27 Bible Verses about Watchfulness, Of Leaders
Most Relevant Verses
Again he asked him, for the second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Why, Lord," he said, "you know I love you." "Then be a shepherd to my sheep," said Jesus.
It is like a man leaving his house to go abroad; he puts his servants in charge, each with his work to do, and he orders the porter to keep watch. Watch then, for you never know when the Lord of the House will come, in the late evening or at midnight or at cock-crow or in the morning.
Obey your leaders, submit to them; for they are alive to the interests of your souls, as men who will have to account for their trust. Let their work be a joy to them and not a grief ??which would be a loss to yourselves.
So be on the alert, remember how for three whole years I never ceased night and day to watch over each one of you with tears.
Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock of which the holy Spirit has appointed you guardians; shepherd the church of the Lord which he has purchased with his own blood.
Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher,
[For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering;
be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,
Truly, truly I tell you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs up somewhere else, he is a thief and a robber; he who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gate-keeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice; he calls his sheep by name and leads them out.
I know that when I am gone, fierce wolves will get in among you, and they will not spare the flock; yes.
I adjure you to preach the word; keep at it in season and out of season, refuting, checking, and exhorting men; never lose patience with them, and never give up your teaching, for the time will come when people will decline to be taught sound doctrine and will accumulate teachers to suit themselves and tickle their own fancies; they will give up listening to the Truth and turn to myths.read more.
Whatever happens, be self-possessed, flinch from no suffering, do your work as an evangelist, and discharge all your duties as a minister.
he must hold by the sure truths of doctrine so as to be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and refute objections raised by any.] For there are plenty of insubordinate creatures who impose on people with their empty arguments, particularly those who have come over from Judaism; they must be silenced, for they are undermining whole families by teaching objectionable doctrine for the base end of making money.
I do not write this to make you feel ashamed, but to instruct you as beloved children of mine.
Brothers, I beg of you to keep your eye on those who stir up dissensions and put hindrances in your way, contrary to the doctrine which you have been taught. Avoid them.
envy, [murder], drinking bouts, revelry, and the like; I tell you beforehand as I have told you already, that people who indulge in such practices will never inherit the Realm of God.
Finally, brothers, we beg and beseech you in the Lord Jesus to follow our instructions about the way you are to live so as to satisfy God; you are leading that life, but you are to excel in it still further.
[I adjure all who hear the words of the prophecy of this book: "If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book;
God is my witness, the God whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, how unceasingly I always mention you in my prayers, asking if I may at last be sped upon my way to you by God's will.
I never cease to give thanks for you, when I mention you in my prayers.
in all my prayers for you all I always pray with a sense of joy
In view of this we always pray for you, asking our God to make you worthy of his calling and by his power to fulfil every good resolve and every effort of faith,
Peter said to him, "Though all are disconcerted, I will not be." Jesus said to him, "I tell you truly, to-day you will disown me three times, this very night, before the cock crows twice."
Well, for the office of a bishop a man must be above reproach; he must be only married once, he must be temperate, master of himself, unruffled, hospitable, a skilled teacher, not a drunkard or violent, but lenient and conciliatory, not a lover of money, able to manage his own household properly and keep his children submissive and perfectly respectfulread more.
(if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how is he to look after the church of God?); he must not be a new convert, in case he gets conceited and incurs the doom passed on the devil; also, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, in case he incurs slander and is trapped by the devil.
Attend to these duties, let them absorb you, so that all men may note your progress. Watch yourself and watch your teaching; stick to your work; if you do that, you will save your hearers as well as yourself.
men who are above reproach, only once married, with children who believe and who are not liable to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate. [For a bishop must be above reproach ??he is a steward of God's house ??he must not be presumptuous or hot-tempered or a drunkard or violent or addicted to pilfering; he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, a just man, a religious man, and abstemious;
My brothers, do not swell the ranks of the teachers; remember, we teachers will be judged with special strictness.
