Resolutions and Inadequacy
Many people make resolutions this time of year. They resolve to do this or not do that. To exercise more, eat healthier, read the Bible in a year, pray more, get out of debt. All of these things are good. But have you ever been discouraged when making your resolutions because you fear that you won’t be able to keep them? Have you ever decided to not make any because then you won’t be disappointed later for not keeping them? Do you shy away from goals because of a fear of failure?
I think this tells us something profound about ourselves. But before I tell you what it is, let me ask another series of questions because some may not do New Year’s resolutions. Have you ever felt that your job or school work is beyond your ability? Have you ever felt inadequate as a husband, wife, son, daughter, or church member? If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re not alone. We all feel inadequate and incompetent in more ways than we’d care to admit.
Inadequacy Is a Good Teacher
Instead of wallowing in our feelings of inadequacy, let’s use them as teachers to help us in 2019. Our deep and abiding insecurities teach us something profound about ourselves. They’re like reminders on our phones telling us something very important that we’re prone to forget. Our sense of inadequacy reminds us that we’re dependent creatures.
What do I mean? I mean that God created us to depend on him. The Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. Then, as the crowning jewel of his creation, he created man and woman in his image. God told them to be fruitful and multiply, what their marriage relationship should look like, what they could eat, and that their purpose was to work the Garden and subdue the earth. This tells us that God created man and woman totally dependent on his wisdom for survival in the world.
What’s interesting is that all of this takes place before sin comes into the world. This means that Adam and Eve needed God before sin ever entered into the world. This tells us that man and woman have been dependent on God from the very beginning. That dependency is a basic part of our human nature. That we’re dependent because we’re created, not because we’re sinful. That we all feel inadequate and weak and insecure because we were never intended to have all that we need within ourselves.
If you’re not a Christian, I’m so glad that you’re here, and I wonder what you think about that last point. Do you think that you have all the resources you need to survive and thrive in this world within yourself? If you do, what about all the times you’ve fallen short of your own standards or not achieved your own goals? And what about that nagging sense of inadequacy? Could it not be that you were made by God and therefore dependent on him to do for you what you can’t do for yourself?
Why is dependency on God a bad thing? We know intuitively that a child depends on their parents. Why do we assume that this reality is the result of chemical and biological processes or cultural conditioning rather than a reflection of being made in the image of God? If you have questions about this or anything else from the sermon, I’d be happy to talk with you afterwards.
We Need God, Not Prayer
Our inadequacies teach us that we’re dependent creatures who need help from the God who made us. When we apply this truth to the Christian life, it reminds us that we must be people of prayer. Our dependency on God is nowhere expressed more clearly than through prayer. Prayer is simply saying, “I can’t, but God can.”
Before we go further, I don’t want you to hear me say that we Christians need to believe in prayer more. No, we need to believe in God more. Sinclair Ferguson said this about Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great British preacher of the last century, “He did not believe in prayer. He believed in God and therefore he prayed.” Our dependency tells us that we need God, not that we need prayer. Prayer is simply an expression of our need for God.
This is true for all Christians. But I want to focus this prayer-week message on how this truth applies to the leaders of the church. The reason why I want to do this is because last month I nominated Nick Surguine to serve as an elder of our church. I want him and you to grasp the importance of prayer in an elder’s life and ministry.
Devotion to Prayer in Acts 6:4
How do we know that elders should be devoted to prayer? Because Luke tells us in Acts 6 that the earliest church leaders saw prayer as a non-negotiable part of their work (Acts 6:1-6). The young church in Jerusalem was in danger of a major division because some widows were being neglected in the church. The apostles gather the church and tell them that they don’t have the bandwidth to meet the physical needs of the church and lead the church spiritually. They direct the church to install a new group of leaders who’ll focus on meeting the physical needs of the church so that, verse 4, they can “devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
How Does the Ministry of Apostles Connect to the Ministry of Elders?
You probably noticed that elders aren’t explicitly mentioned here. Acts shows us that the ministry of the apostles becomes the ministry of the elders. Elders, just like the apostles, were put in place in order to lead the church doctrinally and spiritually. This means that, if the apostles were devoted to prayer in the early church, so were the elders.
Did the Apostles Think that they were Too Good to Serve Tables?
Implicit in verse 2 is the fact that some people in the church were suggesting that the apostles stop all their preaching and praying and just focus on the physical needs of the church. But they emphatically respond by saying, “No, we will not do that.”
That might sound a little arrogant, as if the apostles were saying that they were too good to get their hands dirty and meet the physical needs in the church. But Acts has countless examples of the apostles taking care of people in need. The apostles didn’t think that they were too important to meet the physical needs of hurting people. But they did think that caring for physical needs would divert them from their primary responsibility of preaching the word and leading the church spiritually. Like good leaders they said no to a good thing in order to say yes to their calling.
Why Do Elders Pray?
Verse 4 tells us that the apostles and elders of the early church knew that they must pray in order to be effective in their ministry. Why did they do this? Why must elders be devoted to prayer? First, because shepherding is hard work. Teaching, preaching, counseling, mentoring, confronting, and encouraging the people of God is soul-wearying work. And no matter how much an elder does, there’s always more to be done. There’s always another phone call or text or email or note to make. An elder could always disciple another person, invite someone else over for a meal, or go visit another church member. The work of shepherding is never done.
This is one reason why many elders begin to function like trustees rather than shepherds. It’s much easier to sit around a table and discuss policies and procedures and vote on things. It’s much more difficult to pastor people. When an elder embraces their role as a spiritual shepherd, they quickly understand their limitations of time, energy, knowledge, and gifting. That realization should lead elders to pray to God for help. At this point, prayer becomes a survival strategy and not just a duty.
But it’s not just the difficulty of the job that should drive elders to pray. It’s also the nature of their job. The second reason elders should be devoted to prayer is because their work is spiritual work. Paul says that helping Christians mature in Christ is the goal of pastoral ministry (Eph. 4:11-13). Elders are given a job that only God can do. As one pastor says, “Elders aim toward maturing church members in Christ, yet they have no power to make anyone else progress spiritually. Overseers can teach the Bible, but they cannot make people obey it from the heart. An elder can exhort fighting members to be reconciled, but he cannot make either party forgive. God has given elders a goal that only God himself can bring to pass.” The elder’s work isn’t just hard work, its impossible work. Who can raise the dead besides God? Who can change people’s hearts besides God?
The third reason why elders should pray is because they know themselves. One glance in the mirror of his heart should remind an elder of his proclivity toward pride, deception, lust, despair, and unbelief. An elder knows his sin can ruin his life and ministry, so he begs God for help in killing it.
The fourth reason elders should pray is because they know that there’s a lion out there who prowls around looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He knows that the evil one hates him, his family, his church, and his work. So he daily puts on the armor of God through prayer.
Why must an elder pray? Because his work is hard work. Because his work is spiritual work. Because he knows himself. And because he knows that there’s an enemy who is actively trying to defeat him. One pastor says, “When an elder realizes he is a thirsty, wounded, wandering, hunted sheep himself, he will bleat for the Good Shepherd’s aid.” Why must an elder pray? Because his life depends upon it.
How Do Elders Pray?
Elders should be devoted to prayer, but how should they pray? What are your expectations for your elder’s ministry of prayer? Pastor Jeramie Rinne in his excellent little book on elders gives us four ways for elders to incorporate prayer into their ministry.
First, elders should pray publically. Elders should ensure that each public meeting of the church is infused with prayer. It’s probably fair to say that most evangelical churches in America don’t spend enough time in their public gatherings in prayer. It’s not a competition to see which church can pray the most. It’s about understanding that prayer is essential to our spiritual lives. Prayer isn’t an optional add-on to the Christian life. It’s the operating system that all the apps of our life run on.
Praying publically gives elders the opportunity to teach the church how to pray. So I actually teach on prayer every week! We do prayers of praise and thanksgiving in order to teach that prayer is more than asking God for stuff. We do a prayer of petition in order to teach how to ask God for stuff. We don’t just pray for ourselves. We pray for other churches, our city, our nation, and the nations of the world in order to be more balanced in our praying. Praying publically is one way elders teach the church to live in dependence on God.
Second, elders should pray with one another. Elder meetings should have times of extended prayer. They should pray for one another and for the members of the church. Caring for people’s souls is the essence of their work. The members, not the machinery, of the church is the main calling of the elders.
Third, elders should pray with members of the church. This isn’t an add-on to their work. It’s a part of their work. Whenever talking to a church member in person or on the phone about something important going on in their life, I try to pray for them right then and there. Elders should also find ways to put James 5:14-15 into practice. These verses raise lots of questions, but what it says clearly is that the elders should be praying over sick people in the church. Don’t be afraid to ask the elders to come pray for you during sickness. Who knows what God may do?
And fourthly, elders should pray privately. Elders should be devoted to regular, sustained time alone with God in prayer. This is what Jesus means when he says, “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matt. 6:6).
This is something all Christians should be doing. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that “the Christian life is really impossible without…communion and fellowship with God.” He sees prayer as “the greatest indicator of one’s spiritual health” and “the ultimate test of a man’s true spiritual condition.” He knows that prayer is hard. He says, “Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.” Sin pollutes our prayers. Our pride in thinking we don’t need God and our desire for independence keep us focused on ourselves rather than God. This is why even in our praying we’re dependent on God. It’s wise to begin our times of private prayer by asking God to help us to pray. We can’t pray without his help.
What Does This Mean for You?
I’ve talked specifically about elders and their devotion to prayer. This most immediately applies to those serving as elders, or those who desire to serve as elders. But it also applies to everyone for a very simple reason. The reasons why elders pray are the same reasons why anyone else should pray. We’re all unable to do what we’re called to do in and of ourselves. We’re all unable to do the spiritual work that only God can do. We’re all prone to sin and open to Satan’s attacks. All of our lives are therefore dependent on prayer, or, more accurately, dependent on God. The way we get help from him is through the mechanism of prayer.
Another way this applies to everyone is because church members are supposed to follow the example of their leaders. Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Church members should pray like their elders have taught them to pray. They should also take advantage of opportunities to pray publically and to pray with other Christians. They also should be seeking the Lord in private prayer on a regular basis.
Because there is a special obligation for the church’s leaders to be devoted to prayer, let me ask that when you pray for your elders, you would pray that they would pray. Pray that God would sustain them in prayer. Back in Acts 6:4, it’s interesting that the apostles link prayer with the ministry of the word. They know that unless the Spirit of God waters the seed of the word of God, there won’t be any fruit. So when you pray for your elders, pray that their ministry of the word would bear fruit, that God would bless it and use it to do impossible things.
Jesus Is Praying for Us
The only reason any of us can pray with hope and confidence is because Jesus is praying for us. After his death and resurrection, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father where the Bible says that he’s interceding for his people (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). Jesus has gone before us to the throne of God and spoken to God on our behalf. Those who trust in him are declared righteous like him so that they too can hang out in the presence of God.
We’re dependent creatures made by God for relationship with God. But we can’t go to God on our own. Our sin keeps us forever locked out of God’s house. We can’t even keep our New Year’s resolutions most of the time, much less perfectly keep the law of God.
The only way into God’s house is through the door, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved” (Jn. 10:9). Those who put their trust in Jesus and turn from their sins will be granted complete access to God’s presence.
Jesus’ work on the cross for us is what makes this possible. No one could come into God’s presence through prayer without the atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ work, we can pray with confidence and expectancy and hope and joy knowing that he is praying for us. May this reality compel you to pray more diligently in 2019.