1 Thessalonians 5:12 KJV
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which
labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
We have in this verse the
three duties of the pastor, in other parts of the Bible described as
- Shepherd
- Bishop and
- Overseer
Here described not by office
but by work.
- He is a laborer
- He is a leader and
- He is an admonisher
His work is labor, real
work
It is exhausting and
draining both to the body and spirit.
His work is leadership
He provides direction and
rule.
His work is also one of
warning
He is to point out dangers
in the current course of ones life.
I see in this passage three
positions of the pastor relative to his congregation:
He is among them
He is not a lord over them.
He is an equal to them. He mixes with them as an example and as a peer.
He is over them
Not in the sense that he
has some special power they do not possess but he does have an office they do
not possess. He is equal to them, but he has been charged with leadership for
them.
He is to care for them
To admonish requires
compassion and care. He loves his congregation. He would never choose to harm
them but only to help them. If his warnings seem firm or blunt it is only in
proportion to the danger he sees for them.
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