Sept 13, 2020 Sunday Morning Worship Service

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Back to Bible Basics  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  44:15
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Church History - Leadership

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Good job.

Good job, brother. Steve. Enjoy that singing. What's good to hear some loud voices from standing and that's a good thing. I appreciate everyone being here this morning. Thank you. We continue our study on Back to Basics. And today we're beginning a new section dealing with the leadership in the church. So while we talked generally about the church now, we're getting into the leadership of the church in a particular today will be talking about if we get to it Builders, but I do want to begin by talking about the concept of leadership first that's associated with all of this. And you open the past 30 years. We've seen churches decline in there. Attendance a lot of people are leaving the church and it's not just Churches of Christ, but that's across the board. Just about every organization and group belt machine decline.

I would say that I don't have a scientific study done on it, but it's been my experience from visiting so many congregations to see that the majority of the folks that attend church are women females. That's all the male population is kind of one and either but there seems to be more women in the churches in there are males in the church. We look at the church. I mean look at its organization it set up its structure that Jesus assigned to the apostles which The Prince and I was male leadership. And so would the absence of the male there is absence of leadership goes without saying but as we consider the idea of leadership, I want to go back with red from second Chronicles chapter 19 and really 2nd Chronicles 9th chapter 17 through 20 is dealing with Jehoshaphat and he's turning the country around until he's a good example to understand concerning leadership and verse 4 of 2nd Chronicles 19 or that we just read talks about how he brought the people back to God. And so he was a good King in that respect and I want to turn our attention now. To some of the characteristics that we should find in leadership. And this comes from 2nd Chronicles 20 verses 12 through 20. Now. I'm kind of taking out a lot of the the wording from some of the the passages here from the sum of the forces within this passage. And so you might want to go back and read these but for the sake of brevity I have condensed it. Our God will will you not judge them But we have no power to face this vast Army. That is attacking us. We do not know what to do. But I'll rise around you. Joe Joseph that knows when there's trouble, you know who to turn to not to self. Not the other man. What you got? And all good leaders need to understand that we rely upon God and His direction for us. All the men of Judah with your wives and children a little one stood there before the Lord. then the spirit of the Lord came on to his PO and he said Stop right there. That's the spirit of the Lord Came Upon that has Co. And so we find here that the ideal Spirit coming upon anybody weather be in the Old Testament or the New Testament was to demonstrate some Supernatural.

Noticed what happens when the spirit of the Lord comes upon Him says the spirit of the Lord came upon him and Jazzy all and they began to speak. Therefore God through his spirit is inspiring this man to offer up a message to the children of Israel. And so that's what we get from the following. You says listen King Jehoshaphat and live in Judah and Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says to you Joseph at bow down. So I've cut out a lot there so you might want to go back and read chapter 20, but in that chapter, he's giving explicit explicit directions of what they need to do to overcome the Army the enemy that's going to attack them. After hearing all that about down and all the people of Judah in Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord then some Levi's they stood up and praise the Lord the god of Israel with a very loud voice Jehosaphat said have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld now that's a principal. That's not just for that. Then that's a universal principle that defies time that goes across all time in. It applies to us as well. You think about that have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld know how much how many people in the church don't rely upon God because your faith is weak in God because I have such a weak faith in God. God does not uphold that does not sustain them as he would. Promised he would he says I will be with you. I will be your God but there's something that you have to do. You got to have faith think I don't believe you've got to devote yourself to do that and you will be victorious. There's no doubt about it.

So he's reminding the folks have faith in the Lord your God. And you will be upheld Have Faith In His prophets. Then you will be successful. African salting the people Jehoshaphat appointed man to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the Splendor of his Holiness as they won out at the head of the army saying give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever. And so we find some characteristics here. First of all, we understand that there is a Godly men walk with God. Well before we get there.

Something's not right. What are they a child of God? You've got to act like a child of God. Right. You got a if your you can't give lip surf or some say lip service and say I am a child of God and then not devote yourself to the father. But you do what the father says because what you're living in his house.

And I say that living in his house means you're in the church. It's the church again. It's not the for building the four walls of this building. You're in his kingdom you're in his church. And so as a child of God the dad used to say you better start behaving like my child.

We need to do that. And so we need to devote ourselves to him because we're in his house. In his house is so Godly men walk with God go back to Second Chronicles 17. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the way why was he with him? Because he said he was going to be with him. No, he says the Lord was was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Bales. the gods of the land but sought the god of his father and followed his command rather than the practice of Israel the Lord established a kingdom under his control and all the gifts to Jehoshaphat so that he had great wealth and honor his heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord knows that there's a you get rewarded There's always a reward given by God. We can read it in the Old Testament. We can read it in the New Testament. There's a promise in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

You will have life and have it more abundantly imagine that. But it's all based upon devoting oneself to God and living according to the dictates of God and his scripture. And so it was when I noticed he was blessed with great wealth. Call you and I might not be blessed with great well, but we can have numerous other blessings that come our way. Simply because we devote ourselves to God. That's a blessing that's that is a beautiful thing and I promise to uphold and to take the heart and so he went out of his way because of his love for God to tear down false Doctrine is false Idols to tear down those People involved involved with false religion number to Godly leaders lead others to God. Clearly evident in the last of Jehoshaphat in the third year of his Reign. He sent his officials Ben Hunt then he'll Obadiah Zakaria Nathaniel Micaiah to teaching the town. They taught throughout Judah taking wisdom. The book of The Law of the Lord. There was a revival going on throughout Judea without the word of God notice that they took with him within the law of the Lord the word of God in order to teach and instruct the people died because of that instruction. They had our Revival they went around to the people and turn them back to to the Lord. He appointed judges told him to consider carefully what you do because you are not judging for mere mortals. But for the Lord, that's a principle we take to all kinds of leadership in the Lord's Church. Will there be a minister whether it be an elder whether it be a deacon whether it be just anybody in the Lord's Church?

Here we find a principal. He said whatever you do do it for the Lord. Remember you're doing it before God and not before men. So it's important to understand whatever we do for God we shouldn't be doing it to show how important we are to others. but the humble do the service for God knowing that he sees us and not only that but he knows the motives of the heart for why we do things and why we say So that is a principle that all leaders need to know now let the fear of the Lord be on you judge carefully for we the Lord Our God there is no Injustice or partiality or Bradley if that's the way God is that's the way we must be as well. you must must you must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly sincerely in the fear of the Lord. There it is. There's another principal jumping off the pages to us showing us that whatever we do as leaders in the Lord's Church leadership men leaders of women that we do. So according to the faith that we haven't got the sincerity that we have toward him. And that's all based upon whether or not we fear the lord. number one child and said the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. the beginning of wisdom It's the beginning of what propels us and compels us to do the things that God has asked us to do SS to do so fear. Not a not a morbid fear that you have had a horror movie when you're watching but this this respect that you have for this God and so we have to have that that's all part of faith. You just yet you disassociate the idea of a respected and all from your belief in God, then you have nothing. All that is part of God's faith and some fine here the need for these principles for leadership. But once again, We need to understand we have to desire these things. We have to desire to be a leader in the Lord's church. And there's people that been in a war church for 30 40 50 years and have never desired to lead and it would seem that at some point in time. Someone will have the faith to say, you know. I think it's time for me to take part. I think it's time for me to get involved. I think it's time for me to do those things that God as we grow in the Lord our our Focus changes, it goes from less for being nothing more to be on him. And we desire to do more for him the more we focus upon him. So that brings us to our discussion this morning to the new testament which were talking about the leadership of the church in a particular the eldership.

And it means Elder it can mean Elder ship or elderhood. There's the godhood we read about in the book of Colossians, which simply means the god ship God ship. Hood eldership elderhood. That's the idea. I'll be individual means older Elder means more mature that this person has been through life that has life experience in which he can use to make application of scripture more so than the younger folks. Okay, that's the idea and then again it suggests maturity and judgment experience and wisdom. Presbuteros is translated elder or the Presbytery Presbytery. You get the word presbyterianism the Presbyterian Church the Elder Church the older Church the wiser church, right? We also have the episcopalians and that's another word. We'll get to in just a second concerning the idea of rule or authority or leadership in God's Church. So here we go a Piscopo Episcopalian Church memes overseer superintendent one is charged with seeing the idea is going back to that WordPress Boutros. There's a medical word called Presbyterian Presbyterian and that's called it's the disease of the eye it really what it is means literally old ass is still have that connection the connotation to Elder the older the wiser, but now I can't episcopus means overseer what he was overseas and charge more like a superintendent Epi means over skip to look and so again old I translated overseer. Helen English word another English word that we use a translated is Bishop. You'll find in the King James in the American Standard Version of Elf flip back and forth between the Elder. The office as they would see it the translator saw it. They saw they saw the the work of an elder as as something of an office something of a firework and so they call them Bishops, but when they thought that it was simply talking about an older person they instead of using the word Bishop that use the word Elder is that in many cases. They were mistake. Play Maino. This where we get the word pastor. What do cheap guards sheep to feed the black the work of the shepherd to feed to guard to Gods protect? And so we find here that the elders are called Shepherd's they're called the point named. They're called the pastor's I want us to realize that you know, you've heard me talk before about the language of ashdod.

the prophet of Israel Children of Israel because they got caught up in the world and in so doing that got caught up in the language of the world how the world talks right? And so they were doing the same things based upon the world and the prophet came to him said sounds like the language of ass job. Don't want you. Speaking like God speaks. And she'll be fine here. Sometimes we have the world. They would call me the pastor.

But I'm not a pastor. yep qualifications for being a pastor which is an elder. It doesn't simply mean preacher. It refers to the Press Boudreaux's the elders. The Episcopal is the overseer the past it will get to that shortly. So again Elder presbytere means mature administrative role the shepherd the pastor. That's the Tootsie Roll. That's the teaching role of the Elder chapter 20. In verse 17. It says from my leeches he sent to Ephesus and call for the Elders of the church. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem. And he is not going to return back to Ephesus. So what he does is he sails into my leaders which is near Ephesus and it doesn't have time to go to Ephesus. So he call for the elders who are in Ephesus and they come to my Linda's to meet with Paul. And Paul's going to say farewell to them and he says I'm not going to see you again in this lifetime. And so he falls he's in the fall on each other and I try it's a very heartwarming goodbye. But in this he calls for the elders and so this is the context of which we first 28. So he's talking to the elders must away. Jesus was talking to the apostles before he went to heaven. He said I'm going to send you another comforter. He will guide you into all truth. I won't leave you as orphans and so forth now Paul's going away. He's not coming back. He knows he's going to run into trouble and have his time is short. So he's talking to them, but he says therefore take heed to yourselves.

That's the first thing a leader needs to do. Take heed to yourself. That's exactly what he tells Timothy. He says take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. What's the idea be careful? How you portray yourself in the world? Be careful how you talk be careful. How you behave? Remember your Envoy of God? You represent God you represent his church. You're his child. So therefore watch yourself. That's the point that is making therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flux welder a press Boudreaux's Episcopal spiritually and they're also to watch out for the funk of which they oversee spiritually. He says into all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to Sheppard Point pain Pastor the Church of God. So what are we have in the same context vs 17 he calls for the elders that same group of people are called overseers in verse 28, that's same group of people also called Shepherd. They are to Shepherd the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. So that's the role of an elder. And so from these words we can get an idea of what they're all about to be about and that is the work of the church to be over seals to be Shepherds and to be teachers. There's always a plurality when it comes to the mention of Elders Paul went through his first missionary journey, he established churches and then he went back in a long way in a way back. He appointed Elders in every church that does not say any pointed in Elder in every church, but he appointed Elders rural in every church. So every time it's always in reference to the congregation of which they're involved with. Marisa's the elders that were in Philippine He says to the elders and deacons and Saints who are at Phillipi and noticed. There's no Arc Park a arch Pisgah pops. There's no Archbishop mentioned in the New Testament. But that's how things happen. You see you have a church. How's the church started by the word of God? I mean if you get the exact same thing in duplication in the book of Acts chapter 2 Peter was preaching a sermon the server the First Gospel sermon of the New Testament and he's preaching the gospel preaching the word of God will what happened people the message they were convicted by the message and they obey the message which was repent and be baptized everyone of you. And so that's what I did and then what is the Bible tell us it says and they were added to the church. There's a process the word produces a Christian and the Christian is added by God to the church. Now we're that Christian is and where those Christians are. They continued in the apostles Doctrine in the breaking of bread and a prayers. Right, they were meeting together. That's what a church does. And that's what happened at the very first church recorded in New Testament in the city of Jerusalem. And so they were meeting based upon what the apostles were teaching. In 1st Peter chapter 5 Peter writes the elders who are among you I exhort I who am a fellow Elder in a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed Shepherd the flock of God Pastor the flock of God, which is among you serving is Episcopal overseers not by compulsion, but willingly not for dishonest game. Eagle Lee Norris being Lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. Not interested. He saying you guys are the elders you watch out for the flap you over. See you make sure that flock is being spiritually fed. That's the responsibility of an elder. What he says don't Lord it over them. The ones I don't want you to be a general. I don't want to be General Patton barking orders at those under you you lead by example. other people follow that example and that's the point. I think a lot of people misunderstand the idea of an elder sometimes I think well, maybe he's the CEO of the trustees of some company. They bark out orders. No, that's not exactly what it all.

He ensures that the Lord's church is being managed properly and being fed the proper spiritual diet. And that all within that family are growing spiritually he's making sure you get to heaven. That's what an elder does. I might teach and I preach but it's the elders the elders are the ones who love your souls enough to protect your soul to guard your soul. It has overseeders. What does that mean? music RCU They got to be intimate with you. They know you. They know your thoughts and your dad knows they know when you're in a bad mood and when you're not. They know what you need to know what you don't need. They know your life. That's an elder.

They're the ones not the preacher think they're the ones you call at 2 in the morning.

And they do little come they'll serve you because that's what they do. There are the pastors there the point in

They are the Servants of God. And sometimes they get a lot of grief from the people because of the decisions they make Elders while having the authority to oversee local congregation. Are still human beings? Any still struggle with sin just like I struggle with sin just like you struggle with sin and sometimes you and I make my own decisions, decisions simply because one has Authority or one is a leader doesn't mean that they don't make mistakes. We all make mistakes. The granted they're held to a higher standard. As well as the preacher. So we have to be examples now so Paul went back and he appointed churches are elders and every church. This is what was going on. We have several churches listed here. If you can look first there's a Church of Christ. That's that Circle and red That's The Universal Church of Christ which Jesus Christ died for the preaching of the word of God. Just like we read the next chapter 2 they heard they repented were baptized the Lord added them to that church in Jerusalem. That's where the church was member of the church is assembly. It's the call that one who was symbol that's the purpose and so both, and they continue to do that as they continued in the apostles Doctrine in the breaking of bread prayers. And so we have here in the New Testament a number of churches list. We have one in wrong throughout galatia Jerusalem creep. Laodicea Phillipi Siri FS1 I could corn and guess what my message the same doctor. The preachings of things once delivered unto all the saints the same message. It's not Jerusalem as preaching one thing and Elvis is another and colossal another and still serious another they're all teaching a preaching the same doctor the same thing. Well as we speak about that is how it began in the first century we come up until today. So what we have is a lot of people think while I'm a member of the Lord's church the church Universal but my specific church congregation. My denomination is Lutheran Methodist Church of England Roman Catholic or Baptist or somebody and so forth and so on. That's the way the world use it. Rowe Pottery Works church, but what's wrong about that picture? Did you find it? denomination 3 / ASA pain doctor That's why they name themselves differently. That's why they follow things differently and do things differently. It's based upon those things. So Here's what we need to know the Church of Christ Universal was given this one body of Doctrine and Jesus says teaching preaching know it. We can know it we can know what to preach and teach. Which means God gave us a revelation. We all can understand alike. There's no excuse for the division in the world. There's no excuse for the division that we find even amount Churches of Christ. None whatsoever notice in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 it says now I plead with you brother by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing.

In Churches of Christ, we're struggling. We got some who think women can be Elders will talk more about the qualifications next week. We need to be elders and they can be preachers. It's so you have that group of people. emotional I need some people say you well, you can use this terminal music if you like. It doesn't matter and then you have that group. So forth and so on all the way down the line and yet Paul says speak the same thing which tells me we can know for sure what to speak. And agree with it. That there be no divisions among you but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment now known as The Lord's Prayer in John 17, I do not pray for these alone talking about his Apostles, but also for those who believe in me through their word, they're preaching that they all may be one. As you father are Nick and I in you that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you sent me. Now you look at the religious world today and there's thousands of different churches all teaching different things. And then you wonder why. We can't convert people because people look at the religious World a sample whose ride. Maybe it doesn't matter if you're right. It's so people don't care about the truth. But that's all represented in this prayer. He's saying listen, if you divide yourselves, you're going to negative negatively influence the world. And the world's going to say well if you're as good as they are and you're no better than they are. Why should I go there? I can stay home.

So it takes the word of God to become Unified. Do we need to speak the same thing be of the same mind in the same judgment, but that requires us to be on the same page. Literally that means study together often. We get people in the church could neglect study who don't know what we're studying or what were talking about it. So they have no idea what means being said, that's true. Not just with the Churches of Christ.

And it causes problems so we have to be of the same mind in the same judgment. Why well as we studied about the worship of the church named a bit about who took their son put fire in the man had it insurance and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord we can do things that are on authorized we can say things that are on authorized if we are not following the word that's what it comes down to and that's why Paul sit and whatever you do in word and in teaching and whatever you doing D practice do all in the name of that is by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to him to God the Father through him. That means there's can I find it in my new testament. Can I find it if I supposed to do this or that If I can find it, I know it's off brush. If it's not there.

I need to be very careful. Remember, he says do not go beyond what is written? And so the eldership the elders they're responsible for that there to make sure that this is all going to plan on being the blueprint the word of God.

Am I am I behaving the way God wants you to behave in this word? Not just before you on Sundays.

Am I told you the bar down the road? What am I doing? They confront people. How many of us here like to confront people?

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card We don't want to confront our children. We don't want to confront other people, but the elders they have a responsibility to confront you and me. We're in a proper way, but still none the less. They need to confront if you're in sin. You know, well, I'll get to that some other time but regarding their Authority and will close out here in just a second. Again, therefore take heed to yourself and to the flock and I wish the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to Shepherd the church, which he purchased with his own blood and that gets us here. It's important that they watch out for their own Souls. They must examine the self. That's what Paul says in 2nd 2nd Corinthians 13 verse 5 examine yourselves to see if you're in the faith. To see if you're right with God to figure out if there's any hypocrisies in your life. It might be hating right in front of people. Do my protrain God correctly and that is our our people seeing Christ in me.

I was talking about it. It's no longer. I who live but Christ liveth in me. That's what we ordered for jet. That's what the elders are here for the Hillview project Christ to be that child of God. And then of course, we'll get more into this as we go into the qualifications next week, but I want you understand. Then it's an important function of the church to have Elders. There were churches in Paul's day. That did not have Elders. So there is this Divine Authority for not having elders but then going in every Church. So there's this Divine authority to have elders. But they have to be qualified. Above all they have to be desirous. Now you picture a church that has been in existence for sale hundred years, and they've never had elders. It tells me something. Tells me. You mean to tell me that a hundred years time someone had no desire. To be a servant of God, no desire. That tells me something about their heart and the Heart of that congregation. Because we know that the Lord desires there to be elders. Paul told Titus he said that's why I left you in Crete so that you could take care of what was lacking and appoint Elders in every city. laughing when there's no Alma ship when there's no leadership. Something lacking and that could be very dangerous. But here's the most important thing Elders represent Christ. They show us in every way who Jesus is. And they uphold the words of Jesus in the words of Jesus are so simple and Jesus comes along and he says he that believes and is baptized shall be saved in the world comes around they say, what does that mean?

How did you get that one? Either that believes and is baptized shall be sick. What does that mean? The reason they don't understand has because they're called that Jesus didn't mean what I said.

Elder stand up for the words that Jesus did say and they do say yes. Jesus said what he said and meant what he said when he said he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved because that's the way the church begins. That's the way it happened in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost next chapter 2 and it has been working that way ever since. But then the elders they take part in people's lives, and he recognized that perhaps in is cracked in. Perhaps they can front us and he say, you know, I seen you been struggling with some things in your life and you've not been present here at church. He haven't been following the wisdom of God. Want to come back and so they absorb people to come back to repent of your sins. Remember? There's nothing wrong with every penny. We shouldn't be embarrassed about it. Simply means I want back in the righteousness of God. I want to be on his path. That's what that means. And so the elders do that, too. But if you're subject to the invitation of Jesus Christ this morning. Is imitation is come be baptized and you will be saved. There's also the invitation that says if you've been baptized and you wandered away come back repent of your sins and everything will be fine. You're subject to the imitation of Jesus Christ this morning want to come and faith has Together We Stand and sing.

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