Sermon Tone Analysis

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Introduction
We are stepping into a new chapter of the history of FBC Bagdad.
My personal chapters at this church have been marked by ~four year periods of time: Rooting/Repenting/Revitalizing/Reforming.
For the next few weeks (Probably six weeks), we will be placing our attention on Acts 20:17-38 to make sure we as a church body truly understand eldership.
We are going to study with exposition/rotation/reciprocation.
One Sunday (May 23rd, 2021), within a few weeks of Pastor Austin starting to meet here in the afternoon, I dropped in to worship with our brothers and sisters and this passage was in sharp focus.
Pastor Austin pointed out that in 1 Tim 1:3, the apostle directly references this meeting in Acts 20.
He spoke passionately about the danger to the church of fierce wolves that attack, and that those wolves not only come from outside the church, but also from within, even from within the eldership of the church.
As I sat and listened, my heart was stirred and I couldn’t help but think of the many stories I knew of men placed into a position of Pastor who led their people astray or abused the position they were in.
Additionally, I look back and I marvel at the fact that the very first time I sat to worship with my brother, the teaching is growing out of this idea of eldership.
To stand before you today with my dear brother in the room, with our church bodies desiring to join together and merge our individual elders into a true eldership… This is just one of many acts of God’s providence that has led us to this point.
When discussing how best to preach on eldership while keeping the scriptures front and center, we came to agreement that this passage has much more to teach us about biblical eldership than we see on the surface.
It is a deep well of church doctrine and instruction, and it would be to our peril to ignore it!
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With all that being said, I have preached on this very passage before, in 2018, in a message titled “Be a Leader” I asked this congregation, “Why does our church leadership look different from what we observe in Acts?”
What this church is mostly unaware of, is after that sermon, I counseled with several men about my feeling that we did not measure up to biblical eldership.
One pastor showed me his church’s bylaws and documents where there were always five elders to act as counsel and ensure he didn’t act unbiblically in his pastorate.
Another man encouraged me… and then encouraged me to be cautious, not to move quickly, and to seek the counsel of others that have been through this process.
Two Godly men within our association, at separate times and places, cautioned me to take great care when appointing additional elders and to not appoint someone unqualified.
One dear mentor and friend cautioned me not to appoint elders for the sole sake of appointing elders.
I have preached on this topic before.
When in Eph chapter 4, I stated that the popular method of having a single leader at the head of the church was unbiblical and leads to pastors leading bodies of believers without proper oversight.
I do not believe in having a ruling body or synod over all the churches.
I do believe that there must be a plurality of equal elders within the local church.
Senior Pastors & Associate Pastors do not meet this because we have taken on a form of “boss” and “employee”.
The associate is unable to speak with conviction and instruction to the senior.
Associations & Fellowships of pastors within the region do not meet this calling.
They meet monthly at best.
If properly upheld, pastors falling into great sin would have been appropriately called out prior to being ejected from ministry.
[See 1 Tim 5, Gal 2])
We are going to take the next several weeks to look at this passage and understand the calling of this group of men and the example set for them by the Apostle Paul.
The Apostle has an unquestionable focus, the Gospel
Echoed in Paul’s statement to Timothy
The Title of the Elder
Let’s focus on the first verse of this passage:
Additionally, see two more words:
Overseer & Shepherd
See a similar passage for additional terms:
Elders & Bishops used to mean the same office.
Really we only see our modern term “Pastor” in Ephesians 4:11, and only in certain translations.
Why do we say pastor then?
It is from the latin pastus/pastor meaning to shepherd.
To feed and care for.
This is exactly the charge Jesus gives to Peter in John 21.
What an Elder Isn’t
An apostle
An evangelist
A “Father”
A CEO/Businessman
A board member/committee
Motivational speaker
Employee of the Church membership
The Calling of the Elder
What makes a pastor?
From Steve Lawson’s “Called to Preach”
A burning passion to preach
A marked ability to teach
An evident growth in Godliness
Living an exemplary life
Discerning the will of God
A strong confirmation from others
A spiritual influence upon lives
A pressing urgency in the heart
An open door of providence
Note the Qualifications of the Elder
From 1 Tim 3:1-7
Above Reproach
Husband of one wife
Sober minded
Self-controlled
Respectable
Hospitable
Able to teach
Not a drunkard
Not violent, but gentle
Not quarrelsome
Not a lover of money
Manages his household well
Not a recent convert
Well thought of by outsiders
The Responsibilities of the Elder
Proclaiming
Prayer
Leading
Teaching
Preaching & Praying
Leading
This demonstrates leadership.
Also see Acts 15’s Council in Jerusalem.
The testimony of Paul & Barnabas, the confirmation of Peter, and the direction of James, who is among the elders of Jerusalem.
There is agreement between both apostles and elders on how to approach the issues of circumcision and dietary law and they provide leadership to the elders of all the churches on how to instruct Gentile believers.
(Take note this is not any sort of ruling council for the churches, but are coming from the teachings of apostles who were charged with establishing the Churches of God in every place.
Teaching Sound Doctrine
Worship is for believers who can participate in worship.
Sermons are for the church to hear the instruction of the Word.
The Reward of the Elder
Most are called to subsist on their ministry
Some are called to labor for their ministry
The ultimate reward
Conclusion
We are not the first to do this, not even the first within our association.
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