1995 Issue 7 - Have You Hugged Your Elder Today? Loving Shepherding in the Church - Counsel of...
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The Chri stia n comml. nity is inundat ed with books about relationships. But there is one relationship about which Christian authors are silent. And tragically, this relationship - s one of the most important in the Christian life . I am speaking of the Christi an ' s relationship wi th his elder s . This is an important subj ect _ about which the New Testament has an enormous amount to say. Few Christians, however, understand the importance of developing a biblical relationship with their elders, and even less lmow how to do so. It is no exaggeration to say that t he failure of Christians to involve their elders regularly and joyfully in their lives has led to inconsistent Christian living, the breakdown of the Church's piety, influenc e, and worship, and in congregations of Christians aro\lnd the world who have no biblical concept of the role the elders are to play in the life of a Christ-centered Chu rch. Often a family sees its elder only when a crisis arises, they want to baptize a baby, or they seek to leave one congregation in fa v or of another : God views the elder/member relationship in a much different light, h o w e v e r As shepherds to the flock, elders are to sus tain a close, loving, lmowledgeable relationship with each family under their care. He is to do this in order to provide oversight, counsel ing, an d biblical instruction . Relati onship s must be d ev eloped so that the families feel comfortable, loved, and confident un d e r their elder. Such r e lationships will provide prote c tion an d accountability for our familie.s and a knowle dge of each fami ly's needs , gifts, and weaknesses th a t will enable the elders to perform the sheph e rding tasks to which God has called them. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Such a relationship will never develop in yout life unless you immediatel y devote youtself to the elder and his work. When we tum to Scriptute, we find copious instructions concerning the Christian's responsibilities toward his elder. Because ruling elders are called and commissioned y Jesus Christ y u must highly honor them. 1 Timothy 5:17) o u l ~ honor is ~ t o those who faithfully fulfill their f f i ~ d. 1 Thess. 5:13) Paul has been instructing Tim o th y concerning the honor that is due to widows. He then 8 THE COUNSELor Chalc edon August,1995 proceeds to the honor due to "those who rule well" in the Church of Jesus Christ. They are worthy of "double honor." In 1 Thessalonians 5:13, Paul says that the flock should " highly es teem " those who are laborin g among the m . The word he chooses means "over flowi ng al l bo un ds , exceeding, abundantly, supremely . " Men who diligen tly work as ruling elder s, must be supremely respected by the congregation. While this seems like a simple admonition, we see that " overflowing esteem" is greatly lacking in many of out congregations today. There are two reasons for this. The f irst is obviou s. A spirit of democracy has so raped the Church ofJesus Christ that the average Christians resents and resists the idea o f another man watching ov e r him. Autonomy grips the lives of many in the Church of J esus Christ today. And secondly , the ruling elder has not functioned in a manner worthy of respect . He has not provided faithful, consistent, loving oversight of the sheep . As a result, the congregation's confidence in him and respect for him have dwindle d. This situation must be remedied immediately Christian , you must respect, give reverence: to, gre atl y honor those who fait hfully rule amon g you . Express your respect for them
1995 Issue 7 - Have You Hugged Your Elder Today? Loving Shepherding in the Church - Counsel of Chalcedon
