Elders | Kingdom Leaders

Revelation chapter 4, Revelation chapter 4, verses one through

Revelation 4 · chapter mention Revelation 4 · chapter mention

11. I'm going to read the whole

chapter. It's really powerful.

But I want to give us give us a picture.

And this here is after the catching away of the church.

You know, I'm convinced this is after that particular event

because you know it, they're the first 3 chapters have been

dealing with the church in the earth that John saw by the

Spirit of God some things going on.

And then it said after these things, I looked up and hold the

door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I had

heard like the sound of a trumpet, OK, speaking with me

said, come up here and I will show you what must take place

after these things. So there was a catching up of,

of John into the heaven, the 3rd heaven.

And it says in verse 2 immediately I was in the spirit

and behold a what? Come on, What was it?

What is it? It's a throne was standing in

heaven and one sitting on the throne.

Thrones are in kingdoms, not religion.

So he's caught up to the throne room.

Hallelujah, Amen. Could you imagine right now just

being translated to the throne room?

Who? Glory to God, because the Father

is seated on the throne. I said he's seated on the throne

and Jesus Christ is seated on the throne right at his right

hand. Verse 3 and he who was sitting

was like Jasper stone. And it goes on with the

appearances here and emerald appearance.

Let's go on a rainbow's all around the throne and the

throne. Around the throne were 24

Thrones and upon the Thrones I saw 24.

What were they? Elders sitting clothed in white

garments and golden crowns on their head.

Now this is a future thing that he saw after the church age that

he's caught up. And here he is in the throne

room and there is this throne that the Father sits.

Yet there are 24 other Thrones, of which 24 elders are seated

clothed in white garment, and they all have a crown.

This is all about a king, his Kingdom and his royal offspring.

The Bible's not a religious book.

It's about a king, his Kingdom and his royal offspring.

And here he is, the king of so, the king of the kings that are

sitting around him, 24 elders with their crowns on their

heads. Are you hearing me?

It said. Out from the throne comes

flashes of lightning, lightning and sounds and pills of Thunder.

And there were 7 lamps of burning fire before the throne,

which are the seven spirits of God.

We ministered on those in the in the past and before the throne

there was something like a sea of glass like crystal and in the

center and around the throne 4 living creatures full of eyes in

front and behind. This is going to be a spectacle.

The first creature was like a lion, the second creature like a

calf, the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the

fourth creature was like a flying eagle, and the fourth

living creature, each one of them having 6 wings full of eyes

around and within. And day and night say day and

night and day and night. They do not cease to say Holy,

holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and

who is to come. Glory to God.

So what is being sung around the throne right now?

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who is, who was and who

is to come. That's being sung right now,

right now, right now, right now. If you want to get a sound of

heaven, there it is. That's what's being sung in

heaven right now and it doesn't cease.

And when the living creatures and when the living creatures

giving glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the

throne, to him who lives forever and ever, the 24 what what are

they? What will they do?

Will fall down before him who sit on the throne and will

worship him who lives forever and ever and will cast their

crowns before the throne saying, Oh my Mama, worthy are you, O

Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power.

For you created all things and because of you your will, they

exist and were created. Did we not just saying glory and

honor and power. How long come on, how long come

on? How long do you understand?

We were picking up a course that is happening in heaven now.

I cannot tell you. It's the same musical tone but I

can tell you it's the same wording.

Hallelujah. Cause the king of kings in his

throne room with 24 other kings known as elders wearing crowns

will bow down and cast their crowns to him.

Just acknowledging you are supreme in authority, You are

Lord and glory of all and they are there to submit to him,

yield to him, carry out anything he has.

He is life, He is love, He's amazing, He is righteous, He is

just. Come on.

Can you get a picture of this? Now, the reason why this can be

a hard imagery for the US Christian Church is because we

tend to be a little more democratic in our Christianity

than we are Kingdom. Because, you know, we don't want

a seat of someone over us. But the reality is there is a

seat and he seated on it. Come on, He is seated on it.

He's not voted into power. He cannot be voted out of power.

He is the king of glory. Hallelujah.

And there are 24 elders. Who are those elders?

I don't know who those elders are.

Now, some scholars speculate that's 12 could be one from each

tribe of Israel, the 12 tribes of Israel for the Old Covenant,

and the other 12 could be the apostles of the Lamb.

And that may be true. That could very well be true.

That would definitely equal 24 and it would fit.

There are someone specific. Remember there were two of the

disciples that came with a Mama to Jesus.

Come on, Mamas, quit meddling, came to Jesus, said Jesus, I

want you to give me just one request.

Tell me you'll do it. And he's like, tell me what it

is first, right? That's kind of like a Mama, tell

me you're going to do it. Well, I don't even know what I'm

doing yet to tell you I am. They want, they want commitment

before they even communicate. And so she says I want my sons,

each of them, when you get in your Kingdom, one to be on the

right and one to be on the left. He said it's a hard thing You're

asking for your boys might be easy for you, Mama, but you're

asking a hard thing for your children.

Mama. Sometimes you need to watch out

what you're asking for your kids because some things you may be

asking, it's a hard thing. Maybe better you just pray that

they come to the realization of the will of God for their life

is try to determine where they should go and then where God

should use them. Amen.

And so with that being said, he said it's a hard, can you drink

the cup that I'm about to drink? They're like, oh, we can do it.

But you understand they also said they won't deny him either.

He did say you're going to drink the cup, meaning they would be

martyred like he would, but he said to sit on my right and

left. I don't have the authority for

that. My Father in heaven will

determine that. Do you understand?

You don't determine that. The Father will.

And here's the thing, I have no jealousy towards one of the 24.

You should have no issue that right now there's 24 elders that

are before. They're going to be before the

Lord. And if it is those 12, they

could be there now that they are worshipping Him.

They're there in his throne room, receiving His counsel,

doing his bidding, and they are appointed by God.

Now, why do I start with Revelations today?

Because I want you to see that in the Kingdom of God there is

leaders. And here we are in heaven.

And God has placed men in his throne room as elders.

Now he's God supreme in authority, self-sufficient, all

sufficient. Yet in his own throne room he

has elders. Yeah, this is this is amazing

that God the Father is so secure in his ability, his

righteousness, his justice, his, his walk of love, who he is as a

being, that he has no problem sharing his delegated power.

That even in heaven he has 24 human spirits, 'cause you're not

on a throne unless you're in power.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? You're not on the throne unless

you're in power. So there are 24 human spirits,

humans that he has hand picked to put in his throne room that

have authority. And if God is supreme and has

layers of leaders, then don't you know the church does?

The church does. If God the Father doesn't do it

without delegating and then giving them very specific

responsibilities within those seats.

These elders have specific responsibilities assigned to the

throne that they are on. Wow.

And they have been been found faithful.

They have been found worthy through the obedience they had

with the Lord. And if it is that the scholars

are correct that 12 of them are from the tribes that technically

could be in the Old covenant. I, you know, I don't know too

many people who will argue that Moses could be on one of those

Thrones, right? Maybe Abraham could be on one of

those Thrones. David could be on one of those

Thrones, could be right. No one argued.

But if they are, these are men who were not born again in the

time they lived on the earth, but they lived a righteous life

by faith-based upon what was allowed for them to function in

until the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus that

earned them the seat. If it's true, and we know this,

if you take time to read the Bible, that in the millennial

reign, when it comes back, the Prince of Jerusalem will be

David, the one we read about. He'll be back in the planet

ruling in Jerusalem. Isn't that amazing?

So here's God in heaven with layers of leaders, and these

leaders are called elders. Well, are there arrow elders in

the church? Look what it says in Acts

Acts 14:21–23

chapter 14 verses 21 to 23, it says.

And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had many

disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and Antioch.

Iconium is modern day Albanium, strengthening the souls of the

disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith and saying

through many tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church,

having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in

whom they had believed. Hallelujah.

So here the Apostle Paul, if you get this full context, he's

actually was ministering in a particular community that the

the officials of that town incited a riot against Paul and

they drug him out of the city and stoned him to death.

Now the Bible doesn't say this, but it could be that this is

where Paul in another letter says I knew a man in body or out

of body, I do not know, called up to the 3rd heaven and he

begins to see unspeakable things that God wouldn't let him talk

about. But he returned to his body

because they drug him out, supposing he was dead all right.

And back then they knew how to check a pulse people, they knew

how to determine somebody was breathing.

So all indication is when he was stoned, then they killed him.

But God, I said, but God, I mean, if it's not done for you,

they can't kill you. Are you hearing what I'm saying?

If you're walking in the planet, God, they're not going to be

able to kill you. God to get you right back in

your suit, of which he got back in that suit and that suit did

not get immediately healed, but he picked himself up, went on to

the next city. These three mention are are I

think it was Derby and ends up preaching the gospel when he

shows back up a little bruised from the stoning back to this.

These churches, they're like Paul, we thought you were dead.

He begins to instruct them more and says to them, look, in the

Kingdom of God, you're going to have some sufferings.

There's going to be some trials and tribulations.

In essence, we don't stop just because of opposition, because

you understand, in the world the Kingdom of God will have

opposition against the forces in the earth that do not want the

Kingdom to manifest. And that's through the domain of

darkness. And the domain of darkness loves

religion, loves religion, and loves to keep people in religion

and loves for people. How do we know they're in

religion? Because they're defining God on

their terms instead of God defining himself on his own

terms. And so he comes back into the

city and what does he do? He begins to appoint elders.

Now Paul is an apostle to the church.

He has planted these churches specifically, and so he is

authorized to appoint elders in this particular church body.

Now one particular commentary concerning the things of God and

appointments within the church says this.

Our Lord Himself is the sole source and origin of all

ministerial power. Do you believe that He is the

head of the Church? None can take office in the

Church except with His authorization.

He is our great High Priest. None can serve under Him unless

by His appointment. He is our King.

None can bear rule in His Kingdom except they hold His

Commission. Now that's powerful statement,

but that is a true statement nonetheless because the Bible

tells us that God places us in the body where it pleases him.

So you understand, everyone is actually placed in the body by

the King himself. The positions are the things

that you do within the church body are not your picking.

You should be finding your assignment because when you find

your assignment, you will thrive.

And let me tell you something, God loves you, loves me.

Religion places us in competition.

The Kingdom were complementing each other because when you're

in Christ there is no competition.

It's just complete. It is just completing each

other. It is complementing each other.

In fact, Pastor Joshua was telling me before service he

went to Daytona, he had a particular assignment where he

was there. I'll just leave it at that.

But with that being said, he was right here in the pits on pit

row where they jump across the wall to change the tires and he

said I forgot to bring gear plugs.

So the crew that he was with, because he was with one of the

owners of a NASCAR, gave him a headset that he could hear the

conversation between the pit crew and the driver.

This is inside stuff here. I mean, this is this is not a

NASCAR experience. This is NASCAR.

And he said they considered the pit crew athletes, athletes.

In fact, they consider them masters, master mechanics.

And that he said every time one came to pit, one guy was

responsible to fuel the car. They got this big jug that they

stick in and you have two seconds, jump over the wall with

a can, put it in two seconds, you're pulling it back out and

jump back over the wall. He said every time the person

did it, he stopped, watched himself on film.

Oh, y'all don't want to hear this?

Washed himself on film, Pastor Joshua said in his ear.

He was here in the crew. You got to do it better than

that. You got to get over that wall

quicker than that. You've got to do it.

But what are you doing? You are an elite mechanic.

Now. There was a few other words that

I'm not at liberty because the Kingdom I am, we do not say so

if there was an opportunity for someone to be offended, it's the

guy holding the can. Are you hearing me?

But here's the thing, when 1 driver of the team wins, the

whole team gets bonuses. So this guy holding a gas can is

just as significant to this race as the one driving for two

seconds. And then how can I do my 20?

Y'all don't want How can I do my 2 seconds better?

I mean how many you coming? How can I get my praise better

today? How can I get my praise better

today? How can I get my giving better

today? How can I get my welcome better

today? Do not let the world out.

Praise us for the God they serve.

And here's the thing, when you know the Kingdom, you are

absolutely jacked, excited to grab hold of a can and jump a

wall and hit it for 2 seconds and come back.

And when your team crosses the finish line with the checkered

flag, you're like, I did that, I did that, I did that.

You don't feel inferior, you don't feel like you're second

fiddle. You don't go home cried 'cause

you were not upstanding and popping to champagne.

Now, if the world's got this, there's no reason the church

shouldn't have it. The only reason the church

doesn't have it is because pastors aren't making the demand

out of the Saints to rise 'cause we're too sensitive to

correction. Yet every time he jumps the

wall, they're being corrected on how they could do it better

every race. Hallelujah.

Say Amen anyway. Oh, but I got some Saints in

here who like to jump a wall. They leap over a troop.

They're ready to do their part and only their part, excited

about their part. And when people come into the

Kingdom and we keep advancing and we take another territory

and we take another town and we go into another country and we

do another book and we have another song to sing That when

you're driving a golf cart and bringing someone up, you're

like, I did that, I did that, I broke my part, I did it, man, we

need everybody, Hallelujah. So quit cheapening positions.

Quit being carnal in your thinking and cheapening

positions because at this house, every place is important.

Get self aware and know your part is important.

Hallelujah. So every place is authorized by

the King. All right.

So this minister of power, our Lord conferred upon his apostles

in Acts, in the Acts of the Apostles are and other parts of

the New Testament, we learn how apostles carried out this

Commission. Now the first act after the

ascension, that's when Jesus went up and they watched him go.

They, the apostles brought in Matthias to replace Judas who

had betrayed. It was the apostles, the 11 that

came together say we are here to appoint by the Holy Ghost the

next person into the role of the apostle that Judas fell from.

And so they cast loss for him, which means God was in the midst

of that. The head of the church was

communicating to them, but it was them in the earth that the

lot fell to Matthias and they brought him in and he became the

12th apostle of the Lamb. There were qualifications for

this apostle that he had to have been with the Lord, seen the

miracles walk with him. He couldn't be someone that just

got that was started to show up at a prayer meeting, right?

That the apostle said, hey, you know, we got a prayer meeting in

this upper room. You know what, I think I'm going

to come and they're like, oh, I want to be apostle.

You just got here, son. I said, you just got here.

But the point is, is you say, what's wrong with that?

Well, the Bible tells you she can't put a novice in leadership

position or they'll get lifted up in pride like the devil.

So again, there's qualifications.

This is in the Kingdom. Don't get offended by that.

This is a safeguard to you. This is to strengthen you.

This is to help you become all that God wants you to be.

After this time, as the church grew, it required additional

officers or what they called subordinate officers, meaning

those in a different layer of leadership.

And the first ones they did were actually deacons, deacons.

And these deacons were the ones that serve the food to the

Hellenistic Jews. And there were qualifications.

They had to be full of faith, full of wisdom and full of the

Holy Ghost just to distribute food.

Are you hearing me? Well, a couple of those deacons

out of being in that office or that role and their

faithfulness, God ultimately placed them in the gifting that

He always ordained for them. Philip being an evangelist and

Steven himself becoming someone that God used to minister the

Word and have done something miraculous.

Now some believe that he himself moved into the Apostolic role.

With that being said, there's another layer, a second one that

they ended up placing and they were called elders.

Now these had a higher function because they helped feed the

flock of God. They helped with oversight in

the congregation. In fact, some even moved into

the role of pastoring. Some moved into the role of

pastoring or feeding the flock for a season until the gift came

in or they themselves, through their faithfulness as an elder,

became an actual pastor of that particular flock.

Are you hearing what I'm saying? So we already see beyond the

time we're in that elders exist, but when the church started,

elders also exist. In Titus chapter 1, verses 5

Titus 1:5–6

through 6, I want to look at the Amplified classic.

It says this. For this reason I left you

behind. Now Paul's talking to Titus that

many believe Titus is an apostle.

You understand the 12 apostles of the Lamb, and then you have

of which Matthias is one of those because Judas betrayed

himself. But then you understand there

were other apostles because Paul is obviously called an apostle,

but there are many others that were apostles during that time.

OK. Titus is believed to be 1.

For this reason Paul the Apostle says to Titus the apostle in

Crete, I left you behind in Crete, that you might set right

what was defective and and finish what was left undone,

that you might appoint elders and set them over the church's

assemblies in every city, as I directed you for next verse.

Is that the second verse? There it is.

These elders should be men who are unquestionable, have are of

unquestionable integrity and are irreproachable, the husband of

but one wife, those children whose children are well trained

and are believers. These elders are not open to

accusations of being loose and moral and and conduct or unruly

and disorderly. OK, so here a church is

established, but the church is not given the right by the head

of the church. Who who created this order?

Jesus Christ, the head of the church.

Then through the gift of the apostle from the apostle the

appoint the particular leaders of the church.

Saints do not vote for their elders.

Apostles appoint the elders of the church now.

Just because we are a couple of 1000 years removed from the

writings of the book of Acts, the original occurrences, does

not mean God has changed His way of doing church now.

Man has changed the church according to their ways and

there are many denominations and things that they do that are

probably more in line in the government's that they, their

natural governments and they are in a Kingdom.

But we endeavor to follow the voice of the Lord.

Are you hearing me? And so we see here that the

apostles, Paul specifically telling Timothy, who was

submitted to the authority of Paul and the churches he

planted, 'cause he helped Paul plant those churches, he said,

you appoint the elders in every city.

I'm giving you the direction of, in essence, I'm authorizing you

because this is the order the head of the church is telling

us. And these are the qualifications

you are to look for in order for us to have them as elders in the

church. Are you hearing me?

So here's a few things that Scripture tells us that elders

will do within a church body. The first thing that we can see

is elders aid in establishing church doctrine and culture.

Elders are pretty it's pretty serious business being an elder.

OK Acts chapter 16 verse 4 says it this this way.

Acts 16:4

Now, while they were passing through the cities, they were

delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the

apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem for them to observe.

So here we have Paul coming into another area, some other

churches outside of Jerusalem, that they are communicating

decrees. These are orders, say orders.

It's OK to say stuff like this in the Kingdom.

Now, if you're in religion, you have a problem with this, but in

the Kingdom you have no problem with this because you understand

they had orders. In essence, they went to the

church and says this is the culture and doctrine that you

are to stand with. And this decision is not been

taken lightly. It has been through a process of

of seeking the Lord and knowing what His thoughts are on this

particular matter. Are you hearing me?

See, in our society today, we have taken a few scriptures and

we have turned them with our government.

What we've done is we've taken the scripture that we're all led

by the Spirit. We've taken the scripture that

no one teaches you but the Holy Ghost.

We've taken these scriptures, you know that all of us can hear

the Holy Ghost. And so the minute we do that, we

say, well, you know what? I can hear God just like you

can, and you can't tell me. And I'm listening to God.

He's the only one teaching me anyway.

So we take the independent spirit of our U.S. government

and we apply it to our spiritual walk, and we use Scripture to

back our rebellion because independence is the most

dangerous word in the Kingdom. The second most dangerous word

is rebellion. Now, no one's telling you to

listen to a pastor just because he says it, because Paul says

search the Scripture for yourself to see if it's so.

But here's the thing, it it when they're in the gifting and

they're truly seeking God, they'll come to establish the

truth that you yourself will come in line with that same

truth. You're not going to have your

own truths. They are not your own truths in

God's Kingdom because Jesus said that straight.

I am the way, the So you don't have a truth.

I have a truth. No, there's the truth of how God

sees it. And if we haven't come to that,

we need to stay on it until we hear the word of God.

But you understand God has no problem with going through his

layers of leadership. None.

He has no issue because he knows those gifts of apostle, prophet,

pastor, teacher and evangelist are to what equip the Saints.

It's within their gifting to have insight to doctrine and

culture of the Kingdom by which then they would communicate that

when you hear you would go yes. Now the problem is your spirit

says yes, but your flesh will go no because you have to change

your thinking. Well, this chapter 16, verse 4,

where did it come from? Back up a chapter.

We won't read the whole thing, but I'll give you the context of

this decree, these orders, these commands, these things that the

church is to yield and submit and obey and teach because it

has come from the apostles and elders of Jerusalem that are

yielded and submitted to the head of the church.

Acts chapter 15, verse one and two, it says some men came down

Acts 15 · chapter mention

from Judea and began teaching the brethren.

This is what they were teaching. Now unless you are circumcised

according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.

And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with

them, notice what they didn't do.

Well, brothers, we can just agree to disagree.

I mean, we've really developed kind of a church culture in the

US Like, you know, it's like it's so bad for us to debate

Scripture. I mean, when you have a heart

just to know truth, what's the problem?

There's really not a problem. I mean, we even see it in our

own government. I mean, there's technically two

sides and nobody wants to come together and collaborate or

really, you know, say, OK, what is the best thing here 'cause if

one says this, the other hates it.

When the other one says something they had, the other

ones hate it. And there's no common ground.

There's no dialogue. There used to be a time we

debate. I saw this on a Instagram Reel.

So please forgive me. Let it just popped in my head.

And it is pretty applicable. A particular lady, she was a

comedian, and she says, you know, us Generation X, you know,

which is my generation, you know, it says, you know, we did

some crazy things back in the 80s, crazy things.

She goes, this is one of the weirdest things we did in the

80s because it's so weird. I can't even believe we did it.

We did this thing called critical thinking.

And that was the same response she got from the crowd.

Yeah, I know. You know, there was this time

where somebody would give a side and somebody else would give a

side and then we between both sides would form an opinion and

then we would make a decision. We did this thing called

critical thinking, Amen. If you use that term now, they

just call you critical. But the Bible says seek.

And how can you seek first unless you can become critical

at how you think compared to what he's saying, Amen?

And so we see here that somebody's preaching a thought

process that Paul and Barnabas oppose.

And it said when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension

and debate with them, the brethren of this particular

church determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them

should go up to Jerusalem. To who?

The apostles and elders concerning this issue.

Hallelujah. So notice, yeah, this is real

good notice that the church didn't say, well, we're going to

believe what we want to believe. They're like, you know what?

We're going to go to the leadership.

It's what we're going to do. So Paul and Barnabas take off

and go to Jerusalem. Are you hearing me?

Let's follow this account then. So the next verse, then we'll

look at jump down to verse 4. And when they arrived at

Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles, and

the well are they. And they reported all that God

had done with them. But some of the sect of the

Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, now these Pharisees

are believers, but what's the problem with the Pharisees?

These particular Pharisees have a old way of thinking that they

brought into the new covenant. They're born again, but their

mind is not renewed to this thing called the life of faith.

And so they believe stood up, saying it is necessary to

circumcise them and to direct them to observe the law of

Moses. Because even even Paul and Jesus

said that the the law itself is righteous and just.

But you of your own nature that's cut off from God cannot

live according to it. You'll never measure up.

Christ is the only one who did. So the apostles and the elders

came together to look into this matter.

So what do they do? They looked in and there's from

the next few verses, there's this dialogue that's taking

place concerning something because again, what are they

posing? Unless they are in essence, they

were concluded, I'm born again because I'm circumcised.

And if these guys are truly circumcised or born again, then

they would be circumcised. So again, they were looking for

this physical manifestation of their salvation as opposed to

fruit manifestation because there should be some

manifestation of your salvation. I'm just going to say that if

you're truly born again, there should be fruit associated,

There should be a lifestyle change.

You should function differently. And the apostle Paul wrote in

many of the churches certain decrees as an apostle that you

live this way. You do not live this way in the

Kingdom. Are you hearing me OK?

And the reason you don't is because you're a different

nature because the those actions you'll never see in heaven.

Jump down to verse 13. After they had stopped speaking,

James, who is an apostle, answered saying, brethren and

pastor of this church, brethren, listen to me, we get down to

verse 19. Therefore, it is my judgment

this is the apostle. Now.

This is after they had heard everything he himself had

discussed with the other apostles of the Church of which

he oversaw that church and was pastoring that church, plus with

his elders, they're having healthy conversation.

He's like, what do you think? Where's this at?

Now I do this with my staff. I will throw thoughts out to

them. I said, what do you think?

You know, now the Bible says this and the Bible says this.

We call that those sessions Iron Sharpening Iron.

And I don't mind looking at something from a totally

different angle because anything that is of truth will be

strengthened and anything that is alive will be destroyed.

I have no problem. See, some people won't ask

because they're afraid they'll get deceived.

How can I be deceived when I follow the spirit of truth and

truth is available? When you have a heart to know

truth, you won't be deceived. The only reason people get

deceived is because they want to hold to their truth.

Therefore, he said, it's my judgment that we do not trouble

those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but

that they but that we write to them that they now there are

things he told them to do now that they're born again, abstain

from things contaminated by idols, and that from and from

fornication. So having sex before marriage is

never acceptable in the eyes of God.

It is always sin, period. He does not say it's OK ever.

There is no sexual engagement that God ever says is OK except

for husband and wife, period. So they are to not fornicate and

that and from what is strangled and from and from blood.

So there were things that they're saying now in our

culture because we're in the Kingdom.

We're not of this world, we're not saying you have to be

circumcised. You can be born again and keep

your uncircumcision. But what we are saying is there

are some things you used to do potentially when you were pagans

that you don't bring over into this Kingdom because it's never

part of this Kingdom. Are you hearing what I'm saying?

And really this statement is basically saying some of the

same things that they were saying to the Pharisees.

I know you live according to the law to try to follow God, but

you know, we didn't make it. Jesus was our substitute.

So at the end of the day, you couldn't do it.

And part of his discourse was, look, if we couldn't do it, what

makes us think that we going to put this burden on these guys?

You know, we're just faith in Christ.

However, you're trying to bring your religion into the Kingdom

and we don't want them to bring their religion into the Kingdom

because for some of these, their worship was sexual intercourse

in the temple. And they're like, no, this is

not how we're not that close. We're unified, but not that way.

Are you hearing me? OK, so the the apostles and the

elders were a part of this process.

Now jump down to verse 22. Then it seemed good to the

apostles and the notice they're here the whole time with the

whole church to choose men from among them to send to Antioch

with Paul and Barnabas. Judas called this guy and and

Silas leading men among the brethren.

So they were leading men among the brother, or something about

their character that set them apart.

And they sent this letter by them, the apostles and the

brethren who are elders, so that not every brethren is an elder.

So not every brethren carried this authority.

But yet we're not working against each other.

We're all just stepping within the assignments we're called.

It goes on to say to the brethren in Antioch, Syria,

Sicilia, who were who, who are from the Gentiles, and

greetings. So again, elders help the

apostle to establish church doctrine and culture.

Another thing elders will do, we can see here in Scripture

they're church leaders who help in making disciples.

Look what it says in First Timothy 517 and 19.

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double

honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

For the Scripture says you shall not muzzle the ox while he is

threshing and the labor is worthy of his wage.

Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the

basis of two or three witnesses. So here we see that elders are

part of this process of actually helping disciples, which means

elders can help fulfill the pulpit.

They can even do it for a season if necessary.

But they're definitely in the process of rightly dividing the

word of truth. And why wouldn't this be true?

Because they're part of the process of making sure the

doctrine of the church is pure, has a purity about it, and that

we're not going into our own thinking and what we want to do.

And they themselves then, you know, continue as the apostles.

This is it. Then they carry that teaching

all the way through the layers of the church.

Elders do not preach their own truth in Sunday school class,

right? Come on now.

They uphold the doctrine of the church, even to the point that

in some of these scriptures, the elders can help correct the

church body when they're off. They can help stop issues that

take place within the church when people are saying things

and trying to, you know, carry certain thoughts about Scripture

across the congregation. That isn't right.

They can do this. But last little note concerning

this, although I'm not going to deal with it a whole lot today,

but you do not receive an accusation against an elder

except base two or three witnesses.

You'd never let one person come up and talk to you about an

elder ever. They better have a handful of

people with them, number one, and then at that point, if

there's they're you know, accusations collaborate.

It is only to be able to go bring restoration.

But you understand Jesus had collaborated and non

collaborated witnesses against him.

At no place do you just talk about an elder ever.

You don't do it. I said you don't do it.

Now I'll give you a little nugget real quick.

Peter in one of his writings who was an apostle and John himself

who is an apostle. Peter said in one of his writing

he said the elder to the elders. John said the elder to the lady

elect. Both of them acknowledged we

were elders because the simple definition of elder is old man.

But it's not just age, it's wisdom, OK?

It's wisdom in the word, experience, character through

trials and tribulations. So not only do you not talk

about elders, the gift should not be talked about either.

Are you hearing me? OK, Elders pray and lay hands on

the sick of the church. James chapter 5, verses 14 to

James 5:14–15

15. Y'all doing all right?

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders

of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him

with oil in the name of the Lord Jesus, and pray.

And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who was

sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

And if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

So again, an elder can come to your hospital, anoint you with

oil, or can come to your house. Now again, the this the context

here is if someone cannot make it to church, they are to call

the elders know what it doesn't? James, who is the apostle, who

was the one who gave the decree so that Paul the apostle and

Barnabas could go out and and along with Silas and tell the

churches, this is our doctrine, these are our values, this is

our culture. He says, now listen, I'm the

apostle and pastor of Jerusalem. I'm just going to let you know

that if somebody's sick of the house and you can't get to us,

I'm sending an elder. James is saying I'm not coming.

Now, it's amazing how many Saints get offended if the

senior lead pastor doesn't show up.

He didn't even come to pray for me.

I sent you an anointed office. That's their gifting.

And we're here to complement each other.

I mean, the Bible says believers can lay hands on the sick, but

we're not just sending a believer, we're sending an

elder, someone appointed by God within that vision that it will

have an anointing to lay hands on you to be healed.

Can I get an Amen? So again, just thank God for the

body of Christ. Can we say that thank you, Lord?

Come on, say thank you, Lord, for the body of Christ.

We are all very important in our assignments, Amen.

Just just be thankful, OK? The last thing I'm going to show

you real quick today is that elders can take part with a

laying on of hands at ordinations.

First Timothy chapter 4 verse 14.

1 Timothy 4:14

The amplified says it this way, Paul talking to Timothy, he says

do not neglect the gift which which is in you, that special

inward endowment which was directly imparted to you by the

Holy Spirit by prophetic utterance when the elders laid

their hands upon you at your ordination.

So elders can participate in laying hands on those who are

called into the ministry. Can I get an Amen?