I suppose most readers of the Reformed Herald are active, faithful, participating members of a local church. That is a good thing! If that doesn’t describe anyone reading this, I urge you to join a Reformed church at once and get involved.
If you are not a member at all, there are many commands in the NT that you are at least hampered in obeying. There are exceptional circumstances, but people frequently allege exceptional circumstances to disguise an unwillingness to commit. Reluctance to join can also arise from a consumerist mentality towards the church, where it has to meet their idiosyncratic criteria in order to earn their participation.
If you are a member, but not faithfully serving, that is also a problem. Being on a list of members, showing up irregularly, and rarely or never helping out means you deprive yourself of a great many blessings that God conveys through the church. Theoretical membership comes with theoretical advantages, whereas active membership results in active benefits.
Returning to the committed and active church members who make up most of the readership of the Reformed Herald, there are some verses that are often awkward for a pastor to expound. One kind of verse has to do with financial support for ministers. It is easy to pass over those verses lightly so that no one will think it’s a complaint about an economic situation or a subtle attempt to get more money.
Other verses that may be uncomfortable for pastors to expound are the verses that relate to respect or obedience (e.g., 1 Thess. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 5:17-20). It can seem contrary to the humble and gentle character that ministers ought to have to tell other Christians that they need to listen and even obey.
Since this can be a hard subject for ministers on which to preach, I figured I would use my last editorial (though hopefully not my last article) for the Reformed Herald to direct some words on this subject to the active, faithful church members who are most likely to take it to heart.
We start with Hebrews 13:17–Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for this is unprofitable for you. The command itself is clear. Church members are to obey their church rulers submissively. This is not exclusive to the pastor, but includes elders and deacons, because church government is not a one-man show.
Now this passage does not diminish the freedom of your conscience or the reality that Christ is the head of the Church. Instructions from ministers or elders that are contrary to the word of Christ are empty and ineffective. Church authority is declarative, not legislative; in other words, the Spiritual Council cannot add anything to the law of God, and if they try to, they are to be opposed by proper means.
Nevertheless, we should not let the limitations on this authority hide from us that it genuinely exists and that individual Christians are called upon to submit to it. However unpopular this idea may be in our current time and culture, it is explicit in the text of Scripture so that to reject it is to say that God got something wrong.
There are two reasons given for appropriate submission to church authorities in this verse.
The first reason is that they watch for your souls, as those who must give account. Spiritual overseers need authority in order to carry out their task. They will be held accountable for the souls entrusted to them. They must answer for you to God. Their responsibility is therefore very solemn. It’s also for your good. The world is a dangerous place for Christians, but God has given shepherds to warn you away from those dangers, pull you back from them, and get in between you and the danger. They can’t do that if their words have no weight and their work is despised. Out of sympathy for their great responsibility and for your own sake, then, obey those who rule over you.
Another reason for obedience is also given: Let them do so with joy, and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
This highlights an important truth: a grieved ministry is unprofitable. Here again, Hebrews appeals to your self-interest. You can undermine the profitability or benefit of a ministry when your behavior contributes to it being carried on with grief.
The situation envisioned is that there were faithful and conscientious elders. The difficulties of ministry have been discouraging to them. Because they are faithful, they carry on trying to do the right thing. But because they are discouraged, their efforts don’t bring the same profit that they used to.
Perhaps you have noticed that sermons, or lessons, or visits don’t help you the way they once did. There can be many reasons for that, but in light of this text it’s worth asking: could my minister or elders be discouraged, going through their duties with grief? And that will lead to two more questions.
First, is that the reason you are not profiting? And second, do you have anything to do with that? That is to say, has your indifference to their watching, failure to respect their office, or lack of appreciation for their efforts contributed to a grieving rather than a joyful ministry?
This text highlights for us that joy in ministry makes the ministry better. If it is a joy to watch for your soul, the whole congregation will reap the blessings of an encouraged ministry by pastor and elders. One important way that you can promote the flourishing of the whole congregation is by supporting the officers of the congregation in carrying out their service with encouragement.
For officers who may be reading, I should add a thought. While you should care enough about the members of your charge that they can grieve you deeply, you should also have a source of joy, encouragement, and strength in the Lord that allows you to continue even when they are not what they should be.
Rev. Ruben Zartman
Editor, Reformed Herald