The following is a sermon transcript from our Sunday Service at The Rock Church in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Each week, we gather to worship, learn from God’s Word, and grow together. This transcript is provided as a free resource to encourage and equip you in your walk with Christ. While you’re welcome to read and share this content for personal use, we kindly ask that it not be redistributed or published elsewhere without prior written consent from The Rock Church.
Introduction: The Need for Qualified Leadership
An army of soldiers is dropped into a hostile territory. They’re given all the necessary supplies, ammunition, food. In fact, many of them are trained at the best schools, endured years of preparation. These are the best of the best, but none of them had any experience in hand-to-hand combat. And worse yet, none of them had actually served together. They’re simply soldiers solo in one unit.
And it’s not long after the drop that they see the enemy approaching in the distance. One soldier spots them and turns to tell another. However, each soldier has a different idea about the best strategy for fighting. As you might assume, all of the soldiers are easily defeated.
But how could that happen? How could the best of the best be so quickly conquered? Well, take note of one important fact. I made no mention of the officers. What they had no one leading them. That’s right, and because of that they were easily taken out.
One thing is for sure: an army without officers is a recipe for disaster. But the same principle applies to the local church. In fact, a church without qualified leaders might even be worse than having none at all.
Recently, I was speaking with a pastor, and he was telling me a story about the church in which he now leads. It began many years ago, and after some time, the founding pastor decided it would be a good idea to hire an associate pastor. But it became very clear over a short period of time that the church was divided. One group followed the lead pastor. Another group followed the associate pastor. Tensions rose to a fever pitch to the point that finally the church closed its doors.
Thankfully, the denomination was able to step in. They appointed an interim pastor, eventually hired the pastor who now leads it. And by God’s grace, the church survived and is doing well today.
So the question remains, how and why would a church go through such a mess? Well, we know that of course the culture of a church is established by the leadership of the church. Furthermore, what do the leaders care about? What do the leaders tolerate? These are important issues. But it all comes back to qualified leaders.
In any situation where there is no leader, guess what always happens? Somebody steps up to take the spot. But is he qualified? Is he called? Is he simply leading out of necessity because no one else will?
Big Idea: The Health of the Church Begins with the Health of Its Leaders
The Apostle Paul wrote his letter to Titus saying, with one main thrust, to establish qualified elders in every town in Crete. Why was this his focus? Surely there must have been other pressing needs. But he knew that the secret to a healthy church is healthy leaders. Where the leaders fail, so do the followers.
As a church, we can deal with divisive people who unknowingly bring harm. But when the leader does it, well, that is a whole different story.
Any church can have elders. In fact, you might have been part of a church that just needed to fill the role. So what did they do? Well, they quickly appointed men who were not called of God. You saw the damage done. They might have even left the church as a result of it. Certainly appropriate when you see no recourse for bad behavior. Sometimes the best thing to do is leave.
And what I want to discuss this morning is not only leadership, but healthy leadership. What does that mean in the local church?
If you’re taking notes, write down the big idea. It’s this: The health of a local church begins with the spiritual health of its leaders.
And we’re going to see four key points to support this idea:
- Healthy leaders are present in the church.
- Healthy leaders maintain order in their homes.
- Healthy leaders maintain order in their hearts and lives.
- Healthy leaders provide clear guidance and structure in their doctrine or teaching.
This is a high bar. So let’s look at that first one.
1. Healthy Leaders Are Present in the Church
Titus 1:5
It’s verse 5. Titus chapter 1, we read together. Let’s do so again:
“This is why I left you…”
So Paul is talking to Titus. “This is why I left you in this island called Crete, so that you might put what remained into order and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.”
At the top line of our elder board agenda is this: Jesus is the head. It’s his church, not ours. And just below that, we state the top priority is always developing leaders.
Now you might ask, wait a minute, that doesn’t seem right. Shouldn’t the priority be always developing people? Well, surely that’s the goal. But we have to ask the question, how can you develop the people without first developing the leaders?
That’s indeed the scenario present within the church in Crete. Paul makes it clear. This is the reason why I left you: to put in order what remains.
As we already know, there have been believers on this island for some time. In fact, in Acts chapter 2, verse 11, you’ll notice there, it’s when Peter preaches at Pentecost. It’s the Holy Spirit coming upon all the believers. And listed in the order was those of the Cretans.
But the problem remains. Why? There are no elders for these lazy, lying gluttons. This is a problem. Paul knows it’s a priority.
What Is an Elder?
But before we proceed any further, what, of course, is an elder? Is it simply an older man that gives advice and wisdom to the community? Well, not exactly.
We do know it’s reserved certainly for male only, as we see clearly in the text. But what about their age? Do they have to be older? Do they have to have more experience? Well, again, not exactly.
1 Timothy 3 verse 6 tells us that they must not be a recent convert. Why? Because he may become conceited. Hey guys, look at me. Look at the church just appointed me as an elder. I’ve been saved for 10 minutes and they gave me the elder badge. This is incredible. No, no, no, no, no. That’s a dangerous thing.
We remember what Paul said when he opened his letter to Titus. He’s a servant of God. That is crucial for anyone in leadership in the church. They are servants of God.
Now the government, that applies too, but let’s leave that for another topic. They are not a servant of self who seeks to gain platform, power, position. Much damage has been done to the church by unqualified leaders who do not understand their role as bondservants of Jesus Christ.
The Elder’s Charge
You’ll notice Acts chapter 20, verse 28. Speaking directly to the elders:
“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to the flock.”
What about this flock? It’s the flock of God that the Holy Spirit has made you an overseer. Elders, you’re called to care for the church of God. The very church that Jesus purchased with his own blood. If that doesn’t bring you to your knees, I don’t know what will.
Notice the careful attention required not only of the elder himself, but also of the people.
You see, the role of an elder is not self-appointed. It’s not a popularity contest, nor is it about a man who has had success in the business world. It’s not a corporate board structure. No, it’s much more than that.
The elders must consider their responsibility to watch over the flock that Christ has purchased with his own blood. That’s a serious thing.
Plurality of Elders
Our first point here is that every church must have qualified elders present. Nowhere does Paul indicate that it’s one guy. This is why we believe in what is known as a plurality of elders.
In other words, there should always be more than one.
It might be obvious, but it bears mentioning. Having one elder pastor who’s given oversight of the local church alone is a very dangerous thing. He makes all the decisions. He’s accountable to no one.
Accountability Within a Plurality
But pastor, how do you have a true plurality of elders? Don’t some churches have a pastor who looks into the crowd and says, that’s my yes man. That’s another yes man. Oh, that’s my guy right over there. Then he goes to the church people and say, these are the people that you need to vote for.
This is a really important question, and there’s really no easy answer to it. Here’s what I want to encourage you all to do. Ask the elders of our church some questions. How do you hold the pastor accountable? How do you challenge him when you disagree with him? How does he respond when you disagree with him? Because if any pastor gets angry when anyone dares to question him, that’s a huge problem.
The pastor needs to understand he doesn’t know all things. He can’t be right about all things. The pastor must serve in humility to receive both criticism and advice. How else can we grow together? How else can I grow if no one can speak into my life and criticize me in a nice way?
But great comfort that Jesus is the head of the church. He’s the chief shepherd of the sheep. And it’s for that reason that Peter writes in that context that all of us should clothe ourselves in humility toward one another. Why? Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Now that we have some idea who this elder is, that he must be present, more than one, cares for the church, spiritual needs, and material as well. Let’s consider the second of three. Certainly, sorry here, consider three important areas, namely the elder’s home, the elder’s heart, and the elder’s doctrine.
2. Healthy Leaders Maintain Order in Their Homes
Titus 1:6
So that’s the second one. Healthy leaders maintain order in their homes. It’s verse six. We’re looking at that:
“If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers, and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.”
I want you to notice that phrase, above reproach. If you’re new to church, you must be thinking, I don’t know what he’s talking about. Great question.
Most of the time, you see, a leader is selected in the world chiefly based on gifting, talent, experience. And then character is kind of lower down the list. I mean, he can do the job. He’s a capable man. Some issues with the character, but let’s overlook that. Excuse me, what was that? No, no, no, no, no. That should be the top criteria.
Another way to describe someone who’s above reproach is not only that he has a good reputation, but that he is free from any accusations that could be brought against him. Now, what do I mean by that? Well, consider a potential elder. We brought him up before the church. We’ve displayed him so that you know who he is. And we present him to you for observation. You know he’s married. You know he’s got kids.
But you happen to notice in the restaurant where you and your wife go, there he is with some young blonde girl that you’ve never seen before. Now, immediately you dismiss it. This can’t be his mom or his sister. That is a big concern and something that rises to the level of accusation.
Now, this is why it’s not just the job of other elders or the pastor, but it’s the job of the church to ensure that, yes, this is the Holy Spirit who has appointed this man of God to this role.
Now of course the most important training ground for any elder is his home. If he cannot take care of his own family how could he possibly take care of the household of God? This is why the ministry of the home is so important. It’s not something that only potential elders need to be considering, but any Christian man who has a family.
It’s very easy for elders and pastors today to focus all of their attention on the church, all the while neglecting their very families. Terms like PK, pastor’s kid, usually not positive. How’s that? Well, you might hear someone say, yeah, he’s a pastor’s kid. That’s why he’s such a mess. That’s why his behavior is so bad. I’m sorry, but that is an awful thing, should never be true. It should be the opposite. Oh, yeah, it’s a pastor’s kid. That’s why they’re so solid in the faith. That’s why they’re so collected in spirit.
But how about his wife? And now we see that other phrase here, husband of one wife. It’s pretty clear that these cretins, lazy, lying gluttons, had a lot of wives. So Paul’s putting this up there, guys. Stick with one. It’s an important criteria.
Pastor, though, wait, I have a question. What about King David? What about Solomon? Now, Duncan didn’t even know that I was sharing the same quote that he had at the men’s breakfast yesterday, which is really wild. I had planned it first, by the way. I didn’t take it from you.
Here’s the deal with King Solomon. King Solomon, 700 wives, 300 concubines. Don’t Google concubine, all right? Just know this. You can guess what it probably is. I simply cannot imagine what that dinner table would look like on any given night in his house.
But all kidding aside, just because the Bible describes something does not mean it is prescribing it. Amen. Allow me to explain. Just because King Solomon had many wives doesn’t mean that God approved of it and certainly wouldn’t approve of it for us. Just look at David and Solomon’s lives. They had some big problems.
In fact, we know it’s God’s design to be married, one man, one woman, with Christ at the head. But why, Pastor? Well, one of the purposes, of course, in marriage is to have children, to raise them in the fear of the Lord. It also, though, protects us from sexual immorality, and it’s ultimately the picture of Christ and his church. In fact, the church is called the bride of Christ and he is the bridegroom. So it’s no surprise that a man is to love his wife as Christ loves the church and gave himself up for her.
But another way of saying this phrase is a one woman man. But pastor, does that mean that no single men can be elders? Well, the Bible doesn’t clearly state this, but it’s certainly preferable that he’s married and has children because that is indeed where the training ground is happening.
In other words, the man’s devotion and affection should be squarely focused on his wife. He’s not allowed to be looking at other women all the time, trying to find out there must be a better one, addicted to pornography. These are all things that will exclude him from the office. If he cannot have a singular devotion to his own wife, how could he possibly have a singular devotion to the church?
And as we consider his own children, another important observation place. But pastor, you say that God is sovereign over who he will save. It’s not his fault if the kids are unbelievers. And that will be true only in an absolute sense, but it does not abdicate his responsibility in the home to spiritually… care for his children. Thank you. If he can’t bring his own children to faith, how could he possibly bring unbelievers to faith?
At the very least, his children must be raised in the word, knowing the gospel, the power of God unto salvation. Again, here it is. We’ve talked about this before. It’s a little deeper dive into doctrine, but it is the concurrence or the both and of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Think of it like this way. A plane may be delayed by the concurrence of both heavy winds and strong rain. They exist at the same time but cannot be separated. Such it is with God’s responsibility, God’s sovereignty, and man’s responsibility. Both happen at the same time, but do not conflict with one another.
It’s a bit of a mystery, but it should always produce humility. God is sovereign over whom he’s going to save. But he also has a requirement for those that he’s going to save. God requires all men to repent and believe the gospel. It’s not an either or. In fact, it’s a both and.
And when it comes to the potential elder’s responsibility for his own children, what is it? Well, he should make every effort to ensure that his children are not disobedient, unruly, uncontrollable. Now, how is that possible?
See, as parents, we can often and I often fall into this trap. I resort to the heavy hand of the law. That’s right. Listen, the more you disobey, the heavier the law shall come upon you. Child disobeys, we give them a consequence. That’s fair and good. But what if, what if I was better at introducing the gospel in these opportunities for disobedience? If I could bring the gospel to light, to bear on the child’s heart, maybe they desire to obey because they know that at least they could see that all of Christ has done for them. This is the least that they can do to obey. Right, Rosie? Sorry.
Now that is no easy task there. Why? Because it’s easy for us to resort to anger. It’s easy for us to resort to the law. It’s in my sin nature. The more they disobey, the heavier the law. Until finally, tears are flowing and they are throwing themselves on the ground. Oh Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. A sinful father.
But I think the problem today… Hear me out? Again, I often offend people. This is part of my job. To simply diagnose a child as being on the spectrum or having ADD. Okay. Now, they would say that this is just how they are. We can’t change that. There’s no question about their legitimate concerns among children, the rates of autism and so forth and so forth. But it is certainly staggering when we consider that in just the 1970s it was one in 10,000 and today it’s one out of 31 children have autism. It’s a staggering thing that should inform our parenting.
But we can’t always go there as an excuse. I’m not dismissing the reality of it. I’m simply saying that we can’t always have the excuse of it. In some cases, it is clear that a child has no self-control. And the reason for that is there’s no structure in the home. So we got those going on. I’m not saying there’s an easy answer. I’m sure I’ve offended you because you misheard what I said. But hear me. It’s a hard thing to do.
Proverbs 13, 24:
“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”
If we let our children run wild, it is the equivalent of hating them. Love equals discipline.
So here again, the training ground of the home, best predictor of how an elder will serve in the church. If the ministry of the home is unstable and broken, that would preclude this man from the office of elder.
3. Healthy Leaders Maintain Order in Their Hearts and Lives
Titus 1:7–8
Now let’s consider the third point. Number three, healthy leaders maintain order in their hearts and their lives. Verses 7 to 8, we read together:
“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… struggling today, but hospitable. A lover of good, self-control, upright, holy, and disciplined.”
As one commentator put it, the elder’s inner spirit and outer life must be consistent. In other words, the two categories at play here are this: what is in the heart, and then what comes out of the heart.
Matthew 15, 11 says,
“It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it’s what does what? Comes out of the mouth. This defiles a person.”
In other words, it’s not what you eat that defiles you. It’s but what you say that defiles you.
What I want you to notice is that the word overseer is used for elder. He’s a superintendent. He’s a guardian of souls. He’s watching over the welfare of the church.
Hebrews 13, 17 says this:
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who have to give an account for… Let them do this with joy, not with groaning, for that would be no advantage to you.”
Every time I remember that God has called me to watch over souls, I think to myself, how could I possibly do this task that you’ve called me to? Am I supposed to look into people’s hearts and see what’s inside? And yet again, it’s this humbling reality and reminder, man, I need Jesus. I need him. I need him so that I can serve more faithfully in the church. This high calling, but it’s God’s calling.
And notice, Paul describes the elder as God’s steward. It’s an interesting thing, referring to the fact that every elder pastor is an officer under the leadership of the master, King Jesus. God has entrusted him to do good to the church. And that is indeed what makes it a supernatural endeavor. I can’t defer to human wisdom and speculation. I have to go to the Lord and plead with him for help. Thankful to the Lord, he gives wisdom. He gives mercy without reproach. Liberally, he’s faithful to provide it. But most importantly, this counsel comes from the many. Yet again, the importance of a plurality of elders who will impartially judge a situation as to what is best for the whole.
And so unsurprisingly, Paul uses this phrase yet again above reproach. Anytime the Bible says something once, we should listen. But if you hear it a second time, man, you better be careful to observe this. The church belongs to Christ. He’s the head of the body. He is building the church. So Paul does not mince words by offering suggestions about what an elder should be like. No, he commands it by saying, this man must be. It’s not a should be. It’s not a nice to have. No, no. Absolute terms.
It makes a lot of sense. Because what happens when an elder is arrogant? Well, quite obviously, they’re in it for the selfish reasons. What does that mean? It means that they serve not only to please self, but to do the will of self. That means platform, power, position. That means this: Don’t question me. I’m the man of God. I hear from God. I am the authority. Be very careful.
The elder must serve to please God and to do the will of God. Instead of pride, it’s humility. It’s being able to admit when he’s wrong and even ask for forgiveness. Without this, he is a tyrant, an autocrat, and takes great pleasure in lording over others to do his will. He will even buy favor from the people. He’ll take the benevolence money and give it to the people that he thinks he can buy favor with.
Proverbs 22 verse 24 says,
“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go to a wrathful man.”
This is good advice. Men that are easily given to anger are dangerous and destructive. They will harm and even defile many. That’s exactly why they shouldn’t be drunkards. Some people are fine without alcohol. But as soon as they have a drink, it’s like they become a different person. All of a sudden, getting into fights, becoming abusive. What happened? They seemed so nice.
Instead they should be gentle and in it to serve, not to gain. So many false teachers consider the gospel as a means of gain. That’s what Paul warned Timothy about in his first letter to him. Ultimately what is in the heart will always come out. It will try to hide for a short time, but eventually will be revealed. This is why the potential elder needs to be tested and observed so that it’s clear that he is right to serve the church of the living God.
So that’s the concern with his heart. But what about his life? That’s what we see in verse 8. He’s to be generous with his time and resources. He’s to open his home and life to the church. And in so doing, he shows his heart. He’s revealed in his relationships to others. His relationship to God and his relationship with himself.
Notice the word upright. See it in the text? Used to describe the just judgment of others. In other words, how does he treat people? Is he known to be short with people, easily irritated, or just doesn’t want to be around others? Or is he slow to anger and quick to listen?
You might have guessed that a pressing need for people today is to be heard. That’s all they really want. They’re consumed with social media. They’re isolated. They lack friends and meaningful relationships. And people are starving for someone just to sit down and listen to them. I would say to be heard is to be loved.
But what about a relationship with God? Well, let me ask you, how’s your relationship with God? Well, pastor, I read my Bible today. I prayed. I came to church. I shared the gospel recently. That’s all great. I love that. That’s really important. But that’s not what I asked you. What do you mean? How do you describe your relationship with God? Well, God is my father. I am his son. I am his daughter. Awesome.
That makes all the difference in our lives. As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we have a Father who loves us because of Christ. He doesn’t love us more because we perform better. He simply wants us to come to Him as His dear children to find mercy and grace in our time of need.
Both an elder and any believer that are made holy, they must understand that they are made holy because of the righteousness of Christ. Notice that phrase, holy, the word. They are not holy by what they do. Anybody holy here? Raise your hand, we’ll talk afterward. They are made holy. Their hearts have been cleansed. They are defiled. They’re undefiled by the habitual sin and wickedness.
In other words, how does a potential elder control himself? Is he loose with his tongue? Does he do, does he say whatever he’s thinking? Or is there a sense that he is aware, man, of this corruption in the flesh? Does he know that there’s nothing good in him? Not a good person? Stop. Stop. But he makes every effort to restrain this body of death, restrain his tongue, restrain his passions. These are all important questions.
4. Healthy Leaders Provide Clear Guidance and Structure in Doctrine
Titus 1:9 — “Sound Doctrine”
But the capstone lands in the final point, number four, healthy leaders provide clear guidance and structure and doctrine. What we’re going to see in the text is that two words, sound doctrine. Man, does that matter.
Verse nine, we read,
“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
This is the point that separates elders from all the other leaders within the church. You see, deacons have all the same qualifications when it comes to heart, when it comes to character as the elder. But there’s one important difference on this issue of doctrine.
What’s that mean, Pastor? Yeah. Can the potential elder provide clear guidance and structure when it comes to doctrine? When it comes to the Word of God? Is he able to teach it? Is he able to refute error? It’s two things.
On the one hand we got to remember these issues in the church in Crete. On the one hand there was this legalism. On the other hand there’s this antinomianism. I’m not sure I know what that means. Well, when it comes to legalism—legal, law—it’s when we’re trying to add anything to the gospel. The clearest example in the New Testament is circumcision. You see, there were Jews who were coming to faith and holding on to their traditions. They were telling the Gentiles they had to be circumcised in order to truly be saved.
And that might come about in our church when someone takes a secondary doctrine when it comes to matters of the Christian faith and moves it to first place. This is not uncommon in the local church.
Someone in the church realizes that this church holds to God’s sovereignty and election. In other words, Scripture is clear in many places. Ephesians 1, 4, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, so many more. I could go on and on, but instead of asking the elders for qualification, they decide to double down their position. They go to others in the church to sow the discord and division.
Let me just say what the Lord hates. It’s Proverbs chapter 6, 16 to 19, it says this:
“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies,”
and the last is
“one who sows discord among brothers.”
You know, you want to know what Satan is most pleased with? It’s when believers sow division within the church. Why is this such a big deal? Well, it creates confusion. It creates disorder. It creates doubt and even fear. It’s the spiritual forces of wickedness doing their best work, dividing the church.
Now, if we have elders in the church who are not established in sound doctrine, this kind of division will run wild. Worse yet, it’s when the elders in the church all hold to different theological persuasions. That is even worse because naturally now we have one group of people to follow this elder or pastor—word used interchangeably—and another group to follow the other elder or pastor. And instead of having a unified church, we have a church that’s divided and weak.
It’s why we affirm this statement, this confession, the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. Now, to be clear, we’re not asking, we never have, and we’ve been working through this book for almost three years, anyone who wants to become a member to affirm every point of doctrine. We’re just saying subscribe to unity. In other words, don’t take the opportunity to say, man, I think I’m going to text everybody in the church how much I hate this confession of faith, how bad it is to be confessional.
That’s why we ask members to subscribe to the 1689 with a degree of unity. And these matters are secondary in a lot of ways. The one thing we must all agree on is the main thing, the statement of faith. For without that, we are not a church.
The Apostle Paul was most concerned that the elders held firmly to the trustworthiness of Scripture, to its inerrancy, to its infallibility. As a reminder, the Word of God is the final authority. The Baptist Confession, the Westminster, the whatever other, always serve to point us back to the Word and provide clarity where the Bible may not be clear.
Here’s where the Bible is clear. Even a child can understand it. It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s the person and work of Christ according to the Scriptures. But there are lots of mysteries. There’s lots of things that we will never fully understand. Man’s responsibility. God’s sovereignty. How can they both be true and not contradict?
And so in these matters, we got to be charitable. We got to be humble. We got to not impugn the character of God or the character or motives of others. The danger is asserting that because God is sovereign, somehow he’s the author of sin. But the Bible is clear that God is neither the author of sin, nor is he responsible for man’s sin. Furthermore, God requires all men everywhere to repent and believe the gospel. He requires faith, but he also authors that faith.
Nonetheless, the elder must be settled in on where he stands when it comes to matters of doctrine. He must be able to provide clear structure and guidance while at the same time refuting those who teach that which is false.
John Calvin said this,
“A pastor has two voices, one for gathering the sheep and the other for driving away the wolves and the thieves.”
Here’s what we love about the Baptist confession. It drives away the wolves. They come for a minute and they’re gone. It’s great. They know it’s not going to be very easy to come in and bring in their doctrine because we’ve got a solid guardrail. These walls are very firm and strong.
Sure, you could have no creed but Christ, but you’ve unknowingly done what is create your own creed. But pastor, there’s no biblical precedent for creeds. Really? How about 1 Timothy 3.16?
“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.”
A creed is a formal statement about what we believe. Why do you need a creed? Well, the church instituted these as a result of issues that arose when it came to the Trinity, or the nature of Christ. All of these things came as a response to heresy that was trying to get into the church. We believe the Bible. But what do you believe about the Bible? Without a creed, without a confession, we have no formal system of belief because the Bible can be whatever you want it to be.
Stephen Nichols said it well when he made this statement. These become guardrails for the church to guard her against apostasy, against heresy, and to keep her on the path of orthodoxy. Sure, you can have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible, but you’ve created your own creed, your own confession. No thanks. I’d rather stand on the shoulders of faithful men over the thousands of years of the church rather than creating something new and then falling into apostasy or heresy.
As I’ve said it before, without sound leadership, the church has no hope to thrive in sound doctrine. Sure, the false teachers can bring temporary gratification and even most, often most, bring intrigue. But never will life change happen. Never will lasting encouragement be brought. Never will meaningful spiritual development into more and more Christ-likeness will happen.
Conclusion: Examine and Pray for Your Leaders
So as we close, we’ve considered this idea that the health of the church begins with the spiritual health of its leaders. So ask the elders, ask me, how are you doing? How are you doing spiritually? How can I pray for you? How’s everything going at your home? How’s everything in your heart?
As elders, we got an obligation to be open and transparent with you. Why? Because your souls are at stake, not your eternal souls, but certainly the vibrancy of your spiritual life. Jesus purchased the church with his own blood. This is no small matter. And the elders must take that to the highest level.
As the confession says, Christ has appointed the way to call someone gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit to this office of overseer or elder in the church. He’s got to be called and chosen by a collective vote within the church, solemnly set apart. The body of elders must then lay hands on him and put him in place.
Let’s pray together. Let’s pray for the elders. Let’s pray that God continues to raise up more qualified men to serve. It’s no small thing. Because the health of the local church begins with the health of its spiritual leaders.
Closing Prayer
Let’s go to the Lord now.
Lord, we come to you in the name of Jesus. We bow before you. You are the King, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Great I Am, the Majestic One, the Ruler of All, the Sustainer, the Giver of Life. We bow before you and honor you as Lord and Head of the Church, the Chief Shepherd.
O Lord, have mercy on our church. Oh Lord, raise up qualified men to serve. Raise them up so that your church will be equipped for every good work. That we would together go forth from this place in the power of your Holy Spirit. As we put on the Lord Jesus, as we walk in the Spirit, as we look to Christ. As we look to your gospel, as we understand that Jesus, you lived a perfect life to suffer and die for us, sinful man. And you rose from the grave and delivered us from the penalty of sin and death. We’re so grateful that you rose from the grave, that you declare us not guilty through faith as we trust you.
And for any soul that is here today that does not know you, Jesus, would you give them faith to believe? Would you do it now even? We trust you. We love you. We rest in you. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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