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J. K. Hamilton

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Leaders, Followers and Servants

The church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is indeed a glorious church. It is the beautiful bride that He has sanctified and cleansed from sin through the washing of water by the word so that He might present it glorious and pure (Eph. 5:26,27). I am glad that the Lord blessed me to be a part of this blood-bought body of baptized believers described as the church of Christ and called to be Christians. One of the unique things that distinguish Christians and the church from all other world views and religions is that Jesus has the preeminence. The Bible declares, "...he is the head of the body, the church; firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the PREEMINENCE" (Colo. 1:18). Christ is at the very top of the authority chain. He is, if you will, the head honcho. He is the boss, king, president, champion, ruler, chief, in charge and anything else that is descriptive of absolute authority. The word of God, the Bible, is the means by which the glorious body of Christ is governed. For ALL scripture is given by the inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

"Well," one may say, "Christ is the head and the Bible is the guide, but who carries on the work and lays out the plan and materializes the mission of the church?" To this I would answer using the three nouns in the title of this article: LEADERS, FOLLOWERS, and SERVANTS. Notice that I evaded using the word "members" and it was with great intention. It is not simply members that contribute to the growth, expansion and maintenance of the church, but rather people who lead, follow or serve under the absolute authority of Christ through the Scriptures. In this article, or should I say, the next series of articles, I will attempt to exhibit a vivid picture of how God set up His church so that it will function harmoniously under the authority of Christ. I will not sensor these articles for any personal or political reason. GOD'S WORD IS ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY.

Leaders

The church of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ was set up with leadership based primarily on responsibility and not position. The Bible illustrates this in Ephesians 4:11-13. The outcome of spiritual leadership the way God ordained it is:

1. The perfecting or maturing of the saints;
2. The work of the ministry;
3. The edifying of the body
4. Unity of the faith.

In essence, leaders put forth a UNITED EFFORT that leads to an even more UNITED BODY OF FAITH. Thus, if the effort is not united then the body will not be. What exactly are the areas of leadership? This is a good question. Particularly because there is a need for more men with the desire to become leaders among God's people (elders, deacons, evangelists, ministers, teachers, etc.). In order to answer that question we may need to first ask what are the areas of responsibility? Remember, scriptural leadership is based primarily on responsibility and not position. It becomes a very destructive thing when men get caught up in authority and power instead of the responsibility behind biblical leadership. We will continue next week. Don't ignore what thus says the Lord.

The Bible clearly exhibits how the Lord set up His Church. There should be very little confusion concerning the various areas of responsibility and the positions made for those responsibilities. Again, take note that the position is for the responsibilities; thus, the responsibilities justify the positions. No responsibility, no position. Take for an example Paul's letter to his son in the gospel, Timothy, in 1 Timothy 3:1. "This is a faithful saying: If a man desire the OFFICE of a bishop, he desires a good WORK." Thus, we see that office is justified by the work. This principle is applicable to all official positions of leadership. So what are the areas of responsibility in the Lord's Church? I will answer this question using several biblical principles and examples that give the reason why these things are important. These are not necessarily in order of importance. Again, all of it is equally important for the purpose stated in the last article in Ephesians 4:11-13.

Proclaiming the Gospel – The gospel must be proclaimed. The gospel of Christ is the foundation of Christianity. It is what has the power to save (Rom. 1:16). The gospel is what will pull man out of sin and it is what pulls us out of darkness (2 Thess. 2:14, 1 Pet 2:9). Thus, an evangelist is needed for the RESPONSIBILITY of preaching and spreading the good news of Christ (Rom. 10:13-17). Evangelists must be mindful of their own doctrine and motives as well (1 Tim. 4:16).

Setting Order & Ordaining Leadership (Elders & Deacons) – Paul wrote to the young evangelists and ministers, Timothy and Titus, and gave them the qualities to be found in elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1), and charged Titus to set lacking things in order (Titus 1:5). Paul and Barnabas, who were evangelists and apostles, ordained elders in Iconium and Antioch (Acts 14:23). Evangelists who shy away from ordaining leadership are actually shirking one of their RESPONSIBILITIES and may be nullifying their position. There are hosts of other Responsibilities that God has given to ministers of the word and evangelists. These can be found in Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. God has distributed these responsibilities (1 Tim. 4:11; Titus 2:15).

Overseeing & Feeding The Flock – There is a RESPONSIBILITY of watching over the SPIRITUAL well being of the Church and it cannot be done by evangelists/ministers lest it hinder them from their God-given responsibility. Thus, God has set in place the OFFICE or POSITION of ELDER/BISHOP for the responsibility of watching over and feeding the flock. As shepherds tenderly and gently protect the sheep and lead them to where the pastures are green, so must elders (Acts 20:28). This is a great responsibility seeing that shepherds must keep up with all of the flock in order to properly pastor them.

Protection from Grievous Wolves from Without or Within – This is a tedious responsibility that elders have which requires very close maintenance of the body of elders as well as the flock. "Take heed to yourselves AND to all the flock." Elders have the awesome RESPONSIBIL ITY of making sure that wolves do not enter the eldership or the flock (Acts 20:28-31). There are many other RESPONSIBILITIES given to elders, evangelists, and deacons. Later we will continue exploring the areas of responsibility for deacons and even the membership.

THE BIBLE MUST MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

Convincing and Exhorting the Gainsayers

Gainsayers (anti-lego) are those who speak against the truth. God has given elders the RESPONSIBILITY of convincing them of the truth to the elders (Titus 1:9) in joint effort with the Evangelists (2 Tim. 4:3). Be blessed in the Lord.

The subject of servitude will be very unpopular to those who look at the subject of leadership through a carnal mind. The carnal mind looks at leadership as an opportunity to dictate and to disperse orders. The carnal mind looks at leadership as a platform of power instead of an opportunity to serve. The carnal mind sees leadership as a way to become popular, get influence and be the center of all things. The carnal mind has a "Burger King" way of looking at things in that it sees it an opportunity to have it "my way." However, godly leadership knows that good leaders (evangelists, elders, deacons, ministers, Teachers etc.) are also good followers and, ultimately, good servants. Don't take my word for it. Listen to Jesus:

But Jesus called them to himself, and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, And their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, but whoever shall be your servant, And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:25-28 NAS).

Another area of RESPONSIBILITY is that of mechanical servitude. God has given that awesome responsibility to deacons. What are types of responsibilities bestowed upon deacons? Let's look to the Bible for our answer. In Acts chapter 6 we will find that deacons (whether official or not official) were chosen and ordained for the purpose and RESPONSIBILITY of taking care of the "business" (vs. 3) of waiting tables. It appears that deacons had the responsibility of tending to the mechanical needs of the saints (business, food, physical needs, pantry, etc.). They were servants in that they tended to the needs of the people, which required that they be acquainted with the people enough to detect even the unspoken needs of the people. Two of the deacons selected in Acts 6 labored in the preaching of the word (Phillip and Stephen). The responsibility of deacons must not be minimized or depreciated. Their roles are so vital that God requires the same basic qualities in them that He does in elders and evangelists. Leaders should be respected and allowed to fulfill their responsibility without the added stress of rebellious and recalcitrant individuals.

Compliance to leadership is based on God given RESPONSIBILITY and not simply a title or position. Don't take my word for it; listen to the word of God: "Obey your leaders and be under their God given authority. Those men are RESPONSIBLE for you...." (Heb. 13:17(EVD).

In the same text the Hebrews writer gives a charge to those who are FOLLOWING the leaders who God has given authority to through the word. Listen to God: "...Obey those men so that they will do this work with joy, not sadness. It will not help you to make their work hard" (Heb. 13:17(EVD). What an interesting word from the Lord!! Rebellion and revolt can make it harder for elders to shepherd the flock, for deacons to serve and minister to the flock, and for evangelists to teach and admonish the flock through the preaching of the word.