Asked to teach our leadership group the topic of making biblical elder qualifications your compass - These are my notes.
When do you use a compass? If you’re not going anywhere, there is no need for one. If you already knew exactly how to get there you wouldn’t need one. And if you weren’t sure exactly where you wanted to go, and wanted to browse around a bit, a compass would do you no good - you would need a GPS or a Map.. Options.
So what do we know about a Compass? You use one when:
1. You are going somewhere.
2. You know where ‘there’ is, and did the map work to find your heading.
3. You need the compass to hold you accountable in actually getting there/ keeping the heading.
Again:
1. Going somewhere
2. Know where, and did your map work.
3. Keep the heading. Get there.
Going Somewhere:
Where are we going as men? Are we going anywhere? Do we go about each day knowing where our actions are taking us? Where they are taking those we are leading? To lead you do actually have to be going somewhere, its inherent in the language, to follow, you must be moving behind a leader who is going somewhere.
Find where you want to go. Is it qualified as a biblical Elder? It should be. It is a noble aspiration.
Where? Map Work?:
Read the word. Deut. 6. Map work, we are doing it right now.
Keep the heading:
Pastor Description Megachurch in chicago:
Man or Woman
Provide leadership and vision
Ensure vision/strategy and position of strength
Ability to dream and cast vision
Demonstrate spiritual leadership, authentic walk with Jesus, balance work and life (as if the two are somehow different things, you stop your life to go to work and resume it when you pull into the driveway)
Proven leader of leaders
Pastor description Sixth century from Gregory the Great:
BE the model for everyone
Devoted to the example of good living
Dead to passions of flesh
Live a spiritual life
No regard for worldly posterity
Never cower in the face of adversity
Desire the internal life only
Intentions not thwarted by frailty of body, or spiritual trials
Not lust for others possessions
Quick to forgive
Never so far removed from righteousness as to forgive indiscriminately.
Deplore evil acts in others, commit none of his own.
Suffer others afflictions, rejoice in their fortune
Student of right living, to water the arid hearts of his neighbors with streams of doctrinal teaching
Prayer life
Paul’s list:
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
Manage his own household well
With dignity keep his own children submissive
Not a recent convert
Well thought of by outsiders
Faithful children
Not violent
Lover of good
Disciplined
Hold firm to the word
To teach in sound doctrine
To rebuke those who contradict the truth.
Above Reproach:
free of obvious inconsistency - discredit your character
One woman man:
Sexual fidelity- only have eyes for one woman?
Self control and other fruits of the spirit:
sober minded, respectable, gentle, not drunkard, hospitable.
Not ensnared by the devil:
To be ensnared you must be tricked, going down a route you didn’t think would lead where it eventually led. Not a recent convert and respected by outsiders - Key is consistency. Would anyone in your workplace be surprised to find out you were a leader at church?
Manage your own household,
if someone cannot manage his own household how will he manage the church? - Must an elder’s children be believers?
Must an elder have children? We are called to contend for the faith, put on the breastplate of righteousness, … to fight. Children are a blessing from the lord psalms 127 blessed is he whose quiver is full of them, he will not be ashamed when he speaks with his enemies at the gates. If you want to be an elder and do not have children, you have neglected the use of a deadly weapon, and arguably are not committed to the fight ahead of you.
Must your children be believers? -
Preacher kid stereotype. Neglected Qualification.
John 3:8 only the spirit gives new birth. We do not save, christ does.
Holds a man responsible for what he is responsible for.
Not belief but behaviour . Fathering and eldering extensively overlap. So if the goal in our church is to have beleivers then looking at the home we should want to see that as well. Our goal at church is not simply to have obedience.. Obedience to what! Obedience to christ yes, to the world no. Therefore why would you say obedience alone is what is meant by faithful children?
Nehemia 4:14 - fight for your sons, daughters, houses.
Because it is a long war it crosses generations.
This means that we begin by fighting for our children, but we must end by fighting by means of them. We bust do two things simultaneously - we must fight today’s battles, and we must recruit and train tomorrow’s warriors.
We have a tendency to always be looking out at the next thing on the horizon, and forget it is where we are right now that qualifies us for the next thing. That thing will come wether we do anything or not, so we should focus on preparing, not getting to it.
Capable teacher of God’s word.
Tell people what God’s word means and what they need to do about it.
Boils down to three
Elder must be an exemplary christian. What should be true of all christians must be true of him
Able to lead others, first place to validate this is to look at the family. To guage successful leadership, is did the people you were leading end up where they were supposed to be, did they follow you, are they at the finish line with you now? If they took a different path then did you lead them?
Capable teacher of God’s word.
Greatest tools are example and teaching. Not go this way, but come on this way.
What we should do about it.
Be strategic:
“ a tactical player only sees the next move; strategy reads the board.” “Amateurs study tactics, professionals study intelligence.” “Sun Tzu: Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
What is more strategic then success 100 years from now? How do you ensure the fight is taken to the enemy long after you are gone? Your children. Their children. Their children. Example of Jonathan Edwards. Example of Abraham.
You spend your life fighting for your children, while you can have an impact. Strategy is the opposite of short sightedness: “ Far too many parents struggle with short sightedness. Bringing up children - training and educating them - is like pouring concrete. Time is a key element, and after that time has passed, the thing is done. While god is gracious, most studies demonstrate that what a young person beleives upon graduating from college will often be what he believes the rest of his life. Therefore, we need to redeem the time and use it wisely.
Strategic in the use of every day, and our understanding about neutrality in this world. Excerpt from Excused absence. “For or against him.” - there is no neutrality. Opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. Saying something can be neutral. Like public education, like music, movies, stories, policy, etc… Need to study these things and figure out where they are on the spectrum. Sin is everywhere, you cannot escape its presence but you should be able to identify what is for God and what is not for God.
Nehemia 4:14 - fight for your sons, daughters, houses.
Because it is a long war it crosses generations.
This means that we begin by fighting for our children, but we must end by fighting by means of them. We bust do two things simultaneously - we must fight today’s battles, and we must recruit and train tomorrow’s warriors.
So a short sighted strategic man throws himeslef into ministry, neglecting his family in order to do so, is not just demonstrating that he desont understand his wife and kids, but that he doesn’t understand the nature of true ministry.
How strategic is it to be of good character? Very strategic, when your children follow your example, and their children, and their children. And all the others who follow you as you follow christ.
The heading doesn’t change with your job, position, opportunities. Regardless the hill or the valley, a heading is a heading.
Pursue godliness more that you pursue others’ recognition of your godliness.
How do you make these your compass?
Memorize them.
Meditate on them.
Pray through them.
Make a list of the qualifications
and write down ways you can grow in them.
“Not quick tempered” - “I’m just competitive.”
Ask others who know you well how they would grade you on the qualifications. Follow the example of the elders infront of you.
Making these qualifications puts pressure on your character where it belongs, and takes it off of your circumstances where it does not.
Keep checking your compass, if you get a little to the left or right, look at your compass (read the qualifications, memorize them, pray over them) and get back on the right heading.
I like that he didn’t say make the qualifications your destination, but make them your compass. There is no end in sight. A current elder has not ‘made it’ and no longer uses a compass. You will until you die, need to look down at your compass, and stay on the right heading.
1. Going somewhere - Where are you heading?
2. Know where, and did your map work. - Read the word, know the qualifications, decide as a man to aspire to them. Know how they manifest practically in your life.
3. Keep the heading. Get there. - Memorize, meditate, pray. Ask others for feedback. Constantly measure yourself against the standards.
amen, brother. good stuff. compass metaphor works well in making your point. Proverbs 4:26 ponder the paths of your feet and all your ways shall be sure. direction determines destination. best indicator of where you'll be 5 years from now is which direction your feet are pointed at this moment.
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