for them. Chris, God has called you to this task. Truly, it is a calling. It is a compulsion, I know, in your own heart, and it is a heaven-sent summons to you to invest your lives in the saints. They may safely arrive in glory. That's our job as pastors. We help the saints make it all the way to heaven. That's the most pithy, sweetest, accurate definition of our work that I can imagine. We want to make it to glory together, and we shall. Chris, you've stated your desire to once more put your hands on the plow and to help Jeff and I. And in observing your life in the year and a half plus now that you've been back from the field, we've seen, indeed, evidences for that, that it is your desire to do so. So this is a natural sort of thing that we're doing. It's obviously needed, and we're grateful. was listening to Chris lead the service one Lord's Day morning about six months ago, and I was sitting there next to Judy, being blessed by his ministry, the comments he had made, and the way that he made them. And I was just taken with something I shared with you after, and I've said it to you several times after. This man has spiritual authority. He has authority from on high. It's just clear, it's just obvious. You can cut it with a knife and serve it in sections to each person. This is a God-called man, and we're grateful you're in our midst, brother. You've stated your desire to help us once more. You were a pastor in this church before you went to the field. You served as a pastor and a training of other pastors 18 years in the big country and two years in Malaysia. And now you're back in God's providence with us And we will indeed disengage that pause button, put you to work. We're ready, we're excited to have you join us on this elder board. And from my perspective, again, I'll say it a million times probably, this is an answer to many prayers. And I am profoundly grateful to God for you and for your life and for your sweet bride, for your hospitable spirit, your love for the saints. So the comments I make this morning are directed to Jeff and I as well. We need these reminders. I trust we'll be benefited by this content. Passers in general are those, as you know, who are called by God to teach, train, equip, refresh, laugh with, cry with, admonish, and sometimes rebuke those that the Lord in his providence has given us to care for. This is what we do. This is our job, our calling. And in short, God tells us as pastors and as shepherds that we are to be a blessing in the lives of others. We are to be men who want to bless the flock that God has given us. We are men who are men of the word, men who love the word, men who take the word seriously, certainly imperfect men. But these are imperfect men who are given over to the practice of God's word, this beloved word that he has blessed us with. And Chris, I know that you know that you are imperfect, and I know that Jeff knows that you are imperfect, and I'm imperfect, and Jeff, we are imperfect. Welcome to the club. Welcome to ministry. And it's true that all truly called pastors are abundantly aware of their imperfections and their weaknesses. And that truth, that realization keeps us constantly looking up to the Lord for help and our duties. Amen? Larry, amen? 41 years here. Dear Larry's gonna lay hands on this brother too. We're glad you're here. Imperfect men seeking to do good. So last week, this church, this congregation unanimously voted their confidence that Chris is the next man called of God to be their next shepherd. So this morning we're gonna recognize him to examine his role briefly as a returning pastor elder at Gateway Church, a role that we are absolutely confident God has abundantly prepared him for and qualified him to. And so we'll spend a little time examining particulars of that call and the particulars of the congregation's response to his call. I trust that when we're all done this morning, in just a little bit, we'll be filled with gratitude and filled with rejoicing at God's faithfulness in providing this man for us, eager and willing to respond biblically to his ministry in our midst. So it's my conviction, as it is yours, that Chris's qualifications are in keeping with those stated in 1 Timothy 3. I invite you to stand in honor of God's word as I read this text. I will not be unpacking this text. You know this text. You're all well-taught. You know what it says. These are the qualifications for overseers, for elders, for bishops, for presbyteroi. This is the teaching of God's Word. The saying is trustworthy. If anyone aspires to the office of an overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive. And if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will they care for God's church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. This is the reading of God's word. You may be seated. The parallel text, as you know, is in Titus 1, 6-9, where these thoughts are essentially repeated. In those texts, is contained a clear call to all who would presume to be shepherd, a shepherd of the people of God. And another text that I'll read in a moment describes the spirit that those called ones should have in their hearts towards their congregations. And Chris, I believe this to be true of your heart, and it is found in 1 Peter 5, 2 and 3, and this is the teaching there. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. What stands out to me most immediately from this text is the following. Pastors are called to service. Pastors are called to be servants, not of themselves, but of others. towards all that the Lord entrusts to their care. Jesus has brought you innumerable blessings, innumerable kindnesses. So are you now, according to this text like this, in a spirit of gratitude for such things to go and bring like blessings, the saints here at Gateway. And I am confident you will do so. We wouldn't be here today. I'm confident. And actually, and honestly, all of us are on the hook to model these sorts of things to one another, to have an attitude like that of our Lord Jesus, the attitude of a servant, the greatest servant of all time. And we are told in Philippians 2 that his life is to be the pattern for our own. And this is a familiar text that we will read, the longest text I will read to you this morning. You know this teaching, and I call your attention to it once more. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself. By taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. That's our marching order for all of us, leader and led. And in that text, I believe we find a mindset that's in complete contradistinction to that of this fallen world. In that text, we find that greatness is found in giving and honor is found in humility. It's a tall order. Chris, you and I who are leaders of the church of our Lord Jesus should be under no delusion or no confusion. We are servants, first, last, and all points in between. Servant leaders as was our Lord. Others focused, not self-focused, serving willingly and humbly and carefully. We care little for the applause of men We care deeply for the growth of Christ's likeness in our people. That's what we're about. We're not spiritual know-it-alls. We are not mini-popes, nor are we petty tyrants who delight to lord over the sheep. We are not characterized by a spirit of heavy-handedness and authoritarianism. Heaven forbid we should fall into that ditch. We are men who are under the authority of Christ and graced by Christ to lead his people. I share this illustration whenever I do an ordination. It comes from my dear friend, Josh Sheldon, who's a pastor in Sunnyvale. And he tells a story about when he was working on his MDiv at Western Seminary, and one of his profs, I forgot his prof's name, told him in the middle of an ecclesiology class, he says, men, you do not have the right to beat the sheep. And we do not. And we have seen this in the past, and some of us have been tormented a little bit by that in the past. May we never be found doing that. We may not treat the saints with harshness or condescension. And Chris, knowing you the way I do, I know you won't. A spirit like that will be the last thing we would expect from you, and we are grateful that you model to us a kindly, gracious, and humble spirit. You will be so easy for us all to follow. So easy. You'll make it so wonderful for us. So Gateway Saints, the scripture is very clear. There are limitations with regard to how we are to follow our leaders. And we follow them only insofar as they follow Christ. And that is a truth that Paul states most clearly, succinctly in 1 Corinthians 11, verse one, where he says, be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. In other words, he's saying this, I'm following Jesus. You follow too. Let's follow him together. That's what this is all about. And Paul wants us to get it, and he makes that principle clear once more in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 9, where he states that himself, Silvanus, and Timothy had offered themselves, quote, as a model for you so that you would follow our example. Modeling is an essential aspect of pastoral work. Leaders are to be followed only so far as they follow Jesus. That far, no farther. We have no right to expect something from you that the Bible says we do not have the right to do. We all are under that charge. I like texts like Hebrews 13. Verse 17, quite sobering for both the lead as well as those who are the leaders in the church of Jesus. When we read this, obey your leaders and submit to them for they are keeping watch over your souls. Think about that. They are watching over your soul, the wellspring of your personhood, your real identity. They care about the real you, your soul. says they watch over your souls as those who have to give an account. We should take our breaths away. We have to give an account for our shepherding. We're on the hook to do it right, to do it properly, to do it the Lord's way, to be thorough, to be attentive to details. We give an account. And then the charge to you, dear saints at Gateway, is let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. If you resist and reject and kick against the goats are Christ saturated attempts to bring blessing to you, you will suffer. You will be less than what you could be. We watch your soul. We watch over your soul. We're checking, observing, seeing if you're spiritually healthy. We're called to feed your soul healthy things. That's our job. At times, we might bring a word of correction to you. Perhaps we'll sit down together to work through a rough spot now and then, but we're called to be God's blessing to you. the means that God has employed to promote your growth and bring ongoing enhanced sanctification in him. Chris, that's what we're about, and you know this. And we prayed before this service, and I told him, I'm not gonna teach you anything you don't know. You're gonna teach me, probably. These are the reminders. These reminders are given to us that we will be kept safe in this community, this blessed community, this forever family, this institution God calls the church, the blood-bought ones of Jesus. And when we gladly follow the leadership of faithful elders, then their service will indeed be a joy, not a grief, either to themselves or to you. So dear ones, please encourage Chris by your willingness to eagerly submit to his faithful service on your behalf. He's not doing it for himself. He's doing it for you. and may his labors in our midst always work to our spiritual gain and profit. So I have a few side notes. If, as we move forward in the life of this church, there is a misunderstanding or concern you might have with one of your pastors, please come quickly to us so we can work it through. Don't let it fester, please, I beg you. If you have a misunderstanding, come talk. And as you come to talk with us, do it in this sort of a spirit, quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. That is the teaching found in James chapter one. Please, please avoid thinking the worst. Be willing to think the best. Be eager, willing, able to let love cover the offense. Tuck these things away. And again, Hebrews is a big help. 1214, I'm thinking of, strive for peace with everyone for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. You see, a failure to pursue this peace may well result in many troubles, many injuries to the souls of the brethren here. Pursue these things, be diligent, active. So a few other things. As a congregation, historically, you have been faithful to honor Paul's teaching regarding the financial care of pastors, whose primary job is to teach in this local assembly. Being that I'm the only one of your elders enabled to serve you full-time for this privilege, I thank you. I am thankful, but both Jeff and Chris have their primary work found in the secular realm. They are busy, too. Their duties at times are demanding and they are stressful. So the three of us, what I'm trying to say is we'll have differing levels of bandwidth or availability to you, to offer you. And it's appropriate for myself as the only paid elder, the greater majority of the shepherding work will be given to me. But having said that, all of us desire to be available to you should you have need for us. And please know, and this is true, I know these men, All of us, whether paid or not paid, we will labor to be faithful to care for you, irrespective of levels of financial support. Tuck that away. So I want to ask you a favor, a favor of response should not be too difficult. Please, please respond to Chris's labors in your midst in the same way as you have so graciously responded to those of Jeff and myself. Bless him in that way that you have blessed us. And I think the spirit is found accurately described and properly modeled by you as we see in 1 Thessalonians 5. I think you do this well, Gateway Saints. Respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Thank you for making us feel loved and respected and cared for. Called of God to be here in your midst to bless you. because pastoral ministry can indeed be a bit rough at times. And especially when you have a full-time secular job, to accomplish the weeks are full and demanding. We call it life, right? We all have one. We're all busy. Pastoral workloads often have large ebbs and flows, and those workloads are largely unpredictable. There's not really a script to prepare oneself for them. You just kind of day at a time, and expectancy, see what God's gonna bring this time. Many of the things that happen pastorally in this church are private. They're conducted behind the scenes, and that is appropriate. They are personal and private. And it is not at all uncommon for those in ministry, pastoral work, to have frequent and close contact with things that are very painful and difficult aspects of the human experience. They can wear on you a little bit. And again, these things come in seasons, they come in waves, and that just tends to be the nature of ministry. So pray for us that we would seek and find the help of the Lord as we do our ministry. And please, once more, bless our brother by continuing to be warmhearted and loving in your congregational response to your pastors. Appreciate him, love him. Make his efforts in your midst a joy to perform. And then finally, probably of the greatest importance, keep us in your prayers. Pray for us that we would have a good conscience desiring to act honorably in all things. Seems to me if the giant of the faith, the Apostle Paul, had need for prayer, how much more so his clay-feated shepherds at Gateway Church. We have need for those prayers. Do pray for us. Pray for me, pray for Jeff, pray for Chris, pray for our deacon Jim, pray for others who are currently seeking God's will for them by potentially joining our elder and deacon boards, and there are other men who are praying about that even now. Pray for us. Pray that all of your church officers would have their consciences consistently held captive to the will of God. And now I'm gonna give you another little bucket list of prayers, and this is how we'll close. Pray that our labors would be fruitful and eternally significant. That is so important. Pray that we would be protected against moral failure and disqualifying sins. Pray that the ministry of the word would be accurate and encouraging. Pray that our counseling ministry in your midst would bring blessing and ongoing conformity to Jesus, always fueled, always resting on the authority of the scripture. Pray, too, that we would have much encouragement of the Holy Ghost as we step out in faith to lead you as we ought to. Pray, too, please, that our health would be preserved that we will be granted many years of useful service in this place, greatly equipped use of the Lord to edify all of you members of this local assembly. Chris, I spoke these words to Jeff at his ordination. It was September 22nd, 2019. Brother, it's how the time flies. I want to repeat these words to you on the happy day of your ordination today. Come from 1 Timothy 2, verses 5 through 7. We read there, for there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. For this, Paul says, I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am telling the truth. I'm not lying, parentheses. A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Congregation, that is the message that you are to keep him about, focused, informed upon. Allow for no deviations in his pastoral ministry. These are the words of life. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only hope, the only hope for a fallen humanity. Help our brother faithfully administer it. Be to him a blessing. And Chris, that teaching is clear. It is weighty. It is focused. Jesus Christ is the only hope, the only way. You know this. Stay true to your charge as a shepherd of the flock gathered here at Gateway. One day, I trust and pray you and I and Jeff will have to give an account. May God be gracious to us and allow us to be faithful in that account. On that great and blessed day when we are by his grace gathered in the glory, may we look back at the events and the shared years of ministry together and say something like this. Look at the marvelous things which the Lord has done. Amen. May it be so. Amen. Amen. So with no further ado, I'd like to invite Chris, Jeff, and Pastor Trummel to come forward. And we're going to lay hands on this man and commit him to his work. Come on up on top so everybody can see you. And maybe Chris will have you on this step, and Jeff and Larry and I will right behind you. Larry's going to begin. I'll be in the middle. Father in heaven, what a joyful occasion it calls us together in your church. And your church, Lord, today confesses that we've seen your kindness, we've seen your grace, we've seen your gift, and here he is before us. And we thank you, Lord, that you are that God and that only God who answers prayer. And Lord, this is not a work of man, this is not something that's come about by great exertion and effort on the part of men. But Lord, out of your kindness, as your people have sought your face, you've answered and given your gifts. And Lord, we also think at this time of our Lord and Savior as the one who has come, has died, been raised, and also ascended. And in that, he has given gifts. And so we recognize above all, our head, our Lord, our Savior, the victorious one, your son Jesus Christ. And it's because of him that we're all together in this building at this time this morning and we thank you. Lord, we pray for your continued grace. We pray for these brothers who seek to live and work and serve as a team. And we pray, Lord, you give them grace with one another that they find their working relationship to be of you and that their service, Lord, would be faithful and that it would be fruitful according to your will. And we pray, Lord, for your church. We pray for the gospel in this world, that through the service of these men in this church, that glorious name above every name will be spread far and wide, and there'll be yet many others who'll come, who'll bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to your glory. And so, Father, thank you for this occasion. Give your blessing to this brother and to these brothers together, and to this, your church. For Christ's sake, we ask you, amen. Father, everything my brother has just said, amen. I pray briefly for Chris. You would keep him steadfast, you would keep him encouraged, that he would just be delighted by the call that you placed before him. Waiting it, evaluating it, knowing that there's no greater thing he could do in this life. Oh Lord, give him rich fruit. Remaining abiding, may He continually pour treasure at your feet and feel the door. Well done, good and faithful servant. Oh Lord, do these things for our brother and be with his bride and help her father to be as strong in my arm as I know she is and has been for long years. We thank you for Shirley and her life. We pray that this marriage, this Santiago marriage, be dynamic and useful. Amen. Father, I likewise add my yes and amen to my brother's prayers for Chris and for Shirley as well. Lord, we thank you for raising this one up in our midst now twice here in this congregation. Father, I remember when we first brought Chris into the ministry as an elder here, many were thinking, I thought he already was a pastor. So it's obvious that Chris's heart is that of a shepherd or another pastor, Lord. having served here in years past, and then that missionary in faraway lands, acting as a pastor and a trainer of pastors over the years, Lord, you have equipped him marvelously for the work that you have called him to do. So Lord, we lift him up, we thank you again for bringing him back to us here, Father, that we might bring him now into the ministry. As our third elder here, we want to bless you for your gifts that you've given to us and to this congregation. We thank you for the gifts you've given to our brother, that he might be useful for you in our midst. Lord, as we lift him up, ensure me as well, pray, Father, that you would give him just a wonderful ministry, a wonderful testimony, and just a life of service to you, Father, that that might be a continuation of the years of work that he has already done in your house and for your name's sake. Would you be with our brother? Would you be with us? Might we likewise continue to recognize him and his gifts, Lord, and to be those that would lift him up and honor him. Lord, as he seeks to follow you, might we follow after him as well. So Father, we lift our brother up. We thank you again, Lord, for him and his life and his ministry. We thank you for this church. We pray, Father, all of these things now in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, piano lady, come on up. All right, to conclude our happy morning together, if you would take up your black hymns of grace hymnal once again. Turn with me to number 354. 354, we'll sing the church's one foundation. 354. Once you turn there, if you're able, please stand. The Church's combination is Jesus Christ, her Lord. She is His new creation by Spirit and the Word. From heav'n He came and sought her to make His holy Make rids of what He offered, and for her life He died. He led from every nation, yet won her all the earth. Her charter and salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth. ♪ One holy name she blesses ♪ ♪ Our days with holy food ♪ ♪ And to one holy presence ♪ ♪ With every grace endued ♪ ♪ Mid toil and tribulation ♪ ♪ And through woe and through war ♪ ♪ He wakes the consummation of peace forevermore ♪ ♪ Till with knowledge and glorious firm longing eyes are blessed ♪ ♪ And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest ♪ ♪ Let the honor have union ♪ ♪ With God the three in one ♪ ♪ And this day receive communion ♪ ♪ With those whose rest is won ♪ ♪ O happy ones and holy ♪ ♪ Forgiveness, grace, and peace ♪ A couple of quick notes before we conclude with the benediction. We have a house full of guests and old family members here. We do, I believe, have some snacks in back. You're welcome to stick around, enjoy a season of fellowship and catching up with one another for a while. Mike, I'm not sure if we have any other, anything else coming up? Okay, let me turn here. Then for our benediction, comes out of Ephesians 3. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the Church, by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Amen. You are dismissed. I don't know. All right. His new creation by water and blood.