“Eldership”
I once knew a man that decided to become a fisherman. So he went to the local marina and purchased a boat. The boat was equipped with all the latest devices and gadgets that one might expect to have for the amount of money spent. Though this boat was rated among the leading boats of its kind, it was missing one thing a paddle!
The man was so excited about this new boat, he decided to go right away to the local park located on the river bank and takes his new boat for a spin. After about 20 minutes of motoring downstream, he noticed a sputter or stall in the engine. This continued as the man slowly turned up stream and began to make his way back toward the launch. Through all of the puttering a sputtering of the boat motor, it finally gave up and would not re-start. Though the destination was in sight, this man was in a situation that inexperience boaters would call “downstream without a paddle.”
One might not expect an article on eldership to start out with this tone? It might not seem that fitting until you begin to compare and make analogies. Let us say that the brand new boat is like a young congregation, fired up for God and willing to do the work! And let us say that the motor is a representation of new preacher, right out of preacher training school, and he is ready to do the work also. This new church may have all of the zeal a church needs to grow, but without a paddle or you might say “elders,” it can find downstream and heading out of control.
One of the most vital elements of the church of God is eldership! We as Christian followers of Christ must be in submission to the leading and guiding of our eldership. After all the requirements of an elder is that of great respect (1Timothy 3:1-7). And one having the qualities should be honored and respected, as men of God entrusted with the mighty task and responsibility of leading God’s people.
The next time you have the opportunity, thank the elders of your congregation for all that they do. And always remember that the eldership of the church is like that of the boat paddle. When problems occur, they are the ones to guide you safely to shore.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Re-examining Jonah
“Jonah”
What is your first thought when you think of Jonah? Maybe you think of a big fish, or maybe you think of a stormy sea, or just maybe you think of a selfish prophet. Most of us think of a selfish prophet. In fact, this is what we have been taught every since we can remember. Jonah doesn’t have a very good reputation among most believers today. And the reason for this has a lot to do with the way it has been taught for many years. At one point in time, someone’s interpretation stuck! And therefore, you have a “traditional teaching.” Now don’t take this in the wrong way, I’m not trying to rock your boat, I just want you to examine the character of Jonah for who he really was.
Was Jonah selfish? What about prideful? Allow me to explain. Jonah knew God very well and was extremely close to God, much closer than most of us have been taught. Jonah had such a tight knit relationship to God that God would ask Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim a message that would not come to pass! Let us examine the text; we do know from the book of Jonah that God was not going to fulfill the prophecy that he was commanding Jonah to speak (Jonah 4:2).
Why would this anger Jonah? Why would Jonah flee? Why does Jonah say, “Please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live” (4:3)? After all, he had already attempted suicide, by means of assistance, at the hands of foreign sailors (1:12). This totally destroys the traditional teaching that Jonah was running because he “hated” foreigners. If Jonah was such a “hater,” then why, during the first century, did the Jewish nation consider Jonah to be so great? Here are the words of God in the flesh; “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a “greater” than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32).
So, why did Jonah run from God? And why did Jonah say, “That it would be better for him to die that to live?” Five letters my friend, P-R-I-D-E! Let me explain; Jonah knew his duties as a prophet of God (Deut. 18:18). And Jonah knew the way to discern a prophet sent from God and the penalty for being a false prophet (Deut. 18:20). This was a definite deal breaker for Jonah, up to this point he had a successful career as a prophet of God! Yet, in the blink of an eye, Jonah selfishly went the opposite direction when God asked him to deliver a message that he knew would not come to pass. And the lesson from all this is, we need to do what God’s word instructs us to do whether it seems like the logical thing to do or not! If God said it, we must do it!
What is your first thought when you think of Jonah? Maybe you think of a big fish, or maybe you think of a stormy sea, or just maybe you think of a selfish prophet. Most of us think of a selfish prophet. In fact, this is what we have been taught every since we can remember. Jonah doesn’t have a very good reputation among most believers today. And the reason for this has a lot to do with the way it has been taught for many years. At one point in time, someone’s interpretation stuck! And therefore, you have a “traditional teaching.” Now don’t take this in the wrong way, I’m not trying to rock your boat, I just want you to examine the character of Jonah for who he really was.
Was Jonah selfish? What about prideful? Allow me to explain. Jonah knew God very well and was extremely close to God, much closer than most of us have been taught. Jonah had such a tight knit relationship to God that God would ask Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim a message that would not come to pass! Let us examine the text; we do know from the book of Jonah that God was not going to fulfill the prophecy that he was commanding Jonah to speak (Jonah 4:2).
Why would this anger Jonah? Why would Jonah flee? Why does Jonah say, “Please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live” (4:3)? After all, he had already attempted suicide, by means of assistance, at the hands of foreign sailors (1:12). This totally destroys the traditional teaching that Jonah was running because he “hated” foreigners. If Jonah was such a “hater,” then why, during the first century, did the Jewish nation consider Jonah to be so great? Here are the words of God in the flesh; “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a “greater” than Jonah is here” (Luke 11:32).
So, why did Jonah run from God? And why did Jonah say, “That it would be better for him to die that to live?” Five letters my friend, P-R-I-D-E! Let me explain; Jonah knew his duties as a prophet of God (Deut. 18:18). And Jonah knew the way to discern a prophet sent from God and the penalty for being a false prophet (Deut. 18:20). This was a definite deal breaker for Jonah, up to this point he had a successful career as a prophet of God! Yet, in the blink of an eye, Jonah selfishly went the opposite direction when God asked him to deliver a message that he knew would not come to pass. And the lesson from all this is, we need to do what God’s word instructs us to do whether it seems like the logical thing to do or not! If God said it, we must do it!
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