Our Responsibility to a
Pastor
So, to finish our studies on this
important subject, we look at how we ought to view our responsibility to a
pastor.
There are some obvious considerations that come out of all we have so far
considered. For if a pastor is a man specifically called of God, that means we
have a responsibility to recognise this truth, and therefore relate to him in a
way that is both appropriate and suitable. We have called this man to be our
pastor, and that means that we must act in a way that befits our calling of him.
If our pastor is to look after our souls before God, then we must give him the
deference that this requires. He is concerned about us, and therefore we should
not think him interfering if he wants to talk to us about our souls, our
spiritual lives, and spiritual experience. His is a spiritual concern, but it
also may be a practical concern—for our physical lives and our spiritual lives
are inextricably bound up together. We cannot simply put our relationship with
God in a separate category, or into a box of its own. So our pastor, whom God
has given to us, has a God-given responsibility to look after our spiritual and
social welfare.
There are just three references that are to come to our attention in this
respect. The first is Philippians 2:29: “Receive him therefore in the Lord with
all gladness, and hold such men in esteem”. Paul is referring specifically to Epaphroditus, and to elders in general. Epaphroditus is described as
“a fellow
worker ” Philippians 2:25, one who shares in the labours of the Gospel with
Paul. On this occasion he was acting as a messenger from the Philippian Church,
representing its members to Paul, and bearing a gift to him from them. He served
as their “minister”, functioning officially on their behalf in performing a
sacred service to Paul. The word Paul uses here (“ministered”) is indicative of
a special ministry. It was used of Christ’s priestly ministry in the heavenly
tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2), and of Paul’s sacred service in the evangelising of
Gentiles. The word may well be indicative of a pastoral capacity that Epaphroditus is exercising. As such Paul is at pains to encourage the church at
Philippi to treat Epaphroditus with the respect that is due to such a person.
“Receive Him in the Lord with gladness”. Recognise his gifts, his service for
the Lord, his commitment to the Lord’s work, and the cost that it entails for
him. “Hold such men in esteem.” Paul is telling the church that because of the
circumstances, because things perhaps have not worked out as they had expected
with respect to Epaphroditus, that they were to take care that there was no
animosity toward him. The suggestion is that a problem may have arisen.
Therefore he tells them to refrain from any criticism. Rather, they were to
recognise him for his faithful and sacrificial service for the Lord and give him
the appropriate respect. And so also all men whom God uses in His service are to
be treated this way—show them respect for the work of the Lord that they do.
The next reference is Hebrews 13:7: “Remember those who rule over you, who have
spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of
their conduct.” This is a simple injunction to treat elders with respect.
Pastors are not put into their position just to be a figurehead, nor are they
there just to make life difficult for the rest of us. They are appointed by God
to teach us the Word of God, to explain the Gospel, and to encourage godly
living in us. We should not be disposed to make life difficult for them. We can
do that by having a wrong attitude. Sometimes it can be an attitude of
resentment—because we feel that the pastor has shown us up in some way—even
though he may not even know you have such a problem! You may feel that way even
when he is not aware that this is how we feel! However, his task is to be
faithful to the Word of God, by studying it diligently, proclaiming it
carefully, and seeking to apply that Word to our lives—so that by the grace of
God we shall be more conformed to the image of Christ. It is just that we
sometimes see it the wrong way, and can resent him for it. But he is only doing
what God requires of him. Why should we hold that against him?
Rather, we should seek to follow his faith, as the writer puts it here. A pastor
should be our example. We ought to be able to take our pastor as our example. [I
can assure you that I am only saying this as I am required to from Scripture,
not because I think it should happen! For a pastor to recognise that this should
be the case is deeply humbling, and gives him an even deeper feeling of utter
inadequacy and an overwhelming sense of his own shortcomings.]
And then put this together with Hebrews 13:17: “Obey those who rule over you,
and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give
account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be
unprofitable for you.” This statement surely sums up so much of what we have
been sharing in these studies. The ruling elders, the pastors, are those who
have been appointed by God to “watch out for your souls”. And we need to get
this into perspective—for they are the ones “who must give account” to God for
how they do this. God calls them responsible for how they shepherd you. We like
to think that we are responsible for our own lives—but the truth of the matter
is that in the church, which is the family God has called together, He considers
those whom He chooses and appoints as pastors are responsible for our souls. The
writer puts his case very strongly. “Obey those who rule over you”. That is just
what we are not inclined to do! We do not want to think that we are to obey
another person. But surely, if all that we have said of a pastor is true—and we
have tried to look at the matter biblically—then we do have a personal
responsibility here. We are to submit to their authority, not as a burden, not
as an imposition on us—but purely because we recognise the calling of God upon
them. But they have no personal authority—for the only authority they have is
that which is inherent in the Word of God. We are to submit therefore to the
authority of the Word of God that they seek to share with us. And look how
strongly the writer puts it. We are to obey those who rule over us, for “they
and no one else” (as is the sense of what is written here) are looking out for
us spiritually, and seeking to teach us God’s way.
So the writer challenges us to have a good attitude to our pastors, or ruling
elders, in the church. “Let them do so with joy and not with grief”. Yes, the
writer is telling us to be very careful that we are not the one to give a pastor
grief, when all he is trying to do is work out God’s calling in his life, to
share the Gospel, and to encourage believers to walk by faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, their Saviour. To do so—to give them grief—would be unprofitable for us.
We would simply miss out on the blessing God promises to those who submit to His
Word, and who seek to obey His will.
Therefore we have a responsibility to whomever God calls to be our pastor. To
treat him with respect, with a dignity that his calling requires, consciously
submitting to the authority of the Word which he proclaims, and by this means
seeking to give glory to God by the way we implement God’s Word in our lives,
through our obedience to Him who is our Saviour.
Lastly, let’s not forget the injunction Paul gives to us in 1 Timothy 5:17-19:
“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially
those who labour in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall
not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The labourer is worthy of
his wages.’ Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or
three witnesses.” That is to put it very practically indeed. Recognise those
whom God calls—give them not only honour for what they do—but double honour.
What does Paul mean by that?
The “elders who rule”, to put it literally, are “those who direct the affairs of
the church”, the supervisors, the shepherds, the pastors. Those who do this well
are worthy men—to say that “they are worth their weight in gold” might be an
expression we would use here in the U.K. The expression “double honour” was a
special phrase. The word “honour” was understood in those days to be used as a
description of a price paid for something. This has led some to suggest that
Paul is saying that they were worthy of double pay! But the question then
arises, double whose pay? Double what the widows received, or double what the
other elders received? But all this makes for uncomfortable considerations.
Perhaps we should rather think of what Paul says in literal terms of respect and
high opinion. We may not be able to pay a pastor more—the actual case is often
the opposite—but we should show him the deference that his calling and
responsibility claim on us. We must honour him as the man who prays for us and
with us, as the man who looks after our spiritual interests, as the man who
explains God’s Word to us, as the man who seeks to apply God’s Word sensitively
and with deep concern, and as the man who gives himself to our needs and cares.
He deserves honour for his faithful teaching, preaching, and concern for us. We
are duty bound to treat him with respect.
This means that we should be very careful before we make him the focus of
gossip, or even make accusations against him. Criticism comes all too readily to
the lips of some Christians. So let us be careful how we treat God’s chosen
servant—that we do not behave badly towards him, and do not treat him unfairly.
Yes, God does hold us responsible for the way we behave towards a man of God.
Let us listen to David’s warning “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out
his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?” 1 Samuel 26:9. Let us
take to heart David’s own desire: “The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my
hand against the Lord’s anointed” 1 Samuel 26:11.
Let me just say that I have observed over the years that it does not pay to
treat God’s anointed servant, his under-shepherd, with contempt. There are
documented occasions where a pastor has been very badly treated by a church, but
that the man responsible for the hurt has been taken out of the way by the Lord
Himself. Let us make sure that we take this to heart, as a warning to ourselves,
that we need to seek to consider God’s Word seriously on this subject, that we
make sure that we do treat God’s servant with respect, and that we also seek to
know and heed God’s will through His appointed servant.
The position of pastor is a real
privilege—and it is a gracious provision by the Lord to us as His people. It is
special. To be God’s under-shepherd cannot be anything else. Therefore, as we
seek to implement God’s will in our lives over this matter, and seek to work
this out in the life of the church, we can be assured that our gracious God has
great blessings in store for us as His people. Let us take God’s Word on this
subject seriously—for He is taking us very seriously indeed! If Christ could
give His life for us, why would we ever want to seek to undermine any of God’s
gracious provisions for us?
Let us prayerfully consider the task that God calls a pastor to. It is a most
uplifting one, as Paul writes to Titus, as he pastors the church in Crete. “For
the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us
that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and
glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself
for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and
rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you” Titus 2:11-15.
|
