THE APOSTLE PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS 1

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SHEPHERDS AND SHEEP. 2

I.SHEPHERDS (PASTORS) & SHEEP (PEOPLE). “BUT WE REQUEST OF YOU, BRETHREN, THAT YOU APPRECIATE THOSE WHO DILIGENTLY LABOR AMONG YOU, AND HAVE CHARGE OVER YOU IN THE LORD AND GIVE YOU INSTRUCTION, AND THAT YOU ESTEEM THEM VERY HIGHLY IN LOVE BECAUSE OF THEIR WORK. LIVE IN PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER.” (5:12-13) A.IN THESE TWO VERSES PAUL PRESENTS EXHORTATIONS CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A PASTOR AND HIS FLOCK. B.IF THE SHEPHERDS AND THE SHEEP FALL SHORT IN THEIR SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO EACH OTHER, THE CHURCH CAN’T BE WHAT GOD INTENDED IT TO BE. 3

“THESE THINGS WRITE I UNTO THEE, HOPING TO COME UNTO THEE SHORTLY: BUT IF I TARRY LONG, THAT THOU MAYEST KNOW HOW THOU OUGHTEST TO BEHAVE THYSELF IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH.” (1 TIM. 3:14) C.THE SHEPHERDS’ RESPONSIBILITY TO THE SHEEP. “BUT WE REQUEST OF YOU, BRETHREN.... WHO DILIGENTLY LABOR AMONG YOU, AND HAVE CHARGE OVER YOU IN THE LORD AND GIVE YOU INSTRUCTION.” (5-12) 1.FOUR BASIC TERMS IN NT FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP: i.ELDER. ii.OVERSEER. iii.PASTOR. iv.LEADER. 4

1.FILLING THESE POSITIONS IN THE EARLY CHURCH WAS ESSENTIAL. “AND WHEN THEY HAD ORDAINED THEM ELDERS IN EVERY CHURCH, AND HAD PRAYED WITH FASTING, THEY COMMENDED THEM TO THE LORD, ON WHOM THEY BELIEVED.” (ACTS 14:23) 2.IT WAS DIFFICULT TO FIND QUALIFIED ELDERS IN THESSALONICA AND OTHER GRECO-ROMAN CITIES. I.CHURCH WAS LESS THAN 1 YR. OLD AND CONTAINED PRIMARILY NEW CONVERTS. II. PAUL EXERCISED HIS SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY. “HIM (TIMOTHEUS) WOULD PAUL HAVE TO GO FORTH WITH HIM; AND TOOK AND CIRCUMCISED HIM BECAUSE OF THE JEWS WHICH WERE IN THOSE QUARTERS: FOR THEY KNEW ALL THAT HIS FATHER WAS A GREEK. AND AS THEY WENT THROUGH THE CITIES, THEY DELIVERED THEM THE DECREES FOR TO KEEP, THAT WERE ORDAINED OF THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS WHICH WERE AT JERUSALEM.” (ACTS 16-:3-4) 5

3.ALSO, IN THESSALONICA, THE NEW BELIEVERS WERE COMMON PEOPLE, i.e., FORMERLY SLAVES. THIS SITUATION RESULTED IN CONFLICT WITHIN THE CHURCH. “NOW WE EXHORT YOU, BRETHREN, WARN THEM THAT ARE UNRULY, COMFORT THE FAINT-HEARTED, SUPPORT THE WEAK, BE PATIENT TOWARD ALL MEN. SEE THAT NONE RENDER EVIL FOR EVIL UNTO ANY MAN; BUT EVER FOLLOW THAT WHICH IS GOOD, BOTH AMONG YOURSELVES, AND TO ALL MEN.” (5:14-15) a.APPARENTLY, SOME OF THE FLOCK WONDERED WHY OTHER EQUALLY NEW BELIEVERS WERE GIVEN CHARGE OVER THEM & THEY WERE NOT SUBMISSIVE. b.“WE REQUEST OF YOU, BRETHREN,” SINCE THE THESSALONIANS WERE ALREADY BECOMING MODELS FOR OTHER CHURCHES, PAUL SIMPLY MAKES AN ENCOURAGING APPEAL 6

D.THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LABOR. “WHO DILIGENTLY LABOR AMONG YOU.” (5-12b) 1.“DILIGENTLY LABOR” MEANS TO: I.EXHIBIT GREAT EFFORT. II.EXHIBIT GREAT EXERTION. III.TO THE POINT OF SWEAT. IV.TO THE POINT OF EXHAUSTION. 2.THE FAITHFUL PASTOR: I.WORKS HARD AMONG HIS PEOPLE. II.MINISTERS TO THEM AS A SHEPHERD CARES FOR HIS SHEEP, OR AS A FATHER LEADS HIS FAMILY. III.MUST PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL “BUT WATCH THOU IN ALL THINGS, ENDURE AFFLICTIONS, DO THE WORK OF AN EVANGELIST, MAKE FULL PROOF OF THY MINISTRY.” (2 TIM. 4:5) 7

IV.EXPLAIN AND APPLY THE TRUTH. “APT TO TEACH.” (1 TIM. 3:2) “PREACH THE WORD; BE INSTANT IN SEASON, OUT OF SEASON; REPROVE, REBUKE, EXHORT WITH ALL LONGSUFFERING AND DOCTRINE.” (2 TIM. 4:2) “HOLDING FAST THE FAITHFUL WORD AS HE HATH BEEN TAUGHT, THAT HE MAY BE ABLE BY SOUND DOCTRINE BOTH TO EXHORT AND TO CONVINCE THE GAINSAYERS.” (TITUS 1:9) V.WARN AND ADMONISH THE SHEEP. “CHRIST IN YOU, THE HOPE OF GLORY. WHOM WE PREACH, WARNING EVERY MAN, AND TEACHING EVERY MAN IN ALL WISDOM; THAT WE MAY PRESENT EVERY MAN PERFECT IN CHRIST.” (COL. 1:27-28) 8

VI.COUNSEL THEM FROM SCRIPTURE. “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, FOR REPROOF, FOR CORRECTION, FOR INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS.” (2 TIM. 3:16-17) a)PAUL WORKED AS A TENTMAKER TO SUPPORT HIMSELF, TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WHO WORKED HARD AND NOT BE A BURDEN ON ANYONE. “AND BECAUSE HE WAS OF THE SAME CRAFT, HE ABODE WITH THEM (AQUILA & PRISCILLA), AND WROUGHT; FOR BY THEIR OCCUPATION THEY WERE TENTMAKERS.” (ACTS 18:3) “FOR YOU RECALL, BRETHREN, OUR LABOR AND HARDSHIP, HOW WORKING NIGHT AND DAY SO AS NOT TO BE A BURDEN TO ANY OF YOU, WE PROCLAIMED TO YOU THE GOSPEL OF GOD.” (2:9) 9

E.THE RESPONSIBILITY TO EXERCISE AUTHORITY. “AND HAVE CHARGE OVER YOU IN THE LORD.” (5-12c) 1.“HAVE CHARGE OVER” MEANS TO ‘STAND BEFORE’ AND ‘AUTHORITATIVELY LEAD. “ONE THAT RULETH WELL HIS OWN HOUSE, HAVING HIS CHILDREN IN SUBJECTION WITH ALL GRAVITY; (FOR IF A MAN KNOW NOT HOW TO RULE HIS OWN HOUSE, HOW SHALL HE TAKE CARE OF THE CHURCH OF GOD?).” (1 TIM. 3:4-5) 2.PASTORS STAND IN THE PLACE OF THE CHIEF SHEPHERD -DELEGATED UNDERSHEPHERDS. “THE ELDERS WHICH ARE AMONG YOU I EXHORT, WHO AM ALSO AN ELDER.... FEED THE FLOCK OF GOD WHICH IS AMONG YOU, TAKING THE OVERSIGHT THEREOF, NOT BY CONSTRAINT, BUT WILLINGLY; NOT FOR FILTHY LUCRE, BUT OF A READY MIND. NEITHER AS BEING LORDS OVER GOD’S HERITAGE, BUT BEING EXAMPLES TO THE FLOCK. AND WHEN THE CHIEF SHEPHERD SHALL APPEAR, YE SHALL RECEIVE A CROWN OF GLORY THAT FADETH NOT AWAY.” (1 PET. 5:1-4 ) 10