Strong Souls (6)

And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting themto continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14.21-23

Unordered churches?
Even a cursory reading of the New Testament reveals that “elders” played a prominent role in the churches of that time.

Paul made a point to ordain elders to oversee every church he started, as we see in our text and other places. He explained to Timothy that serving as an elder was a high and noble calling, and that only those who were qualified should be appointed to that office (1 Tim. 3.1-7). Elders are called “overseers” and “shepherds” in their relationship to the congregations of the Lord (1 Pet. 5.1-3). Believers in the New Testament were expected to “submit” to the elders of their churches, who were appointed to serve them in their Kingdom-and-glory callings from the Lord (1 Cor. 15.15, 16; 1 Thess. 5.12, 13). Elders were charged with the responsibility of watching over the flocks of the Lord (Acts 20.28), of preserving sound doctrine and right practice in the churches (Acts 15.1-6; Titus 1), and, in particular, of keeping watch over the souls of God’s people (2 Cor. 12.15; Heb. 13.17).

The work of elders in the churches of the New Testament carried over from their work among the communities of Israel. There the elders served as judges and teachers of the people, instructing them in the ways of the Lord and leading their communities in the practice of justice and shalom. The elders appointed to serve the churches of the New Testament were called to be shepherds, leading the Lord’s flocks into fuller realization of His Kingdom and promises. In fact, so vital were elders to the churches of the New Testament that Paul insisted that any church that didn’t have elders was somehow not “in order” (Titus 1.3).

So, do you have an elder watching over your soul, to strengthen you for your calling in the Kingdom of God?

Where have all the elders gone?
In the Church today we seem not to believe in elders. The New Testament believes in them, but we don’t, at least, not in the way the New Testament envisions their service. Many – perhaps even most – churches do not have elders, and those that do, organize their elders as a kind of board of directors, overseeing departments and programs and committees and the like. I defy anyone to discover such an arrangement in the New Testament.

Meanwhile, no one is watching over the souls of God’s people, strengthening them with Kingdom vision, courage, and discipline, leading and defending and nurturing them like elders did in the New Testament. Discipleship – growing stronger in our souls – is these days a matter of individual preference and pace. Church leaders provide opportunities and encourage church members to “get involved,” but if they choose not to, hey, what can you do?

What’s going on here? Have we just decided that we don’t need elders? That elders watching over our souls is an optional matter, or that we’re free to define the work of elders according to our own ideas rather than those of the Scriptures? And if no one’s watching over our souls, to strengthen them for full faith life in the Kingdom, then that would perhaps explain why there is so little evidence of the Kingdom – book-of-Acts-Kingdom evidence – in the lives of believers and churches in our time.

Warning to church leaders
This is a serious matter. Paul appointed elders to continue his work of strengthening the souls of God’s people. The result was progress in the Kingdom of God such as we have not witnessed in our lifetimes. We appoint elders, when we bother to appoint them at all, to make sure our committees and programs are working as we think they should, not to watch over the souls of every member of the Body of Christ. The result, year after year, is that the Church is ceding more ground – spiritually, morally, socially, and culturally – to the kingdom of darkness.

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day who did not enter the Kingdom of God and, by their failure to enter it, barred the way for others to do so (Matt. 23.13). The Lord condemned elders and church leaders who did not watch over their flocks, allowing His sheep to stray into sin and trouble, and failing to lead them into the green meadows of the Lord (Ezek. 34.1-10).

Strengthening the souls of God’s people is the work of the Lord, which He has entrusted into our care. Doing that work is the most important thing we can do in this life. If we expect God to bless our efforts at strengthening the souls of His people, then we must take up that work in His way, each believer taking responsibility to press on toward full faith, and each church appointing elders to watch over the souls of every one of the followers of Jesus Christ.

For reflection
1.  Why do churches today not organize their ministries along the lines indicated in the New Testament?

2.  Does your church have elders? If not, why not? If so, what do your elders do?

3.  The work of elders is directly related to strengthening the souls of God’s people for full faith life in the Kingdom. Can we expect the Lord to bless us in this way if we refuse to follow the example of the apostles and the teaching of the New Testament? Explain.

Next steps: If your church has elders, see what you can find out about what they do. If your church does not have elders, see if you can find out why not.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 4 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Strong Souls” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.