Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Acts 20:28-32

One of my favorite animals to observe are meerkats. I first learned of them by watching the movie Lion King and seeing the antics of Timon the Meerkat and Pumba the warthog. Well, I finally got to see one up close at a zoo that Shua and I went to when we were in Chicago. We were staring into their habitat, watching little ones and their guardians scurrying around. It just happened to be allergy season and so I had to blow my nose. As some of you know, my nose blowing could pass as the mating call for the humpback whale. So as usual, I took my tissue out and blew my nose louder than ever before. And the meerkats, imagining that the sky was about to come crashing down on their home, scurried all together into one tight group. The two alpha males, stood up on their hind legs while the others crouched, and stared in every which direction to see what enemy was invading and how to thwart the attack. The alpha males would be not only their pack’s providers for food, shelter, and water, but they would also stand guard against any outside enemy.

When I read Acts 20:17-32, I imagine this picture because as Paul notes, the elders of the church feed, guide, and lead the church. But elders also stand alert and keep watch over the church’s enemies. The role of elders is one in which the NT so clearly endorses, that it has caused me to preach this message as we move forward towards a long-lasting affiliation with Sovereign Grace. The biblical evidence for elder governance in the church is so evident, that I feel as though we cannot ignore this matter.

Our church in its history has always been congregational in governance, that is, the membership has been the ultimate authority of the church. It’s a government that I set up when we first started the church. However, I must confess that it was not one that was well-thought out biblically, but rather a governance based on pragmatism. It “seemed” right to make the church democratic so that no one could accuse the church (and in particular, me) of dictatorial rule. As you can see, it wasn’t a Gospel-focused approach since I was more concerned about my own reputation than what God wanted for the benefit and blessing of the church. But by God’s grace, He has still used us and even our governance thus far for His glory despite my own personal failings.

But when you understand what elder governance provides from the Bible’s perspective, you come to realize how important elder governance is to the health of the church. Mark Dever describes the importance of elder governance this way:

There are many pragmatic reasons why a church might have elders. A plurality of elders can help to carry the burden of pastoral ministry; they can bring a rich variety of experience to bear on the issues and problems every pastor faces; they can hold the pastor accountable in a context of shared ministry; they can save the pastor from a multitude of errors in judgment before it ever becomes apparent in a congregational meeting. The list could go on…But the best reason a church should have elders is because the New Testament says that it should.

And Acts 20:28-32 supports this statement. Paul teaches us through his exhortation to the Ephesian elders that they have a great responsibility to lead God’s church in light of the glorious Gospel. In what way should an elder do this? I’d like to use the acronym CARE to summarize the elders’ biblical responsibility that Paul describes from Acts 20:28-32: C – CONCERN for own soul, A – ALERT against attack, R – REMEMBERING humility, E – EXALTING Christ above all else.

CARE

Let me set the scene for you here. According to chapter 19 of Acts, Paul’s Gospel witness had essentially incited a riot in Ephesus. Some of Paul’s friends were beaten in the mayhem. But Ephesus was a church that Paul deeply loved and this love is most evidenced in his encounter with the elders of the church. From v. 38, you can see that both the elders and Paul realized that their meeting might be the last they had here on earth. It seemed obvious that Paul would encounter heavy persecution and might lose his life on this present journey. So as he spends these last moments with the Ephesian elders, he has some final words of wisdom. Thus, we must assume that Paul would not waste this time with light quips, but with the weightiness of a dying man’s last words.

So let’s look at Paul’s exhortation for the elders to CARE and first is C, concern for own soul. Paul tells the elders in verse 28: “Pay careful attention to yourselves.” Paul makes this his first exhortation to the elders perhaps because it is far too easy to neglect the care of one’s own soul when caring for others’ soul. It is the shepherd’s great temptation to be so caught up in the work of Christ that work becomes just that, work. In John Piper’s book Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, he essentially rewords Paul’s exhortation to the elders by saying:

The life-giving preacher [elder in our case] is a man of God, whose heart is ever athirst for God, whose soul is ever following hard after God, whose eye is single to God, and in whom by the power of God’s Spirit the flesh and the world have been crucified and his ministry is like the generous flood of a life-giving river. (John Piper, We Are Not Professionals, p. 3)

If the elder is not deeply concerned for one’s own soul, imagine the damage that he can do in caring for others. His care for another will be rooted on his own imaginations and will power and strategies and plans, all of which will lead God’s people away from God rather than closer to Him. I have been reading Ezekiel in my devotions and there is a haunting image in chapter 8. Verses 16-18 describe a vision God gives to Ezekiel of 25 men, probably the priests of the Lord, whose back is to the Temple (in other words they have turned their backs on God) and they are worshipping the sun! Is it any wonder, when the shepherds of Israel do not care for God, that the Israelites would be corroded with idolatry? Without a doubt, an elder hot-tempered, graceless, self-righteous, pompous, puffed up with knowledge without love, is an elder who has no care for his own soul. Puritan pastor Richard Baxter gives all elders the gravest of warnings when he writes:

Many have warned others that they come not to that place of torment, while yet they hastened it themselves: many a preacher is now in hell, who hath a hundred times called upon his hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to escape it…Take heed, therefore, to yourselves first, that you be that which you persuade your hearers to be, and believe that which you persuade them to believe, and heartily entertain that Saviour whom you offer to them. (Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, 54)

Elders must care for their own souls because to fail to do so is to fail to know how to ultimately care for others’ souls, and as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:27: “Lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” With this in mind then, it makes sense that a church would be eagerly willing to be led by an elder who is deeply concerned for his own soul.

Next, Paul’s exhortation to CARE is A – elders are ALERT against attack. Paul say in verses 28, and in verses 29-31: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock… I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.” Remember the meerkats. The alpha males stand watch, upright over the pack and keep an eye out for any mortal dangers. Well, shepherds do the same over the sheep that are under their care. Dr. Derek Tidball from London Bible College used to say that elder/shepherds were “a subtle blend of authority and care and as much toughness as tenderness, as much courage as comfort.” (Alexander Struach, Biblical Eldership, 16) When dealing with wolves, elders are entirely responsible for this protection but it is never overbearing, never savage like the wolves. Shepherd elders are compassionate and tender but will do everything within his power to protect the flock from harm.

And the greatest threat comes from people Paul calls “wolves.” Just who are these wolves? Jesus used the same animal in Matthew 7:15 when he said: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Wolves are false prophets and teachers who will do whatever it takes to lead Christ’s church away from the certainty of God’s Word. Thus Paul tells Timothy in 1 Tim 4:1-2: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.” Paul also tells Timothy in 2 Tim 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” The greatest power of these wolves is to turn people away from God’s Word. There will come a time, and the time is now, that we will not want to obey God’s Word. We won’t turn to it for our direction as to how to live. Our itching ears that fatally believe we know better than God’s Word will look for teachers that tell us that we are our own king and our experience, our knowledge, our intellect is far better than anything God’s Word would teach us. We would rather first turn to Oprah, or Parenting Magazine, or the latest sociological studies, or Fortune for advice as to how to live.

Paul tells us in Acts 20:29-30 that these wolves arise from outside the church, but also inside the church. Author Phil Newton calls the wolves teaching “wolf theology” and notes that such theology essentially teaches that something other than Christ is sufficient for our joy in life. We refuse to believe that Jesus’ cross and our sins that he bore on it are sufficient for freedom and joy. Instead, we argue, “No, I need to do more. That can’t be all.” We believe that some where our good work, our knowledge, our volunteering to help out at this retreat, our going to this retreat, out tithes, our missionary zeal is something to God. That in doing such things, we gain some favor from God. I remember being a kid going to the corner store to buy a carton of cigarettes for my dad. I loved doing this, not because he gave me a tip (because he didn’t), but because I thought in doing so, he would love me a bit more. How so many of us think along such lines with God? This is wolf theology and it clutters our hearts and destroys the church with condemnation (I’ll never be loved by God because I always sin the same sin over and over again) or legalism (God must really love me and need me because boy do I do some great things for him that others fail to do). Read Galatians (there, Paul calls the wolves, dogs) and the Johannine letters and you’ll see how much wolf theology there is in the church then, and yes, now.

Elders stand alert keeping an eye and ear out for such wolf theology. Elders stand alert by their watchful eye through the faithful teaching of God’s Word. This is why Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 3:2 that an elder must be “able to teach.” An elder need not be the most gifted teacher of all. But he needs to be able to teach God’s Word so that he can protect the church against false teaching that can destroy the souls of a church. Elders also keep alert through prayer over and for the church. Steve Boyer is one of the elders at Mark Dever’s church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He writes about his responsibility as an elder: “The importance of prayer stood out to me early after becoming an elder. The responsibility to care for so many members impressed upon me my utter dependence on God. Beginning our elder meetings with a healthy time of prayer reminded me that elders are to be devoted to praising God, inquiring of God, confessing to God, thanking God, and pleading to God in prayer according to His will. Then watching for how God fulfills his promises in the lives of members of the church by sanctifying us is one of my most treasured joys, as I see the Holy Spirit tangibly working in our lives.” Praise God for such men who would think this way and I such a man is one who stands alert over the flock.

Might I also add that I long for a group of men who will shoulder this glorious but grave burden alongside me. Charles Bridges, the 19th century pastor to pastors, tells us how many cases need special care:

The indolent are slumbering—the self-dependent are falling back—the zealous are under the influence of spiritual pride—the earnest are becoming self-righteous—the regular, formal. Then there is the enquirer, asking for direction—the tempted and perplexed, looking for support—the afflicted, longing for the cheering consolation of the Gospel—the convinced sinner, from the slight healing of his wound, settling in a delusive peace…These cases cannot, in all their minute and diversified forms, be fully treated in the pulpit. (Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry, 344)

The care of the sheep is far too great for one person and it was never intended to be this way. So Paul in 1 Tim 5:17 talks about more than one elder because elders together care for the flock and for one another. And together their watchful eye leads to a church that loves Christ, cherishes His Gospel, and longs to live by the perfection of His Word.

Also, Paul’s exhortation to CARE is R – remember humility. Paul says in verse 28: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.” Sometimes, we (elders and the church) forget this reality far too often to our own demise. I am not an elder because I graduated from Gordon-Conwell with a ‘Master of Divinity’ (if there ever was an oxymoron). I am not an elder because I am better looking, or smarter, or more experienced, or can read Greek, or know how to play guitar, or can recite Psalm 23 by memory, or have read more books on theology, or am a better public speaker than any of you. I am not an elder because I chose it out of a book of jobs when I was in college. I am certainly not an elder because I sin less than you. I am an elder because by God’s infinite grace He has called me. And if the great reformer Martin Luther can describe himself as a “poor, stinking, bag of dung,” (James Kittleson, Luther the Reformer, 175) then surely I am no better than he. What makes an elder an elder is the fact that the Holy Spirit makes elders. And this should be the most awesome and most humbling of ideals. It should be a continual reminder of humility to elders that they are never to be elders on the basis of the amount of money they give to the church or the position they have at work or the IQ of the person, but rather. It humbles elders because it’s the Spirit’s work, not mine, and not the church’s. Thus, because of this reality, elders cannot be dictators, mean-spirited, selfish, easily angered, ill-tempered, unloving to their family, ungracious to others. It just doesn’t mesh with a Spirit-appointed elder. Elders by a new nature given by the Spirit through Christ’s work to the glory of the Father serve the church with the love of Christ.

Finally, Paul’s exhortation to CARE is to E – exalt Christ above all else. Paul tells the Ephesian elders in v. 28: “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” And then in verse 32: “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Elders always remember to exalt Christ above all else. Why? Because both our souls and the church was given a new life by the cost of Christ’s own blood. We are free and to live in joy eternally because God’s precious and only Son would give His life for enemies of God such as us.

Elders know they were obtained with his own blood and elders will remember that they deserved not a drop of that blood. Elders think of themselves as the chiefest of sinners and are deeply humbled by that cross. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks to elders this way:

I am speaking to those who are on the ground, groveling in their utter helplessness, and with a guilt and a sense of uncleanness and shame, having lost their chastity, their purity, their morality, their everything. To anyone like that, I would say, You are afar off, and the cross speaks to you with sympathy. That many dying on that cross was known as the friend of publicans and sinners. He was reviled by the good and religious because he sat down and ate meat and rank with publicans and sinners. He had sympathy…he is ready to accept you. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Cross, 169-170)

Elders know this and are humbled by this good news, that we are accepted. And so elders exalt Christ above all else, above our jobs, our family, our ministry, our reputation at work or at home or at church or in our community. Elders sing for joy William Cowper’s famous hymn:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.

Elders know always that they too were once like the dying thief who was as vile as he. Would you like to be led by elders who heeded Paul’s exhortation to CARE in accordance with Acts 20? Eldership governance is no call to dictatorship. It’s a call to heed the call to understand the depth of God’s love shown on the cross, and to share that with those in His Church. To move from congregational governance to elder governance is not only right in accordance with Scripture, it is beneficial for the church’s soul and heart for Christ. In doing so, I will be praying that God would be glorified through this desire of Wellspring’s, in its continual pursuit of living in light of the glorious Gospel of Christ.