Chapter 20:29-38 "A Charge to The NT Church Leaders" Part 2

So throughout the years of God's kingdom on earth, he has always mediated his rules through especially chosen and qualified leaders.

Remember, God does not do things on his own.

He works through mankind to do his bidding here on earth.

So he looks to leaders to do that.

In the Old Testament time, patriarchs were the first group leaders.

They were followed by judges, if you recall.

That was through the book of Samuel.

Samuel was the last judge.

So here's a book of Judges, and then there is Samuel.

And Samuel was the last judge when the people requested to have a king like everybody else.

And then there were prophets, priests, and kings.

Now, in the New Testament time, God mediates his rule in the church through evangelism teaching, pastors, or basically we're all teachers.

So he rules this church through us, as well as through the indwelling Holy Spirit who guides us individually.

Now, leadership in terms of all of what God is doing in the world is very important.

God recognizes that because of the chaos of sin, things have to be made subject to authority.

There has to be some level of structure that that is maintained, or we would just be pandemonium.

And so there is authority and submission as a two-fold operation of God in this world.

First of all, that God ruled directly in the beginning.

If we go back to the creation itself, and this direct rule of God, there were no leaders at that time.

There didn't have to be leaders.

There was no need for them because they were perfect human relationships under a single authority, which was Jesus Christ.

There's no need to rule over people because there was no unruliness at that time.

There was no disorder at that time.

There was no discord at that time.

So God ruled directly then.