Appointing Leaders

July 16

(Acts 14:23 NIV)  "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.”

(Mark 3:13-15 NIV) “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. {14} He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach {15} and to have authority to drive out demons.

(Hebrews 5:1-4 NIV) “Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. {2} He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. {3} This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. {4} And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”

Paul and Barnabas knew that the churches they planted would need godly leaders. So they fasted and prayed for wisdom, asking God to show them who He wanted to lead His churches. When they discerned those leaders, they appointed them to be elders. Notice that this wasn’t an election. It was an appointment to godly leadership by godly leaders. In doing this, Paul and Barnabas followed the ways of Jesus, who had also prayed and appointed disciples based on gifting and calling, rather than on popularity or education level. Too many times today, church leaders are chosen because of status, degrees, popularity, or how many books they have written. Paul and Barnabas looked more at whether or not a leader was gifted by God to teach the word, and whether or not that leader had a call to ministry. Churches would do well to follow that pattern today. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day