Pastors and Deacons...

The Bible says the pastor, minister, overseer, or what other name you choose to call them, is the spiritual leaders of the church.  But God does not say they are the leader of everything in the church.  As a matter of fact, God set up positions in the church to help lighten the load of pastors.  In Acts 6:1-7, Luke describes the choosing of the seven.  The disciples realized they could not do it all so they wisely chose to share the burden by choosing seven men to handle the administrative work.  They shared the burden.  Each group had their responsibility and they concentrated on their responsibility.

The choosing of the seven was quite possibly the beginning of deacons.  Deacon means “one who serves.”  The description of deacons is given I Timothy 6:8-13.  Deacons were leaders.  They were the ones who were doing the administrative work in the church.  They were the ones taking care of the physical needs of the church and the congregation.  Deacons have many of the same qualifications as the pastors or overseers (I Timothy 6:1-6).

So why do pastors today feel that they have to work alone?  Why do they feel they have to do or be in charge of everything?  Why do they not utilize the helpers God has sent to lighten their load?  Is it pride?  Lack of humility?

Peter tells us

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older.  All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because
God opposes the proud
But gives grace to the humble. (I Peter 5:5)

 Peter is telling us, no matter our age, maturity or position, to be submissive to those above AND below us.  Listen to those we serve so we know how to better serve them.  Paul also says “…To submit to each of these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it” (I Corinthians 16:16).  Paul does not distinguish who is to submit other than to say everyone who joins.  Everyone is a powerful word.  It does not leave anyone out.  One last thought… “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21).  

We are the Acrylic...

A year ago I learned to use a lathe.  My favorite things to turn on the lathe are pens.  The pens have become a present I give to my graduating seniors at school. Yesterday my brother, dad and I spent over six hours turning pens.

I love the time I spend at the lathe.  Not just because I get to create something that I think is beautiful but because it’s time I get to spend time with God.  With the noise from the machinery, we have to wear earplugs so there usually is not a lot of talking going on between those in the shop. There is time to focus and communicate with God.

During that time yesterday, the scripture about the potter and the clay came to mind.  In Isaiah 64:8 it says

Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
We are all the work of your hand.

The scripture could have just as easily said we are the acrylic and you are the turner. Just as you do not see the form and beauty in the lump of clay, you also do not see the form and beauty in the acrylic blank.  It is plain and in some cases even ugly, The colors are muted, but as you apply the tools to the acrylic you knock away the rough edges.  You slice away excess material.  As you smooth the surface until you find the shape that is pleasing. The colors and patterns that were hidden are revealed.  After achieving the desired shape, you sand over and over from course grit to an ultra fine sandpaper getting the acrylic even smoother than possible with the tools.  The final step before removing the acrylic from the lathe is to apply polish, polish and even more polish until it looks like glass.  As you apply each coat, you hold a cloth against the material and allow friction to heat the material and polish.  As it heats up, you see the shine and and it continues to smooth the surface.  Then you remove the blank and assemble it with other parts to create a pen.

This is similar to the process we go through as we mature and grow in Christ.  We begin as that plain, sometimes ugly, block.  God cuts and chips away at the rough edges.  He forms us and smoothes us to the shape He wants.  And sometimes He has to repeat this and turn off more material when a catch (chip or divot from a tool) occurs.  As we mature, He no longer has to use the tools.  He can move to the sandpaper and eventually the polish because He has  shaped us and all of our excess has been removed.

In the end, the beauty of the person has been revealed just as the beauty of the acrylic was revealed.  It is there for all to see.  The beauty of who God has created you to be.  The time and energy He is willing to put in is amazing.  The fact that He is persistent and constant is mind boggling.  That He never removes us from that lathe or throws us into the trash bin because we are too rough or we continually need refinement or won’t become smooth is unimaginable.  In the end, it is His persistent craftsmanship that shines through this process in our lives.