Who are your heroes? Who sets an example that you want to follow?
One of my heroes is Sundara Rao. The father of Vijay Sastry (who visited DGCC two years ago),…
(We will install Karl Dauber as an elder this Sunday, following the unanimous vote in his favor at our members meeting of 20 January. These are the questions we will…
(For a version of this devotion that is easier to print, follow this link.)
How does God use you? What is your personal ministry? Are you excited because you have seen results? Are you discouraged from lack of results?
Consider these words from the Apostle Paul:
Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Whatever our personal ministry might be, if we see good results, we are tempted to pat ourselves on the back. We’re tempted to think, “I’m really something, given what I’ve done!” But Paul says that when we think clearly, when we think soberly, we see that our faith is all that matters – our faith in the One with all power, with all authority, who has given us whatever gifts and skills we have, and who Himself accomplishes whatever He wishes through us.
Paul elaborates on this idea in 1 Corinthians, when writing to those who were lining up behind one or another leader:
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Those God chooses to work through for His good purposes are His servants. The work they accomplish is God’s work, which He assigns. Paul goes so far as to say that the workers are nothing. The work is all of God, from beginning to end.
(This is a summary of the last sermon in the six-part series, “God Gave Pastors and Teachers,” preached on July 20, 2008. The audio is available here.)
What do you expect from a pastor?
What do you expect from an elder?
Consider this description of the perfect pastor found in various forms on the internet:
The perfect pastor works every day from 7am until midnight and is a wonderful family man. He is content with a salary of $100 a week, wears stylish clothes, drives a late-model car, buys plenty of books, and donates $100 a week to the church. He is 29 years old and has 30 years pastoral experience. He condemns sin roundly but never hurts anyone's feelings. He is enthusiastic about missions, but never encourages anyone's child to live the rest of his life overseas. He makes 5 visits daily to members' families, visits shut-ins and the hospitalized, spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched, never misses a committee meeting, and is always in his office when anyone calls. That's the perfect pastor.
People tend to have high expectations of pastors - and they are often disappointed. Some end up hopping from church to church, trying to find someone who fits their ideal. Others work hard to get rid of each inadequate pastor who comes to their church, expecting to be able to find someone better. But then after a few months or a few years, the next man proves just as disappointing. Surely God doesn't intend us to church hop, nor does He intend us to trade in our pastors for a newer model every two years. How should you handle disappointment in pastors and elders?
(This is a summary of the fifth sermon in the six-part series, “God Gave Pastors and Teachers,” preached on July 13, 2008. The audio is available here.)
What roles does the congregation play in the leadership of the church?
Do the pastors/elders have all authority, which the congregation must always follow?
Or is the congregation the final authority on every issue, able to overturn any decision of the elders/pastors?
How should a member of the congregation think about the pastors and elders?
Today and next Sunday we will look at several biblical passages that shed light on this question. We will see that the Bible clearly teaches that members should honor, respect, indeed, love their leaders. And they must submit to them.
But in the end it is the congregation as a whole that is responsible that the church teaches right doctrine. Elders are sheep, and some will wander from the truth - and will attempt to lead others astray. The church not only may but must deal with an errant elder.
We'll look at four responsibilities of members of the congregation, which will serve as our outline. Next week's sermon on how to deal with disappointments in elders will continue this theme.
The congregation must honor and esteem the elders 1 Thes 5:12-13, 1 Tim 5:17
The congregation must imitate their elders Heb 13:7
The congregation must obey/submit to their elders Heb 13:17
The congregation must watch over the teaching, purity, and unity of the church
This is a summary of the fourth sermon in the six-part series, “God Gave Pastors and Teachers,” preached on July 6, 2008. The audio is available here.)
What is a senior pastor, and why do we have one?
In this series, we are exploring what the Bible says about the role of pastors and elders in the local church. These are vital truths, often misunderstood in the church today, which are key for us to understand if we are to build a church that brings glory to God.
Let me remind you of some of what we've seen in first three sermons:
The first sermon focused on the centrality and necessity of preaching. The most solemn exhortation in all of Scripture precedes Paul command to Timothy to preach the word. God calls men to a preaching ministry, in part because naturally we don't want to hear the Word - instead, we want to gather teachers to tell us what we like. A man who will preach the Word faithfully in season and out of season, whether people like it and large crowds come or whether they walk out, is a gift to the church.
The second and third examined biblical teaching on elders/pastors/overseers (which are all the same office.) The Holy Spirit makes them overseers, not man. They exist to help the church fulfill its threefold purpose:
- To Express joy in Christ
- To Spread joy in Christ
- To Deepen joy in Christ.