Hebrews 13:17 “Responsible Church Leadership”
Pastor Jerry Hoek

Introduction:
I thought I’d open up a big ol’ can of worms this morning by asking this question: What is your attitude toward the government? Now, I’m going to ask you to keep your opinions to yourself, but what is your attitude to those who are your leaders? We are often skeptical and don’t have a good attitude toward them.
What is your attitude toward those serving on the Council during this year? Maybe, feelings of sympathy: “Better you than me!” Or perhaps confidence: “They will do a good job.” Or perhaps indifference. “It doesn’t really matter who they are or what they do, it won’t make any difference to me!” What is your attitude?
On the other hand, what is the attitude of the leaders of Faith Church, among you elders and deacons? Is it: “Well, someone has to do it, so I guess I should?” Or “No big deal; it won’t make that much difference.” What is your attitude toward yourself as well as the office you hold?
Hebrews 13:17 states what the responsibilities of leaders and followers are. As we look at what these are, we will also have a better picture of how we are to view our leaders. Read Hebrews 13:15-25.

I. Responsible Following
II. Responsible Leading
III. Two Good Reasons for Following

I. Responsible Following involves two things:
First, responsible following means obedience. The author to the Hebrews literally says “Obey them that have the rule over you.” The ones who have the rule are those who have authority over the believers. When the leaders say, “This is what God’s Word says, they must obey, do what they are told!
A second part of responsible following is submission. To submit means to recognize the authority of someone else and willingly yield to it. For example, you can obey the police because they are the authorities, but you can obey them without submitting. You can do what they tell you to do but with grumbling. You give in, but only under protest; that is not submitting biblically.
Submitting means that you recognize and willingly yield to someone else because that is the way it should be, and you agree to it. These readers were not only to obey, but to do so willingly. They were to recognize that this is the way God wants it to be.
Now this must be seen within the context of mutual submission also taught in the New Testament. Ephesians 5:21 says “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Galatians 4:13 says, “Serve one another in love.” Both leaders and followers must submit to each other.
There are some dangers that we have to be alert to when we consider obedient following. First, this not a command to unthinking obedience to leaders in the church. God did not give leaders to the church so that leaders could boss others around. There are false teachers and every Christian must be on their guard against such things. Every Christian must weigh very carefully what the leaders are saying to make sure that it is in agreement with the Word of God.
A second danger is that the followers may expect too much from the leaders. The leaders are not responsible for absolutely every single decision that the person makes in his own life and in the life of the church. You don’t have to gain the elder’s permission before you change careers or accept a new job.
There are lines of authority and they must be followed, but they must be followed carefully and thoughtfully as we each follow the Lord Jesus. John Naber was an swimmer who won one silver and four gold medals in the 1976 Olympics. Naber knows the importance of a person being focused on Christ. Naber described the black cross that used to be painted at the end of the pool to warn swimmers that they are about to hit the wall. If their eyes aren’t on the cross, they can easily crash. Naber made this analogy: “As is true in Olympic swimming, so it is in the Christian walk; keep your eyes on the cross.”
However, in swimming there are also ropes that keep a person in his or her respective lanes. That is what leaders in the church of Christ are to do. As we work our way through life focusing our eyes on Jesus, we are guided by leaders that God has provided for us.
We do well to listen and to submit to their guidance as we serve Christ. That means paying attention to the actions that the Council takes. It means that you don’t just disregard what the Council says because you don’t like it. You must submit to them by seriously thinking about what they say. You must submit to them by seriously praying for them and their work. That is what the Word of God says about responsible following.

II. But there is also Responsible Leading which involves two things.
First, responsible leadership involves keeping watch over the people. This literally means the leaders “lose sleep” over you. The picture of a shepherd is likely in mind here in that a shepherd will watch over his flock at all times, sleeping little if any at all, so that he will be able to protect the sheep from danger. The leaders were watching over the spiritual condition of the people.
But this may also refer to the fact that the leaders actually lost sleep. There are some indications in the book of Hebrews that these readers were quite independent in their thinking and resisted the leadership. These leaders may have had many sleepless nights as they tried keep the people on the right path. But these leaders had the responsibility for the people’s spiritual care. Some of their flock were in danger of wandering away from the Lord. They were responsible to keep the people faithful to the Word.
Secondly, responsible leadership also includes accountability. They had to “give an account” to God concerning the spiritual and physical welfare of the people under their care. This must have been a very heavy weight for these leaders.
That is a very awesome and humbling thought for leaders today as well. Leaders, think of the people you should have spoken to, but did not; the things you should have done but did not. Someday God will look and hold each leader accountable for the actions he has taken with respect to those under his leadership. This same accountability is also true for all in leadership, including parents, teachers and others.
So what does this say to those who are leaders today? It means that we had better take our roles as leaders very seriously! We have a task for which we will be held accountable by God and that is no easy thing!
Specifically, for elders responsible leadership means this. We must see the needs of the members of our church and doing all we can to meet those needs. When there are problems in an individual’s life, we are ready to help in any way we can. When there is spiritual decline, we do what we can to restore a person spiritually. When there are physical hurts, we offer help and support. Elders must help the people of this church to grow spiritually as we all follow Jesus. And we must do all we can to reach out to others in our community by getting involved in the work of outreach as much as well.
Specifically for the deacons, responsible leadership means this. We must see the needs of the members of our church and doing all you can to meet those needs. When there is unemployment, we offer help and support. When there are other material or spiritual problems in the family or individual, we are ready to help in whatever way we can. It also means being good stewards of the gifts that are given to you. That includes not only wise spending and planning. It also includes giving a good account to the people of what is happening financially. Your task is also to keep us informed of the needs that exist within our own community and the world so that we may respond to those needs. Your task is to help the people of the church so that we may all be able to follow our Lord.
It is also the task of the leaders of this church is to provide leadership and direction for this church. It is to say, “This is the way we must go! Follow us so that we can serve the Lord in this way!”
John Stott summarizes 5 qualities of Christian leadership. Leaders must have a vision. They must have the ability to see where we are now and where we must go in order to be effective and faithful to the gospel. Leaders must be hard workers. They have to put their shoulder to the wheel and work hard toward the goal they have set. Third, they must persevere. They cannot give up at the first hint of opposition for we are leading the people of God, not just ordinary people in the work of the Kingdom of God. Fourth, leaders must have an attitude of service. They must see their task as helping and equipping the people of God to serve. Finally, a leader must discipline himself. A leader must recognize his own weaknesses as he waits for God to help him in his weaknesses.
All this means that we had better take our roles as leaders very seriously! We must work hard as we do the hard work of leading Christ’s church. Former University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings tells of an incident when he was the defensive backfield coach for the Dallas Cowboys. Two All-Pro players, Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris, were sitting in front of their lockers after playing a tough game against the Washington Redskins. They were still in their uniforms, and their heads were bowed in exhaustion. Waters said to Harris, “By the way Cliff, what was the final score?” This could perhaps describe the work of elders and deacons. We are to serve and give our best and leave the final results to God.
Moreover, leaders must also acknowledge that they are not perfect and do make mistakes. A guide was hired to take some hunters into the back woods of Maine. After a few days, they were hopelessly lost and began to doubt the competence of the guide. “You said you were the best guide in Maine,” they reminded him. “I am,” he said, “but I think we are in Canada now.” Leaders need the input and the correction of those whom they lead and must be willing to admit mistakes and when they need help.
The leaders must lead and the people must follow; and when that happens, there will be two benefits that will come as a result.

III. Two Good Reasons for Following
The first is so that the work of the leaders may be a joy, not a burden. Being a leader in the church of Jesus Christ should be a joy-filled task because they are leading the people of God in establishing the kingdom of God. The leaders in this letter may have had very little joy in their work. The people were rebellious and ungrateful for their leadership. And so, the leaders looked at their task as a burden, not a joy.
Today Christian leadership should be joyous work, but often it is not. Increasingly, pastors become burned out and leave the ministry because there is no joy left in serving and doing the work of serving as a pastor. Often, elders and deacons only go through the motions of their work because they find little joy or satisfaction in the work they are doing. Frequently, capable leaders refuse to serve because they know there will be no joy in their work; it will only be a burden and a hassle.
But it is not only the leaders who suffer if those things happen. Verse 17 says if the people don’t obey it would be of no advantage to them. If the leaders had to serve under tense conditions in the local church, then that does not work out for the benefit of the members. It will bring tension and strife within the church which will break down the church, not build it. When leaders and members are not working together, everyone suffers!
So what do we do with this word from God this morning? To the leaders, see your task as what it really is. You are keeping watch over people who belong to God! That is far more than serving on a board of trustees or holding an administrative position. God has placed you in that office to lead, to nurture and to help those under your leading to grow in their faith. That is something that you as an elder or deacon and I as a pastor have a responsibility to fulfill. That is also something that we will be held accountable for when Jesus comes again.
To the people of Faith Church who will be led by these persons on this Council: these are your spiritual leaders given to you by God for your benefit. Therefore, thank God for them and pray for them as they lead you in service in the church. Be aware of the actions they take regarding Christ’s church here. Evaluate them in the light of God’s word and if it is faithful to the word, submit to them.! If you feel that it is not true to the Word of God, then cheerfully and willingly point out where it is wrong. And encourage them in the work that they are doing for it often is a very thankless job.
We all have a responsibility to make this church a place where all people, those who are members and those who are in our community will be able to see the love and grace of God shown in Jesus Christ. That is, after all, why we are here! To proclaim the gospel of Christ, the message of grace! We must proclaim that Jesus came to die in order to pay the punishment for sin, for our sin. We must proclaim that those who believe will have forgiveness and peace with God. Let’s not give up or become idle as we press on in this work.
About 350 years ago, a shipload of travelers landed on the northeast coast of America where they established a town site. The next year they elected a town government. The third year the town government planned to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. In the fourth year, the people tried to impeach their town government because they thought it was a waste of public funds to build a road five miles westward into the wilderness. Who needed to go there anyway!?
Here were people who had the vision to see three thousand miles across an ocean and overcome great hardships to get there. But in just a few years they were not able to see even five miles out of town. They had lost their pioneering vision.
So what? I challenge you leaders to lead to places where God would have us go. I challenge you members to support and submit to them as they lead us as we follow Jesus working in His Kingdom.

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Romans 5:3-5 “Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?”

UPDATE IN LIGHT OF HAITIAN CRISIS:

Introduction:
When I was a young boy, my dad and I would often have this dialogue when I would ask him the question “Why?” I don’t remember now any of the reasons why I asked him “why?”, but I clearly remember the dialogue and particularly his responses. I would ask “why?” and he would respond by saying, “Because.” I would then say, “Why because?” and he would say, “Just because.” I would try again and ask, “But why just because?” and he would tell me that you can’t go beyond, “Just because.”
Like I said, it was sort of a game my dad and I played, but behind that simple exchange was a deeper issue. There are times when we do ask “Why?” and there are times when God seems to say, “Just because.” And we don’t particularly like that answer. We want more information, more details as to why bad things happen or why things happen the way they do.
Last fall I asked you to submit some questions for sermon topics and this morning we begin looking at some of those questions. I received about 15-20 different questions, but the one that seemed most urgent and causing the most challenges for you had to do with the trials that we have to face in our lives. For example, one person wrote, “Why is there pain, seemingly senseless murder, when God knows the suffering it causes. It causes many (and me) to falter in my belief in the goodness of God’s plan, and why his will for me would include such pain.”
That is what we look at this morning. Why does God allow pain and suffering? Let’s read Romans 5:1-11. We will focus on verses 3-5.

I. Rejoicing in Suffering
In verse 2 Paul joyfully proclaims that we Christians can rejoice! We can rejoice because of Jesus’ death on the cross for us. We have the assurance that after we die, we can stand before God in heaven and He will declare us to be innocent, not guilty! That joyful reality gives us hope for we don’t have to cringe in fear before God.
But then in verse 3 Paul adds, “we also rejoice in our sufferings!” We are thrilled, happy and excited when we think about the confident hope we have knowing that we are going to heaven. And Paul says that we are thrilled, happy and excited when we face sufferings! That is not as easy for us to agree to. What is Paul saying here?
First, we should understand the kind of sufferings that Paul is talking about. There are certain hardships that will come as the specific result of being a Christian. The Bible teaches that suffering is normal and should be expected. Christians should expect to suffer for standing up for their faith. The world may view Christian values as a threat. Christians should expect to be ridiculed for their life-style. People may think that we are rather odd and unusual. These are the kinds of sufferings that Paul has in mind.
What Paul says is also true of other suffering as well in our lives. We all suffer with illnesses and death in our lives. Some face break-downs in marriage and other relationships. Some have faced the devastating loss of family from murder or accidental death. Paul is speaking of suffering that results from being a Christian, but many kinds of suffering could also be included. And the principle is that suffering should cause us to rejoice!
Why? Paul says because we know something good is produced when we suffer. How can good come from trials? I’m currently reading a book about a huge forest fire in Idaho that happened in 1910. As a result of this fire, strict measures were taken to stop all forest fires from happening. I grew up with Smokey the Bear telling me, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” And so anytime there was any kind of fire, crews were sent out to quickly stamp it out!
In more recent years, however, forestry experts have shown that this has created more of a problem than what anyone could have imagined. Fires are actually good for forests because they clear out the dead wood and allow new growth to occur. Now when a fire occurs, it’s not pleasant for those who are caught in it, but in the long term it is a very natural part of how forests work and can be a very good thing.
Our suffering, while very painful, can also produce something good and necessary; something that could cause us to rejoice. In fact, suffering can produce a chain reaction of good things.
But what about truly horrible things that happen in our lives? Can good really come from a fatal traffic accident or murder or a terminal illness? I am not saying that when we face these things, we simply become Polly Anna about them and say, “It will all be for good!” There are times when our trials are indeed devastating and horrible for us to endure and not only cause us pain but make us question the goodness of God. But even in those horrible things, God is always, always working. How can this be? Let’s look at the rest of these verses to see how.

II. The Resulting Chain Reaction is a 3 step process as we see in verses 3-5.
First, suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance literally means to bear up underneath something. A person with perseverance is one who has a hard task to do but endures in spite of the difficulties.
But perseverance also means that as the person presses on, he does so with a clear goal in mind. Perseverance enables a person to look through the affliction and distress to find the meaning of the suffering in God. More specifically, perseverance is the ability to press on, bearing up under the suffering in God’s strength, knowing, believing that somehow God has a good purpose in it.
Paul then says perseverance produces character. Character is not just a strengthened moral fiber in a person. That is often how this word is used today. A person who has suffered a great deal is said to have developed a great deal of character. He has become a stronger, better person as a result. The biblical word for character is similar but much more specific.
The character God gives to suffering Christians has the idea of being tested and then approved. Imagine you have invented a new product that must do a specific task; for example a drug that cures all cancers. You have designed and made it, but now it must be tested. It must be able to do what it was intended to do. If your invention survives the series of tests, you could say that it now has passed. Using the word in verse 4, you could say that it now has character. Character means a person has been tested and has passed the test.
In the ancient world, this word brought to mind a goldsmith. A goldsmith would take some gold ore and put it in the fire. Then the gold melts and all the impurities can be removed. That can’t happen unless the gold is melted. The fire enables the gold to be made into gold of good character. A person who is able to endure suffering, looking in faith to God for a good purpose in it, will be approved by God; he will have character.
And this character, in turn, produces hope. How can this happen? Through a person’s suffering, he comes to realize something very important. He has come to realize in his suffering that he cannot be strong in himself. He cannot trust himself, he must trust God wholly instead. If left only to himself he would have no hope, but because God is working in him, he has hope.
Moreover, when he realizes what God is doing in his life, when he knows that God will help him to endure this, he can have even more hope. And hope makes such a difference in our lives.
A few years ago the psychology department of Duke University carried on an experiment. They wanted to see how long rats could swim. In one container they placed a rat for whom there was no possibility of escape. He swam a few moments and then drowned. In the other container they made the hope of escape somehow possible. That rat swam for several hours before finally drowning. We usually say, “As long as there is life, there is hope.” The Duke experiment proved, “As long as there is hope, there is life.”
Having the hope that comes from perseverance and character means that we can press on and endure the sufferings we may face. Suffering brings us future hope in that we can look forward to the time when that hope will be gloriously and beautifully realized in eternity.

III. And what is important to realize is that this Hope That Does Not Disappoint.
This hope is not like other kinds of hope that you find in the world. There are many things that promise to give hope in the world. There is hope that is based on the good of mankind. And there is the hope that is based on nothing but blind optimism. This is the hope that regardless of how things may look, everything will somehow turn out alright.
All these kinds of hopes can and frequently do disappoint us. There will always be people who are going to deliberately try to hurt other people, such as murderers, drug dealers and terrorists. There are some problems that will never find solutions or there will always be new problems. Hope that has no basis at all always disappoints.
But hope from God never disappoints us. We never will be ashamed by having placed our hope in God. The hope that comes from God never disappoints, never lets us down. It will always be proven to be true. How can we know this?
Paul says it is because the love of God has been poured in our hearts. We have hope because we know in our hearts that God really loves us. Out of love, God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins. The same love will also continue on in our lives.
We know that this is true because we have the Holy Spirit in our lives. And Paul says the Spirit has been poured into our hearts. The Spirit assures us that we are deeply loved by God.
That means no matter what happens to us, we know we are deeply loved and cared for by God. That hope in God and in His love can carry us a long way.
Stephen Kiser was a sailor killed aboard the U.S. Navy ship Stark when two Iraqi missiles smashed into the frigate on patrol in the Persian Gulf in 1987. His widow, Barbara Kiser, said there was no need to mourn because “God doesn’t make mistakes.” Shunning black and wearing a purple pattern dress and white scarf, she showed no signs of distress at a solemn airport ceremony before a U.S. military jet left for the United States with the bodies of her husband and 34 other seamen. Mrs. Kiser said, “I don’t have to mourn or wear black because I know my husband is in heaven. I am happy because I know he’s better off.” That is a powerful example of having hope in God amidst trials. Hope placed in God during times of suffering is not misplaced hope.

IV. And so How Do We Respond to Trials and Pain?
We have to be very careful here. There is no doubt that growth, often times meaningful growth comes about as a result of suffering. Trials can strengthen us and make us look to God alone instead of anywhere else. Examples could be multiplied as to how God can take awful things and turn them to good.
But suffering can also have the effect of making a person become bitter and angry toward God. Sometimes when people suffer, instead of rejoicing they cannot even see God. Sometimes sufferings can bring about despair instead of hope. Suffering does not automatically bring about growth.
However, we must never forget that God is always a loving God no matter what and is always in full and loving control of our lives. God may do wonderful positive things to help you in your life. God may bless you with great health, a loving family and material blessings. God may do other things that will help you grow in your spiritual walk with Him.
However, God may also allow things to happen to us that will hurt us as we grow. When we pray for patience, God may throw all kinds of aggravating things in our path that will enable us to develop patience and perseverance. If we pray for humility in our character, God may do something that is painfully humbling to teach us humility. God can help us to grow through adversity and great things can come as a result. What is important is in our trials to aim for biblical perseverance.
Steve Brown tells about a young man who visited a fortune teller who looked at the man’s palm, read his tarot cards, and said, “Young man, you are going to be miserable, broke and lonely until you are forty years of age.” “Good heavens,” the man explained. “What will happen after that?” She said, “Then, you’ll get used to it.”
The Bible’s perspective is not that we’ll just get used to it but that God is God! He still answers prayer and He is still moved with compassion when we are hurting. He still intervenes and changes circumstances. The biblical perspective is that God loves us dearly and holds us in His hands no matter what the trials or suffering may be.
Moreover, God can use trials and suffering to cause us to grow. Let us pray for growth and pray confidently knowing that God will do what is best for us if we earnestly seek to grow in Him. And if God chooses to help us grow through trials and suffering, then let us pray for the grace to develop the perseverance, character and hope that will see us through.

Some New Year Reflections

I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps it’s because I know myself well enough to know that keeping them might be pretty difficult and remote. I certainly don’t have anything against making them, but it’s not something that was a part of my life as I grew up.

Quite honestly at this point, I think I shy away from making resolutions because I know I won’t be able to keep them. There may be a few exceptions, of course as I can be taught to do things differently. I have managed to keep my desk relatively clean and clear for much of this past year. That is something I didn’t think was possible. However, I still have a dirty car in spite knowing that I should keep it clean. I probably still buy more books than what I can realistically read. And those are the things I’ll mention in this newsletter article.

I am realistic in looking back on this past year. I know I’ve messed up in a lot of ways. So much so that if I dwelled on it, it might make me more than a little depressed and worried. And if I look back at the last 54 years, well then I might as well just forget it! There have been way too many things that would stack up against me that I have done.

So what keeps me going? It is knowing that no matter what I have done, God has forgiven me. God was often not happy with what I have done, but I am confident that His love for me never wavered because I belong to Jesus.

And I’m confident that this will be true in this coming year as well. I know that I’m going to mess up. I know I’m going to make mistakes and do things that I know I shouldn’t do. I’m not going to be the person God wants me to be. Yet, I also know that God loves me and will always love me. That is not based on how loveable and wonderful I am (which I am not), but because He has adopted me as His child. When someone loves you when you’re not very loveable, that should make a big impression on us. Since God loved me even when I was dead, I am going to try as best as I can to live for Him.

But there is more good news! Whether I’m a really good child of His or struggle mightily, His love will always be there. I don’t have to earn His love by being good. I do want God to be happy with me, but His love will always remain. So it is in that assurance and confidence that I enter the year 2010. I will pray with the Psalmist: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us– yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17) Have a blessed and grace-filled 2010!

Pastor Jerry
January 2010