“Now
also we beseech you, brethren, get to know those who labor among you [recognize
them for what they are, acknowledge and appreciate and respect them all]–your
leaders who are over you in the Lord and those who warn and kindly
reprove and exhort you.
13 And
hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in [intelligent and
sympathetic] appreciation of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”
Dear people of God, in our lead Holy Bible text for today,
Christians are commanded to show respect for their spiritual or religious
leaders and to hold them in very high and most affectionate esteem in appreciation
of their work.
I am referring here to all spiritual leaders – pastors,
teachers, prophets, apostles, evangelists, etc.
Now, if you take time again to look at 1 Thessalonians 5:12
above, God’s Word gives detailed description of the attributes of the spiritual
leaders we are to hold in high esteem – those who are over you in the Lord and
those who warn and kindly reprove and exhort you.
In many of today’s churches, we see spiritual leaders who are
over their congregation NOT in the Lord but in sin and unrighteousness. We see
spiritual leaders who deliberately fail or refuse to warn and reprove and
exhort their congregation about righteousness, holiness and reverential fear of
the Lord.
Such spiritual leaders are either afraid of losing church membership
or losing the support of their strong financial members so they treat members
with discrimination, coming down hard on the less privileged and poor members
whilst ignoring the obvious wrong doing of their financially influential
members.
Dear friend, is God not the owner of the Church? Is Jesus Christ
not the Head of His Body? Is God not the One Who provides for His children and
all the needs of the church including financial needs?
Why then do you discriminate as a spiritual leader and fail to warn
and reprove your congregation about the dangers of a compromised Christian
life? Don’t you know that you will account to God for the soul of every member
of your congregation He has given you to shepherd?
And you who is an influential or strong financial member of the
Church, whoever told you that God is interested in your money? Aren’t you aware
that God is more interested in your soul and eternal well-being than anything
else you think you have?
Is there anything you have that God did not give you? Why then do
you boast and threaten to withdraw financial support when your pastor even
tries to correct you for your obvious wrongdoing?
Aren’t you aware that you will account to God for your actions?
Aren’t you aware that as stated in Romans 2:11, God is no respecter of persons
and is not partial but treats everyone equally regardless of your financial or
social status?
Aren’t you aware that the wealth you have from RIGHTEOUS LABOURS
is given to you by God (James 1:17)?
Aren’t you aware that whenever you give to the Church, it is NOT
God but yourself that you are doing a favour because all such giving from a
cheerful and willing heart attracts a covenant blessing from God as stated in
His Word in Malachi 3:10-12 and Luke 6:38?
You must realize that without your financial contribution, the
Church of God must prevail because the church exists for the sole purpose of preaching
God’s Word for “opening the eyes of lost and spiritually
dead souls, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of
satan to God, so that they may thus receive forgiveness and release from
their sins and a place and portion among those who are
consecrated and purified by faith in Jesus Christ” – Acts 26:18.
So there is no way God can watch His church struggle financially
when He has made it clear that the gates of HELL (obstacles put in place by
satan, demons and their human agents) SHALL NOT prevail against His church –
Matthew 16:18.
Therefore, financial members of churches who are proud and think
themselves as the pillars of the Church had better realise this fact in today’s
message, repent immediately and humble themselves before God before it is too
late.
Pastors must preach God’s Word in Truth, Holiness and
Righteousness without any compromise and must warn, reprove and exhort their
congregation whenever any one of them goes astray.
If any member becomes offended at the warning from God through
the pastor and leaves the church, the best the pastor can do for such member is
pray for God to have mercy and open his or her eyes of spiritual understanding
before it is too late.
Fear God and obey His commands for your own good.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed
His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Holy Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.