Auburn SDA Church
He Ordained Twelve
  • Come Thou Almighty King
      • Mark 3:14ESV

  • QR Code for Volunteers
    When Americans answer the telephone, most of them simply say, "Hello." I have heard that the response is a bit different in other countries. - Germans answer a ringing phone with their last name. - In Denmark, the Danes will answer with both their first and last names. - Russians say, "I’m listening." - The curious French say, "Hello, who’s on the line?" - Italians greet callers with "Ready" upon which the caller demands, "Who's speaking?" - The Spanish give the command, "Speak!" - The Chinese proclaim, "Hey, hey, who are you?"
    God calls each of us
    to serve in different ways.
    God called Isaiah
    and he answered.
    Isaiah 6:8 ESV
    And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
    Ordination
    is public ceremony
    to celebrate that process
    God calling
    person answering
    church recognizing.
    I have heard some teach
    we should not ordain.
    Some have said it is
    completely unbiblical
    does not apply in NT
    has come to an end.
    We will see
    what the Bible teaches
    about all of this.
    I do concede,
    in some Christian groups
    the modern practice
    of ordination is connected to
    many false ideas.
    Let’s go to the Bible
    study ordination.
    The concepts of
    ordination
    lay on of hands
    has a rich biblical history.

    Old Testament

    First passage in Bible
    speaking of ordination
    Second book of Bible.
    At Mount Sania
    During Sanctuary building.
    Speaking of priestly garments:
    Exodus 28:41 ESV
    And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
    The word “ordained
    literally means
    “ to fill the hand”.
    The very next chapter
    gives long and explicit
    description of entire
    ordination ceremony.
    During the ceremony
    Moses literally placed
    sacrificial meats and breads
    into their hand.
    The meaning is clear.
    They were being given authority
    to perform the ceremonial
    rites of sacrifices and offerings.
    Succession
    The official position
    of High Priest would
    be passed down from
    Father to oldest son.
    The one who held this position
    would have holy rite
    to stand as mediator
    between God and man.
    Leviticus 16:32 ESV
    And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments.
    Later,
    not only the priests
    but all the Levites
    were ordained for
    Sacred work.
    Numbers 8:10–11 ESV
    When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.
    They were set apart
    for holy work.
    Later we see,
    other leaders in Israel
    (not just Priest and Levites)
    being coronated
    in similar manner.
    Numbers 27:18–20 ESV
    So the Lord said 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 Eleazar 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 the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.
    Joshua was not a priest.
    He was from the
    tribe of Ephraim.
    He was a judge
    in Israel.
    Kings in Israel
    later experience similar
    coronation ceremonies.
    But the symbolism involved
    anointing oil
    like the priests and Levites
    but not laying on of hands.
    These were moments
    of great intensity as
    priest
    king
    judge
    receive calling from God.
    A missions director once met with the mother of one of his agency’s missionaries and spent some time getting to know her. She prepared tea for the director in her parlor and as they drank the tea, she explained to him the difficulty of having a daughter on the mission field of China and a son as a missionary in Sudan. She loved and missed them dearly, but as she explained, her love for God allowed her to let them follow His will for their lives. The mother went on to describe the burden her son had for the Sudanese people. Her relay of his description of the people brought her to tears several times during the conversation. The missions director left her house with a deeper appreciation for the parents of missionaries and a greater burden for the country of Sudan.
    A few months later the missions director got word that a missionary in Sudan had been killed—it was the Scottish lady’s son. Feeling he should be the one to break the news to her, he once again visited the mother in her home. After telling her the tragic news, the mother looked down, and in a few moments of composure she said, “Sir, I would rather have my son die in the middle of Sudan, alone, than to have him living here with me, disobeying God’s will.”

    New Testament

    As Jesus was working
    to develop the
    New Christian Church,
    He, once again,
    used this symbol of
    ordination and
    laying of hands.
    Mark 3:14–15 ESV
    And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
    Ellen White gives
    more description regarding
    the touching moment.
    Desire of Ages Chapter 30—“He Ordained Twelve”

    When Jesus had ended His instruction to the disciples, He gathered the little band close about Him, and kneeling in the midst of them, and laying His hands upon their heads, He offered a prayer dedicating them to His sacred work. Thus the Lord’s disciples were ordained to the gospel ministry.

    Jesus later selected
    a broader group
    for a similar calling.
    Luke 10:1 ESV
    After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
    Others were appointed
    to the gospel work.
    The word translated
    as appointed here
    is the word:

    ἀναδείκνυμι

    The world literally means
    to lift up on high
    and show everyone.
    The point is,
    the appointment to
    gospel service is meant
    to be a public recognition
    of their spiritual leadership.
    Interestingly,
    this same word is used
    when the disciples are
    seeking God’s leading in
    who will replace Judas.
    Acts 1:24 ESV
    And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
    The word SHOW
    is the same word:
    ἀναδείκνυμι
    The 12
    The 70
    Were set apart
    for a special work.
    But they were not
    to let this calling
    get to their heads.
    D.L. Moody was the most famous evangelist in the world in the late 1800s. People came from around the world to attend his Bible Conferences in Northfield, Massachusetts. One year a large group of pastors from Europe were among the attendees. They were given rooms in the dormitory of the Bible school. As was the custom in Europe, the men put their shoes outside the door of their room, expecting them to be cleaned and polished by servants during the night.
    Of course there were no servants in the American dorm, but as Moody was walking through the halls and praying for his guests, he saw the shoes and realized what had happened. He mentioned the problem to a few of his students, but none of them offered to help. Without another word, the great evangelist gathered up the shoes and took them back to his own room where he began to clean and polish each pair. Moody told no one what he had done...
    But this work,
    effect more than
    the individual being ordained.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2—The Training of the Twelve

    It was at the ordination of the Twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth.

    Ordination served
    not only as
    picking people who
    will work in ministry
    but also to
    organize the new body.
    Deacons were commissioned
    again with the same
    laying-on of hands.
    Acts 6:6 ESV
    These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
    Paul and Barnabas
    had also be selected
    or a special work.
    Acts 13:2–3 ESV
    While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, 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.
    They were being sent
    as frontier missionaries
    to be church planters.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Before being sent forth as missionaries to the heathen world, these apostles were solemnly dedicated to God by fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands. Thus they were authorized by the church, not only to teach the truth, but to perform the rite of baptism and to organize churches, being invested with full ecclesiastical authority.

    They were called
    by God himself.
    Through Holy Spirit.
    But they were
    ordained
    sent
    by the church.
    This is a combination of
    God’s Calling
    Church Organization
    Frequently people
    forget 1
    or get them confused.
    Some churches
    focus only on
    God’s calling
    miss church organization.
    This happens much in
    congregational charismatic churches.
    Laying-on of hands
    any one
    any time
    has lost its meaning.
    Other churches
    focus only on
    ecclesiastical order
    forget Spirit’s leadership.
    The Catholic Church
    focuses much on
    apostolic succession
    ordaining new leaders.
    They are missing much
    of New Testament meaning
    of Christian leadership.
    They enforce rite
    like celibacy
    that the Bible never
    called for.
    They lack Spiritual leading.
    Both churches seem to
    attach a mystical meaning
    to the service of ordination
    not found in the Bible.
    In the Catholic church,
    Clergy and laity (non-clergy)
    seem to hold different
    spiritual positions.
    For Catholics,
    priests are not just called
    to do Holy work.
    Through ordination
    the clergy become
    Holy people...
    This mystical concept
    of ordination
    can’t be found in the Bible.
    I read of a candidate for ordination into the ministry. He was having an interview with the bishop on the day before the ordination service. Feeling his unworthiness he said, "Bishop, if you knew how unworthy I am to be ordained by you, you would never lay hands on me."
    The dear bishop replied, "If you knew how unworthy I am, you wouldn’t let me do it!"
    We’ve got to recognise that in the sight of God we’re but sinners saved by grace. We need to come again and again to the Cross of our Saviour.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Both Paul and Barnabas had already received their commission from God Himself, and the ceremony of the laying on of hands added no new grace or virtual qualification. It was an acknowledged form of designation to an appointed office and a recognition of one’s authority in that office. By it the seal of the church was set upon the work of God.

    Church leaders
    don’t become holier
    through ordination.
    It is the church’s
    recognition of
    the calling that
    God already gave them.
    Through it,
    the church invests
    in the individual
    the calling already
    given by God.
    Paul continued this tradition
    in the churches he setup.
    Acts 14:23 ESV
    And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
    Paul created overseers
    like Timothy and Titus.
    He asked these people
    to raise up more churches
    and ordain more elders.
    Ordination was connected
    God’s calling
    Church Organization.
    That why Paul said:
    Titus 1:5 ESV
    This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
    They were not just
    picking leaders and
    walking away.
    They were creating a structure
    for the church to
    continue building upon.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Paul regarded the occasion of his formal ordination as marking the beginning of a new and important epoch in his lifework. It was from this time that he afterward dated

    Paul understood he was:
    called by God
    appointed/sent by the Church
    One of the reasons for
    this public recognition of
    Elders and Deacons
    was to differentiate between
    true and false leaders.
    There was a danger
    of the church
    being divided by
    new
    self proclaimed
    leaders.
    That’s why Paul warned:
    1 Timothy 5:22 ESV
    Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands...
    Paul asked them
    to ordain leaders slowly
    as God’s calling
    has become clear
    in their service.
    The Nominating Committee
    with prayer and sincerity
    has worked hard to select
    devoted and willing candidates
    for these sacred callings.
    The Israeli settlement of Netzarim in the heart of the Gaza Strip was a point of much conflict with militant Palestinians for several years. The conflict was so great that the settlement was evacuated in 2005.
    Those who lived in Netzarim did so at great personal risk because they felt it was an important part of keeping their land free. A schoolteacher, Shlomit Ziv, who lived in Netzarim in 2001 said, “I don’t live where it’s comfortable; I live where it’s important to live.”
    This is what it means
    to be ordained
    To Live
    Where
    Like
    God called.

    Summary

    Main Points:
    Ordination Is Very Biblical
    The Old and New Testament Teach It
    There Is No Point In Which It Ended
    We Should Still Do It Today
    Here are the steps:
    God Calls The Person
    The Person Shows Evidence of Their Calling
    We Recognize That Calling Publicly Through Ordination
    We Organize Leadership Authority
    False Teachings:
    Ordination Brings New Virtue or Grace
    There Must Be an Unbroken Succession of Leadership
    Those Ordained Have Authority Above the Bible
    We Should Ordain Any One at Any Time
    Ordination is Not Connected with Church Order
    Timothy Stackpole was a New York Firefighter, who was severely burned in a 1998 fire. After he recovered, he returned to the force despite the advice of some friends and family and the fact that he could retire comfortably.
    He was a great fire fighter and passionate about his work and was soon promoted to captain. Timothy was one of the fire fighters that ran into the second tower to try to save some people.
    He understood his calling.
    He wanted to serve.
    even if he didn’t have to.
    Today,
    We recognize each
    of our leaders
    called by God
    to serve.

    Appeal

    Rejoice with Us Today
    Join us by Holding Up
    their hands in
    prayer
    willing support.
      • Isaiah 6:8ESV

      • Exodus 28:41ESV

      • Leviticus 16:32ESV

      • Numbers 8:10–11ESV

      • Numbers 27:18–20ESV

      • Mark 3:14–15ESV

      • Luke 10:1ESV

      • Acts 1:24ESV

      • Acts 6:6ESV

      • Acts 13:2–3ESV

      • Acts 14:23ESV

      • Titus 1:5ESV

      • 1 Timothy 5:22ESV

  • I Would Draw Nearer to Jesus
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      • Luke 7:39–50NIV2011

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      • Luke 7:39–50NIV2011

      • Matthew 9:11–12NIV2011

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      • 1 Corinthians 6:1–13NIV2011

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      • Romans 8:1–2NIV2011

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      • Romans 6:22–23NIV2011

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      • Romans 6:22–23NIV2011

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      • Romans 6:22–23NIV2011

      • 1 Corinthians 7:1–5NIV2011

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      • Proverbs 7:4–5NIV2011

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      • Proverbs 7:4–5NIV2011

  • My Maker and My King
  • O Worship the Lord
  • Children of the Heavenly Father
  • Come Thou Almighty King
  • I Surrender All
  • Draw Me Nearer
  • Take My Life and Let It Be
      • Mark 3:14ESV

  • QR Code for Volunteers
    When Americans answer the telephone, most of them simply say, "Hello." I have heard that the response is a bit different in other countries. - Germans answer a ringing phone with their last name. - In Denmark, the Danes will answer with both their first and last names. - Russians say, "I’m listening." - The curious French say, "Hello, who’s on the line?" - Italians greet callers with "Ready" upon which the caller demands, "Who's speaking?" - The Spanish give the command, "Speak!" - The Chinese proclaim, "Hey, hey, who are you?"
    God calls each of us
    to serve in different ways.
    God called Isaiah
    and he answered.
    Isaiah 6:8 ESV
    And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
    Ordination
    is public ceremony
    to celebrate that process
    God calling
    person answering
    church recognizing.
    I have heard some teach
    we should not ordain.
    Some have said it is
    completely unbiblical
    does not apply in NT
    has come to an end.
    We will see
    what the Bible teaches
    about all of this.
    I do concede,
    in some Christian groups
    the modern practice
    of ordination is connected to
    many false ideas.
    Let’s go to the Bible
    study ordination.
    The concepts of
    ordination
    lay on of hands
    has a rich biblical history.

    Old Testament

    First passage in Bible
    speaking of ordination
    Second book of Bible.
    At Mount Sania
    During Sanctuary building.
    Speaking of priestly garments:
    Exodus 28:41 ESV
    And you shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests.
    The word “ordained
    literally means
    “ to fill the hand”.
    The very next chapter
    gives long and explicit
    description of entire
    ordination ceremony.
    During the ceremony
    Moses literally placed
    sacrificial meats and breads
    into their hand.
    The meaning is clear.
    They were being given authority
    to perform the ceremonial
    rites of sacrifices and offerings.
    Succession
    The official position
    of High Priest would
    be passed down from
    Father to oldest son.
    The one who held this position
    would have holy rite
    to stand as mediator
    between God and man.
    Leviticus 16:32 ESV
    And the priest who is anointed and consecrated as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement, wearing the holy linen garments.
    Later,
    not only the priests
    but all the Levites
    were ordained for
    Sacred work.
    Numbers 8:10–11 ESV
    When you bring the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites, and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord.
    They were set apart
    for holy work.
    Later we see,
    other leaders in Israel
    (not just Priest and Levites)
    being coronated
    in similar manner.
    Numbers 27:18–20 ESV
    So the Lord said 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 Eleazar 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 the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.
    Joshua was not a priest.
    He was from the
    tribe of Ephraim.
    He was a judge
    in Israel.
    Kings in Israel
    later experience similar
    coronation ceremonies.
    But the symbolism involved
    anointing oil
    like the priests and Levites
    but not laying on of hands.
    These were moments
    of great intensity as
    priest
    king
    judge
    receive calling from God.
    A missions director once met with the mother of one of his agency’s missionaries and spent some time getting to know her. She prepared tea for the director in her parlor and as they drank the tea, she explained to him the difficulty of having a daughter on the mission field of China and a son as a missionary in Sudan. She loved and missed them dearly, but as she explained, her love for God allowed her to let them follow His will for their lives. The mother went on to describe the burden her son had for the Sudanese people. Her relay of his description of the people brought her to tears several times during the conversation. The missions director left her house with a deeper appreciation for the parents of missionaries and a greater burden for the country of Sudan.
    A few months later the missions director got word that a missionary in Sudan had been killed—it was the Scottish lady’s son. Feeling he should be the one to break the news to her, he once again visited the mother in her home. After telling her the tragic news, the mother looked down, and in a few moments of composure she said, “Sir, I would rather have my son die in the middle of Sudan, alone, than to have him living here with me, disobeying God’s will.”

    New Testament

    As Jesus was working
    to develop the
    New Christian Church,
    He, once again,
    used this symbol of
    ordination and
    laying of hands.
    Mark 3:14–15 ESV
    And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
    Ellen White gives
    more description regarding
    the touching moment.
    Desire of Ages Chapter 30—“He Ordained Twelve”

    When Jesus had ended His instruction to the disciples, He gathered the little band close about Him, and kneeling in the midst of them, and laying His hands upon their heads, He offered a prayer dedicating them to His sacred work. Thus the Lord’s disciples were ordained to the gospel ministry.

    Jesus later selected
    a broader group
    for a similar calling.
    Luke 10:1 ESV
    After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
    Others were appointed
    to the gospel work.
    The word translated
    as appointed here
    is the word:

    ἀναδείκνυμι

    The world literally means
    to lift up on high
    and show everyone.
    The point is,
    the appointment to
    gospel service is meant
    to be a public recognition
    of their spiritual leadership.
    Interestingly,
    this same word is used
    when the disciples are
    seeking God’s leading in
    who will replace Judas.
    Acts 1:24 ESV
    And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen
    The word SHOW
    is the same word:
    ἀναδείκνυμι
    The 12
    The 70
    Were set apart
    for a special work.
    But they were not
    to let this calling
    get to their heads.
    D.L. Moody was the most famous evangelist in the world in the late 1800s. People came from around the world to attend his Bible Conferences in Northfield, Massachusetts. One year a large group of pastors from Europe were among the attendees. They were given rooms in the dormitory of the Bible school. As was the custom in Europe, the men put their shoes outside the door of their room, expecting them to be cleaned and polished by servants during the night.
    Of course there were no servants in the American dorm, but as Moody was walking through the halls and praying for his guests, he saw the shoes and realized what had happened. He mentioned the problem to a few of his students, but none of them offered to help. Without another word, the great evangelist gathered up the shoes and took them back to his own room where he began to clean and polish each pair. Moody told no one what he had done...
    But this work,
    effect more than
    the individual being ordained.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2—The Training of the Twelve

    It was at the ordination of the Twelve that the first step was taken in the organization of the church that after Christ’s departure was to carry on His work on the earth.

    Ordination served
    not only as
    picking people who
    will work in ministry
    but also to
    organize the new body.
    Deacons were commissioned
    again with the same
    laying-on of hands.
    Acts 6:6 ESV
    These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
    Paul and Barnabas
    had also be selected
    or a special work.
    Acts 13:2–3 ESV
    While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, 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.
    They were being sent
    as frontier missionaries
    to be church planters.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Before being sent forth as missionaries to the heathen world, these apostles were solemnly dedicated to God by fasting and prayer and the laying on of hands. Thus they were authorized by the church, not only to teach the truth, but to perform the rite of baptism and to organize churches, being invested with full ecclesiastical authority.

    They were called
    by God himself.
    Through Holy Spirit.
    But they were
    ordained
    sent
    by the church.
    This is a combination of
    God’s Calling
    Church Organization
    Frequently people
    forget 1
    or get them confused.
    Some churches
    focus only on
    God’s calling
    miss church organization.
    This happens much in
    congregational charismatic churches.
    Laying-on of hands
    any one
    any time
    has lost its meaning.
    Other churches
    focus only on
    ecclesiastical order
    forget Spirit’s leadership.
    The Catholic Church
    focuses much on
    apostolic succession
    ordaining new leaders.
    They are missing much
    of New Testament meaning
    of Christian leadership.
    They enforce rite
    like celibacy
    that the Bible never
    called for.
    They lack Spiritual leading.
    Both churches seem to
    attach a mystical meaning
    to the service of ordination
    not found in the Bible.
    In the Catholic church,
    Clergy and laity (non-clergy)
    seem to hold different
    spiritual positions.
    For Catholics,
    priests are not just called
    to do Holy work.
    Through ordination
    the clergy become
    Holy people...
    This mystical concept
    of ordination
    can’t be found in the Bible.
    I read of a candidate for ordination into the ministry. He was having an interview with the bishop on the day before the ordination service. Feeling his unworthiness he said, "Bishop, if you knew how unworthy I am to be ordained by you, you would never lay hands on me."
    The dear bishop replied, "If you knew how unworthy I am, you wouldn’t let me do it!"
    We’ve got to recognise that in the sight of God we’re but sinners saved by grace. We need to come again and again to the Cross of our Saviour.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Both Paul and Barnabas had already received their commission from God Himself, and the ceremony of the laying on of hands added no new grace or virtual qualification. It was an acknowledged form of designation to an appointed office and a recognition of one’s authority in that office. By it the seal of the church was set upon the work of God.

    Church leaders
    don’t become holier
    through ordination.
    It is the church’s
    recognition of
    the calling that
    God already gave them.
    Through it,
    the church invests
    in the individual
    the calling already
    given by God.
    Paul continued this tradition
    in the churches he setup.
    Acts 14:23 ESV
    And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
    Paul created overseers
    like Timothy and Titus.
    He asked these people
    to raise up more churches
    and ordain more elders.
    Ordination was connected
    God’s calling
    Church Organization.
    That why Paul said:
    Titus 1:5 ESV
    This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—
    They were not just
    picking leaders and
    walking away.
    They were creating a structure
    for the church to
    continue building upon.
    Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch

    Paul regarded the occasion of his formal ordination as marking the beginning of a new and important epoch in his lifework. It was from this time that he afterward dated

    Paul understood he was:
    called by God
    appointed/sent by the Church
    One of the reasons for
    this public recognition of
    Elders and Deacons
    was to differentiate between
    true and false leaders.
    There was a danger
    of the church
    being divided by
    new
    self proclaimed
    leaders.
    That’s why Paul warned:
    1 Timothy 5:22 ESV
    Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands...
    Paul asked them
    to ordain leaders slowly
    as God’s calling
    has become clear
    in their service.
    The Nominating Committee
    with prayer and sincerity
    has worked hard to select
    devoted and willing candidates
    for these sacred callings.
    The Israeli settlement of Netzarim in the heart of the Gaza Strip was a point of much conflict with militant Palestinians for several years. The conflict was so great that the settlement was evacuated in 2005.
    Those who lived in Netzarim did so at great personal risk because they felt it was an important part of keeping their land free. A schoolteacher, Shlomit Ziv, who lived in Netzarim in 2001 said, “I don’t live where it’s comfortable; I live where it’s important to live.”
    This is what it means
    to be ordained
    To Live
    Where
    Like
    God called.

    Summary

    Main Points:
    Ordination Is Very Biblical
    The Old and New Testament Teach It
    There Is No Point In Which It Ended
    We Should Still Do It Today
    Here are the steps:
    God Calls The Person
    The Person Shows Evidence of Their Calling
    We Recognize That Calling Publicly Through Ordination
    We Organize Leadership Authority
    False Teachings:
    Ordination Brings New Virtue or Grace
    There Must Be an Unbroken Succession of Leadership
    Those Ordained Have Authority Above the Bible
    We Should Ordain Any One at Any Time
    Ordination is Not Connected with Church Order
    Timothy Stackpole was a New York Firefighter, who was severely burned in a 1998 fire. After he recovered, he returned to the force despite the advice of some friends and family and the fact that he could retire comfortably.
    He was a great fire fighter and passionate about his work and was soon promoted to captain. Timothy was one of the fire fighters that ran into the second tower to try to save some people.
    He understood his calling.
    He wanted to serve.
    even if he didn’t have to.
    Today,
    We recognize each
    of our leaders
    called by God
    to serve.

    Appeal

    Rejoice with Us Today
    Join us by Holding Up
    their hands in
    prayer
    willing support.
      • Isaiah 6:8ESV

      • Exodus 28:41ESV

      • Leviticus 16:32ESV

      • Numbers 8:10–11ESV

      • Numbers 27:18–20ESV

      • Mark 3:14–15ESV

      • Luke 10:1ESV

      • Acts 1:24ESV

      • Acts 6:6ESV

      • Acts 13:2–3ESV

      • Acts 14:23ESV

      • Titus 1:5ESV

      • 1 Timothy 5:22ESV

  • I Would Draw Nearer to Jesus