Leadership
30 August 2026
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.
Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
(Hebrews 13:17)
Please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Hebrews and to chapter 13. We're going to just read one verse from this chapter in Hebrews, and we will be going to some other passages as we work our way through the next subject in our series on the church as we look today at Church Leadership. So, Hebrews 13:17. This is the word of God.
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Amen. Let's pray together.
O God, we pray that the joy of being the church of Jesus Christ, because of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of the saving work that Jesus Christ did here on this earth by His life, death, and resurrection, is the means by which we can consider these spiritually weighty, profound, and practical applications of how the church lives and functions to the glory of our great God. We submit to You. We pray that Your will would be done in this time through what is proclaimed, honouring and faithful to the Scriptures that we have before us. For we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Now, as we come now to this section in the doctrine of the church, it's important to see and savour what we've already worked through in the previous month in the early stages of the gospel, baptism, membership, and then last week we were dealing with doctrine because the church is not an add-on to something connected with Christianity. The church is at the very heart of the gospel because it is the church that Jesus came for and He laid down His life for. And this is why when we see those 3,000 being baptized and added to their number in Acts chapter 2, giving us the profound principles and pattern by which the church began and grew in the time of Acts. Because of Christ and the gospel, we see that many souls are saved, the church begins to grow, and then eventually we see that individual local churches begin to function and operate distinct from one another, but each of them being the Church of Jesus Christ. The church being the ecclesia, which is the assembly, the assembling of the Lord's people. So, that's what we've been dealing with so far, and last week we considered why it is so important that doctrine, the teachings of the Bible, are front and central and foundation to the church and how the church functions. And so today we come to another crucial application as we begin to look at different aspects of the church in these coming weeks. And that is the subject of church leadership.
Now again, dealing with the framework and principles and Acts we note that initially the church is one big group of what is hundreds, thousands of believers under the leadership of the apostles who have that authority, the apostolic authority, which has been given by Christ Himself, the keys of the kingdom given to Christ, as we saw in Matthew chapter 16. With that authority, as apostles, as souls are saved, as more and more people are being added, what they then soon begin to do is to recognize and set apart men who would become the spiritual leaders of the individual churches. So, we go from this apostolic time, in the time of Acts in the New Testament, to then the appointing of elders in these different churches. Acts 14:23 - when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Paul also exhorts Titus in Titus 1:5 – For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you. Now, the reference to this word we have in English, elders of the church, it appears in several places. Another example Acts 20:17. Another one James 5:14. And there are 3 interchangeable words that we have at different points in the English for the same role of office in leadership in the church. So, these Greek words are used interchangeably, which signify the word for a church leader, one of which is elder. But we also have the word for overseer or bishop, and there's one usage of the term pastor in Ephesians 4:11. So, we've different references. Elder, which comes up frequently. There's mention of overseer or bishop. There's the one mention of pastor. And each of these references to these different titles is dealing with the same office of spiritual leadership within the church.
The elder, the pastor, the overseer, who is the shepherd of the church. So that's what we have here. And this is where we see in the verse that we read in Hebrews 13:17, these are therefore the leaders that the Christians, the church, are called in this verse to obey and submit to. And we note why. Because these people, these men who are set apart in this position of leadership within a church are keeping watch over your souls. They're keeping watch over your souls. Now, this must be stressed because it is a significant distinction from a job leader, let's say the boss of a company, who is looking at you, the one who is employed, at your job performance. So, if you're doing your job, that's fine, and therefore, we can continue on as we are. Here, we're not dealing simply with some outside external performance. This is a role which is invested in the internal matters of the heart and life of you, the Christian. So, get this into our minds in terms of how Christ has ordained the church to function, that there are to be leaders who have that level of spiritual authority by which they themselves have to stand before the Most High God giving an account for the souls, they have the oversight, this shepherding authority for. So, this is far from a power trip for a few individuals because they must stand before God and give an account. This is why in James 3:1 it states - Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
So, this is giving us a sort of introduction to the way in which the structure of church involves leadership. And we're thinking at this point specifically of the nature and application in the context of eldership, of being an elder, a pastor, an overseer, a shepherd. But what we find in the New Testament is that there are 2 offices in the life of the church. Two roles of spiritual leadership and authority with different roles within that church. There's the one office of the elder, the pastor, the one who is the spiritual leader in that capacity, and then there is the other office of the deacon, which is the word for servant, which is also a position of authority and leadership in the life of the church.
So, what we're going to do in the time that we have this morning, and it's a lot, we're going to very quickly go through some of the key principles of the role of an elder. Then we're going to consider some of the key roles and principles of the role of a deacon. And then at the end, we'll consider some applications of what that man is to look like in terms of their character and conduct. So that's what we're going to be dealing with, and again, as is the case with pretty much every sermon on this series in the church, these are dealing with the key overarching points. So, this should be giving us some kind of key ideas that certainly could be fleshed out in more depth.
Elders
So, we come first to the subject of eldership, and let's turn to 1 Peter 5:1. 1 Peter 5 is probably the most helpful passage in the New Testament, which gives us a rundown of the things that an elder is called to do. If we want to see, and we'll consider this, the character of the man and how significant that is, then we go to 1 Timothy 3:1. But here in terms of what the elder does, 1 Peter 5 is very helpful. So, let's read from verse 1 - So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
And we'll stop there. So, a few key points to state with regards to the calling and role of an elder. The first one is that the elder, the shepherd, is to lead his people. So, it is a role of leadership. Now, think of the imagery that we have here in this text that we've read. We've got this command here in verse 2 to shepherd the flock of God that is among you. So, this is giving a role of authority, the shepherd and sheep picture. The shepherd is the one who knows where he is going. That's the very picture of a shepherd who is leading his sheep. And this is something that we have to have in view here. So, a shepherd cannot be someone who is thinking and wondering and looking out at the congregation, looking out at the sheep and wondering, where do you want me to go? What direction are we supposed to go in? No, the shepherd has the responsibility to know this and to lead the people accordingly. And the accordingly is according to the word of God. So, there is a roadmap which is laid out for the one who is set aside as the elder, and he's not making it up as he goes along or doing as he pleases according to his own whims and self-serving passions. No, it is according to God's word.
Hence why there are these points of exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly. There is a desire to submit to God's calling, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in charge, but being examples to the flock. There is something of the desire that is driven towards and for God that shapes the way by which this leadership happens. This is not a position where the elder stands in a lofty, I am over you and you must stand by my feet. No, the elder stands amongst the people and leads according to what is contained in God's word and by which he has been called to do so. This is how we understand the servant nature of leadership, where 1 Corinthians 4, Paul likens and refers to the apostolic and church eldership type leadership as like being the servant at the bottom deck of a boat. Because it is a leadership of service, but it is very much leadership. So that's the first thing, the leading of the sheep.
The second one, and this is something that needs to be stressed and emphasized, is that the elder is to tend to the sheep. So, tending to the sheep. As we see in this passage, there is the shepherding the flock of God principle, which involves leadership, but also involves the tending, the caring for, the guiding, the directing the sheep.
Now, when we read verses like this, and when we read Hebrews 13:17 – watch over your soul, what necessary conclusion should each of us as Christians have about the role of your elders in the life of the church? Well, very simply, but profoundly, the elder, the shepherd, needs to know his sheep.
Now again, we think of secular context, and we even think of fleshly reactions to that. And often, we recoil at that. Why? Because there are often things that we want to hide, sins that we struggle with that we don't want to be accountable to, or simply because we like the idea of our own sometimes sin-pleasing autonomy. Now, brothers and sisters, this is a key battleground in the life of the church today, because actual shepherding, not just having the title or the badge, but the actual doing and application of it, is something that is increasingly in short supply. And everyone can hold their hands up and take part of the responsibility for that. In terms of the sheep, those who are in the church, many of them don't want it. And we've even seen this in the life of our church. Shepherds who seek to get involved in the lives of the congregation, sometimes someone will say, no, that's me, I'm done, and I'm out of here. And we've already considered the fact that this is contrary to the very nature of being part of a church. But then similarly, there are shepherds who are quite happy with that framework. And the shepherds who will just accept that, well, these sheep, these members, the church, they don't really want me to be too involved with their lives. And to be quite frank, I've got some study to do. I've got other things to do. And let's just keep it nice and superficial, and we'll leave it at that. Now, brothers and sisters, that might create a greater sense of superficial unity, but that's not shepherding, and that is fundamentally not how the local church should function.
Now, this is painstaking labour for a shepherd, arguably one of the hardest things that an elder can and must do when he should, using this imagery, smell like his sheep by getting in amongst the situations in their lives. Now, this is not to say that it's a micromanagement, every little detail must be scrutinized, because there is a role and sphere of authority by which the elder does have, and where that certainly could be overstepped. But if, for example, there's maybe a key area in your life, whether it be in your marriage, the way you're raising your children, and the way by which you're using your tongue, it is the responsibility of the church, and especially the elders, to be involved in that for the sake of your soul, for the sake of the purity and the upbuilding of Christ's bride, and we should want that. And we should pray, Lord, may there be those who are in leadership in churches who are watching over the souls of their people. If any of you ever is thinking, that's not something I need, then instantly that attitude is why you need this. And this is also where to understand with regards to the shepherd's role, fundamentally it's not the 9-to-5 job. The situations in the life of a church congregation are things that should be and will be on the minds, the hearts of the elders be a care for the souls of the congregation. It's something that matters for the sake of what matters, which is Christ's bride. And so, therefore, the second point which must be stressed, the shepherd must tend to the sheep.
Now, the third point we need to address, therefore, and this would be probably the most obvious, but it needs to be identified, is that the shepherd must feed his flock. In John 21, the Lord Jesus commissions Peter to Feed my lambs, and also, we have to Tend my sheep. And this is a crucial distinction for the church elder, in contrast with the office of the deacon. They must be able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2) and in 1 Timothy 5:17, it says – Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching. So that's dealing with the application of doing so with greater frequency.
Now, we need to clarify that not everybody who has a teaching gift is called to be a shepherd, but everyone who is called to be a shepherd must have a teaching gift. And so therefore, when it comes to the role and calling of a shepherd, you should expect to be fed spiritually. It's not a case of there's an uncertainty. So those of you who were there at that barbecue yesterday, many stood and watched me light up that barbecue and wondered, is this guy going to be able to feed me? Well, there's an uncertainty in that context, but when it comes to me standing on a Sunday morning, this is something you need to know. Yes, this is what he's called to do, and so therefore, it is this word which is going to feed your soul. That picture there by which this isn't just a preaching station where, yeah, I can enjoy the teaching, good sermon, but this is feeding you. This is building you up. This is food for the soul. And the shepherd has a calling to do so.
2 Timothy 4:2 Paul exhorts Timothy - preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
So, the shepherd, the elder, must be a man of God who knows the word, who loves the word, who stands upon the word. And that's non-negotiable. If the church is called to be a pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), then shepherds must be men with a backbone who are unwilling to compromise on the hard truths. Shepherds who are willing to stand for lead tend to and feed the sheep according to this word upon which they stand.
And this is a supernatural work and gift that is given. 1 Corinthians 2:13 - And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. So, the shepherd feeds, the gift of teaching is evident, and this is the means by which the sheep will grow. And so, this third point, the shepherd must be called to teach, to feed the sheep.
And we'll come to one other point with regards to the calling of the elder, and that is that he must protect the sheep. The shepherd must protect the sheep. In leading the sheep, in tending to the sheep, in feeding the sheep, we also have the role of guarding and protecting the sheep.
Acts 20:28 - Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among you, your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
The shepherds have a responsibility to protect the sheep from doctrinal error. So, if a false teaching begins to infiltrate the life of the church, then it is the responsibility of the shepherds, no matter what damage it may cause, for the sake of upholding the truth of the gospel, upholding God's word, and for the sake of upholding the purity of Christ's bride. These wolves can come in different shapes and colours, whether it be false doctrine, whether it could be in terms of a gossiping spirit, or whether it's looking to lead people in a worldly direction. The shepherds have the responsibility to be watching over the souls of the congregation and guarding and protecting from such dangers. If this means people being removed, even dealing with matters of church discipline and so on, then that is what is required as a role of protecting the sheep.
Now, these are just a few key summary points of the calling of an elder and what an elder does in the life of a church.
Deacons
We come then to the calling of the other office, and that is of the deacon. Now, the first thing we're going to do is go to Acts chapter 6. This is an important passage to help us to see the distinction of this second office of leadership. How it came about, and why, when we get to 1 Timothy 3, there is mention of the characteristics of the elder, and then we get the characteristics of the deacon. So, we'll read Acts 6 from verse 1 - Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
So, what do we have in this passage? We have a practical, administrative, but spiritual problem that is growing amongst different groups within the church body. And this comes to the attention of the leaders, at this time the apostles, and they see that things practically are getting out of hand. There needs to be more oversight, more structure in how things are being organized, how the resources and possessions and so on are being distributed. And so, this then leads to the recognizing of 7 godly men who would take on a leadership role of service.
Now, when we read in this passage that the disciples, these apostles, are saying, it's not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables, this is not them saying, well, I'm too big and important to serve tables, but it is recognizing that with the time they need to dedicate to their calling as shepherds, there needs to be others who are dedicating their time and calling to service in this capacity. So that's the distinction here. And this is where, when we begin to picture the notion of the office of elder and deacon and how that can function. Here we have the key distinction between the 2 roles of the offices of the elder and of the deacon, where there's a complementing one another in the role of how it will function in the life of the church.
And notice here, this isn't simply a case of, just get 7 people who are willing to serve, that's fine. Anyone will do, as long as they've got a heart to serve. It is important that that principle is applied in the life of the church, that we all have a heart to serve, absolutely. And the word diakon in Greek is used in that term of individuals and groups of people, including people like Phoebe in Romans 16, but here we have the recognizing of 7 men who are set apart in an office of leadership as the deacon, the servant. That is the role of the office which is recognized in passages like 1 Timothy 3.
So, with that said, we come to then look at some points about what a deacon is called to do. So, the first thing to mention is that a deacon's role, a deacon's calling is administrative. It is administrative.
So, we have a church congregation, a church like ours, which has many needs. There are many needs in the church congregation. Now, as we've already noted, the elders have this calling and responsibility for the shepherding role of feeding and tending the sheep, so that is for the spiritual well-being of the church. But the deacon's role is one of overseeing all of the needs in the life of the congregation. Now, as we'll note, that could involve identifying certain spiritual needs, but there could be many other practical needs, like the situation of the Hellenists in Acts chapter 6.
So, for example, if there is a church member who's struggling to get from A to B, or if there is a struggle with one's health in the life of the congregation, even in terms of getting basic necessities, or if there's a group of people who are being somewhat neglected, or a group of people who could be getting more involved in serving in the life of the church, and they're not quite knowing which way to turn, there is a leadership role of service that the deacon has in terms of overseeing all of these matters in the life of the church.
Now, when you begin to hear that, 2 things should come into your mind. Number one, while this sounds like a lot of work, and it is, and number two, we also can recognize how important that is for how a church and the church community, the church culture, is going to function. Because the provisions, the care that the deacons are going to give in all of these capacities is administrative in the way by which they're helping to organize and sort all of these different matters. That doesn't mean they do it all. And churches always need to be exhorted about this, especially in churches like ours, where we're blessed with 2 deacons who serve so tirelessly. It's not always down to them to do everything. And so, the administrative nature is also recognizing, well, there are others who can be organized and helped and encouraged to be doing things in the life of the church. So, it's administrative.
Second point, it is practical. So, it is a practical role. On this spiritual component and dealing with aspects of the life of the church, it certainly can be described as a mercy ministry without a doubt in some ways, but there's also the practical nature of the things that are done.
For example, if you are blessed to own a building as we do, then there are many matters that need to be arranged with that. Even just the day-to-day functioning of this, as our deacons are keeping an oversight over, when it comes to the Lord's Day, the organization of everything that we see around us, the deacons have that leadership role, that practical responsibility for how things are put into order, including things like setting up the Lord's table, ensuring whether you've got chairs and other things that need to be organized. This is that role of oversight. This includes financially, and think of the trust that this would entail. It doesn't mean that they need to be practically doing everything with money matters in the church, but there's also that oversight of responsibility in these practical areas in the life of the church.
The third thing to mention is that it is a role of leadership and a spiritual role of leadership. To help us picture as the case, let me go back to that illustration I used two or three weeks back that I've used many times of the sheepfold and the shepherd watching over the sheep. We can picture the deacons as being those who are standing around the sheepfold keeping watch over everything that's happening in the life of the church. And as I mentioned just a few moments ago, sometimes it may be that the deacon identifies a spiritual need that needs to be brought to the attention of the elder, the shepherd, for that is his calling to deal with that spiritual matter in that person's family life or whatever it could be.
Others, it could be an oversight over, well, this person over there is in this situation. This is not simply, oh, as long as they practically get that, they're fine. There's a spiritual component to this. There's a recognition that these people are the sheep in this local church. And though it's not a shepherding oversight, it is still a leadership role of care for everyone in the life of this church.
This is profound, brothers and sisters, and this is where the nature of togetherness amongst the elders and the deacons and how they function is absolutely critical in the life of the church, something that we can give thanks to God for in the life of this church, especially in the midst of greater trials that we've faced in recent months. Because that togetherness is because of the word of God. In terms of the clarity of it and the clarity of the application of it in ways by which a church functions. Roles of elder, roles of deacon being clearly understood and clearly applied.
Now, there's obviously much more that can be flashed out in terms of some of the applications of the role of the deacon, but these are some of the key summary points to help us to understand this.
Applications
In the closing time that we have, we're now going to think of the applications with regards to the character and means by which the elder and the deacon function. Now, if we were to look at 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1, we'd find that there are many qualifications that are stated regarding the role of these men. In fact, there are 15 qualifications in 1 Timothy 3, and there are 18 qualifications in Titus chapter 1. Now, at some point, if we work through any of these epistles, we could probably do a sermon on each of these qualifications.
So, there's much depth and richness to go through. And anyone who is potentially being set apart to be an elder or deacon in the church, going through these characteristics is of great importance.
So, the first thing to state with regards to the application of elders and deacons in the life of the church, and it should be obvious by now, is that such men should be men of godly character. They should be men of godly character. And this is not simply a checklist in order to become something, because often it could be read that way. Oh, look, you ticked the box of 1 Timothy 3 seven years ago. No, it is the ongoing checklist, if you like, the application of what is expected of the elder and the deacon. As we go through this list of godly characteristics, this is who this man, a man who is to be above reproach of godly character in his speech, in his conduct, the way by which he manages his household, is to be applied.
And this relates to the second point that needs to be then emphasized, is that the godly character is not simply in church life, it is in all life. All life. How easy it could be and how mistaken we would be to think, well, as long as I see the Christian conduct of this man in how he deals with his elder or deacon duties, how he deals with me in a church capacity, then he's ticked that box. But think of the folly of that if that man, at the same time, has a household that's running riot and his action and conduct outside the life of the church is fundamentally contradictory to that which he would portray in the life of the church. Now, just one point to stress on this, and obviously this could be drawn out in more detail. It is striking to see what emphasis is placed on the managing of his own household. Now, this isn't saying that a man must be married in order to be an elder or a deacon, it is giving the principle by which, in the context of having a family, this is what would be expected of him.
Now think in the context of an elder. With the people who you're spending your time with day by day, especially your wife, this is your first sheep. And if you're not leading your wife according to God's word, there's not an application seen and the fruit of that shepherding in that context, then how could such a man ever then be considered in the context of shepherding a flock? And this is where there's often a disconnect in people's minds when it comes to, well, this man's got a BD in such a department of this university, or this man can teach very well. But that's not how the Apostle Paul deals with the matter of recognizing a man for leadership as God has decreed it in his word. And this needs to be underlined because this is significant to godly character. And this should give you as a sheep a greater sense of assurance. What do I see of this man's conduct in the way he speaks to people? What do I see about the way in which he treats his wife, in how he goes about raising his children, in how he deals with difficult situations, people who are being awkward?
This should be a godly example that we have set before us. And this is what our third point of application is, that your leaders should be a spiritual example to you. Especially applying to elders. Think when the Apostle Paul says - imitate me as I imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Now, the uniqueness of a shepherd's character is that he is leading by spiritual example for the sheep to follow, which includes even the elders having that role by which the deacons are even to follow the elders of that example. And so, this means that as one who is under the shepherding care of your elders, these are men that you trust and are entrusting your souls to in this capacity.
This is how Christ has ordained the church to function, and submitting to and aligning with a church's doctrine, her leaders, and all the aspects of what the life of a church looks like, which we're dealing with in this series, is for the health and strength of the church. And again, so often, one who has expressed such a trust in the church and the leadership, such an alignment to the doctrine, and how so often there has been the, how much we love the teaching in this church, then it comes to a certain point and then, boom, I don't trust you anymore. Brothers and sisters, this is why having clear teaching from the word of God about what this role and calling is, is important that we give prayerful reflection to in our lives, because it is how Christ has decreed it.
And this takes us to a fourth application, and that is that your leaders need to be encouraged.
Now, we know this, all of us, how easy it is to find faults in others, and especially for those in leadership. And that comes with the territory of being in leadership. But are we so quick to encourage, to express an appreciation for things that our leaders, whether it be elders or deacons, are doing, including even where we see godly character and example being displayed? Now, leading a church is a taxing job, and the enemy is especially on the lookout to knock down and to divide the leaders, whether it be with each other or with the congregation. And how many reports have I heard of ministers, pastors who've turned out, they've given up the ministry? And yes, we could say, oh, well, there's faults with some of these ministers. But are we saying that in every case? Oh, that must be the pastor's fault. When we see the way so often members of a congregation are willing to treat their shepherds. So yes, it is important that leaders are being built up and encouraged in the work and ministry that they're called to do.
But fifth, also to stress, leaders should also be shaped by godly correction.
So, no leader, elder or deacon, should ever come before any criticism or any godly correction and stand with a posture of, well, I'm above correction here. I'm the elder and you listen to me. No, because the authority, even by which the elder has authority, is the word of God. So, the foundation by which especially the standard of godly character and conduct is to be expected of an elder and deacon, this is the basis by which any godly correction not only could be given, but at times should be given. This is not to disrespect or to attack or knock down the leadership. Again, it's for the health of the church. Because whether it be Mike and I as elders, or Pawel and David as deacons, we are fallible, fallen sinners who, by God's grace, have been restored and have been set apart for such a calling. But there will not simply be mistakes, but there will be sinful actions and applications in our lives.
And again, therefore, this takes us to the final application and something we can be so thankful for, namely Christ being at the centre, and it's why your leaders must look to and point you to Christ.
So, for example, let's take some of these previous points. All the praise that the elder or the deacon is getting and thinking - yes, me. No, Christ. Similarly, the criticism or any godly correction, oh no, no, Christ. It is always in every aspect of everything we've looked at throughout this sermon, from the nature of feeding the flock on a Sunday morning or the serving the tables on a practical basis after the service, everything is looking to and for Christ. Now, this point cannot be stressed enough, and it's an increasing testimony within the life of a church like ours, when we consider the importance of those who have an oversight over the souls of God's children in the context of the church, and how desperate there is of Christ.
First of all, in terms of, well, anything I do, even when it comes to delivering a sermon, has to be because of Christ, and it has to be in pointing to Christ. When it comes to any discouragement in ministry, any struggles in the life of the church, that leadership responsibility that the office bearers have is to point you to and to encourage you in Christ.
And this is why, ultimately, men who are in positions of leadership don't need pity, no matter how much there is struggle, because this is a calling for men to step up and lead. It is a high calling. But such men do need your prayers. And they do need Christ. So, we're not looking, oh, I feel sorry for my elders today. No, I'm praying that God would strengthen them in their weakness and that Christ would be all the more magnified in their ministry and in the ministry of the life of this church. Because what are we but servants in this high and weighty calling, seeking to give glory to Christ for the advance of His kingdom?
That's why our godly character matters in every aspect of our lives, because Christ is not separate to what I do in my family. Christ is not separate to what the deacons do in any aspect of their practical or working lives. Everything is grounded upon and centred upon Christ. And Christ shapes us. Christ changes us from one who is not humble, who doesn't have self-control, who isn't sober-minded, being proud and rash and idolatrous, to now being one who is changed by Christ.
It's our prayer that Christ would do such a work, a refining work, that the characteristics of 1 Timothy 3 would be even more evidenced as there is a maturing of the bride of Christ, especially and centrally upon the life of her leaders. This is why the bride of Christ, the church, is so crucial, and why her leaders and their calling must not only be understood with precision, but then applied in the life of the church. Brothers and sisters, there is absolutely no merit in the life of this church to say, well, that was good teaching, but then for these truths not to be applied in the life of this church.
This is food for the soul that would shape the souls of the people by which the bride of Christ is built up. And that's our calling as leaders, as elders in what is being led, in tending, in feeding, in protecting. For deacons and how they organize in all of the practical matters, the spiritual matters in the life of the church. This is for the good, the blessing, and the growth of the church body. And it is all for Christ, the living head of the church, in whom we trust and which the gospel is the means by which we rejoice. Let's pray together.
Oh, Father, we pray that there would be a hunger in our hearts, a hunger for these truths to be implanted within our souls, to shape the very fabric of our beings as those who belong to Christ. May this shape the way by which we live and function as the church. Father, how quick it is for us to turn quickly to the flesh. And we pray that we would come in repentance for some attitude, especially for those of office as elders and deacons, as men who are called to be of such godly character, we pray that you would shape and strengthen us in our calling to lead this church, that you would bless each and every one of us in the way by which we function for your glory and honour. Lord, we come weak and helpless, were it not for what Christ has done in us. But because of what Christ has done, because of who Christ is, we come as His people, as the church. And we thank you for how the church functions. It is revealed in the word of God. And for godly leaders, we pray, that you would use, call, set apart such men to bless and serve the life of the church, that your kingdom would advance. Build us up, we pray. Give us clarity in doctrinal truth and in its application as we work through this series. For we ask all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.