The sermon by Eric Bechler focuses on the process of appointing church leaders as outlined in the 1689 London Baptist Confession, particularly the role of elders and deacons. Christ appoints church leaders through the congregation's choice, involving prayer, fasting, and the laying on of hands. Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit according to God's will, as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. The congregation is encouraged to discern and utilize their gifts for the church's benefit, as each gift is indispensable to the church's functioning. The sermon also highlights the importance of fasting and prayer in decision-making and the significance of the laying on of hands as a commissioning act. The qualifications for elders and deacons are discussed, noting the biblical guidance found in Timothy and Titus. Ultimately, the sermon calls for all Christians to serve their church and community, using their unique gifts for God's glory.

Reading from the second London Baptist Confession today comes from chapter 26 of the church, paragraph 9. The way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person, fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in a church, is that he be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage of the church itself, and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church, if there be any before constituted therein, and of a deacon that he be chosen by the like suffrage and set apart by prayer, and the like in position of hands. We continue in our examination of the doctrine of the church. Our focus last week was on the church officers, elders, and deacons, and today we take a closer look at the way Christ has appointed for the calling of church leaders. Let us begin with the presupposition that not just anyone can become an elder or a deacon.

We all have been given gifts and talents, and it is God who sovereignly decides who receives which gifts. In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he states, now there are variety of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of service but the same Lord. There are varieties of activities but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good of the church. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same spirit To another faith by the same spirit to another gifts of healing by the one spirit to another the working of miracles To another prophecy to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 1 Corinthians 12, 4 through 11. It is God who sovereignly decides which gifts are given to each believer. Ligonier comments, all Christians have the spirit and gifts for ministry which are given according to God's sovereign will and are all important to the healthy functioning of the church. We should not envy the gifts of others but should be content with what the Lord has given us.

All Christians, with help of other believers, are to endeavor to discern their gifts and use them, not for themselves, but for the glory of God and the good of our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. We must use our gifts to edify one another, for the church cannot function well without our gifts, just as our bodies cannot function in their fullness unless every organ is working. This comes from 1st Corinthians 12 through 31 where Paul uses the human body as a metaphor for the church. Paul tells us that every Christian is to be involved in ministry and that all of us have gifts that are indispensable to the well-being of Christ's body. If we are not using the gifts to edify the body, we are sinning against the body.

Let us all look for the ways to use our gifts in the service of Christ in His church. It is to the members to notice and to identify those who have been fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit, who have been, to use John Gill's words, honored with ministerial gifts, qualifying them to preach the gospel and take upon them the care of the churches. It is to the members of that local church to choose by common suffrage or by voting those who have been identified, who have been chosen and set apart to the office of elder or to the office of deacon. Our confession states the way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of bishop or elder in a church is that he be chosen thereunto by common suffrage of the church itself and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church, if there be any, before constituted therein. He is to be chosen by the voting of the members of the local church and set apart by fasting and prayer.

And if there exists already any elders within that local church, they would lay their hands on the one called by the members. This is the way appointed by Christ is revealed in His word. We can look at Acts 14 verse 23, and when they, Paul and Barnabas, had ordained or chosen them elders in every church that they had established and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed. John Gill comments here on the phrase they had prayed with fasting that they, the elders, might have a larger measure of gifts and might be kept faithful to the trust committed to them and be succeeded in their ministry, and for the members of the church that they might abide by the truths of the gospel and the ordinance of it, and walk worthy of it in their conversations, and behave aright in their church state, both to their elders and to one another, and that they might persevere to the end. Fasting is a Christian discipline, one that is probably neglected more than it should be.

It can be done singly and in private or as part of a group. But it must have a purpose, not just to lose weight, but a biblical purpose. In times of special need or when important decisions must be made, we should turn to prayer and fasting to discern God's will. Our topic today is an example. As a church chooses a member to become an elder, they must turn to prayer and fasting.

Other examples could include changing jobs, searching for a spouse, making big financial decisions, and so forth. I found in a devotional at Ligonier, reminds us that fasting places no obligation upon the sovereign God to respond in a way that we have asked. Yet he does take special delight in us when we show our helplessness and fasting and he will respond by giving us a greater knowledge of himself, a deep sense of our dependence on His grace, and maybe even the specific request we bring to Him. Perhaps we see the Lord move more mightily in the church if we fasted more often. Have you ever prayed and fasted?

If you never have, I would encourage you to make this part of your Christian life. Use the time you usually would be eating to be in prayer. Resist the temptation to fill more of your day with your to-do list. Use this time to be still and to listen to God. The confession also mentions the imposition of hands or the laying on of hands.

From the Old Testament there are various meanings regarding the laying on of hands, but in Numbers 8 verses 10 through 11, the people of Israel, God's people, laid their hands on the priests, the Levites, that they may do the service of the Lord. They were officially commissioned as the people's representatives before God. We find also in Numbers 27, 18 through 20, we read the Lord's instructions to Moses, take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eliezer, the priest, and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all this congregation of the people of Israel may obey.

Moses commissions Joshua as the new leader of the people of Israel with the laying on of hands. In the New Testament, especially after Christ's resurrection and ascension, we see a similar significance of the laying on of hands. In Acts 6, when the apostles requested the congregation to choose seven men to assist them, we read that when they had prayed they laid their hands on them. The laying on of hands was commissioning of these new leaders. A visible sign that marks the beginning of a formal ministry.

The beginning of a particular role of service for these seven before the local church. And in this they commended them to those among who they would serve and requested that God would bless their labors. This is also what was done by the church in Antioch for Paul and Barnabas when they were sent out to the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

This is in Acts 13 2 & 3. Again this laying on of hands was a public commissioning for Paul and Barnabas with a request for God's blessing. The confession makes a distinction here regarding the actions for a deacon as compared to elders. It reads, The pointed way by Christ for the calling of any person fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit unto the office of a deacon, that he be chosen by the like suffrage and set apart by prayer and the like imposition of hands. For a deacon he is chosen by common suffrage of the church, set apart by prayer and with the imposition of hands or the laying on of hands by the elders of that church.

I found here in the phrase the absence of fasting with prayer. I really was unable to find any commentary discussing that And I think in some places they include fasting when they just speak about prayers. I don't see why fasting would not be an important thing also to do that. But this is from the chapter 6 in Acts. This is where we get the words that are included in the confession.

Where it said, among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom in 6.3, they chose seven men from their congregation whom they set before the apostles. And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them in Acts 6 6. Again, because our example specifically the appointing of deacons, this is the practice that is stated, the words that are stated in the confession this week. Before finishing here, I want to at least mention the qualifications of elders and deacons. Clearly Christ is the one that calls those whom he wants to serve.

He fits them and gifts them by the Holy Spirit for that office. But how do the other members recognize who they are? What do they look for? Well, Scripture provides the Church guidance that they can determine who among them might be called to the office of elder or deacon. Paul offers a list of qualifications for bishop and elders in his letter to Timothy and to Titus in 1 Timothy 3, 2 through 7.

A bishop then must be blameless, a husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given or addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence. For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, How will he take care of the Church of God? Not a novice or a new convert, lest being puffed up with the pride, he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, meaning outside of the church, lest he fall into reproach in the snare of the devil. We also read in Titus 1 verses 5 through 9, For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.

If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination, For a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Also in 1 Timothy 3, Paul offers a list of qualifications for deacons in his letter to Timothy. Likewise, deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery or hidden truths of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested, then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverence, not slanderous or malicious gossippers, temperate, faithful in all things.

Let deacons be the husband of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. Furthermore, we also see written in the account in Acts 6 that they must be men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom in Acts 6.3. Also from Paul's letter to Timothy, he writes, If a man desires the position of bishop, he desires a good work. 1 Timothy 3, 1. And he continues along the same lines, Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of a double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

1st Timothy 5 17. However, on the more sober side, James writes, My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. James 3 1. And here's a final thought I found in a devotional from Ligonier. The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, Matthew 20.28.

And so be called to serve the church as an elder or deacon is one of the highest callings Christ can give to us. But even those who are not ordained as elders or deacons must always be looking for ways we can serve the people of God and our neighbors. If we are to imitate Jesus, what is the one need in your church that you are uniquely equipped to meet? Are you seeking to meet this need? God has gifted each and every one of you in a very special and unique way.

Use the gifts God has given you. Use them for the glory of God. And use them for the benefit of your church, the body of Christ. Amen.