1 Timothy 5:17-25 - Protecting the Pastorate
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
A few weeks ago we discussed the qualifications for elders/pastors. These qualifications were very weighty and detailed. The Lord takes the purity of His church extremely seriously.
Today we are going to see the need to protect the pastorate - or the office of pastor. If we want to have a churches that are Biblical, holy, and pure, we must have leadership that leads well.
The job of maintaining this purity falls upon both the elders and the congregation. Our church leadership has been vetted and approved by the members of this church. Being a church member is an incredibly important matter.
Sadly, some do not take this job seriously. They see church membership as something that is not necessary and not important. However, the body of Christ is made up of the sum of its parts. Each church member has a responsibility to know the Word of God. Each church member needs to understand the qualifications for leadership positions, the mission and vision of the church, and the part that they are called to play in the advancement of the kingdom of God.
I pray that each of you sees the need for you to participate in protecting the purity of the church and serving the church in the way God has called you to serve.
Our Scripture today is just as applicable to each of you as it is to me. That is because the verses we are about to study are from the inerrant and holy Word of God. God chose to write these words through Paul so that believers everywhere would learn them and obey them.
With all that said, let’s jump into our Scripture for today:
Read Full Scripture:
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.
Prayer
Today we are going to only have two points. However, the second point explodes into 4 sub-points so don’t be thrown too far off today! This message focuses on the pastorate and the responsibility of the church in relation to the pastorate. Our first point is…
I. The Church Must Provide for the Pastor (17-18)
I. The Church Must Provide for the Pastor (17-18)
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
We have read this verse in the past when we studied elders in detail a few weeks ago. We saw that elders who rule well should be considered worthy of double honor.
As a reminder, elder, pastor, bishop, overseer, and shepherd are all interchangeable terms for the same office of leadership of the church. However, Paul points out that those who labor in preaching and teaching should be especially honored. This is another instance where we see the idea of a lead or senior teaching pastor who is a leader among equals.
This phrase double honor refers to a two-fold blessing that namely the teaching pastor is to be given (although it is sometimes applied to associate pastors as well which is likely within the context of our Scripture here but not the main thrust).
The two aspects of this double honor are:
1. Respect and Honor
This first aspect involves the respect of pastors. Sadly, some churches view the pastor as their employee. Members may view the situation as if they are the boss. This creates a very unhealthy and un-Biblical dynamic. It also creates a situation where the pastor may struggle to authoritatively preach the Word and practice church discipline.
The Bible is clear that pastors do not work for the church like an employee works for an employer. The pastor works for God alone - preaching His Word, leading the church according to Biblical principles, and leading according to the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The church, instead, supports the teaching pastor as one supports a missionary and exercises accountability in making sure that the pastor is serving in a God-honoring way. The teaching pastor is, in fact, a missionary to the local community. This is most clearly seen in our church fellowship. CrossPointe is associated with the North American Mission Board. This mission board considers me a missionary, and through their network we are blessed to have other churches around our nation and world praying for us.
2. Financial Support
The office of pastor is a difficult job. The word for labor given in verse 17 means to struggle and strive to the point of weariness. Pastors are called to wrestle with the Biblical text so that we handle it correctly. We are to do administrative work for the church so that it is above reproach. We are responsible for correct doctrine, correct bylaws, correct church governance, church discipline when needed, and many other tasks.
As we will discuss in our next point, this difficult job is only made more difficult through the persecution of unbelievers as well as sometimes even from those within the church body.
Because of all of this, Paul asserts that the church should financially compensate the pastor. But it is not only Paul who states this - Paul actually quotes Jesus in verse 18 when says that the worker deserves his wages. This comes from Luke 10:7:
Luke 10:7 (ESV)
And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
In sending out His disciples, Jesus asserts that those doing Gospel work should be supported by those being blessed by that work.
Some other supportive verses are found in Galatians 6:6
Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.
as well as Romans 4:4
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
Here we see that the pastor is to be cared for financially. There is one other Scripture that is abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 9:7-14. Paul is asserting his right to be compensated by the church of Corinth. Yet, he refuses this right to boast in the Lord. However, he makes it abundantly clear that the church is charged to financially support its pastor.
If I might be transparent today, this Scripture is a tough one for me to preach. Preaching book by book and verse by verse makes me preach things that are hard for me to preach!
Being a co-vocational pastor with a steady outside of the church job that provides for my family, I have had a very difficult time accepting anything from the church. For quite sometime before and after the planting of CrossPointe, I refused to take anything. I felt justified in this because Paul worked that way at times as well as we discussed in 1 Corinthians 9:7-14. However, some of those in our leadership lovingly and Biblically confronted me on this issue, and it became clear that they were in the right when it came to how the church is to be run Biblically. I repented and saw the truth in their loving rebuke.
The church now gives us a stipend which is very kind and loving. Although it is difficult for me to receive this, I realized that for the health of the church, we must value the preached Word of God.
By not accepting anything, I was stunting the spiritual growth of our church.
Jesus stated the following in Matthew 6:21:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We can see how much a person values the Gospel and the church by their giving. And in the same way, we can see how a church cares about the Word with how they care for their pastor.
All of us should examine our checkbooks and see if our heart is for the Lord and His church or if it tends to be directed toward ourselves and the things of this world.
Getting back to verse 18 there is one other important teaching as well.
For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
This idea of not muzzling an ox while it works comes from Deuteronomy 25:4.
Paul is boldly stating that the church should not muzzle the pastor. In other words, Paul is asserting that the church should not seek to censor the pastor and keep him from preaching the actual Word of God.
I have heard of some pastors who were afraid to preach certain messages because of those in their church that might become upset. There have been deacons and other church leaders who have strongly encouraged and sometimes even forced pastors to avoid certain topics such as divorce, abortion, purity, and other culturally sensitive topics. Sometimes this is because of good givers in the church who might leave if such a message was preached. While at other times it may be because a powerful person in the church might get offended.
I am happy to announce that I have been blessed at our church fellowship in this area. You all have encouraged me week after week as I preach the actual Word of God. I am so thankful for all of you who come and regularly hear difficult messages from God’s Word. You make a very hard job much more pleasant and enjoyable.
Moving forward, we next see that…
Scripture References: Luke 10:7, Galatians 6:6, Romans 4:4, 1 Corinthians 9:7-14, Matthew 6:21, Deuteronomy 25:4
II. The Church Must Protect the Pastorate (19-23)
II. The Church Must Protect the Pastorate (19-23)
In protecting the pastorate, the elders and church are given four charges:
1. Pastors Must Be Protected (19)
Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.
In verse 19, we see a warning against jumping to conclusions about pastors in the church. Because of their public nature and the difficult situations in which a pastor leads, many false accusations may come up. I have touched on many difficult issues in my podcast as well as through the preaching of God's Word. I am sure that there are many who have been offended by the Biblical exposition and teaching in these. This offense oftentimes gives way to slanderous accusations.
Paul was obviously slandered often by false teachers and had many who opposed him.
Listen to him talk about his reaction to such slander in 1 Corinthians 4:12b-13
1 Corinthians 4:12b–13 (ESV)
When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
He definitely experienced persecution with words like reviled, persecuted, slandered and being like the scum of the world and refuse of all things!
He shows that in order to preach and teach the Word of God, persecution and slander are bound to come. Yet, the pastor is to address such things in humility and with trusting in the Lord.
The church is charged to be an advocate for the slandered pastor. They should be sure that at least two or three reliable witnesses are there to bring a charge against an elder/pastor. This command comes from the Mosaic Law and is found in Deuteronomy 19:15. Paul repeats this concept in 2 Corinthians 13:1 as well. If a charge is brought by only one person, it should not be entertained. And when slanderous remarks are made, the church should oppose such persons and call them out in their sin.
But sadly, sometimes, the charge does come from a few reliable witnesses and is proven to be true - which brings us to verses 20-21 where we see the second charge to elders and the church...
2. Pastors Must Be Held Accountable (20-21)
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.
We see the importance of this accountability in the statement Paul makes in the middle of verse 21. Paul says in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect (or unfallen) angels. This is, in essence, saying be sure to listen to this warning and to hold elders accountable.
Those who are found to be guilty and persist in sin and refuse to repent should be rebuked in the presence of all. Those who are in church leadership have a high calling and responsibility. When they publicly sin and refuse to repent, they must be publicly rebuked. We see that they should be rebuked in the presence of all so that the rest may stand in fear. The rest refers to other elders but also to the entire congregation. This is because when a pastor sins publicly, many may follow him in sin. By publicly rebuking such a man, it is made clear that he is in the wrong. This is of utmost importance to maintain the purity of Christ’s church.
It should be noted that this teaching refers to grievous sins, habitual unrepentant sins, and things of this nature. No pastor is perfect and all will sin. The issue here is unrepentant sin and public grievous sins. Some of these sins may even disqualify a pastor from ever serving again in his role as pastor such as an affair. Some of these sins may require a time of counseling and a time of stepping away from his job. Although these are extremely difficult situations, we must continue maintaining the purity of Christ’s church. We must do so in both grace and truth.
Paul also clarifies that this should be done without prejudging and without partiality. In other words, we should not assume a pastor is in the wrong, but we should also not assume that he is in the right. We should show no partiality and judge righteously. God hates injustice. The book of Proverbs is filled with verses showing God’s hatred for dishonesty and injustice and His love for justice.
Sadly, many pastors have had their sins glossed over because of their charisma and leadership - especially in megachurches. This must not be the case for Christ’s church.
One way we can prevent having to discipline elders and pastors is by listening to Paul’s third charge here…
3. Pastors Must Be Vetted (22, 24-25)
Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.
We have just ordained an elder as well as two deacons over the past couple of weeks. These have been very big steps for our young church. We want to be a church that is Biblically modeled and that glorifies God.
However, we should not be hasty, or too quick, in the laying on of hands. There is a temptation for a young church to place people in leadership very early in the church because there is much work to be done and help is needed. We also see this temptation even in established churches when they have a pulpit vacancy. It is uncomfortable to not have a lead pastor and so there can be a rush to fill that spot. Yet Paul warns us to not be hasty in placing people in leadership positions. At CrossPointe, we require elders to be members for three years and deacons for two years before being ordained. We want to be sure that we are aligned in vision and doctrine. And we want to be sure that these men are thoroughly vetted.
We also want to be sure that we do not take part in the sins of others and that we maintain a pure church. This means that we want to be sure that those we ordain are above reproach. Paul warns Timothy that if he hastily ordains an elder without adequate vetting, he is taking part in the sins of that man. He is placing this man in a position of leadership and thus is responsible for making sure that the man is fit for the job.
Unfortunately, there have been some men placed in leadership positions in churches across our world that were not above reproach. There have been grievous sins that church members have experienced such as sexual abuse, verbal abuse, and even spiritual abuse. These atrocities bring reproach upon the church as well as misrepresent the goodness of Jesus Christ to the world.
We must vet our leadership well. Although none of us can know someone’s heart completely, we should always do our due diligence to vet our leadership and maintain the purity of Christ’s church.
Paul moves forward in verses 24-25 and discusses the difficulty of such vetting however. Even with the best intentions, sometimes things - good or bad - might be missed.
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.
Paul reminds us that some sin is easy to see as it is conspicuous. There are some people that you can smell their sinful tendencies from a mile away. As soon as you meet them you can tell that there is something off.
However, the sins of others may be hidden. There are some that disguise themselves like Satan likes to - as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). These people may seem like the best church attenders or members that you have ever seen. They may seem to say all the right things and are quick to serve in many ways. Yet, deep down, they are of their father the devil. Their showy good works are a facade.
In the same way, there are some people that have good works that are inconspicuous - or difficult to see. They might be the behind the scenes kind of people. God sees those good works and promises that they will not remain hidden forever. He will reward them in eternity.
Paul is reminding Timothy that discernment must go beyond the surface. The old saying that you can’t judge a book by its cover is applicable here. There might be someone who seems like less of a pastor or deacon candidate on the surface who meets the criteria better than someone who seems to have it all together.
The job of church leadership and the job of the church in general is to exercise Biblical discernment in choosing leaders. The vetting of leaders is paramount to maintaining a pure church.
May we not be hasty in the laying on of hands and may we do our best, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to vet our leaders well.
Finally, Paul gives this fourth charge to the elders and the church…
4. Pastors Must Have Care (23)
(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
We have discussed the difficulty of being a pastor already. Because of the difficulty of this work, the persecution of the enemy, and other reasons - pastors may struggle with their health at times. Those who believe that we are never meant to be ill are ignoring this passage among many others.
Timothy obviously has some gastrointestinal issues going on and this has been a recurrent issue - most commentators believe this to be some form of bacterial dysentery. It appears that Timothy was most likely a T-totaler when it came to alcohol - meaning he didn’t drink alcohol at all. There are certainly Scriptures that encourage this for leadership such as Numbers 6:1-4 in reference to the Nazarite Vow and Proverbs 31:4 which discusses rulers abstaining from alcohol. Possibly Timothy wanted to be above reproach in that way or possibly he wanted to distance himself far from those who practiced drunkeness.
Note here that Paul does not ask Timothy to abandon his conscience-based practice of abstinence. Instead, he offers a temporary medicinal use of wine to help his health problems.
I love the wisdom seen in the Word of God. Paul most likely did not understand why this advice made perfect sense in regard to our modern understanding of science.
You see, bacteria was not discovered until the 1600s by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. However, it had obviously been noted that those who drank a little wine had less gastrointestinal issues. We know today that this was likely because of the scarcity of clean drinking water in ancient times which led to dysentery that would quickly spread among people. We know that alcohol is antibacterial and so by drinking a little wine, bacteria would be neutralized, and one would likely have less GI issues.
Today we have clean water, antibiotics, and other stomach medicines that work well and thus wine is not needed medicinally. However, it is interesting to see Paul's practical instruction to Timothy here. You can see Paul's fatherly heart toward his spiritual son.
In a similar way, we must be sure that our pastors have care in our churches. We want to be sure that they have longevity. We discussed the burnout rate and the amount of pastors considering leaving the ministry a couple of weeks ago. The church must care for her pastor. Pastors are human like we all are and need time in the Word, time for exercise, and time for rest and relaxation. I have learned this the hard way myself. As a type A person, I struggled to take Sundays off preaching the first year or two. But I am learning that if I want to have longevity - especially as a co-vocational pastor - I need to be sure to pace myself and take time to sit back and be fed at times as well.
Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 4:12b-13, Deuteronomy 19:15, 2 Corinthians 13:1, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Numbers 6:1-4, Proverbs 31:4
Conclusion
As we come to a close, we have seen the need for the church to provide for the pastor and protect the pastorate. The reason that this is so important is that a church will never rise above its leadership. If the leaders of a church lack spiritual vitality, the church will certainly lack it. If the pastor lacks solid doctrine, the church will usually follow suite. We must take choosing leaders seriously.
This is the importance of being a church member as well. Church members play a vital role in caring for their leaders as well as maintaining accountability in choosing leaders. Our elders and deacons who were just ordained were voted in by our church members. I am thankful for our members who take these matters seriously and serve in their various ways.
And I pray that if you haven’t officially joined as a member that today is the day that you consider joining us. Take that step of commitment and get started in serving this wonderful fellowship.
For some of you, however, the first commitment you need to be sure you have made is a commitment to Christ. Be sure that before you join this church fellowship, that you are right with the Lord Jesus. Be sure that you have put your faith and trust in Him for salvation and repented of your sins. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose three days later and is now at the right hand of the Father. There is no more important decision than choosing to respond to His free gift of salvation.
As we begin a time of reflection and prayer, may you strongly consider joining our church fellowship. Feel free to come and chat with me about what that means. And if you have not been saved or baptized or you have another need you would like to discuss - feel free to come forward, and I will be happy to pray with you.