1) If you were present this morning you heard that this congregation no longer has elders.
2) When this type of announcement is made, people often have some typical questions:
3) “What will we do? Will the congregation survive? How will this change things? What does the future hold?
IF WE LOOK AT THE PRESENT AND THE PAST, WE FIND THAT CONGREGATIONS HAVE ALWAYS FACED DIFFICULTIES.
1) Some brethren have had to face persecution.
a) If you have ever gone through the Menno Hof in Shipshewana, you probably saw an interesting display.
b) One room has a dungeon like pit with a rope and a wooden seat.
c) Bible believing people were lowered into this pit and left there to suffer.
d) The book of First Peter is filled with information about Christians who suffered.
e) 1 Pet. 1:7 talks about a “faith” which is “proved by fire.”
2) We find congregations that have had to deal with a church split.
3) Other groups have declined to the point where they actually close the doors to the building.
4) The loss of an eldership is far from an ideal situation, but there are worse things in life.
5) Since we are where we are, I want to turn our attention to three things: Prayer, faith and attitude.
6) We start with prayer.
a) We are at a time of year when many offer a prayer of Thanksgiving.
b) In our lives we have much to be thankful for.
c) We live in a very special time with respect to the world’s history.
d) We also live in one of the greatest countries that has ever existed.
e) We have a copy of the Bible and a place to come and meet with fellow Christians on a regular basis.
7) When we pray, thanksgiving should be at the top of our list.
8) Eph. 5:20 says “giving thanks always for all things.”
9) 1 Thess. 5:18 says “in everything give thanks.”
10) This congregation still exists and God’s people still have a place to come for fellowship and instruction.
11) This congregation also has the potential to one day again have elders and deacons.
a) We have congregations in our part of the country that have never had elders.
b) After 40 or more years these churches have been without shepherds.
c) We have not had that experience here and we can be thankful for the work that has been done in the past.
12) As this congregation moves along, let’s not forget to be thankful when we pray.
13) Our thankfulness in prayer should also be accompanied by a request for the future.
14) A few moments ago I mentioned how the book of First Peter describes Christians who faced some hard times.
15) In the final chapter of this book – 1 Pet. 5:7 – Peter talked about God’s people having “anxiety.”
16) When a congregation experiences a major change, there can be some anxiety.
17) Peter told God’s people to “cast” ALL their anxiety on God because God “cares for them.”
18) Casting anxiety on God is accomplished by prayer.
19) Some congregations are known as praying churches.
20) There are members of the church who want to be a “prayer warrior” on social sites like Facebook.
21) Times of change can cause people who have never prayed very much or very well to start.
22) When a congregation is operating without an eldership, people need to pray.
23) People also need to have faith in their petitions.
24) Jas. 5:16 says the “prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
25) If one righteous person can accomplish much in prayer, think of what an entire congregation can do.
26) If some things look hopeless to us, we need to remember Eph. 3:20.
27) It is here that Paul said – READ
28) God can accomplish things that are beyond our wildest imagination.
29) We need to pray that things work out in the right way, at the right time, and that we have the wisdom to act correctly.
IN CONJUNCTION WITH PRAYER THERE IS THE NEED FOR FAITH.
a) Unsaved people often look at circumstances which are difficult or seemingly impossible and say there is “no hope.”
b) God is not a “no hope God.”
c) Rom. 15:13 says God is the “God of hope.”
d) A few verses earlier – Rom. 15:5 – Paul referred to God as “the God of patience and comfort.”
e) When difficult times come we can choose to have faith in God or we can choose some form of disbelief.
2) We need to choose faith.
3) Without faith we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6).
4) When times are easy and good, faith is easy.
5) When times are hard, this is when faith is tested.
a) After describing the necessity of faith in verse 6, the author provided some illustrations.
b) Abraham was told to leave his home and he did not know where he was going, verse 8.
c) This required a terrific amount of faith when we think about life in his day and time.
d) Sarah (verse 11) was way past the age to conceive, but she had faith in God’s promise.
e) Abraham had to have great faith when it came to putting his son on an altar (verse 17).
f) Moses’ parents had enough faith in God they were not afraid of the king’s commandment (verse 23).
g) Moses had enough face to forsake a cushy life in Egypt (verse 27); his faith took care of his fearing Pharaoh.
h) Verses 33-37 describe some others who had great faith – READ
6) Goshen has come to a time when faith is going to be tested.
7) We can either choose to prevail during this time or we can choose to throw in the towel and fail.
8) God’s choice is faith instead of fear and failure.
9) We need to have faith in our present circumstances and faith in the future.
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WE HOPE THAT EACH ONE CHOOSE FAITH INSTEAD OF FAITHLESSNESS.
1) In addition to making the right choice regarding faith, we need to be mindful of our attitude.
a) In every walk of life we have some type of attitude.
b) Attitude is found in the home, schools, the work place, and in religious groups.
c) Our attitude affects us as well as others.
2) Our attitude in the spiritual realm is like faith: We can make a good choice or we can make a bad choice.
3) Some have made bad choices.
a) The upstairs Sunday class recently finished a study of Third John.
b) In that study we spoke about a man who is described in a very unfavorable way.
c) The name of this man is Diotrephes.
d) 3 Jn. 9-10 pretty well summarize this man’s behavior – READ
4) This fellow wanted to be a big man in a local congregation.
5) He was so insistent on his own way that he “cast people out of the church.”
a) We do not know all that was involved with this.
b) Was Diotrephes an elder or preacher? Was he a deacon or Bible class teacher?
c) Perhaps he was none of these things – he could have been a headstrong member.
6) This fellow really wanted things to go his way.
7) John said he would “bring to remembrance” the works of this man.
8) This was a nice way of saying he would deal with this fellow if he was able to come to where this man worshipped.
9) Sometimes people get the idea that they are going to “run the show.”
10) This sometimes work in the secular world.
11) This is not how things are to operate in the church.
12) 2 Tim. 2:24 says the Lord’s servant must not “strive but be gentle towards all.”
13) God’s people are to serve one another.
14) As much as possible we should try to defer to one another.
15) Some who are members at this congregation have been in a men’s meeting where things got wild.
16) Shameful things have been said and done.
17) 1 Cor. 14:33 says “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”
18) 1 Cor. 14:40 says “do all things decently and in order.”
19) Some of the Corinthian meetings were not orderly due to spiritual gifts.
20) Meetings without elders can be disorderly, but that is not God’s will.
21) As the men begin to work together in a new way, we need to be sure we have the right attitudes.
22) I have never known of a congregation without elders starting every meeting with a Scripture read.
23) That might not be a bad practice.
24) Think of a congregation that begins with Mt. 7:12, the so-called “golden rule.”
25) We treat people as we want to be treated.
26) We ensure the love Paul told the Corinthians about in 1 Cor. 13 is practiced.
27) Attitude toward others is absolutely essential for a strong and healthy congregation.
28) We also need to have our own personal attitude headed in the right direction.
29) The elders in a local congregation do a lot of things that are never seen by many members.
30) Some of the work done by elders is not pleasant; those who serve in this capacity often make some difficult decisions.
31) Some of the feedback that elders get from hard decisions is unpleasant.
32) God in His wisdom designed the church to be led by a plurality of men instead of a single person.
33) The denominational world has a “pastor system,” but this is not God’s plan.
a) When a congregation does not have elders, other men are needed to take care of some responsibilities.
b) Men who may have not had many church responsibilities in the past are needed to do some things.
c) We are at a point where we will need some men to “step up to the plate” and shoulder some new duties.
34) When this time comes, our attitude needs to be: “Here is work and I am willing to volunteer to do my best.”
35) 1 Cor. 15:58 says “be always abounding in the work of the Lord.”
36) Not all the Lord’s work is easy or free of hardship.
37) It is work that God wants done and our attitude needs to be: I will pitch in and help.
38) We do not want to be like the man who hid his “talent” in the earth (Mt. 25:25).
39) As we move forward, let’s be constant in prayer.
40) Let’s be a congregation of people who have the right attitude.
41) Let’s also have faith that all will be fine and put that faith into action for whatever lies ahead.
