FourFifteen

There are many  questions that surround the role of church elder. But I believe all of those various issues can be summed up with these two questions: #1 - Is this office a  truly biblical  role  in the church ? #2 - If it is, then does the Bible define that role, or are we free to define it as we choose?  Let me answer the first question right now: 1 Timothy 5:17 - " Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the Word and doctrine. " Titus 1:5 NLT - " I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. " This position is  absolutely biblical. There is no question that God wants elders in each of HIS churches ! In fact, every time they are mentioned in the New Testament, there is never a question or debate about whether they should  exist. Their existence in the local church is simply assumed. Back To The Bible So then, what ...

Exodus 25:34-35 - " On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. " On the center shaft of the lampstand , there were another four golden almond blossoms . Three almond blossoms were positioned directly under the three pairs of branches, supporting them as they branched off from the center. A fourth blossom was above the branches, and directly below the center lamp. Pay attention to these details: 1 - The first eighteen blossoms are found among the branches , throughout the congregation. But these four are positioned on the center shaft of the lampstand. This means that, whatever they are, they come directly from Jesus Himself . ( Remember, " I am the vine, you are the branc...

Exodus 25:33 - " Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower - and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. " There were eighteen almond blossoms on the branches of the lampstand ; nine on one side and nine on the other. This corresponds directly to the dual lists of nine in the New Testament. The first of these are the nine fruit of the spirit - which describes the supernatural  nature of the local church. The second of these describes the supernatural activities  of the local church . These are the nine gifts  of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 - " But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of...

Exodus 25:33 - " Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower - and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. " Like a blacksmith hammering out a lump of metal, we've used God's blueprint to lay out a pattern for the local church. We started with the raw material and began forming the basic profile ( one center shaft, six branches ). Now, we switch from heavy blows hammering out the shape, to focus on the finer details of the design. We learned that there were eighteen almond blossoms formed on the branches: Three blossoms on each branch... Three branches on either side of the shaft... So a total of nine almond blossoms on either side of the lampstand... What are these blossoms? What do they represent for our New Testament churches? Grown In The Congregation One of the things we've learned alread...