Thoughts on Shepherds and Hirelings

There are those who are adamant about the necessity of the bi-vocational elder/pastor. They base their argument in the abuses of the televangelists and the financial empires of the mega-churches, who heap wealth upon their leaders in appreciation and glorification of their highly visible and widespread noteriety. While the practices of these institutions are objectionable, there is a scriptural truth that demands attention: those who lead are to be supported by those who are led.

In John 10, Jesus warned the Pharisees that a hired hand is not a shepherd. He describes a scenario in which a wolf threatens the sheep, and contrasts the actions of the hireling with the response of a true shepherd. Naturally, a good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, and a hired hand runs away, because he cares nothing for the sheep. There is a danger in hiring a shepherd who has no regard for the welfare of those under his care. Those who seek to be led and cared for must be aware of this condition and test those whom they call to the office of pastor (i.e., shepherd), to verify the existence of a sacrificial affection for the body of Christ at large, and more importantly, the resident body of believers entrusted to them. If this can be discerned, then those who would appoint or affirm the appointment of such a man are obligated to work to see that his needs are properly addressed.

In his treatise to the Corinthians (1 Cor 9:9-14), Paul makes the case for materially supporting those who preach the Word and labor in the work of the Church. Using the model of the Old Testament priests, he advocates a similar dynamic wherein the ministers of God were fed and clothed by the offerings and sacrifices of His people. He goes so far as to state that this is a right that might be claimed by one in his position (v. 15). In his instructions to Timothy (1 Tim. 5:5), he instructs him to give these men a double portion of anything that is distributed to the people. He reminds the Galatians (6:6-10) that they are required to take care of those who instruct them.

Scripture also exhorts the shepherd to great care. Hebrews 13 indicates that those who are in positions of authority will be held accountable for the condition of those in their care. Revelation 2 and 3 are indicators that the messengers of each local church are taken to task based upon the spiritual state of the bodies they led. And for good reason. The condition of the flock is proportional to the benefit a shepherd will receive in return for his work. For more on this, see Proverbs 27:23-27, which outlines some of the reasons for properly tending the sheep.

So how do we respond to the disparity between the financial state of various churches? Is every church in a low position the result of poor shepherding? Is it proper for the pastor of a mega-church to claim success in his vocation and live ostentatiously while his fellow pastor from the small body across the street struggles to pay his bills? Is it right for one man to grow fat and surfeit himself upon the expectations of his congregants while another grows thin and weary in well-doing because he ministers to the poor, who will always be among us? What judgement is the first man eating and drinking upon himself each day, and especially as he approaches our Lord's Table (see 1 Cor. 11) in an unworthy manner for lack of discernment of the condition of the Body of Christ? Paul warns Titus that there are those who will preach the Gospel for dishonest gain in association with fleshly excesses (Titus 1). We would do well to remember Paul exhortations concerning the members of the body, and the requisite concern each part should have for the other (1 Cor 12:25).

So what form and quantity of support should be provided to a minister of the Gospel? The first believers had all things in common, and distributed their wealth according to the needs of each one (Acts 4).Those who fear the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10-11). The righteous eat to their heart's content (Proverbs 13:25), yet are called upon to be content with food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:8, Hebrews 13:5) and whatever state they find themselves in (Phillipians 4:11-12). If each man is giving what he has determined in his heart to give, not grudgingly or under compulsion (2 Cor 9:7), and the widows and orphans are being looked after with regularity (James 1:27), then a suitable portion should also be delivered to God's minister, just as the priests received a part of the sacrifice that was proportionate to its size and purpose (Deut. 18:1ff).

A congregation should not withold blessing from its minister, nor should it smother him in wealth to its own destruction. Neither should the pastor be a burden to his parish, lest he live well at the expense of hungry sheep. It is incumbent upon those who would bless to know the needs of their shepherd and be attentive to them, and for those in authority to be both gracious and prudent in the acceptance of those gifts. A loving congregation who "forces" a pastor to receive their gift may be doing his humility an injustice, just as a false humility on the part of a pastor would be doing his congregation harm.

While scripture supports the bi-vocational model (Acts 18:3), there is a more persuasive argument for the reciprocal nature of the material relationship between a pastor/elder and his congregation. If he is neglecting them, they will become diseased and disorganized, and will not be equipped to yield the beneficial components that pour from the fountain of an effective ministry. If he is properly instructing and caring for them, he should rightly expect to glean the fruits of his wise and diligent stewardship. It is to this end that both sheep and shepherd should be striving - to the glory of God.

The Law of the Lord

Psalm 32

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.

The recalcitrant man prefers prodding to righteousness. He is dissatisfied with the clear commands of the scriptures, and expects to be micro-managed in their administration. The active, living nature of the commands of God are nothing to him, because he expects there to be some tangible restraint upon him. He looks for the hand of God to immediately stop his progress towards evil. His heart is not effected by the Word itself. Rather, he views God's law as a criminal, who will only submit to the law when confronted by its truth and its consequences.

The law of the Lord is perfect, and therefore it needs no judicial interpretation. It is not open for review or for repeal. Rather, the law of the Lord stands unchallenged, because it was drafted and brought into being by the Creator of the Universe. A man who views God's law as something to be poked at with a stick to see if it is still alive is on the road to complete ruin.

God's law is clear and unambiguous. It can be understood in principle by the simplest of minds. The immature intellect of a child can embrace the truth of "Thou shalt not" and "Thou shalt". In the most logical fashion, God has dealt out to mankind the governing principles of His creation, and man is subject to them by default. He cannot opt out of them, or select those which he prefers. Instead, he is born in confrontation with their transcendency of his existence. Even in death, he is bound by their presence.

The gnostic would attempt to separate science and spirit in his interpretation of God's law. The physical laws of nature, he asserts, are distinct from the moral laws of scripture. In making such a distinction, he deceives himself for his own convenience. While he cannot break the law of gravity, he supposes, the law of righteousness can be meddled in without consequence. While he will not jump off a ten story building for fear of the results, he dabbles in immorality without any compunction. In adopting a cavalier attitude towards the spiritual law, he reaps a greater judgement than a mere collision with the ground; his will collides with the will of his Creator and King, and he is forced, rather than compelled, to submit.

The Psalmist indicates that the counsel of God is attentive to men. The instruction can be obtained. Our Counselor and Teacher is alert and active in His tutelage, and He does not lack in energy or joy of His work. He is diligent in His presentation and long-suffering with the most ignorant pupil to ensure their comprehension of His word. He is jealous of their attention, and watches over them for their advancement in knowledge and wisdom, and He provides every opportunity and resource necessary for a successful completion.

But the student who refuses to embrace the truth of His instruction cannot expect to keep what he has learned. The man who looks in a mirror, James says, but goes away and forgets what he looks like - this is the temperament of the recalcitrant man. The stiff necked man who expects the mirror to remain in front of him ((rather than keeping it in front of himself) - the man who refuses to remember - the man who does nothing to set his hand to work in what he has read and heard - this man cannot expect to receive anything from God, because he has abandoned the law of the Lord. He has imposed his own law - the statutes of his own will - upon the law of God, and has set himself above the law of his Creator. This man, scripture tells us, will not receive anything from God.

A man who trusts in the Lord will trust His law. He will rely upon it as he does gravity. He will learn to live within its confines with contentment and gratitude. He will not kick against the goads. He will embrace it and love it, because he understands that it is life to his bones.

Don't Come Around Here No More

I read through so many theological web sites and realize that I know so little, and I have so little inspiration for knowing much in this particular area. Sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming.

After all, when I am sitting in a sushi restaurant, listening to Nora Jones on the Muzak (and that right there is a spiritual mystery all its own - why a Japanese restaurant would pipe in jazz/blues, etc.), how does my comprehension of the hypostatic union help me be a better person?

I am fully aware of the fact that somewhere in time, somebody stood up and said, "Jesus could not be fully God and man. He had to be half and half. Or something." There is a necessity in squashing that reasoning. So we squash it and go on. In my world, we do not sit and look at the squashed bug, and try to figure out how the thing got to where we were, and what chemicals are resident in the little guy's eyeballs that we might be able to extract and use in a wholesome manner. Instead, we squash the bug. Every time. With the same prejudice.

There is also something to be said for knowing enough to be able to recognize heresy and call it what it is. But lest we forget our less than fully regenerate selves and elevate our minds and hearts to full deity status, we must acknowledge that we all carry around a heretic inside us who is screaming, "God is not who He said He is!" The problem is that if we grab this inidividual by the neck, tie him to a stake and burn him, we will also be consumed.

So instead we whack him on the head every time we hear him taking a breath. We vigilantly stand guard over this captive nature, and trust that we will remain vigilant enough to keep him from rearing his ugly head. Invariably, we will fall asleep on guard duty, he will slip away from us, and we will find him standing on the street corners of our psyche screaming obscenities and blasphemies with great fervor. And we will stop to listen.

Theology is the study of God. It is the investigation of our Creator, who is not a Name-less spirit or an incongruous collection of concepts. We must study God the way we study our spouses and our most intimate friends. We must know Him and we must be willing to be known.

Too often, this study becomes academic. It embraces the Greek compartmentalizations (God is this. God is that. God is not this. God will do this. God won't do this.) and shuns the Eastern thoughts of the Hebrews (God IS.). And in our scientific, empirical study of God, we forget that everything we do has an effect on Him.

Why does a man believe in the omniscience of God except that he may know that God is interested in every detail of his life? How does predestination help us? It gives us the awareness that we don't love God because we are great and wonderful. In that concept, we are reminded that the only reason we love God is because He loved us enough to give us the ability to love Him.

To whom much is given, much is required. Those who live their lives with their noses buried in Calvin's Institutes or some First Century equivalent should be lifting their eyes to the hills periodically to remember where their help comes from. The religion that God sees as pure and faultless only involves a MDiv when the guy who earned the degree is helping widows and orphans.

So what's the point of all this? The point is that the heretic within us needs to be introduced to the transforming power of God. Once he encounters the Spirit that is at work in us, he will be less brash, and more likely to resort to slinking through the dark alleys and dens of iniquity in our hearts which still host whispered blasphemies. One day, he will be truly dead, and we will rejoice.

The Council of Houston

I was privileged to observe the annual presbytery meeting of the Confederation of Reformed Evangelicals yesterday. Among the more memorable moments: our church was approved as a member church, which means we are now voting members of the presbytery.

It was interesting to see the politics of the thing, and refreshing to watch Christian men passionately discuss various aspects of our association without losing their tempers or their friendships. It was very clear that some churches had more vision and agenda than others, but all of it was presented with the good of the Christian faith in mind. The novelty of watching men live out their convictions was quite exhilarating.

The experience also gave me another perspective on eldership. Far from being simply a position of shepherd, it is obvious that elders are required to be men of purpose and insight into the needs of the church universal, and are required by their office to correctly discharge their duties to both their congregations and the Body of Christ. Dovetails nicely into the first two tapes of the Bahnsen series concerning: 1) the necessity of elders, and 2) the characteristics of elders.

School, glorious school

This weekend I'm beginning a systematic theology study using twelve tapes from Bahnsen. It ought to be exciting. I received the tapes from the elders of our church in preparation for consideration of a diaconate role. I'm not sure that's what I want, but we shall see. Somehow gifts, calling and identity are all getting lumped together. I'm praying for the grace to sort them out.

Gifts of the Spirit

The men of my church were recently discussing quite effectively the subject of cessationism. I've been extremely encouraged in this discussion, because it is apparent that the usual "is to - is not" sandlot arguments are being shunned for true exegesis and sincere desire to get to the bottom of the issue (if there is one). I must admit I have had more questions on this topic than I have answers, and at times I've not been able to follow the conversation as closely as I'd like. For the last year or so, however, this debate has echoed in my mind and heart as a classic half-full versus half-empty argument. In blatant avoidance of the current debate, I ask a tangential and yet practical question: what is in the glass?

It is important to note that 1 Corinthians 12 is not an ink spot in the middle of an otherwise blank page. The chapter follows Paul's cautions on Christians influencing pagans to further idolatry by knowingly eating meat sacrificed to idols/demons, and his rebuke concerning divisions in the church and abuses of the Lord's Table. This is evidence that the Corinthians did not understand the nature of the church: how it was to function in society and its internal forms of operation. Members were abusing their new-found freedom in Christ, and people were being damaged in the process. This church was a monkey with a loaded gun.

When Paul begins chapter 12, he is pointing out spiritual gifts to those who apparently had overlooked them. These were the people who were indiscriminately eating with pagans to the shame, rather than the glory, of the Kingdom. These were the men and women who were blindly and selfishly coming to the Table with their own surfeiting in mind, and thereby failing to recognize the True Body of Christ in its myriad of members and parts. They were unable or unwilling to see the purpose of their assembling together. As I see it, Paul was not attempting to define the parameters of spiritual gifts, but rather to provide tangible examples of the working of the Spirit in the midst of the Corinthians in the context of what they had seen to that point. The emphasis is NOT on "The Nine Holy and Most Righteous Gifts", but rather on the fact that every person in the church represents a conduit of the working of the Spirit, not for individual edification, but for corporate maturity. Paul is trying to get the hedonistic Corinthians to look beyond their spiritual and physical concupiscence. It seems they are even having trouble discerning the parts, much less the entire body!

In helping them to discern this purpose, Paul puts forth the following points (12:4-7 NASB).

1. God gives gifts.


2. There are varieties (Greek - diairesis) of gifts.


3. There are varieties (Greek - diairesis) of ministries.


4. There are varieties (Greek - diairesis) of effects.


5. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to EACH ONE for the common good.


6. The same God works ALL things in ALL persons.

diairesis (Strong's Greek - 1243) "distinction, difference; a) in particular, a distinction arising from a different distribution to different persons".

The emphasis preceding the classic list of "the nine gifts" is on the variety (dare I say diversity) of gifts, ministries and effects among the members of the body of Christ, and the singularity of God's purposes in the variations. Like Gene, I have concluded that the list of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 is broad, yet not comprehensive, in its scope. My conclusion is based on the concept of the [diairesis]: each gift is as unique and distinct as the individual to whom it is given. Without proposing a "personality profile-related gifting", I assert that the [diairesis] reflects a similar diversity in its manifestations. I am persuaded that this is supported in Paul's "hand-eye-foot coordination" analogy.

"I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor--it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him." [Ecclesiastes 3:10-14 NASB]

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the Teacher saw the imutable nature of the works of God. The decrees of God leave nothing to be desired beyond His accomplishments. Those who would build houses out of something other than wood, hay and stubble must pay attention to the will of God. In addition, these wise men should not presume that ANY gift which manifested itself yesterday is necessary for the accomplishment of God's decrees today. The vast differences in day to day circumstances makes the subtle variations of the gifts, ministries of effects of God's Spirit a necessity.

"Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"" [Luke 11:5-13, see also Matthew 7:7-12 NASB]

We are exhorted to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. We err in assuming that we have the corner on the market concerning what those gifts are, and how they will manifest. In doing so, we quench the Spirit of God, because we are looking for Him in the whirlwind and the fire, and have no expectation of the still small voice. Do we demand a gift from The Nine, or do we persistently ask our heavenly Father for what we need in order to minister to those whom we commit our lives and our fortunes to protect? Which is more effective: to ask if a gift has ceased or to discern that our brother is hungry and ask our Father to be used to administer the necessary refreshment?

"Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures." [James 1:13-18 NASB]

The gifts God gives to men are consistently appropriate for the time and place in which they manifest. The first and obvious result of such a manifestion is the common good of the assembly. If the act or word spurs another on toward love and good deeds, is a profitable exercise of the two edged sword of the Holy Scriptures, or accomplishes some similar end, we should acknowledge that the Spirit is in our midst, and give glory to God.

"For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." [Romans 8:5-11 NASB]

What is in the glass? Every good and perfect gift that comes down from the Father of lights. What are these gifts? They are whatever the Church requires to fulfill the purposes of God. The burden of proof, in my opinion, is not on the cessationist (half-empty) or the continuationist (half-full), but rather on all those who name the Name of Jesus to publicly and privately recognize that the Spirit of God is at work among them by actively seeking to grow the body of Christ into maturity through the exercise and acknowledgement of each gift which God allows to manifest for the common good.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another [Galatians 5:22-26 NASB]

A sidebar on prophecy:

"Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." [1 Peter 4:9-11 NASB]

"See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing;  in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." [1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 NASB]

In the exercise of "speaking" gifts, we are commanded to make every word count. If this is not a license for words that can be included in the canon of Scripture, it certainly is a mandate to ensure our words reflect the character, will and purposes of God accurately. I would assert that this passage holds the Christian to the same standard of conduct as a an Old Covenant prophet without the judiciary liabilities (i.e., is this why we excommunicate heretics instead of stoning them nowadays?). The criteria for judgement is not whether the gift has ceased, but rather whether the gift edifies the body in accordance with the Scriptures. The focus again is on that which builds up the maturity of the body and facilitates our effectual calling.

Balaam in Action

For the record, this is not considered federal headship.