Election Of Church Leadership Series

Theme: Election in the Church

Text: Acts 1:15-26

Greetings: The Lord is good and his Love endures forever.

Introduction: Election in the Church today is very ugly at every level. According to their spiritual standard people play the politics in a simple nomination to the highest positions. During election, we forget the spiritual qualifications, we go to the level of regions, language, class, caste and economic status.

This Sunday, I would like to share with you about election in the Church based on Acts 1:15-26. This is another important event related to the post resurrection and ascension narratives. We have three important teachings on the Church election in this passage: Fall of a Chosen Leader, Call for a New Leader, and Poll of a Chosen Leader.

1. Fall of a chosen Leader (Acts 1:15-20)

Throughout the Bible we have many fallen leaders who had the dignified call. We have Judges, kings, Prophets and their leaders who had the unreturnable fall. The fall of the chosen leaders are in the line of the capturing power, illicit relationships and amazing wealth. A few leaders we can quickly call to our memory. The first born Ruben, Samson, David into the sexual sins. Saul, Jerobaom, Ahab ran after the powers and thrones. Achan, and Gehazi (2 Ki. 5:26) into the sin of amaze wealth.

Here, Peter mentions Judas who was chosen by Jesus and ordained to be an apostle. He was a Disciple of trust and handed over to him the important role of keeping the Public money, as a treasurer. Complacent, presumptuous sins leads certainly to the doom. Judas had a terrible end in his life. No one can escape from the punishment for the unfaithfulness and dishonesty. He was “numbered among them” and even held a position of authority in their ministry, but his ultimate apostasy revealed his true identity.

Judas shared in the ministry of God like all other apostles (Acts 1:17). He was included in all the rollcalls of the twelve disciples (Mark 3:16–19; Luke 6:13–16). He joined in their ministry when Jesus sent the Twelve out to teach, heal, and expel demons (Mark 6:7–13). He was included in the Twelve who would receive thrones in Jesus' kingdom and the responsibility to judge Israel (Matthew 19:28). He held the disciples' money (John 12:1–8). But, he was wicked, so he had his reward for that action (Acts 1:18). Peter interpreted the Scriptural verses from Psalm 69:25 to refer Judas’ death, and Psalm 109:8 to choose a leader for his position of leadership. He became the owner of the Field of Blood (Matthew 27:3, 5, 10).

He purchased a field for himself, as Gehazi by a lie. Thirty pieces of silver is the amount of money the owner of an ox had to give the owner of a slave the ox killed (Exodus 21:32). Judas used Jesus as his slave to sell him to make money. He earned this Salary, wealth through selling the love of the Son of God, despising the grace of god, and the trampled the mercy of God. He received a huge amount to purchase this land. He earned it but could not enjoy it. It’s a warning for many of us where are we today! Am I selling the values of Jesus, teachings of Jesus, morals of Jesus for my person gain and joy? The Life of Judas is a warning for everyone. All became vain, waste. His entire life tenure became useless because of his wrong motive, wrong move, and wrong earnings.

The Bible never says God abandoned Judas, but that he abandoned Jesus, and lost his position among the apostles by forfeit.

John Calvin said, “Judas may not be excused on the ground that what befell him was prophesied, since he fell away not through the compulsion of the prophecy but through the wickedness of his own heart.”?

Robert Murray McCheyne says, “The seeds of every known sin lie within each one of our hearts.”?

Derek Thomas says, “The reason why we have not committed certain sins is not any lack of desire on our part; it is simply a lack of opportunity. The Lord has kept us from the circumstances where we would otherwise have certainly fallen.”?

2. Call for a New Leader (Acts 1:21-22)

The redeemed community has different role to play in the society. God has kept his chosen persons in the congregation.

Peter a figurehead mentioned by Jesus and he would spearhead the spreading of the gospel (Matthew 16:18–19). Henceforth, Peter will be a great speaker (Acts 2:14–41; 3:11–26; 4:8–12, 19–20; 10:34–43). He will be present at the first mass conversions of Samaritans (Acts 8:14–17) and Gentiles (Acts 10:44–45).

Matthew Henry: ‘The sin of Judas was not only his shame and ruin, but it made a vacancy in the college of the apostles.’ Twelve were the representatives of twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus had bigger plans for the apostles. He promised that the Twelve will "sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28) and that their names will be on the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14).