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In light of His prayer and teaching, we conclude that Jesus desires unity among His disciples.

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

Since Jesus desires unity, we too ought to desire it and pray that His disciples are brought to complete unity. If we are to seek unity, we should first attempt to understand what Jesus had in mind when He prayed this prayer. Let us consider two essential elements of the type of unity Jesus had in mind.

The first essential element of biblical unity is love. True love for the brethren should motivate and guide our thinking. It considers our brothers as more important than ourselves. The lack of Christ-like love will always produce disunity. Sins of pride will always manifest themselves in an environment in which there is a lack of genuine Christ-like love. For example, people will tend to look after their own interests rather than those of others. Leaders will tend to view themselves as superior in some way exhibiting a controlling spirit rather than that of a serving spirit. Often, Christians lacking Christ-like love become concerned about how spiritual they appear to their brothers and sisters. Wherever pride exists, hypocrisy shows its ugly head. The type of unity Jesus has in mind is void of pride and hypocrisy. It concerns itself with the well being of others. Spirit filled service is the fruit of this concern. The pursuit of a growing degree of Christ-like love within us as individuals is essential if we hope to positively impact the body of Christ for the sake of unity.

Acknowledging the great need for true, Christ-like love, let us now turn our attention to a second essential element of biblical unity. While most people think of love as the essential element of biblical unity, the Bible teaches that truth is also an essential element of biblical unity. If we disregard truth in our pursuit of unity, we will not be able to experience the type of unity Jesus had in mind. To illustrate this, I will show that both Jesus and Paul believed that if there is a choice between truth and union “for the sake of unity,” union must be cast aside in favor of truth.

Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ” `a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’”(Matthew 10:34-36). Clearly, Jesus’ idea of unity did not include unity with all men and people of all religions. On the contrary, Jesus taught that the world would hate His disciples in the same way it hated Him. The type of unity Jesus had in mind does not exist apart from truth and the righteousness it produces. To the degree that His disciples live in the light of His truth, they will experience the type of unity He desires. This type of living and resulting unity with each other also brings about persecution and hatred from the world and a clearer division from it and all for which it stands.

To further show the connection between the Word of God and true unity, let me point out that on occasion, Paul advocated division even within the church.

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother” (II Thessalonians 3:14-15)

In this and other passages, Paul instructs God’s people to separate from others who do not submit to God’s instruction (truth).

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (II Thessalonians 3:6).

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (Romans 16:17-18)

“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat” (I Corinthians 5:11).

In addition, we see Paul condemning those who distort the gospel.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9)

While Paul desired and prayed for true unity, he understood that such unity cannot be maintained or produced at the cost of compromising truth. Biblical unity and truth are linked together. If you separate truth, true unity becomes a counterfeit union that can only prevent true unity from happening.

We conclude that the type of unity Jesus desires for His people requires true Christ-like love and humility. This true love cannot exist at the expense of truth because true love desires purity and obedience to God’s will. Biblical unity never remains silent about the presence of harmful sin and error but seeks to rid sin and error from the body. Biblical unity does not look the other way when others are teaching doctrines contrary to the gospel of Jesus. Biblical unity cannot be fabricated by compromising the truth, whether in doctrine or practice.

How do we apply these things with a heart of Christ-like love?

If we are going to have a positive impact that leads to true unity, we should continuously plead with God for Him to increase our love for others and the truth. True, God-produced righteousness must be our desire. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

To fulfill our responsibility to love others, we must value God’s truth above our own ambitions and ideas. To love the brethren, we must seek their welfare above our own. Part of that responsibility may involve the giving of our financial resources. Another part of that responsibility is to speak the truth in love to them with the goal that they would be encouraged to walk in the path of righteousness. If they are drifting from that path, we must not remain silent lest they suffer great harm. If a man is believing things that are harmful, we should seek to help him see the truth so that he may be set free from destructive error and the sin that accompanies it. We cannot look the other way about sin or error. Sin and error only produce division, not unity.

In our efforts to turn people from sin and error, we must continue to love the one we seek to help and never look down on him. We must remember that he is our brother and not the enemy. The enemy is Satan and the lies that the brother is believing. So, it is possible for us to love others and consider them more important than ourselves while at the same time hating the error or sin that is harming him.

Do you want to learn more about what the Bible says about how to obtain eternal life? We offer a 5-lesson On-line Bible correspondence course. Simply read each Bible verse and answer the question about the verse. When you are finished with each lesson, we will review your answers and provide feedback to you.

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How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.

For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.

She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.  (Proverbs 3:13-15)

 

Was the author of these words simply using figurative language to extol the virtues of wisdom or did he intend for us to take them literally? For years, I thought that passages like this were merely extolling the virtues of wisdom. I thought that passages like these were intended to convey a general spiritual truth using figurative language.

Recently, as He has done on many occasions, God placed me in a situation that demands true wisdom and humility. More than ever before, I realize that I have absolutely no power to produce it. In reality, it has always been this way but now, more than ever, I realize that I am and always have been completely unable to change my heart. I could try to act wise and put on humility, but I can not actually produce wisdom and humility within me. There is and always has been only One who has this power, the Almighty God.

It is because of this truth that we understand why true wisdom is literally more precious that all the riches of the world. If I set my mind to work with my hands, I can expect to receive some type of monetary reward for my labor. In other words, through effort, I can acquire some degree of worldly riches. But wisdom cannot be gained any other way except as a gift from God. He is THE ONLY SOURCE of it. Fools can acquire great worldly riches and be void of wisdom. Therefore, wisdom is literally more precious than gold and jewels.  According to the Bible, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). So, if a man fears the Lord, he is wealthier than any unbeliever even if that unbeliever possesses billions of dollars. The man who fears the Lord has something that the rich fool does not possess and could never acquire with all his riches. Even if he set his mind to work for it and try with all his might to be wise, he could never generate true wisdom and humility.

What is true wisdom and humility? What does it look like? It looks like Jesus. God has made clear that I need to be more like Jesus in how I treat people, starting with those closest to me. But how does this come about? Can I just decide to be more humble and wise? Though I can and should humble myself and walk wisely, I cannot actually produce true humility and wisdom within me. Only God can. But I have great reason to believe that He is able and willing to do this because according to the Bible, He predestined me to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). While this will ultimately be brought about in the resurrection, God has begun to do this through the process of sanctification. I can’t change me but God can and is indeed doing this very thing. Is there anything I can do or is it completely up to God? The answer is yes. Yes, there is something I can do and yes, it is completely up to God. Because it is completely up to God, I can pray. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). James said, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). There is something we can do. We must ask God to give it to us. We must seek Him for it.

 

The role God’s Word plays in the acquisition of wisdom

One of the chief means God uses to produce wisdom in us is His Word. “The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psalm 19:7:b). Paul instructs us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds[1].  God uses truth in the process of sanctification. Jesus said “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17)[2].  To conform us to the image of His Son, God uses His Word. Therefore, if we want true wisdom and humility, we will spend much time and effort reading, studying and meditating on God’s Word. This is part of what it means to seek God for wisdom. Since God has made it clear that He uses His Word as a means to impart true wisdom and humility, I should set my mind to learn it. The degree to which I pay attention to the Bible gives some indication of my desire to get true wisdom and humility.

Though this is true, it is important to point out that a person can be a Bible scholar and yet be a fool. A man can be a pastor of a mega church and highly respected in his community and yet be a fool. Does wisdom and humility come merely from the acquisition of Bible knowledge? The answer is no. Many young men go to Bible college and seminary hoping to prepare themselves for “the ministry.” True wisdom, a requirement for the ministry, cannot be acquired from a Bible college or seminary. Only head knowledge can be acquired there. Many people seem to think that if they acquire all sorts of head knowledge about the Bible, they will automatically become wise and possess the humility required to pastor a church or live a spiritual life. Often, the opposite happens. They acquire head knowledge and become less humble than when they started. Mere knowledge puffs up. “Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies” (I Corinthians 8:1). There is no short cut to acquiring true knowledge and humility. There is only one source- God. No man or institution has the power to impart it. If we seek it as if it can be acquired from books or institutions, we will merely come away with head knowledge and become arrogant in the process. The world is full of arrogant pastors that are full of Bible knowledge.

To impart true wisdom and humility, God uses trials and suffering. He tests our faith. It is only during a trial that we are put in a position of proving whether we believe God or not. If we merely have head knowledge of God’s truth but fail to act upon it, we delude ourselves. James said, “Put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:21-25).[3] The measure of our humility and wisdom is tied directly to how much we DO the word, not how much Greek or Hebrew we know.

You may have noticed that I have been using the words wisdom and humility together as if they were almost one and the same thing. The Bible says, “With the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). It is impossible to have wisdom without having humility. To the degree that a man is humble, he will be wise. Show me a proud man, and I will show you a man lacking wisdom. Many a man will say, “Except for the grace of God, go I.” Yet one may say this but only believe it in his head. The humble man really, really believes that unless God keeps him from it, he will commit adultery, murder, idolatry, etc. The humble man is taught by God to place absolutely no confidence in his own ability to keep himself from sin. For some, they learn through their own failed attempts to keep themselves. As a result, it is possible for one man who has fallen to adultery to be more humble than a man who hasn’t. Through his own failure, he has learned first hand the dangers of sin and his proneness to fall. I am not advocating that a man must fall into sin in order to gain humility. I would that none would ever fall to it. But some still have not learned humility from God and deep inside think that they will not fall to sins such as adultery. To this Paul says, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12). Such a man may have acquired abundant Bible knowledge and yet greatly lack humility and wisdom.

Since we are in such great need of wisdom and humility, and since we cannot generate it ourselves, let us cry out to God to make us humble and wise. Then we will shine as bright lights for Jesus. Then we will gain eternal riches that can come only from the hand of God.

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[1] “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2)

 

[2] “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

[3] “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27).

Father, give us eye salve so we will see This Radiance of Your glory so that we will love Him more than life!

In light of His prayer and teaching, we conclude that Jesus desires unity among His disciples.

“May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

Since Jesus desires unity, we too ought to desire it and pray that His disciples are brought to complete unity. If we are to seek unity, we should first attempt to understand what Jesus had in mind when He prayed this prayer. Let us consider two essential elements of the type of unity Jesus had in mind.

The first essential element of biblical unity is love. True love for the brethren should motivate and guide our thinking. It considers our brothers as more important than ourselves. The lack of Christ-like love will always produce disunity. Sins of pride will always manifest themselves in an environment in which there is a lack of genuine Christ-like love. For example, people will tend to look after their own interests rather than those of others. Leaders will tend to view themselves as superior in some way exhibiting a controlling spirit rather than that of a serving spirit. Often, Christians lacking Christ-like love become concerned about how spiritual they appear to their brothers and sisters. Wherever pride exists, hypocrisy shows its ugly head. The type of unity Jesus has in mind is void of pride and hypocrisy. It concerns itself with the well being of others. Spirit filled service is the fruit of this concern. The pursuit of a growing degree of Christ-like love within us as individuals is essential if we hope to positively impact the body of Christ for the sake of unity.

Acknowledging the great need for true, Christ-like love, let us now turn our attention to a second essential element of biblical unity. While most people think of love as the essential element of biblical unity, the Bible teaches that truth is also an essential element of biblical unity. If we disregard truth in our pursuit of unity, we will not be able to experience the type of unity Jesus had in mind. To illustrate this, I will show that both Jesus and Paul believed that if there is a choice between truth and union “for the sake of unity,” union must be cast aside in favor of truth.

Jesus said, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ” `a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household’”(Matthew 10:34-36). Clearly, Jesus’ idea of unity did not include unity with all men and people of all religions. On the contrary, Jesus taught that the world would hate His disciples in the same way it hated Him. The type of unity Jesus had in mind does not exist apart from truth and the righteousness it produces. To the degree that His disciples live in the light of His truth, they will experience the type of unity He desires. This type of living and resulting unity with each other also brings about persecution and hatred from the world and a clearer division from it and all for which it stands.

To further show the connection between the Word of God and true unity, let me point out that on occasion, Paul advocated division even within the church.

If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother” (II Thessalonians 3:14-15)

In this and other passages, Paul instructs God’s people to separate from others who do not submit to God’s instruction (truth).

“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (II Thessalonians 3:6).

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people” (Romans 16:17-18)

“But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat” (I Corinthians 5:11).

In addition, we see Paul condemning those who distort the gospel.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel–which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9)

While Paul desired and prayed for true unity, he understood that such unity cannot be maintained or produced at the cost of compromising truth. Biblical unity and truth are linked together. If you separate truth, true unity becomes a counterfeit union that can only prevent true unity from happening.

We conclude that the type of unity Jesus desires for His people requires true Christ-like love and humility. This true love cannot exist at the expense of truth because true love desires purity and obedience to God’s will. Biblical unity never remains silent about the presence of harmful sin and error but seeks to rid sin and error from the body. Biblical unity does not look the other way when others are teaching doctrines contrary to the gospel of Jesus. Biblical unity cannot be fabricated by compromising the truth, whether in doctrine or practice.

How do we apply these things with a heart of Christ-like love?

If we are going to have a positive impact that leads to true unity, we should continuously plead with God for Him to increase our love for others and the truth. True, God-produced righteousness must be our desire. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

To fulfill our responsibility to love others, we must value God’s truth above our own ambitions and ideas. To love the brethren, we must seek their welfare above our own. Part of that responsibility may involve the giving of our financial resources. Another part of that responsibility is to speak the truth in love to them with the goal that they would be encouraged to walk in the path of righteousness. If they are drifting from that path, we must not remain silent lest they suffer great harm. If a man is believing things that are harmful, we should seek to help him see the truth so that he may be set free from destructive error and the sin that accompanies it. We cannot look the other way about sin or error. Sin and error only produce division, not unity.

In our efforts to turn people from sin and error, we must continue to love the one we seek to help and never look down on him. We must remember that he is our brother and not the enemy. The enemy is Satan and the lies that the brother is believing. So, it is possible for us to love others and consider them more important than ourselves while at the same time hating the error or sin that is harming him.

In the local church, the pastor holds a position of authority over those under his care. The people under his care have a responsibility to respect that authority and submit to the leadership of the pastor. Yet, the pastor himself must never “wield his authority” and demand that people submit to him. Rather, he is to serve as Christ serves and have the same attitude that Christ has:

 

⁵Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:5-8)

Jesus is the second person of the godhead. This is a position of high authority. If anyone had the authority to demand obedience, it was Jesus. Yet, in His serving, He purposely let go of His rights as one who holds this high authority. To serve those under His care, He purposely suffered torture and death at their hands rather than demand their obedience. He did this in order to serve them. This is the model He left us as the Good Shepherd. All pastors must share His attitudes in order to pastor the way that God desires.

 

Prerequisite: Genuine humility

A Man with genuine humility REALLY BELIEVES that except for the grace of God, he would commit the grossest of all sins. He REALLY BELIEVES that it is God alone who keeps him from falling. A pastor must possess a certain fear and trepidation about being a pastor if he possesses this type of humility. He must FEAR the notion that any member might consider him in some way spiritually superior.

⁶“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ⁸“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ¹¹“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹²“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.   (Matt 23:6-12)

 

Because he fears the possibility that one of his members might consider him to be superior in some way because he is the pastor, he does not like titles that might foster this notion. He does not like to be called “Reverend.” He does not even want to be called “leader.”

 

If a pastor possesses this fear, he avoids doing things that might possibly foster the notion that he is in some way spiritually superior. Unfortunately, many pastors seek high esteem from their congregations. Some purposely use big words to create the impression that they are intellectually superior. Some purposely quote Greek and Hebrew words in order to create the impression that they know much more than the congregation knows about the Bible, as if this adds to their spirituality. Sometimes, big words can be used appropriately to help the congregation understand an important truth. Sometimes, it is necessary to talk about Greek and Hebrew words in order to convey an important truth. But if a pastor is doing this as a means to establish a higher esteem from his congregation, he is acting like a wolf, not the Good Shepherd.

When a pastor is shepherding his flock in a way that pleases God, he is not at all concerned about the esteem given him. Rather, he cares only for the welfare of the flock, even to the point of his own death. When his congregation is prospering in the Lord, he derives great joy. Below are some examples of attitudes and actions in his congregation that give him joy.

He is glad when his congregation examines the scriptures to verify if what he is teaching is biblical. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) Instead of feeling challenged by them, he is happy when his congregation does not accept what he teaches just because he is the one teaching it. He is glad that they diligently check what he teaches against the scriptures.

He is happy when one of his members is prospering spiritually and is being used by God. He seeks the spiritual prosperity of those under his care. He overflows with joy if God bestows spiritual gifts on one of his congregation and begins using him mightily. If it seems like God is using that man more than himself, he is not threatened. Rather, he thanks God that He has raised up a man from his congregation who is filled with the Spirit. Rather than worry that this man might receive greater esteem than himself, the pastor is happy that he (the pastor) can take one of the lower seats because he really believes that the lower seats are the best seats in the theater of God’s glory.

A pastor that shares the mind of Christ will consider his ministry a success if he is some day able to step aside and let others take over. If those under his care turn out to be more gifted and useful than he has been, he praises God. After all, the church will now be better cared for than when he was the pastor. Since he only cares about the welfare of the church and not himself, he happily steps aside to let God prosper his people through those that he once served.  From the start, it should be his goal to work himself out of the job for the sake of the further advancement of Christ’s church.

To keep his attitudes in check, a pastor should always consider his position as pastor a temporary assignment. Unfortunately, most pastors view the pastorate as a career path. In reality, God alone is the One who hands out assignments in His kingdom. It is presumptuous to assume that He wants a pastor to hold on to that office indefinitely.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16)

Tomorrow, God may want the pastor to leave his church and go to a country far away. If a pastor does not have his ears open continually to God, he is living this part of his life the way an unbeliever lives, independent of God. The pastorate must not be viewed as if it was a job he is holding down. Rather, it must be viewed from day to day as a temporary assignment from God. The congregation is not his church. It is Christ’s church and His church alone. One practical way to help foster this frame of mind is to refuse a salary. George Mueller did this. He put a box in the back of the church. The money that went into the box was designated for the Meuller family. People gave as God moved them to give. They could not count on a specific sum each month. They had to trust in whatever God moved people to give. This type of practice fostered a way of relating to the position of pastor that required a dependency on God from moment to moment. It is a way that was in keeping with Christ’s attitude of “letting go” of His expectations and casting them all on God.

Lastly, a few words need to be said about the general demeanor that is required of a pastor. If a pastor possesses the humility required to shepherd Christ’s church, he will be a kind, gentle man. Paul said that a pastor must not be pugnacious, but gentle and peaceable (See I Tim 3:3). He must NOT be quick tempered, but self-controlled (See Titus 1:7-8). How can we tell if a pastor meets these qualifications? A pastor’s humility is proven whenever he thinks his authority is being challenged. If the pastor becomes angry or enraged, it means he is holding tightly to his authority rather than completely letting it go (entrusting it to God). He is “lording it over” those under his authority as a tyrant rather than a servant. Such a man should not hold the position of pastor.

In summary, those who aspire to the office of elder must do so with a sense of fear and trepidation. It must never be looked at as if it was one of several possible career paths. Unless God has called a man to this office, he has no business taking it. And only those who possess the humility of Jesus are qualified to do so.

 

The end.

 

The following passages are included as reference and relate to this subject.

²shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; ³nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. I Peter 5:2-3

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Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but ^£emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Expositors Bible Commentary on Phil 2:6 He existed in the form of God and he did not regard his existing in a manner of equality with God as a prize to be grasped or held onto.

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²⁴And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. ²⁵And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ ²⁶“But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. ²⁷“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.   Luke 22:24-27

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⁶“They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, ⁷and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. ⁸“But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹“Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰“Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. ¹¹“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹²“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.   Matt 23:6-12

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⁵Then He poured^* water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ⁶So He came^* to Simon Peter. He said^* to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” ⁸Peter said^* to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” ⁹Simon Peter said^* to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” ¹⁰Jesus said^* to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” ¹¹For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹²So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³“You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. ¹⁴“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. ¹⁶“Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.  John 13:5-16

²An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. (I Tim 3:2-3)

⁷For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, ⁸but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, (Titus 1:7-8)

Our mind tells us that God has the power to save anyone. But how much do we really believe that God can save people in their last days? There are millions of unbelieving people living in nursing homes in the U.S, Canada and Europe. Yet, very few Christians take the time to evangelize them. These older people are a captive audience. Most of them would love to be visited. Most of them would let people read the Bible to them. If these things are so, why then do we neglect the opportunity to evangelize them? Could it be that deep inside, we doubt that God can or will save them?

You might be thinking that since these people have lived so long, they most likely have heard and understand the gospel. In case you believe this, let me assure you that most of them do not understand the gospel even if they have attended some type of church most of their lives. Let me suggest that most of them have been inoculated with enough religion to make them dull of hearing. Most of them have heard that Jesus died for our sins but do not begin to understand why Jesus HAD to die.

Several months ago, God moved my wife along with a few of her friends to begin visiting a local nursing home. Most of the people they met claim to be Christians. They met a couple of believers there but most of the ones they meet do not understand the gospel and relate to God on the basis of their works. My wife and her friends have formed relationships with several of the women in the nursing home. They have been able to explain the gospel in detail and have weekly discussions focused on gospel truth. The people look forward to these visits. Most of them have attended some type of church all their lives. Yet, they have only begun to understand the gospel recently. One of them may have recently begun believing the gospel from the heart. The point is that there are millions of people in these homes that really do not understand the gospel but could hear and understand the gospel if Christians would simply take the time to explain it to them.

It must be stated that any efforts to advance God’s Kingdom will be futile unless His Spirit moves. If a Christian attempts to do the work of evangelism in his own power, he will fail and eventually stop doing the work. It is clear to me that God is the One that moved my wife and her friends to get involved in evangelizing the women at the nursing home. It is obvious to me that He continues to empower them to do the work. They are not doing it out of duty. Rather, they are motivated by the joy of beholding God’s glory in it. The women they visit recognize that my wife and her friends are there because they want to be there. Deep relationships are forming between them. Bottom line, God is the mover. Those going have simply surrendered themselves and are enjoying the food of doing His will.

Perhaps you are wondering if God would bless you with a fruitful ministry to people living in a nursing home. Why not begin asking Him to direct you and offer yourself to do this work?

Ministry suggestions for nursing home evangelism

If you decide to try evangelizing people in a nursing home, make it your intention from the start to explain the gospel to them. You should state your intentions to the people you meet. Do not hesitate to tell them that God has put it on your heart to minister His word to people in the nursing home. If a person does not seem interested the first time you go there, don’t worry. Often, they begin to be interested if they see you coming back each week. Over time, people realize that you are there regularly and they begin to recognize you as a minister of God’s word, not because you are a pastor, but because you care enough to do the work that many pastors are not doing in the nursing homes. Even if you have very little experience and do not feel confident, there are many things you can do to minister the gospel to them.

1. Read the Bible to them. When you meet someone, ask if you can read a short passage of the Bible to them. Often, their attention span is short so keep the passages short. After reading it, you can ask them if they understand it and even explain it to them or discuss it with them.

2. Read a good gospel tract to them. If you have difficulty articulating the gospel, you can read a good gospel tract to them and let it do the preaching. You can stop every few sentences and ask if they understand what you read. Attached are two gospel tracts that you might consider using. The one called, It’s Your Choice can be read with no explanation. The one called, The Gospel We Believe is merely one statement after another. It requires more explanation on your part. You read one statement at a time and then ask if they understand that statement. Each statement should be discussed until the person comprehends it. Depending on each person’s attention span, you may want to read a little each visit rather than try to get through the entire tract in one visit.

3. Pray with them each time you visit. Pray for their physical needs and their spiritual needs.

4. If a person is so inclined, you can take them through a gospel study using “God’s Redemption Message” or something like it.

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.‘ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

 

Maybe try reading a tract to them:

Immediately below is a tract that you could read to nursing home patients. If you read a tract like this, only cover a as much of it that their attention span allows. It is good to stop and ask if they understand sentences. Go slow.

It’s Your Choice!

You can choose to ignore it or you can accept it. The choice is yours and the consequences are eternal. If you are brave enough to face the truth, then read on to find out what God has said about you and Himself.

You most likely will agree that you have “sinned” in some way. In other words, you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says that you have broken every one of the Ten Commandments. For example, you have failed to love God more than everything. You have failed to reverence His name continually. You have loved other things more than God. You have disobeyed your parents. In your heart, you have murdered people in your hatred for them. In your heart, you have committed adultery by having lust for other people. You have stolen that which is not yours. (Even cheating on a test qualifies as stealing.) You have lied. You have desired to have things that do not belong to you. If you are reading this, you are probably saying to yourself, “nobody is perfect,” or, “everyone has done these things.” But you cannot escape the fact that you are guilty of breaking God’s law and the Bible says that God will not leave the guilty unpunished (Nahum 1:3).

You might be falsely thinking that God will weigh the good things you have done against the bad things you have done in order to render a judgment against you that is favorable. This thinking makes God out to be unrighteous and it dishonors Him. Most people think that God is a God of love.  This is true (I John 4:8). What most people fail to understand is that God is also a God of perfect righteousness. (“The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him…Psalm 92:15″) This makes it impossible for sinful beings to dwell in His presence. (Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong…Habakkuk 1:13″) He cannot judge according to human standards. He cannot accept plea bargains. For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes (Deut. 10:17).

What does God deserve and demand?

The Bible says that God demands and deserves perfect obedience from His creatures for every moment of their life. Do not assume that this is unfair. After all, God created us and provided everything we need to exist all the days of our lives.  He gives us each breath we take.  We assume that food, water and shelter are things we provide for ourselves. While this may be true in some respect, God insists that He is ultimately the one who is providing the opportunity for us to get what we need to live. (Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground–everything that has the breath of life in it–I give every green plant for food. (Genesis 1:29&30).” We take for granted the air we breathe but the Bible says that it is a gift from God. This is what God the LORD says–He who created the heavens and stretched them out,  who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it,  who gives breath to its people,  and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5).  The Bible says that all these things we take for granted are gifts,  not rights. Since God created all things, He has the right to call the shots. And because we have all dishonored Him through direct disobedience, God would be perfectly just to destroy us all in an instant.  According to the Bible,  this is what we truly deserve and He has the power and right to do it at any time.  This is why the Bible says that the only proper response is to “fear God.”

Is there any hope?

You may be wondering,  if God expects us to live in perfect obedience with a heart of love for Him all of our lives,  how can there be any hope for us since none of us have lived that way?  If this thought has crossed your mind, you are starting to see things as God sees them. God has made a way of escape but before you can have it, you must agree with His assessment of you.

God has declared the following about you:

-You are not righteous.

-You do not seek Him (You have been the lord of your life.)

-You have turned away from Him rather than move toward Him.

-Your heart has a tendency towards violence and cursing.

-You do not know peace.

-You have not feared Him as the righteous judge who has given you life and preserved it. (see Romans 3:11-17).

–You deserve God’s condemnation because you have refused to let God rule over your life (because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will give to each person according to what he has done…Romans 2:5-6)”.

-You cannot escape God’s wrath by trying to keep God’s law. No one will be declared righteous in his sight by trying to keep the law(Romans 3:19-20).

–You cannot make up for your bad deeds by trying to do good deeds. All of your righteous deeds are as filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6)

-Since your chief sin has been the rejection of God’s rule over your life (rebellion), the just and reasonable punishment is to be cast away from His presence forever in a place called hell.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power…II Thess 1:8&9).

Until you feel the weight of this reality, there is no hope for you. But if you feel a desperate need for God’s mercy because of your sins against Him, consider yourself one of the blessed people on earth because Jesus came to save sinners, not people who think they are righteous. ( Matthew 9:13).

But there is still a problem!

Even though God is merciful, He still cannot simply excuse sin. His perfect righteousness will not allow Him to simply “sweep your sins under the carpet.” God’s perfect righteousness demands that punishment must be applied for every single sin you ever committed.

The good news:

God made a way for someone else to take that punishment instead of you! God loves you so much that He sent His own Son (Jesus) into the world to take your punishment for you! Two-thousand years ago, Jesus was whipped, beaten and then hung on a cross to die even though He had never sinned. Though He was completely innocent, He willingly hung there, taking your sins upon Himself and He bore the wrath of God as your substitute.  This voluntary sacrifice He made for you satisfied the righteous demands of God. Now, all who place their trust in Jesus as their only way to God receive forgiveness of sins once and for all. . “Of Him (Jesus)  all the prophets bear witness that through His name, everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43).”

Through his death, Jesus gained victory for God!

Within three days after He died, Jesus rose from the dead (not just His Spirit, but His body too).  During the next forty days, He was seen by over five hundred people before God raised Him up to sit at His right hand as Lord and Judge over all. Before He left, Jesus promised He would come back to raise all the dead (bodily) and judge all people.  He will re-create the heavens and the earth where His people will live with Him forever in bliss, and all who do not know Him will be cast into hell forever.

God’s loving invitation to you:

If you believe you are a sinner condemned by God and unable to save yourself, then God invites you to receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus His Son. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).” To receive Jesus, you must stop relying on your own righteousness and begin following Him. You must let go of your life completely and let Him have complete control.  Jesus said, “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it (Luke 17:33).” You must believe that God is good and that He knows what is best for you. If you don’t come to God through Jesus believing these things, you simply cannot come. If you truly wish to follow Jesus, you can prove your allegiance to him by being baptized.

The joy of following Jesus!

Because of Jesus, you can begin enjoying a personal relationship with God, your creator.  Your life will be changed forever! “To all who received Jesus, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).” In response to God’s free offer of forgiveness in Christ, I urge you to surrender yourself to Him today! If you have decided to surrender your life to Jesus, start reading the Bible to learn about God and His promises to us. (Perhaps start with John, the fourth book of the New Testament.)  To be strengthened in your faith, you should begin spending time each week with other believers.

If you persist in viewing yourself as “ok” and reject the viewpoint of God, then heed His warning: “no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:26-29).”

 

Or try reading single gospel statements at a time and then discussing each statement after you read it:

 

Below is a statement by statement articulation of the gospel (with Scripture references) to use as an example:

 

The Gospel we Believe

 

God is the One who gave us life and He has the right to take it away any time. God is the King with absolute authority over us.

“I hold the keys of death and Hell”(Revelation 1:18).

He has declared that those who rule over their own lives are His enemies because they are living lives in rebellion against His rule over them. Those who are not a part of His Kingdom are not on “His side.” They are a part of the “kingdom of darkness”  (Colossians 1:13).

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath” (Psalm 2:1-5).

All those who are not in God’s Kingdom will be cast into hell away from His presence and the glory of His power forever.

“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord (II  Thessalonians 1:7-9)

If a man is the one running his own life, then he stands justly condemned to spend eternity in hell for his rebellion.

“Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

Contrary to what most people think about themselves, there is no one who is good.

“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).

Good deeds cannot make up for our rebellion.

All of our righteous deeds are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

All people are guilty of breaking God’s commandments.

“You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol…You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God… “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. “Honor your father and your mother. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:3-17)

God cannot simply ignore a man’s sin. All sin demands punishment for God to remain righteous.

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished” (Nahum 1:2-3)

God has made a way for you to be reconciled to Him.

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18)

Jesus absorbed the wrath of God as our substitute.  This voluntary sacrifice He made for us satisfied the righteous demands of God. Now, all who place their trust in Jesus as their only way to God receive forgiveness of sins once and for all. 

“Of Him (Jesus) all the prophets bear witness that through His name, everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43).

Through his death, Jesus gained victory for God! Within three days after He died, Jesus rose from the dead (not just His Spirit, but His  body too). During the next forty days, He appeared to over five hundred people. Then God raised Him up to sit at His right hand as Lord and Judge over all.

 

If a man believes he is a sinner condemned by God and unable to save himself, then God invites him to receive His gift of eternal life by believing in Jesus, His Son.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

To receive Jesus, a man must stop relying on his own righteousness and begin depending on Him alone. If he believes these things from his heart, he will be willing to let go of his life completely and let Him have control.

Jesus said, “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17:33).