ESTEEMED ELDERS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.

1 Timothy 5:17-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If a pastor is properly fulfilling his responsibility to the church, they are very busy. Spend anytime serving in a church outside of just showing up for worship every Sunday and you will learn this.

The Greek word that gets translated as pastor, episkopos, is also translated as overseer or elder. We looked at the special qualification criteria for this leading church position in the opening verses of 1 Timothy 3 (verses 1 through 7).We find this interchangeable use of overseer and elder in regard to the primary leader of the church as we look at our passage today from the fifth chapter of this letter, verses 17 through 20:

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.

Here we see Paul exhorting the Christian church in Ephesus to hold their elders in esteem, especially if they preached and taught as Timothy was doing. This esteem was to be especially elevated as these extremely diligent and faithful servants were to receive “double honor” for the way that they directed “the affairs of the church”.

The person serving in a pastoral role should also be compensated for their work. Just as it would be cruel for a person to muzzle an ox and not offer it a portion of the food it is helping produce, a church shouldn’t hold back wages for the one who is dedicating so much time and energy to ensure the church is led properly and the congregation is shepherded and cared for in Christ. Indeed, this key worker deserves his wages.

Now, note that this passage doesn’t just place obligation on the church to recognize and pay their pastor. It also calls for close monitoring and accountability if discipline is needed.

Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.

Note that mere accusations aren’t to be taken without careful consideration. One person bringing a charge could simply be trying to smear or falsely accuse the church leader. This is why two or three witnesses are required, the standard given by God in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 19:15).

If an accusation proves to be true and the pastor is guilty of violating their high standards of spiritual responsibility, then they are to be called out publicly, rebuked and reprimanded in front of everyone. For when willingly falling into sin and violating their pastoral obligation, leading church heads are sinning and violating against the people who have placed their faith and trust in him. Those congregants deserve to be aware of what had happened but there is a secondary reason for this very open censuring. For it served to send warning to other church leaders who might fall into the same trap of transgression.

In other words, the open exposing of the pastor’s wrongs would hopefully serve as a deterrent so the mistakes of the past would not be repeated elsewhere.

Today, these words still hold great significance to the Christian church. We still need to ensure our pastors receive “double honor” for all the hard work and effort they invest in the church. Congregations should do everything they can to ensure their pastor knows they are appreciated and valued.

Congregations also need to make sure their pastors are leading, teaching, and preaching properly as well as living privately in a way that fully honors Christ and His church. If sin is discovered and verified by two or more witnesses, then the public revealing of the iniquities is necessary in obedience to the scriptures. Unchecked sin will be the downfall of any church that is complicit in eradicating it. This is certain.

Our elders and pastors are to be esteemed and they should always respect the lofty place of leadership they occupy because as the old saying goes, “The higher up you are, the harder the fall.”

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.