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I was talking to a former member who moved away several years ago and as we were catching up I asked how the church was doing where they attended.
Among other things he said he and his wife are often thanked for what they do in the congregation.
He said he responds to them… “several years ago an Elder kept encouraging me to be more involved and eventually I did”
God has sheep all over the world. They are under one great Shepherd… Jesus Christ. They are one great big flock of sheep who Jesus shepherds through his written word and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The whole flock of sheep the world over assemble every Sunday as small flocks of sheep shepherded by earthly Shepherds in their various communities. They also are shepherded by the written word and by prayer.
The earthly Shepherds only answer to the great heavenly Shepherd Jesus Christ and to no one else.
The sheep in these local flocks only answer to two shepherds… the great Shepherd Jesus Christ and to their local Shepherds.
As a business owning Veterinarian who would you rather hire? An experienced Veterinarian with sky high productivity or a fresh new Veterinarian with outstanding book knowledge but no experience or the confidence that comes with experience?
I think we all know the answer to that question.
I have been a Veterinarian for over 45 years. I never see anything new anymore… vomiting dog, dog with diarrhea, dog with organ failure, dog with cancer, dog with neurologic disorders, etc., etc., etc. I can walk into a room with a panicked client and calmly make a diagnosis and and offer treatment and usually I don’t have to run a bunch of expensive diagnostics to do so.
Let’s talk about Elders in a congregation and who is best qualified to lead the congregation.
What if a young man went to a Bible college and graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned a bunch of letters after his name and could answer any question based on the Bible? And all his friends were scholars of the Bible? Would he make a good Elder?
What about an older man who never went to college who worked with his hands but studied his Bible every day and raised godly children and godly grandchildren. A man who worked among common people and was exposed to every kind of problem that comes with living and working with ungodly people. Would he make a good Elder?
You can have all the great teachers in the world but the greatest teacher is experience and that only comes with age. They say it takes 12 months to get a years experience. There are no short cuts.
God chose to have older experienced men to lead his congregations. Men who have experienced marriage and everything life has to throw at you.
I appreciate young inexperienced Veterinarians because after all that’s what I used to be.
I also appreciate young men who dedicate themselves to the study of God’s word. With age and experience they will make great leaders one day. It just takes time.
Placing membership in a local congregation is kind of a funny thing. We have people in regular attendance who may attend services three times a week but they don’t want to be officially known as members.
Of course as Elders/Pastors/Shepherds in a congregation we want attendees to “place membership” Why? Because by doing so they let the leadership and the congregation know that they are putting themselves under the leadership of the congregation to help them grow and mature spiritually as Christians which is what God expects of them.
Consider the congregation as a flock of sheep under a shepherd. What if some stray sheep wander in and start feeding and associating with the flock. After a period of time the rest of the flock thinks of them as members. They feel like members and act like members. Do they become part of the flock just by continual association?
Does the Shepherd ignore them because they are not “officially” recognized as part of the flock or does the Shepherd care for them like all the others in the flock of sheep? Does he let that visiting sheep wander off to be consumed by a wolf and do nothing about it and feel no remorse because he didn’t have that sheep listed in his official tally of the flock? Or does he act to protect?
And what would the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, do in that situation? I think I know.
My guess is that some don’t want to place membership because they don’t want to be held accountable when they stray and follow after sin. Maybe they don’t want people calling them when they miss services.
For example they may want to occasionally party and get drunk and be sexually active (outside of marriage) and sleep in on Sunday mornings but, you can’t touch me because I’m not a member of the church (officially).
What a nice little game that is played by both sides. Elders who play the “wild card” of inaction and attendees who counter with the “wild card” of I’m free to do what I want because I’m not a member.
Ridiculous. Remember God will not be “mocked” and trifled with.
Some of the worst clients i’ve had to deal with at our Veterinary Clinic have been members of our congregation.
I had one church member who threw a fit in an exam room. I can’t even remember what they were upset about. When they had run out of gas, I asked my exam room technician to leave and shut the door. Then I calmly said… you’re not going to act like that in my clinic. If you can’t control yourself you can find another Veterinary clinic. I didn’t get an apology.
Another church member was not happy with one of my associates and complained to me about it. I told them to talk to my practice manager. They did. My practice manager said my Veterinary associate and staff acted appropriately. The church member went on to trash us on social media and stopped payment on a check.
My practice manager asked me if I wanted her to wave the charges since the client went to our church and I said absolutely not. Treat them like anyone else.
You see, I love all my employees and I am doing my best to convert them to Christ. Imagine the hypocrisy my employees would see in me if I rewarded poor behavior.
It’s embarrassing to me when an employee in disbelief says… “Dr. Perkins, that person goes to your church?”
There are Christians and there are Sunday Morning Christians. Be the right kind.
The first part of the letter to the churches in Galatia speaks to the different Gospel that Christians from a jewish back ground were trying to impose on Christians from a Greek or non-jewish background… namely circumcision.
In other words the Greeks would be baptized then there would be a knife and a minor surgical procedure waiting to be performed on them.
Then there seems to be a transition to the “works of the flesh” and the “fruits of the Spirit” Is it really a transition or is it a continuation of the same subject?
Let me suggest that the “works of the flesh” actually describes the works of the judaizing Christian teachers. The purveyors of circumcision.
Note the parallel beginning in Galatians 5: 16… the desires of the Spirit vs. the desires of the Flesh and if “led by the Spirit” not “under the Law”
It shifts from Flesh to Law and then defines the works of the flesh (implied Law)
Keep in mind under the Mosaic Law all those “works of the flesh” could be solved by merely sacrificing an animal. That would not be the case under the New Law. The New Law required and requires spiritual perfection because of the superiority of God’s perfect sacrifice… Jesus Christ. It starts in the mind and the heart.
If judaizing Christian teachers could require circumcision then as the holy text explains they would be logically obligated to practice the whole of the Mosaic Law and could continue to practice the “works of the flesh” claiming that the blood of Jesus Christ allowed it just like the blood of animal sacrifices did.
The Galatian letter has a reference to the “fruits of the spirit” I asked my High School class if they saw a tree with oranges on it what kind of tree would that be? They correctly said… an Orange Tree.
Then I asked them if they saw a tree whose fruit was love, joy, peace, etc. what kind of tree would that be?
Conversely if they observed a tree whose fruit was sorcery, immorality, anger, etc. What kind of tree would that be?
Here’s a tough one. What if they saw a tree with mixed fruit… love, joy, peace but also anger and strife and trouble making?
That tree might be a newborn Christian in the faith who still has some work to do in the fruit department but is making progress.
Or it might be a mature tree that has become stunted and is not growing nor is it fulfilling the spiritual directive to become full, complete, blameless and pure… the very spiritual image of Jesus Christ himself.
From time to time we need to take a critical look at ourselves and see ourselves as others see us. Lets be one of the prettiest and most productive trees in God’s garden because… He deserves it.
