God's Blueprint For His Church - The Guardians

The Guardians

Introduction

Debra and I wrestled with a difficult decision several years ago. The issue was about who would look after our children if we both died at the same time. Who would we designate as their guardian? Some of the things that one has to consider are:

• Whose parenting style, values, and Christian beliefs most closely match ours?

• Who is most able to take on the responsibility of a caring for our girls — emotionally, financially, physically, etc.?

• Who does our children feel comfortable with already?

• Where would our children have to live in this eventuality?

• Does the person have enough time and energy to devote to your child?

But the most important question was this: “Who would care for our children as we would?”

This is a very real and important scenario. One that is further away from our own immediate families but equally as important is this question? “Who would care for the Church when God would take Jesus to glory?” The answer is found in Acts 20:17

" From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time . . . Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:17-18, 28)

The short and obvious answer to the question is this: The Holy Spirit and the elders! When Christ was exalted and restored to His former glory, God the Father sent another Comforter, the Holy Spirit to care for the Church. In this transfer, we read, that the Holy Spirit has delegated that work also to some people called elders. What’s going on in this passage?

Paul had called the elders of the Church at Ephesus. In his instruction to them, fully believing that he was going to suffer and die, he gave to them and to us a revelation of the progress and the structure of the early church. There is important teaching here on a number of topics, but what is key for us is the perspective this gives us on the leadership of the church. Not to be cute, but to provide a means of us remembering, I want you to consider this passage in terms of the following:

a. God’s singular will for the care of the Church.

b. The dual focus of Church leadership; and

c. The triune function of that leadership.

So let’s take the first one:

1. The singular will of God for the ongoing care of the Church.

Keeping our attention only in this passage for the moment, we can discern clearly God’s heart for the Church. Let’s look at this in more detail.

The NASB rightly says [note my emphasis], " From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time . . . Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:17-18, 28)

That is one word in the Greek language: προσέχω [prosecho /pros·ekh·o/] It’s a word that speaks of holding on, giving attention to, watch over, and so on. Guard is a great word. Contextually, if we were to read on, we’d see that Paul warned the church about attacks from without and within. He called these men to be guardians of the flock. Twenty-eight times in the New Testament (KJV) the Holy Spirit uses this term.

Matthew 16:6 (NASB95)
⁶ And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Luke 21:8 (NASB95)
⁸ And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.

1 Corinthians 10:12 (NASB95)
¹² Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

1 Timothy 4:16 (NASB95)
¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

How were they to do that?

2. The dual focus of the overseers - the plurality of protection.

Notice please that this guarding of the Church was a double prong. " From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time . . . Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:17-18, 28)

These elders were to guard, protect, “take heed” to their own lives and the lives of the Church. I see several principles here that are important:

1. Paul addressed to them in their plurality. There is a principle in Scripture regarding elders in that they always existed and served in plurality. It is foreign to the Bible for a church to have a single pastor, overseer or elder. That concept is alien to Scripture. Listen to Paul’s exhortation to Titus: “For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you.”^[1] Here we also see this mandate of the apostle: “set in order” -- ἐπιδιορθόω [epidiorthoo /ep·ee·dee·or·tho·o/]. “The letter points to lack of organization (1:5), unchecked false teachers (1:10, 11; 3:10, 11), and the need for instruction in doctrine and conduct (2:1-10; 3:1, 2). Paul had observed and had begun to correct these matters; Titus must now complete the work.”[2] How was Titus to complete the work? Answer? The establishment of elders wherever there is a fellowship of believers.

2. Paul commanded them to be self-disciplining. I am certain that his included that personal ability to live a disciplined, guarded life before Christ and others. I am also convinced that it implies that there is a mutual accountability within the counsel of elders. What does this mean to the congregation? What is Paul essentially saying when he commands guard yourself and the flock? I believe it is this: Lead by example. This is the biblical definition of an oft-misused phrase servant leadership. Let me show you one passage that confirms that. Turn with me to 1 Peter 5 and let’s read verses 1 to 3. " 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, 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; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock." Notice several key points:

1. By this time in the development of the early church Peter (cf 3 John 1) is viewing himself less as an apostle and more as a “fellow-elder”.

2. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42ff, not to lord it over others but be a servant. Peter writes elders not to lord it over others but be an example. I am convinced that servant leadership is leadership by example. So when elders watch for themselves they place themselves in a position of integrity to watch over the flock.

3. Paul commanded the elders to watch over, guard, take heed to the Church. You might ask, “Well what does that mean? What are they supposed to do?” The answer is rarely given. There is a principle of Christian leadership that absolutely boggles the secular mind. It is this: “You call men to leadership who conform to the biblical standards of character. Men of character desire to do what is right.” There is very little one can say about a detailed job description of an elder. There is even less regarding a deacon. Within this passage we can discern clearly that the church ought to be able to say, “I know that you care for me, because you guard me.” For those of you who understand the role of the husband, God’s design of headship, and Christ’s love for the church – this will make great sense. Elders will fight for your ultimate good and your spiritual protection.

But we are not left without a witness as to the practical outworking of an elder. Within the functional description of an elder, we can also discern further into their role.

God’s heart to care for His Church. He has ordained that elders do that by guarding themselves and the Church. In what way, you may ask? This takes me to the third point, this morning.

3. The triune function of the elder.

Within Paul’s final appeal to the Ephesian elders we see a parallel emerge. Notice this:

1. There is no doubt that he is speaking to elders. He “called to him the elders of the church” in verse 17. That’s plain. The word “elder” is the Greek word: presbyteros. This is where we get our Presbyterian, presbytery and so on. The word denotes spiritual maturity. The writer to the Hebrews said, “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”^[3] I understand spiritual maturity as that place in life where someone has a solid understanding of biblical doctrine and lives it out in their life, honing their ability to know right or wrong. Wouldn’t you want someone guarding you who fits that description?

2. But Paul intentionally uses another word of these same elders in Acts 20. He said that “the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” There he uses the word episcopos which means to ‘look over’. This is where we get our word Episcopalian. It simply means what the NASB has translated it so well: an overseer. I understand that elders are not to do all the ministry. They are not hired men! Nor should they be micro-managers with their fingers in every pie. Elders are to oversee the ministry of the Church.

3. Thirdly there is another subtle phrase that mustn’t go unnoticed. We see it also in verse 28, “to shepherd the church of God.” The verb shepherd is the Greek word poimen. It means just that “shepherd”. We get our word ‘pastor’ from that. The Latin word for shepherd is pastorem. The source of the idea is the pasture. A pastor is a shepherd. We saw Peter use that in 1 Peter 5:1. He said to the elders, “Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight.”^[4] In other words, “Shepherd the church by overseeing the church.” Pastoring is the action word of the role of elder. He is to feed you. What food do you think a pastor ought to feed his church? 1 Timothy 5:17 says that elders ought to preach and teach. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the Word.”

So elders are to be grounded in Scriptural doctrine, exercising obedience and godliness in their daily lives – leading by example and giving oversight, mature direction to the flock by feeding to the Church of God. As your pastor, when you look at me as an elder you should expect that from me you can glean spiritual mature counsel from the Word of God and my life. As your pastor, when you look at me as an overseer, you should expect that I can supply vision and direction to the church. As your pastor, when you look at me as a pastor, you should expect that you are being fed by the Word of Truth that “is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all the saints” (v.32). What guards me and guards you is that these functions are necessarily given not just to me – but to a body of elders to whom have the same calling and role.

4. But what about …

There may be many questions that arise from this, but one that I anticipate that I need to address is this: what about us the congregation? Do we not have a say in this? Or another question more specifically is, “I thought we were a congregational church? A democratic church?”

God has indeed given a role for the congregation to play in all of this. Let me quickly outline some that the New Testament either illustrates or directs.

1. The resolution of sin between individuals and the church is a congregational responsibility according to Matthew 18:15ff. “Tell it to the church.” The congregation makes the final disposition on these matters. See also 1 Corinthians 5:4-5; and 2 Corinthians 2:6-7
2. The selection and confirmation of leaders is a congregational responsibility. For instance in Acts 6:1-5 the apostles said, “Select from among you . . ..”
3. When false doctrine was tolerated in Galatia Paul wrote to the whole church and said, “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him.”^[5] The Church is to be Berean (cf: Acts 17:11) about that which is taught in the congregation. (see also 2 Timothy 4:2-3)

The bottom line is this: Because we are fallen creatures, yet to be perfect in our sanctification, the will and direction of man should never be followed without discernment. Clearly the New Testament calls upon the congregation to honor () and obey () their leaders. This is not without thought. Congregationalism doesn’t mean that the members have to vote on every issue. Primarily the task is to ensure that qualified men are ordained into office and they are treated with trust and confidence. At the same time, the church is to be discerning in who it ordains and in some cases the church ought to form give consensus or ratification to the decisions of the elders.

5. Limitations of Leadership

Within our text for this message there is a limitation of one’s scope of leadership. Notice that elders have a shepherding, overseeing role toward “the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”^[6] There are many who profess to be religious or spiritual. Some people even profess to be church-goers. But the Church that Paul has defined in this passage is a people who are bought, owned outright, by the Lord Jesus Christ. And they were purchased by nothing short of the death of Jesus Christ. As your pastor, when I remember that God has charged me with the guarding, the care, the feeding of a people whom He has loved and died for in Christ – this revolutionizes my leadership.

My sister Marion and her husband Burt were asked to be the guardians of our children. If Debra and I died together I am absolutely confident that my sister will love and cherish my children as her own and as an extension of her brother. She will treat them with kindness, firmness, biblical guidance and discipline. But most of all she will love them so deeply and so desperately that they will think that their mom and dad is being expressed through their auntie.

God has called us elders to do that with His children. He has called us to treat them with kindness, firmness, biblical guidance and discipline. But most of all God has called us to love them so deeply and so desperately that they will think that they are seeing Christ displayed through the eldership.

I need to ask you a question before we close, “Are you one of God’s church, bought with His blood, purchased and owned by Him?” If you are not, one of the things you are missing is the expression of His love and care that is displayed through godly elders. But most importantly, you are missing out on the greatest relationship in the world, a person owned by Jesus! Think of it … we can belong to Jesus. To belong to Jesus is to be a partner in all His mercy and forgiveness. It is to be a partner in all his grade and goodness. It is to be a partner in an inheritance that will last forever. It is to be in a relationship with Christ, the King of glory and to know Him and love Him and treasure Him for ever and ever and ever.

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^[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Tit 1:5). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[2] Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Titus/Exposition of Titus/II. Concerning Elders and Errorists in Crete (1:5-16)/A. The Appointment of Qualified Elders (1:5-9)/1. The duties of Titus in Crete (1:5), Book Version: 4.0.2

^[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Heb 5:14). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (1 Pe 5:2). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 1:6). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

^[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ac 20:28). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.