Un-muzzled oxen

This was done on Feb. 21 but I had no internet access.

1 Timothy 5:17-20

I am very humbled by the charge that Paul gives to Timothy regarding elders – especially those who preach and teach. First, I have no complaints about what I am being paid by the church. In fact, I want to make sure that the church is getting full value for their money. They have invested in me in incredible ways – both through salary and also by paying for learning opportunities. My job is to be a good steward of the church’s resources by making sure that I take full advantage of those opportunities. For me, this means that, if the church sends me to a conference, I attend fully and participate completely – that I try to learn as much as I possibly can for my own benefit and for the benefit of the church that sent me.
I also feel a huge responsibility to not abuse the second part of this teaching: to not entertain a charge against an elder unless it is brought by 2 or 3 witnesses. This means that the church has placed a lot of trust in me and I have a huge responsibility to live up to that trust. I haven’t always seen this practiced but for the most part this church is very good about protecting its elders, pastors and teachers.
The last part of this passage scares me to pieces. Because my reputation is so important to me (sometimes that’s a good thing in that it keeps me from doing things that are sinful; sometimes it’s a bad thing because it keeps me from taking risks) I would be very ashamed to have my sin brought before the whole church and to be rebuked publicly. However, this again speaks to the huge responsibility that I have to be faithful and righteous because of the position that this church has entrusted to me.