Honor The Office

“These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” (Tit 2:15 AV)

When we tend to consider the underlined phrase above, we think Paul is telling Titus to be the consummate politician as he preaches the gospel.  We think the man of God is to minster so as to keep all offense to a minimum.  We have to be everybody’s best pal and buddy.  One of the gang.  There is a trend that says it all.  More and more preachers are being referred to by their first name.  Pastor Mike.  Or, even worse, Bro. Sal.  The title of the office of pastor is not even used anymore.  This is only an example of which Paul is referring above.

 Titus was sent to the Island of Crete, in part, to ordain elders in the churches there.  He does so by the authority of the Apostle Paul.  He is not going there to make a bunch of friends.  He is going there as an authority figure to set in order the structure of local churches.  This means he is the authority under the LORD Jesus Christ and the word of God to set up, organize, and ordain the leadership of those churches.  When Paul tells Titus to disallow men to despise him, he is not telling Titus to make a bunch of friends and seek no offense.  This would be contrary to the over all context of the entire book as well as the immediate context of speaking, exhorting, and rebuking with all authority.

 More and more I see the people of God sit in judgment of the man of God for simple human faults.  If it were faults worthy of disqualification from the office, one could understand.  But more and more, there is gossip, slander, and evil speaking against the man of God with no fear or respect for the office.  There was a time when we respected the man of God enough to consider how he felt or what he thought concerning decisions we were making or direction of life and ministry.  We sought out his counsel.  Not because he was always right, but because we respected the office.  Paul places this fault not on the sheep.  The sheep will be sheep.  He places the responsibility of respect on the man of God – Titus.  The man of God should insist he be addressed with respect.  He should not entertain petty disagreements offered in the spirit of malice or disrespect.  He should not allow the office to be treated with a lack of respect lest his ministry becomes ineffective.  Not that the man of God must strive for respect.  Absolutely not.  Not that he should avoid persecution.  It comes with service to the LORD.  What Paul is trying to say is that the man of God should no cede any ground of authority given to him by the calling to the ministry by the LORD Jesus Christ.

 The Greek bears this out.  The word for ‘…despise…’ means, “to set one’s self in thought beyond (exalt one’s self in thought above) a person or a thing” (Online Bible Greek Lexicon).  As Jameson, Faucet, and Brown says, “Warn them with such authority that no one may think himself above (so the Greek literally) the need of admonition.”  I say, enough is enough.  Preacher, of you cannot find a church family that will treat the office of pastor as one with authority, it is time to find a new church family.  If they do not respect your opinion enough to consider it before immediate debate and rejection, then it is time to minister to a flock who will consider what the LORD has laid on your heart before the reject it off hand.  If the have “grown” beyond the need of a man of God who will admonish them into Christlikeness, it is time to find a flock that will listen and follow.  Let no man despise thee.