Many times I run across people at church who look at me, I am 33 and tell me I am very young and do not know anything.   They tell me they are my elders in the church.   And while this word Elder does have a meaning of "old man" physical age does not automatically make a person an elder.

What makes someone an elder is the length of time they have been born again, the spiritual level they are at, their fruits, and their ability to lead.   

In Heaven, there are many people who died in their old age and were saved for 50 years, however they did not grow and have a tremendous learning curve.   They were taught a certain way and had their stubborn ideas about the Bible and anytime people who were younger tried to tell them something, they would put them down that they are young and don't know too much, using their length of being saved as an excuse not to grow.   For example, I have a family member who was always taught that even Jesus did not know the day or hour of the rapture and has been saved for a long time and is quite older than me.   I said, that yes Jesus does know for He is God....and that this statement was a reference to the Ancient Jewish Wedding Feast and that merely Jesus was giving respect to His Father to finish the Bridal Chamber prior to the rapture.

Then there are those who were saved for say 15, 20 or 30 years and used every single minute in the word, preaching, moving in anointing and miracles.    These people grew in patience, understanding, visions, miracles and would be an elder.

The age of a person and length of a person's salvation does not necessarily make them an elder.   However if one has the fruits of the spirit and they have something from the Lord to say, then fasting and covering this message in prayer is the only way to get to someone who could be older than you.   The Spirit of God has to convict people from within.    I notice that when I say something to someone who is older than me, say in their 60's or 70's, they automatically get defensive.    I notice how I will tell my family my visions and dreams that I have everyday and they act annoyed.   But then when they have a vision or dream, it is some huge event and I am supposed to listen intently.   Why is there such a lack of respect on each side because of age?    Is it some sort of jealousy that one who is older is not moving in the Spirit like the young?   Are the older generation fearful that the youth are moving into the occult?   Are the young being arrogant and thinking they know everything and then feeling overly sensitive when an older person gives constructive criticisms?    Are we letting our inferiority in the Body of Christ make us want to try to step on each other by mocking, always criticizing, or never taking constructive criticism?  

We are the Bride, the Body of Christ.........we are bound together forever.   Before we start looking at age as being a precursor as being an elder, let us look at the age of the person's spirit.    Possibly a young person who has the spiritual level of an elder may not have tact as an older person.   In this case it would seem wise to have the younger person write the lesson and the older present them.   I have noticed in many times that grandfathers do not speak very often, but when they do they command attention from the entire family.   The grandson or granddaughter usually will talk more and may not be taken as seriously.