The Lord's Church Is at Her Best with a Godly Eldership
What should our attitude be toward them?
The church that belongs to Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23) is at her best with a godly group of shepherds leading her.
The shepherds - or elders - watch over the flock that Jesus bought with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
The church I am blessed to preach for has four qualified, godly men who serve as the elders. Our elders mean everything to us, just as a shepherd means everything to his sheep (John 10:14-15; Psalm 23).
What should our attitude be toward our elders?
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:17)
As the church of Christ - the flock of the Chief Shepherd - we must obey the ones who rule over us and submit to them.
Why?
They are watching over our souls. They will give an account of your soul to the Chief Shepherd. Don’t you want your elders to tell Jesus, “So-and-so was a joy to shepherd. They love You, and they love Your church, and it shows in their actions.”
Or do you want your shepherds to mournfully tell the Chief Shepherd, “So-and-so harmed Your flock tremendously. They refused to follow our lead and led others away from You.”
What does God promise His faithful shepherds?
Peter summed it up nicely.
The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. (1 Peter 5:1-4)
Godly, faithful elders can look forward to when the Chief Shepherd presents them with their crown of glory.
The job of a shepherd is often thankless. They are often overlooked. They are often unjustly criticized. But the job of a shepherd - an elder of the Lord’s church - is a job that the Lord considers essesntial and valuable.
When I study my Bible, I find that no church belonging to Christ can ever reach her full potential without godly elders.
While many people look at the preacher as the “difference-maker,” the truth is the elders make all the difference in the world.
The Lord’s pattern for His church is best - and His church is at her best when we have Christian men who meet His qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7) to serve as elders.
Today, let’s be thankful for our godly elders.
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