WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:24.660 right in. Okay, like my mom said, what is this 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:30.989 one doing today? Okay. You see what I'm doing? 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:46.909 All right, so let's go back to our main text, 00:00:47.009 --> 00:01:06.319 which is 1 Timothy 5, 17 -18. 1 Timothy 5 .17 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:10.980 -18 It reads, Let the elders that rule well be 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:13.819 counted worthy of double honor, especially they 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:17.780 which labor in word and doctrine. For the scripture 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:21.180 saith, Thou shalt not mosew an ox when it traded 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:24.920 out the corn, for the laborer is worth his reward. 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:30.640 So, we're just going to do some word study on 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.790 these scriptures, two of them. So we want to 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:36.810 look who are the elders, who are the elders. 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:44.030 In verse 17, it says, let the elders that rule, 00:01:44.250 --> 00:01:48.569 that rule all be counted worthy of double honor, 00:01:48.670 --> 00:01:51.870 especially they that labor in word and in doctrine. 00:01:52.189 --> 00:01:57.549 So the word that appears there for elders, the 00:01:57.549 --> 00:02:01.090 word that appears there for elders is presbyterios. 00:02:02.469 --> 00:02:08.349 Presbyterios in the Greek. P -R -E -S -B -Y -T 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:14.129 -E -R -O -S That's the word that appears there. 00:02:15.009 --> 00:02:19.909 And it is a term of rank or office among the 00:02:19.909 --> 00:02:23.710 Jews. They were elders in the Jewish community. 00:02:27.530 --> 00:02:30.590 It was used for members of the Great Council. 00:02:31.180 --> 00:02:36.080 or the Sanandrin, which were the rulers of the 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:41.060 people and the judges. But here as it is used 00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:45.020 by Apostle Paul, it means those that oversee 00:02:45.020 --> 00:02:50.680 the local assembly. The same word is used interchangeably 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:55.479 with the word bishop, elders, presbyterians, 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:59.879 and overseers. I hope you're taking note of that. 00:03:00.379 --> 00:03:06.360 It is the same word, bishop, overseers, elders, 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:11.500 presbyters. We're going to see this as we are 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:17.039 going to do our study. So these are the men that 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:24.280 were made to preside over local assemblies. So 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:26.699 Apostle Paul was communicating to Timothy, who 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:30.030 happens also to be a pastor. And he's telling 00:03:30.030 --> 00:03:35.090 him that let the elders that rule well be accounted 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:38.590 of double honor, especially those that labor 00:03:38.590 --> 00:03:43.270 in word and in doctrine. So we're going to see 00:03:43.270 --> 00:03:47.090 along the scriptures that who are these elders? 00:03:47.370 --> 00:03:51.110 Who are they inside the church? So let's go to 00:03:51.110 --> 00:03:57.830 Acts chapter 20. Acts 20 from verses 17 to 28. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:04.080 I believe Pastor Victor has taught this and has 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:07.819 gone over it exhaustively. So we're just going 00:04:07.819 --> 00:04:14.460 to bring it back to our remembrance. Acts chapter 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:31.519 20 from verses 17. to Ephesus and called the 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:35.240 elders of the church. We see here they are put 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:38.800 as the elders of the church, meaning that those 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:43.860 that preside over the local assembly. 18. And 00:04:43.860 --> 00:04:46.259 when they were come to him, he said unto them, 00:04:46.379 --> 00:04:50.459 Ye know from the first day that I came unto Asia, 00:04:50.680 --> 00:04:53.560 what manner I have been with you all seasons, 00:04:53.860 --> 00:05:24.879 serving the Lord with all humility? There's 22. 00:05:25.660 --> 00:05:28.819 And now, behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto 00:05:28.819 --> 00:05:31.240 Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall 00:05:31.240 --> 00:05:36.199 befall me there, save that the Holy Spirit witnesseth 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.959 in every city, saying, Bones and affliction abide 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:43.500 thee. But none of these things move me, neither 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:47.040 count I myself dear unto myself, for that I might 00:05:47.040 --> 00:05:49.899 finish my course with joy, and the ministry which 00:05:49.899 --> 00:05:52.259 I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify 00:05:52.259 --> 00:05:56.339 the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:01.540 I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:04.680 the kingdom of God shall see my face no more. 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:09.139 Wherefore, I take you to record this day that 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:13.839 I am pure from the blood of all men, for I have 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:17.899 not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel 00:06:17.899 --> 00:06:22.750 of the Lord. He says, take heed therefore unto 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:25.850 yourselves and unto all the flock. I want you 00:06:25.850 --> 00:06:30.970 to pay attention to verse 28. Take heed therefore 00:06:30.970 --> 00:06:34.350 unto yourselves and all the flock over which 00:06:34.350 --> 00:06:37.529 the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. So we 00:06:37.529 --> 00:06:41.470 see from verse 17, he called them elders. Now 00:06:41.470 --> 00:06:43.730 he told them that they are to oversee, they are 00:06:43.730 --> 00:06:48.629 overseers. So elders and overseers are the same 00:06:48.629 --> 00:06:56.389 people. Okay, let's continue. And to feed the 00:06:56.389 --> 00:06:59.269 church of God, which he hath purchased by his 00:06:59.269 --> 00:07:03.149 own blood. For I know this, that after my departing 00:07:03.149 --> 00:07:05.550 shall grievous wolves come among him, not sparing 00:07:05.550 --> 00:07:09.430 the flock. So, what we see from our reading here, 00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:14.970 from verse 17, it shows that these elders were 00:07:14.970 --> 00:07:18.089 leaders over the local assembly. And they are 00:07:18.089 --> 00:07:23.519 the same people who were called overseers. In 00:07:23.519 --> 00:07:39.459 verse 28, it says, And the word that appears 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:46.379 there for overseers is the word episkopos. Episkopos. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:56.459 E -P -I -S -K -O -P -O -S. E -P -I -S -K -O -P 00:07:56.459 --> 00:08:01.079 -O -S. It means a guardian or a superintendent, 00:08:01.500 --> 00:08:06.620 an elder and an overseer. So these are the same 00:08:06.620 --> 00:08:14.920 people. And what they do is that they feed. Verse 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:20.170 8, 20, 80 says, Therefore take heed unto yourselves, 00:08:20.329 --> 00:08:23.949 unto the flock, which the Holy Ghost hath made 00:08:23.949 --> 00:08:32.230 you overseers, to feed the church of God. And 00:08:32.230 --> 00:08:38.330 there we see the word poimeno, for feed, to feed, 00:08:38.549 --> 00:08:43.149 which means to nourish. It's a verb. It means 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:50.330 to nourish. And the same word was used by our 00:08:50.330 --> 00:08:54.330 Lord Jesus in John chapter 21, verse 16. Let's 00:08:54.330 --> 00:08:57.950 see. John 21, verse 16. When he was talking to 00:08:57.950 --> 00:09:04.190 Peter. John 21, verse 16. So why are we doing 00:09:04.190 --> 00:09:08.929 this? We want to know who are the elders. John. 00:09:13.629 --> 00:09:21.070 John 21. From verses 16. Okay, let's start from 00:09:21.070 --> 00:09:28.809 verse 15. It says, So, okay. So when they had 00:09:28.809 --> 00:09:32.730 dined, Jesus said unto Simon Peter, Simon, son 00:09:32.730 --> 00:09:36.750 of Jonas, lovest thou me more than this? He said 00:09:36.750 --> 00:09:39.289 unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love 00:09:39.289 --> 00:09:45.559 thee. He said unto him, Feed my lambs. Feed my 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:47.820 lambs. And the word that appears there in 15 00:09:47.820 --> 00:09:52.320 is the word Bosco. It's the word Bosco, which 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:58.899 means to keep. Then verse 16 then says, And he 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:02.139 said unto him again, second time, Simon, son 00:10:02.139 --> 00:10:05.519 of Jonas, lovest thou me? And he said unto him, 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:08.480 Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. And 00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:13.460 he said unto him, Feed my sheep. And we see another 00:10:13.460 --> 00:10:17.679 word occurring here. The first one in 15 is bosko, 00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:22.720 which means to keep. But the one that appears 00:10:22.720 --> 00:10:35.399 here is a noun. That is poimen. The word is a 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:47.360 noun called poimen. P -O -I -M -E -N. A shepherd. 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:54.500 It means a shepherd. And it is the same exact 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:58.039 word that appears in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:05.220 11. So, we are going to see that these same men 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:11.720 who are called overseers, bishops, are the same 00:11:11.720 --> 00:11:15.259 men that are called pastors. It is the same. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:18.620 It's the same thing. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 00:11:18.620 --> 00:11:23.620 11. Let's just go there quickly. Ephesians 4 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:47.549 verse 11. Okay. He gave some apostles. He gave 00:11:47.549 --> 00:11:51.610 some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, 00:11:51.649 --> 00:11:56.149 some pastors. Their pastors, it appears, poor 00:11:56.149 --> 00:12:04.529 men. Which is the same as shepherd. So, now we've 00:12:04.529 --> 00:12:08.649 seen that the elders were the overseers. They 00:12:08.649 --> 00:12:10.830 are the same people who are the pastors. They 00:12:10.830 --> 00:12:20.960 are also the bishops. It's the same thing. And 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:25.299 we see something similar to this in the book 00:12:25.299 --> 00:12:39.740 of Numbers. Numbers 11, verse 16. Numbers 11 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:43.360 from verses 16 to 17. These were the men who 00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:47.279 were to bear the burden with Moses. They were 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:50.299 also called the elders of the people, meaning 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:53.679 that they were overseeing the people, groups 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:56.320 of people. We'll see it again. Let's read from 00:12:56.320 --> 00:13:03.519 there. Numbers chapter 11, from verse 16. And 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:06.019 the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy 00:13:06.019 --> 00:13:08.879 men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:16.220 to be the elders of the people. and officers 00:13:16.220 --> 00:13:19.659 over them and bring them unto the tabernacle 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:23.340 of the congregation, that you may stand there 00:13:23.340 --> 00:13:29.580 with thee, and I will come down and talk with 00:13:29.580 --> 00:13:32.799 thee, and I will take of the Spirit which is 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:36.679 upon thee, and I will put it upon them, and they 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:39.519 shall bear the burden of the people with thee, 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:44.879 and thou shalt bear it not thyself alone. So, 00:13:44.940 --> 00:13:47.220 we see that these were men that were set over 00:13:47.220 --> 00:13:52.039 the people of Israel. We see this, it happened 00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:55.220 in Exodus chapter 18. Let's go to Exodus chapter 00:13:55.220 --> 00:14:12.960 18. Exodus 18. Exodus chapter 18 from verses 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:21.139 14. 22. And when Moses' father -in -law saw all 00:14:21.139 --> 00:14:24.320 that he did to the people, he said, What is this 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:27.440 that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:30.679 thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:34.399 from morning to evening? And Moses said unto 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:36.240 his father -in -law, Because the people come 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:41.139 unto me to inquire of the Lord. 16. When they 00:14:41.139 --> 00:14:44.929 had When they have a matter, they come unto me, 00:14:44.990 --> 00:14:47.629 and I judge between one and another, and I do 00:14:47.629 --> 00:14:51.610 make them know the statutes of God and his laws. 00:14:51.809 --> 00:14:54.470 And Moses' father -in -law said unto him, The 00:14:54.470 --> 00:14:59.389 thing that thou doest is not good. Thou surely 00:14:59.389 --> 00:15:03.509 wear away both thou and this people that is with 00:15:03.509 --> 00:15:07.090 thee, for this thing is too heavy for thee. Thou 00:15:07.090 --> 00:15:10.990 art not an ebb. that thou art not able to perform 00:15:10.990 --> 00:15:15.629 it thyself alone. 19. Hearken now unto my voice, 00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:18.149 and I will give thee counsel, and God shall be 00:15:18.149 --> 00:15:21.090 with thee. Be thou for the people to Godward, 00:15:21.210 --> 00:15:27.070 that thou mayest bring the causes unto God. 20. 00:15:27.190 --> 00:15:30.230 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, 00:15:30.429 --> 00:15:32.529 and thou shalt show them the way wherein they 00:15:32.529 --> 00:15:36.820 must walk and work. that they must do. Moreover, 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.460 thou shalt provide out of the people able men, 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:46.340 such as fear God, men of truth, hurting covetousness, 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:54.960 and place such to be rulers of thousands, rulers 00:15:54.960 --> 00:15:58.360 of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:02.960 tens, and let them judge the people at all seasons. 00:16:04.139 --> 00:16:06.919 It shall be that every great matter they shall 00:16:06.919 --> 00:16:09.860 bring unto thee, but every small matter they 00:16:09.860 --> 00:16:12.940 shall judge. So shall it be easier for thyself, 00:16:13.039 --> 00:16:17.279 and they shall bear the burden with thee. So, 00:16:17.320 --> 00:16:21.799 what we see here is, Moses said to choose men. 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:26.820 They were called able men. People who had covetousness, 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:31.340 people who fears the Lord, and he said them to 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:35.720 be rulers over the people. So they were not chosen 00:16:35.720 --> 00:16:38.460 at random. It was not just to pick and say, I 00:16:38.460 --> 00:16:41.980 think this one, this one showed me good character 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:44.659 when we were still in Egypt. I'll pick this one. 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:47.580 No. There was a criteria of how they chose the 00:16:47.580 --> 00:16:57.980 men. We see the same thing in Titus. Titus chapter 00:16:57.980 --> 00:17:04.380 1. The same pattern. of how these men were selected. 00:17:14.039 --> 00:17:19.539 Titus chapter 1, verse 5. It says, For this cause 00:17:19.539 --> 00:17:22.220 left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set 00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:25.640 in order the things that were wanting, and to 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:29.859 ordain elders. In every city, as I have appointed 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:33.660 thee, if any be blameless, the husband of one 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:36.960 wife, having fruitful children, not accused of 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:42.039 unruly, for a bishop must be blameless as the 00:17:42.039 --> 00:17:46.240 steward of God, not self -willed, not soon angry, 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:49.900 not given to wine, not a striker, not given to 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:53.269 filthy lucre. We see the same thing, the same 00:17:53.269 --> 00:17:56.670 criteria that Moses used to choose the elders 00:17:56.670 --> 00:18:22.279 in Exodus 18. Verse 8. So we see that it was 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:29.039 not just to pick. These are elders, people who 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:32.240 have matured in the Lord. We have now the responsibility 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:36.680 to oversee others. We see something from Acts 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:39.319 we read, Acts chapter 20. It starts from chapter 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:42.980 19 when Paul was passing through Ephesus and 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:46.559 he found disciples there. These are the men he 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:51.450 trained day and night. until they grow to the 00:18:51.450 --> 00:18:53.750 position whereby they are to oversee others. 00:18:53.990 --> 00:19:01.509 So it is not by accident. Alright. So we see 00:19:01.509 --> 00:19:04.049 other references. We can take this down. Other 00:19:04.049 --> 00:19:07.109 references of the word elder. Acts 21 verse 17. 00:19:07.750 --> 00:19:12.829 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 1 to 2. These were 00:19:12.829 --> 00:19:16.549 elderly people in age. In 1 Timothy chapter 5 00:19:16.549 --> 00:19:19.829 verse 1 to 2. Titus chapter 1 verse 5. Those 00:19:19.829 --> 00:19:23.730 who oversee the local church. Then James chapter 00:19:23.730 --> 00:19:26.970 5 verse 14, when it talks about if there be anyone 00:19:26.970 --> 00:19:30.470 who is sick, let him call for the elders. These 00:19:30.470 --> 00:19:34.009 were overseers of the church. 2 John chapter 00:19:34.009 --> 00:19:42.210 1 verse 1. 3 John chapter 1 verse 1. I'll repeat 00:19:42.210 --> 00:19:46.150 again. Acts 21 verse 7. 1 Timothy chapter 5 verse 00:19:46.150 --> 00:19:56.000 1 to 2. Titus 1. Titus chapter 1 verse 5. James 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:04.380 5 .14. 2 John 1 .1. 3 John 1 .1. Okay. Let's 00:20:04.380 --> 00:20:09.279 go back to Timothy. We're still in Timothy. 1 00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:16.839 Timothy 5 .17 -18. Let's turn back quickly. 1 00:20:16.839 --> 00:20:25.549 Timothy. 5 .17 -18 Let the elders that rule well 00:20:25.549 --> 00:20:28.789 be counted worthy of double honor, especially 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:32.309 they that labor in word and in doctrine. For 00:20:32.309 --> 00:20:34.990 the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle an 00:20:34.990 --> 00:20:39.170 ox that traded out corn, and the laborer is worthy 00:20:39.170 --> 00:20:46.630 of his reward. So, verse 18, it will tell you, 00:20:47.099 --> 00:20:49.500 that what Apostle Paul is saying is not to greet 00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:53.460 pastors, hello, hello, sir. Because 18 brings 00:20:53.460 --> 00:20:56.720 to light that the scripture says, thou shalt 00:20:56.720 --> 00:21:01.119 not muzzle an ox when it traded out the corn, 00:21:01.220 --> 00:21:11.420 for the laborer is worthy his reward. Are you 00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:15.279 following? Okay, so the word that appears there 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:20.670 for double, Double is the word daplus. D -I -P 00:21:20.670 --> 00:21:29.130 -L -O -U -S. For double, it's the word D -I -P 00:21:29.130 --> 00:21:36.289 -L -O -U -S. It means twofold. Twofold more. 00:21:38.809 --> 00:21:48.410 Abundant. I'll repeat, it is the word daplos, 00:21:48.589 --> 00:21:55.009 twofold more, twofold all abundant. That is what 00:21:55.009 --> 00:21:57.690 you give to a fellow believer when it comes to 00:21:57.690 --> 00:22:03.029 the pastor, do it double. So Apostle Paul didn't 00:22:03.029 --> 00:22:05.829 leave us in dark. He told us the measure we are 00:22:05.829 --> 00:22:12.730 supposed to give, that is twofold. And the word 00:22:12.730 --> 00:22:18.119 honor there, It's not, there's a word that is 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:21.279 similar to it. We'll talk about it. But for now, 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:27.960 it is the word time. Time. T -I -M -E. I know 00:22:27.960 --> 00:22:32.140 it sounds like time. It's the word time. T -I 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:40.000 -M -E. It is a valuing by which a price is fixed. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:48.359 a valuing by which a price is fixed, an honor 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:59.019 that belongs or should be shown to one. So, by 00:22:59.019 --> 00:23:04.279 saying, Thou shalt not muzzle an ox that shredded 00:23:04.279 --> 00:23:07.259 the corn, and the laborer is worth his reward. 00:23:07.859 --> 00:23:11.319 What? Apostle Paul was bringing to light here 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:19.059 is not that his owner, as in, I esteem Pastor 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:22.859 Koston. When I meet him, Pastor, how are you? 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:26.900 Did you sleep well? In this context, he's talking 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:30.960 about meeting the physical needs of the elders 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:34.980 of the church. We see the same, Jesus used the 00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:39.380 same in Luke 10, verse 17. when he sent forth 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:52.039 the disciples to preach. Luke 10, 17. Luke 10, 00:23:52.140 --> 00:24:22.000 17. It reads, Okay. Okay, I got this wrong. Verse 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:28.960 7. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Thank you. Verse 7. 7 00:24:28.960 --> 00:24:35.319 and 17, they look similar. Verse 7. And in the 00:24:35.319 --> 00:24:38.319 same house remain. eating and drinking such things 00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:42.299 as they give. For the laborer is worth of his 00:24:42.299 --> 00:24:46.380 hire. Go not from house to house. So there he 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:49.980 was talking about taking care of the ministers. 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:53.779 As they go forth to preach, they were to be taken 00:24:53.779 --> 00:25:02.220 care of. Yes. And we see a church, the church 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:05.440 of... The Philippian church, they met the need 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:08.660 of Apostle Paul. They honored Apostle Paul's 00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:14.160 ministry and they met his needs. Philippians 00:25:14.160 --> 00:25:27.400 chapter 1 verse 15 to 18. Philippians. Let's 00:25:27.400 --> 00:26:05.539 look at it. Philippians 1, verses 15 to 18. When 00:26:05.539 --> 00:26:08.559 they talk that they met their needs, he met his 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:21.660 needs. Wait. Okay. It's chapter, the last chapter, 00:26:21.740 --> 00:26:24.640 chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4 from verses 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:31.289 15. It reads, Now ye Philippians, Know also that 00:26:31.289 --> 00:26:33.430 in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed 00:26:33.430 --> 00:26:36.509 from Macedonia, no church communicated with me 00:26:36.509 --> 00:26:40.269 as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 00:26:40.990 --> 00:26:45.990 Verse 16. For even in Thessalonica ye send once 00:26:45.990 --> 00:26:50.210 and again unto my necessity, not because I desire 00:26:50.210 --> 00:26:54.390 a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to 00:26:54.390 --> 00:27:02.839 your account. Verse 18. And I am full, having 00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:06.460 received of Epaphroditus the things which were 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:11.759 sent from you, an order of sweet smell, a sacrifice 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:17.819 acceptable and well -pleasing to God. So the 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:21.960 church at Philippi, they met the need of Apostle 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:26.970 Paul. Yes, they prayed for him. But they met 00:27:26.970 --> 00:27:31.049 the needs that he required for the work of ministry. 00:27:31.329 --> 00:27:34.690 That is, they honored Apostle Paul's ministry 00:27:34.690 --> 00:27:42.170 and they gave. Their honor was demonstrated in 00:27:42.170 --> 00:27:54.930 giving out in support of his ministry. So, God 00:27:55.579 --> 00:28:00.539 commands us to give, to meet the needs of our 00:28:00.539 --> 00:28:04.160 pastors. And he gives us a measure that we should 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:09.759 do it double, twofold. That is what you give 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:11.599 to this person or what you give to a brother 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:14.799 when it comes to the pastor, do it times two, 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:23.319 twofold. So honoring the pastors is honoring 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:37.579 God. Now, what is the importance of honor? What 00:28:37.579 --> 00:28:41.859 is the importance of honor? So honor is a constant 00:28:41.859 --> 00:28:45.220 practice in the scripture. You see it littered 00:28:45.220 --> 00:28:50.059 all throughout. People honored the man of God. 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:53.099 People honored those that ministered to them. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:58.440 Meeting their physical needs and honoring them 00:28:58.440 --> 00:29:09.529 in service, helping out. So, as believers, we 00:29:09.529 --> 00:29:15.049 should constantly renew our minds on this. Yes, 00:29:15.069 --> 00:29:18.910 the world defines honor in a certain direction, 00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:21.829 but we should keep our minds, we should guide 00:29:21.829 --> 00:29:25.109 our minds from what the world says and to follow 00:29:25.109 --> 00:29:30.509 what God says. Let's read Romans chapter 12. 00:29:31.809 --> 00:29:41.849 Romans 12 from verses 1 and 2. Romans 12 from 00:29:41.849 --> 00:29:52.650 verses 1 and 2. We should keep our minds constantly 00:29:52.650 --> 00:29:55.950 on the word of the Lord. We should renew our 00:29:55.950 --> 00:29:58.150 minds by the word of the Lord, not what the word 00:29:58.150 --> 00:30:02.789 says or not what we pick from the word and come 00:30:02.789 --> 00:30:05.519 to the church. Or some of the people who tell 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:08.799 us that the pastors are stealing or the pastors 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:11.079 are thieves, themselves are not believers. You 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:14.380 ask them, have you believed? They have not. So 00:30:14.380 --> 00:30:16.839 they want to teach you, who is in church, how 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:19.240 to honor the pastors. No, we follow what the 00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:22.140 word says. What the Lord says is what we do. 00:30:24.599 --> 00:30:33.119 Romans 12, from verses 1. It reads, I beseech 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:35.180 you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 00:30:35.359 --> 00:30:37.619 that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice 00:30:37.619 --> 00:30:40.740 wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable 00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:44.940 service. Verse 2. Be not conformed to this world, 00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:47.920 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 00:30:47.980 --> 00:30:52.259 that you may prove what is good and acceptable 00:30:52.259 --> 00:30:59.980 and perfect will of God. So, Apostle Paul gives 00:30:59.980 --> 00:31:04.730 a charge that we should not conform to this world, 00:31:04.829 --> 00:31:07.789 which is such a matizo, which is to fashion oneself 00:31:07.789 --> 00:31:12.869 according to the world. That is, the trend that 00:31:12.869 --> 00:31:15.470 goes in the world, that's what you go with. Today, 00:31:15.569 --> 00:31:18.970 the world honors, you go with that. Tomorrow, 00:31:18.970 --> 00:31:22.410 it shifts. No, but we should always stick to 00:31:22.410 --> 00:31:25.329 what the Lord says. We should guard our hearts. 00:31:27.910 --> 00:31:30.670 We should be transformed by the word of the Lord 00:31:30.670 --> 00:31:38.119 in our thinking. Let's look at Proverbs 4, verse 00:31:38.119 --> 00:31:49.859 23. Proverbs 4, verse 23. Keep your heart with 00:31:49.859 --> 00:31:53.259 all diligence. From out of it spring the issues 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:58.180 of life. The word keep there, it means it's a 00:31:58.180 --> 00:32:00.900 verb. It's a verb. You have to do it by yourself. 00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:05.380 And how do you do it? By feeding on the word 00:32:05.380 --> 00:32:07.799 of the Lord. That is how you keep yourself from 00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:13.259 the influences of the world. You remain untarnished 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:15.859 when you read the word of God, when you study 00:32:15.859 --> 00:32:17.980 the word of God, when the word of God is what 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:21.720 governs your life. When it comes to honor, don't 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:25.900 lose this. We are talking about honoring the 00:32:25.900 --> 00:32:31.660 ministers of God. Let's see it. So we see that 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:34.920 it says, keep your hearts with all diligence 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:40.519 from out of it spring the issues of life. And 00:32:40.519 --> 00:32:43.779 you see that the keep there is Nasa, N -A -S 00:32:43.779 --> 00:32:51.759 -A -R, which means to guard, to watch over, to 00:32:51.759 --> 00:33:00.220 preserve, to protect with all diligence. Well, 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:04.559 his honor is of the heart. And as a man of God, 00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:09.279 as a child of God, you should by all means guard 00:33:09.279 --> 00:33:14.640 what comes in your mind by the word of the Lord. 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:19.039 You renew your mind by the word of the Lord. 00:33:22.019 --> 00:33:24.839 So believers, we as believers should not copy 00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:29.009 the word. But to let our thinking, our conduct 00:33:29.009 --> 00:33:31.650 and life be governed by the word of the Lord. 00:33:32.029 --> 00:33:35.390 That's why week in, week out, Sunday service, 00:33:35.650 --> 00:33:39.029 Wednesday service, Friday soul meeting, we are 00:33:39.029 --> 00:33:43.470 always learning. Because our life is to be governed 00:33:43.470 --> 00:33:47.230 by the word of the Lord. Not by what the world 00:33:47.230 --> 00:33:52.390 says. Not about the trends in the world. So, 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:55.920 Let's see something. It is possible that if you 00:33:55.920 --> 00:33:58.480 don't renew your mind, you walk like one of the 00:33:58.480 --> 00:34:02.319 people in the world. You walk like them, meaning 00:34:02.319 --> 00:34:05.839 that in your actions, you walk in the flesh. 00:34:07.980 --> 00:34:13.539 1 Corinthians 3, verses 1 to 3. Let's read this 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:25.000 one. Yes, this will be our last reading. 1 Corinthians 00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:41.300 3 1 Corinthians 3 It reads, And I, brethren, 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:45.119 could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but 00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:49.139 unto, as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 00:34:49.659 --> 00:35:13.239 I have fed you with milk, When he talks about 00:35:13.239 --> 00:35:15.840 walking as men, talking about the unbelievers. 00:35:19.179 --> 00:35:23.320 So, that is, a believer is not expected to conduct 00:35:23.320 --> 00:35:28.800 himself as an unbeliever. That is, if an unbeliever 00:35:28.800 --> 00:35:37.800 dishonors, it is not for you. Yes, it is not 00:35:37.800 --> 00:35:42.360 for you. Galatians tells us that we should walk 00:35:42.360 --> 00:35:46.500 in love. Galatians chapter 5, it talks about 00:35:46.500 --> 00:35:50.019 we should walk in love. It is love that we show 00:35:50.019 --> 00:35:52.820 for honor. It is in love whereby we recognize 00:35:52.820 --> 00:35:58.719 the work of our pastors and give out. Love is 00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:03.960 liberal. We give out. We see how hard they work. 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:08.139 I tell you, I saw it when I was preparing the 00:36:08.139 --> 00:36:15.099 teaching. But this thing is not simple. So they 00:36:15.099 --> 00:36:19.539 have sleepless nights. I felt the impact of catatismus. 00:36:20.980 --> 00:36:23.059 Pastor Fred will be teaching from today until 00:36:23.059 --> 00:36:29.480 tomorrow. They have to be honored. They have 00:36:29.480 --> 00:36:31.559 to be honored. It's something that drove me even 00:36:31.559 --> 00:36:36.940 to give more. Because as believers, we are obliged 00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:40.380 to do so. And we have been given a measure on 00:36:40.380 --> 00:36:45.739 how we should give. We should do it double. Right? 00:36:45.739 --> 00:36:47.739 I know some of us have been ignorant of this, 00:36:47.800 --> 00:36:53.019 but I just want us to pray. The Lord, I thank 00:36:53.019 --> 00:36:55.639 you for the pastors. I acknowledge the work that 00:36:55.639 --> 00:36:58.099 they are doing and I give out to support the 00:36:58.099 --> 00:37:01.920 work of ministry. Just pray. Just pray. Father, 00:37:01.980 --> 00:37:06.880 we thank you. We appreciate you being here today. 00:37:07.340 --> 00:37:09.699 We hope you carry this word with you throughout 00:37:09.699 --> 00:37:12.559 your week. Don't forget to check the show notes 00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:15.340 for additional insights. Stay connected with 00:37:15.340 --> 00:37:18.039 us through our website or follow us on social 00:37:18.039 --> 00:37:21.699 media. If you are encouraged, share this message 00:37:21.699 --> 00:37:24.699 with someone you care about. Until next time, 00:37:24.780 --> 00:37:25.719 stay blessed.