The Ancient Office
(I Peter 5:1-4)
1. A pastor thought God gave Him an idea, and he presented it in the monthly elders meeting. After giving his most impassioned plea and really “selling” the idea to the elder board, the board voted and voted down the pastors proposed changes 12-1. The head elder looked at the pastor and said, “Well pastor, it’s 12 votes to 1. Looks like you’ve been out voted. Looks like time is up for the evening, so will you please close in prayer.”
The pastor, not wanting to give up yet on what he felt God was leading him to do then lead in prayer. As he prayed, he lifted his hands up to heaven and prayed, “Loooorrrdddd - I know my brothers here do not have the same vision you have given me. Please help them to see that this is not MY vision, but YOOOOUUUUURRRR vision!”
At that exact moment, a lightning bolt with a loud clap of thunder burst in through the window in the meeting room, striking the table, splitting it in two and knocking all the elders to the floor. As the dust cleared, the pastor looked at the head elder and said - so, what do you think about that?
The head elder, dusting himself off, sighed and said, “Well, I guess that’s 12 votes to 2, then...”
2. The one constant office in the Bible is that of elder.
From Genesis through Revelation, we see elders. Lot was an elder in the city of Sodom before it was destroyed. In Revelation, the 24 elders worship God before His throne. We could say that if you are an elder, you are participating in an eternal office.
3. The New Testament church was organized by the apostles to be led by elders. Paul writes to Titus in Titus 1:5, "The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you."
4. In NT, Paul made a distinction between elders and elders who work hard at preaching and teaching, and should thus be supported. By the early second century, a distinction was made between elders & the man we now call a pastor. Specialization.
5. So a pastor is one of the elders; and that is how our particular church government operates. The pastor is a full time, sort of executive elder. In the early church, he was called, "the president."
In about 150A.D., Justin Martyr described a church meeting:
"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.
Main idea: The one office we see early in the book of Genesis that continues through eternity in the Book of Revelation is the office of elder! This office is so important that every Christian should understand and support it.
Peter helps us understand the nature of the eldership by sharing basic pieces of information.
I. An Elder’s JOB DESCRIPTION
A. An elder: leading with WISDOM ??????????s
Vs. 1,” To the elders among you”
“elders by office, rather than by age” Matthew Henry
the origin of a word does not necessarily tell you what the word means…
1. The term “elder” originally meant elderly
2. being elderly is associated with wisdom & expertise
• Wisdom is crucial to any decision maker
• You may or may not be an elder, but are you a person of wisdom? Do you value wisdom greatly? If so, you probably are wise.
• Unfortunately, many people age without maturing…and sometimes younger people are more mature than elderly people (esp. spiritually)
• issue here is spiritual maturity; elders must know God; they must have God’s cell phone number!
3. Elderly men were retired and could devote time and energy to the task
• This was how the cities were organized, with elders serving as judges
• A dignity to being older and involvement with the generations
• Do you plan to retire from serving the Lord, or do you look at your elderly years as having the best potential?
4. Eventually, the title “elder” denoted an office, not an age
5. Timothy actually appointed and oversaw elders when he was about 30 or 35, but still, most elders were fairly mature; had been around the block…
6. Interestingly, the requirement of age is absent from the requirements for an elder in I Timothy 3: (Read only if time)
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”
Application: Everyone needs to have someone to go to for sound advice and counsel. Pastors need other pastors. Why? Emotions block objectivity! Life is tough!
B. A shepherd: FEEDING and PROTECTING the flock
“Be shepherds of God’s flock,” vs. 2 ?????????
1. What does the flock represent?
• God’s people, the local church! But the sheep in God’s Kingdom are not livestock; the shepherd is actually one of the sheep!
• Priority given to the flock "among you"
• The flock can be contrasted to the untamed wild packs of the world
2. What does a shepherd do? Paul elaborates to the Ephesian elders:
Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:28-32)
1. Keep Watch (error)
• to recognize error, I must first be fluent in the truth!
• constantly keep up on new challenges in society –Da Vinci Code
2. Build up with "the word of his grace" [feed]
• Many things we do as a church are important, but teaching the Word of God is more than important, it is CRUCIAL. If we do not do that well, then we have failed as a church no matter what else we do…
3. Shepherding includes some level of counseling skills…
4. But it can get frustrating….
A [pastor] quit the ministry after 20 years and became a funeral director. When asked why he changed, he said: "I spent 3 years trying to straighten out John and John’s still an alcoholic, then I spent 6 months trying to straighten out Susan’s marriage and she filed for divorce, then I spent 2 1/2 years trying to straighten out Bob’s drug problem and he’s still an addict. Now at the funeral home when I straighten them out -- they stay straight!" (sermon central, Jeffrey Anselmi)
C. An overseer: SUPERVISING the Big Picture
Overseeing is the other part of what an elder does….
Vs.2b, “serving as overseers” ????????s
• Governing the church; overseer can be translated as "Guardian"
• Alert decision- making supervisors who are in the know….
• Why a group of elders? Absolute power corrupts absolutely
• Connecting, developing, and orchestrating the members
II. An Elder’s MOTIVATION
A. Not constrained but WILLING
• Vs. 2, “not because you must, but because you are willing,”
• elders must be self-motivated…
• Why I do what I do affects how I do it… if someone wants to go to church to grow, he’ll part his heart into things…if he/she is pressured and unwilling, he/she will not grow…cooking, chores…workplace…marriage…
B. Not for mere money, but with EAGERNESS
• Vs. 2, “not greedy for money, but eager to serve”
• regarding the flock more than the fleece
• pastors receive a salary, but are not "hired hands;" they are, rather, God’s servants who are supported by those to whom they minister…
C. God’s CALLING
• Vs. 2, “as God wants you to be”
• Elders want to serve God by serving a specific church!
C. A heavenly REWARD
Vs. 4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
• Since Peter had been at the Mount of Transfiguration, only he and John knew, by experience, the flavor of the Kingdom. James, John’s brother, had been there, too, but he had been martyred by this time
• the crown of glory is a special reward given to faithful elders…
III. An Elder’s INFLUENCE
An elder is to be one who manages his own household well, because the same skills he needs to lead a family he needs to lead the church…
This works in the other direction as well; as we define how an elder is to lead the church, we can apply these principles to the family…
A. Not playing the AUTHORITY card
Vs. 3, “not lording it over those entrusted to you”
• The flock is owned by God; church leaders are God’s stewards…
1. In verse 1, Peter chooses not to play the authority card; he writes as a fellow elder, not an apostle
2. Men in their families and elders or pastors who are constantly playing the authority card are poor leaders; a good leader rarely needs to pull rank…a selfish leader does…
B. Primarily By EXAMPLE
Vs. 3, “but being examples to the flock”
• a real example: (not like June Cleaver cutting up a chicken in a fancy dress with pearls….
• not perfect, but authentic
C. CARING for the flock
• “God’s flock that is under your care” lit. “the flock of God among you” Vs. 2
• Shepherds need to be with the sheep…
CONCLUSION
HPC does a pretty good job of respecting its elders; I feel treated very well.
Would any men who have served or are serving on our board of elders stand?
What can you do to support our elders:
1. Remember, they have to answer for you!
"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."
• their job is to see to it that we provide good growth opportunities…but many opportunities are unrealized…
2. Seriously consider serving if nominated: " If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task." (I Timothy 3:1)
3. Pray for your elders.
4. Appreciate the sacrifices they make. Our elders are usually chosen from among your busiest workers! Late meetings, sometimes stressful situations.
5. Give them room to be human….mistakes…do not be demanding…
6. Thank them and encourage them…let them know you pray for them…
