Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional. This week, following on from Sunday’s message on eldership, we are reflecting on some aspects of Biblical leadership.
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Today, we are reflecting on three aspects of what elders (pastors) are to do.
To watch this devotional, please select the link below. (You can also listen to it on Spotify and many other podcast platforms.
In our modern world, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s design for the role of pastors. With the rise of AI, YouTube, counsellors, and podcasts etc. we can sometimes replace the biblical view of pastoral leadership with more convenient but less personal alternatives. However, God has given specific gifts to His church to build her up, and one of those gifts is the role of elders, pastors, and overseers who are called to shepherd His people.
Church life is not merely a ‘concert’ with an engaging talk on Sundays. It’s meant to include a deep and meaningful relationship with our pastors, who are entrusted with the responsibility to nurture and guide us through God’s Word. True pastoral care involves feeding, counselling, and walking alongside God’s people in their spiritual journey. When defining what an elder/ pastors/ overseers does, it’s helpful to put it in these three terms: Guarding, guiding and governing; let’s look briefly at each of these:
1. Guard - Sound Biblical doctrine
A vital aspect of eldership and shepherding a church is the ‘feeding’ on truth. We live in a world where people want to believe whatever they feel is most attractive to them. This begins with guarding themselves! This is why Paul urged Timothy:
‘Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.’ (1 Timothy 4:16)
Elders are to embody, and then teach what is true and correct error. Added to this, pastors are to discipline those who are falling into error and sin and protect the church from those who are ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’.
‘As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer.’ (1 Timothy 1:3)
2. Guide - The direction that God wants the local church to take
Another aspect of eldership and shepherding is setting direction or vision for a local church. There are many good things that a church could do but, in order not to be overwhelmed, the elders in a church are responsible to lead the church in what is wise, and what they consider to be God’s will at that time.
3. Govern - The affairs of the church
Finally, the overseers are to govern the church. They have to ensure that it’s well organised and financially prudent. In this regard, as we see in what we read in 1 Timothy 3, His ‘management’ of the church begins in the home and family:
‘He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)’ (1 Timothy 3:4-5)
Flowing from personal governance, he, with the team, are to govern the affairs of the church:
‘The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.’ (1 Timothy 5:17)
Finally, as we’ve considered what an elder of the church is to do in guarding, guiding and governing, let’s, as we finish consider if we are being responsive to those whom God has given to shepherd us:
‘Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. Pray for us…’ (Hebrews 13:17-18)
Let’s pray together as we finish
“Father, I pray for my church leaders that you would help them guard, guide and govern the church with integrity and joy. I pray for myself that I would have a supportive relationship and that I would be a joy to them. Amen.”
Community Group Notes
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
On Sunday, as we appointed Phil Mash as a new elder, our message was on the theme of biblical leaders, and eldership in particular. The church devotionals this week focus on this theme in some more detail so please do use these.
Please read Acts 20:17, 28-32 and discuss: church leaders are described in the synonymous terms of: Elder, overseer and shepherd. What are elders meant to do in the local church?
Please read Matthew 22:37-40 and Matthew 28:18-20 and discuss: The two great aims of elders is to lead the church into The Great Commandments and The Great Commission. In what ways is our local church seeking to do this? (Consider our vision and goals in answering this - https://www.communitychurchputney.com/our-vision ).
How often should we pray for our elders and leaders and how can we ensure that we put this into practice?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus; alternatively, pray for the ‘people of peace’ that you regularly meet with.
Let’s pray together: Pray for one another out of our study together and for anything else for which people would like prayer.
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