Peace in the Faith Family
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Understanding what happens in the end times, or when you die, or when you lose someone you love is important, but it is also equally important to understand how to live the Christian life while you are still breathing.
Paul starts to wind down his letter to his beloved Thessalonians with a rapid fire list of commands in the next several verses.
The first command is to be at peace (get along, and dwell together in love and unity) with each other.
Let’s read it together in 1 Thessalonians 5.12-13
Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
You will notice that the peace Paul commands is in the context of how the people and the pastor related to each other. Or how they sheep and the shepherd function together in the church.
Duties of the Pastor
Duties of the Pastor
Work Hard
Work Hard
Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
The word for labor means to put effort and exertion into the task, even to the point of being spent. He must maintain two priorities, prayer and preaching of the Word. He is also to teach the flock. Paul refers to him as pastor/teacher. He is to warn the flock and protect them.
Lead Well
Lead Well
Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
“Lead” shows up 8 times in the New Testament.
It is translated manage, lead, rule over, devote to.
He is also described in Scripture as Episcopos, translated as bishop or overseer. This is not a special class of boss over preachers, but one of the tasks of a pastor. To oversee, to administrate.
There are many moving parts to most churches, and a pastor has a duty to give leadership to those parts.
Note the text says “in the Lord” That is a heavy and solemn thought.
A pastor’s leadership is not because he is self appointed, but God called. Therefore the way he leads should weigh heavy on him.
It should not be for the purpose of self-promotion, but what is best for the sheep God had called him to shepherd.
Provide Corrective Instruction
Provide Corrective Instruction
Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
This has the idea of warning, through Biblical teaching, of course corrections that need to be made for the sheep. This is often difficult for a few reasons.
The shepherd is himself a sheep, a flawed person with feet of clay, prone to need correction as well.
The sheep oftentimes don’t like to be corrected.
But this does not change that the pastor has this God-given duty and if He is to be pleasing to the Chief-Shepherd, he must faithfully discharge his duties to the best of his Spirit directed ability.
Duties of the Flock
Duties of the Flock
Respect
Respect
Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you,
KJV translated this word “know” but this goes beyond simply being able to identify who your pastor is. “Oh yeah, I recognize that guy, he’s my pastor”
When Jesus was teaching about prayer in Matthew 6 he said
Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.
We see here that God is not in heaven simply aware of a need, but He is interested and involved.
It means to know by experience.
I know my pastor. I know what he does. I know his service. I know his care.
It means to recognize the pastor is called of God, and sent to the church. It is to show appreciation for his labor, for his leadership, and for his corrective care.
Esteem
Esteem
and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
This goes a step beyond knowing and appreciating, it goes deeper to giving regard to the office and the person occupying the office of pastor.
Titles: Reverend, Preacher, Pastor, Brother.. These are all cultural ways that are given to show esteem for the office, whoever this may be that occupies it. So if you have ever wondered what I PREFER to be called as a title it would be pastor Rodney or brother Rodney. But again, I have seen pastors be shown a lack of esteem while addressing them with a title, and I have seen pastors esteemed while simply referred to by their first name.
Notice how Paul qualifies this esteem.
Very highly. Above and beyond. literally hyper abounding. A pastor needs to know that his people are going to go above and beyond to esteem him, not to be contrarian, not to see pastor and people as adversarial, but together.
In love. If you noticed at the beginning of verse 12 he Paul said I ask you brothers. God did not inspire him to demand that the Thessalonians esteem their pastor highly, he rooted it in love. In Agape love, the way God loves us. We are to esteem our pastor and love him.
Because of their work.
There are some who think this means “because of the office of pastor”
Others “because of the work he is doing”
I think some combination. We can’t stop esteeming a pastor because we think he’s not “meeting my needs” or something like that. We can and should expect our pastor to be doing as the Bible says, but this deals with our responsibility to him.
The Resulting Peace
The Resulting Peace
and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
Peace is a command. We don’t have the option of not being and peace with each other.
The verses I just preached from are the process to achieve that peace.
I am responsible for what is on my side of the fence.
I can’t say “Well my congregation doesn’t respect and esteem me highly in love, so I am not going to labor, and lead, and correct.” And you can’t say, “My pastor is not doing what I think he should, so I will not give him the respect and esteem I need to.”