (Acts 20:28-31; 1 Tim. 4:16). While there are many men who are driven to give careful attention to various causes, we are seeking to identify those who are carefully attentive toward their own discipleship, the spiritual health of the church, and the protection of Christ centered discipleship in the church. After a careful reading of these verses along with the Apostle’s self description in Acts 20:18-27, would you be inclined to trust leaders like this with your spiritual development? The Holy Spirit is making and matching us up with men who are demonstrating a careful attention to following Christ, both in their personal lives and in the church.

Secondly, we need God’s Spirit to help us identify men who are submissive. Submissive leaders can be identified by their practical response to God in times of suffering and hardship, their work ethic, and their relational passion (Acts 20:31-38). Men who endure and embrace suffering well, keep working hard to build others up, and have developed authentic relationships show that their core value is dependence on God. They get it. They understand that God is trustworthy, his grace is sufficient, and he is at work making people like Christ (20:32). Do you find yourself attracted to follow submissive leaders like this? The Holy Spirit is at work building submissive men by various means all around Kossuth. We need men like this to lead, feed, protect, and serve our diversely gifted church family.

Please join the cooperative movement to enlarge our leadership team at KSBC by prayerfully and carefully finding those “made by the Spirit” among us. Look for nomination forms and instructions to be distributed on Sunday May 26.     

While there are a number of foundational places to begin, let’s start by recognizing that a local church is much more than a gathering of a group of followers of Christ. A local church has been given authority by Christ to oversee and advance the gospel. This authority and responsibility extend to the affirmation, oversight, and development of the individual believer’s discipleship or growth in Christ-likeness. (Check out Matthew 16:13-20, 18:15-20, and 1 Cor. 12:24b-27.)

Next, consider the implications of church membership. It makes sense that if the local church is given the keys to the Kingdom by Christ, then there should be some formal submission on the part of individual Christians to that authority and responsibility. Church membership is not as much joining a church as it is submitting to a church. Local church authority is not absolute or perfect, but it is biblical. While the church member commits to serve and grow under the oversight of the church and its leaders, the local church affirms and promises to provide oversight for the individual’s growth and development in the gospel. This connection between individual believers and a local body is evident in passages such as Acts 2:42-47, 1Tim.5:9-16, and Heb. 10:24-25.

Now add the assigned responsibilities of the local church that we often refer to as the ordinances or sacraments. Many throughout the history of the church have argued for three core Christ-assigned responsibilities that keep the local church on task of advancing the kingdom for the glory of God. There is believer’s baptism—sort of the front door to the church, where a person’s conversion and discipleship are initially affirmed. There is also the Lord’s Supper, where our connection to Christ is continually remembered. Through this ordinance, a believer’s heart and life are renewed and energized in communion with Christ and others. Then there is church discipline, which is pointed at protecting the name and reputation of Jesus and his church. All three are local church responsibilities pointed at affirming, renewing, and protecting the church member in his or her journey toward fullness and completeness in Christ.

Biblical church discipline is not limited in scope to removal from membership or prompted by only a few of the more remarkable or public sins. It is based on the premise that sin is destructive, that genuine believers are to hate sin, and that they are in a war with sin on several fronts every day. Getting involved helping a brother or sister in their struggle with sin assumes that believers are submissive to the Scriptures and the church, teachable and humble before loving truth, and repentant when sin is plainly evident in their lives. Sometimes it is necessary to exercise discipline or remove a person from membership because it is no longer possible to affirm their relationship with Christ due to the consistent absence of these identifying marks of a born again person. (Review passages such as 2 Thess. 3:13-15, 1 Cor. 5:1-13, Matt. 18:15-20, and Gal. 6:1-5.)

The joy lingers in my heart from this past Sunday morning of celebrating and affirming the union between Christ and each of the five believers who were baptized: Steve, Nicole, Maria, Abbey and Caleb—then to share in the refreshment of that union around the Lord’s Table. The Church must stay vitally connected to Christ and live out our union that he purchased with his precious blood. As important as it is to begin at baptism and refresh at the Lord’s Table, it is just as crucial that we lovingly protect each other and the name of Jesus. Thanks for thinking through these things. I pray your commitment to and love for the church of Jesus Christ will be stimulated.   

In addition to the many safety measures that increasingly impact our daily lives, consider raising your awareness as well in three strategic ways. These I believe both match and display the bedrock truth of God’s blessed purpose to bring all things under the reign and rule of our coming King Jesus.

First, our consciousness of the absolute trustworthiness of God needs to be consistently raised to new heights. When trouble comes, knowing a lot about God and doing a lot for God is like being out in a thunderstorm holding a broken umbrella. Actually knowing God in a vital way as he has revealed himself in Scripture is different. Psalm 91 is one heightened awareness checkpoint. Read it slowly enough to list the various names for God, the active verbs that describe the awareness of the faithful follower, and the number of ways that the “terror of the night” and “the arrows” of the day are described. Read it again to let the personal and life giving awareness grow that this angel-commanding God delivers you, knows your name, answers you, is with you, will rescue you, will satisfy you, and will ultimately show you what real salvation is. In recent days have you said to the Lord and others that he is your refuge and fortress? While tragic events hurt, they tune and refine our deepest thoughts of God.

Second, our confidence in the relevance of the gospel message must be stoked and poked lest we lose heart at the most crucial opportunities. Luke gives us a brief exchange between Jesus and several who told him about two terrible things that happened that involved tragic loss of lives (Lk.13:1-5). Some people were apparently slaughtered by the government because of their religious affiliations. Eighteen people had been killed in a construction accident involving a falling tower. While Jesus’ response may seem harsh, he gets to the bottom line and encourages us to do the same in clear and compassionate terms. Is your confidence in the gospel such that you would graciously turn the conversation about tragedy and the craziness of our world to the simple fact that everyone must be ready for death. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” cannot be said without a heightened awareness of the reality of sin, the seriousness of judgment, and the power of transforming grace. Let that increase your gospel confidence.

Third, our awareness of the absolute necessity of being aware needs regular stimulation. Complacency and comfort are our enemies. Jesus warns us to “watch and pray” because we are weak to our core. He wakes us up to the dangers of greed by telling us to “be on guard.” Beware, be alert, watch out, and wake up are quite common expressions throughout the Bible. One experience of the early church when two members died as a result of their dishonesty (Acts 5:1-11) certainly put that assembly on high alert (v.11) regarding holiness, transparency, and faking spirituality. Spiritual awareness is perhaps similar to that feeling you may experience the next time you join a large crowd for a public event and find yourself extraordinarily aware of potential packages, people, and noises. Your senses come alive because of possible and real danger. Listen to Peter: “Be soberminded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around…” (1Peter 5:8-9).

Heightened awareness—to God’s trustworthiness, to the relevance of the gospel, and to the need to be aware. Let’s pray and encourage one another to live and love with compassionate alertness.