God relies
on those
whose hearts are set on Him
sermon by Manfred Schreyer
Acts 14:21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, :22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. :23 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.
As with every sermon I proclaim to you there is also a deeper purpose for all of us personally in the Word for us. God had laid several areas on my heart when I started my ministry here: The area of adult education, the area of raising up leadership for different groups like senior groups, etc. and finally to bring awareness to the high calling of Deacons.
Often we can judge the importance of issues within the word of God by the frequency it is mentioned. Let me start with the pastor itself . . . it is not mentioned at all. And it is only mentioned in the plural once in the New Testament:
Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, :12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up :13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
According to the Word god calls certain people out to fulfill certain roles within His church.
Why? Because if a single leader retains full power and leadership, the people of God may await to walk a dangerous path. No single individual on God’s earth today holds the truth alone and no one can claim to hold the truth. We all hold part of the truth. The best "poor" examples of single powers in history among the Christian faith in modern times remain in examples like Herbert Armstrong, Jim Jones . . . who used their power over people rather then allowed God to work through people. Their leadership had devastating effects on the followers and often had devastating effects on those who journeyed the Christian faith and explored the Christ.
Each one of us has experienced life from a different angle, we were born in different geographic areas, to different social status, values, virtues . . . but all of us press toward the same goal . . . the goal of living in community as Christ our Lord. But because we are different as people, we read, analyze and understand the story of Christ and the meaning of Christ differently.
Believe me . . . God knows this and if we seek Him and leave our personal desires behind, we can reach the truth together. We may see the truth in a different light as the shadows of light radiate the truth differently, but the core remains the same.
The reason I know God knows the circumstances in which we seek the truth I find in the following summary of verses:
"Has God indeed said…You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all"; and "…appoint elderS in every city as I commanded you…"; and in regard to the meetings of the ekklesia community, "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge." (Mark 10:42-44; Titus 1:5; 1 Cor. 14:29).
The idea here is clear. We are to live in community where every voice is heard, where we rely on each others experience(s), but where the focus is and remains on Christ. Christ is the foundation of our being together.
In the early churches (house churches), I believe scenarios appeared where interpretation, and stories about the Christ went ramped . . . differences, great differences. So God spoke to Paul as recorded in the words of Acts and Paul and Barnabas appointed Elders.
Some of us may ask the questions are Elders the same as Deacons? The answer is "No." Elders are men who uphold the faith of a faith community, where Deacons serve the spiritual needs of a community. In fact the pastor is an Elder.
Deacons fulfill the needs of a faith community on a very personal level. They serve the body in taking care of each individual. Similar as good parents take care of their children.
Elders need to be able to teach the Word of God and need to be knowledgeable about the Word of God, because they must uphold the Christian faith, that the faith community does not deviate from the Word of God. There are also certain demands upon the characteristics of the individuals for each of the offices which are quite different, but I will save that for a later time.
So, when Paul appoints Elders along with Barnabas they appoint those who are steadfast in their faith and provide the very foundation the church is building upon.
The Deacons in the COB West Alexandria are praying and discussing and researching the implementation of calling Elders within our midst.
So, the importance of shared eldership and especially of spiritual leadership is a must, because in a time when pastors are hard to find, in a time where some churches are getting smaller the people of God must uphold the faith of those who went before us . . . for the sake of those who will follow.
I am, and I know you are too, are thankful for the service our Deacons are giving us. I would like for our Deacon to come forward. I would like for our Deacons to read the names of those who they care for and then I will close us with a prayer for our Deacons.
Tell them that you love them as they love you.
Sermon by Pastor Manfred Schreyer
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