The Apostle Peter wrote which of
the following?
A)
To the senior pastors among you, I appeal as a
fellow senior pastor and a witness that Christ’s church will go only as far as
you senior pastors will take it by your good leadership: Be shepherds of God’s
flock that is under your care...
B)
To the priests among you, I appeal as a fellow priest
and a witness that Christ’s church will be built upon people coming to priests for
access to God and the sacraments: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under
your care...
C)
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow
elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to
be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care…
(See 1 Peter 5:1-4 for more)
“Brother, you have gone too far
this time!” my friend exclaimed. “Everyone knows that it is “C” but you are
going to make all your clergy friends mad! Plus, you replaced ‘Christ’s
sufferings’ with that stuff about leadership and the priesthood! What would
Jesus say about that?”
“I know. I probably won’t publish
this one. I don’t want to offend anyone needlessly.” I replied while shaking my
head and thinking about my distorted paraphrases of 1 Peter 5:1. “But you have
to admit, that is exactly what’s wrong in many churches today. We seldom speak
of Christ’s sufferings but instead teach leadership principles and the wisdom
of men! But I hear you; I will think it over and pray about it before I publish
it.”
But you know, the more I thought
about it, the more I realized that what I am saying is very much needed and I believe
that God is leading me to say it: The New Testament, especially verses like 1
Peter 5:1-4, teach us that the church of Christ is supposed to be led by a group
of godly Spirit-led elders rather than one senior pastor or priest, even if
that pastor or priest is the most eloquent communicator or the most religious
person in the community. Instead, elders who are gifted as apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers are to watch over and shepherd the flock of
God until the Chief Shepherd – Jesus – appears and gives us our reward.
It couldn’t be more simple, clear,
and easy to understand. And yet over the years many church leaders, including
me, have discarded or glossed over the plain teachings of the New Testament and
bought into the worldly thinking that the church is just another non-profit
organization that is dependent upon human leadership, personal charisma, and
management skills. Or, perhaps just as bad, we go the opposite way and make our
faith into a religion where people have access to God through being in good relationship
with their priest, obeying the dictates of the church, and honoring the
sacraments.
All of this crap, pardon the
language, keeps people from the central truth of Christianity: Christ in us is
the hope of glory! Christ living and working in you and in me is the hope of
the world, the light that dispels the darkness, the bright morning star that
beckons a new day dawning. Unless we stay focused on the message of Christ –
that God took the form of a man, lived among us, gave His life for ours on the
cross, and rose from the dead and is even now interceding for us and living
inside of us who believe – unless we stay focused on this Message and being new
creations in Him, we become just another non-profit organization or man-made
religion.
Take the Apostle Peter as an
example of someone who stayed true to the Message of Christ. In 1 Peter 5 he
could have easily declared that Jesus told him that he was the rock of the
church and that everyone should be a strong leader like him (just think of the
leadership books he could have written!). Not only that, Peter could also have instituted
a priesthood by appointing priests, mandating tithes and offerings, instituting
sacraments, and commanding obedience to the priests.
But Peter didn’t do any of that.
Instead he modeled the humility of Jesus and he followed the teachings of
Jesus. He didn’t lord it over the flock nor insist on high titles for himself.
In fact, when decisions needed to be made for the church, he didn’t hand down
dictates but gathered the group of elders together and as a group they prayed
about it, debated the pros and cons, and came to a consensus that they could
all agree upon (see Acts 15). Peter provided Spirit-led leadership but he didn’t
lord it over the others.
This is a great example for those
of us in church leadership. Contrary to popular opinion, the church of Christ
is not dependent upon the communication skills and management abilities of the
senior pastor and staff. Nor is the church dependent upon a priesthood and
religious traditions. The church of Christ will do just fine without all the
man-made enhancements, thank you very much. In fact the church of Christ will
not only survive without the man-made distractions, it will thrive as people
get back to the basics of New Testament Christianity – it is Christ in us, the
Spirit of God in each and every believer that is the hope of glory and the hope
of mankind.
May the Lord help us to remember
that – that it is up to Him, not us – and may we make Him the foundation of our
churches and ministries.
Let’s Pray Together: Lord Jesus, You gave your life for the church,
and You loved me and the people in my congregation while we were yet sinners
and hadn’t even thought of turning towards You. Help me to remember that as I lead,
teach, pray, or serve in whatever position or situation You place me. Make my
ministry be all about You and not about church stuff. May You be the center of
everything I do, whether it be in the church, the community, or my family. It
is Christ in me, You living in me and flowing through me to others, that is the
hope of glory and true success in my life. Be with me in these situations that
I bring before you now… (Continue praying as you feel led…)
This devotional is authored and published by
Randy Brockett. All publishing rights are reserved but readers are encouraged
to repost (please include this copyright info) or share his insights
with their family, friends, and congregations. For other devotionals by Brother
Randy, see www.blesseddisciples.com, www.dwellinchrist.com, and
www.discoveringbiblicalchurch.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment