Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. (1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 NKJV)
As I set reading this past Sunday, I came across this passage in my OSB. Their comment stayed with me.
Let’s analyze two words:
Minister:
From διάκονος, daikonos, which we derived the word ‘deacon.’ It means servant.
Fellowlaborer:
From συνεργός, sunergos, from which we get the word synergy.
(Note, the latter word is not found in Western MSS traditions)
Who was Timothy? He was a servant of God, a minister. We know by Paul’s pen that Timothy was an overseer of his own congregation sometime after Paul has been removed from the mission field. During this time, however, the young man was still a companion of Paul.
Timothy was something else as well – he was part of Paul’s ministry, creating a synergy for the Gospel. He was Paul to those that he could not reach. He was sent Timothy to Thessalonica to establish the doctrine when Athens called. This is part of the ‘all things’ that work together for the good.
And we know that all things work together (συνεργέω) for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJVA)
The ministry is not made up of solitary people, pastors, deacons, evangelists, but it is one body of workers. It is a synergy were all work together to lead the Church. No one minister can stand alone, but must rest with the others, past and present, to grow the Church.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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I love this statement:
No one should be a stand-alone church. Nor should any leader be a stand-alone leader. We are all parts of the body and each of us has a purpose to fulfill. As such, we all need to pitch in and be part of the Church. Some of us will be pastors, prophets, evangelists, deacons, or what have you, but we each are part of the body and each have a need to fill for the edification of the body.
I love this statement:
No one should be a stand-alone church. Nor should any leader be a stand-alone leader. We are all parts of the body and each of us has a purpose to fulfill. As such, we all need to pitch in and be part of the Church. Some of us will be pastors, prophets, evangelists, deacons, or what have you, but we each are part of the body and each have a need to fill for the edification of the body.
I love this statement:
No one should be a stand-alone church. Nor should any leader be a stand-alone leader. We are all parts of the body and each of us has a purpose to fulfill. As such, we all need to pitch in and be part of the Church. Some of us will be pastors, prophets, evangelists, deacons, or what have you, but we each are part of the body and each have a need to fill for the edification of the body.
Thank you, kind sir. I grew up in a place where it was an almost doctrinal requirement to stand alone. How wonderful it is to have brothers in others states now. If I am working in another state, I can visit another congregation, and not feel like an outsider. My favorite is the congregation in Dyersberg, TN.
Thank you, kind sir. I grew up in a place where it was an almost doctrinal requirement to stand alone. How wonderful it is to have brothers in others states now. If I am working in another state, I can visit another congregation, and not feel like an outsider. My favorite is the congregation in Dyersberg, TN.
Thank you, kind sir. I grew up in a place where it was an almost doctrinal requirement to stand alone. How wonderful it is to have brothers in others states now. If I am working in another state, I can visit another congregation, and not feel like an outsider. My favorite is the congregation in Dyersberg, TN.