Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20120624.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
D. A Local Church's Godly Relationships Relative To Their Secular Overseers
(1 Timothy 6:1-2)
  1. Introduction
    1. Leader and subordinate roles in the local church at times can be reversed in the secular realm, for a leader in a local church might be a subordinate to one who is his superior in the workplace, be it a business or a government setting.
    2. Accordingly, 1 Timothy 6:1-2 directs not only local church leaders, but the whole local church on the proper roles they each must have with one another not only in the church, but also in the secular realm.
  2. A Local Church's Godly Relationships Relative To Their Secular Overseers, 1 Timothy 6:1-2.
    1. In commenting on Paul's directives to Timothy on master and slave relationships in the local church, Dr. Charles C. Ryrie observed this instruction was especially needed since "there may have been instances when slaves were elders and thus, in the church, were over masters whom they served all week." (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, footnote to 1 Timothy 6:1-2)
    2. Though slavery is no longer a legal institution in our country, we may still have cases where one's role with another believer in business or government realms may be reversed from his role in the local church.
    3. Accordingly, the 1 Timothy 6:1-2 instruction bears careful application for us, for it supplies not only Timothy as a local church leader, but all believers today the proper pattern for relating well to one another in all of our secular roles, be they in the business or government realms (as follows):
      1. Believers in the role as slave in the secular realm were to respect their master much like subordinate believers in the local church were to respect their local church elders, 1 Timothy 6:1:
        1. Paul taught that "as many as" (hosoi), that is, "all those who" (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 727; Arndt & Gingrich, A Greek-Engl. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 590) were slaves under the yoke [of slavery] were to "consider, regard" ( hegeomai, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 344) their own masters "worthy of all honor" 1 Timothy 6:1 ESV, NIV.
        2. Significantly, the New Testament Greek words "worthy" (haxius) and "honor" (times) in 1 Timothy 6:1 reflect precisely how church elders were "to be considered worthy" ( haxiusthosan, a verbal form of haxius) of "honor" (times) back in 1 Timothy 5:17, (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.).
        3. Thus, as subordinates in the local church were to honor their local church leaders, Christian slaves were to express similar honor to their masters in the secular realm, even if they were unsaved!
        4. This respect of believing servants for their masters was necessary to uphold the local church's testimony before a world that expected masters to be respected by their slaves, 1 Timothy 6:1b.
      2. In the case where a believer as a slave had a believing master, Paul directed that he not "look down on, despise, treat with contempt" (kataphroneo, Ibid.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 421) his "believing" master, 1 Timothy 6:2a. Rather, he was to "serve" that master ( douleuo) "to a greater degree" (mallon) than were he an unbeliever, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 204; 490 respectively), for that master who benefited from his service was a beloved believer, 1 Tim. 6:2b ESV.
      3. These orders are not qualified relative to local church roles, so their application for us is quite stunning:
        1. If a believer is a subordinate to another believer in a secular realm, regardless if their roles as leader and subordinate are reversed in the local church, in their secular realm, the subordinate is to honor the other believer over him with the same honor he would give were he his local church leader.
        2. The subordinate believer must then serve that believing superior in his secular role with even more fervor and subordination than he would an unsaved superior, for his overseer is a beloved brother.
Lesson: The same kind of respect and obedience we must give local church leaders is to be carried over to our overseers in the secular realm, be it in government or business, and we are to show even more honor and give greater service if our superiors are believers. In this way, we practice what is fitting before an onlooking world, and we respect fellow beloved believers in secular realm as God wills.

Application: May we relate this way to one another in our secular roles to be pleasing to the Lord!