“Ministers and the Membership”
(1 Timothy 5:17-25)
Series: Reality Check: Keeping it Real at FBC
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
(12-7-08) (AM)
- Take God’s Word and open to 1 Timothy chapter 5.
If you’re visiting with us we preach through books of the Bible because we believe that’s the best way to teach God’s Word so we’re in chapter 5, verse 17 because we left off with chapter 5, verse 16. So this morning we’ll finish chapter 5, having studied together through verse 25.
Paul is writing to Timothy at the church in Ephesus in about the year AD 64, but we understand by way of application that Paul is also writing to the church in Henderson in the year AD 2008. Today’s passage concerns the matter of ministers of the local church and their relation to the membership of the local church. Listen for that as I read the text.
- Please stand for the reading of God’s Word.
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.
20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.
- Pray.
Introduction:
A first-year seminary student was invited to preach at a local church. It was only his second time in the pulpit. He was extremely nervous when the day came and he had asked the congregation to stand in honor of the reading of Scripture. He then read the Scripture, prayed, and launched into his sermon. After about five minutes the church’s pastor, who was also present to hear the young man, started walking towards the pulpit. The young student saw him coming and, when he reached the pulpit, the student whispered to him, “I’m not finished.” The pastor said, “Take as long as you like—but please tell the congregation they may sit down!”
So I always want to be sure to tell you that you may sit down. I suppose that story is illustrative of at least one relationship between the minister and the membership. And the Apostle Paul gives us others. This passage of Scripture treats the matter of ministers and their congregations. More specifically, the Apostle Paul writes to the young minister Timothy about the conduct and oversight of ministers in the local church as they relate to the membership.
The passage begins in verse 17 with the phrase, “Let the elders.” We have noted before that the word “elder” is used interchangeably with the word “pastor” or “bishop” or “overseer,” and so forth. And note the plural form there: “elders,” with an “s.” The New Testament churches typically had more than one elder who ministered to the congregation. In most Baptist churches today we find one elder, or pastor, often called the preacher, who is considered the teaching shepherd over the flock and bears ultimate responsibility before God for the church. I hesitate to use the term, “Senior Pastor,” because I believe the Senior Pastor of the church is the Lord Jesus Christ. But this one primary minister is often assisted by a number of other ministers serving as ministerial staff, some ordained men serving as ministers and some women, though not ordained in accordance to Scripture, nevertheless serving in a ministerial capacity.
And such is the case here. First Baptist Church has a pastor, serving as the key preacher or teacher, who is assisted by a wonderful ministerial staff, persons who have surrendered to God’s claim upon their lives to serve Him through this fantastic church fellowship. Now what Paul has in mind here in this text is primarily—though not exclusively—the minister who we would think of as “the pastor of the church.” I say “not exclusively,” because much of what he says applies to ministers in general, as we will see in our study.
Now having said all of that, let’s get right into this passage and note what God teaches us in His Word. First, the Bible says:
I. Be Charitable regarding Compensation (17-18)
Compensation refers to payment made for services rendered and Paul is saying that ministers who work hard should be compensated generously, or charitably. Look again at verse 17:
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
Ministers who rule, or oversee, their congregations well, which is to say not just any minister, but ministers who rule well, are worthy of “double honor.” The word honor immediately calls to mind the idea of respect and esteem. Certainly we respect those who must give an account to God for their oversight of the membership. We must respect our ministers. But the word “honor” here has more than respect in mind. It has to do not only with respect, but with remuneration. The word “honor” has in view the idea of “honorarium,” a financial payment made to a person for a service provided, wages paid to someone who has worked for them. Paul makes this especially clear in the next verse, verse 18:
18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
In verse 18 Paul quotes from two places in the Scriptures, first from Deuteronomy and secondly from the Gospel of Luke. In so doing, Paul stresses from both Old and New Testament that there is divine sanction for the church’s paying its ministers, and not just in paying them, but in paying them generously. This is conveyed by use of the term, “double.” Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of “double honor,” a generous, charitable compensation.
Paul defends this principle from the Scriptures. He quotes first from the Old Testament. The command in verse 18, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” comes from Deuteronomy 25:4. That is where you will find the phrase, “You shall not muzzle and ox while it treads out the grain.”
Now that sounds like a strange command, doesn’t it? A farmer would lay out his grain upon a threshing floor and direct oxen over that grain so that they trampled over that grain, separating the grain from the chaff. And as the oxen trod over the grain, they would eat some of that grain. Now a pagan farmer, an unbelieving famer, might muzzle that ox, placing leather straps around its mouth and thus preventing it from eating the grain. And so this greedy pagan, hoping to maximize his profits, would deprive the ox of benefiting from his own labor. So God defends His name and honor as Creator and Sustainer by commanding that no person should muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.
Paul also mentions this Scripture in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10 where he also speaks to the matter of generously paying ministers for their work. Paul there quotes this passage about the ox and asks, “Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does God say it altogether for our sakes?” And then he says, “For our sakes, no doubt.” So Paul teaches that the phrase, “Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” does not ultimately express God’s concern for oxen, but God’s concern for ministers.
Then Paul quotes from the New Testament, Luke 10:7. There we read the words of Jesus who says, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
So in quoting from both Old and New Testaments Paul says to the church, “Be charitable regarding compensation.” Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, generous remuneration. Then, notice the last phrase of verse 18, “especially those who labor in word and doctrine.”
Particular consideration should be given to those ministers who “labor in word and doctrine,” or in the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. The word “labor” there is a word that describes the rigorous kind of work expected from the average day laborer, “to labor with wearisome effort.” Some Christians think of the minister’s job as a sort of Bible Conference Retreat that he enjoys for the rest of his life. But it is toil. It is work. It is rigorous study and time in the Scriptures. When taken seriously the average pastor may write anywhere from 10 to 12 pages of sermon material every week. That computes to over 600 of pages of material every year. And of course there are all the other duties and expectations of the pastor.
Now I happen to agree with the statement by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones who said that “the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called.” So while it is work, it is a joyous labor for Christ!
But Paul takes care to mention this matter of compensation because there are some churches who seem to think they didn’t need to pay their pastor. They had the wrong attitude. Paul had preached in churches like that. That’s why there were some occasions when he refused to receive payment, supporting himself rather, by making and selling tents. He did this so the church could not say, “Oh, you’re just preaching for money.” He wouldn’t allow a church to hold that over his head. And so he didn’t receive money. But in other churches where there was a healthy understanding of what it means to compensate ministers, Paul gladly receives such compensation.
There are no doubt many churches today who believe they are “keeping their minister humble” by paying him poorly. They go to 1 Timothy 3:3 where the Bible says a minister is not to be a “lover of money.” Well, one of the best ways to keep a minister from being a lover of money is to pay him well. The hungry man spends his time thinking of food. The naked man spends his time thinking of clothing. The thirsty man is thinking of water. Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine.
We don’t want to become like the church whose pastor found himself asking for money. It was his first church and he had requested from the church merely $20 per month in order to pay someone to mow the lawn and care for the flowers on the church’s property. One of the elder members stood and said, “The former pastor did that himself.” The pastor said, “I know, but he doesn’t want to do it anymore.”
Now let me say that I am paid a very generous salary and I thank God for a very generous church. I think I speak for every one of our ministerial staff persons. We have asked for nothing and you have generously compensated us beyond what we deserve and we are grateful. Thanks be to God for a generous, giving church.
Here’s the next thing Paul says. Not only does he say be charitable regarding compensation, but secondly:
II. Be Careful regarding Accusation (19-21)
Here, Paul treats the matter of an accusation against a minister. Look at verse 19:
19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.
John Trapp, the puritan commentator says, “Every fool has an arrow to shoot at a faithful preacher.” Every fool has an arrow to shoot at a faithful preacher.
This is certainly true of the preaching minister, the most visible minister, the one who is preaching and teaching the Word of God and is responsible for the oversight and care of the entire church. It is a fact that because it is such a public office that there will invariably be those who have something to say about the preacher. There will always be some to accuse him of this or that. So Paul, again drawing upon Scriptural principle found in both Deuteronomy 19 and Matthew 18, says, “Do not receive (or do not listen to) an accusation against a minister unless it comes from two or three witnesses.” Pay no attention to the predictably disgruntled person who hardly ever has anything good to say about anyone at all. Rather, handle accusations carefully, getting all of the facts from as many witnesses as possible. If it is nothing, dismiss it and go on. If, on the other hand, a sin is involved, then another course of action is to be followed.
And the idea here is a public and even persistent sin; something immoral, unethical, unbiblical, or illegal. Paul says if a minister is found in a public sin, here is what should be done, verse 20:
20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
He says when a minister is found in a public and persistent sin, something immoral, unethical, unbiblical, or illegal, “rebuke in the presence of all.” That is, have that minister stand before the congregation and publicly rebuke that minister.
Now that may sound a little harsh, but ministers are held to a very high standard, though not much higher than the expectation of all church members. In Matthew 18 Jesus talks about what to do when there is sin between members. He says if someone sins against you and is unrepentant, take two or three witnesses with you to confront that person. If he is still unwilling to repent, tell it to the church.
I’ve been involved in more than one situation where that process was followed. In one case a person was divorcing a spouse for no biblical reason. The victim of that situation took the matter to me and I then asked two others to be involved as we biblically counseled that person and lovingly warned that person to repent. It never came before the church because that person decided to withdraw their name from the membership roll. But you see this whole process is carried out with a view toward restoration.
Too often people wish to turn away and ignore this kind of thing. Paul argues here that dealing with it brings positive peer pressure and good shame upon the situation which provides a disincentive to sin. He says that this public rebuking of a minister should take place “in the presence of all,” why? “that the rest may also fear.”
It’s like when I was at the principal’s office once during high school. I was there for some good reason, believe it or not, I don’t remember what. But while I was there, there was a guy there who was in trouble for something he did. Back then, you could get paddled. The maximum penalty was “three licks” from the paddle. But before the principal could paddle a student, the student had to call home and get permission. I remember hearing part of the conversation as this guy called home. He said, “But mom—they can only give me three!” Then the principal gave him those three, loud licks. Wham! Wham! Wham! And the effect of that upon anyone watching is, “Man, I’m never doing that!” That’s the idea of loving church discipline. It is done with a view toward restoring the offender and warning those who sin.
And Paul tells Timothy not to show favoritism in the carrying out of church discipline. Verse 21:
21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.
That is, “Don’t show favoritism in the carrying out of this discipline, Timothy.” God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the chosen angels are watching you! So do the right thing. If a minister has sinned publicly, deal with it and don’t show favoritism to one minister or the other.
Be charitable regarding compensation, be careful regarding accusation and finally:
III. Be Cautious regarding Ordination (22-25)
In the last few verses Paul warns Timothy to be very cautious before ordaining a person to the ministry. He says in verse 22:
22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.
Don’t just set aside anyone to public ministry. To do so is to “share in their sins.” He’ll come back to this in a moment. He says, “you keep yourself pure, Timothy. Then there’s this sort of parenthetical statement in verse 23:
23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
It seems that Paul’s instruction to Timothy in the last part of verse 22 where he says, “Keep yourself pure,” causes him to make this statement here in verse 23. Perhaps Timothy was so concerned about keeping himself pure that he completely abstained from alcohol. But, because of Timothy’s “frequent infirmities” and because of his “stomach,” Paul encouraged Timothy to take a little wine with his water, encouraging here the medicinal use of alcohol. We know from previous studies on wine in the Bible that most water was undrinkable in Paul’s day and required the adding of wine in order to treat the impurities. If you don’t have a copy of the excellent article on Wine in the Bible that I have made available in previous sermons, just call the church and request a copy. But Paul is telling Timothy to be cautious in the ordination of ministers, keeping himself pure. Then, verses 24-25:
24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.
25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.
The first point here is that there are some men who simply should not be in the ministry. Why? Because there sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment. Their “reputation precedes them,” as we say. But be cautious, he says, because the sins of others “follow later.” You may not at first see that they have a problem with sexual immorality, for example, but it will surface later. So don’t be hasty about ordaining someone into the ministry. Watch them carefully. Be cautious regarding ordination.
*(If time—ministers who committed sexual sin, the church did not address…so problem surfaced elsewhere)
And Paul says, similarly, the good works of some are clearly evident, while the good works of others cannot be hidden. That is, you may not see the good works of some ministers, but in time you will.
Just like with so many of us. We do the right thing and we do the right thing and it seems no one notices or nobody appreciates what we do. Hang in there! Your good works cannot be hidden. God sees what you do and He will ensure that others one day will appreciate what you have done, as well.
- Stand for prayer.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.