Chapter 5: 12-22

“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. ¹⁵ See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.”

Last week we looked at the idea of taking care of those that labor among us as churches. I saw a post on FB from one of my dear friends who is also a pastor, and he pointed out that the only person in a church that does not have a pastor is the pastor. All too often, the pastor is required to carry the burdens of the people he ministers to, his family, and himself; he has no one to turn to.

I speak from experience, and it can get a bit lonely at times. I recall the very first day that I was in seminary. We had an assembly; there were 52 men in that assembly, and the president of the school had us stand and look to the left and the right. He made the comment that the person standing there would not be here at graduation. He was right; of the 52, there is just a handful of us that are still in the ministry and pastoring. Some of the men did not even last until the end of the first semester.

The burnout rate among pastors is very high, and I do not know about other church groups, but there are fewer and fewer young men willing to surrender to the ministry in our little association. I speak to a lot of young women who make it clear that they are not going to marry preachers. If you have a good pastor, praise him, thank him, thank God for him, support him and his family, and cherish them.

We also talked about the importance of peace among the Lord’s people and in the Lord’s churches. This does not mean that we do not face tough decisions and situations. Rather, we face these in the right mode, the right spirit, and seek to lift up the Lord and His people at all times. Peace requires strength. Peace requires tenacity, and it takes work. Chaos can take over at any time. Peace takes spiritual discipline; it takes humility, and it requires sacrifice on each of our parts. Today we will focus more on verse 14 and dissect it so we can put it into practice.

• Warn the Unruly

The word ‘unruly’ refers to those that are out of order. In military terms, according to the Guzik commentary, it refers to a soldier who has broken ranks and is marching out of step with the rest. This is a self-willed person; he or she demands that their preferences be done. They want to interject their opinions even when it is in opposition to the word of God. We, the leaders especially, are called to warn these folks that they are making bad choices. Often these folks leave or threaten to leave, and we panic. This is especially true in smaller churches; we are afraid to lose even one. But if they are out of step with the clearly spoken Word of God, we are required to warn them that they are wrong and that God will not tolerate their divisive behavior.

Sadly, these types of folks run from church to church causing havoc, and no one stops them. I have seen this time and time again. If people turn up to your church and want to be members, find out where they were before and make a phone call. It may confirm that they have just moved and are looking for a good church, or it may save you a world of trouble. They are out of fellowship with their last church, and rather than be humble, they repent and get right; they have just run to your church to repeat the dangerous pattern. Do not take them; warn them and send them back to get right with the last group.

• Comfort the Fainthearted

The word here is ‘small souled.’ They tend to be timid, lack courage, and need constant comfort. Now, the idea is not to comfort them in their faintheartedness but to comfort them into being stronger and braver in the Kingdom of God – stepping out of their comfort zone, maybe as a greeter or someone to make sure that all the bulletins are handed out if you still do that. Maybe they can take up the offering; the idea is to get them into situations where they can expand their souls and God can grow them. Many have come through and come from painful situations; they are acquainted with failure, hurt, and being put down. They become timid and would rather not even try. We are to help, comfort, and lead them to service. They are children of God as well, and God can use them if we help them to be useful.

• Uphold the Weak

These tend to lapse into sinful temptations. We all sin. 1 John 1:8-9 reminds us of this fact. We sin. But some will fall into temptations that can take them away and cause them to fail. Don’t write people off; uphold them. In 1 Thessalonians 4:2-8, we are called to learn how to possess our ‘vessel,’ our bodies. This is the idea of spiritual discipline. We are not to be given over to lust or to deal fraudulently with a brother. We are called to live clean in these verses. When we see a brother or sister who has failed, lift them up, hold them, help them; one day, you will need them to help you. Call out the sin, uphold the sinner; do both lovingly with the intent to gain and restore, not to destroy and cast aside.

• Be patient with All

Man, this is hard. Let us be honest; patience is not our thing. At least for most of us. I am not a patient person in many cases, okay to be honest in most cases. However, we expect God and all of mankind to be patient with us. We are to be patient with the unruly, the fainthearted, and the weak. We are to lovingly and carefully encourage them and nurture them in Jesus and for Jesus. We are to be gentle and kind, merciful and gracious as we would have God be with us. There are no perfect people to minister to. None!

Right up to the very night before the crucifixion, the apostles and many others there with them were timid and unruly; weak and all, not just Peter, forsook Jesus. Thomas doubted, and as for Peter, he went back to fishing in John 21. He gave up, and many of the apostles followed him. BUT… Jesus; He came and gently encouraged Peter to come back (John 21). He made him breakfast (verse 12), performed a miracle with a huge load of fish (verse 6), and took him as he was able to begin again (verses 15-19). Jesus was patient with these men, and they went on to change the world. Without these men, most likely, you and I would not have heard the Gospel.

Take a look at the commands; warn, comfort, uphold and be; these are action words. God is telling us that they are things that we have to do in the Kingdom. There are things and, more specifically, people that we are responsible for in our local churches. We need to be involved and invested in the people that God sends our way. We need to be hands-on in our churches, helping and serving. The pastor cannot do all of this on his own. This also means we have to form relationships and let people in. We have to become disciple-makers and be wholly invested in our brothers and sisters. These kinds of efforts stop or diminish the back-biting and division that plagues all too many churches.

When we understand that the highest calling in the Kingdom of Heaven is to be servants, then we can make progress and truly lift, hold, and carry each other when needed. Let us be determined to do church better. This is how we hold on to what is good. This is how we make good churches and good families that lift up Jesus and make Him the focus of this life.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca

Chapter 5:12-22

“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³ and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. ¹⁵ See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.”

We live in trying times. Today as I am writing, we in North America and many around the world are celebrating Remembrance Day, the day when WW2 stopped. In Dunnville where I live, we have erected a little memorial of 128 flags to remember the 128,000 Canadians that have died in several wars. Sadly, the rights and freedoms that were paid for in the blood of not just these from Canada but countless men and women around the world are being trampled on, and I am not sure if we have the stomach to fight anymore.

Today I want to encourage you to find the good that we have around us and to hold on to it. We must use the Bible to know the standard of what is good. But if you have good in your life, good godly people, you attend a Biblical church, have a godly spouse and children, then hold on to these things and cherish them; you are truly blessed.

• Cherish Good Pastors and Deacons, verse 12-13

Recognize those that labor among you. Take note of them.

I was listening to a video on YouTube yesterday about a pastor who is being sued by the Real Estate board because the church he pastors refuses to work with the LGBTQ organizations in their community. His church helps to feed the poor in their community, and when the local food bank decided to join forces with the LGBTQ chapter, the church withdrew and began to use their own facility to feed the people. But this was not enough; he is a Real Estate agent in his community, and he is now being sued and may lose his association with them and potentially his income because he chose to obey God rather than man.

In seeing this, I learned an interesting statistic: 68% of all pastors in North America are bi-vocational. Like me, the vast majority work a second job and take a small stipend from the church they serve. One dear friend of mine works at the local Home Depot to be able to have benefits for his family.

Often, your Pastors and your deacons put in their 40 hours at work and then put in whatever is needed at the church as well. I work as a Salesman in a car dealership, plus write here, help to pastor 2 churches, have a wife, 3 kids and a grandkid. I know countless pastors that work as Hospital chaplains and are on call for the police departments. I know some that do all kinds of jobs to help pay the bills, and their wives work. They are not living lavish lifestyles; they simply support their families while pastoring and taking care of your family. And, don’t forget the people who help cut the lawns, keep the place clean, put out the chairs, set up the audiovisuals, and on and on.

Never take for granted those that labor in our local churches, those who do it out of love for the Lord and His work. I know of a lot of preachers who retire and then use their retirement to fill in for younger preachers so they can have a break. These men are working to help and serve still. Rejoice if you have a preacher and his family who are sold out for the Kingdom. Praise God for them. Trust me; it is hard on their families.

Let me give a shoutout to my wife, who often comes in from working all night, gets a nap for 45 minutes, then goes with me over an hour away to the church in Guelph. She is there and gets no sleep as we minister to the people and often has to come home and go back to work after a few hours. If you are blessed like me with a pastor’s wife who is committed to the Kingdom, praise her and pray for her. Many preachers quit the ministry because their wives don’t want to do it anymore, and the men feel trapped and defeated, so they leave the work.

• Cherish Peace, verse 13

Those of us who have never known war often do not cherish peace. We do not appreciate what it is like not to live in fear for your life. Over the 37 years that I have been in the ministry, I have sadly been in war-like situations in the Lord’s churches. You could feel the tension. Every business meeting was a dreadful and emotionally sapping event. One side of the room was turned against the other, and raised voices and sharp words ensued. Eventually, people leave, and the hurts stay.

If you have a peaceful church, praise God and cherish it. This does not mean that there are no disagreements but that they are handled in a godly fashion; each seeks to lift up the other even in disagreement. There is no coercion, no threats, and the work of the Lord’s kingdom is front and center. If there is unity and humility, thank God. Cherish it and work hard to keep it.

What about in your family? What about your spiritual life and your personal life? Are you at peace with yourself in Jesus? By the way, ignoring each other and avoiding each other is not peace; that is how fireworks turn into nuclear bombs that end relationships and destroy churches. Cherish humility and forgiveness in your own life; seek forgiveness, seek reconciliation, seek grace, seek love and kindness, pray for each other. It is very hard to pray for someone and hate them at the same time.

Notice we are called to be at peace among ourselves; the world is a hard place. In contrast, the Lord’s churches should be a respite from the callousness and troubles of the world. We should find people who love us, long to see us, and miss us when we are not there. We should have genuine friendships that are a balm to the hardships of the world around us. We should be able to be open and honest in a safe, loving environment. We should work hard to make the Lord’s churches a place of peace. Jesus is the Head of each local church, and He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 6:9).

There is so much in these verses, and we will not get to all of it today. But the idea is holding to what is good.

Imagine if we have churches that truly cherish the ones who served as pastors, cherish their wives and children and the sacrifices made. Imagine if we have churches that cherish the deacons and their wives, their kids as well. What if we have churches that cherish the bus drivers, the janitors, the Sunday School teachers that come tired and worn out from all their labors as well? What if we cherish the people who made sure that snow was moved from the doors, stairs and ramps?

What if our churches were safe places to hear the truth – even the harsh truths about our sin, my sin, about Hell and the finality of it? What if our churches were truly the Light on a Hill that drew all people in our areas to Jesus, or at least the ones who were looking? This is how we hold to things that are good.

All too often, we say these catchphrases, but we do not put actions to words; we do not put effort into the cause. Cherish those that do the work among you and cherish peace. Hold on to the workers, and hold on to peace; hold on to what is good.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

How to Connect with Us

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MississaugaMissionaryBaptistChurch

Online: https://www.mississaugamissionarybaptistchurch.com/ (under construction)

Email: missionarybaptistchurch76@yahoo.ca