WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at ChristChurchEastBay.org. 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:33.820 Hello, I'm John. I'm in the Christchurch Youth Group and also the Alameda Community Group. 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:41.719 So today's reading is from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 14, verses 21 to 23. 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:46.100 And then also chapter 20, verses 17 to 38. 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:54.119 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of the disciples. 00:00:54.659 --> 00:01:01.859 Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to their faith. 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:06.599 We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said. 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:16.379 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and with prayer and fasting committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 00:01:17.979 --> 00:01:21.839 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 00:01:22.419 --> 00:01:23.979 When they arrived, he said to them, 00:01:23.980 --> 00:01:30.300 You know how long I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 00:01:31.020 --> 00:01:39.300 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 00:01:40.820 --> 00:01:48.680 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you, but have taught you publicity and from house to house. 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:56.560 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:04.040 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:10.960 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:14.300 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me. 00:02:14.300 --> 00:02:20.620 My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task that the Lord Jesus has given to me, 00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:24.480 the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. 00:02:26.080 --> 00:02:33.040 Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 00:02:33.920 --> 00:02:39.420 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:44.080 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 00:02:44.760 --> 00:02:50.140 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flocks of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 00:02:50.880 --> 00:02:55.160 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he brought with his own blood. 00:02:56.240 --> 00:03:01.600 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:09.040 Even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:11.419 So be on your guard. 00:03:11.419 --> 00:03:17.699 Remember that for three years I never stopped, warning each of you night and day with tears. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:27.620 Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 00:03:27.620 --> 00:03:31.900 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:38.659 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:47.420 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said. 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:50.919 It is more blessed to give them than to receive. 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:56.819 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:01.219 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 00:04:02.019 --> 00:04:05.859 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. 00:04:06.399 --> 00:04:08.159 Then they accompanied him to the ship. 00:04:09.519 --> 00:04:10.939 This is the word of the Lord. 00:04:11.359 --> 00:04:12.459 Thanks be to God. 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:13.800 Good morning. 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:14.900 Welcome to Christ Church. 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:17.259 Glad to be worshiping with you this morning. 00:04:17.460 --> 00:04:19.060 Thank you, John, for that scripture reading. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:22.019 You may have noticed we are finished with Luke's Gospel. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:24.199 Jonathan finished that last Sunday. 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:31.100 And the plan is to move onward into the New Testament in the book of Philippians, Paul's letter to the church in Philippi. 00:04:31.280 --> 00:04:36.480 But for the next three weeks starting today, we're going to be here briefly in the book of Acts. 00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:40.100 Next Sunday, Jonathan is going to preach from Acts chapter 9 on Paul's conversion. 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:46.500 The week after that, he's going to preach from Acts chapter 16 on the origin story of the church in Philippi. 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:51.700 But for today, and especially in light of our congregational meeting that's coming up, mark your calendars. 00:04:51.980 --> 00:04:53.800 Next, next Sunday, May 18th. 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.160 We're talking about church leadership today. 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:56.720 All right? 00:04:57.260 --> 00:05:01.400 This office that the New Testament calls elders in the church. 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:18.879 And our hope is that you'll have a better understanding of what a church elder is and that you'll join us in praying that God might raise up new shepherds in this church to help govern and lead alongside of Jonathan, myself, Karen, Wes, Bill, Jesus, Tonya, Lori, and Brian. 00:05:18.879 --> 00:05:23.500 And especially with some of our elders that I just named about to take a sabbatical. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:29.560 This is something we're really praying for as a church and we want to get in the hearts and minds of our congregation. 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:33.519 So that's why we're all of a sudden in Acts chapter 14 and 20 today. 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:34.920 We're here to talk about elders. 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:42.279 And if that sounds super boring and irrelevant to you, honestly, it sounded super boring and irrelevant to me at first. 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:54.159 Because who gets excited, right, about talking about church polity and church governance, especially since most of you here probably never probably imagined yourself becoming an elder at any point in your life. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:56.059 Probably never crossed your mind. 00:05:56.239 --> 00:06:00.839 You could probably think of like a billion other things you'd rather be than an elder in a church. 00:06:01.419 --> 00:06:03.479 Some of you here aren't even Christians. 00:06:03.479 --> 00:06:11.379 And so a teaching like this might seem super far from that Christianity 101, Christianity 102 that you might have hoped to hear today. 00:06:11.379 --> 00:06:12.879 I want to acknowledge all of that. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:20.839 But with all of that said, the way I want to frame this teaching on elders this morning is to ask this question. 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:27.659 Wherever you are in your spiritual journey and however far, unrealistic, and unappealing the idea of being an elder might seem to you, 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:30.360 the way I want to frame this is by asking the question, 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:36.379 where do you see yourselves 5, 10, 20, 30 years from now? 00:06:37.719 --> 00:06:40.680 Older, of course, but maybe not an elder. 00:06:41.379 --> 00:06:42.779 And I want you to think about that, though. 00:06:42.819 --> 00:06:43.800 Have you considered this question? 00:06:44.259 --> 00:06:48.379 Where do you see yourself 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now? 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:50.980 And, you know, someone just asked me this question recently. 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:56.839 I was on a phone call two Fridays ago with a planning consultant from Fidelity, all right? 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:58.379 And he was asking me the same question. 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:02.040 How do you envision your most ideal future self and life? 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:07.259 And in that future, what do you plan to be giving your time and resources to? 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.839 So that's my question for us this morning. 00:07:10.519 --> 00:07:15.480 And, you know, I know most of you in this congregation, this is a striver class congregation, all right? 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:19.319 You guys are highly educated, high achieving, highly driven people. 00:07:19.539 --> 00:07:22.060 So I know that most of you have thought about this question. 00:07:22.180 --> 00:07:24.920 Some of you probably journal about it every single day, right? 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:36.000 But while I'm sure that most, many of you even, probably have a pretty concrete vision about who you want to become and where you see yourself in the next X number of years. 00:07:36.080 --> 00:07:47.319 While many of you know exactly where you want to be in your careers and in your relationships, in your marriages, in your parenting stages, in your finances, even in your relationships with God himself. 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:55.120 What I still wonder is have you considered where do you want to be, not just in your personal relationship with Christ, but where do you want to be? 00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:02.360 How do you envision yourself decades from now in your relationship to the bride of Christ, to the bride of Christ, the church? 00:08:03.040 --> 00:08:05.539 Have you ever given thought to that question? 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:13.860 What vision do you have of your future self as it relates to this body of people that Christ gave his life for, that he shed his blood for, purchased with his blood? 00:08:13.860 --> 00:08:27.759 What vision do you have concerning your calling and contribution to this thing called the church and the fulfillment of our mission to make disciples of Jesus among the nations, teaching them to do everything that Jesus commanded them to do? 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:33.500 You know, whether or not you become an elder in a church, this is a question for all of us today. 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:36.580 In the presence of God, who are we becoming? 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:42.379 Where do we see ourselves in the years and decades to come, particularly as members in the body of Christ? 00:08:42.379 --> 00:08:49.139 So again, I know most of you have never entertained this idea of becoming an elder in the church, and certainly not anytime soon. 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:55.559 But what if, what if the Holy Spirit is nudging you today to at the very least, at the very least, aspire to it? 00:08:55.980 --> 00:09:05.960 No matter how long it takes, no matter if you ever receive such a calling, would you be willing to let God tug on your heart just a little bit today to aspire toward being an elder? 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:18.620 Just as the Apostle Paul says, here is a trustworthy saying, whoever aspires to be an overseer or an elder, the words are interchangeable in the New Testament, so whoever aspires to be an elder, he says, desires a noble task. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:24.620 This is a word from God to all of us this morning, even to the third to fifth graders who are here with us. 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:33.460 Might God be stirring up within you an aspiration, a holy desire to be a leader in the church, to be an elder? 00:09:34.340 --> 00:09:38.399 But now maybe you're just asking though, okay, well, what even is an elder, right? 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:39.019 What does that entail? 00:09:39.139 --> 00:09:44.000 So let's just briefly and basically try to answer that question, what even is an elder? 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:49.080 Turn with me to chapter 14 of the book of Acts, and let me point out a couple things here, okay? 00:09:49.080 --> 00:10:05.520 So he's here, he's with these churches in Lystra, Iconium, Antioch, and although these churches came about by Paul and Barnabas' hard work, Paul and Barnabas, they fully recognize that this was a work of the Lord, that the Lord himself was going to sustain this work. 00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:11.480 So these churches and these people, they didn't belong to Paul and Barnabas, they belong to the Lord. 00:10:12.139 --> 00:10:17.320 And Paul and Barnabas had no illusion that these churches needed them to stick around as their leaders. 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:25.340 And this is a word for all of us, this is a word for me, it's a word for our lead pastor Jonathan and the rest of our elders, that Christ's church is not our own. 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:29.520 God could very well call me or Jonathan or any of our elders away. 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:36.760 In fact, this week I got two emails, one telling me about a position in San Jose, another one inviting me to apply in Alameda. 00:10:36.760 --> 00:10:41.680 And just full disclosure, I love Christ's church, and Chelsea and I plan to raise our kids here. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:47.079 But every opportunity that comes to our door, we submit in prayer to the Lord. 00:10:47.179 --> 00:10:50.199 And I do not presume that Christ's church is mine. 00:10:50.620 --> 00:10:55.039 And I do not presume that Christ's church needs me as a pastor here. 00:10:55.739 --> 00:10:58.039 And I think Paul and Barnabas, they totally understood that. 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:03.079 They trusted the Lord with these baby church plants that God would continue the work even in their absence. 00:11:03.319 --> 00:11:05.399 And so they appointed other leaders. 00:11:05.579 --> 00:11:06.799 They entrusted elders. 00:11:06.959 --> 00:11:07.679 In the Greek, it's presbyterous. 00:11:08.539 --> 00:11:09.959 That's where we get Presbyterianism from. 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:11.000 And that's what a presbyter is. 00:11:11.160 --> 00:11:12.740 A presbyter is an elder. 00:11:13.540 --> 00:11:19.120 And what Paul and Barnabas did was they entrusted these presbyters to lead these new church plants 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:23.900 so that Paul and Barnabas could go and do the rest of the work that they were called to do elsewhere. 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:27.920 They understood the richness and the diversity and the plurality of the body of Christ. 00:11:28.280 --> 00:11:29.740 And that's the second thing I want you to notice here. 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:31.500 Notice they appointed elders. 00:11:31.900 --> 00:11:32.360 It's plural. 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:34.259 Elders in each church. 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:39.360 So not one single dominant leader per church, but a plurality of elders. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:43.019 In each church for accountability and balance and discernment. 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:44.560 In a Presbyterian church. 00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:46.560 I'm just going to give you a little lesson on Presbyterianism today. 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:47.800 A brief one, all right? 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:56.560 In a Presbyterian church like ours, you should never find a church with a solo elder who is not held accountable by other elders. 00:11:57.100 --> 00:12:00.440 And you should also never find a hierarchy amongst the elders. 00:12:00.440 --> 00:12:07.260 We don't, you know, all answer to Jonathan here or to some, you know, archbishop in another part of the country or to some pope. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:12.580 For Presbyterians, all the Presbyters, all the elders lead as equals. 00:12:13.060 --> 00:12:18.800 So Tonya, Bill, Jesus, Karen, Wes, Brian, and Lori, they all have the same vote, the same say as me and Jonathan. 00:12:19.380 --> 00:12:23.200 And not just in the local church, but at the denominational level as well. 00:12:23.740 --> 00:12:23.980 All right? 00:12:24.040 --> 00:12:25.660 So that's your little lesson on Presbyterianism. 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:28.559 And if you have more questions on that, come to Belonging to Christ Church. 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:30.100 Okay, June 1st, it's our lunch. 00:12:30.459 --> 00:12:33.659 That's where you can bring all your questions about who we are and why we do what we do. 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:35.559 I hope you'll make it to that if you're new. 00:12:36.399 --> 00:12:38.559 But that's what I want to say about Presbyterianism. 00:12:38.659 --> 00:12:38.959 All right? 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:42.419 Another thing I really want us to notice is the process, though. 00:12:42.699 --> 00:12:45.000 The process by which these elders were chosen. 00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:48.199 It wasn't a flippant or a pragmatic process. 00:12:48.339 --> 00:12:49.419 Look at what verse 23 says. 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:53.919 It says this was a prayerfully discerned, spirit-led process. 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:55.559 It even involved fasting. 00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:56.659 Okay? 00:12:56.699 --> 00:13:00.519 And again, this is relevant for us coming into our congregational meeting on May 18th. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:08.679 We really want to encourage the members of our church here to be thinking and praying about who they might nominate to the office of elder at Christ Church. 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:12.379 Like I mentioned earlier, we would really love to see God raise up new leaders. 00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:13.120 Okay? 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:18.539 We'd really love to see our church take this seriously and bring this before the Lord in prayer. 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:23.419 Because remember what Jesus said when He saw all those crowds desperately flocking to Him? 00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:28.980 In Matthew chapter 9, when He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. 00:13:29.299 --> 00:13:33.459 Then He said to His disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:38.860 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. 00:13:38.920 --> 00:13:44.379 And if you pay attention to what He's saying, you know, He's saying is, you know, we don't have a harvest problem. 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.100 The harvest, that's not the problem. 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.340 We have a laborer problem. 00:13:49.659 --> 00:13:52.740 And maybe even before that, we have a prayer problem. 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:54.200 A prayer problem. 00:13:55.040 --> 00:14:00.940 So if you do anything in response to today's sermon, would you at least consider praying? 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:03.779 Praying for more laborers in the harvest. 00:14:03.920 --> 00:14:05.240 The harvest is plentiful. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:06.440 We see it. 00:14:06.860 --> 00:14:08.700 The harvest is so plentiful even today. 00:14:08.800 --> 00:14:11.279 Vanity Fair just put out an article, right? 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.720 Christianity as the New Religion in Silicon Valley. 00:14:13.720 --> 00:14:20.120 Barna Group Research confirming that more and more people are interested in relationships with Jesus. 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:25.660 You have guys like David Brooks writing for the New York Times talking about the upsurge in religious interest. 00:14:26.379 --> 00:14:28.720 So at the very least, let's be praying. 00:14:28.860 --> 00:14:29.899 The harvest is plentiful. 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:31.240 The laborers are few. 00:14:31.860 --> 00:14:32.759 Let's pray for that. 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:40.500 You know, I think for a lot of us, we might view this elder nomination process as uninteresting and unimportant. 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:45.139 Maybe we aren't too concerned with whoever's chosen because we don't feel like you'll make much of a difference. 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:47.759 We're pretty fine with how things are going in the church. 00:14:47.860 --> 00:14:51.000 And if things go poorly, we can just go to another church, right? 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:57.519 Maybe this just seems so small and insignificant compared to everything else that's going on in your life. 00:14:57.899 --> 00:14:58.580 I get it. 00:14:59.299 --> 00:15:00.820 But if I could just push back a little and say, 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:09.760 this is not just about who becomes a leader in this little tiny church with a little tiny membership and a little tiny budget and a little tiny property here in Berkeley, California. 00:15:10.840 --> 00:15:15.920 No, no matter the size of the church, we're talking about matters of the kingdom of God. 00:15:16.820 --> 00:15:24.160 And this is God's chosen and ordained means of uniting people to himself, uniting people to Jesus. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:31.179 And history tells us that when this happens in a healthy and faithful way, this is how the world is changed. 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:45.259 Think about the early church and the way that forgiveness and mercy and grace and compassion came to be valued by the entire Western world alongside hospitals and orphanages and abolition and the recognition of dignity in every human being, 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:57.539 no matter what color or culture, including women and children and even the disabled, this is what this does when we make disciples faithfully and are led by faithful shepherds. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:07.519 And sure, yes, that was a work of the Holy Spirit, but it was the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church led by faithful elders, spirit-filled elders. 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:11.779 The appointing of elders is integral to the fabric of the Christian movement, 00:16:11.779 --> 00:16:16.000 a movement that has not only benefited you if you consider yourself a Christian today, 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:22.000 but a movement that's changed the world far more than I think a lot of us are able to acknowledge. 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:27.679 And though you may not recognize it, listen, God has more He wants to do. 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:32.439 God has more He wants to do through this church even, Christ Church, East Bay. 00:16:33.240 --> 00:16:37.939 And so who is leading our little church in this ultimate mission that God has given us? 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:39.960 This matters to God. 00:16:40.640 --> 00:16:42.620 And it matters for the good of every individual it touches. 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:45.160 It matters for the good of the city and for the world. 00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:52.000 Faithful elders leading faithful churches is God's primary strategy for people meeting and being transformed by Jesus 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:57.700 and living Holy Spirit-filled lives of love, justice, and peace that leave their mark on this world. 00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:04.299 And there's a ton more that I would love to say, but let's move on from the what to how an elder is supposed to live and lead. 00:17:04.299 --> 00:17:09.200 Like, what should we be looking for in the leaders of our church, in these elders, 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:11.759 and what should we be expecting them to do? 00:17:12.619 --> 00:17:14.759 And so to that first question, I want to point you to the Scriptures. 00:17:15.659 --> 00:17:21.220 The Apostle Paul gives us the gold standard when he writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3, verse 1. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:21.519 He says, 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:50.720 If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:52.920 how can he take care of God's church? 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:59.940 He must not be a recent convert or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:07.259 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap. 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:08.559 Do you hear that? 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:13.100 Okay, so these are, this is the divinely inspired criteria for an elder. 00:18:13.380 --> 00:18:16.420 Okay, and I want to make two observations about that long list. 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:25.539 One, did you notice that the criteria has almost nothing to do with ability, but everything to do with character, right? 00:18:25.560 --> 00:18:29.600 The only thing an elder must be able to do is they must be able to teach. 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:32.559 But everything else is about their character. 00:18:32.659 --> 00:18:39.579 And that leads me to my second point, which is that if the primary criteria for elders is to have an upstanding character, 00:18:40.399 --> 00:18:44.779 then as followers of Christ, even if we don't aspire to the office of elder in the church, 00:18:45.179 --> 00:18:49.740 we still all ought to aspire to the Christ-like character of an elder. 00:18:49.740 --> 00:18:59.579 This is how an elder is supposed to live, and really it's how we're all called to live. 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:04.900 But also, see, an elder is more than just someone who lives righteously and faithfully. 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:06.839 An elder is a leader. 00:19:07.700 --> 00:19:11.799 And if there is a single word describing the kind of leader an elder is supposed to be, 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:17.559 consistent across the New Testament, that word is that elders are shepherds of God's flock. 00:19:17.559 --> 00:19:18.599 Shepherds. 00:19:18.619 --> 00:19:22.279 And I don't want us to miss how interesting and unique this image is, because think about it. 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:24.319 The church is the beloved people of God. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:31.259 This is the institution, the primary vehicle God has established to bless and liberate the nations. 00:19:32.419 --> 00:19:41.460 And yet, the way He wants His leaders to lead this holy institution is not as strongmen, warriors, kings, tyrants, oligarchs, CEOs, 00:19:41.859 --> 00:19:46.759 innovative tech gurus, or even as holy men and women, but as shepherds. 00:19:47.559 --> 00:19:48.159 As shepherds. 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.980 Did you catch what he said, what Paul said in Acts chapter 20? 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:57.339 As he's ending his missionary journey, this is his last word to these elders in the church of Ephesus. 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:00.940 And he gathers them, and this is what he says to them in verse 28. 00:20:00.940 --> 00:20:07.519 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. 00:20:08.320 --> 00:20:12.320 Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 00:20:13.420 --> 00:20:17.279 He calls on the elders to keep watch over themselves and their flocks as shepherds, see? 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:21.779 And the apostle Peter, he would confirm this as well. 00:20:22.080 --> 00:20:24.000 Do you remember what Jesus said to him on that beach? 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:25.420 Peter, do you love me? 00:20:25.420 --> 00:20:27.360 Then feed my sheep. 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:32.720 And Peter goes and writes a whole letter about shepherding the flock. 00:20:32.820 --> 00:20:34.980 To the elders among you, he writes in 1 Peter chapter 5, 00:20:34.980 --> 00:20:54.779 This is why pastors are called pastors. 00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:58.259 Pastor is the Latin word for shepherd. 00:20:58.259 --> 00:20:58.339 Lord. 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:03.019 And notice also how Peter distinguishes a shepherd from other kinds of leaders. 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:07.400 Shepherds of God's flock, as it says, they don't lord their authority over their flock. 00:21:07.500 --> 00:21:08.940 No, they lead by example. 00:21:09.039 --> 00:21:09.920 They're servant leaders. 00:21:10.039 --> 00:21:11.240 They serve willingly. 00:21:12.359 --> 00:21:17.299 You know, I think so many of us hesitate when we think about authority in the church, right? 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:22.039 Authority structures, especially those of us who have been wounded in the church by poor church leadership. 00:21:22.039 --> 00:21:29.480 Many of us can even begin to despise and distrust the authority figures that God has established in the church. 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:35.859 But what I want to say is that the problem isn't authority structures in the church or the establishment of elders. 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:38.700 The problem is authority gone wrong. 00:21:39.399 --> 00:21:42.259 Authority gone astray from the way of Jesus in the church. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:49.460 The problem is when church leaders forget that their authority, our authority, is derived from our ultimate good shepherd. 00:21:49.460 --> 00:21:55.400 The problem is when church authority figures, we claim the kind of authority that only belongs to Jesus. 00:21:56.360 --> 00:22:00.799 And when we don't shepherd the way Jesus did, with sacrifice and service. 00:22:01.860 --> 00:22:05.779 So you see, yes, elders are called to lead the church with authority from God. 00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:12.579 But at the same time, just like our shepherd king, our elders exist in the church to serve and not be served. 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:16.880 My professor in seminary, his name was Tim Whitmer, he writes this book. 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:18.120 We make all of our elders read it. 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:19.380 It's called The Shepherd Leader. 00:22:19.700 --> 00:22:23.600 And what Dr. Whitmer boils this role of the shepherd down to is this. 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:26.120 Shepherds know their flock. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:28.180 Shepherds lead their flock. 00:22:28.779 --> 00:22:29.880 They feed their flock. 00:22:30.440 --> 00:22:31.539 And they defend their flock. 00:22:31.900 --> 00:22:34.200 They know, lead, feed, and defend. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:37.039 That's what we're looking for in faithful elders. 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:40.079 Faithful shepherds who will know and call their sheep by name, right? 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:42.160 Who lead out of relational capital. 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:47.380 Who lead out of connection and who do not presume upon their authoritative status in the church. 00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:51.280 That's why Paul here, in verses 18 to 34, he keeps saying, you know me. 00:22:51.420 --> 00:22:52.140 You saw me. 00:22:52.320 --> 00:22:53.120 We lived together. 00:22:53.220 --> 00:22:54.540 You saw how hard I worked. 00:22:54.600 --> 00:22:55.840 You saw how I suffered for you. 00:22:55.900 --> 00:22:56.400 How I gave. 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.920 How I poured myself out for you. 00:22:58.140 --> 00:22:58.980 You know me. 00:22:59.780 --> 00:23:01.040 And so will you follow me? 00:23:01.600 --> 00:23:02.780 You know you can trust me. 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:05.980 Faithful elders also lead their sheep, right? 00:23:05.980 --> 00:23:09.259 They lead them toward greener pastures and fresher waters. 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:12.480 They lead them into deeper relationships with Christ. 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:14.440 Leaders go first. 00:23:14.920 --> 00:23:15.819 That's what shepherds do. 00:23:15.940 --> 00:23:16.579 They take risk. 00:23:16.799 --> 00:23:17.940 They take responsibility. 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:20.380 They also feed their sheep. 00:23:20.940 --> 00:23:23.460 The heart of a shepherd is for our sheep to be nourished. 00:23:23.539 --> 00:23:27.660 That's why Paul says, I didn't hesitate to preach anything that would be helpful to you. 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:37.500 Even when I was threatened for it, even when I had to preach a message, an unpopular message of repentance, an exclusive message that Jesus Christ alone is Lord, 00:23:38.620 --> 00:23:42.240 they insist on feeding their sheep with the truths of God. 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:45.800 And then finally, faithful shepherds, they defend their flocks. 00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:49.660 They push back against the counterformation of our world. 00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:57.040 They fight against the wolves who would come into our church and tear us apart and pull us away from Christ. 00:23:57.120 --> 00:23:59.680 They say, no, I'm not going to stand for that. 00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:05.759 A faithful shepherd knows, leads, feeds, and defends their sheep. 00:24:06.779 --> 00:24:13.140 Now, maybe this sounds even more unappealing to you after hearing what an elder is, right? 00:24:13.820 --> 00:24:17.980 I don't want to know, lead, feed, and defend sheep. 00:24:17.980 --> 00:24:20.539 I don't want this extra responsibility. 00:24:22.240 --> 00:24:31.460 But what if the posture of our hearts isn't meant to be, God, give me less responsibility for my weak back and narrow shoulders. 00:24:32.240 --> 00:24:39.360 But God, give me broader shoulders and a stronger back for all that you want to do in and through me. 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:45.460 Like, why would we ask for less when God wants us to have more? 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:54.120 Why wouldn't we want God to grow our capacity and our hearts to shepherd those we're called to shepherd? 00:24:54.980 --> 00:24:59.900 And sure, maybe you don't see yourself as an elder in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, even in 30 years. 00:25:00.920 --> 00:25:03.840 Well, how about aspiring to it for the rest of your life? 00:25:04.360 --> 00:25:07.180 Not worrying about when that time may come or if it ever comes, 00:25:07.180 --> 00:25:12.340 but seeking for the rest of your life the kind of character and capacity of a shepherd. 00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:17.039 Simply seeking to be used by God as a blessing to the church. 00:25:18.840 --> 00:25:21.039 This is the heart of God. 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:23.920 This is the heart of God for the world. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:28.779 God's heart bleeds for the shepherdlessness that exists in the world. 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:33.740 Remember again, Jesus in Matthew chapter 9, going through the crowds, teaching, preaching, proclaiming the kingdom, 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:38.960 casting out demons, healing the sick, seeing the people, he felt compassion for them 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:43.240 because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:43.839 Did you hear that? 00:25:43.879 --> 00:25:47.379 In the eyes of Jesus, the problem that he sees with the world, 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:51.440 as desperate people flock to him, the problem is not that they are lacking education, 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.639 money, technology, or even goodwill and love. 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:58.740 No, the problem that he sees is that they are lacking shepherds. 00:26:00.120 --> 00:26:04.060 And this is God's heart for the world, shepherds for his sheep. 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:08.540 And if we are followers of Christ, beholding Christ as our ultimate good shepherd, 00:26:09.380 --> 00:26:13.080 whether or not we ever officially become ordained as elders in the church, 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:16.220 how can we not share the same shepherd heart? 00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:20.920 How can we not want to cultivate and imitate the heart of our good shepherd? 00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:28.279 Knowing, leading, feeding, and defending the people of God aren't exclusive activities reserved only for the ordained, 00:26:28.600 --> 00:26:30.560 only for people who wear collars like mine. 00:26:31.720 --> 00:26:37.620 It's what the children of the good shepherd love and long to do in a healthy and vibrant church. 00:26:38.940 --> 00:26:45.740 You see, the church, this church, Christ's church, does not exist to create a religious product just for sheep to consume. 00:26:45.740 --> 00:26:51.920 We are a failure of a church if all we are is a place for people to just comfortably show up. 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:54.160 No, Christ's church exists. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:54.480 Why? 00:26:54.960 --> 00:27:00.160 To lead people into deeper relationships with Christ and his church through community and for the city. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:05.220 Christ's church exists to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples who know, lead, feed, 00:27:05.299 --> 00:27:08.380 and defend the body of Christ with the heart of their good shepherd. 00:27:08.380 --> 00:27:14.980 And so, to be a disciple of Jesus who is not a disciple maker who makes disciple makers, 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:22.060 who makes disciple makers, is short of who God wants and intends for us to be. 00:27:23.180 --> 00:27:29.060 Jesus' heart for his sheep is that they become shepherds and join the plentiful harvest. 00:27:30.500 --> 00:27:34.040 And so again, my question is, can you envision that for yourself? 00:27:34.039 --> 00:27:39.339 Where do you see yourself decades from now with regard to this calling? 00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:45.599 Because I want you to know that even if you cannot envision this for yourself, God can. 00:27:46.460 --> 00:27:48.339 This is God's vision for you. 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:52.339 Even the third, fourth, and fifth graders here, even the youth here, 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:57.039 who think of this, who think of your faith, who think of your stage right now, 00:27:57.099 --> 00:28:00.519 is I'm just trying to be a Christian who can get through Pastor Andrew's long and boring sermons. 00:28:00.519 --> 00:28:03.619 Maybe that's how you understand who you are as a Christian today. 00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:12.819 But what if this is just the beginning of your aspiration and journey toward being an elder in the church one day? 00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:16.720 Toward being used of God to do something beautiful, mighty, and noble. 00:28:17.500 --> 00:28:21.779 If I could be so bold as even to prophesy this, Lord, let it be in our church. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:27.859 Lord, do far more through these children than any of us could imagine. 00:28:27.859 --> 00:28:29.899 Because that's God's heart. 00:28:30.599 --> 00:28:31.740 That's the heart of our shepherd. 00:28:33.159 --> 00:28:34.399 Lord, deliver us, right? 00:28:34.939 --> 00:28:41.519 Deliver our children from the demonic powers of complacency and lukewarm 1.5 hours a week Christianity. 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:50.000 Honestly, for way too many Christians, we can have this subconscious vision of ourselves. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:52.919 Three, four, five decades out. 00:28:52.920 --> 00:28:58.080 And in that vision, our involvement with the church, our sense of responsibility for God's people, 00:28:58.279 --> 00:29:00.960 it's really, it's hardly changed from today. 00:29:02.140 --> 00:29:05.620 And you might not say it so brazenly and explicitly, but it's basically true in your hearts. 00:29:05.700 --> 00:29:08.560 Like maybe your nest egg is bigger and you're able to give to the church a little bit more. 00:29:09.060 --> 00:29:12.620 Maybe your time is a little bit more free and you're able to volunteer like once a month, finally. 00:29:13.740 --> 00:29:15.000 Your kids are out of school. 00:29:15.740 --> 00:29:16.880 Your mortgage is paid. 00:29:16.980 --> 00:29:17.940 Your business is built. 00:29:18.100 --> 00:29:19.060 Your empire is built. 00:29:19.059 --> 00:29:20.079 Your tenure is complete. 00:29:20.139 --> 00:29:21.379 Your 401k is secure. 00:29:21.619 --> 00:29:23.200 And you have these extra trips to Hawaii. 00:29:24.220 --> 00:29:29.059 But really in your hearts, in your subconscious, you've muttered to yourself quite contentedly, 00:29:29.899 --> 00:29:32.539 you know who I am today in 2025? 00:29:33.379 --> 00:29:38.839 This is pretty much as much like my good shepherd as I ever planned to be. 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:42.079 And I'm not trying to guilt you. 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:44.019 Like, hey, God wants more from you. 00:29:44.099 --> 00:29:44.819 You owe Him. 00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:46.000 Well, that's true. 00:29:46.299 --> 00:29:46.819 It's true. 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:47.899 He does and you do. 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:55.500 But no, my shepherd heart for this church is less about what God wants from you and far 00:29:55.500 --> 00:30:00.659 more about what God wants for you and for us and for the world. 00:30:01.419 --> 00:30:05.220 I'm not up here, a shepherd, trying to squeeze more wool out of my sheep. 00:30:05.220 --> 00:30:09.539 That doesn't even make sense, but you know what I mean. 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:17.680 No, I'm pleading with you as a shepherd to his sheep, inviting you to be more than sheep, 00:30:18.660 --> 00:30:24.420 inviting you to join me in this honorable, life-giving, Christ-like experience of being 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:30.039 a shepherd after the pattern of our Lord, our Lord whose insides groan for more shepherds 00:30:30.039 --> 00:30:35.059 in this broken world, full of ignored, misled, misfed, and lonely, undefended, straying sheep, 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:36.319 straying to their own slaughter. 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:42.859 This is not a call to gain a following and be an influencer like a YouTuber or an Instagrammer 00:30:42.859 --> 00:30:44.200 or some deluded cult leader. 00:30:44.259 --> 00:30:49.799 It's a call to shepherd people toward their ultimate shepherd, the one who ensures that 00:30:49.799 --> 00:30:55.079 they shall not want, the one who leads them to green pastures and still waters, the one 00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:59.799 who restores their souls, prepares a table before them, anoints their heads with oil, makes their 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:05.579 cups overflow, and follows them all the days of their life with love and mercy. 00:31:06.859 --> 00:31:10.980 It's the call to become more and more like the good shepherd who leaves the 99 for the 00:31:10.980 --> 00:31:16.139 one, even carrying the stray sheep on his shoulders, even carrying a cross on his shoulders. 00:31:17.139 --> 00:31:22.879 This is the good shepherd who laid his life down for us, who went to battle for us against 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:28.280 death, not only as our shepherd, but as our sacrificial lamb and risen shepherd king. 00:31:29.620 --> 00:31:35.860 So maybe you've never thought about being an elder in your entire life, but how do you 00:31:35.860 --> 00:31:38.020 envision yourself decades from now? 00:31:39.480 --> 00:31:43.560 Have you spent those decades, as you view yourself, have you spent those decades growing 00:31:43.560 --> 00:31:49.120 closer and closer every year in the likeness of your good shepherd and in your love for the 00:31:49.120 --> 00:31:50.380 flock of God? 00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:57.680 You know, a couple Fridays ago when I was on that call with my planning consultant at Fidelity, 00:31:58.320 --> 00:32:02.740 and he was asking me, where do you see yourself in 20 years? 00:32:02.840 --> 00:32:05.920 How do you envision how you want to spend your retirement? 00:32:08.140 --> 00:32:09.760 Full disclosure, this is what I said to him. 00:32:09.840 --> 00:32:15.100 You know, I would really like to be pretty close to financial independence in my 60s. 00:32:15.780 --> 00:32:17.760 And you have to think, wow, that's pretty early. 00:32:17.759 --> 00:32:20.359 I'm 37, that's less than two dozen years left. 00:32:20.579 --> 00:32:21.740 It's pretty early, right? 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:24.099 Especially making a pastor's salary, right? 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:32.680 And you might think, why does Andrew want to be so close to financial independence in 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:34.079 his 60s, right? 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:36.460 And it's not because I don't want to pastor anymore. 00:32:36.660 --> 00:32:37.640 I intend to pastor. 00:32:37.779 --> 00:32:38.559 I intend to shepherd. 00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:42.359 I intend to shepherd and be an elder for the rest of my life. 00:32:43.980 --> 00:32:50.720 But I would also love to get to a certain point of financial freedom where I could do 00:32:50.720 --> 00:32:51.579 that in a different way. 00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:59.519 I've been following this pastor or this author, and he writes about the stages of a young man's 00:32:59.519 --> 00:32:59.720 life. 00:32:59.819 --> 00:33:04.940 He says, you know, ideally you have this young boy who is beloved as a child. 00:33:04.940 --> 00:33:09.220 And then he moves on, and he's nurtured in the faith, and he moves on to become like 00:33:09.220 --> 00:33:14.980 a cowboy or a ranger, exploring his faith, asking his questions, kicking the tires, just 00:33:14.980 --> 00:33:16.120 getting familiar with it. 00:33:16.980 --> 00:33:22.600 And maybe in his 20s, he finally finds something that he feels is worth living for, fighting 00:33:22.600 --> 00:33:23.680 for, and dying for. 00:33:23.779 --> 00:33:24.600 He becomes a warrior. 00:33:26.240 --> 00:33:30.220 And then as a warrior, though, he progresses and he becomes a lover. 00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:34.339 He's not just tough and fighting for what he believes in, but he also knows how to be gentle 00:33:34.339 --> 00:33:36.259 and humble and loving. 00:33:37.120 --> 00:33:38.960 And I feel like I'm in that stage right now. 00:33:39.059 --> 00:33:44.140 I'm a warrior learning to be a lover, and into my 40s, I'm trying to learn how to be a 00:33:44.140 --> 00:33:50.019 king, how to have people under me flourish, how to build institutions that last. 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:52.819 But you know what I want to be in my 60s? 00:33:53.579 --> 00:33:54.759 I want to be a sage. 00:33:54.759 --> 00:34:02.160 I want to be in a place where I've been so formed by the Holy Spirit, where I've walked 00:34:02.160 --> 00:34:10.219 with Jesus so long, and I've had so many decades of intimacy with him, that I can pour myself 00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:14.639 out financially, with my time, with my wisdom. 00:34:14.840 --> 00:34:20.800 I want to be oozing with godliness, oozing with the Holy Spirit, not dependent on the church 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:26.100 for my salary anymore, ready to give myself as a shepherd to the church. 00:34:27.580 --> 00:34:30.660 And I would ask you, like, have you thought about your life in that way? 00:34:30.740 --> 00:34:32.519 Where do you want to be 20, 30 years out? 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:35.200 Are you content to be a warrior for the rest of your life? 00:34:35.260 --> 00:34:36.120 Do you not want to be a king? 00:34:36.340 --> 00:34:37.980 Do you not want to be a sage? 00:34:39.480 --> 00:34:41.380 God wants so much more for us. 00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:42.880 And he can do it. 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:43.700 He will do it. 00:34:43.699 --> 00:34:51.239 And so I'm just asking you, I'm inviting you, will you follow me as I follow Christ and 00:34:51.239 --> 00:34:53.219 pursue this heart of a shepherd? 00:34:53.919 --> 00:34:56.679 Again, as Paul said, here is a trustworthy saying. 00:34:57.859 --> 00:35:05.480 Whoever aspires to be an elder truly desires a good, beautiful, and noble task. 00:35:06.079 --> 00:35:07.619 It's the task of Jesus, our good shepherd. 00:35:08.339 --> 00:35:08.919 Let's pray. 00:35:08.919 --> 00:35:08.919 00:35:13.699 --> 00:35:16.419 Lord, may it be so in our church. 00:35:17.359 --> 00:35:20.699 Would you destroy the spirit of contentment and complacency? 00:35:22.319 --> 00:35:29.059 And would we strive hard after you, pursuing deeper intimacy with you, pursuing more responsibility 00:35:29.059 --> 00:35:29.939 and leadership? 00:35:31.879 --> 00:35:38.079 For the sake of the church, for the sake of the world, oh God, build your church and use 00:35:38.079 --> 00:35:44.360 your shepherds and stir up in us the heart of our good shepherd, Jesus Christ. 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:46.039 In his name we pray. 00:35:46.559 --> 00:35:46.840 Amen.