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Apostle's Elder's And Minister's Page
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Exodus 28: 41 And you shall put them upon Aaron your brother, and his sons with him; and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.
We have started to speak recently about the anointing. The word 'anoint' is one that we do not use much these days. It means to pour or rub on, and it usually means that a substance such as oil is applied to the thing that is being anointed. You could probably use it to describe the way we apply all the things we rub on ourselves these days - deodorant, perfume, hair gel, whatever.
In early Bible times the act of anointing was usually carried out using a special combination of oils that gave out a special aroma. In the King James Version of the Bible you will often see the word 'ointment' used to describe this substance. It was something that was precious and gave off a beautiful smell, so that people could tell when you had anointed yourself.
The first place the word is used in the Bible is the passage that we have given above. It was a very important ceremony, in which Aaron and his sons were set apart for a specific ministry. And in this verse you can see how the word was used in a spiritual sense. Moses was told by God to appoint Aaron as High Priest and his sons with him as priests. The main act that was carried out in the ceremony was the anointing. This ceremonial act caused Aaron and his sons to be set apart for their new work.
We can look at other passages to understand more about what actually happened at the ceremony, but that would take up too much space. One passage that describes it quite clearly, which you can go read for yourself is Psalm 133, where it speaks about the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron and flowed down his head into his beard and all over his garments. It is quite clear that anointing meant covering the person with the anointing oil.
Later on this ceremonial act began to mean that God was showing His favor on someone. The prophets were told to use it to show when God had chosen a man to be king. And then the same act was used by Elijah when he appointed Elisha as a prophet in his place. It was always used to appoint a person to office, and brought changes to a person's life. You can see this in God's instructions to Moses. He was told to 'consecrate' and 'sanctify' Aaron and his sons.
Now here again we have a couple of words that we don't use much today, so it is not obvious what was meant. But actually these two acts were very important and they are very strongly linked to the act of anointing. So I want to explain them to you before we go on. The word 'consecrate' that is used in the King James Version is an interesting word. It is translated from two different Hebrew words. The first word means 'to fill' and the second one means 'the open hand'. So the word consecrate means literally to fill the open hand, the open hand being a symbol of power or ability. So the word means 'to empower' or 'ordain'.
The second word was 'sanctify', which is again not a common word today. It literally means to 'make clean' or 'dedicate for use'. The word 'holy' is usually associated with the act of sanctifying, and that is also a word that is very little understood today. Since sanctify means to dedicate for use, holy simply describes the condition of the thing that was dedicated. In other words, the statement 'it is holy' means literally 'it is a dedicated item'. There is actually nothing complicated about holiness, and most people don't really understand what it means. We will look more at some of these things later, but I want to get back first to the anointing.
Moses used special oil to show that God had chosen Aaron and his sons to do the work of the priesthood. In the New Testament God sent someone to take the place of Aaron as the final High Priest who would offer up His own blood as sacrifice - the spotless Lamb of God. And Jesus too was placed into office by a similar ceremony to the one Moses performed. But there was one important difference this time. Jesus was not anointed with oil, but He was anointed with another 'substance'. You can read about it in Acts 10:38: It says:
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the devil; for God was with him.
This time it was not a prophet that did the anointing. It was God Himself! And you can read about it in Matthew 3:16 and 17:
And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up immediately out of the water: and the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and landing on him:
And a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit of God. And when this took place it brought power that gave Him the ability to go out and do wonderful works. It was this act that set Him apart and dedicated Him to the work that He was sent to do. And God the Father confirmed it from heaven with a voice that spoke out His blessing. Jesus later quoted from a prophecy that Isaiah the prophet had made about Him and said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor."
Then after Jesus had risen from the dead He spoke to His disciples and told them that they were going to receive the same kind of anointing that He had received. They were to go and wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised. Jesus had called Him 'another Comforter.' And He told them that when the Holy Spirit had come upon them, they would receive power for service. And that is exactly what happened on the Day of Pentecost! The disciples rose up in power and began to go out and do the same kind of miracles that Jesus had done.
Now in the New Testament we have a similar picture to what took place when Moses anointed Aaron and his sons. Only now it is Jesus who stands in the place of both Moses and Aaron. Moses predicted that God would raise up another prophet like him, and he was speaking about Jesus. And also Jesus became the High Priest of the New Covenant in the place of Aaron. Now all we need to do is become part of His family, and like the sons of Aaron, we immediately become heirs to the blessing of His anointing. In the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2:9:
But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a own special people; that you should declare forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
We are the chosen of God in Christ. We are believer priests in Him. We are dedicated to God in Christ and therefore a holy people. And we are God's own special treasure because we are in Him. All of these things we are because of what Jesus has done. And now, since Jesus has received the anointing from the Father, He pours it out on us when we come to Him, just as Moses did. And when this happens, we are empowered to go out and do the same kind of things He did when He walked this earth.
Isn't that an exciting possibility? That we could go out and do the same miracles as Jesus? Is this really possible? Don't we have to become very 'spiritual' and 'holy' before this can happen? No, all it takes is for you to be 'in Him.' He is the one who has been empowered. And now all we need to do is receive of His power and go out as He commanded us to do.
PASTORAL DEPRESSION
The work of a pastor is a task of great magnitude. Here are frail creatures of dust, mere mortals, given life by the Holy Spirit, and called to be overseers of the church which Christ purchased with his own blood. Such a high yet humbling call, for it is a call that is often difficult and costly. We often allow the trials which accompany pastoral service to overshadow its joys. These trials are varied and numerous; some common to all pastors, others peculiar to certain men for one reason or another. One thing is sure - unless trials are dealt with correctly, they will result in pastoral depression. From the crucible of experience, I wish to briefly state some causes, signs, and cures for pastoral depression.
There are three main areas in which trials arise that can lead to depression. First, there is the area of the pastor’s private life. His time is not his own. There are the demands of study, prayer, visitation, counseling, meetings, and telephone calls. Any pastor who takes his task seriously can soon find himself physically exhausted. With the great need of finding spiritual food for the flock he may neglect to take spiritual meat and drink for himself, thus soon finding himself on the verge of spiritual starvation. There are the besetting sins of his own life which must constantly be dealt with. As John Flavel once said, “Brethren, it is easier to declaim against a thousand sins of others, than to mortify one sin in ourselves.” If other pastoral acquaintances appear to be “succeeding” in the ministry, and he is not, the pastor may feel that God has deserted him or that he has been placed upon a back burner.
Secondly, there is the area of the pastor’s immediate family. Financial needs are often pressing him as he struggles just to pay the bills. He may find himself seeking additional employment which of necessity must take away a great amount of time from the work he truly loves. He must also spiritually feed his family. The salvation of his children is his great concern, for he cannot bear to think that for years he might preach to others but see his own children perish unconverted. And, perhaps he has a burning desire for the glory of God and the advancement of the kingdom, but his own wife has become unconcerned and callused.
Thirdly, there is the flock, his charge. A sickness here, a death there, financial woes here, divorce there, apathy here, stunted growth there. Perhaps the pastor is faced with the loss of church, home, and resources at the sinful hands of professing Christians whom he has offended by his preaching. The pastoral ministry can often seem like the job of a firefighter, running here and there trying to put our little brush fires.
With all of this the best of men are only men at best and as such can fall into mild and even severe depression. One needs to learn to recognize the signs of depression in order to deal with them properly. Here are just a few:
1. Loss of physical energy and stamina.
2. Loss of spiritual appetite fro prayer and worship.
3. Bitterness in mind and heart towards the people of God.
4. Envy and jealousy of the ungodly and their temporal prosperity (Psalm 73).
5. Feelings of being only a hireling instead of a true shepherd.
6. Doubts concerning God’s wisdom and love.
7. Verbal expression of such doubts.
8. Rapid and frequent mood changes.
9. Feelings of failure or uselessness.
These dangers signals can must be dealt with. Here are some suggestions for getting out of the lion’s den:
1. Learn when you are prone to depression. Is it after a
conference as you leave the confines of the brethren and return to your lonely part of the vineyard? Does it occur when you take certain medications?
2. Acknowledge your utter weakness before God. You are
not sufficient for these things, but Christ is. In your weakness his power can be made known.
3. Learn to cry and express your emotions at the throne of
grace. You may need a release from the pressures of your deepest feelings.
4. Maintain a disciplined reading of the Word, praying the
Scriptures as you read them.
5. Feed yourself spiritually. Listen to tapes of solid
expository preaching, saturating yourself with the milk and meat of the Scriptures.
6. Meditate upon the mercies of God’s providence towards
You in the past. It may help to keep a spiritual diary where you can record God’s blessings for future reference.
7. Correspond with other pastors by letter or telephone.
You are not alone, dear brother. Let others know that you are hurting so that they might exercise their spiritual gifts of exhortation and mercy-showing. It is here that I send out a call to the brethren to keep in touch and communicate with one another, and to be doers of the Word by expressing brotherly concern.
8. If the depression worsens or continues, see a medical
doctor. Undetected illnesses such as diabetes can result in
sluggishness and fatigue. A certain food may be disagreeing with your system. A chemical imbalance may need to be corrected. I would recommend the reading of Dr. John White’s book, “The Masks of Melancholy: A Christian Physician Looks at Depression and Suicide,” published by Inter Varsity Press.
Here then are some causes, signs, and cures for pastoral depression. None who engage in the holy work of the eldership are exempt from the onslaughts of depression. Brother, if you are depressed, be it mild or severe, I say this to you out of the depths of my heart, the precious Lord Jesus cares for you and awaits your petitions at the throne of grace, where “we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). We must
allow the Holy Spirit to do his supernatural work in the inner man. And, as he brings us back into a right frame of heart and mind, let us remember the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
God is gathering His people and assembling them into a new order. God's people are being gathered into a Spirit-led God-ordained order replacing the past man-focused order that was ordained by manmade organizations. A gathering may be as few as two people or many more. The universal or worldwide gathering is the spiritually connected Body of Christ.
The Ecclesia is a gathering of called out ones. The only way there can be a universal gathering of God's people into one Body is by the Holy Spirit bringing the manifest presence of Christ Jesus the Head. The Holy Spirit can speak the same message to millions of people scattered across the planet at the same time. He can speak it in any language and tailor it to specifically address each assembled gathering. No manmade organization can ever do this. We must transition from depending on manmade organizations to depending on the God-made organism of a true spiritual family order.
The gathering is the called out ones coming together. The assembling is the ordering of the gathering. You could gather all the parts of an automobile in one large pile. But until the parts are assembled you would not have a useful tool in which to travel about. The assembling is the part where human nature is most tempted to take over and do it for God.
Obviously human beings are involved so how is it that the distinction can be made and maintained between the headship of Christ and the rule of man?
The short answer to the above question is that there must be spiritual overseers scattered across the world. These overseers have been in preparation for many years now. God has not been caught off guard. He is not in a panic now to develop holy pure hearted elders who can hear Him clearly and obey Him fully to flow His order to the world-wide gathering.
God's elder preparation methods are very different from man's. Those who have been in preparation, for the most part, did not even recognize what was going on. Why was there so much abuse even as a child and so much devastation of all the things that we thought to be good in our lives? Why has there been so much rejection from those we loved and sought to align with? Why could we not fit into the church of which we so desired to be a part? Why was it so bad for us when we did things like other people did but suffered much more for doing it than others? Why were we so beat down and depressed while trying to do natural good stuff? This and much more was and is a part of our elder preparation.
Brokenness of all natural drive and ambitions along with the loss of all we were using to draw life from, including religion, are just part of our preparation. Christ coming to us in the Holy Spirit and meeting all our needs and healing all our wounds has fulfilled all of our needs. God's presence with us and hearing and obeying Him is our only number one priority of life.
Through the long process material things have lost their value. The need for position or recognition is completely gone. Even the best things of natural life such as family relationships have become secondary to our unhindered relationship with God. If this is not where we are, we are not yet elder; we are yet younger and our preparation continues.
Phil 3:7-8: But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge (knowing) of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
There are prepared elders and elders in preparation scattered to the far corners of the world. Some are not even aware why they are located where they are. It may seem like one of the last places they would have naturally planned to be. God has been at work all along preparing and placing His elders in just the spot on the globe where He needs them to be at this time. Of course many are yet in process of both preparation and of being strategically placed by God.
Elder Recognition
Spiritual elders will be recognized as simply as children recognize their parents. A child does not need to be told who their parents are. A child knows that the mature ones that have been there for them and have loved them and guided them are their parents. God puts His love in the elders for the youngers and a sense of loving honor and respect in the youngers for the elders. Elders recognize other elders by the Spirit through relating with one another. Through relational connections each joint supplies its part.
Elders help the youngers to understand and be assembled into God's order of the gathered Body. The branches are connected into the Vine by the Holy Spirit with the help of the elders who by the exercise of use have had their discernment sharpened to spot improper or failing connections and help them get properly connected into the Vine. Elders are gifted of God to lovingly encourage, admonish, correct or otherwise help the younger toward maturity into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
John 15:4-5: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Heb 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The function of elders is carried out in all of life.
The kingdom of God includes all aspects of life and rule in the world. Most of life and most significant mistakes and needs are in the framework of all life not just in the meeting houses of the gatherings.
The character of spiritual elders is the character and nature of Christ. Elders must have become empty people. Emptied of all self-life, desires, and needs and filled with the life of Christ by the Holy Spirit. They must be healed of all past wounding and resentment of any form that would allow the enemy to infiltrate their lives. The will walk in much spiritual authority over the works of the enemy but will not exercise authority for their own needs. All authority in heaven and earth abides in the Christ in them.
Mat 28:18-20: And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Apostolic Elders
The term apostle infers one sent as a commissioner of Christ. The apostolic anointing is like the other equipping spiritual gifts of prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher. It is a gift given for the edification of the Body. There are many aspects to the function of an elder with apostolic gifting. This is not a ranking or a title but a job description. Elders with this gifting tend to me more in tune with assembling (ordering) the universal gathering than one local gathering. Often this gifting causes the elder to see and hear by the Spirit foundational changes and needs regarding the broader view of the whole Body as well as the local gatherings.
Often these servants will be moving about to different gatherings across the nations planting the seeds and bringing the enlightenment of how the local groups connect into and relate to the larger universal gathering. Often the elder will encounter gatherings that are going astray because someone has slipped in with an inordinate focus, teaching, or ministry. The God-given authority and gifting will enable the elder to deal with the situation and strengthen the local elders.
The transition is most difficult in the minds of people.
We have deep belief structures based on the priestly related system that makes it difficult to begin to think in terms of a Christ as Head, Holy Spirit-led system. The priest system is from the Jewish model before Christ. The system of pastor rule is taken from the Priest of the old covenant and was introduced after the first apostles passed off the scene. It is not easy to change the meaning of the word church in our minds. Church is people and specifically the called out ones universally. As long as we think of the church as an organized priest-ruled system or a building, we will have difficulty seeing the true ecclesia.
It is very encouraging that more people every day are seeing the reality of restoring the kingdom of God as the focus of the ministry of Christ.
If you are one who has gone through the fire and are waiting in the shadows, let me encourage you this day to earnestly seek God and be ready to step up into the place of service He is calling you to. If you are seeing the need you probably have the gifting of God to do something about it in your area of influence. If you are one still dealing with personal needs seek Him to heal you and bring you through to brokenness and true holiness.
Keep on Pursuing Love,
It Will Never Fail,
The Elder's in the church
The elder is a leader in the Christian church. It is a divinely appointed office that is held by men who are able to teach sound doctrine, refute error, be of good reputation, having believing children, who manage their households well, etc. The elder should not be in office if he is unable to fulfill the requirements of the office and he should not be chosen because he is a popular figure in the local church.
Being an elder is a high calling and there are thousands of very godly men in many churches and who seek God and serve Him as best as they can. But, it is also true that many should not be elders who are in that position. Women, should not be elder's. Men with unbelieving children living with them should not be elders. And, elders should be able to teach correct doctrine and refute error. Sadly, many elders cannot do this.
Below is an outline dealing with the subject of "elder." Pastors, elders, and congregation members should all be careful who they pick and recommend as elders. They should not let feelings of "let's be nice" influence their decisions and choose men who are not qualified. The church needs to take the office of elder very seriously and it needs to put the elder to the test according to the guidelines of scripture. If he is not qualified, he should not be an elder.
1. The Term "Elder"
A. PRESBUTEROS - elder, an old man, a leader in the church. The term is used
i. of the elder of two persons (Luke 15:25, or more, John 8:9).
ii. of a person advanced in age (Acts 2:17; in Heb. 11:2).
iii. of the forefathers in Israel (Matt. 15:2; Mark 7:3,5).
iv. of members of the Sanhedrin (Matt. 16:21; 26:47).
v. of those who managed public affairs in the various cities (Luke 7:3).
vi. of those who were the heads or leaders of the tribes and families, as of the seventy who helped Moses (Num. 11:16; Deut. 27:1). This included:
a. acting as judges in apprehending murderers (Deut. 19:12).
b. conducting inquests (Deut. 21:2).
c. settling matrimonial disputes (Deut. 22:15; 25:7).
d. If theirs was a city of refuge they also heard pleas for asylum (Joshua 20:4).
vii. of those qualified by the Holy Spirit who exercised spiritual care and oversight of the local congregation.
B. EPISKOPOI - overseers, bishops
1. Titus equates bishop and elder in Titus 1:59.
2. Regarding the Office:
A. The office of Elder is a divinely appointed office as defined in the Pastoral Epistles.
B. Elders are apparently appointed by the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6).
C. Should receive double honor in the church (1 Tim. 5:17).
D. The pastor is an elder who preaches and/or teaches (1 Tim. 5:17).
i. The pastor (elder) is to equip the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).
E. Must be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13).
i. All uses of "elder" are in the masculine except for 1 Tim. 5:2 where it means older women.
3. The Responsibilities of Elders in the NT Church:
A. Must shepherd the flock (1 Peter 5:2).
B. Must voluntarily exercise oversight upon the flock (1 Peter 5:2).
C. Must live as examples to the flock (1 Peter 5:3).
D. Anoint and pray for the sick (James 5:14).
E. They have the tasks of teaching (1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5,9).
F. They have the tasks of acting as judges (Acts 15:2,6,22-29; 16:4).
4. Qualifications for an elder
A. Must be above reproach (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2)
B. Husband of one wife (Titus 1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2).
C. Household must be in order with children who believe (Titus 1:6 ;1 Tim. 3:4).
D. Not a new convert (1 Tim. 3:6).
E. Self controlled and temperate (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim. 3:2).
F. Honorable, hospitable, seeking good (Titus 1:7).
G. Have a good reputation (1 Tim. 3:7).
H. Not addicted to wine (1 Tim. 3:3).
I. Not greedy (1 Tim. 3:3).
J. Able to exhort (teach) sound doctrine (Titus 1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2).
K. Able to refute false teaching (Titus 1:9).
L. They must be ready to earn their own living if necessary (Acts 20:17, 33-35).
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