Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

1Thess.5:12 But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you,
5:13 and to respect and honor them in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

In a world of position earned by some merit many Christian's assume a person in a position with a religious title with authority over them is what Paul speak to here, but it is not! So what the apostle Paul stating here? First, if a person belongs to Christ they are not in competition with their own body members! Can you imagine your hand on your body competing with your ear? What is the point?

1 Corinthians 12:20 But now they are many members, but one body.

In other words, there is no point when the ear is a gift to the whole body, correct? But what is of far greater consequence is when a body member doesn't even know who is in his body, let alone know who is the head of his body? So many today work for something, like and organization, or a religious group, gaining power and position having hundreds even thousand's of people under them, but are they part of Christ Jesus body members or have they a title been given them by men?

1 Corinthians 12:25 that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

Truth is not a flashing sign, it is found in faith, a faith between us and God YHWH, we should at least know those that have been instrumental in leading us to Christ and helping us to stay in Christ for God's glory? Shouldn't we appreciate them as we ourselves want to be appreciated? We are not talking about flattering words, or idolization, but simple kindness, and loving appreciation for those in Christ with us. In other words, if one cannot see Spirit direction in body members than how can they love the very body they say they are apart of? How can respect for your own body be shown if all one sees is suspcion and evil in its members? Are people even in Christ when lack appreciation, cannot be. They do not lack appreciation for their physical body, is the spirit body Christ less?

1 Corinthians 13:3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don't have love, it profits me nothing.

Matt.7:7 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.
7:9 Or who is there among you, who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, who will give him a serpent? 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 7:12 Therefore whatever you desire for men to do to you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

We are to be thankful, how can we be at peace if we reject the hand bring food to our mouth. We reject false brothers, we reject self-worship, or those that take Christ position, but we don't reject our own members of our bodies. If we cannot tell the difference perhaps we need to ask, certain Christ is not wicked handing us a serpent when requesting fish, for God's wisdom.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;

1Cor. 3:1 Brothers, I couldn't speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ. 3:2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for you weren't yet ready. Indeed, not even now are you ready, 3:3 for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren't you fleshly, and don't you walk in the ways of men? 3:4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," aren't you fleshly? 3:5 Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him? 3:6 I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase. 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 3:9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's farming, God's building.

See also: www.nu-truth.com