220501 be nice to your Pastor

The Rapture of the Church will take place at some point.

The modis operendi of the members of the body of Christ, have work to do. Work in Growing in the Lord. IN that Growth works are produced. Lives are impacted for Christ.

the Great and terrible day will come.

As days are leading up to that day, and though the rapture is immenent the Church has seen in the past dark days and will see darker days a head.

The body of Christ must maintain the Christian ethic faith hope and love through every challenge.

WE as the body of Christ are living in the light of the Rapture, we living in light of Christ and eternity and as we draw near to that moment let Our Lord find us serving Him,

Matthew 24:46 (NASB95) — 46 “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.

And this is another fine Day in the Lord

opening Hymn: Leaning on the promises of God

Prayer

Paul instructs the church of its responsibility through every climb and place

Yes, that Darker days are here and even Darker days are coming as history draws nearer to that great and terrible day of the Lord when the enemies of the Lord will be made the footstool for his feet.

Psalm 37:1–6 (NASB95) — 1 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.

Paul in His letter instructs what the Christian is to do leading up,

1 Thessalonians 5:12 (NASB95) — 12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume οἶδα

1. oída, which means “to know” and is more or less synonymous with ginṓskō, is often used in the NT in a general way, e.g., to know a person in Mk. 14:71, to be able to understand in Mt. 7:11, to apprehend in Eph. 1:18, and to recognize in 1 Th. 5:12.

To give credence to, to hold esteemed.

the Pastor and teachers were given to us as guides. As trainers. They are gifted men who are prepared to teach God’s word and to bring together the body of Christ under that training.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB95) — 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Here you have in the equipping of the saints three Categories of men.

Apostles

Prophets

evangelists

and Pastor Teachers

what does all of these have in common?

they all teach. They all have a handle on God’s word and disseminates to those whom God communicates it to.

The Pastor Teacher has a dual spiritual gift. the Pastor which is poimane in the Greek is the shepherd who guides the flock and protects the flock from wolves. It is the leadership function within the church.

the Didoskolos is the teacher role which is the primary purpose of the Pastor.

No it is not to visit the sick

no it is not to be an eran boy

no he is not just a figure head for a church to make it church

It is a gift given to men only. and while woman may lead womens groups and older women may disciple younger women, there is not a place in the pulpit for Woman.

1 Timothy 2:11–12 (NASB95) — 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

The one in the pulpit must also be obedient to the word he is teaching.

1 Timothy 3:1–7 (NASB95) — 1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.d

the primary function of the shepherd teacher is to teach.

the primary mode of operation for the flock is to be students

out of the learning comes every thing else.

The Church is married to the pastor as a wife is married to her Husband.

the Husband is to love Christ as Christ loved the Church

The wife is said to respect her husband,

As the Pastor personally continues to grow in the Lord his own hearts ambition is to please the Lord. And knowing the Lords pleasure is for his Church to know him and to mature in the faith the pastor makes his primary aim to please the Lord to that end,

Verse 12 is a plug for the Christian workers. The Pastors Teachers.

When Paul writes Timothy he is writing the Pastor of the church of Ephesus and his instruction to Pastor Timothy was

2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95) — 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

2 Timothy 4:5 (NASB95) — 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The faithful pastor is on the front lines. He is in direct counter against Satan. from the very beginning it was Satan’s strategy to distort the truth which led the woman to take from the forbidden tree.

the growth of the Christian comes through scripture and it is the faithful worker that is diligent to carry out the assignment which the Lord gave to Peter

Feed my flock.

the front line defense of your heart is sound bible doctrine. the truth of God’s word. It is the PastorTeacher that works tirelessly to give those in his charge who belong to the Lord that which grow them to spiritual maturity.

Know this. the Pastor’s primary function is the very thing that Paul instructs Timothy to do.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 (NASB95) — 1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

The faithful Pastor will be attacked. Satan will put wolves inside the congregation in order create derision against the Pastor and against God’s word. As the Pastor will work diligently to feed the flock Satan will work diligently to set up roadblocks as he works with willing human accomplises to undermined destroy and render ineffective the Pastor.

Paul knows this.

1 Corinthians 16:17–18 (NASB95) — 17 I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.

1 Timothy 5:17 (NASB95) — 17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

Every Pastor who is worthy of his calling will be faced with the onslaught of abuse from the wolves in the congregation.

1 Thessalonians 5:13 (NASB95) — 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament ἡγέομαι

In 1 Th. 5:13: ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς ὑπερεκπερισσῶς ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἡγεῖσθαι ὑπερεκπερισσῶς is best understood as in Thuc., II, 89, 9: κόσμον καὶ σιγὴν περὶ πλείστου ἡγεῖσθε, “to regard as particularly important,” “to esteem.”

Peace with one another. the unity of the body is extremely important as it is the body of Christ. there must be every effort made in order to establish this harmony among the brethren.

disharmony is what tore the Church of Corinth down as there were constant friction among the people. they set themselves up as better than one another in a spirit of inordinate competition. they were taking each other to court.

Corinth is a great example of many fragmented church today where just entering what people call the sanctuary is like entering a freezer or in another comparison to a battle grown a battle between the those in the pews on the left and those on the right and Satan is well pleased.

After a while the only visitors that that church will receive is those who are more interested in WWF.

All to Satan’s satisfaction.

Every effort must be made for the sake of the harmony within the church with out compromising God’s word and the prime directive.

Matthew 5:23–26 (NASB95) — 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

IN the battle for Peace the growing church must be ready to expel the wolves Matthew 18

1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB95) — 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

Here the congregation has to deal with different categories of members within the flock

the Unruly ἄτακτος [ataktos /at·ak·tos/] adj [864] ἄτακτος ataktos 1× pr. used of soldiers, disorderly; met. irregular in conduct, disorderly, lazy, 1 Thess. 5:14* [813]

The Congregation is not to permit it. they are to take action which are in line with Matthew 18 and if necessary as the scripture dictates to expel the unruly from the midst of the congregation.

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words παραμυθέομαι

[4170] παραμυθέομαι paramytheomai 4× to exercise a gentle influence by words; to soothe, comfort, console, Jn. 11:19, 31; 1 Thess. 5:14; to cheer, exhort, 1 Thess. 2:12* [3888]

This is where the properly equipped saints come in. You do not assemble together for your own benefit but for the benefit of other believers. within the body of Christ not all of us are suffering at the same level all the time. and regardless of what each at any given time is going through every believer has to continue to advance forward in their faith in the Lord in Faith Hope and love. there are times when we share each other’s strengths and carry each others burdens

One word of advice. You can encourage by just being present without saying word. You can encourage in prayer. You can encourage by council by Godly council. but take to heart Eliphaz Zophar and abihu who did give godly council but in the spirit of Judging Job.

then there are the weak

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words ἀσθενής

[822] ἀσθενής asthenēs 26× without strength, weak, infirm, Mt. 26:41; Mk. 14:38; 1 Pet. 3:7; helpless, Rom. 5:6; imperfect, inefficient, Gal. 4:9; feeble, without energy, 2 Cor. 10:10; infirm in body, sick, sickly, Mt. 25:39, 43, 44; weak, mentally or spiritually, dubious, hesitating, 1 Cor. 8:7, 10; 9:22; 1 Thess. 5:14; afflicted, distressed, oppressed with calamities, 1 Cor. 4:10 [772] See sick; weak.

Weak may be physical, but can be spiritually weak in the faith

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words ἀντέχω

[504] ἀντέχω antechō 4× to hold firmly, cling or adhere to; to be devoted to any one, Lk. 16:13; Tit. 1:9; to exercise a zealous care for any one, 1 Thess. 5:14; Mk. 6:24* [472]

Romans 14:1 (NASB95) — 1 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words προσλαμβάνω

[4689] προσλαμβάνω proslambanō 12× to take to one’s self, assume, take as a companion or associate, Acts 17:5; 18:26; to take, as food, Acts 27:33, 36; to receive kindly or hospitably, admit to one’s society and friendship, treat with kindness, Acts 28:2; Rom. 14:1, 3; 15:7; Phlm. 17; to take or draw to one’s self as a preliminary to an address of admonition, Mt. 16:22; Mk. 8:32* [4355] See accept; take aside; welcome.

There are those who are spiritually sick.

Yes there is room to help the widows and the orphans. why are these mentioned regularly in the bible. where there is not help from the family then the Church can seek to be the aid of those within the flock to care for the infirmed.

but there are those who are sick spiritually that rather than being judged needs to be recieved and ministered to and even prayed over. Satan seeks to keep all within his grasp and it is the work of not only one’s own depraved nature but also the spiritual forces that keep one down and out.

May I add that there is a difference between wolves and the sick. The wolves may be spiritually sick but they don’t care. they gladly do the bidding of Satan. the Sick are those who are sinners who their sick and are seeking help from the shackles of sin.

James 5:14–16 (NASB95) — 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

this may help many a confused people. who have claimed this promise, who have prayed and anointed with oil and laid hands on only to see the sick get sicker and even pass away.

can the Lord answer prayers for the sick?

Yes he can ?

Does he always heal on our behalf?

No!

OUr prayers do not supersede God’s sovereignty.

James is dealing with the Spiritually sick

This is why Paul finishes this verse with

1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NASB95) — 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

1 Corinthians 8:7–13 (NASB95) — 7 However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NASB95) — 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

The call for unconditional love

Remember it is the spiritually sick that are being ministered to. Like a patient who is dealing with a diseased patient might him or herself contact the same disease. the Spiritually sick may attack. also remember that the one whom that Lord has challenged you with may very well be under the dictates of Satan. We want to pull them out of their state not fuel the fire that will consume one or even yourself,

Love is the Christian Ethic along with Faith and Hope

1 Corinthians 13:1–13 (NASB95) — 1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

The Gospel message is a message of Love.

While we were yet sinners Christ died as a substitute for us.

the early Church exploded in evangelism.

Why?

Because of the Christian Ethic of Faith Hope and Love

That this Jesus would endure such abuse from his enemies that rather than having the father send down legions of angels to wipe out the discontents He dies for them that they might becomes the righteousness in Him. Much different than Zeus sitting up in the heavens waiting to drop a lightning bold down on the first one that blasphemes him.

The Gospel must be communicated in a vessel that reflects the same sort of love. that despite that hatred directed toward the chrisitian which gets the attention of the sinner more than anything else,