The Consequence of Orphan Elders

Eldership in the Kingdom of God
Today’s Focus: The Consequence of Orphan Elders
Scripture: Jeremiah 23:1-4

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
One of the reasons so many people are lost in the Body of Christ is because of a lack of direction and leadership. They do not know where they belong and even who they are. Where there is a lack of identity there is an abuse of power. We can look at the church today and the structure of some church denominations and even some non-denominational churches and see cracks in the structure and doctrine that is being taught. So many people relate and identify themselves with the church they attend and not the fact that they are the church, they are a royal priesthood and a holy nation of people (1 Peter 2:19) who have been translated us from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His Dear Son (Colossians 1:13).

Now when you have a orphan for an elder the sheep directly suffer because if the leader does not know what it means to be fathered and discipled then how can the flock understand? You basically have the blind leading the blind. These orphan elders look after themselves and THEIR ministries they established in the Earth for their provision and protection. So every ministry established brings glory to the pastor of the church. Who is left out? God and the flock! The flock now suffers because there is no one watching over them and discipling them in their gifting. God is left out because the person is driven by their soul and not the Spirit of God. It is their ministry and not God. Look at this scripture:

Jeremiah 23:1-4: Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! Saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.

In this scripture we see the prophet Isaiah speaking the judgment of God against the pastors that scatter the flock of God. These pastors drove them away from the knowledge of the truth and a relationship with the Lord. We are looking at this situation right now today. Through seducing spirits guiding many of these worldly-popular preachers and bishops and the doctrine of devils which include, Gnosticism, inclusion and the prosperity gospel. When these people speak and the flock lends their ear to these people, they are driven further away from the truth of God and a true relationship with Him. They look and talk eloquently but their doctrine presents a false security of hope because it does not deal with sin and the message of repentance which is the very first step you must make in order to even enter or experience the Kingdom of God. A preacher that does not deal with sin is not a preacher of God. Sin separates us from the Father and we cannot stand in the presence of God in sin. So even our prayers are not heard when we stand in rebellion to God and we choose not to repent. It is the responsibility of the elders to watch for this and teach these concepts to the flock.

In the next message we will look at the word elder and get a scriptural meaning for it because in many denominations and some non-denominational churches the word elder is being boxed in and it limits the growth of the Body of Christ.

At Our Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun, Jr.