I Don't Read but I Intend to Lead - 04 & 05
The Blind Leading the Blind
I once spoke to a room full of boys and their dads. It was at a monthly youth group gathering in a church down the street from where I attended. I spoke to them about headship (aka. God giving to men the primary responsibility to care for their homes and the church). I was not well-received for my teaching.
I remember one youth volunteer becoming visibly angry. He was maybe 21 years old. His face was red and steam was escaping from under his collar. People around him were trying to contain him (probably for my sake). Nonetheless, after my presentation, I thought I should probably talk him down – try to diffuse this stick of dynamite.
I did not have much success appeasing him, but the one thing that I remember from our 5-minute conversation was that he took great offense that I said the church should not appoint to office any elders who do not commit to reading and studying. I’m sure I said something that sounded an awful lot like, “You must read, and read, and read some more.”
The young man could not agree LESS, and assured me, “My father was an elder and my grandfather was an elder. And even though I don’t read, I will someday be an elder in this church!”
After the meeting, there were not too many who wanted to discuss my topic anymore with me. And as I walked home from the gathering, I could not help but think, He probably will be an elder. And unfortunately the church will be the worse for his lack of study.
Too many leaders in the Church never crack open a book to read it. Yet often, some of these same leaders fret at how the world is heading in the wrong direction! Older congregations wonder, “Why have so many Christians and churches turned away from Christ to compromise with the world?” And yet how long have we made unstudied men our office-bearers!
You are right, Franklin, the 21 year old was viewing the office of elder as a title that anyone could take a turn at. In contrast, a biblical elder is a person God molds over a lifetime in order that the man might help others learn how to live for the Lord. The word means what it says. The man is supposed to be older, seasoned (mature). Maybe the things I said that evening introduced a new thought to that young man? I hope he started investing himself if, someday, he truly does become an elder in his church.
Hank, I agree. An elder should study to understand the Scriptures by which he hopes to help others to grow in the Lord. As for Jesus instructing his followers to "turn the other cheek" instead of demanding "an eye for an eye" - I believe He wasn't distinguishing between the OT and the NT. I think he was correcting a false teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees. They had mistakenly taken God's proper principle of justice to be enforced by "judge and jury" and applied it to personal revenge, grudge holding, etc.