The Church, Part Four – 1 Timothy 5:17-22
The Church, Part Four – 1 Timothy 5:17-22
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 22, 2008 AM
I have to be honest with you because it is difficult for me, as a pastor, to share with you exactly what Paul was trying to teach Timothy. Why? Because I do not want you to think I am saying our church does not treat me well as your pastor. I believe our church does a fine job. However, not every church does such a good job in making sure their pastor is cared for, and this is a disgrace. Sometimes, churches are run by the pastor and the congregation has no idea what the pastor earns or how he is paid. This too is ungodly and is not taught in Scripture. For the church to be the church, it is supposed to hire and care for its pastor, and if that pastor strays biblically, the church is supposed to discipline him as well.
We spent some time talking about what the qualifications are for a pastor, but now Paul delves into some areas that some would rather ignore. However to be the church that God has established this part of the lesson cannot be ignored as a church. Let’s discover what Paul teaches Timothy about churches and their pastors.
READ: 1 Timothy 5:17-22
If a church is not actively praying daily for their pastor they fail themselves, the Lord, and their pastor. Pastors face all kinds of temptations, spiritual attacks, and the daily hardships and blessings of life. However, if you want your pastor to be well equipped, ready to preach the word in season and out, then as a church you had better make sure you take care of your pastor and his family well. In fact, Paul related to Timothy…
I. How a church should take care of its pastor! (vv. 17-18)
1. Great preachers require great congregations! Pastors and their families live in a fish bowl where Church members often scrutinize everything from the color of their leaders’ socks to their children’s behavior. Yet there are some pastors that remain untouchable, aloof, and separated from the congregation they are supposed to serve, seeing themselves as kind of spiritual CEOs. The word for “pastor” is derived from the word for a shepherd. The sheep are to hear and know their leader’s voice. He is to be among his sheep. Many pastors remain on call day and night, they carry burdens and secrets they cannot tell anyone, and they often do so with grace and compassion. Churches far too often take advantage of a pastor’s availability and misuse his servant heart. They should be ashamed of their ungodly behavior. Paul writes that “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” He was speaking about those who work hard at their job. Pastoring is not just a calling, it is also a job. If some churches were to take a serious look at the compensation levels of their pastors and contrast them to the compensation levels of other professionals, many pastors live a sacrificial lifestyle! This should not be! The job of pastor has received both praise and condemnation in our day and age. Why? Because churches fail to be the churches they should be. As Paul related, “For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages.’” A hard-working, honest, holy man of God is worth double honor and worth the salary a church pays him!
EXAMPLE: The oxen of Paul’s day were tied to a post where they would literally walk around and around in circles, hour after hour. Deuteronomy, God’s law, made provision for even this beast of burden to be able to eat a little of the grain he helped to produce. Could a church do any less for a man of God who had sacrificed everything in order to lead God’s people? While pastor’s work can often be just as tedious as that of an ox going around and around in circles, especially with a congregation that fails to learn the biblical lessons he is trying to impart, they need to be both honoring to their pastor and to the Lord who placed him there. A church should take care of its pastor.
Paul encouraged Timothy to lead the church in honoring pastors who work hard. What a difference it makes when a church appropriately honors its pastor and staff! Such honor can be given in various ways, including the provision of an ample honorarium. But when a pastor needs to be disciplined, often churches are embarrassed to do so because often they were the ones who picked him in the first place! Instead, they do not do the godly thing and resort to foolishness by either ignoring the problem or trying to leave it for someone else to fix. We find here that Paul related to Timothy…
II. How a church should treat a pastor who has strayed! (vv. 19-22)
1. While correction does much, encouragement does more! Before a church gets to the point of having to discipline its pastor, it should have spent time investing in his life. However, Paul gives us four guidelines to consider if discipline is necessary: First, “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.” Make sure that when you accuse a servant of God of doing something wrong that you have witnesses to back up your accusation! Remember, you chose him in the first place to be your leader! It is not a light thing to discipline those whom God has chosen for leadership. Remember what happened to those who thought that they could speak for God just as well as Moses could! They and their entire families were swallowed up! When you accuse one of God’s leaders falsely, you are also accusing God if you are wrong. Secondly, “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.” If the pastor is guilty of doing something evil enough to be rebuked, do it publicly. Why? The church elected him publically and shouted to the heavens he was “God’s man” for your church, now rebuke him publically as well. But remember to do it with humility, grace, and mercy, always looking for redemption. And thirdly, Paul says do not hold favoritism above spiritually in doing the righteous thing: “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.” Picking pastors or rebuking them should not be done like a popularity contest. And finally, help your pastor and church to “not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:19-22) Too many churches are quick to pick pastors, deacons, or elders that are not morally, spiritually, ethically, or familially qualified. To pick someone that is immature spiritually or ungodly ethically brings disdain to the church and to the Lord. In fact, all of the members of the church of Jesus, His body, should “keep yourself pure.”
EXAMPLE: Often a church has a poor pastor because they were willing to settle for a poor pastor. Sometimes, they ignore the warning signs. If you have visited Alaska, you have no doubt seen warnings about the bears that roam the wilderness. Experienced old-timers who know the habits of bears offer these suggestions for safety: 1) Don't climb a tree. Bears climb. 2) Don't run. Bears can run faster. 3) If the bear is brown, curl up and play dead. If it's black, move wildly and make lots of noise. 4) Never, never offer food to a bear. 5) Above all, don't get between a mother bear and her cubs. Here are some suggestions for a church and their pastors: 1) Don’t climb all over your pastor if he makes a mistake. He is human too. 2) Don’t run your pastor down in front of others. Support him just as you would want him to support you. 3) If your pastor is young help him to mature through prayer and encouragement. If your pastor is older and gray, help him to continue being mature through your prayer and encouragement. 4) Always offer food to your pastor, especially if you are a Baptist church! 5) Above all do not get in between a pastor and his family. Give him time alone and unhindered with his family and insist that he take days off and vacations. Do these things and you probably will not have to end up disciplining your pastor.
Conclusion:
We learned from Paul how a church should take care of its pastor and how a church should treat a pastor who has strayed. Let me ask you something this morning: Are you praying for your pastor? How do you encourage him and his family?
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NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 22, 2008 AM
I have to be honest with you because it is difficult for me, as a pastor, to share with you exactly what Paul was trying to teach Timothy. Why? Because I do not want you to think I am saying our church does not treat me well as your pastor. I believe our church does a fine job. However, not every church does such a good job in making sure their pastor is cared for, and this is a disgrace. Sometimes, churches are run by the pastor and the congregation has no idea what the pastor earns or how he is paid. This too is ungodly and is not taught in Scripture. For the church to be the church, it is supposed to hire and care for its pastor, and if that pastor strays biblically, the church is supposed to discipline him as well.
We spent some time talking about what the qualifications are for a pastor, but now Paul delves into some areas that some would rather ignore. However to be the church that God has established this part of the lesson cannot be ignored as a church. Let’s discover what Paul teaches Timothy about churches and their pastors.
READ: 1 Timothy 5:17-22
If a church is not actively praying daily for their pastor they fail themselves, the Lord, and their pastor. Pastors face all kinds of temptations, spiritual attacks, and the daily hardships and blessings of life. However, if you want your pastor to be well equipped, ready to preach the word in season and out, then as a church you had better make sure you take care of your pastor and his family well. In fact, Paul related to Timothy…
I. How a church should take care of its pastor! (vv. 17-18)
1. Great preachers require great congregations! Pastors and their families live in a fish bowl where Church members often scrutinize everything from the color of their leaders’ socks to their children’s behavior. Yet there are some pastors that remain untouchable, aloof, and separated from the congregation they are supposed to serve, seeing themselves as kind of spiritual CEOs. The word for “pastor” is derived from the word for a shepherd. The sheep are to hear and know their leader’s voice. He is to be among his sheep. Many pastors remain on call day and night, they carry burdens and secrets they cannot tell anyone, and they often do so with grace and compassion. Churches far too often take advantage of a pastor’s availability and misuse his servant heart. They should be ashamed of their ungodly behavior. Paul writes that “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” He was speaking about those who work hard at their job. Pastoring is not just a calling, it is also a job. If some churches were to take a serious look at the compensation levels of their pastors and contrast them to the compensation levels of other professionals, many pastors live a sacrificial lifestyle! This should not be! The job of pastor has received both praise and condemnation in our day and age. Why? Because churches fail to be the churches they should be. As Paul related, “For the Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages.’” A hard-working, honest, holy man of God is worth double honor and worth the salary a church pays him!
EXAMPLE: The oxen of Paul’s day were tied to a post where they would literally walk around and around in circles, hour after hour. Deuteronomy, God’s law, made provision for even this beast of burden to be able to eat a little of the grain he helped to produce. Could a church do any less for a man of God who had sacrificed everything in order to lead God’s people? While pastor’s work can often be just as tedious as that of an ox going around and around in circles, especially with a congregation that fails to learn the biblical lessons he is trying to impart, they need to be both honoring to their pastor and to the Lord who placed him there. A church should take care of its pastor.
Paul encouraged Timothy to lead the church in honoring pastors who work hard. What a difference it makes when a church appropriately honors its pastor and staff! Such honor can be given in various ways, including the provision of an ample honorarium. But when a pastor needs to be disciplined, often churches are embarrassed to do so because often they were the ones who picked him in the first place! Instead, they do not do the godly thing and resort to foolishness by either ignoring the problem or trying to leave it for someone else to fix. We find here that Paul related to Timothy…
II. How a church should treat a pastor who has strayed! (vv. 19-22)
1. While correction does much, encouragement does more! Before a church gets to the point of having to discipline its pastor, it should have spent time investing in his life. However, Paul gives us four guidelines to consider if discipline is necessary: First, “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.” Make sure that when you accuse a servant of God of doing something wrong that you have witnesses to back up your accusation! Remember, you chose him in the first place to be your leader! It is not a light thing to discipline those whom God has chosen for leadership. Remember what happened to those who thought that they could speak for God just as well as Moses could! They and their entire families were swallowed up! When you accuse one of God’s leaders falsely, you are also accusing God if you are wrong. Secondly, “Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.” If the pastor is guilty of doing something evil enough to be rebuked, do it publicly. Why? The church elected him publically and shouted to the heavens he was “God’s man” for your church, now rebuke him publically as well. But remember to do it with humility, grace, and mercy, always looking for redemption. And thirdly, Paul says do not hold favoritism above spiritually in doing the righteous thing: “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.” Picking pastors or rebuking them should not be done like a popularity contest. And finally, help your pastor and church to “not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.” (1 Timothy 5:19-22) Too many churches are quick to pick pastors, deacons, or elders that are not morally, spiritually, ethically, or familially qualified. To pick someone that is immature spiritually or ungodly ethically brings disdain to the church and to the Lord. In fact, all of the members of the church of Jesus, His body, should “keep yourself pure.”
EXAMPLE: Often a church has a poor pastor because they were willing to settle for a poor pastor. Sometimes, they ignore the warning signs. If you have visited Alaska, you have no doubt seen warnings about the bears that roam the wilderness. Experienced old-timers who know the habits of bears offer these suggestions for safety: 1) Don't climb a tree. Bears climb. 2) Don't run. Bears can run faster. 3) If the bear is brown, curl up and play dead. If it's black, move wildly and make lots of noise. 4) Never, never offer food to a bear. 5) Above all, don't get between a mother bear and her cubs. Here are some suggestions for a church and their pastors: 1) Don’t climb all over your pastor if he makes a mistake. He is human too. 2) Don’t run your pastor down in front of others. Support him just as you would want him to support you. 3) If your pastor is young help him to mature through prayer and encouragement. If your pastor is older and gray, help him to continue being mature through your prayer and encouragement. 4) Always offer food to your pastor, especially if you are a Baptist church! 5) Above all do not get in between a pastor and his family. Give him time alone and unhindered with his family and insist that he take days off and vacations. Do these things and you probably will not have to end up disciplining your pastor.
Conclusion:
We learned from Paul how a church should take care of its pastor and how a church should treat a pastor who has strayed. Let me ask you something this morning: Are you praying for your pastor? How do you encourage him and his family?
---
NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.
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