Respect for Spiritual Leaders.
Do we allow our Pastors to have the role in our lives that God intended them to have?
Do we give our pastors the respect they deserve?
1 Corinthians 16:15-23 (NLT)
15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece, and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion. 17 I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here. They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.
Paul’s Final Greetings
19 The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.21
HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!23
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
Examine the scriptures:
1 Corinthians 16:15-23 (NLT)
15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first of the harvest of believers in Greece (Corinth),
1 Corinthians 1:16 (NLT)
(Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.)
and they are spending their lives in service to God’s people. I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, 16 to submit to them and others like them who serve with such devotion.
1 Corinthians 16:16 Common English Bible (CEB)
16 So accept the authority of people like them and of anyone who cooperates and works hard.
1 Corinthians 16:16 English Standard Version (ESV)
16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.
1 Corinthians 16:16 New International Version (NIV)
16 to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it.
Why did Paul urge “his brothers and sisters” to submit to these church leaders?
Paul may have been feeling that Stephanas was not getting the respect that he should have been receiving.
- Submit to your spiritual leaders.
Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Hebrews 13:17 English Standard Version (ESV)
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Hebrews 13:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
Spiritual leaders are appointed by God.
Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Acts 20:28 (NLT)
28 “So (Ephesian Elders) guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.
- Spiritual leaders are appointed by God.
Warning: Watch out for false prophets (false teachers).
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT)
3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
2 Peter 2 (NLT)
The Danger of False Teachers
1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them.
Acts 20:29 (NLT)
29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.
Ezekiel 13:9 (NLT)
9 I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel’s record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.
Matthew 24:24 (NLT)
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
Discerning False Prophets
1 John 4:1-3 (NLT)
Discerning False Prophets
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
Matthew 7:15-20 (NLT)
The Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
- Watch out for false prophets (false teachers).
17 I am very glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come here.
These men are visiting with Paul in Ephesus.
It is believed that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus delivered the earlier letter from Corinth to Paul in Ephesus.
1 Corinthians 7:1 (NLT)
Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. …
They have been providing the help you weren’t here to give me. 18 They have been a wonderful encouragement to me, as they have been to you. You must show your appreciation to all who serve so well.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NLT)
Paul’s Final Advice
12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. 13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.
1 Timothy 5:17 (NLT)
17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.
- Show appreciation to your spiritual leaders.
Paul’s Final Greetings
19 The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings.
Acts 18:1-3 (NLT)
Paul Meets Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth
1Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.
Acts 18:18-19 (NLT)
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind.
20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings to you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss.
An expression of Christian love with no sexual overtones.
Repeated in:
Romans 16:16, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26, 1 Peter 5:14
- Show mutual respect and love to other Christians.
21 HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed.
Our Lord, come! (Maranatha)
23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love to all of you in Christ Jesus.
