Attitude Tward Leaders

Tim Newman

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Through much of the letter Paul has addressed individual people, but here he addresses the group as a whole, the entire Church

This is not intended to be all about me, but inevetblly part of todays message will be.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 CSB

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers and sisters: warn those who are idle, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Don’t stifle the Spirit. 20 Don’t despise prophecies, 21 but test all things. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will do it. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us also. 26 Greet all the brothers and sisters with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers and sisters. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I. The Work vs. 12-13

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 CSB

1 Thes 5:12

The leaders here are the elders of the Church. As Baptists we can get frightened by the term elder, but it simply is one of the three titles for pastor (elder, Bishop, overseer) These were men who worked hard providing pastoral care for the flock

this most likely was in their spare time since in the early church leaders often carried full time Jobs outside the Church although Paul was not a Pastor he did this too, He was a tentmaker.

Paul describes these leader’s as being over you in the Lord. every pastor has a position of leadership inside the Church and is responsible before God for those under his care

Paul describes theese leaders abs being over you in the Lord. every pastor has a position of leadership inside the Church and is responsible befor God for those under their care

Hebrews 13:17 CSB

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Heb

This is a mighty charge and one that no Pastor Should take lightly

Paul gives three exhortations to the church with the Leaders in mind

They were to respect the leaders

esteem them

To live in Peace with each other

in verse 12 Paul tells the Church to give recognition to, this carries with it the meaning of respect.

This is not to say to hail them as king or to put them on a pedestal but rather to respect.

verse 13 tells the Church to regard them highly in Love.

verse 13 tells the Church to regard them highly in Love. this should be an attitude as that all have toward Church leaders. to treat them well and hold highly. Many pastors are mistreated or even despised by some church members. it is all too bad when this occurs Paul taught that all should be held in High esteem because of what their responsibilities were before God “because of their work” If there is no other reason to respect church leaders

this should be an attitude as that all have toward Church leaders. to treat them well and hold highly.

in verse 12 Paul tells the Church to give reognition too, this carries with it the meaning of respect. This is not to say to hail them as king or to put them on a petistol but rather to respect.

Many pastors are mistreated or even despised by some church members. it is all too bad when this occurs Paul taught that all should be held in High esteem because of what their responsibilities were before God “because of their work”

Pray for your Pastor

97% of Pastors have been betrayed, fasly accused or hurt by trusted friends

70% of Pastors battle depression

7,000 Churches close each year

1,500 Pastors leave the ministery each month

10% of all pastors will retire as a pastor

80% of Pastors feel discouraged

94% of pastor’s families feel the presure of ministery

78% of Pastos hav no close friends

90% of Pastors report working 55-75 hours per week

I do around 70

Pray for me

The third instruction given was to live with each other in peace

verse 13 tells the Church to regard them highly in Love. this shold be an attitude as that all have tward Church leaders. to treat them well and hold highly. Many pastors are mistreated or even dispised by some church members. it is all to bad when this occurs Paul taught that all should be held in High esteem because of what there responsibilities were before God “because of there work” If there is no other reason to respect church leaders

in the Thessalonica Church peaceful relationships existed, and therefore Paul was encouraging them to maintain this

The third istruction given was to live with each other in pece in the thesolinica Church peaceful relationships existed, and therfore Paul was encougeing them to maintain this

II. The Attitude 14- 18

1 Thessalonians 5:14–18 ESV

14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1Thes

Every believer has four continuing responsibilities

1. pew warmers need to be warned.

Those who neglect their duties need to be stirred up to action.

2. the fainthearted need to be encouraged

these people tend to be discouraged more easily than most. they need to be cheered up and encouraged to press on and extra help to live Christian life.

pew warmers need to be warrned. Those who neglect thier duites need to be stired up to action.

3. Help the week:

these people have not yet learned to lean on the Lord as much as they should for their spiritual needs until they do they need strong support from other believers. Obviously, all of us are week and need the strength that comes only from Christ but those who are new believers or week spiritually need more than most.

the faintharted need to be encourged theese beople tend to be discourged more easily than most. they need to be cheered up and encourged to press on and extra help to live Christian life.

4. Be patient with them all:

one of the fruits of the spirit is being patient and this is the command here, to be patient with everyone. this stems from the preceding three.

Help the week: theese people have not yet learned to lean on the Lord as much as they should for thier spirtual needs until they do they need strong support from other believers. Obviously all of us are week and need the strength that comes only from Christ but those who are new belivers or week spirtually need more than most.

Be patient with them all: one of the fruits of the spirit is being patient and this is the comand here, to be pacent with everyone. this stems from the preceding three.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 CSB

15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.

1 The

As we have been taking about patience we now come to the opposite,

retaliation, retaliation is not an option for a believer. The one who has been wronged never has the right to repay

Matthew 5:38–39 CSB

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

-29

It is not enough ho simply avoid evil, but one must also “peruse what is good” For a Christian doing good is not “I will if I can” but rather an action of consistently working at it. This takes effort and is something we all must focus on

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There are three commands here

1. Rejoice always

Rejoyce always

2. Pray without ceasing

Pray without ceasing

3. Give thanks in all circumstances

Give thanks in all cericumstances

Rejoice always

This is not a choice a christian should be in a constent state of joyfulness

2. Pray without ceasing

a. A believer should have His mindswet on God all the time

3. Give thanks in all circumstances

a. This connects to rejoicing always, it is easy to give thanks when things are going well, but not so much when going through a trial. Illustrate Tim Tidwell

He ends this Point with theese three things are the will of God, Sometimes we wonder what is God’s will and at times it can be hared to determine, but we know as it directly says here that God wants us to Rejoyce always, pray without ceasing, and Give thanks in all circumstances

Matthew 5:38–48 ESV

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

He ends this Point with these three things are the will of God,

sometimes we wonder what God’s will is and at times it can be hard to determine, but we know as it directly says here that God wants us to

1. Rejoice always,

2. pray without ceasing,

3. Give thanks in all circumstances

III. The Holy Spirit 19-22

1 Thessalonians 5:19–22 ESV

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

Paul continues with three negatives and one positive

Do not quench the spirit

do not despise prophecies

Abstain from every form of evil

test everything and hold fast to what is good

Do not quench the spirit

It is of significance that throughout scripture there are many times when the spirit is equated with fire.

there are several roles of the Holy spirit, but a few are

1. He Comforts

2. He convicts of sin

3. He gives gifts

This effective working of the holy spirit Paul warns against quenching. If we resist the Spirit his fire can be diminished, and we become immune to sin we must not oppose the holy spirit

2. do not despise prophecies

2. do not dispise prophecies

We know that some in the early Church questioned the retun of Christ This was why Paul wrote about it in so Paul is instructing the church in thesolinica to not dispice theese prophesees.

We know that some in the early Church questioned the return of Christ This was why Paul wrote about it in

John 3:5 ESV

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

so, Paul is instructing the church in Thessalonica to not despise these prophesies.

3. Abstain from every form of evil

Abstain from every form of evil

3. Abstain from every form of evil

2. The Holy Spirit Is Our Empowerer

The idea is to avoid evil in every way, some things are obviously evil, others the Christian needs more discernment to know but either way evil must be gotten rid of

Luke 24:35 ESV

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke 24:35–49 ESV

35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

4. test everything and hold fast to what is good

Luke 24:35

3. Abstain from every form of evil

Christians need to test everything and compare it to the Word of God. to determine its quality.

Luke 24

3. The Holy Spirit Is Our Guide

The idea is to avoid evil in every way, some things are obviously evil, others the Christian needs more desernment to know but either way evel must be gotten rid of

Each believer has the responsibility and ability to do this, you should even do this with my preaching, does what I say line up with the word of God.

1 John 2:27 ESV

27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

4. test everything and hold fast to what is good

4. The Holy Spirit Is Our Comforter

1 John 2:37

test everything and hold fast to what is good

Christians need to test everything and compare it to the Word of God. to determine it’s quality. Each believer has the responsibility and ability to do this, you should even do this with my preaching, does what I say line up with the word of God.

John 20:22 ESV

22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

IV. The Walk 23-24

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

! Thes 5:23-24

Paul ends by highlighting the ability of God to produce peace.

The church at Thessalonica enjoyed peace and unity with each other. Paul was reminding them that the God who had given them peace would continue to give them peace if they accepted it.

He prayed that they would be sanctified and be kept blameless. this does not mean that we can attain perfection on this side of Glory, but rather that we remain steadfast with not legitimate ground for accusation.

He prayed that theyn would be sactified and be kept blameless. this does not mean that we can atain perfection on this side of Glory, but rather that we remain steadfast with not ligitmate ground for accusation .

1 Thessalonians 5:25–28 ESV

25 Brothers, pray for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

1 Thes 5:25

There were three final reminders

Pray for Paul and his compony

great all christians

This letter must be read to the entire Church

a. Some letters were not read to everyone

a final salutation wishing them that grace would be with them

Eleven specific ways you can pray for me, or any pastor for that matter

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Eleven specific ways you can pray for me, or any pastor for that matter

1. Pray for wisdom for your pastor. These leaders are often confronted with incredibly challenging situations and decisions. They need God’s wisdom to continue to be the leader of the church God has called them to be.

2. Pray for your pastor’s protection. Your pastor will be attacked in so many different ways. Your pastor will be tempted again and again. The Enemy seeks to destroy. The Enemy wants your pastor’s ministry destroyed.

3. Pray for your pastor’s family. They too are attacked, criticized, and sometimes bullied. They often feel isolated and alone. They need encouragement. They need prayer.

4. Pray for your pastor to withstand the critics and bullies. Some of the critics and bullies are overt and aggressive. Others are passive aggressive. All are painful. And every pastor has them.

5. Pray against discouragement from comparison. Before this week is over, a church member will likely tell your pastor to listen to a podcast by another pastor “to learn how to really preach” (actual words spoken to a pastor). Other pastors will hear numerous comments about the other great church in the community. The message is real and painful: You don’t measure up, pastor.

6. Pray against discouragement from members leaving. It’s hard for your pastor not to take it personally. It’s really hard when the departing member tells your pastor to take it personally.

7. Pray against discouragement from decline. Two out of three congregations in North America are declining. That is a painful reality for your pastor. That is a discouraging reality for your pastor.

8. Pray against discouragement from disunity. “I wish I had every minute back I had to spend refereeing church members.” Those are the actual words of one of the Church Answers’ pastors I serve. The Enemy loves it when church members fight one another.

9. Pray for discernment for “yes” and “no.” Pastors are pulled in a multitude of directions. They are expected to be in so many meetings, so many social events, and so many pastoral situations. They are really expected to be omnipresent. Pray they will be able to say “no” more often. Pray for their families who often get the scanty leftovers of the pastor’s time.

10. Pray for financial pressures. Many pastors are underpaid. They struggle day by day with financial challenges. Actual quote from a deacon: “I like for our pastor to be underpaid. It keeps him humble and dependent on God.” That deacon is enjoying a life of leisure from inherited wealth.

11. Pray for gospel opportunities. Pastors are energized when they have the opportunity to share the gospel. Unfortunately, many of them are too busy to take time to do so. The demands of the church are just too great. These pastors live lives of inverted priorities and frustrating days.

Tim Rainer

Commitment

I will Pray for my Pastor every day. I understand that the Pastor’s work is never ending. His days are filled with numerous demands that bring emotional highs and lows. He must deal with critics. He must be a good husband and father. Because my Pastor cannot do anything on His own power, I will pray for his strength and wisdom daily

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