Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20120617.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
1 Timothy: God's Ministry Roles For Church Leaders And The Local Church
Part XVI: Understanding A Church Leader's Biblical Way To Relate To Other People
C. A Whole Local Church's Responsibilities Toward Its Leaders
(1 Timothy 5:17-25)
  1. Introduction
    1. Not only must church leaders treat their subordinates well, but God wants others to treat their leaders well.
    2. 1 Timothy 5:17-25 comprehensively directs us in this subject (as follows):
  2. A Whole Local Church's Responsibilities Toward Its Leaders, 1 Timothy 5:17-25.
    1. The entire church was to relate properly to its local church leaders, 1 Timothy 5:17-18:
      1. The church "elders that ruled" were men who had leadership positions in the church, comparable to the role of today's elder, deacon or pastor, depending on the church polity of the local body, 1 Tim. 5:17a.
      2. Leaders who "ruled well" (1 Tim. 5:17a KJV), the word "well" being the adverbial form of the adjective, kalos used back in 1 Timothy 3:1 to describe a work "at once seen to be good by virtue of its results" ( U. B. S. Greek N. T., 1966, p. 723, 727; Moulton & Milligan, The Vocab. of the Greek N. T., 1972, p. 318), such leaders were to receive double honor, 1 Timothy 5:17b.
      3. Then, those who labored in God's and teaching were to be especially honored (1 Timothy 5:17c), and this implies material compensation, for Scripture clarified as much as follows, 1 Timothy 5:18:
        1. Paul cited Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Timothy 5:18a that directed Old Testament Israel not to muzzle the ox that threshed out the grain while it walked on the threshing floor. In 1 Corinthians 9:9-14 Paul clarified that this law was given to set the precedent that those who expound Scripture, much like oxen that threshed the grain so it could be eaten by people, were to be repaid for that work just like the oxen that was to be free to eat of what they threshed for others.
        2. Paul also cited Luke 10:7 in 1 Timothy 5:18b, calling it Scripture in not only showing that Luke's writings are canonical, but teaching that the one laboring to expound Scripture is performing a work that deserves material, livelihood reimbursement from the local church body.
      4. Thus, Timothy was to see that the whole local church related as follows to their leaders:
        1. If a man was simply functioning in the office of a local church leader, he was to receive honor due to his position itself, a fact implied by Paul's call to give double honor to those who ruled well.
        2. Then, if a man functioned as a local church leader in a way that was "at once seen to be good by virtue of its results," he was to be given double honor by the rest of the church body.
        3. If a man was functioning in the office of a local church leader as laboring in the Word and teaching, and he was serving there well so his work was "at once seen to be good by virtue of its results," he was to be given even more double honor, or "special double honor" with financial remuneration.
    2. Then, local church leaders were to relate properly to fellow local church leaders, 1 Timothy 5:19-25:
      1. Leaders were not to accept accusations against other leaders without multiple witnesses, 1 Tim. 5:19.
      2. If fellow leaders had sinned, they were to be impartially, publicly rebuked before the congregation by the other leaders in order to correct their more potent negative influence as leaders, 1 Timothy 5:20-21.
      3. When appointing new men to leadership, leaders are not to be hasty in elevating others to lead lest they participate in those men's sins by putting the wrong kind of man into leadership, 1 Timothy 5:22.
      4. [In maintaining such purity, God did not want Timothy to be unrealistic, but to use a little wine for his medicinal needs, 1 Timothy 5:23; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to 1 Timothy 5:23.]
      5. To discern between good and bad men for leadership roles, local church leaders are to give enough time for their character to be seen, for time will expose all characteristics in men, 1 Timothy 5:24-25.
Lesson: (1) The whole church must honor its leaders simply due to their roles, to give double honor to those who lead Biblically and even more honor in remunerating those who labor Biblically in the Word. (2) Leaders must relate to other leaders by not tolerating charges of sin in them without multiple witnesses, then impartially, publicly rebuking those who sin to curb their negative influence in the body. They must take ample time to select other men to lead to see if they are truly qualified men.

Application: May we all heed this instruction to please the Lord in how we relate to our church leaders.