Short Answer
Pastors and elders devoted to a group of people who come underneath their sacrificial spiritual care, loving oversight and gracious teaching foster warm Christians and warm the cold Christians, resulting in a fiery church!
Not sold on the above definition? Why? Because you’ve seen too many abuses? Fair enough. I understand where you’re coming from! Trust me! I’ve been under abusive leadership in my life and I am a spiritual leader myself still.
But track with me in this article, because if you come around to seeing WHY God has planned for Christians to have pastors and elders, then you will look at the organized church differently. And it is then that you too will become a warmer, loving and fiery Christian yourself!
Leaders Get Some Bad Raps!
I don’t think I’ve heard any politician who hasn’t been slandered in some way. There’s this cultural understanding that politicians lie, that in the beginning they are found hugging children for photos during their campaigns and saying some really nice things. But, then when power is given, many have revealed their true colors.
We’ve seen this with news stories reporting on atrocities commitment by the Catholic Church so long ago. We’ve seen this with pastors and priests put on display and shamed if they fail morally.
Today, parents are losing their influence and rightful authority because it’s understood that they can’t be fully trusted and need to be overseen by the government.
Teachers, too, are expected to curtail their teaching and preferences because they aren’t to be trusted.
Leaders and Leadership is ugly word today. To be a spiritual leader is to be regarded by many as a brainwasher, a controller, even predator.
HOWEVER!
We read in the Bible that leadership, structure, hierarchy, order, much of it, is ordained and created by God. The home with parents as leaders, pastors/elders as leaders of churches, governments as leaders of nations. We’ve all been burned by some leader at some point, but as Christians we want to do God’s will and this includes following the leaders He’s given us. If the leadership structure and leader is working properly, after God’s will, then it’s wonderful and a blessing to us. If it is doesn’t, it’s ba-ad!
1 Thessalonians chapter 5:12-28 gives us a picture of leaders within the church and the results that can come about if leaders and people are operating after God’s ways.
The Context of our Passage:
Now the end of chapter five Paul wants to fire-off a series of quick commands, and advice.
So, the tail end is like a parent jetting out a bunch of reminders to their teenage son as they leave for a date, “Remember curfew is 10pm. Oh, and remember, don’t get yourself alone with her. Don’t forget that the car pulls to the left. And remember to invite her over for lunch after Sunday’s service.”
If we follow these rapid-fire commands, we see they aren’t disconnected, but like a stained-glass window, each piece comes together and a picture is put before us by the end of chapter 5, which many of us miss. The picture is of a warm church that is on-fire with the Spirit of God!
Do we want to be a warm, loving people? Do we want others to be warm and loving toward us? Do we want this church to filled with a Spiritual fire and power? Do you want to be filled to the lifeforce and personality of God? It all begins with leadership!
My hope is that though you may distrust, and have been burned with those in positions of power, my hope for you is for God to gently show you how spiritual leaders are called to be instruments used to make you a mature, fulfilled and dare I say a ‘happy’ Christian!
Leaders Are Given To Create a Warm Group of Organized Christians (vs. 12-13a)
“12 But we ask you, brothers and sisters, to recognize those who diligently labor among you and are in leadership over you in the Lord, and give you instruction, 13 and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work.”
Here we have a picture of a warm church organization!
Paul starts his rapid fire with asking the church to what? Recognize those who diligently labor among them, who are in leadership. Who are the leaders and what do they do?
How are leaders to lead? What’s their leadership style?
Warm leadership: Those who diligently labor among you. This expression, diligent labor, is from the word kopos, which means, “to labor until worn-out”. It’s working until exhaustion.
Who are these hard workers? He says they are among you. So, these spiritual leaders are mentally, physically and spiritual working until exhaustion are also just like them the church, they are lambs themselves. They understand your challenges because they are like you, they’re nothing special, they just happen to be working so hard for the church as leaders.
What are they doing that is so hard? He says they give instruction. What does this mean? “You go there, you go here!” No, spiritual leaders aren’t dictators with orders. The instruction is biblical instruction. It’s preaching every week, it’s an elder teaching a class mid-week for years, it’s a deacon mediating peace among us with the verses from the Bible. All of this requires a tremendous amount of emotional effort, mental effort, and spiritual effort to do this long-term. Its people work!
What kind of leaders do this ‘people work?’
We don’t have time to look, but the primary task of elders in a church are to oversee and instruct or teach or counsel through teaching. So, this is what Paul has in mind, the primary elder who provides weekly teaching (which would be me), but also the plurality of elders who are providing oversight and instruction in other ways (our elders).
However, it makes sense Paul would include what we call Deacons. ‘Deacon’ is a word that means ‘servant’. These are servants who provide leadership to ministries, and through their ministries are to promote peace and unity in the church. They too are to live exemplary lives for the church to observe and follow.
‘What strange terms you use! Elders and deacons?’ These leadership positions are not a church-created thing, they are instituted by the Bible. Just as Paul says in verse 12 they are “in the Lord”. They are divinely created positions!
Well, how are we to treat them?
I am sure you already have a clue!
Warm toward our leaders: Paul says first that we recognize them. Does this mean facial recognize? The word ‘recognize’ in Greek, yes it means to perceive in order to appreciate. We can’t appreciate what we don’t see.
So, we recognize to appreciate them—they are warm in their labor and teaching and authority with us and we are warm to them in recognizing and knowing them personally. What else? verse 13, “and that you regard them very highly in love because of their work.”
He’s going deeper now. He is asking us to be warm in love toward our leaders, our pastor, our elders, our deacons. That word regard means to esteem, to put them ahead of us in leading the way. To regard them highly.
And why should we regard them highly, appreciate them, know them? Not because they’re likeable, or charismatic, or you jive with them. He says because of their work, the divinely created positions they hold and for their tireless work they put into it.
Here is picture of a warm organization, with biblical leaders installed doing their work warmly in love for the church and the church warmly esteeming them. Who says structure and organization are inherently bad!? If done God’s way, we have a taste of Heaven on Earth right in a local church!
Now, it’s not that easy. In every church there are people who make this warm organization challenging! Paul gets into three types of Christians that need to be warmed, because they’re cold themselves. All it takes is a few cold Christians to cool down the spiritual atmosphere of a church and so Paul addresses these. What are they?
Church Leaders Are Called To Create A Warm Church Atmosphere (vs 13b-15)
Don’t you want to be around, warm, encouraging and loving people? That doesn’t’ just come! Leaders set the tone, teach the tone, model the tone and love others into that tone!
I believe, deep down people actually want what the organized church is called to create!
“Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the [bl]unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek what is good for one another and for all people.”
3 Types of cold Christians in the Church
1. The Out-of-control Christian (cold hearted): Paul begins with asking for peace in the whole church. We know all it takes is one Christian to destroy the peace, one cold one. So, he says, “I urge” There is urgency, it must happen immediately, no delay, no brushing these types aside.
The first one to immediately warm-up is the “unruly” or “idle” by admonishing them. Let’s call this the “out-of-line Christian”, unruly means to ‘break rank’, they’ aren’t on board with the biblical mandate anymore or willing to follow the pastors and elders, they want to do their own thing and regard their opinions as more authoritative. They end up being inactive in discipling other Christians, and evangelizing…hence the word ‘idle’, sitting still like a car.
When we drive on the highway and someone pulls to the side, the car that is sitting on the one lane forces everyone else to move to the other lanes. And what happens? Things slow down, things are hindered, people rubber neck resulting in possible crashes.
This is why Paul urgently calls the leaders to address that car and send a tow truck immediately don’t let that person sit there. The out of line Christians is to be admonished. ‘Admonish’! What’s that? Means to correct, confront, rebuke even. This is the only way an out of line Christian is get warm again and move forward if we drive by and wave with a smile it won’t do much.
Let us be true to the Word, if there is someone under us who is unruly, we must admonish in love, and warn them, gently rebuke their behavior. Warning and rebuke are intended to restore these people making them warm and loving like the rest.
These cold Christians have a touch of spiritual frost to everything they come in contact with. If this is you, consider working on your attitudes toward others more. It takes work with God, as others are patient with you. Consider reading this and allow God to work on your spirit, “The Depressive Nature of a Complainer, and The Delighted Experience of a Grateful Attitude“.
2. The Fragile Christian: Or the “fainthearted”. The second type of Christian isn’t cold in conduct, but their fragile and anxious spirits can turn down the spiritual fire burning in other people. These fragile ones don’t mean to, but their desperate and needy spirits feed and take the heat of others to survive.
Paul says “encourage” these people. These are Christians that could be shy or timid; they could have a hard time joining the mission of evangelism; or too scared to get involved in the lives of other Christians. They need to be built up, for some it’s a year other it could be years. This is what the church is about, turning fragile sprouts into great spruces—that’s takes time and commitment from all of us! Warm them by your kind words, and hopeful Bible promises!
3. The Weak Christian (cold spiritual season): The third cold Christian is the weak one. This likely refers to materially, basic help in this world to live. Help means provision. Warm them by your provisional help! To help a senior to shovel, to come alongside a single parent and take their kids for a day, and so on.
‘That’s hard! We just want a perfect church with problem-free people!’ Good luck finding one, if you find one, no offence but you’ll blemish it with your own problems!
The Remedy for these cold Christians? Patience toward each of these. These cold ones require patience, even the out of lines ones, now there’s comes a point of discipline, but first is patience–always!
What if you were in a church where the leaders are warm, where the people are warm toward them, the out of line are don’t have free reign anymore, the fragile ones are happier, the weak ones are helped? Wouldn’t you be spiritually happier to be in such an environment, wouldn’t that warm you?
3 UNIQUE QUALITIES OF A WARM CHRISTIAN (vs 16-18)
“16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
1. Rejoices: Indeed, that is exactly what happens as Paul transitions to the individual Christian. The individual Christian becomes a warm believer themselves. Paul commands rejoicing, happiness in God, in all seasons. Spiritual joy becomes possible and perpetual in a warm church! So, Paul says, “increase it now! You are in warmly incubated environment to grow the vine of joy!” Hard to be happy in a cold church.
2. Has a spirit of prayer: Next a warmed Christian prays without ceasing. A Christian in a warm church can’t help but praise God in a sermon, pour their heart out in worship, can’t help but leave the building praying in the car! And indeed, they keep that same spirit with them throughout the week! In a cold environment, even prayer is slowed by the frost.
3. Spiritually optimistic (thankful): A warm Christian is a thankful one. In a warm environment, they tend not to grumble and complain, but drift to thankfulness. It warms a Christian to such an extent that when they leave for the week, they are looking for the goodness of God in their day and want to give thanks to God! Their warm church pre-sets them to be spiritually optimistic so they find reasons to be grateful!
Do you want to be rejoicing, praying and thankful? Who doesn’t? You know who wants you to be that way more than anyone? Your Heavenly Father! He desires the best for His children. Hence, Paul says, “this is God’s will for you”.
A warm church organization, facilitates a warm atmosphere, which makes a warm Christian.
Now, what happens when warmed Christians gather? What would those meetings look like? It would be powerful, exciting, warm, and loving, passionate, but mostly, SPIRITUAL and SUPERNAUTRAL The church becomes a fiery one! This is why Paul ends with commands on the manifestations of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in verse 19.
4 RESULTS OF A FIERY CHURCH (vs 19-28)
“9 Do not quench the Spirit, 20 do not utterly reject prophecies, 21 but examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil. 25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.”
1) Prevents the quenching of the Spirit: Do not quench the Spirit. Paul sees the affects of the Spirit in the church, and anticipates more miracles and so, and wants to see the Spirit of God spread like wildfire. So, he says don’t quench him, don’t extinguish or suppress.
Quenching could refer to sexual immorality, which Paul mentioned in chapter 4. It may include it, but I think it has to do more with what’s already been mentioned, some cold people or unbiblical leaders can stifle and suppress the church. One commentator wrote regarding the quenching in the church,
“Cold looks, contemptuous words, silence, studied disregard, go a long way to quench Him. So does unsympathetic criticism.”
2) Permits Prophecies, good and bad: Paul anticipates a warm church as it is set on fire with the Spirit that some might downplay prophesy. What’s prophesy? Mostly it’s the Word of God, preaching. As we grow and the Spirit seems to be almost seen with our eyes here, let’s remember the Word of God was the ignition behind it all, and the gas peddle for future spiritual movement.
However, prophesying is mentioned in couple verses having to do with a direct revelation from God to an individual. This may happen. Let us be open to it happening. When someone comes, “I feel the Lord sharing this with me, tell me if it resonates with you.” Listen carefully.
3) Is a spiritually discerning church: As the Spirit manifests, people feel an other-worldly presence here, and people are convicted of their sins and believe in Christ, and sins are repented of, and love is dolled between leaders and people, Satan will want to come in and sow disingenuous spirits.
We must be discerning. He says, “examine everything”. Make sure everything that happens and is spoken is found in the Word of God no matter what excitement or miracle happens here. Paul desires a fiery church and that means we must be open to failure, that means we could get things wrong; it means there will be weeds sown here and there that we will see, don’t be afraid!
Paul says blaze forward as the Spirit is poured on you, it’s worth it, even if Satan sows false things, and unbiblical words, just be discerning and know the Bible enough to be discerning.”
Lastly,
A fiery church,
4) Strives for purity, “hold firmly to that which is good, 22 abstain from every form of evil.” If we want the movement of God in us and among us; there’s a price to pay—a pure life lived throughout the week. We want the Holy Spirit? We gotta’ maintain and grow in personal holiness and purity! There’s no other way.
There’s the stained-glass picture of a glowing and warming colors of a church! With the blazing Sun behind it called the Spirit of God! Amazing isn’t it?
How on earth can we actually pull all this off? Well, we know it beings with a warm organization with warm leaders and a congregation that follows, esteems and appreciates all of them. From their it cascades into further warmth, resulting in a fiery church!
Let’s let Spirit bless us and our churches to be a warm organization, bless us to have a warm atmosphere here on this blog even, to be warm Christians ourselves:
“23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will do it.”
This is the Word of God!