Elders

Part 11 - God's Church, God's Love, God's Witness

We've been working over Acts 20:28 in a study of elders. "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 20:28). In this final lesson, we see elders oversee God's church. God purchased this church with His blood. It ought to reflect His image.

First, the church, with all the individual congregations making it up, is the church of God. God purchased it. He owns it. The leaders of the church take their orders from the owner. They take their directions from God. The elders therefore work for God first of all. Because the congregation elects the elders does not make these elders representatives of the members to the Session. The reverse is true. The elders are God's representatives in the congregation.

This means the members of the congregation ought not to lobby the elders to get their agenda items passed by the Session. Neither should Session members go to their meetings with the idea they represent a constituency in the pews and must faithfully present their desires. The elders must present the desires of God to the church as a whole, to church families, and to individuals. Church members must seek to implement the desires of God. This is a simple outworking of the text.

Second, Paul tells us the church was purchased with God's own blood. This means the blood of Christ was divine blood. God shed His own blood on the cross to purchase the church. "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). God exhibited the greatest love possible. He did so for you and me.

The church was not purchased with our blood. Sometimes we get confused on this point. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the building of a congregation. We get the idea the church is ours because of our work. We therefore want things done our way. We need to remember it is "the church of God which He purchased with His own blood."

We give our work, our tithes, and our offerings to God. They are His. We are His. The elders are stewards watching over our souls and watching over the tangible assets of God's church. Each must be directed to God's service and God's glory not our own service and our own glory.

Third, all of this means the church must reflect God's image. "God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (John 4:16). Since God is love, the church must reflect His love. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35).

This love is a reflection of the unity present within the Trinity. Christ prays that His disciples "be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us" (John 17:21). Love fosters this unity reflecting the Trinity. Love and unity are essential, as Jesus says, "so that the world may believe that You sent Me" John 17:21). Love and unity present a powerful witness to the world.

Here is the bottom line. Churches must realize they belong to God. The elders must be God's representatives in the congregation implementing His program. People and elders together must seek to be conformed to God's image in love and unity. As a result they will then have a powerful witness to the world.