Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou
shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is
worthy of his reward.
The elders, the pastors or overseers, of the church that
lead the Body of Christ should be counted worthy of double honor. Today, far
too few honor their Christian leaders and many false prophets have only
contributed to that as they run off and entangle themselves in immorality and
vain philosophies as they lead the Church. Remember that the true overseer is
leading the Body because he loves the Lord and out of that love the Lord has
commanded him like Peter to feed the Lord’s sheep (John 21:15-19). When a
pastor labors in the Word and doctrine (teaching) through teaching, preaching,
exhorting, counseling, praying, leading, overseeing, and setting an example for
the Body of Christ, he should be honored. His work is not easy. In fact, it can
be the most hectic vocation on the planet, but when a man loves his Lord and is
obedient to the call to feed the Lord’s sheep, he should be honored. Today,
ministers would do well to examine themselves, for there are some who are in
the ministry for completely self-seeking motives and not out of obedience to
their Lord’s command.
In addition, the Church should provide for their spiritual leaders just
as the Levites and Priests where provided for by the people under the Law. When
a man is working hard in the Lord’s fields and preparing the harvest for
re-planting, should he not share in the sustenance that he is producing? Of
course he should! Just as an animal gets to nuzzle in the crops it is
harvesting, so a spiritual leaders should be provided for by the Church so that
he can focus on God and serve whole-heartedly and with his whole attention. We
expect Doctors to only practice medicine and be concentrated in their work and
we expect soldiers at war to be fully devoted to their posts, likewise we
should put our hand behind our mouth to make sure that our pastors are not
divided in their pursuit of God and providing for their families.
1 Tim 5:17-18 (KJV)
