Spiritual Maturity Is Not Just For Elders

How should churches use these lists?  How would you advise new churches on the mission field?

The lists of Elder qualifications, (which can be found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1), are not just for those aspiring to the church office.  These lists contain indicators of spiritual maturity that give definition to every Christian’s personal goal.  Elders must be examples of each of these indicators in their personal relationships, character and family management.  How so?

Seven Notes on Using the Lists

1. These spiritual maturity indicators are not to be ignored, or gone over lightly, in order to be expedient in a selection process. Laying on hands hastily can end up being a costly and damaging mistake for a congregation.
2. They are not to be used in a manner that imposes additional standards (often by means of unusual definitions) that are not really in Scripture. The list is not to be redefined in terms so that only an elite few pass the test.
3. Be careful of personality preferences. We can rationalize a man’s qualification because we are partial to his personality. We can likewise exclude a man from qualification because we are prejudicial against his personality. Stick to the list.
4. Remember that the lists are there to guide observation of how a man stands at present, not in his past. People change--sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Take time to focus consideration on the present.
5. Take note that these qualification are going to be somewhat relative to a church’s maturity. Think of the hundreds of new church plants of the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys and his practice of establishing leadership early on in them (Acts 14:23). And yet, as churches matured the standards likely increased, not only in spirituality but in quality of leadership. 
6. Realize that these lists are not exhaustive lists of spirituality. Together the lists contain selected items that deserved special attention, and are still deserving of special attention. Think through all of Scripture when thinking about spiritual maturity.
7. Be gracious.  Elders need not be perfect; nor will they ever even be near perfect. But they do need to be examples of each of these items even while they are still growing in them. Thank God for the gifted leaders He has given to His churches!

More than Maturity is Required

It is important to note that this list is not all that is required to be an Elder.  These are basics and specifics necessary in the realm of spiritual maturity.  Again every Christian ought to, indeed many Christians do, attain to this level of spiritual maturity.

Just because a man is spiritually mature doesn’t mean he should be made an Elder.  He also must be gifted for leadership and teaching.  As an Overseer he needs to “lead well with diligence” (Romans 12:8) and “be able to instruct in sound doctrine and rebuke.” (Titus 1:9)  These cannot be overlooked or only given a cursory assessment either.  

Leadership and leadership structure is vital to the spiritual health and success of every church.  It will effect direction and vision for the long-term; and it will effect quality of ministry and quality of life for many people.  

Being involved in mission work often leads to involvement in church leadership issues.  Sometimes this is direct and hands-on, while at other times it takes the forms of coaching or advising.  Encourage a wise and spiritual use of the lists as intended by God.

A New Spirit-Empowered Mission

The New Covenant contains a multitude of new realities for a new order for the new People of God.  There are three promises of particular importance for us in Hebrews 8:8-13.

“For he finds fault with them when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.’ In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”

1.  God Puts His Laws into Our Minds and Hearts

The New Covenant promises making us a new mind and heart and so making us obedient through the Spirit.  The contrast with Old Covenant is that now in the New Covenant obedience would be more thorough.  This is a radical empowerment for a whole new level for the purity of the People of God. (Ezekiel 36:25-27; John 3:5-7; Romans 8:1-6)

2.  God Allows Us as His People to Know Him Intimately

The New Covenant promises a deep personal relationship with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The contrast with Old Covenant is that now in New Covenant all the People of God relate personally to God and know Him well.  Everyone in the covenant community, in the People of God, has a privileged relationship with God, not just Moses or the priests or prophets, but everyone of us, enjoys God’s Presence. (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:6)

3.  God Removes Our Sin Permanently and Completely

The New Covenant promises that the Messiah would fully rescue from sin and give assurance by the Holy Spirit.  The contrast with Old Covenant is that now in New Covenant the historical realization of this has finally come!  This hope had been proclaimed throughout the Old Testament, and so perhaps, this is most important of the three listed for the author of Hebrews.  To serve God with an unburdened soul and free conscience, and with the Spirit to keep one in holiness, is one of the greatest joys of living as a Christian!  (Hebrews 10, esp. v.14)

The Covenant Change is Complete and Brings a Better Future

Although these promises have been fulfilled in the New Covenant, they were not non-existent under the Old Covenant, but only realized to a lesser degree.  God communicated His Law.  God was present with His People.  God forgave sin in Promise.

The assumption by the author of Hebrews is that the prophecy of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31 and elsewhere is for all peoples of the world, not just the physical descendants of Abraham.  This is just as the prophet Isaiah speaks of the Messiah:

Isaiah 42:6 ESV “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations,”

Isaiah 49:6 ESV “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

The author of Hebrews sums up his presentation by explaining why this Covenant is called “New.”  Simply put, it is because the old one has been rendered obsolete.  God had fully accomplished His purposes through the Old Covenant made with Moses on Sinai, and would no longer be using it directly in His redemptive program, but only as a background to highlight greater glories in His Eternal Son.  

The fading away of the first covenant might refer to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, or the natural dissolution that would occur with the New Covenant order, or perhaps both. 

And still, the promises are yet to be realized by us in their ultimate expression at the Return of Christ.  Then, we will live in absolute conformity to the will of God!  Then, we will know God as we are known, basking in His glorious presence!  Then, we will receive the completion of our salvation in body and soul, in resurrection glory!

The Priestly Empowerment Ministry of Jesus Christ 

The point of Hebrews 8 is that God has made a New Covenant, mediated through Jesus Christ, the Crucified and Risen One, who is reigning as King and ministering as Priest for His People.  The Lord Jesus Christ is our New Covenant High Priest.

In this new priestly ministry, He is performing a superior liturgy, He is bringing the effects of the New Covenant into full expression and reality in our lives as His Church.  He is dispensing all the grace He purchased for us on the Cross as we need it to do His will.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is in heaven ministering in the true sanctuary. (Ro 8:34b)  The Lord Jesus Christ brought us a superior covenant--one that is full of forgiveness and full of the Spirit--and He administrates all its blessings for us from heaven.

The New Covenant Empowers Us for the New Mission

The message of our mission is unprecedented in the history of redemption.  And it stands out as the truth among all the false, ugly, destructive and worthless religions of the world invented by men, and even upheld by demons.

• The New Covenant has made us a new mind and heart and so makes us obedient through the Spirit.  How might we live empowered by the Spirit for a great obedience and joy?

• The New Covenant has established a deep personal relationship with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  How might we keep growing in our relationship with God by the Spirit?

• The New Covenant Messiah has fully rescued us from sin and given us assurance by the Holy Spirit.  How might we serve more boldly in the Spirit knowing that we are forgiven?

Is This Controversy Worth It?

What benefit is there in religious controversies among Christians?  Are there ever any benefits?  If so, when are there enough of them to make conversation worthwhile?

These are difficult questions to answer because there are so many types of religious controversies and social settings where they appear.  Some people tend to think there is hardly ever any benefit to be gained from such controversies, while others tend to think there is almost always great benefit in them.


Think Before Getting Involved

Consider why the particular controversy exists.  How significant is the issue?  Has it been important in the past?  Will it likely be consequential in the future?

Assess the dispositions of the people involved.  What are the motivations?  Why get involved in the discussion?  Is there a something worthy to be gained? 

Proceed Cautiously

When there is a significant level of important religious truth and a great benefit to be gained, be humble and cautious in moving ahead.  Keep these four questions always before you.

• Is the purpose to find truth and submit to it?

• Is the methodology that of serious dependence upon Scripture and honest consideration of historical interpretation?

• Is there more than one resolution possible with all our current limitations of knowledge?

• Is there the possibility of different wise applications to different people and situations?

Beware of the Spoilers

Many religious people engage in religious controversies not for personal benefit or others’ benefit.  Instead, they like to spoil the investigation and any resolutions for good.

• Some create worthless controversies, or exaggerate controversies, even making insinuations about others’ viewpoints. They become unwitting instruments of the devil for chaos.


• Some engage in debates with pride, not with humble submission to learn and to teach helpfully. They want to gain personal standing with their peers, or leaders, or many people.


• Some distract others from attaining the goal of resolution and resting in the truth. They destroy the faith of the weak and bring restlessness to God’s people.


• Some use Scripture in a purposefully confusing manner that disregards its authorial intention. They want to fulfill their own selfish desires, with lust and greed being common. 


• Some assert their opinion, whether settled or unsettled, as the best; and then obligate agreement with them. They divide the church, destroying the work of God.

Get the Mission Out

The reality is that there are many religious controversies; and some are more significant than others.  Many can be substantially resolved, and many cannot.  Some can be resolved for a whole community, but some only personally.

Perhaps unbelievers are listening in on the conversation, or have joined the conversation.  Think about how to turn the conversation for evangelistic purposes.  And for all the believers involved, determine how to advance the conversation beyond theological controversy toward its value in fulfilling the Mission of God in the world.  

Choose carefully which controversial conversations to enter.  And then proceed purposefully through the discussions to the end.  By keeping the Mission constantly in view the true value of the controversy will surface.  And this will make it all worth it! 

Mission-Minded Children

We are blessed by our four young adult daughters who are all thoroughly mission-minded individuals.  Recently, I asked them, “If you were to encourage other parents, what were some of the things mom and I did that impacted you most in this area?”

Our Oldest Begins

“The first thing that comes to mind is reading the missionary biographies after dinner, I remember that we would SO look forward to those!  At times I would have rather read one of those then have dessert.  And I remember that we all wanted to be missionaries to different parts of the world based on these.  This is how I gained most of the knowledge about historical missionaries, because if we didn't read them I would know nothing about Mary Slessor (my favorite), George Mueller, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, or any others.”

In their excitement, our children would occasionally ask their friends about their own favorite missionary; but often others had no idea what a missionary even was.  I guess it is tough being a pastor’s kid at times.  

Experience Counts

All types of experiences prove valuable, from going, to sending, to supporting and to praying.  There are so many opportunities before us! Here are some more responses from the girls.

• Encouraging us to go on an evangelistic mission trip ourselves. “After the mission trip I was more mission-minded than before.”

• Hosting different missionaries in our home and hearing from them was cool too! We loved hearing stories and meeting people that do missions in different countries. 

• “Just reminding us to pray for the church when they were on mission trips, helped me think about missions a lot.” Especially, taking us to the World Christian Prayer Meetings at church, and telling us we had to pick one thing to pray for out loud.

• Supporting people financially and in other ways that go on trips was helpful. And it encouraged us to support our own endeavors, whether volunteer experiences, spiritual growth areas, or whatever.

Dad & Mom Both Push Mission

We pushed mission from the very beginning as part our our vision for our family.  As soon as we started receiving missionary newsletters as young parents we would put them in binders and use them in our times of family devotions during our prayer times. We even included mission readings as part of school, and they loved it.

Dad and mom need to go.  One daughter mentioned that we modeled for her how it all fits together--the strategy, fundraising, team dynamics, prayer, etc.  She remembered vividly that we shared stories with them and in front of the whole church with others who had gone.  These were stories about “PERSONAL experience,” and included pictures of those we met and who accepted Christ.

She went on to point out our “trusting and bold attitude towards missions.”  She went on to observe, “It's interesting because some people I have met at college get scared when I talk about going to India or a mission trip and because both you and mom are not afraid to let us go, then in turn I'm not afraid to step out into the world--God says to evangelize to the world and not just in our comfort zones!!”  Amen, to that!

More to Do and Learn

Children are a blessing; we received more information than expected.  It is always interesting what children remember and count as significant.  Certainly, there is a whole lot more we as parents can do to impart passion for the Mission of God in Christ to our children. 

You may have found many other creative and powerful ideas.  I would love to read your comments!  We still have two teenage boys at home and are considering what more to do to capture their hearts with the heart of God!

May God bless all you parenting efforts!

The Scary, The Draining, The Needy

What to do with difficult people?

Who is responsible for dealing with the difficult people in a church?  The Apostle Paul instructs the new congregation in Thessalonica that everyone has a responsibility toward everyone else.  He urges all of them to deal with the “difficult people” together; it is not just the responsibility of the leaders.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

The Scary

They all are to “admonish the idle.”  Other translations include the ideas of being undisciplined in living, being disorderly or unruly, even just plain lazy.  Such people can be scary to be around because of how they live, and what challenging things they might say, especially in the church.  Our tendency is to stay away from scary people so we don’t get hurt or get in trouble with them, hoping someone in the church with more courage will confront them.

The Draining

They all are to “encourage the fainthearted.”  A number of people are given to discouragement and depression.  These are people who often are given to worrying and giving up.  Sometimes faintheartedness is limited to a particularly challenging time in one’s life.  Such people can be draining to be around because our energy gets sapped, and their pessimism rains on our happiness.  Our tendency is to look past draining people, hoping someone in the church with more insight and stamina will counsel them.

The Needy

They all are to “help the weak.”  This category of people could be quite broad, including those of lower social status, or those who yield to persecutions or temptations, or those who are weak in faith in general.  Such people often have a lot of needs that make us uncomfortable and make it hard for us to embrace them.  Our tendency is to inform others about their neediness, hoping someone in the church with more resources will help them.

The Meaning of Patience

The final urging upon everyone is to “be patient” with these three types of people, and certainly all other difficult types they will encounter.  Being patient means not being irritated or annoyed with them as difficult people.  And it means being patient with them in their typically slow progress.  It is very important that they make progress of course, but be prepared that it likely will be very slow.

Our world is impatient with one another and doesn’t care well for those who are different.  So here is an opportunity for each and every Christian community to exhibit the values of the Gospel of the Kingdom.  Churches that admonish, encourage and help difficult people move forward in Christian discipleship and for betterment in life will be blessed and overflow with blessing far beyond just a few difficult people.

Help Your Leaders

Church leaders cannot carry the load by themselves in dealing with all the difficult people.  Often the church leaders have just as hard a time as everyone else does with the scary, the draining, the needy, and all the others.  Don’t let your leaders get worn down and worn out by having to deal with the difficult people all by themselves.  

The Thessalonian letter ends with the encouragement to “greet all the brothers” whenever we gather together.  We are to greet the difficult people, as well, not leaving anyone out, avoiding them or handing them off.  We need to push ourselves past our discomfort.  We each have a responsibility and a role to play in one another’s lives.  

All churches have difficult people needing counsel tailored specifically to them.  And each congregation itself is equipped for this task in its membership, as the Apostle wrote the churches in Rome, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)  

Will you help?

Finding Your Church's Place In The World

The world is a big place, with lots of people and in great variety!  Churches often ask how to find a place in the world to engage in mission.  In prayerfully processing God’s will for your church in His Mission, here are ten considerations to talk about as a mission leadership team.

1.  Religious background



Do you have a preference one way or the other in working among people from a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Animist or Atheist background? If so, this will narrow down the possibilities quickly.


2.  Urban to tribal continuum



Think about what size of society sounds interesting, exciting or strategic to you. Do you see your church working in a tribal setting, or in villages and towns, or moderate to large size cities, or perhaps in a complex urban center?


3.  Climate comfort



Will you be most comfortable with sunshine or rain, clouds or open sky? Do you have an aversion to intense heat or cold? Such personal considerations matter when considering bringing in teams repeatedly.


4.  Culture basics



Look a little closer at the potential cultures you might engage. Do you like what you see? Are you going to find yourselves too frustrated or annoyed? Or, maybe it sounds like great fun!


5.  Easy to hard ministry continuum



Results are important. Results are guaranteed because this is what God does. But, what do you want to see happen and how fast? Some are most interested in working where conversions are common and churches get started easily. Others prefer more challenging ministry environments.


6.  Political situation



Persecution scares some people while it inspires others. Simply put, would you like to work out in the open or in secret? What level of freedom do you want? How do you envision your relationship with future national partners, and other missionaries?


7.  Level of Christian presence and development



Take your pick: pioneer, develop or partner. Is your congregation wired and gifted to go it alone? Or, to come alongside an emerging work? Or, to partner with established works? It is all significant and rewarding work, so just be honest about your preference.


8.  Type of ministry activity



What do you want to do? Do you want to evangelize, teach, train, provide relief, meet social needs, establish programs, assist medically, or plant churches, for example? Will you be most interested in locality or in regional ministry?


9.  Travel accessibility



How many teams will your church be sending and how many times a year? Can you get to the location and do significant ministry within your volunteer’s available 
time and resources? And to meet the needs demanded by the field?


10.  Commitment length



Can you make lasting impact within the attention span of your church and its leadership? Will you be there at least five years? Consider how long it would take your church to accomplish Kingdom purposes in a certain location.


As you talk together, more and more creative thinking will start taking place.  It will propel some people into further research; and many more to deeper prayer.  Eventually, it will lead to a high quality vision trip.

There is a whole lot more to consider, and things unique to each congregation.  But, hopefully these ten conversation topics will help narrow the field and get your church started on this life changing faith adventure with God!