3 John 1:9-10 “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence among them, does not receive us. (10) Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above we see that towards the end of his ministry the apostle John experienced the same problem that Paul experienced, in that there were certain churches where he and his ministry team were no longer welcome. The reason they were no longer welcome was because the whole counsel of God as taught by His apostles is not a popular gospel among carnal believers. Nevertheless just as ministers of the gospel have no say in their calling neither do they have any say when it comes to the gospel that they are to preach, for the One who calls them is the One who instructs them what to preach. They are required to teach God’s full counsel no matter how unpopular that might make them among certain parts of the church. And so those called to the ministry and who refuse to teach certain truths of the gospel, because those truths may upset their followers thus affecting their offerings will have to give an account to the Master on that day.
Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above the apostle Paul gives us further insight into the seriousness of the ministry call, for he tells us that the Lords ministers will be required to give an account to Him on that day for the souls that Jesus has placed under their watch. In other words they will be held to account for the influence they had on the saints, both through that which they taught and the examples that they led. And so ministers that influenced the saints to live godly lifestyles will receive reward from the Lord on that day, but those who influenced the saints to live lifestyles that were not pleasing to the Lord will experience woe on the day. As an aside it is important for the saints to note that the apostle Paul also mentions the fact that the saints will be held to account for their obedience or lack thereof, to the Lord’s ministers on that day.
Psalms 89:27-32 “Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth. (28) My mercy I will keep for him forever, and My covenant shall stand firm with him. (29) His seed also I will make to endure forever and his throne as the days of heaven. (30) "If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, (31) If they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, (32) Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes.”
The context of the passage of scripture quoted above is that God the Father is speaking about the Lord’s saints under the new covenant. In this passage God tells us that if we break His commandments in this life then we can expect to be punished with the rod and with stripes. So what forms of punishment does the Lord’s use of the rod infer? Some of the forms of punishment that the Lord uses to chasten us to correct our behaviour, is through tribulation, sickness and even early death (1 Corinthians 11:30). And so the Lord’s ministers are no exception in this area, and when they transgress in their ministries, either in not answering their call, or in teaching a distorted gospel, or in setting a poor example to the church, then the Lord uses the same rod on them to correct their behaviour.
Michael E.B. Maher
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