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======How elders should be ...======
Friday, Nov 13, 2009. The bible talks several times about the particular
role of the elders in the church. For example, the apostle Paul speaks about them in
his letter to Timothy, 1:5, and the apostle Peter writes about their role
in his first letter, chapter 5. Elders are the leaders of the local
community.
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**How should leaders be?**
Paul writes: "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
There are many points here. First, Paul wants the leaders to be full of motivation to
fill their role as leaders, not with the purpose of earning money or anything else,
but coming out of the love of Christ. Think of someone, who just wants the group to
make progress, with a will and wish coming from a deep relationship to its members,
from a deep love, from being full of passion and dedication. We all have things in
our life which we just like and love, which we want to do, where we are even willing
to pay a lot of money just to do this particular thing. For an elder, this should be
leadership and care. Elders should be full of passion, to care for people and to
make progress with the groups they are caring for. This can be on the track of
personal counseling, but it can also be on a more general line of spreading the
gospel (evangelism) or on growth to maturity: working and living with people
and developing faith.
Elders should be full of appreciation, giving honor and care to the people of
their group or church. They should let themselves be filled with the Holy Spirit,
knowing the center of life, which is Christ. Paul characterizes himself as someone,
who is a witness of the suffering of Christ. The cross will always be the
focal point of our discussions and arguments - here God exposed his son Jesus to
the full cruelty and guilt of men. It is Christ's death and resurrection, in which
God reaches out to our heart, starting a new creation. So elders will know this
focal point, they need understanding and dedication to the Lord, when they
want to fill their role appropriately. Elders need to be dedicated and gifted
mature Christians.
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Then Paul speaks about humbleness and grace. Here, he tells the young men to
listen to the elders. It seems that it is most important for them to learn how
to integrate into the body of Christ in an appropriate way. But clearly, this
humbleness is the first thing for the leaders to learn, a key qualification
for the elders and leaders of the Church. It is not only knowledge, but it is
faith with a calm and gentle heart living in the gentleness of the
spirit of Christ, which is needed for the leaders of Christianity. Dear fellow
elders in the church, let us grow into his type of elders, let us become more
like him, step by step every day.
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