Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! I’m your host BJ Sipe – I’m a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In this podcast we take everyday, ordinary events and explore how they can teach us extraordinary, eternal truths. I’m so glad that you joined me for this episode. Now, let’s open up our minds, our hearts, and our Bible’s together.
For the past month, the elders and I have been trying to meet all together, but for one reason or another it just hasn’t worked out. Between different individuals getting sick, including our family, and inclement weather, we’ve had to reschedule a meeting week after week. Finally, tonight at 7 PM, I am going to have an opportunity to sit down with our elders all together. I am so looking forward to our meeting tonight, because it is a different sort of meeting than our usual gatherings. Normally when we all get together, we spend several hours discussing our collective work, different classes, sermon series, and plans moving forward. We pray together, brainstorm together, and get caught up to speed on different efforts that I and the rest of the elders collectively are involved in. Tonight, however, we probably won’t have a lot of time to get to much of that. Instead, tonight will be spent going over my yearly review as presented by the elders. When I first arrived at Danville, the Shepherds detailed that this is something that they have always done with the different evangelists that they have worked with here at this congregation. In the review, it covers a great amount of ground covering many different areas of my work as an evangelist, as well as a grade or score for each of those areas. Now, you might be thinking, why would I be excited about something like this? Wouldn’t I be nervous? Actually, not in the slightest, and let me tell you a couple of reasons as to why. First, because I have a very close, intimate relationship with my elders. I communicate with at least one of them on a daily basis, and we are constantly involved in different studies, discussions, and service opportunities together. As a result, they are molding me and shaping me on a regular basis in my work as an evangelist. When we meet together and discuss different things in this review, there are absolutely no surprises. Secondly, I am eager to be shepherded, and we have extraordinarily wonderful elders here at this church. As shepherds & elders over the flock here at Danville, they are to keep watch over not just the souls of the other members here, but over my soul as well. The relationship that I have with these men is not that of an employer to an employee, and yet sadly that is how many churches operate in their relationships with evangelists: they treat the church like a business. But the church is not a business, the church is a family, and as such these Shepherds lead me, counsel me, direct me, correct me, and encourage me as a father would his own son. The truth is, I have grown tremendously over the past few years, and much of that growth is directly related to the way that these men have helped to shape me and challenge me in my work & my faith. While I have had the pleasure of working with a lot of good men in the past, I have never quite worked with a group of shepherds like this group of men here. They understand their role given to them by God and have dedicated themselves to the spiritual betterment of this church, myself included. I am beyond grateful to have a partnership in the gospel with these men, and I pray that for all the years that we are blessed in the future with working together, that they will continue to direct me, challenge me, and help me in my work as an evangelist.
From the way that I see it, there is no greater or more important role that a man can fill in this life than that of an elder of the Lord’s church. It is the plan of the Lord for each local church to have a plurality of qualified men as appointed by the Holy Spirit to lead that church. But what exactly is the role of an elder? Are these men that are merely the most tenured at a church? Are they simply decision makers? When we open up Scripture, there are four different words that are used to describe this office, and I want us to look at each of them today. The first word used to describe this office is that of an elder. Paul writes to Titus and says, “The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town.” (Titus 1:5) Paul would go on to describe the qualifications for such an office, but focus on the word that is used here – elder. God’s people have always been described as a family, and as such is the case for the church, which is the household of God. Elders act as spiritual fathers over the church. Just as father is to lead, protect, feed, and care for his family, in the same way an elder spiritually leads, protects, feeds, and cares for the household of God. The second term used to describe this office is shepherd. 1 Peter 5:1-3 reads, “I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: Shepherd God’s flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Here elders are also called shepherds of the Lord’s church, which is referred to as the flock. Similar to a father, a shepherd’s role over his flock is to direct, feed, protect, and tend to the needs of the sheep they watch over. As spiritual shepherds, such men are called to be the leaders of a church by example, to be involved in teaching them & feeding them spiritual food, protecting them from false doctrine or false teachers. They are to tend to their needs, praying for them and nurturing them in their faith. The third term used to describe this office is that of overseer. When speaking to the elders at Ephesus, Paul says to them as recorded in Acts 20:28, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.” As overseers, they are called to watch over each individual soul within the church they rule over. Such ruling is not done with harshness & dominance, but through selfless sacrifice, kindness, and patience. An overseer one day will give an account for the manner in which they watched over the souls of the church to God. Finally, the last word used to describe this office is that of a steward. We read in Titus 1:7, “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain.” A steward does not imply ownership, but being delegated authority in interim. Consider this for a moment: if you were going to choose godparents to raise your children were something to happen to you, would you be flippant with such a decision? Or would they need to be someone that you trusted implicitly? Consider this: the Holy Spirit has saw fit to place such men that are qualified to fill this office as stewards over the very souls of the children of God. As such, these men are trustworthy, of the upmost character, and worthy of our submission & respect. As you consider these terms used to describe this office, it is easy for us to see the great responsibility that is placed upon their shoulders. These are not merely men who make decisions about a church treasury or class material, but are actively involved in caring for our every spiritual need. This is by God’s design, and as such this is my encouragement to each of you today: be easy to shepherd. Respect, honor, love & submit to these individuals, because they are working tirelessly & selflessly for you.
Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode, and I would invite you back Tuesdays-Fridays for a brand-new episode each day. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for occasional announcements and special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, please if you’re able be sure to share it with someone else that you think could benefit from it as well. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.