Neither Butt Kiss or Be a Butt

Last week we considered leading as an expression of spiritual gifting from Romans 12:8. For the grammatically minded among us, Paul uses a substantival participle emphasizing a characteristic by conduct, so it could be translated, “the one leading.” This is a leader.

Let me also point out again that nothing in this context limits leading to an office, it is not only found among pastors/elders. It is in a list in verse 8 alongside the one exhorting, the one giving, the one doing mercy. These are members of the body not official office holders in the body.

I’d also like to remind us of the context of this paragraph. The paragraph uses the analogy of a body for the church. There are many members, those members do not all have the same function, and while obviously those members must be considered individually, “we are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5).

This paragraph (Romans 12:3-8) follows the more famous opening two verses of Romans 12 about being living sacrifices and not being conformed to this world. Not only does the member/body come after, arguably it is the first particular expression of application.

One way that we can be conformed to the world is in our thinking about leaders, and one way we must be transformed by the renewing of our mind is about leaders. Consider this approach that Paul wrote to the Thessalonians.

We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 ESV)

So when you see a man exercising this gift in zeal:

1. respect him, don’t butt kiss or be a butt (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
2. esteem him, without thinking everything they do is good but also not acting like nothing that they do is good enough (1 Thessalonians 5:13)