We often take for granted the things in our lives that are well established. I like to think back to the early days in our country when it was mostly a dream and didn’t extend past the Mississippi River. There was unbridled ambition and unhindered dreams of what could be. They would have no idea what greatness would come of this place. Sitting where we are today, it is easy to take for granted the hard decisions that were made in the evolving landscape of America in her infancy.
On an even larger and more important scale, we gather with the church that has changed and evolved over the past two thousand years and take for granted everything that has happened to bring us to where we are today. The church in Jerusalem looked different from the church that formed in Corinth. The church took on different forms as it took the Gospel into the world. We see these shifts in the book of Acts as the Messiah movement grew from Pentecost in Acts 2. By Acts 6, there were issues of widows being overlooked because of their heritage and culture.
“The Hellenistic Jews complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1). This issue was so big that the Apostles appointed servant leaders to make sure the ministry of the church was being taken care of in a way that was fair to everyone. They appointed these would-be Deacons because they needed to focus on the “ministry of the word of God” (6:2). Basically, there was an ongoing need in the church and the church changed to meet that need. This became the first notion of “Servant Leaders” in the church we know as Deacons. These are people who step into areas of the church that did not best reflect the image of Christ and brought the needed change so that the church would more clearly fulfil God’s mission.
The choosing of the first Deacons had one basic criteria, they were “known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom” (6:3). If you were to choose people to address issues in the church to make sure the church best reflected God into the world, what criteria would you have for them?
As the church continued to evolve and move into new terrains, the mission of the church to be God’s presence of reconciliation in the world took on new forms. If God’s mission for the church is to be about the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5), what kind of leaders need to be put in place? What characteristics do these leaders need to have? When you look at how the leadership of any organization conducts themselves in their lives, their actions reflect the values of the group. Each and every one of us are called to live into the image of Christ for the world to see but this is especially important for those who take on positions of leadership within the church.
As the church grew, the needs also grew. Decades after Pentecost, Paul saw the need to give guidance for the kinds of characteristics one needs to possess if they are going to lead in God’s church. These characteristics reflect the image of Christ in how they conduct themselves in different situations in life. Read the characteristics and qualities of a leader in 1 Timothy 3:1-13. Why are these characteristics so important for those who lead? Why are they so important for those who take on positions of service, such as Deacon? As I look at lists like this, I think about the different areas of my life and wonder how well those areas of my life reflect the image of Christ for the world to see. What’s important in the church is that whether you are in a position of spiritual leadership, such as an Elder or Minister, or in a servant leadership position, such as a Deacon, you have a greater responsibility to set an example for all believers to be transformed into the image of Christ to reflect his glory into the world. We are all called to this transformation but those who aspire to be leaders must first lead in their example of Christ.
If you were to create other metrics for the characteristics of Christ, what would they be? To ask this a different way, how would you measure your own “Christ-likeness” in each area of your life? How do you conduct yourself in business? If you are a landlord, how well do you treat your tenants? If you are an employee, would your boss know you are a follower of Christ by how you conduct yourself in your place of work? We are called to be transformed into the image of Christ in all areas of our lives. The Christian leader should excel in this as an example for the church to follow.
Dwelling in the Word for this Sunday will be in 1 John 2:3-11.