LEADERSHIP-RESPONSE TO
At the same
time, however, the kind of trust that we are called to give to our fellow
imperfect humans in this life, be they family or friends, employers or
government officials, or even leaders in a church, can never finally be earned.
It must be given as a gift – a gift in faith, in trust more of the God who
gives than of the leaders He has given (Eph. 4:11-13).
Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Crossway,
2000, p. 214.
It cannot be
emphasized enough that once a congregation votes a man in as an elder, they
should cooperate with and submit to his leadership joyfully. Without a sincere
intention and effort to cooperate with the leadership of the church, there is
no point in electing elders to lead the congregation. Unless the elders are
leading in an unbiblical or sinful way, uncooperative members are simply a bane
to the local church and should seek fellowship elsewhere if their presence
becomes divisive.
Mark Dever and Paul
Alexander
Getting
Started, taken from The Deliberate Church, © 2005, Crossway Books, a division
of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinois 60187, p. 159, www.crosswaybooks.org.
Pastors
are sinners. They have weaknesses and faults just like church members. This is
not to say that they are not to live as an example to the flock (1 Peter 5:3)
and are not to have met certain moral qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus
1:5-9). But we must be realistic about their sinful nature. They will
continually do battle with the old nature
which is still part of their lives, and will do so as long as they live. Total
victory over sin will not be won in this life. Sanctification will take place;
victories will occur; bad habits and sins will be overcome – but there will be
many battles to fight until the day of glory… Remember that your pastor and his
family constantly live in a fishbowl for all the church to see – and sometimes
the sight is not going to be particularly attractive. They are humans also!
Curtis C. Thomas
Life in the Body of Christ, Founders Press, 2006, p. 151,
153, www.founders.org. Used by Permission.
In many
churches today the congregation rules the leaders. This sort of government is
foreign to the New Testament.
John MacArthur
Hebrews, Moody, 1983, p. 445.
It is a
serious (and all too common) thing for stubborn, self-willed people in church
congregations to rob their pastors of the joy God intends faithful pastors to
have. Failure to properly submit brings grief rather than joy to pastors, and
consequently brings grief and displeasure to God, who sends them to minister
over us. Grief (stenazontes) means an inner,
unexpected groaning. It is a grief often
known only to the pastor, his family, and to God. Because lack of submission is
an expression of selfishness and self-will, unruly congregations are not likely
to be aware of, or care about, the sorrow they cause their pastor and other
leaders (Heb. 13:17).
John MacArthur
Hebrews, Moody, 1983, p. 446.
The church
cannot be expected to do its work effectively if their followers are not
loyally supporting the leaders. It’s a matter of fact that we’re often slow to
realize to this day that effective leadership in the church of Christ demands
effective following. If we’re continually critical of them that are set over
us, small wonder if they’re unable to perform the miracles that we demand of
them. If we bear in mind the work’s sake, we may be more inclined to esteem
them very highly in love.
Leon Morris
Commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians,
Eerdmans, 1991, p. 167.
When I submit
to the leaders God places over me, I do so not in trust of them, but in trust
of God who placed them. My trust is not that they will always make the right
decisions, but rather, that God is able to work in their hearts and in my life
even in their mistakes. The bottom line of submission on every level is not
“Can I trust this leader,” but “Can I trust God to work in, through, and in
spite of this leader?”
Eddie Rasnake
The Book of Ephesians, AMG Publishers, 2003,
p. 143.
Contrary
to contemporary wisdom, the Bible teaches that one cannot yield to the
authority of the Word without submitting to the authority of the church.
John
R. Muether
Knowing His Voice, Tabletalk, March,
2009, p. 15. Used by Permission.
Our Father,
let me be a pillar of strength to help hold him up and not a thorn in his back
to pull him down. Let me support him without striving to possess him. Let me
lift his hands without placing shackles around them. Let me give him help that
he may devote more time in working for the salvation of others and less time in
gratifying my vanity. Let me work for him as the pastor of all the members and
not compel him to spend precious time in bragging on me. Let me be unselfish in
what I do for him and not selfish in demanding that he do more for me. Let me
strive to serve him and the church much and be happy as he serves me less and
the church and others more.
Senator Robert S. Kerr
Quoted by Robert G. Lee, Who Said That?
George Sweeting, Moody Press, 1995, p. 347.