Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
September 9, 2001 A.M.
Qualifying Church Leadership
Reading - Acts 1.18-26 & 6.1-7
Our Eldership has asked for the next three or four Sundays... That our lessons be focused upon CHURCH LEADERSHIP... As we prepare to select and ordain an additional Elder to oversee and watch for the spiritual well-being of our church family.
If I understood their intentions correctly... They plan to add an additional Elder this year... and another next year.
In order to facilitate this in a Biblical fashion... They asked for this series of lessons.
So... Our Sunday morning lessons will focus primarily on QUALIFICATIONS... What the Bible has to say about the kind of men God wills to lead, guide and oversee His church.
Then... On Sunday evenings... We'll be talking about the function of leadership. The duties of church leaders and our responsibilities to them.
I want to introduce this series this morning by examining these two passages in the early chapters of Acts... To help us understand how the first church attended to the concept of LEADERSHIP under DIVINE GUIDANCE from the Holy Spirit... Through the Apostles.
After all... We are restorationists... This means that we believe we should speak where the Bible speaks... Keep silent where it is silent... Call Bible things by Biblical names and do Bible things in Biblical ways.
Having said this... Let us see what we can learn from our text this morning...
First... We learn from these Scriptures that God is interested in leadership.
Judas had been dead less than 50 days and already the Holy Spirit is prompting the 120 to select... qualify and appoint his replacement.
I believe this tells us the priority God places on leadership.
Our congregation has grown from 150 to well over 200 since we last appointed additional Elders.
Our current Eldership is an effective...united... efficient group... But they are aging (That's not a very nice way of saying it.)... But if something should happen to one or more of them in the near future... The congregation could face a leadership crisis.
God doesn't want us to wait until there is such a crisis in our family before selecting additional men... So... the wise decision is to add additional leadership now.
Plus... If we add one this year... and one next year... the personality... the mind-set of the Eldership will not change drastically overnight.
However... If we wait until some crisis arises and we must appoint two or three new Elders... Things could change quickly.
This kind of abrupt transition is never good for a congregation and frequently leads to disunity... Something our current Eldership works very hard to avoid at all cost.
I believe our Eldership has made a wise and farsighted choice... One that is in agreement with the principle that God is interested in maintaining proper church leadership.
Secondly... The leadership is to be selected by the church family.
Acts one says... Therefore it is necessary for us to choose...
Acts 6.3... Choose men from among you.
Now... We must understand that in neither of these cases are we talking about Elders... but leaders in general...
-Acts one is about selecting an additional Apostle.
-Acts six is about selecting men to serve the needs of the Grecian widows.
But the principles still apply... RIGHT?
Let me say this... this morning... Not every Christian was meant to serve as an Elder.
Romans chapter twelve indicates that we all have been gifted by God to fill different roles within the church family. However... most individuals are not equipped to best judge their own capacity...their own leadership ability... This is the reason the Holy Spirit has instructed others to make the selection on the basis of an unbiased evaluation.
In both of these cases the church did the recommending... the choosing... the selecting.
In Acts six... Our King James says... Pick out seven men of character... Honest report... Full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.
Let me be quick to point out that not being chosen as an Elder does not mean that we are spiritually inferior... It just means that we are to fulfill another role in the Kingdom of God.
An Elder is not superior to a Deacon in God's sight.... anymore than a husband is superior to a wife or parents superior to children.
I believe Paul made this point plain when he said... In Christ there is neither Jew or Greek.... male or female... bond nor free.
However... There are different roles... different responsibilities... different duties for each of us to perform.
I believe the Bible to teach... Let a man do what he does best... If he is a great Deacon... Let him serve... If he is gifted to teach... Let him teach... If gifted to lead... Let him govern diligently... If in showing mercy... Let him do it cheerfully... If he can give... Do so generously.
This is Romans 12.5-8... Read it again.
Thirdly... We are to select qualified men only.
In Acts one... Qualified to be an Apostle... In Acts six... Qualified to serve tables.
Church... It is wrong... It is a mistake... It is unscriptural... To appoint men to the Eldership who are not Biblically qualified for the task.
-The Eldership is not an honorary position.
-An Elder is not to be selected just because we like him.
-It is not a position of reward for long service in the Deaconate... A man does not have to serve as a deacon... before he is selected to be an Elder.
-The Eldership is not a political office.
-It's not to be viewed as a way of enhancing our position within the church power structure.
Note here that nothing is said in these two readings about the candidate's...
-Education level...
-About his business accomplishments...
-About his managerial skills...
-About their investments... their politics... communication skills or assertiveness.
Church... We must not select Elders from a worldly perspective... But through Holy Spirit glasses... We must see and select them in light of God's qualifications!
God help us at Bella Vista to be big enough men and women to lay aside...
-Our pettiness...
-Our personal preferences...
-Abandon our politics...
And select only those who meet God's qualifications as Elders... Shepherds of His flock... Amen??... Amen!!
Note with me now the qualifications we can glean about church leaders in general from our text...
First... They must be faithful to God.
Peter says... Select someone who has been with us from the beginning.
-An Elder is to be a man of preserverent faith.
-God is looking for dependability.
-He wants men who will not become weary in well doing...
-Men who will keep-on-keeping-on at all cost...
Men who will be faithful until and unto death.
Do Elders get discouraged... exhausted... defeated... You bet... But he never gives up.
Does he receive undo and unjust criticism?... Yes... But he does not quit.
Folk... God places a high priority on genuine faithfulness.
Secondly... Church leaders are to be familiar with Jesus.
In Acts one... They were to select men who knew Jesus intimately... From John's baptism until the ascension. Not someone who knew about Him... But that knew Him... Had a relationship with Him.
It is not required that church leaders know Greek... Hebrew... Theology... pat answers to select questions... But does he know Jesus?
Paul once wrote... I came knowing nothing among you but Jesus and Him crucified.
Elders are men who know Jesus... Men who know His heart... His attitudes... His disposition.
Audience, in this text, how did they know Jesus... By spending time with Him.
Elders are men who spend time with Jesus.
Number three... Qualified church leaders must be followers of Christ.
Elders are to be men who will humbly submit to the leadership of Christ... And who will follow in His footsteps... Walk where He walked.
Elders are those who ask... What Would Jesus Do... What Would Jesus Have Me Do?
You see... If a man will not submit to authority... He is not qualified to serve in any role of leadership in the church of God... Not as an Elder... Deacon... Teacher... Preacher... or Youth Director.
This concept of submission goes against the grain of thinking today, doesn't it? We have a concept of leaders blazing new trails... Of going where no man has gone before... Of stepping out beyond authority.
Personally... I believe this is the problem in many churches today... Leadership going where Jesus has never gone.
Listen to 1 Peter 2.21.. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Genuine church leaders... Elders... Deacons... Preachers.... Teachers.... Youth Directors are to follow Christ... They must be... Willing to submit to authority... Willing to suffer for truth... Willing to live an exemplary life... They do not retaliate when wronged... They do not make threats when threatened.
God wants church leaders who will follow His son.
Now from Acts 6.3... I read this time from the King James... Look out from among you... Men of honest report... Full of the Holy Ghost... And wisdom.
Church leaders... Elders are to be men of good report.
Men with a good reputation.
Church... If a man does not have a good reputation in the community and in the church... Don't submit his name to be a church leader... The Bible says he is not qualified.
No... This scripture is not saying that he must be perfect... But that he be well thought of by others.
Church leaders are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is not the indwelling gift being spoken of here. All children of God have the indwelling of God's Spirit given to them as a gift... As a seal... As a deposit when we were born again.
I believe this qualification goes to Ephesians 5.16... Where the command is... To be filled with the Spirit.
This is contrasted to being filled with wine... Being drunk on wine... Question??...
Who controls our actions?... Who controls our decisions... Who is in control of our lives?
If we are filled with wine... We are under the influence of the wine... We are controlled by the wine... Our inhabitations are overcome by the wine
On the other hand... If we are Spirit filled... We are under His influence... We are under His guidance... We are controlled by the Spirit.
Our natural fears and inhibitions have been overcome by His Spirit.
In fact Paul goes so far as to say in Romans six... That if we are not Spirit led... Spirit filled... Spirit influenced... Spirit controlled... Spirit guided... Then we do not even belong to Christ... We are none of His.
No wonder Paul admonishes us to not quince the Spirit.
Elders are to be men who are controlled by the Spirit through the Word... And men who will respond to the Spirit's command when God providentially brings circumstances and situations into their lives.
They are men who are not controlled by the wine of this world... Money... Lust... Politics... Popular opinion... But by the Holy... Inerrant Word of God.
They are men whos inhibitions are overcome by the intoxication of The Spirit.
Church leaders are to be men of wisdom.
They are to be of sound mind... Good judgment... and common sense.
Elders are men who will be influenced by God's wisdom.... Wisdom from above... Wisdom that comes only through prayer... Not by human wisdom.
Well... My prayer is that our thoughts this morning will be appropriate to start us thinking about the right man to be ordained as an Elder of this church family.
The last Sunday of this month... You will be given an opportunity to participate in the selection process... So... Be praying... Asking God for wisdom that we will choose the individual who will shepherd our souls through this world and into life eternal in heaven.
This has not been an evangelistic lesson... But we never want to leave an assembly like this without providing an opportunity for you to become a child of God by faith... repentance... and New Testament baptism.... Immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins.
Perhaps as a child of God... Some of us have not allowed the Spirit to lead and control our thoughts... attitudes... and actions... Maybe we need to submit to God's authority in every area of our life.
If you are subject to the invitation... Come now as we stand and sing... WILL YOU COME!!
