A young man recounted the time he had seen an older man in the church one day and went to greet him asking, "How are you today?" The older gentleman responded, "Well, hello young man. I am doing just fine. How is your soul today?" When I read those words I could feel the weight of the question and understood how it shocked the young man. The response was not how are you but how is your soul.
What a piercing question. Yet, it is one pregnant with significance that, if its implications are heeded, could yield precious fruit. The question was "How is your soul" could also be phrased as a question of admonition: "Have you studied your soul?" It is really a question, or better, a call, to self examination since nothing is more critical to growing in Christlikeness (godliness) than self examination. This is the discipline of inspecting our lives and, to the degree that we can, our affections to see ourselves (our souls) at a given moment or season in our lives.
It is not that the practice of self examination is, in itself, holiness but it is beyond question that if we are not examining our lives we are not aware of what is driving us and whether our actions are consistent with godliness. In fact, so crucial is this connection, that the apostle Paul challenged the Corinthians church, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" If this is true for the believer, how much more true (and necessary) is it for those believers who provide leadership to the people of God?
Paul commands the Ephesian elders, "Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). The call to "pay careful attention" means "to be in a continuous state of readiness to learn of any future danger, need, or error, and to respond appropriately" (Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A.,1996). It is given not simply because it is a good thing to do. Elders must do this because of the precious reality of their calling which is to be stewards of the souls of those for whom Christ shed His blood. Pastoral ministry is not a glamorous calling, despite what it may appear as in America. That this is a dangerous calling (the title of an insightful book written by Paul David Tripp) will clearly be seen when elders have to give account for those they lead (Hebrews 13:17).
Paul provides a more detailed explanation of this charge to the Ephesians elders in his charge to Timothy who, at that time, happened to be the pastor at Ephesus. He commands Timothy,
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an
example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the
public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which
was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these
things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on
yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and
your hearers (1 Timothy 4:11–16).
An elder's personal growth and progress in the Lord should be evident to those he leads. But this involves the regular examination (studying) the soul to ensure that the exposition of an elder's life (his moral responses to life) matches the exposition that comes from his lips (his teaching). The underlined portions above are those things that Paul commanded Timothy to do (or not do, in the case of v.12a) and these commands form the basis of what an elder is to examine regarding himself. Specifically, Paul sums them all up with "Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching" (v16). By "yourself" Paul is referring to Timothy's moral example. By "teaching" refers to his careful study and presentation of the scripture (2 Timothy 2:15).
Immorality, indifference to private devotion, negligence in spiritual care over the flock, flippant regard for sound and careful study, mistreatment of those you lead, responding in anger or vengeance, the pursuit of praise, along with a host of other matters, are all evidences of an elder who is not examining himself. The externals will eventually wear thin and reveal the truth of a man - the heart. The neglect of a leader's self examination is beyond a dereliction of duty; it will only end in disaster. King Saul's inability to examine himself lost him the kingdom and, Samuel said, it would given to someone "who is better than you" (1 Samuel 15:28).This may happen in this life but if not, it will certainly happen before the eyes of the one with whom we must give an account (Hebrews 4:13).
Richard Baxter, in his book The Reformed Pastor gave these compelling words to the need for minister's to give heed to their lives
“The ministerial work must be carried on purely for God and the salvation of souls, not for any
private ends of our own. A wrong end makes all the work bad, how good soever it may be in its
own nature. It is not serving God, but ourselves, if we do it not for God, but for ourselves. They
who engage in this as a common work, to make a trade of it for their worldly livelihood, will find
that they have chosen a bad trade, though a good employment. Self-denial is of absolute
necessity in every Christian, but it is doubly necessary in a minister, as without it he cannot do
God an hour’s faithful service. Hard study, much knowledge, and excellent preaching, if the ends
be not right, is but more glorious hypocritical sinning.”
Elder's who fail in this are, despite the externals, are false leaders. It has nothing to do with the size of the church. Pastor's of churches with 20 members are not permitted to shrink from this duty anymore than pastor's with 100's to 1000's of members. In the end, all of us, regardless of the size of our stewardship, will stand to give an account for our lives and those we lead. When giving account for the lives of those we lead I think we will all feel that the accounting of only 10 members a fearful and daunting process.
How is your soul?