[Heb 13:7 NKJV] 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of [their] conduct.
In part one of this topic, we examined the fact that elders given to a particular local church, to the specific members of that church, as a means of grace in their lives, for their equipping and maturation in Christ, for the work of ministry. We also saw that a "means of grace" is a particular biblical way God blesses us or brings grace into our lives. To read this post, go HERE.
In this post we will examine how to employ elders in our lives, in biblical ways, so that we benefit (by grace alone) by this particular means of grace.
Here are some ways (but not all of the ways) we can benefit from the elders God has given us.
First, remember the elders that God gave you. [Heb 13:7 NKJV] 7 Remember those who rule over you. The point here is not the particular man's ability or accomplishments. Far from it. Rather it is to see how God is working in the men he has given us as elders in biblical ways. To remember, is to recall to our minds the biblical doctrine we hear and the biblical behavior we see in our elders. [Heb 13:7 NKJV] 7 Remember those who rule over you.
What is it we should remember? Two things in general. One, we should remember their teaching or doctrine. [Heb 13:7 NKJV] 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you...
God is sovereign over his church, meaning over every particular local church. He is the source of it, the head of it, savior of it, the organizer of it. He is the one who chose its particular elders (Acts 20:28) and members (1 Cor 12:18). It is he alone who gives grace to it. He determined from the foundations what good works it would do in his name. (See Eph 2:10)
The Lord knows the strengths and weaknesses of every local church. Every local church is unique and has its own strengths (by the grace of God) and its own share of issues (by the sovereign will of God). Consider the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. The Lord, who walks in the midst of them (Rev 2:1) commends them for biblical behavior, and corrects them for sinful (i.e. un-biblical) behavior.
The Lord prescribes that the whole church come together in one place. He chose the elders and prescribed that they feed the flock the word of God, not only but especially when this occurs. [2Ti 4:1-2 NKJV] 1 I charge [you] therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Ultimately, it is the Lord using the faithful teaching of sound doctrine, by the elders he gave to a particular church, to feed that church from the heritage of Jacob (Isaiah 58:14), and to feed that church from the rivers of his delights (Psalm 36:8). It is Christ who called that church into his banqueting house, where his banner over them was love (Song of Solomon 2:4).
On the Lord's Day (and other at other times), the chosen elders of a particular church, speak the word of God to the members of that particular church. Like particular loaves of bread, the saints are to take that spoken word, the banquet provided for them by the Lord himself, and feed off of that word. They are to remember the word spoken to them by their elders (Heb 13:7).
The way a church eats the loaves of bread provided by the Lord, through the elders, is given in his word. One, we should be present to receive the loaves as they are given by the Lord. This is the teaching provided by the Lord through the elders/teachers. Do not forsake the assembling of the church. Two, we are to receive those loaves with eagerness (Acts 17:11). We should desire the pure milk of the word that we may grow thereby(1 Peter 2:2). Three, we are to receive the loaves with meekness (James 1:21), which means a willingness to submit to biblical teaching. Four, we are to take the loaves we received and inspect them. We should search the Scriptures to see if what we heard was true (Acts 17:11). Five, we should ingest the loaves. We should meditate (or think about) what we heard day and night (Psalm 1). This would also include talking about, praying over, asking questions in consideration of the word we heard. Six, we should apply the loaves to our lives. Let us be doers of his word and not hearers only (James 1:22). Seven, we should seek unity with our brothers and sisters in our local church regarding the loaves we are fed. We should agree on the sound doctrine taught to us by our elders (1 Cor 1:10).
It should be noted that the word fed to a church by its appointed elders should be a priority over instruction from sources outside of that local church. If we did the above faithfully, we would have plenty to feed off of each week. This is not to say we can't listen to other sermons from other sources. It is to say that what is prescribed in God's word is better for us, is a higher priority and should take precedent over any teaching by another elder from another church.
Second, we should remember their behavior before the church and imitate it. Elders are in fact called to be examples to the flock. [1Pe 5:2-3 NKJV] 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; This does not mean (and will never mean) that they are perfect in their behavior. They are no different in their ability than anyone else. (No one is able to obey God's law in and of themselves - Romans 7:18) It is their godly (biblical) behavior, caused by the working of God's grace in them, that should be imitated.
We are to observe the biblical behavior of the elders and imitate it. [Heb 13:7 NKJV] 7 Remember those who rule over you, ... whose faith follow, considering the outcome of [their] conduct. The word, "follow" is a Greek word meaning "to mimic" or "imitate."
The elders are not the only ones to be imitated (see 1 Cor 11:1), but they are to be imitated. This is a very simple principle. What you see them doing in the church, that is also found in the word of God - do! What you see them practicing - practice! If they are present at church on the Lord's Day, imitate them and be present on the Lord's Day. If you hear their prayers, listen to how they pray, and imitate them. If you see them discipling someone, disciple someone or get discipled. If you see them reading their bibles etc...
Paul taught this very principle to the Philippians who had heard his teaching and seen his behavior. [Phl 4:9 NKJV] 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Observe the elders and "consider the outcome of their conduct" (Heb 13:7). The word, "consider" means "...to look at attentively, to consider well, to observe accurately." We are to watch what they do (that is biblical) and think carefully about it, with the intent of doing the same thing. And we are to do this knowing the outcome of their faith in Christ, the salvation of their souls. God working through them, producing godly behavior in them, before the church over a period of time and ultimately to the consummation of their life - their being united with Christ in their death.
God gave specific elders to specific local churches. Let us a members of our local church employ this means of grace in biblical ways in our lives, that we might grow up in all things unto Christ.
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