1 Timothy 5:17-21
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.” 19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
As we continue in our Midweek Devotion in Paul's first epistle to Timothy, I would like to jump to Chapter 5:17-21 for now. I will leave the part for widows which we can revisit next time.
I would like to get our attention in this midweek devotion on the important attitude of every believers towards their elders. As previously taught, Elders of the local churches are those appointed Disciples of Jesus Christ who advanced to the calling of leadership of the church. Elders are those who are responsible for the affairs of the church directly, who can make a decision for the assembly, and able to teach and preach like a shepherd as a way to feed the sheepfold of God assigned to him.
Paul would like us to be reminded that we as members of the body of Christ have to learn the discipline of giving honour due to our elders who administered the church with special mention for those whose work is preaching and teaching. These are specifically an important role for an elder and not all elders engaged in this kind of activity as their primary ministry.
But Paul is not just suggesting but giving his apostolic instruction to follow such directive. He explicitly explained that the worker deserves his wages and giving honour pastors are not too much to demand for them. Again, this instruction is contextually referring to the faithful working pastors in the church in the minstry of the stewardship of the Word of God. Paul described such in 1 Corithians 4:1-2 as well, saying:
1 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
Therefore, anyone who are in this eldership with preaching and teaching tasks, as what the Apostle Paul requires - must prove to be faithful steward of the mysteries of God's revelation. To preach is to proclaim the word of truth and nothing but the truth that was revealed in the scripture, no more and no less. Likewise, to teach is to help the fellow congregation to understand what they are believing because understanding is the activity of faith, thus produces confidence and assurance towards one's understanding.
Remember that faith is the gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). The whole of Hebrews 11 also defined faith and gave examples of faith, starting from the understanding of God's mysteries and miracles.
Hebrews 11:1-3
1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Because the Spirit of God is poured only to His people, they who have the spirit of God will then know the things of God. And those who were entrusted the mysteries of God are commanded by Christ to teach them among the disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
1 Corinthians 2:6-11
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
The services that is being rendered by our elders/pastors are of no joke in them. We have to give them due respect and double honour as they labour on the understanding of the truth in Christ. Our assembly's central theme for this year, Exposition of the Truth in Christ, is focusing mainly to the faithful understanding of the Truth, which is the Word of God. But such labouring should not only rest among them, but to all of us as well. We are to be like a Berean who studied diligently and just like the advise of Paul, that we should examine ourselves if we truly are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), a genuine faith in Christ Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
Faith is our assurance and confidence. Faith is part of our armour which serve as our shield (Ephesians 6:16 - In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.).
Faith serves as our protection from all the arrows of the enemy which is lies, corruption, and evil accussations. Faith is to shield the whole body that is clothed with helmet of salvation, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, and boots of readiness from the Gospel of Peace. The word of God is our sword, indeed, the sword of the Spirit to combat the evil who wants to advance to destroy the finished work of Christ in the lives of His people.
Therefore, being faithful is to engage in this battle for the integrity of the truth we proclaim but also to teach them diligently without error or falsehood. As Jeremiah 3:15 said, the great shepherds are one after God's heart and lead us to wisdom and understanding, which is finding faith in heart as the spiritual gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jeremiah 3:15 - Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
Though still a month before the Pastors' appreciation month in October, let us give honour to them not just in external appreciation but by living a life taught by them from the pages of scriptures - in truthfulness, in faithfullness, and in righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Comments
Post a Comment