Called and Qualified Men - The Elder - Part 1

Some of you might not know that song, "Facing a Task Unfinished." It's one I use often. I love it. I challenge you to do something this week. You know, we have this wonderful thing called the Internet. We can get some good information real quickly. Do a little research on that song, "Facing a Task Unfinished." Do a little research on who wrote it. Do a little research on why it was written. And also do a little research on the impact it had on the church. It's a very, very powerful song. And we definitely are facing a task unfinished.

We're not finished with this thing called the work of the church until the Lord comes and gets us and takes us home. I appreciate that very much. Well, if you would take your Bible and turn back to where we were earlier, that would be 1 Timothy chapter 3. I did say that we'll turn over to 1 Peter chapter 5 verses 1 to 3 a little later on. Now, this is just a continuation of what we've been looking at. We've had a series of messages that I'm calling, messages from the pastor's heart. And this really just comes behind what I shared last week in sharing my call to the ministry.

And I think when we get through, you'll see how this all really ties together. Now, most of you do know that the last two Sundays, I have shared two important events from my own testimony. I shared how God worked in my life to bring me to saving faith. And then I shared how God worked in my life to call me in the vocational ministry. Of course, saving me and calling me in the vocational ministry was and is nothing but a work of grace. It was nothing good about me. It was all a work of grace. And I'm living in that work of grace, and I'm very thankful. Now, there are quite a few reasons why those messages have been good for us as a church.

Now, I'll just mention two. Some of you have been moved to worship and moved to thankfulness. You have seen how God has worked in my life and in your life and how we have all been involved in God's great plan to save the lost and to grow the saints and build His church. One of the ladies of the church text messaged my wife this week just expressing worship and thankfulness about how God has worked these things out in His good way. But also by the power and the work of the Spirit, God has been calling people. When I shared my conversion to Christ testimony, God used, and He is using that part of my life to call lost sinners to Christ.

And God is also calling me in to serve in service in the life of the church. When I shared how God called me into the ministry, and when I elevated the call of God specifically to Deacon ministry and Elder ministry, and even this call to what we understand as vocational ministry, God was and is using that call in the lives of men that are even here this morning. Now before we get into what I want us to study this morning, I want to tell you that we are in a very critical time in the life of our church. Now we do not have any problems, so just relax.

But we are at a very critical time in the life of our church, and this pertains to all of us, all of us that we would say are Grace Life Church of Brookhaven. Now just a few years ago we were a Nola Baptist Church, many of you know that story. During those Nola years from about 2010 to 2019, God rebirthed the dying church into a healthy growing church. We were a healthy growing church, not a perfect church. Look folks, if you are looking for a perfect church, you are not going to find it. But oh, you can find a healthy church, and a healthy growing church. God then called us to relocate here in Brookhaven, you know that story.

We did much more than relocate. God called us to completely change our understanding and our direction. He gave us a much greater vision for what the church could be and should be. And the calling of God to move was gradual, but we finally did relocate in March of 2020. And since we have relocated, we have been growing in many, many ways. I'll mention just a few. God has been adding to the church by saving lost sinners and bringing more lost into our lives that He will save in time. I believe that. I believe He is doing that work even now. And God has also been bringing other believers to our church who have been looking for a healthy church.

We have had several believers lately and Christian families come to become members of the church the past year or so. And we are going to see more come here soon. And our weekly ministries are growing. Our worship services on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, those are growing. Our small group ministries are growing numerically and spiritually. Our children's ministry and children's classes, those things are growing. We have recently had to divide. I've been told that to say divide is negative. So let me back up and say it like this.

We have recently multiplied our children's classes because we have more and more children and we have more adults who are wanting to teach those children. It's a wonderful thing. And we have more and more adults and families who are wanting to serve and they're wanting to work in the life of the church. They are faithful to the work of the church and they want to serve in the church. And we are also growing financially. That's one of the things that we'll discuss next week in our members meeting. And then some of that information that we discuss in our members meeting will be made to everyone as a whole.

But we are growing financially and I'm very thankful because there were some days when we were not. As a matter of fact, sometimes in the past we were barely making it. Well, you might say, "Pastor, I don't see that we are in a critical time in the life of the church." You might say, "I see that our church is growing and doing good." Well, I agree wholeheartedly. But here's what I'm aiming at. And here's what I want all of Grace Life Church of Brookhaven to understand and to embrace. And every member of Grace Life Church has a responsibility here and especially the men.

For men are to be the leaders of their homes and they're to be the leaders in the church. We are in a critical time in the life of our church because of leadership and the needs that we have in leadership, specifically deacon service in leadership and elder service in leadership. Because our church is growing and the spiritual and physical needs of our church are growing, the needs for leadership are changing and this is all very, very good. And as the pastor, I see that we are in a place where two things are needed. We need organized deacon service and leadership and we need more elders to serve and to lead in the church.

And again, I don't say this is critical because there are any problems in the life of the church. This is a critical time and a critical work because we must approach these things biblically in every way. And if we do not approach these things biblically and with God's wisdom and leadership, well, the results will be what? Disastrous. The lack of leadership and the wrong leadership was the disastrous problem with the church at Ephesus. Some of you know that. And Paul appointed Timothy to be the pastor there to straighten out so many problems that were in the church and one of their biggest problems was leadership.

And look, church, the church rises and falls on its leadership. And if we allow the wrong person or people to be leaders in the children's ministry, well, that ministry will flounder and it may even fail. And if we allow wrong men to be leaders in deacon ministry, well, that ministry will flounder, it will fly off course, it will fail. And if we allow the wrong men to be leaders in elder ministry and even the pastor, well, the entire church will flounder, the entire church will fly off course and it will fail. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't want the children's ministry to flounder.

I do not want the children's ministry to fly off course or to fail. And I sure do not want the leadership of the entire church, that would be the elder leadership, to flounder or fly off course or fail. So let me share with you the direction of the message this morning. Now, I want us to examine the call and the qualifications of the elder. And we're going to get to the deacon here soon. And I want all of us to begin to study the call. I want all of us to study these qualifications for these offices because this will prepare us for the service that is before us and also the great responsibilities that we all have.

Now, I will speak more about our responsibilities and what that's before us with our responsibilities at the conclusion of the message. So number one, I want us to look at what I call the call of the elder. Some of you are taking notes. I would encourage you to do that. Write down the call of the elder. Now, it is easy to see the call of the elder. It's right here in verse one. Paul says, "The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of overseer or elder, he desires a noble task." Now, before we look at the call of the elder, I really want to clear up some confusion here. Some of you understand this, so this is a little review.

We need to see that in the New Testament there are several titles that are used to describe one office and those different words describe the different gifts and abilities and the function of that one office and that calling. Now, I touched on this last Sunday. In the New Testament, the terms bishop or elder or pastor, they're really synonymous terms and titles. Those are different terms which speak to one office, but they describe the different gifts, the different abilities, and the function of that one office and calling. The term bishop means to oversee.

And in the New Testament, we see that the elder has the ability and the responsibility to oversee or govern the work of the church. We see this in Acts 20, verse 17. We see this in Acts 20, verse 28. And we see this in 1 Peter 5, verses 1, 2, and 3. And in the New Testament, there is this term shepherd or shepherd in the verb form. We're going to get to that in a moment. This is where we sometimes get our title pastor. In the New Testament, we see the shepherd of the pastor, they have the ability and the responsibility to shepherd or to pastor the people and the church.

And also in the New Testament, we see that the elder or the shepherd, they must have the ability to teach. The ability, the responsibility, and the exercising of that ability of teaching is one of the qualifications of the elder. Now, here's where I want us to turn over to 1 Peter 5. You're going to see these terms all come together. And I think this will help some of you, maybe more than you know. 1 Peter 5, verses 1, 2, and 3. Peter says, "So I exhort the elders among you." This will be the elders of the church, you see. "So I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder." Now, notice what Peter's doing. Peter was an apostle, was he not?

But he also functioned in the role of an elder. So what is he saying? "I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder." And notice he will point to his apostleship and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed. Now, notice what he says. "Shepherd," see the verb form? "Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight." See the eldership? And what does he say? "Not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you." Not for shameful gain, but eagerly not domineering over those who are in your charge, but being examples to the flock. So notice we have one office.

There is one calling with three abilities and responsibilities within that one calling and office. This man is called and gifted to govern, so he's called an elder, an overseer. This man is called and gifted to shepherd or to pastor, so he is called a shepherd or a pastor. And this man is called and gifted to preach and to teach, so he is called rightfully a teacher. So simply, we have one office, three functions, three gifts, and three titles, all for one office. I said this before, if you call me pastor, that's accurate. If you call me shepherd, that's accurate. If you call me elder or overseer, that's accurate.

And if you call me Chris, that'll do too. I'll be all right with that. Now, of course, there are others in the life of the church who can teach and who do teach the Word, but they are not elders. We see that in the life of the church, there are other men who can teach. Sometimes there are men who are in what we would call a vocational role and they might not be an elder. And then we also see women who are gifted to teach. They teach children and other women, because a woman should never exercise authority in the life of the church, so women shouldn't teach men. But here, we are aiming at this office of the elder.

We're aiming at the overseer, one office, three functions, three gifts, and again, three titles. Now, with any confusion out of the way, and an understanding of what this one office is, I want to quickly examine the call out of verse 1. First, I want us to see this is an important call. First, that Paul prefaces this call with a phrase. He says this is a trustworthy statement. Now, Paul used this phrase five different times in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus, and he always used this phrase to introduce a very, very important subject. So Paul is emphasizing what he is about to say. And he was saying, "Listen, church, listen.

What I'm about to say is trustworthy." He's saying it is important. And then second, he says this is a desirous call. Notice that Paul says if anyone aspires to the office, he desires a good work. And here, Paul uses two words that help us see that this is a very strong desire that is acted upon. This word aspire means to want something and to literally reach out for something. This word desire, it means to have a strong inward desire, even a great passionate desire for something. So Paul is saying that there would be some men in the life of the church, and they would aspire to the calling.

They would reach out for it, and that means that they have this strong inward desire, even this passionate desire for the call and the work. And then third, he says this is a noble call. Notice that Paul says that the one who aspires to the office, he desires a noble task. The King James uses the word good here. This simply means that this is a good or an excellent or a noble calling in office. So Paul is saying that this calling is an honorable, a noble, an excellent high calling. It is even a high calling because this speaks of something of very high quality and importance. And then fourth, he says this is a laborious call.

Notice that Paul says that this is a noble task or a good work. This work or this task speaks of that which is work. This speaks of that which is labor. This speaks of that which is business or a job or a job or a task or a work that needs to be done. So Paul is saying that this calling is a calling to work. This is a calling to a specific business, a calling to a particular work and a particular labor. So Paul is describing this calling. He says this is a very important calling, a noble, a high calling. He says this is a laborious calling or a calling to a certain work in business. And he says that some men aspire for this calling.

They desire this work. They reach out for this work, this business, because they have this strong, this passionate desire for the work, for the call, for the task. What a question. How does a man receive the calling? How? If I am to go to war, who issues to me that call? If I am called to serve on a board, maybe on the board of a nonprofit organization or an organization like a hospital or for a particular business, well, who issues to me that call? If I am to be called to serve on a jury, on a local level, a state level, or even on a federal level, well, who issues to me that call?

Well, in regards to the biblical elder, we must see that the one who calls a man to this work and this office is God. This calling starts with God and it ends with God, but this calling involves the leaders of the church and the entire body of the church. Never in the Bible do we see a man who has this calling from God, yet the church does not affirm it, receive it, and benefit from it. Never in the Scriptures do we see a man who has this calling from the church, yet he cannot articulate how God has birthed this calling in him and the leaders of the church and the body of the church and the church, they see it all concretely.

So how does one receive the calling? From whom does this calling come from? Only, only, only from the Holy Spirit of God. And it's the Holy Spirit of God that can call this man to this call, to the work, to the office. We see this in Acts 20, verse 28. In Acts 20 Paul was summoning the elders of the church at Ephesus. He was giving them some of his last instructions and he was giving them a very, very much needed warning before he went off to Rome, never to see them again.

And in verse 28 Paul tells us, "Who called these men to the office in the work of an elder?" Paul says to them, "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all of the flock." See, he's charging them. "Pay careful attention to yourselves, your own life, and to all of the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." You see? So we clearly see that it was the Holy Spirit of God who made these men overseers. The Spirit of God called them. The Spirit of God gifted them. The Spirit of God and the church gave them this office, this work, this responsibility of what? The elder. In Luke Church. I can take a man and develop them.

I can take a man and foster his gifts. I can take a man and spend one-on-one time with them to mature them in the faith. I can take a man who has a call of God on their life and in their life and I can develop them. I can foster them. I can mature them. Other elders can do that and they should. The church as a whole should do that. We as a church and leaders and as a pastor, we should develop men, grow men, and help mature men in the call that God has for them. But only God can call. I can't call. You can't call. Only God can call. See, there's some of you here. God is calling you. I don't know who you are. I'm not going to come to you.

If God can't motivate you to come to me for help as your pastor, well, I'm not coming to you. God must birth this call and do this work in you and I'm a part of it and the church is as well and we're going to get to that here in a moment. So we have the call of the elder. I said a lot about this last week and there's much more that I can say about it and I will a little more next week. But number two, I want us to see the qualifications of the elder. I want us to see the qualifications of the elder. Now, as we start to examine these qualifications, there is one key word that will truly help us to approach these qualifications properly.

Now, look, church, listen to you, pastor. This is life or death right here. Look at verse two with me and read along with me as I read in my copy. He says, "Therefore, an overseer kind of sordid needs to be above reproach." Paul says, "Therefore, an overseer maybe needs to be above reproach." Is that what the verse reads? No. Paul uses the word must. He says a prospective elder and a sitting elder must meet these qualifications, you see? Must is in the verse. Must is in the verse. And look, church, understanding this word is the key to relating to all of these qualifications properly.

Paul is saying that for a man to be considered to be an elder, a man must meet these qualifications. He is saying that a man who is in the position or the role or the function of an elder, he must meet these qualifications. John MacArthur says that Paul demands it. Well, Paul was inspired by God, so God through Paul demands it. If churches took this word must seriously, we would have far fewer unqualified leaders in the church. It says must. How many churches are led by men who are unqualified horribly, obviously, and they do not take this word must. Many churches read it like this.

"Therefore, an overseer, a deacon, a pastor, you know, kind of sordid needs to be qualified." Now, if we break down verses 2 to 7, which is where we find the qualifications, really and surely we're going to find about 14 different qualifications. And it can be a little overwhelming to be honest with you. But don't panic, okay? There's a much easier way to approach these qualifications. We can easily arrange them into groups of qualifications, four to be specific. First, we see the qualifications which relate to personal character. See that in verses 2 to 3. Then second, we see qualifications that relate to the ability to teach.

Do you see that tucked in there at the end of verse 2? And then third, we see the qualifications that relate to the home, the home life, and the witness of the home. And we see that in verses 4 and 5. And then fourth, we see the qualifications which relate to Christian experience and maturity. And we see that in verses 6 to 7. Now, this morning, we're going to get started in these qualifications that relate to personal character. And we'll wrap those up next week, and we'll cover the rest, therefore wrapping up this one message. So first, out of verses 2 to 3, an elder must have qualifying personal character.

If you're writing anything down, write that down. First, an elder must have qualifying personal character. Let's go back and read the verses. We won't read them as we continue, but I want us to read verse 2 and verse 3. "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach." Now, we'll not get to verse 3, but I'll read it. "Not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money." But notice we see that an elder must be above reproach.

Now, this literally means that there should be no accusation upon the life or there should be no case against him of wrongdoing. This could be seen as having a very strong Christian reputation. Warren Rearsby says, and I'm quoting, "There must be nothing in the life that Satan or the unsaved can take hold of to criticize or attack the church." And this does not mean perfection. But this does speak of a solid life which is clean from past sins and is closely watched to stay clean, pure and blameless, in the eyes of those inside and outside the church. Again, this is about a strong Christian character and reputation.

William McDonald says, and I'm quoting, "This means that no charge of serious wrong can be sustained against him." It does not mean that he is sinless, but rather if he does commit some fault, he makes it right with both God and men. So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be above reproach, which means that the lost and the saved must not be able to make an accusation against him. And if he sins, well, he makes it right with God and men. Now, right away, I want you to see that this applies to me. I must live a life above reproach even more because I am the lead elder. I am the pastor. I am the leader among equals.

And this applies to Keith as well as an elder. We are to both be living a life above reproach. And if you are contemplating a call, if you feel like God is calling you, that is the first qualification that you need to line up your life up against. But notice, church, you have a responsibility here. So don't take a deep breath and say, "Well, that's for them, not for me." We're going to come back to that in the conclusion of the message. And then also we see that the elder must be the husband of one wife. Now, this immediately brings up a debate which has gone on in the church, really, for centuries.

And the debate here is whether or not an elder can be divorced and still serve in the office. Well, we will see that there is more to the verse than divorce. But of course, divorce is a part of the debate, and it needs to be approached and dealt with. Now, when it comes to respective biblical approaches to the verse, and what Paul is saying here, basically there are two. Some say this is a prohibition against an elder having more than one wife. We know that word. It's called polygamy. Now, polygamy is not really an issue in our culture, but it was an issue in their day, and it certainly is an issue in other cultures in our day.

So if we look at this verse and the sin of polygamy, we can obviously see that this is a prohibition against having more than one wife. The verse covers polygamy. But some say this is a prohibition against an elder being divorced. This view is very popular among many, many respected scholars, and it can carry a lot of biblical weight here. Those who hold to this position say that a divorce is a violation of verses 4 to 5, which speak to those qualifications relating to the home and home life. And they also say that this is a violation of living a life above reproach, as seen in verse 2.

But with this position, it is not a question of forgiveness, because all sin can be forgiven. It is a question about a standard that relates to the office. But if we stay within those arguments, if we only stay in those positions, we may very well miss the point. This phrase in the original literally reads, "One woman man." This verse literally reads that an elder must be a one-woman man. And seeing this phrase helps us to see that Paul was not speaking to marital status as much as he was speaking to moral and sexual purity. A one-woman man would be one who was completely committed to his wife.

A one-woman man would be completely committed to a love and a devotion to his wife, which would include sexual purity. So if we stick with the meaning of the verse, it obviously helps us to handle properly the problem of polygamy and divorce, as in the case with the elder. He is to be qualified based on moral and sexual purity. He is to be a one-woman man, and one who is above reproach, who manages his home and manages his marriage well. So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be a one-woman man. You might say, "Pastor, that sounds like a country music song." No, it sounds like scripture.

He must be a one-woman man, a man who is completely committed to a love and a devotion to his wife. Now, let me make a few pastoral comments here. There are some that can differ as to the interpretation here. We don't divide over these things. I happen to believe that this applies to polygamy and divorce, but we don't divide over these things. We're not. But we must understand it's not about forgiveness. All sins can be forgiven. Paul was a murderer, and he was forgiven. So I'm not aiming at you if you are divorced. But we must see it's about a standard. And also, we see that an elder must be sober thinking.

Here in the English Standard, it reads sober thinking. The King James says, "Vigilant." Now, the New American Standard uses the word "temperament." Now, in the original, this literally reads "windless." But here it's used not in dealing with alcohol, but of clear, alert, and vigilant thinking. Paul is speaking of sober or clear thinking. This simply means that an elder or a prospective elder must be sober-minded. He must be clear and sober and serious in his thinking. And he must exercise sound judgment through clear and sober thinking because sound judgment is what comes from clear thinking and sober thinking.

So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be sober and clear in his thinking, exercising sound judgment through clear and serious thinking. And again, this applies to me. I must be sober and clear in my thinking. Therefore, being able to exercise sound judgment. This is a quality and a characteristic that must be seen in my life and in Keith's life. And if God is dealing with you about being an elder, you must line up your life. You must examine who you are up against this verse. And again, church, take note here, because you have a responsibility here as well. And we also see that an elder must be self-controlled.

Now, here the King James reads "sober." The New American uses the word "prudent." Now, this speaks of having a sound mind but more. This speaks of possessing a self-control in relation to a clear thinking which turns into the ability to control one's impulses, one's emotions, and one's actions. John MacArthur says, "The prudent or the self-controlled man is a well-disciplined man." Let me say that again. MacArthur says, "The prudent man, the self-controlled man, is a well-disciplined man." He goes on to say that the prudent man is a man that is serious about serious things and spiritual things.

So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be self-controlled. He must be a clear thinker, and he must possess self-control which enables him to control his words, his emotions, and his actions. And that applies to me. I must be a pastor and an elder who exemplifies what we see here. I must be self-controlled. And I must be a clear thinker possessing self-control. And Keith and I, both as elders, must possess this self-controlled quality in our life. And again, church, you need to take note of these things because we will visit these at the conclusion. And then also, we see that an elder must be respectable.

Now here, the King James says, "Good behavior." The New American reads, "Respectable." Now in the original, this literally can be translated orderly. This speaks of an orderly life and an orderly way of living. This speaks of a well-ordered way of living with well-ordered and good habits within the life and as a part of everyday life. John MacArthur says, and I'm quoting, "Elders must not lead chaotic lives. If they cannot order their own lives, how can they bring order into the church?" That needs to be repeated. He says, "Elders must not lead chaotic lives.

If they cannot order their own lives, how can they bring order to the church?" So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be respectable, which means he must have an orderly life with well-ordered habits in the life. Me as your pastor and an elder, you should look into my life and you should see a respectable life. You should see a well-ordered life. You should see a disciplined life. You should see good habits in the life. And the same goes for Keith and any other elder. And if you are contemplating that God is calling you, you must examine your life up against this qualification.

And again, church, this relates to all of us. And also we see that an elder must be hospitable. Here the King James says, "Given to hospitality." I like that translation, "Given to hospitality." In the original, this literally means loving the stranger. Now this is actually a compound word in the original, which is two words joined together. I think we understand that. It's the word "to love" and the word "strangers." It means loving the stranger, which we translate hospitable or given to hospitality. This simply means that an elder's home and an elder's life should be open to believers and nonbelievers alike.

Their homes and their lives are to be open so that believers can see their personal spiritual character and they would be edified. Their homes and their lives are to be opened up to nonbelievers so that the nonbelievers can see their spiritual character and they can see true biblical Christianity. So an elder must be qualified in his personal character. He must be given to hospitality, which means his life and his home must be open. And from seeing into the life and into the home, believers and the lost are impacted. And for me as your pastor, I must have an open life, an open home.

I must live to a certain degree as an open book so you can come into my life and come into my home. And that should be a quality that you see, a qualification that you see in my life and in Keith's life. If you feel like God could be calling you, you must line yourself up against this verse. Are you hospitable? Do you love the stranger? Do you love the brother? And this again applies to all of us as the church. And if we look at verse 3, we will see that there are more qualifications which relate to what? The elder's personal character. And we will finish those next week when we cover the rest of the qualifications.

But a question as I begin to close, a question as we look at the rest of these verses next week, a question that I want us to hold onto as we look at all of these messages. Why do I take the time to work through the calling of the elder? Why do I take the time to examine the qualifications of the elder? And then after the deacon, what is my purpose? We see that this comes behind as I shared my own personal call. Yes, this all fits together, but why do I take this time? As I said earlier, we are at a very critical time in the life of our church.

We have the need for deacon ministry, and we have the need for more elders and more elder service and more elder leadership. It's right upon us. Our church has grown and it is growing, and oh, this is oh, so good. And this growth necessitates more leaders to serve and more leaders to lead. But we must approach this work in this process biblically. Why? Because if we do not, we will flounder, we'll fly off the rails, and we will fail. How many churches flounder and fly off the rails and ultimately fail because of leadership? The church rises and it falls on leadership.

Now, as I begin to close, I want to show us how this works out, and I want to show us how all of us have a lot of responsibilities here. First, only the Holy Spirit of God can call and make an elder. It comes from God, folks. Paul said to these Ephesian elders in Acts 20, verse 28, "Pay careful attention to your own lives and also to the flock of God in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." And I believe that God is preparing to call, and He is calling men to elder service and leadership in our church. God is preparing. God is calling. God is making men for elder work and for elder leadership in the church and for the church.

And if God is doing this work in you, you must pray, and you must seek to know for certain that God is indeed calling you. You must seek counsel from your pastor and continue to pray to know if God is indeed calling you. And you must begin to sift every area of your life, every area of your life, and home in marriage through what? Through the grid, through the light, through the test of these qualifications. It is a must. And this is a work. It's a work. This takes denying self and seeking the will of God. You must deny your emotions and how you feel at every turn.

And Paul would also say to you and to us, "Do not be foolish or stupid here, but understand what the will of the Lord is," Ephesians 5, 17. Paul would also say to all of us here, he would say, "Be very, very careful how you walk, how you live here, not as the unwise, but as the wise." And then my responsibility as the pastor. It is my responsibility to pastor and to shepherd you through. My job is to teach you from these verses and other scripture and other teaching so as to prove your calling and so as to prove your qualifications. And your responsibility.

Grace Life Church, every member of Grace Life Church has a great responsibility here, especially you men. You are to examine the lives of any man that God would bring to the forefront to be a prospective elder. Yes, you men. You must examine them up against what? The truth of these qualifications, the grid, the light, the test of these qualifications. And look at how all of this fits together. It is God who calls and makes the elder. He brings those men to the forefront, yes. And it is the pastor and the other elders, the leaders who examine and test and affirm what God is doing. And it is also the church that does the very same thing.

The church, the body of the church, the men leading the church, they test and they affirm what God is doing. And in many ways, this happens naturally. It happens organically. It even happens informally, you see. And then when all of this work is done, the church does exactly what the church did at Antioch. Antioch formally set them apart and sent them out, did they not? And so when all of this work is done, we will formally set them apart and set them into place to do what? The work and the service and the ministry of an elder. So what have we looked at this morning? Again, a part one, we'll look at the rest next week.

Called and qualified men. So let's pray and commit this to the Lord. Let's see our great responsibility here, which relates to all of us. Let's engage in the work. Let's do our job. Let's look to the Lord and let's wait to see what he does among us. Let's pray.