CHRISTIAN CONDUCT - PART 1 - SHEPHERDS AND SHEEP (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)
INTRODUCTION:
After dealing with the Thessalonian believers’ concerns on the Rapture and the Day of the Lord, Paul finishes this first letter with a series of exhortations for those in the church. Paul has already commended the church for their faith, for their love for one another and for their service but with each of those commendations he urged them to excel still more. As he finishes out the book, he is going tell them how they can excel still more, and it has to do with their Christian conduct within the community of the church and the relationships which exist within that community. Paul’s desire for the church in Thessalonica is that it would persevere in the faith and that its members would grow in their Christian walk. This is what Paul wanted to see happening in their lives even while they eagerly anticipated the return of the Lord Jesus Christ for the church and their deliverance from God’s wrath that will culminate in the Day of the Lord. He wanted to see them continuing to live out their lives for Christ in the present growing in Christ and being conformed to His image as they continued to grow in grace. Paul wanted the same thing for the Thessalonians that he later desired for the Corinthian believers and expressed at the end of his chapter on the resurrection, with the Rapture and the resurrection in view Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NASB95)[1] This was Paul’s prayer for the church and in the rest of 1st Thessalonians five he is going to instruct and exhort them on how they are to do this. He begins in verses 12-13 giving them direction concerning the relationship between pastors and those in the church. Paul sees this relationship between a pastor and his flock as crucial if the church is to be healthy. If the shepherds and the sheep do not fulfill their spiritual responsibilities to each other, the church cannot be what God intends it to be. Paul gives responsibilities to the shepherd in relationship to the sheep and gives responsibilities for the sheep in relationship to the shepherd. Let’s pray and then get into these two verses to learn our responsibilities.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to 1st Thessalonians 5:12-13, just two verses that will give us each our responsibilities toward one another. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1st Thessalonians 5:12-13,
“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.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13, NASB95)[2]
THE SHEPHERD’S RESPONSIBILITIES (1st Thessalonians 5:12-13)
Let’s begin with the shepherd’s responsibilities in relation to his flock. From the start the apostles made leadership a high priority for the churches. Paul outlined the qualifications for elders and deacons in his letters to Timothy and Titus. Placing men in leadership positions in the early church was essential, but that task was not always easy. Consider Thessalonica, we are not sure how long Paul was there, yet he had leaders in place before he left. Remember all those in the church were new believers but Paul, guided by the Spirit picked out certain men and spent more time with them, discipling them and teaching them the responsibilities of the leadership positions in the church. When he and his companions were forced to leave, they did not leave the church without leaders, but appointed those they had chosen to lead the church.
As we come to these verses, we find Paul gently urging his readers to follow his instructions. Again, he calls them his brethren and then lays out his exhortation as a request to them. In other words, Paul asks them to fulfill their responsibilities in the relationship between their shepherd and his flock, the one or more Paul had appointed to lead them when he had to leave. Paul gives the church three responsibilities that their shepherd or shepherds had to the sheep, they were to labor among them, they were to exercise authority over them, and they were to provide instruction to them.
SHEPHERDS LABOR AMONG THE FLOCK (1st Thessalonians 5:12b)
Paul in verse twelve says that pastors are to diligently labor among the flock. Diligently labor is from one word in Greek and means to put forth great effort and exertion, even to the point of sweat and exhaustion. The faithful pastor works hard among his people and ministers to them as a shepherd cares for his sheep. There are many ways in which the spiritual shepherd does this diligent labor, he must proclaim the gospel, he must explain the Scriptures and apply the truths found in them, at times he must admonish and warn the sheep and give them counsel from God’s Word, he must pray for the sheep.
The apostle Paul is the ideal example of such a hard-working, attentive shepherd. This fact he had already stated to the Thessalonians. In chapter 2, verse 9 he wrote, “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.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9, NASB95)[3] When we get into 2nd Thessalonians we will read in chapter 3, verses 6-7, “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you,” (2 Thessalonians 3:6–7, NASB95)[4] As I have already mentioned, Paul worked as a tentmaker to support himself and his companions, not because he did not have a right to receive support solely from his ministry efforts, but to be an example to the new believers of one who worked hard and did not burden anyone. Paul knew that if he was going to teach the Thessalonians to minister diligently in the church and to work hard at their jobs, then he had to be a good example of one who did both.
When Paul was giving his farewell exhortation to the Ephesian elders, he reminded them several times of how diligently he had labored among them: Acts 20:18-20 we read, “And when they had come to him, he said to them, ‘You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,’ ” (Acts 20:18–20, NASB95)[5] Then down a few verses we read in verse 31, “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” (Acts 20:31, NASB95)[6] And then finally down in verses 33-35 Paul said, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:33–35, NASB95)[7]
The apostle Paul is the ideal example of the diligent servant that should be characteristic of every shepherd. Successful leadership in the church comes to those willing to work hard to fulfill the calling to which God has called them, to diligently labor to proclaim the gospel, “…for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12, NASB95)[8] The goal is to do this “…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NASB95)[9]
SHEPHERDS EXERCISE AUTHORITY (1st Thessalonians 5:12c)
The second responsibility for the pastor that we see in these verses is in the end of verse twelve where Paul writes that they “…have charge over you in the Lord…” (1 Thessalonians 5:12c, NASB95)[10] This phrase “charge over you” means “to stand before” and carries the idea of authoritatively presiding, leading, or directing. Paul uses this word four times as he instructed Timothy in 1st Timothy concerning the character and duties of church elders. Peter said it this ways in 1 Peter 5:1-4, “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” (1 Peter 5:1–4, NASB95)[11] Peter says that elders or pastors stand in the place of the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, as His delegated undershepherds exercising oversight and authority in His name. But that authority is not to be exercised for sordid gain, nor is to be done as an authoritarian, but as an example. The pastor’s role not only includes giving the flock under his care spiritual guidance and direction, but also setting a positive spiritual tone, bringing about a functioning unity, seeking to relate well on an individual basis with those who are in the church, being there when they are going through tough times and giving comfort and encouragement, and working for necessary change within the church with all diligence and most importantly, fully relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The phrase “in the Lord” emphasizes that shepherds are not self-appointed, and their authority does not come from fallible human beings. Equipped and appointed by God, the shepherd is to guide the flock under his care for the Lord and always to the Lord, and never because of the shepherd’s want of power, or prestige, or wealth, or advancement to their own careers.
SHEPHERDS INSTRUCT (1Thessalonians 5:12d)
The third responsibility that Paul gives to the shepherd is that he gives instruction to his flock. The word translated “instruction” can also be translated “admonish” which it is in other New Testament Scriptures. Because of this meaning Paul is not just talking about imparting knowledge just for knowledge sake, but using the instruction for the purpose of correcting and changing people by the washing of the Word. Teaching with the purpose of explaining doctrine, correcting errors, or behaviors, applying the Word of God for the purpose of growth. The whole purpose of the shepherd’s responsibility to instruct is that the flock might grow in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and to direct the flock to holy living, what it means to live in obedience to God’s Word.
Paul, then, is saying that shepherds are to be skilled instructors of the Word of God, again not in their own ability and authority, because it will not be effective if it is not carried out by the guidance and illumination of the Spirit as one prepares and then the empowering by the Holy Spirit in the delivery. If the Spirit of God is not involved from start to finish, then whatever you preach or teach will have no power and no impact on those who hear it. In listing the characteristics of elders in 1st Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:7-9, Paul listed the ability to teach as the only skill that a church leader must possess. Paul wanted the shepherds he appointed to lead the church to be able to teach in a manner that exhorts believers to practice truth, and if necessary, urge those who deny the truth to give up their error and accept the truth. Remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians concerning what Christ had given us and the purpose in Ephesians 4:11-16, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NASB95)[12]
THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SHEEP (1st Thessalonians 5:12-13)
Have you ever wondered Scripture compares those who have put their faith in Christ to sheep? My best friend growing up lived on a sheep farm that his dad and mom owned, and I helped them a few times during lambing season, and you quickly learn that sheep can be difficult to deal with. Sheep are dirty, weak, unorganized and they are prone to wander off and at the same time they can be quite demanding and require constant care to keep them healthy and away from predators. Because of this they can make life quite joyless for the shepherd if they do not heed his guidance. Does this give an answer to the question of why we are compared to sheep? When believers do not obey the Lord’s commands or submit to the leadership of His appointed leaders, they can make life in the local church miserable and unproductive. For this reason, Paul gives three responsibilities for the Thessalonian believers to fulfill in their relationship to their leaders or shepherds. These three responsibilities are they are to appreciate them, they are to esteem them, and they are to submit to them.
SHEEP APPRECIATE YOUR SHEPHERDS (1st Thessalonians 5:12b)
The first responsibility of the sheep towards their shepherd is that “you appreciate those who diligently labor among you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12b, NASB95)[13] The word translated appreciate is a common Greek and New Testament word that means “to know by experience.” Paul is telling the believers that they need to know their shepherds deeply and respectfully and to value their diligent labor among them. This kind of knowledge is much more than the mere recall of their names, or some general awareness of some facts about their personal lives that come from the few minutes that you may talk to them on a Sunday morning. Paul is talking about a close, personal acquaintance that results in the caring appreciation of the Lord’s servant.
As humans it is easy for us to be unkind, critical, and indifferent toward a pastor that we do not know well. But believers will not be as likely to have such negative attitudes toward pastors they truly know and have been with them through good times and hard times. When they get to know their leaders in this way, they are more likely to treat them with heartfelt respect and gratitude.
Appreciation also involves giving those who diligently labor among you financial support. Paul later in life when instructing Timothy concerning elders implies such support even more clearly. He wrote in 1st Timothy 5:17, “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17, NASB95)[14] The double honor in the context of 1st Timothy 5 refers to money. Paul told Timothy that diligent, faithful elders were worthy of double respect and generous pay, especially those who serve most diligently and sacrificially in preaching and teaching. The church is responsible to generously support those shepherds who labor hard to expound the Word. Paul summarizes this principle in 1 Corinthians 9:14 when he writes, “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 9:14, NASB95)[15]
The responsibility of the sheep appreciating their shepherd included a knowledgeable acquaintance that leads to loving respect, sincere admiration and generous financial compensation that shows thankfulness for the shepherd’s ministry and trust in their stewardship of the church’s resources.
SHEEP ESTEEM YOUR SHEPHERDS (1st Thessalonians 5:13a)
The second responsibility of the sheep towards their shepherds is that you esteem them. Paul writes in the beginning of verse 13, “…and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” (1 Thessalonians 5:13a, NASB95)[16] The duty of believers that Paul gives them is to esteem, which means to regard, to think about, their pastors very highly, literally “beyond all measure.” Even though this is somewhat like appreciation, this verb “esteem” indicates something more than simply knowing your shepherds in a respectful way. This phrase calls for limitless respect for spiritual leaders.
Paul increased this duty even further by telling the Thessalonian believers that they must have this high esteem for their shepherds in love, and this love was not because of their shepherds’ personalities, or because of favors rendered to them by their shepherds, this esteem in love was to be because of their work. So beyond appreciating the man because they know him, the saints are to hold him in even greater regard because of his divinely designed calling. The word that Paul uses here for love is the Greek word agapē which refers to selfless, sacrificial service for others. The work the shepherds do is their ministry of the Word, which feeds and equips the flock. Paul writing to the Galatian church commended them for the godly way they had esteemed him, he wrote in Galatians 4:14-15, “…that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.” (Galatians 4:14–15, NASB95) Paul writes, that in spite of some ailment he had that was repulsive when he was among them, the Galatians welcomed him as their shepherd anyway. The fact that he mentions them being willing to pluck out their own eyes and give them to Paul seems to point to the possibility that Paul was suffering from an eye disease or infection. Paul’s point was because of his ailment there was nothing attractive about him, but the Galatians displayed the same kind of respectful attitude toward him as he commanded the Thessalonians to have for their shepherds.
God has called pastors and set them apart for the important work of leading the church. Because of this, the flock, the people under the shepherd’s care are to lovingly acknowledge his ministry labors, greatly respect their leaders, overlook their non-sinful human frailties, speak well of them, encourage them, and give their best for them.
SHEEP SUBMIT TO YOUR SHEPHERDS (1st Thessalonians 5:13b)
The final responsibility that Paul has for the sheep toward their shepherds is to submit to them. Paul writes in the end of verse 13, “Live in peace with one another.” (1 Thessalonians 5:13b, NASB95)[17] To live in peace with one another is a familiar New Testament exhortation, but Paul uses it her in the context of the relationship between the Thessalonians and their pastors or spiritual leaders. For that relationship to be peaceful the flock at Thessalonica needed to submit to its leaders. Such submission, if done in a God-honoring way will eliminate conflict, strife, and discord and promote peace, harmony, and unity resulting in effective ministry in the church.
Many years, nearly twenty after Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians, the writer of Hebrews took up this same theme and further expanded on the necessity of believers submitting to their pastors, their spiritual leaders. The author begins in Hebrews 13:7 by writing, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7, NASB95)[18] The author is telling us to remember our shepherds with love and affection and how the Lord blessed the shepherds lives and used them to share the Gospel and His Word, and how it affected us, then remember their conduct that it matched what they taught and imitate their faith. Imitating those who model righteous behavior is the central part of submission. The author continues in Hebrews 13:17 with two additional exhortations regarding submitting to our spiritual leaders. The first exhortation says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.” (Hebrews 13:17a, NASB95)[19] Unless a shepherd asks the sheep to do something that is unscriptural or sinful, the author says to obey them and submit to the shepherd’s leadership. Sheep should never disregard their shepherd’s faithful teaching and oversight because such sinful disrespect only makes the leaders accountability to God that much more difficult. The verse concludes by admonishing the sheep, “Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17b, NASB95)[20] Stubborn, self-willed, unsubmissive sheep steal the joy from shepherds and give themselves and their leaders nothing but pain and an unprofitable relationship.
Paul’s third exhortation to the Thessalonians is to submit to their leaders so that they may experience peace, harmony, and unity as they worship and serve the Lord together for His glory.
CONCLUSION:
In the final verses Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to excel still more in their Christian conduct. He begins by exhorting them concerning the relationship that exists between the church and its spiritual leaders. For the local church to function as God intended and receive His blessing, its spiritual leaders must be responsible to labor among the people, exercise God’s authority over them, and provide instruction to them. At the same time, the people have obligations to appreciate their spiritual leaders, esteem them and submit to them. When the spiritual leaders fulfill their responsibilities and the people fulfill theirs, the church becomes the unified, joyful, peaceful, and healthy flock God intended it to be. Faithful shepherds and faithful sheep ministering together bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of the church, and advance the kingdom of God, and this all for the glory of God.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[20]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.