THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A GREAT YEAR OF VISITING GOOD FRIENDS OF
MANY YEARS
CHARITY AND I ENJOYED SEEING ALL THESE FOLKS (ACCEPT ONE FAMILY WHO WE WISHED WE HAD SEEN, MAYBE NEXT YEAR/
I DIDN'T GET SOME PICTURES OF SOME OF THE WONDERFUL
FOLKS WE SAW THIS SUMMER AND FALL
BUT WE LOVE THEM ALL OF COURSE
AND THESE FOLKS ARE SPECIAL IN THAT THEY
HAVE FAITHFULLY SERVE THE LORD IN MINISTRY
The Noble Path to Notoriety.
·
The Bible not only allows a godly category for notoriety,
but commands Christians to honor the noteworthy.
·
We see this in places like 2 Cor.
8:18—”With him we are sending the brother who is famous
among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.”
Or Philippians
2:22, 29-30 with its commendation of Timothy and
Epaphroditis—”But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a
son with a father he has served with me in the
gospel. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such
men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to
complete what was lacking in your service to me.”
·
Or, in the context of the local church, the
command in 1 Tim. 5:17—”Let the
elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially
those who labor in preaching and teaching.”
One important feature about each of these commendations is
the individual’s work and accomplishment.
· These persons are well-known and
honored because of their work and accomplishment in the Lord. In other
words, they have earned (if you will) the respect of the church because they
are “proven,” risked their life in service, or “rule well”—especially in the ministry
of the word.
\
As a pastor teacher, I have great respect for these men and women who have served the Lord with honor for a number of years.
· We may safely conclude that the
Bible is not describing shallow, superficial “celebrity.” These accolades
are honest and redound to the glory of God himself, who was at work in these
men to will and do His good pleasure.
