Recognition and Installation

In this part of the sermon: This section introduces the fourth crucial aspect: a biblically established standard for the actual recognition and installation of church officers. It follows a logical…

The analogy of a king providing a manual with directives for his army captains and quartermasters is used to illustrate that God not only gives qualifications but also guidelines for the process of recognizing and installing church officers.

Now, do you see the logical progression of concern? I hope you do, because I didn't just throw all these things in a hat and say, which one should we take? But I tried to think them through. Once we are determined to recognize only those whose name and number matches the word of God, namely elders and deacons, and once we are committed to seek them only from the ranks of the adult males within the congregation as scripture warrants, and once we're determined to seek such adult males with the divinely given standard before us, a biblically established standard for the actual recognition and ins...

11:28 - 12:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: In this whole matter the activity of Christ and the Holy Spirit are not theoretical. Actual. They are real. Reality. To be excepted.

Martin uses the example of Christ not physically marking men with 'D' for deacon or 'E' for elder, nor giving prophetic utterances, to clarify that Christ's equipping and giving of officers is not through visible, miraculous means but through the Holy Spirit's work.

I've never seen Christ come down in this congregation and put a mark on a man's head with a big D as a deacon, and another man's head put a big E, that's an elder.

17:48 - 17:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the three ways the congregation is active: corporately intelligent assessment (Acts 6), biblically mandated suffrage (Acts 6, Acts 14:23, 2 Corinthians 8:19), and…

The analogy of army ranks (majors, captains, quartermasters) is used to describe the roles of apostles, elders, and deacons, helping to visualize the structure and need for different offices in the church.

And now when it comes time to have not just captains although apostles were more than captains I've got to change my imagery. They were at least up not generals. I don't like generals. The Lord's the general in his army.

37:05 - 37:20 Read in full sermon

The point: Watch out for anything that takes away the centrality of preaching, as it will chip away at biblical standards in leadership and worship.

The analogy of leaven infecting a whole congregation is used to describe how sin, if countenanced by incompetent leaders, can spread and corrupt the entire church.

exercise godly discipline where necessary offerings that are offensive to their flesh and it's always a grass roots erosion of the membership that precedes a lowering of the standards of the captains and the quarter masters it's all tied together folks and if we grieve the holy spirit and Christ's presence is just a name and not a reality we will not see him conferring gifts upon men and graces and then god will say alright I've had enough of your foolishness you go on claiming to love me and be evangelical and believe the bible and even reform but you so greed me you know what I'm going to do...

51:55 - 53:24 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the matters of leadership lightly, as no greater curse could come than for God to remove competent leaders and give incompetent ones.

Paul's warning about wolves arising from within the church is cited to counter any perception of 'paranoia' in warning about the dangers of incompetent leadership, emphasizing realism in light of Scripture.

who will countenance sin that like leaven will infect others until a whole congregation sees with the infectious influence of leaven sin not doubt in a biblical way let me say it faster you're getting paranoid in your old age my friends that's a wicked thought I'm not being paranoid in my old age I'm being realistic in the light of my bible you're going to call Paul paranoid when he said I know that from your very own selves men shall arise to draw away disciples was he paranoid when he says wolves he was a realist and that's why he put before you the word of God so when anyone's proposed you ...

53:24 - 54:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take the matters of leadership lightly, as no greater curse could come than for God to remove competent leaders and give incompetent ones.

Martin mentions a 'true tale of horror' about churches suffering from incompetent leadership, which he would share in a separate meeting, to underscore the severity and reality of the danger he is warning against.

dear people don't take these things lightly no greater curse could come to you than for God to say I'll take away and I will give you if I thought it would be unto edification I'd take a whole service couldn't do it in a sermon you wouldn't be preaching I'd violate what I've said say we're going to have a special meeting some Friday night I'm going to give you a true tale of horror the kind of messes I'm called upon to try to help people thorn out principle men of God and he's given them boys and incompetence to beat them and maybe you believe the danger's real in this place but look to our de...

54:49 - 56:12 Read in full sermon