And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly for their work’s sake. 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13
Friends of ours who are members of a particular religious denomination say a common joke among them is that the main course for Sunday dinner is roast preacher. Apparently, they like to pick apart their pastor’s Sunday morning sermon for entertainment. Don’t they know that today’s text is in the Bible? But before we criticize them too much, let’s make sure that we are following this text concerning the full time workers who labour among us and the elders who exercise the oversight of our Assemblies.
We are given two instructions here: we are told to know our full-time workers and elders, and we are told to esteem them very highly because of their work. If we follow these instructions, we will do well. If we disregard these instructions, we will have confusion and dissatisfaction among us, and we won’t last long as a viable and as a scriptural Assembly.
How well do we actually know the preachers? Are we familiar with their families and their particular circumstances of life? Do we know of their particular exercises in the Lord’s work? Do we know what meetings they have recently been involved in, and what conferences they attend? It is only by knowing about these brethren and their work that we can pray intelligently for them and support them as we should in every way that we can. The same goes for the members of the Assembly oversight. There are times when some members of the Assembly lack respect for certain elders. This is usually a result of not knowing much about those particular elders. There is always a reason why an elder holds a particular view or emphasizes a particular aspect of doctrine, and before you criticize that brother for being too rigid or mossy-backed or out of touch, you should have a friendly chat with that brother to uncover the background. If you knew him better, your attitude would likely change.
How do we esteem these people very highly? By paying heed to them. When they give a word of ministry, we pay attention and take it to heart. When they give a word of advice or encouragement, we express our thanks and seek to follow their words. When they give a word of rebuke, we accept it humbly and try to do better. We also look for those things in their lives that are good examples for us to follow, and we follow them. We also bear these dear men before God in prayer, that God would encourage and preserve them. And finally, we give these men our full support in every way possible.
Without the workers and elders among us, we would be unable to function as Assemblies of the Lord’s people. Honour and follow them. -Jim MacIntosh