Hebrews 13:15-17

Offerings for Jesus

No city on this earth will last forever, but there will be a city without end. This city would seemingly be the one spoken of in Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 11:16, which is a heavenly city. Through Jesus, Christians can offer a continual sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. The fruit of anything is that which it produces, therefore, the fruit of our lips is the words we speak. Since Jesus is the high priest of our confession, part of our lips' fruit would be the confession that Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 19:9-10). The other fruits would be the praise and thanksgiving previously mentioned (Hebrews 13:15).

In conjunction with the fruit of their lips, Christians need to offer up the good they can do in their lives, which includes telling others what they possess. It also entails obeying the leaders, or elders, since they have been given the task of watching over the flock, or congregation, and see that each sheep receives the proper spiritual food (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2). As members of the flock, they should be subject to the elders' authority. They are to be in subjection because the elders have the job of watching over the souls of the flock. Elders rejoice in knowing some under their authority are truly in subjection to the truth (3 John 1:4). If they have to render a final account of a soul in grief, then it certainly would not be profitable for that soul (Hebrews 13:16-17).