Respect Your Pastors

1 Thessalonians 5:13-15
P. G. Mathew | Sunday, April 22, 2018
Copyright © 2018, P. G. Mathew

Recently a popular evangelical pastor said, in essence, that pastors have no authority.[1] If that is true, parents of the family have no authority to command their children to obey them according to the fifth commandment given in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your parents, that it may go well with you, that you may live long in the land,” although it is God’s command, to be enforced by the parents. Additionally, the police of the state would also have no power to tell us to do anything if what the popular preacher said is true.

It is true that God alone is the sovereign of his universe, and all authority belongs to him. Yet he delegates authority to his representatives in the family, the church, and the state.[2] Paul clearly speaks about this in Romans 13:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor (Rom. 13:1–7)

It is not biblical to say that pastors have no authority to rule the church of God. Of course, many pastors and priests are not called or sent by Christ. They are self-called or church-called or devil-called. Such pastors preach a different gospel, a different Jesus, and a different spirit. Paul pronounces a curse on such people; they have no God-given authority. He writes, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Gal. 1:8–9). He also says, “For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. . . . For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Cor. 11:4, 13–15).

True ministers are sent by Christ with the authority of the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel. We read, “Then Jesus came to [his disciples] and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey whatsoever things I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:18–20). Jesus also told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Do you want to know who a true pastor is? They are men called by God. They are Christ’s gifts to his holy church. Jesus “gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). They are appointed by the Holy Spirit. Paul said, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Consider Paul’s words: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Rom. 10:14–15). Without hearing the gospel, we cannot be saved. And we cannot hear the gospel unless someone is sent by Christ.

Elsewhere Paul says, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Cor. 2:14–17).  And Peter states, “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be [pastors] shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Pet. 5:1–4).

True pastors are to give an account to the Chief Shepherd, under whose authority they work. Such men have received the holy, high, and heavenly calling to preach the true gospel regarding the person and the redemptive work of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us, then, consider three scriptures that speak about pastors and their spiritual ministry.

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13

Paul writes, “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you”—in other words, “who have charge over you”—“in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work., Live in peace with each other.”

There are a number of points we want to consider from this scripture.

1. “We Are Asking You, Brothers”

Paul begins, “We are asking you, brothers.” The apostle of Christ is asking the members of the Thessalonian church, and us, to respect God-appointed pastors. Notice, the authority of the apostle is the authority of Christ himself. Through the apostle, Jesus is speaking to his holy church to respect and honor the pastors he has appointed to govern the church, and to hear and do what they say. True believers will obey this apostolic admonition.

2. Honor the Pastors

Second, Paul is saying we must appreciate (i.e., to honor) our pastors based on knowledge of who they are and what they do. Who are true pastors and what do they do? In Acts 14:23 we read, “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” Of these leaders Paul writes,

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.  (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap. (1 Tim. 3:1–7)

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless–not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:5–9)

Pastors are gifts of the ascended Christ, the head of the church (Eph. 4:11). They are appointed by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28) and received by the local church. They are undershepherds who are accountable to the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:2-4; Heb. 13:17).

There were believers in the Thessalonian church who were disrespecting their pastors and living disorderly, disobedient lives. The matter was reported to the apostle (2 Thess. 3:11), so he was giving them an apostolic command to respect their pastors by living disciplined, orderly lives.

Like the Thessalonians, we are to respect true pastors. Paul says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). When we respect authorities and respond through obedience, we will receive the blessing of eternal salvation. Understand the key: Respect, respond, and receive a blessing. Without respecting the minister, you will not pay attention to the gospel he preaches, and you will not respond to the gospel in faith to receive the blessing of eternal salvation.

The same principle works in the family: Respect, respond, and receive a blessing. In the family, children who do not respect their parents will become wild and disobedient. Paul writes, “An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient” (Titus 1:6). Wild children are disobedient to Christ himself. They are like Eli’s children (1 Sam. 2–4).

In God’s order, the head of husband is Christ, the head of wife is the husband, and the head of children are parents. Children are to obey their parents and be saved. That is why we say: Respect, respond, and receive the blessing of eternal life.

3. Pastors Labor, Work Hard

Paul writes, “Respect those who work hard among you.” The third lesson we learn from this text is that true pastors labor, toil, work hard for God. Paul says, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:29). Paul worked with the energy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself promised, “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8, KJV).

True pastors toil. They work hard. They are not idlers. There were lazy believers in Thessalonica. They saw the pastors working hard. Yet these lazy believers refused to work hard six days a week, according to God’s own command. So Paul told them, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thess. 4:11–12).

This country says, “Come over here; you do not have to work.” This is what happens when fools are governing. Such people hate the Bible which says we must work six days. Paul later told the same church, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). They were to live according to the teaching they had received through the pastors.

If you are lazy and not working hard, you are sinning against God himself. I hope today you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to work hard. Then you will be promoted, not demoted. I work hard seven days as a pastor.

Again, Paul says, “We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed” (2 Thess. 3:11–14).

God-called pastors will work hard. Paul stated, “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).

God’s people are successful people. The job of true ministers is to build up in the most holy faith the elect who respect the pastors. Paul spoke about this; I pray that everyone who is a leader, including parents, will consider his words: “This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down” (2 Cor. 13:10). My interpretation is that Paul was speaking about building up every person in God’s salvation. The greatest blessing in the world for a parent is that every child be saved. As Joshua said, “I and my household, we will serve the Lord.” The Philippian jailer asked in the middle of the night, “What must I do to be saved?” And the answer came: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, and your household.”  It is a tragedy when the children of believers are not saved.

The work of the elder, the pastor, is spiritual. He is to preach, to teach, to counsel, to rebuke, to correct, to train in righteousness, to pray, to warn, to admonish, to manage the home, to govern the church, to have believing children, to encourage, to comfort, to study hard the word of God, to marry, to bury, to baptize, to visit the sick, to help the poor, to exercise discipline, to admit members and to expel wicked people, to rule well, and to write books. His work also includes suffering persecution. When we stand for truth, people speak evil of us and persecute us. But God says, “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for Christ’s sake.”

4. Pastors Are over You

Then Paul says, “who are over you in the Lord.” The fourth lesson we learn from this verse is that pastors are over the sheep. That means the sheep are under them. Paul writes, “[The pastor] must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” (1 Tim. 3:4–5). The centurion said, “For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matt. 8:9).  The pastor is over God’s people, and they are under the pastor.

The sheep are under the pastors so that they can hear and do the word of God as preached by the pastors by the Spirit’s anointing and power. The church is an aspect of the kingdom of God, where Christ rules through his ministers. The Great Shepherd, the Chief Shepherd, the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ is over the pastors, and he is the one to whom they must give an account of their work. So we read, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Heb. 13:17). Peter writes, “They will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Pet. 4:5). A pastor cannot be autonomous. He is under Christ and must give him an account of what he did.

5. Pastors Admonish You

Then Paul says, “who admonish you.” Pastors are to admonish us. That means they must warn us, rebuke us when we sin, and correct us so that we will come back to the straight and narrow way of holiness. They do all of this because they love the people under their care. Paul exhorted, “So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).

I went to the top seminary in the world and there was a professor by name Dr. Jay Adams. He wrote books on nouthetic counseling. The word “nouthetic” is used in Acts 20:31 and in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, where we read, “We urge you, brothers, warn [noutheteite] those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Nouthetic counsel means to put into the minds of God’s people God’s word and demand that they repent and obey it. The pastor must put the word of God into the nous, the mind. That is the ministry also of the parents to their children.

6. Hold Pastors in the Highest Regard

We are to hold pastors “in the highest regard in love” (NIV). Paul uses a triple intensive adverb in the Greek (huperekperissou). He uses the same adverb, translated in various ways, in Romans 5:20, Ephesians 3:20, 2 Corinthians 7:4, 1 Thessalonians 3:10, and 1 Thessalonians 5:13. It means “superabundantly,” “beyond all limits,” “exceeding abundantly above all” (Eph. 3:20), “esteem most highly,” “hold them in the highest esteem,” “treat them with the greatest respect and love” (Good News Bible), “hold them in the highest possible esteem” (New English Bible), and, as the New International Version says, “Hold them in the highest regard in love.”

Respect, respond, and receive a blessing. In the home, when parents do not demand, children do not obey, and they end up on the broad way of eternal destruction.

We must esteem the pastors most highly; we must hold them in the highest esteem. The highest respect given to pastors will yield the highest response to the word preached, and those who do this will receive God’s highest gift of salvation to sinners. We must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as preached by the pastor called and sent by Christ with the life-giving word. The true preacher alone has the true gospel.

If a minister does not preach the Bible, he does not have any authority. Paul writes, “How can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’. . . Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message [of the gospel], and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:15, 17).

We must hold true pastors in the highest possible esteem because, unlike false ministers, they preach the word of God to us. Before he was beheaded, Paul wrote:

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come [and has come] when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:1–5)

1 Timothy 5:17

The second scripture is 1 Timothy 5:17: “The elders who rule well are to be counted worthy of double honor [diplês timês], especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” Dr. John R. W. Stott says double honor means honor and honorarium. Without preaching and teaching the gospel by Christ-called and Christ-sent pastors, a hellbound sinner cannot be saved. (PGM) No Harvard degrees, no amount of money, no political dominion of the world, no physical beauty can save us. Jesus said, “What does it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?” (see Matt. 16:26). God paid the highest price to redeem us. That price was the blood of Jesus Christ.

Respect those pastors who interpret correctly the Scriptures and preach Christ faithfully without adding to, subtracting from, or misinterpreting the text. Respect those pious and learned pastors who preach the gospel in the Holy Spirit power. Respect, respond, and receive.

Hebrews 13:17

The third text is Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” [3]  We want to consider the following points.

1. Honor the Pastors

The first point is that we must obey our leaders. What does that mean? It means when they speak, we must hear and do immediately, exactly, and with joy what they are telling us to do. Why? They are preaching the word of God to us. The word for “obey” is a present imperative. That means we must obey our leaders continually as they preach and teach the word. They have authority over us—authority delegated to them by Christ.

2. They Are Our Leaders

The second point is that these pastors are our leaders. They are to go before us and we are to follow them. Jesus said, “Follow me” (Matt. 16:24). As they follow Jesus, we must follow them.

3. Submit to Them

The word the writer uses for “submit” (hupeikô) is a stronger word than the word he used for “obey.” It is also a present imperative, which means we must keep on submitting to them. In other words, we must resist no longer, but, rather, submit to their authority and yield to them.

4. Their Pastoral Work Benefits Us

Why should we submit to our leaders? We should do so because their pastoral work benefits us now and forever. They continually watch over us as pastors, even going without sleep, as the shepherds did: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night” (Luke 2:8). Pastoral ministry is serious ministry. True pastors work hard. Even in the night, they are praying and interceding with God. The word used by the Hebrews writer (agrupneô) means they lose sleep watching over the people of God.

5. They Must Give an Account

True pastors must give an account of those who are under them to the Great Shepherd. This is true of parents too. They are only undershepherds.

6. Make Their Work a Joy, Not a Burden

We are to obey our pastors so that their pastoral work will be a joy and not groaning (in the Greek). We must not bring them grief through our disobedience. When people disobey true pastors, they are grieving the pastor. I have personally experienced much grief from people who rebelled against God and his word. Yet grieving the pastor is unprofitable for those under them. When he says it is “unprofitable,” the writer is using a litotes; it means such behavior is harmful to the sheep. It is a loss, eternal loss.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” If you are one of Christ’s sheep, you will hear and do what he says through his pastors and through your parents. If you do not, it means you are not a sheep of Christ but a goat, who will hear from Christ on the Judgment Day: “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). Disobedience and rebellion toward God is unprofitable; it is harmful.

Conclusion

What is the conclusion? True pastors have the authority to tell us the word of God. That is why we say, “Jesus is Lord.” Christ alone has all authority, but he commands us in the Bible through pastors to obey him. In the same way, children are to obey their parents, wives are to obey their husbands, and all are to obey the state agencies such as the police. We are to obey all of God’s delegated human authorities, and we are to disobey only when their commands contradict God’s infallible word. Peter and the apostles said, “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29). He also said, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him” (Acts 5:32).

In communist countries, the government holds itself as the highest authority, and it is a crime if a person does not acknowledge that. But in the New Testament, the believers confessed, “Jesus is Lord,” even when they were killed for doing so. That still happens today in communist countries; that is why there is the underground church. Many people are in prison and some are killed because they obey God rather than man. Even in these United States, the time is coming when obedience to God, who speaks in the Bible, will be seen as a criminal act to be punished.

Remember this: you are not the authority, nor am I the authority. Our ultimate authority is Jesus Christ, who said, “I have received all authority in heaven and on earth.” But he uses delegated authorities to govern in the family, in the church, and in the state. And we will be blessed if we understand this and obey him. Respect, respond in obedience, and receive the blessing of eternal salvation.

 

 

[1] Questioner: To what extent is a member of a church required to obey his pastor? How much authority does a pastor have in the lives of his congregants?

Pastor: None. No authority. I have no authority in this church, personally. My experience doesn’t give me any authority. My knowledge doesn’t give me any authority. My education doesn’t give me any authority. I have no authority. My position doesn’t give me any authority. My title doesn’t give me any authority. That’s why I don’t like titles. Only the word of God has authority. Christ is the head of the church and he mediates his rule in the church through his word. I have no authority. I don’t have authority beyond the Scripture. I can never exceed what is written—1 Corinthians 4:6. To do that is to become, Paul says, arrogant and to regard yourself as superior. I have nothing to say to you that puts any demand on you if it isn’t from the word of God.

You are probably talking out of some experience where you felt that some undue authority was exercised over you or somebody you know by a pastor. We need to be reminded that as pastors, even though the Lord has lifted us up and given us this kind of responsibility, we possess no personal authority.

If I am telling you what God has said in his word, that has authority—right? But I cannot exceed what is written. I can’t tell you about your life. I can give you wisdom if you ask, but I may have no more wisdom than somebody else . . . . So the pastor in himself has no authority. Listen to what Paul says: “Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? Who is Cephas?  We’re nothing.” It’s all of Christ. It’s all of the Holy Spirit. It’s all of the Scripture. (from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X65vspiZLLA)

 

[2] See my book, Romans, Vol. 2: The Gospel Life (Davis, CA: Grace and Glory, 2014), 369–380.

[3] For a more detailed treatment, see my book, Muscular Christianity: Learning Endurance from the Book of Hebrews (Davis, CA: Grace and Glory, 2010), 431–440.