Sheep Need Shepherds
(Church Elders Needed)
Introduction:
Two weeks ago = Jesus, Lord & Savior, perfect leader
Last week = 12 apostles, ordinary men, unqualified leaders
This week, according to the title of the sermon, Sheep Need Shepherds, we will look at the need that we as a church have, and that is an Eldership.
In looking at this need, I asked myself, “Why does the church need elders?” After asking this question I realized, I need to take a look at the church. Each and every one, who is a part of the church of Jesus Christ, has a role in impacting the lives of others.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
There is a need for some people to lead other people. There is a need for some people to be lead by other people. Not all are gifted to lead, but some are. If just having the Bible eliminated the need of having human leaders, we probably wouldn’t read the following passages:
Acts 14:23 – Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
2 Timothy 2:2 – And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.
Hebrews 13:7 - Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Hebrew 13:17 - Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
We have specific duties as individuals. We are responsible as a body, and we have to be willing to follow those who are willing to lead.
So this morning, let us look at 3 areas:
1. The nature of individuals
2. The nature of the church
3. The nature of the church as family
1. All of us as individuals have an innate desire inside of us to be in fellowship with others. To have relationships with other people is a natural desire. We can see this has been true for a very long time.
Let’s look back to the beginning:
Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
Here we have Adam, first person ever created. He lives in paradise, hangs out with the animals and most of all, fellowships with God.
He spoke to God directly and God spoke back. Yet God realized that the man needed someone like himself for fellowship. Not that fellowship with God wasn’t enough, but because God had created him with a desire to be with other people.
In fact, the best demonstration of the need for human relationship is found with that of a newborn baby. A baby needs to be held, touched, talked to and loved. These are very significant in the development and growth of the child. For a baby truly needs that human contact. A baby learns by imitating its parents. Learns to talk by listening to others speak.
There are some people who believe they can make it on their own. They don’t need others around them. They strive to live alone and separated from the rest of society. The problem is, they are neglecting the very desire that God has placed within them.
à God has compared us to sheep, who always find themselves a leader, whether genuine or false. They look for someone to follow. They, like us, need a shepherd to help show the way.
2. Now going beyond this innate desire that is within all individuals, we take the next step to examine the nature of the church as a whole.
What are the facts?
a. the Holy Spirit lives in all Christians
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
b. the Holy Spirit gives each Christian gifts, abilities & functions
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 – “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”
The misunderstanding that many people have is that they don’t need the rest of the body. They don’t have to come to church to grow. In fact, I met a couple last week, who told me they didn’t believe they had to come to church to believe in God. I agreed. But I pointed out that they were missing the point of what coming to church was all about.
When we were baptized, we were baptized into one body (1 Corinthians 12:13), that body is the body of Christ (the Church).
One of the biggest responsibilities of the elders, is to present to the Head, who is Jesus Christ, a healthy body.
We know we have a healthy body when each and every member is working together and looking out for one another. Paul uses a lot of analogies comparing the human body and the church. There is not one part of our body that is not dependent on another part.
Behold, a team went forth to play a game of baseball.
Just as the umpire was saying, “Batter up,” the catcher for the home team arrived and took his place behind the plate. The center fielder didn’t show up at all but sent his regrets. The third baseman likewise failed to come to the game, having been up late the night before. The shortstop was present, but left his glove at home. Two of the substitute fielders were away on a weekend trip but said they were there in spirit.
The pitcher went to the mound and looked around for his teammates. But his heart was heavy, for their positions were empty. The game was announced, the visitors were in the stands, and there was nothing to do but pitch the ball and hope for the best. But in addition to pitching, he had to cover first and third base, as well as short and center field.
When the absent players heard that their team had lost, they were very upset. They held a meeting and decided to get a new pitcher.
So this is how the church is to function.
We work together for the same purpose, looking out for one another. When a weaker part is suffering, we suffer with them and offer support.
When another part rejoices, we rejoice with them. We are many, we are individuals with individual gifts, but we are all apart of One body.
Yet even though we all have equal part in the body, we still have a need for elders. In Romans 12:8, Paul says that God has given the gift of leadership to some of those in the body. The Greek word for “lead” literally means, someone who stands out in front of others. It refers to people who manage with authority and also used for people who care compassionately for others. Paul used it to describe a father’s role in the family (1 Timothy 3:5). This leads us to our next step.
3. The nature of the church as a family
When we were called, we were called into the family of God. We become a part of God’s very own household.
Ephesians 2:19ff – “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners or aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…”
Each of us, after accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, has spent time growing in our relationship and knowledge of Him. We don’t just become a super-Christian on day one. For that matter, we don’t ever really reach the status of Super-Christian at all. Yet, it does take time for us to grow. How do we do this? We must spend time in His Word, time in prayer, time in worship and time in serving. This is what we do to start eating the true spiritual food that helps grow. We all start off as babies in Christ. Regardless of our true age, we are newborns in our spiritual life after receiving salvation.
1 Peter 2:2 – “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted the Lord is good.”
Just as our families have human leaders to help guide and direct the family on the right path, so our church needs elders who help guide and direct our church family on the right path. It is very important that we have these spiritual leaders to show us where we should be headed.
There are some people out there who would say, let the church be run by the consensus of the group. Majority rules. That sounds great to those of us who love a democracy. The problem, what if the majority is made up of newborn babes in Christ. This could be very harmful to the growth of the church if this were the case.
We wouldn’t run our families this way, would we?
My family for instance – Caleb is not going to make the decisions that are needed to take our family in the right direction. If Kara and I are seeking to bring our family into a deeper understanding of what our faith is all about, we aren’t going to let Benjamin start making all the decisions to lead us that way.
Neither does God want His family to be led this way.
He desires to see leaders step forth that are mature in their faith, who have been given the gifts to do so and are concerned about the body as a whole. We need elders who are willing to stand up and speak the truth when the truth is needed. Men who aren’t worried about their image, but concerned about the direction of the church. Men who are looking to build up the body and not themselves.
We have to trust that God is involved with the decision making.
It’s not just us alone.
