Pray For These Things in Your Life

So, Chuck, for someone who is listening to this, and maybe they are wrestling with a call to ministry, or maybe they've been in ministry for a long time, what encouragement can we offer them from this, particularly, from these qualifications?

These two specifically?

Well, no, I mean, just the qualifications in general. When you approach them, and I think that pastors... I mean, so in my job, editing audio and video things, I constantly want to go back and say, what does a good editor look like?

What does good film look like? And so I constantly want to go back, and I think that even for an elder, it's so helpful to go back to these things and remind yourself, these are the things that God has called me to do and be.

Seeking God’s Call Through the Qualifications

Sure, so the person who's wrestling with a call to ministry, has God called me? I think so, maybe, you know. I would think that one of the first steps would be to come to passages like these, and 1st Peter,.

And.

Just wrestle through them. God, am I this? Are you making me to be this? Do I fit these qualifications? Are there areas that need vast improvement right now? And you might also, if you're married, talk to your wife, or talk to your present pastor, and ask them to help you walk through these things.

You know, do you see these things as evidences in my life, as qualities that are existing, or which ones do you see that need improvement? And then for the person who's already serving, I would think that it would be wise to regularly come back to these and look at them again, and ask the Lord, am I growing in these?

Am I still presently these things, and is there growth in these things? Because I don't, I think we may have mentioned last week, you know, it's like you study for an entrance exam, a test, and you pass, and now I don't have to care about it anymore.

Well, no, you're an example to the flock, and if you want the flock to grow in these things, then you've got to run ahead of them, and you've got to grow in these things yourself.

The Benefit of Plurality of Elders

Yeah, and I think, too, that points to the benefit of a plurality of elders. You know, because if you're with a plurality of elders, then you're gonna have men around you who are, go and ask them, hey, do you see me presently pursuing these things?

Yes, and then they are able to urge each other on, press...

Right, as iron sharpens iron. So that's, but for those who are not in the ministry, or not pursuing being a deacon, for the layperson, what encouragement is there for them?

Well, God gives good gifts to his church, and this is what they are to look like, and so you can ask the Lord of the church to give you these kind of men. You can pray for them. Yeah, make you more like it, but even if you're not ever going to be that, make me more like it, sure, but raise up men who are like this.

Praying for Godly Elders and Deacons

Yeah, absolutely. As we wrap this episode up, I do want to say, you know, last week, Chuck, you mentioned a three-volume set by Al Martin. We made sure that there was a link to that in the description.

That'll be in the link again in the description. There will be a link in the description again, also a link to your sermon series, and we're gonna continue that series, right? So we finished Portraits of the Church, Offices of the Church.

There's a few more weeks, yes. Okay, a few more weeks coming up, so all of those, minus the one with the audio messed up, will be in the link below, whether you're listening or watching to this. Next week, John and Chuck will be back, going back through Salvation in Full Color.