The word "admonish" is defined in our English dictionary as "to reprove gently but earnestly;" "to counsel (another) against something to be avoided; caution;" "To remind of something forgotten or disregarded, as an obligation or a responsibility" (The American Heritage Dictionary).
The Greek word for "admonish" is noutheteo, which is where we get the English word nouthetic. It means, "to impart understanding, to set right, to lay on the heart" (Kittel). "The stress is on influencing not merely the intellect but the will and disposition” (Kittel). “It means to warn people of the consequences of their behavior” (MacArthur). It refers not merely to academic data imparted impersonally but to instruction for the purpose of correcting and changing people. It is teaching with an element of warning, designed to direct the sheep to holy living” (John MacArthur, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, p.170). 1 Corinthians 4:14 gives us an illustration of this when Paul says to the Corinthians: “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.”
So if we could compare admonishing to teaching we would say that “teaching is the impartation of positive truth. Admonishing is the negative side of teaching” (John MacArthur).
In looking at the responsibility of elders, we have already noted that they lead and teach the church. Today we are going to see a third important task that they have and that is praying for the church. James Rosscup says, "If the preacher is to...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
In our last study we saw that the first responsibility of elders in the church is to lead the church. The second aspect of leading is in the realm of teaching. The primary responsibility of elder is in teaching the church. Elders Labor at...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
What do elders do? Are elders and pastors referring to the same individual? In 1 Timothy 3:1, Paul says, “This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” The term translated “bishop” is not a good...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
The following is the introductory transcript from Pastor Steve Hereford given at the 4th Anniversary Service of Changed By Grace Community Church on Sunday April 9, 2006. It is very clear that the world does not understand us. The apostle John...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
