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“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour [take the lead] among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
In our local assemblies, there are those who “take the lead” in ministry and teaching, and who sometimes admonish us. We do not use the word “admonish” much today, but it means to warn, to advise, and sometimes to correct someone. As young people, we may sometimes resent this, and feel that those who take the lead are being too hard on us.
An older brother, now with the Lord, used to remind us that if we really wanted to learn the truth of God, God might test us on that desire by making us learn spiritual things from a brother whom we naturally did not like. This can be a real test, for we do not like to learn things from teachers who “rub us the wrong way.” Even in school and college, we all have had teachers or professors whom we liked, and those whom we did not care for. Sometimes we might even have skipped classes taught by those whom we did not like!
However, in our verse for today, we are told to regard such leaders very highly, “for their work’s sake.” Yes, leaders in the local assembly should strive to make themselves agreeable and easy to get along with, but even if they are not like that, we are to listen to them and give them the respect due to them. They are over us in the Lord, and we can learn from them.
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