Ordination of an Elder

Fred R. Coulter—September 14, 2019

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[25:52 to 42:29 of Video]

We're going to have a special service. Which will be an ordination of an elder.

1-Timothy 3:1: "Faithful is the saying, 'If any man aspires to be an overseer…'" It's not wrong to aspire to do it, but to play politics and push and pull to make it happen, then that creates the debacle that we've seen in too many of the Churches of God.

"'…he desires a good work.' Now then, it is obligatory that the overseer be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, serious-minded, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching" (vs 1-2).

I'll explain a little bit about teaching today, and why it's so important.

Verse 3: "Not given to much wine, not a bully, not greedy for selfish gain; but kind, not a quarreler, not a lover of money; one who rules his own house well…" (vs 3-4). Rule is not with an iron fist! Rule is to do it properly!

While we're speaking of ruling, what God wants from each one of us is self-government! Look at the world where they look to the government to govern them. God wants self-government, which is called self-control! That's the kind of rule that an elder needs to have!

"…having his children in subjection with all respect; (For if a man does not know how to rule his own household, how will he take care of the Church of God?)" (vs 4-5). That is a spiritual responsibility that is quite something that needs to be done!

Verse 6: "Not a novice, lest he become conceited and fall into the same condemnation as the devil."

What was that? Satan was thinking that he was as good as God! Men come along and think that they're the one and only. What happened to the Church where we had the leader who was the one and the only? I'll let you decide!

Verse 7: "It is mandatory that he also have a good report from those who are outside the Church, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." This tells us that elders really need to be diligent with:

• their self-control
• their service to God
• their service to the brethren

There are traps that Satan likes to come along and set!

• Didn't we see a lot of those sprung? Yes, indeed!
• What happened?

I was talking to one man and he said that he went to one of the college reunions and there was a man who had been a minister in the Church, and here he was a Lutheran minister with a big cross.

• Was he ensnared?
• Was he trapped?
• Yes, indeed!

Titus 1:6: "If any man be blameless…" Not perfect! How do you stay in a condition of blamelessness? By coming to God in prayer every day and recognizing your own sins and weaknesses!

I'll point this out in how Paul looked at himself later in life. Look at how he started: He was rising like a rocket in Judaism until God set him back down to earth. We'll see what he learned from that.

Verse 7: "…not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not a bully, not greedy for material gain; but hospitable, a lover of good, sound-minded, just, Holy, self-controlled…" (vs 7-8)—self-government!

Verse 9: "Holding steadfastly to the faithful Word… [not in the ideas of men, but the faithful Word of God] …according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, so that he may be able both to encourage with sound doctrine… [the brethren] …and to convict those who are gainsayers." We're going through another period of that again!

Verse 10: "For there are many rebellious and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those from the circumcision party."

I'll talk about this a little later, but I'll mention it, probably in another sermon. We're being assaulted by Judaic people who have a lot of the traditions of the Jews. Have you seen Jonathan Cahn? I caught him! {note sermon: When Was Jesus Born?} I'll just give you a hint. He says that God was born in the spring because he was the Lamb of God. That sounds logical, but that's philosophical, because that's not according to the facts.

Verse 11: "Whose mouths must be stopped…"

How do you stop it? By truth and by knowledge of the Scriptures! That's why you've got to pray and you've got to study! You need to know and understand that the Word of God, as Jesus said, 'The words that I speak to you, they are Spirit and they are Life' and Truth!

So, there are layers and layers and layers of meaning and understanding in the Bible. When you go back and study and restudy and come back to it another time later —after you have been continuously studying—you see things there that are true that you never really comprehended when you went through it the first time. That's the way God's Word works:

• it's inspired of the mind of God
• it tells us what He wants
• it tells us what we should do
• it tells us what His plan is
• it tells us what's going to happen to the world
• it tells us everything that the experts of this world want to know but reject, because they won't submit to God

That's why we're here!

Titus 2:12: "Teaching us that, having denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live moderately and righteously and Godly in this present world, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our Savior and great God Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, so that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and might purify for Himself a unique people, zealous of good works. Speak these things, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority…. [not human authority as has been applied in the Church, but with the authority of the Word of God] …Do not let anyone despise you" (vs 12-15).

{ordination prayer/ceremony}

Bill Wax is our 21st active elder, and we're very happy about that. Let me tell you a little bit about the elders:

• Lawrence Burchfield—Tulsa, OK
• Roy Assanti—Office manager in Australia and helps take care of So. Africa. They do the CDs in Australia and mail them to the UK. It's cheaper to send from Australia to the UK than from the United States to the UK.
• Norbert Bohnert—Canada and in charge of the office there
• Franz Peeters—takes care of the UK and the Netherlands and Europe. He's an excellent translator and has done lot of books in Dutch
• Helmut Berger—office manager in So. Africa. You need to pray for him because the natives there go around and kill the whites and steal everything, just like they did in Rhodesia when they got Pres. Smith out of there and Mugabe took over.
• Andrew Moses—Malaysia—He grew up in the Church and his father had group in Malaysia, but mot of them with the Living Church of God, but now they found out that in Living they're not quite alive, so they've been migrating over to where there is living!
• Roger Kendall—Vermont—Northeast
• Marlin Fannin—Ohio—Marlin used to travel around the different areas in the East and Midwest, but now he's older and semi-retired, he doesn't do that anymore
• Tom Fannin—(Marlin's son)—has taken over traveling for his father
• Doral Brown—Pasadena, CA. has come recently from the old organization
• Eduardo Elizondo—just ordained at the conference, 2019
• Gilebaldo Elizondo—(brother of Eduardo) takes care of the Latin work in Mexico
• Roger Tointon—Sacramento, CA
• Ben Ambrose—Georgia
• Steve Durham—Indianapolis, IN—started up Go To Meeting, and we're trying to develop that more. There's another man—Mike Flake (deacon)—does the Facebook for us. If you watch any Facebook, Mike Flake is the one who has done it.
• Lyall Johnston—New Zealand
• Albert Jones—Michigan
• Russell Kemp—Tennessee and the panhandle area of Florida
• Duncan MacLeod—Massachusetts and New Hampshire; he writes for us
• Gene Palm—retired
• Bill Wax—Oklahoma

Full disclosure and transparency: we have had four elders who have finished the course, run the race:

• Anse Cates
• Wayne Stenhouse
• Stan Timek
• Bob Hunnicutt

Then we have one who left: Glenn Daniels

Scriptural References:

• 1 Timothy 3:1-7
• Titus 11:6-11
• Titus 2:12-15

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 9/27/19

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