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In the world, leaders often serve with selfish motives but
in the Church, we serve the Living God. Jesus is the Head of
the Church, and He is concerned about our service. Come with
pure motives. Serve the Lord with gladness. All of us are
servants. Make Jesus our Example. Follow Him to be a
servant. God can use all of us. All can, and ought to be
servants.
What is a Session? They are leaders appointed by God to
lead. They are your burden-bearers. You must pray for them;
that they will lead alright.
To those who may be elected:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through
the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but
to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man
the measure of faith. [Romans 12: 1-3].
This passage applies to all, but especially to leaders. The
King of kings, through His apostle Paul, invites you to join
Him to ‘present your bodies a living sacrifice.’ People can
see your behaviour. Be humble, meek and mild like our
Saviour. Being a ‘sacrifice’ means you have no rights.
‘Holy’ means not tainted by the world. All who are nominated
must examine themselves. Ask; “Am I worthy when I become an
elder or deacon?”
Be not conformed to the world. Leaders must know the mind of
Christ. Know the will of God through His Word and prayer.
Don’t read (the Bible) aimlessly. Pray for the Holy Spirit
to guide and enlighten. And not just leaders; all must pray.
Don’t think you are better than the rest. Beware of the sin
of pride. Think soberly.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one
another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit;
serving the Lord [Romans 12: 9-11].
Love one another. This is very difficult because we tend to
find fault and bear grudge. Unlike the world, there is no
electioneering in the Church. We must have the spirit of
servanthood. Don’t pretend to love when you don’t. We are
part of each other. Show love and concern. Be always
available. Don’t be lazy. Do those things that nobody wants
to do.
The qualities of elders and deacons are given in 1 Timothy
3. An elder must be a humble, godly person. He must lead
family worship and teach his children well. “Not a novice”
(v. 6) means being consistent, humbly serving quietly. They
cannot be loners. In our church constitution, there are two
rules regarding leaders. They must be consistent in worship
and in coming for prayer meeting. Likewise, deacons must be
serious people who do not drink (liquor) because it will
lead others astray. The Session is an example to the flock.
Be very careful. They should also watch their wives. They
should not be gossip mongers.
All should pray for the new session, that God will do
something for the new session. Finally, we must keep
encouraging the young people to come forward to serve. Think
long term. Think of succession. |
