PLURALITY OF ELDERS

PLURALITY OF ELDERS

Consider the benefits each of you derive both by preaching and listening to preaching at associations. Does not the brotherhood of elders encourage you? Does it not stimulate you to good works? Does it not challenge you to be on the plumb line which the Holy Writ shows us? This is not to say you do not endeavor to stay on the plumb line all the time. However, do you not feel just a bit more motivated knowing your laboring brethren are weighing each word spoken? Do you not even feel a certain freedom that correction is near should you step off the mark? Do you not think we should feel that freedom, that "protection" in numbers if you will? Would it not then benefit each local congregation to have a plurality of elders? "Pray the Lord of the harvest send..." What if He did? What if the Lord sent multiple gifted brethren into your midst? Would you welcome them to labor alongside you, feeding the flock?

Consider how lovely it would be to be able each Sunday morning to both hear and to preach. To be able to both feed and be fed. Consider how precious the feeling that when you got up first in the stand and felt no liberty that you could step down, trusting that the Lord had planted in your laboring brother’s heart and in his tongue the "Word of the Lord" for today. Or perhaps to not even get up if you were to go second and say, brother I have not the word of the Lord today, you take the rest of the time if you like, knowing that the sheep have been and might continue to be fed? Oh the sweet rest in Jesus that all his ministers might feel if this were the case.

Brethren, have we prayed diligently that the Lord of the harvest would send laborers? Do we continue diligently to do so?