The Greatest Need and Qualifications

Eldership in the Kingdom of God
Today’s Focus: The Greatest Need and Qualifications
Scripture: Acts 20:28

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The greatest need for the Body of Christ in these days is shepherds. We need Spirit-filled, Spirit-lead elders to provide proper oversight over the people of God. Now one of the biggest problems, which really should not be, is what are the qualifications to be a elder. The first qualification is they must be called by God. How about that one? Yes, being called by God!

So many of these people out here are clearly not called by God but yet people flock to them by the thousands. Do you know that you can be a great business man and disguise yourself as a preacher of God? A wolf in sheep’s clothing. It blows my mind to think that many of us believe that we must go to Bible college and get a degree before we become a pastor or elder. This is not scriptural because if you believe that, then there is no need for a calling from God because then men can make other men elders and it does away with the power and authority of God that is needed to carry out the true function of the office. Moreover before you can be a pastor or elder, you must have credentials. Well the question is whose credentials? Man or God’s. Now the part I want to bring out is the words of Paul to the elders at Lystra and Derbe and I pray this seeps in your spirit and open your eyes to the truth about the ordination of elders.

Acts 20:28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, OVER WHICH THE HOLY GHOST HATH MADE YOU OVERSEERS, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.

Now this means man cannot make you an elder, only God! You have to be called because it is His grace through the gifting of the elder that you are able to effectively watch over the flock. The laying on of hands of the presbytery is simply confirmation and commission but even if they were not available, the gift of the elder is still given unto those whom Jesus gives it to. Too many times we are caught by the trappings of religion and people say if you do not have their credentials then that disqualifies you from being an elder and I am sorry but the only person who qualifies you is God. Do not get trapped by the moves of religion and feel like you have to kiss up to someone to get somewhere in the Kingdom. That is not of God.

Paul lays out the character and qualifications of the elder in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9 who is to rule over the heritage or people of God. These men should produce and present mature examples of how the people of God are to conduct themselves and be like as a son of God and Kingdom citizen. Unfortunately many of these people do not fit this qualification but yet people flock to them and they are not presenting a true gospel. They are more business men than anything. I remember looking at the cover of a magazine called “Black Enterprise” and there were three prominent bishops on the cover and I will only name two because they are the ones I know for sure. The bishops were T.D. Jakes and Eddie Long and the cover story was entitled “The Business of Faith”. Now last I checked the House and the Kingdom of God is NOT A BUSINESS. It is about a family in Heaven and on Earth establishing and exemplifying the power of the Kingdom of God and bringing the rulership of the family from Heaven to Earth. But what happens when the church becomes a business, the focus is shifted from discipling and maturing the Body of Christ to measuring growth by numbers and financial growth. The word says the elder should labor in the faith, not in the money.

We are in a critical stage in the Body of Christ and there is a call for the true elders of the Kingdom to watch over the heritage of God and disciple the flock to maturity so that they are commissioned and they then can disciple others. Elders in the Kingdom of God are not called by men but by God and before commissioning they are currently doing the work but it requires the elders to be looking and watching over the heritage of God. I pray you have enjoyed this series.

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