Articles
Call For The Elders
“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:14-16). Although this verse may be referring to a time when elders were blessed with miraculous abilities, it is also likely that it is speaking metaphorically of calling on the elders for help in spiritual matters. We learn a powerful lesson here. One of the main reasons the person in question is restored to health is because he calls upon the elders of the church. Of course, God is the one who heals us, but the text is clear that the prayers of a righteous man make a big difference!
In addition, we learn about the relationship between a church and its leadership. Elders are not distant, unreachable people, but friends, companions, and spiritual physicians. In a church member’s darkest moment, he or she should not hesitate to turn to the elders for immediate help.
One of the best things we can do for our elders is to let them be what God intends: shepherds. Elders want us to call on them. It is their purpose, after all. It discourages an elder when he knows there are members who need help, but refuse to ask it of him. It can be very draining when an elder hears about a member’s problems second hand. On the other hand, it is very uplifting to them when they are needed and called upon for various purposes. To know that the members trust them, like them, and want them can be very refreshing to an elder.
“Be subject to your elders”
“You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders” (1 Peter 5:5). If our elders are pronouncing verdicts that are in character with the scriptures, then we ought to support them and obey them. “Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees, which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily” (Acts 16:4-5). Notice that the work of the church was being successful as a result of the obedience of the members to the decrees of the apostles and elders. In the Lord’s church today, our elders do the same thing by decreeing the precepts found in the New Testament. If, therefore, an elder is speaking with the scriptures, then he is speaking with the authority of the apostles and his words – to be sure they are the words of God if they come from the Bible (1 Thessalonians 2:13) – ought to be followed.
