S= "And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, And to esteem them very highly in love for their works' sake. And be at peace among yourselves." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
O= In the Scofield Study Bible, C.I. Scofield notes that the theme of Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians is fourfold. Today's verses fit with two of the four points: 1) to confirm the young converts in Thessalonica in the foundational truths already taught them; 2) to exhort them to a life of personal holiness pleasing to the Lord.
Here in verse 12 Paul beseeches the brethren to know those:
* Who labor among them
* Who are over them in the Lord
* Who admonish them.
A cross-reference for "them who labor among you" is Hebrews 13:7, 17 -- "Remember them who have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their manner of life ... Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you."
These verses shed a good bit more light concerning those who labor among us. Verse 13 gives further instruction on how these spiritual leaders are to be treated. They are to be esteemed very highly in love for their work's sake. A cross-reference for "love" is 2 Thessalonians 1:3 -- "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."
In addition, Paul exhorts the believers to be at peace among themselves (verse 13). Believer's Bible Commentary notes that this last phrase "is not accidental insertion. The #1 problem among Christians everywhere is the problem of getting along with each other. Every believer has enough of the flesh in him to divide and wreck any local church. Only as empowered by His Spirit can we develop the love, brokenness, forbearance, kindness, tender-heartedness, and forgiveness that are indispensable for peace."
Dr. H.A. Ironside wrote, "It is so easy to allow little things to set one Christian against another, and thus bring in strife and a spirit of quarrelsomeness among God's people. When we realize that anything like this is in our hearts, we should take it immediately to the Lord in humiliation and self-judgment, and seek grace not to say or do anything that is likely to cause contention among God's children."
I also liked what Ironside wrote about esteeming God's servants highly in love for their work's sake: "It is not a question of simply approving their personality, but ... that God has entrusted to them the ministry of teaching, preaching, and exhorting the saints."
A= Lots to apply here! I need to know those who are over me in the Lord, who labor among us in the local church, and who admonish us. In addition, I'm to esteem these leaders very highly in love for their work's sake. Not because I personally like or admire them, but for their work's sake -- because God has entrusted them with this ministry of teaching, preaching, and exhortation. Part of esteeming them in love is praying for them.
On first reading, I thought it a bit odd that "And be at peace among yourselves" was tucked in at the end of verse 13. It only took a moment's thought, however, to realize that Paul had very deliberately put it there. Those who have the proper attitude toward their spiritual leaders will pay attention to promoting peace among the members of their local churches.
P= "Lord, there is so much to consider in these verses! I pray that You will help me to take time to know those who are over me in the Lord, who are laboring among us in the church and seeking to exhort us. I pray that You will help me to esteem them highly in love for their work's sake, and to pray for them faithfully.
"I pray also that You will help me to promote peace among the members of our local church, and I praise You for the unity we have as a merged church. It's a blessing to see all that You have done in bringing us together. I praise You in Jesus' name, Amen."
There is this week's rather lengthy study. I hope it was a blessing to someone today!
Having spent many years in the ministry with my husband, I can attest to the necessity of these verses, especially the "be at peace among yourselves" part. Satan loves to try and get a toehold into any congregation that is growing spiritually. If he can divide us he will conquer us, and so it is very important to guard against him gaining any entrance at all. We've seen his destruction in too many churches because they wouldn't heed these instructions. Thank you for sharing this with us today. Valuable information for every believer.
ReplyDeleteYes. A lot to ponder. How much more productive would each fellowship be if the people were praying for those over them who work teaching the Word. Guilty of not doing that enough. I am glad to read that your merger is going well. Pretty soon, you won't be thinking of yourselves as a merged church. Many blessings!
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