The American Atheists are spreading their word. Well, they are trying anyway. Outside of the Lincoln Tunnel that stretches under the Hudson River, from New Jersey to New York City, next to one of the most heavily traveled roads in the United States, they posted a billboard about the mythology of Christmas with the invitation to “Celebrate Reason.” When asked why the group spent the money to advertise their highly unpopular view, one atheist said it was to help people escape the bondage created by religion which is the leading cause of hatred and death. In fairness, I will concede that some do kill in the name of God. Christianity has some big blots on her record when it comes to seeking peace.
Those who own a religion may be angry and hate, but those who know the true message of Christ will be people of reconciliation. The Bible says "I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." (1 John 2:8-11, NIV)
Is loving peace an easy assignment? Not at all. We love our own way. We are quickly offended by those who resist us or who challenge our views. We naturally rise to protect our advantages. If we think that we own Christ, all of the above will happen. We will argue and strike back at those that diminish Him. But, if Christ owns us, we will ‘turn the other cheek’ knowing that He will care for us as a shepherd cares for the flock. In Advent, we remember that He came to save us, that He bought us to be His people. Oh that we would learn to rest securely in that fact!
Has the Light of Jesus shined into your life? Are you owned by Him, held close, safely secure and at rest?
Then, you can live as He taught. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9, NIV)
Disciple, if you find yourself fighting, in constant conflict, take a deeper look at what is disquieting your mind and heart. Settle the inner turmoil by inviting the Prince of Peace to speak to the storms that are raging inside of you. When you are at peace, you will live in peace. I know whereof I speak! When I take control of my life from my Lord, when I begin to let the stresses of life (and there is stress!) convince me that I need to stamp out every fire and direct every scene, conflict within myself and with others starts to escalate. When I take those things to Him in prayer, waiting patiently for His will to be done, I find “peace that passes human comprehension” that comes from His love.
Here’s a word from the Word. Ponder it and may you find a renewed love for the One who came to bring ‘peace on earth, good will to men.’
"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.
At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.
And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”" (2 Corinthians 5:16-20, NLT)
_____________
Coming to Jesus, my Savior I found
Wonderful peace, wonderful peace;
Storms in their fury may rage all around
I have peace, sweet peace.
Gone is the battle that once raged within
Wonderful peace, wonderful peace;
Jesus has saved me and cleansed me from sin
I have peace, sweet peace.
Peace, peace, wonderful peace
Peace, peace, glorious peace;
Since my Redeemer has ransomed my soul
I have peace, sweet peace.
Wonderful Peace
Lillenas, Haldor
The Copyright Company
© 1923. Renewed 1950 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 810055
Friday, December 03, 2010
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Make your Dad glad
Few memories are sweeter than those of coming home to my four kids and being smothered by their affection! They were little and without guile, so I knew the moment I stepped into the house if they had been ‘good’ or if they were on the outs with their Mom, just by the reception I received. If they met me with joy, it was a sign that all was well. If they were quiet or in their rooms, it usually meant that recent activities awaited correction! We who are children of the Heavenly Father are not much different. If we have lived in faithful obedience, we anticipate worship and prayer. If we have strayed from the path, we approach Him with guarded words; or worse, we avoid His Presence altogether.
Do you want to make your Heavenly Dad glad? Do you want to know His blessings, live in His favor?
Make no mistake, His love is a gift of grace through Christ, our Savior. We cannot- indeed, we must not- ever trust our own goodness to make us right with Him, or think that we will gain a home in Heaven because we have been ‘good enough.’ But, we must not forget that He loves obedient children, not just superficially compliant ones, but those who do His bidding wholeheartedly.
The Lord spoke through Isaiah and made clear His expectation. Take a look. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I.’
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." (Isaiah 58:6-10, NIV)
Abba (Jesus’ title for our Father) says, “Don’t be a selfish brat! Stop thinking about yourself and focus on meeting the needs of others, especially those who are in need of help.” And what is the promise? Abba will keep you from dark confusion, will respond to your prayers, will turn night to day! Oh, what a blessed life.
Heading into another Christmas season, we can see self-centeredness everywhere. “Gim’me this, gim’me that” is the ugly side of the holidays. Acts says that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Let’s look for ways to give ourselves away. In place of piling up more things, most of which we won’t use and don’t need, how about giving to those truly in need or to a ministry that works tirelessly for the oppressed?
Here’s a word from the Word that demonstrates the kind of love our Father desires to see in us. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)
A couple of websites that offer some great alternatives to the usual consumer orgy of spending are listed here. Check them out and make your Dad glad!
http://www.worldvision.org/
http://www.ijm.org/
________________
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross.
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life -
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
How Deep The Father's Love For Us
Townend, Stuart
© 1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
Do you want to make your Heavenly Dad glad? Do you want to know His blessings, live in His favor?
Make no mistake, His love is a gift of grace through Christ, our Savior. We cannot- indeed, we must not- ever trust our own goodness to make us right with Him, or think that we will gain a home in Heaven because we have been ‘good enough.’ But, we must not forget that He loves obedient children, not just superficially compliant ones, but those who do His bidding wholeheartedly.
The Lord spoke through Isaiah and made clear His expectation. Take a look. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I.’
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." (Isaiah 58:6-10, NIV)
Abba (Jesus’ title for our Father) says, “Don’t be a selfish brat! Stop thinking about yourself and focus on meeting the needs of others, especially those who are in need of help.” And what is the promise? Abba will keep you from dark confusion, will respond to your prayers, will turn night to day! Oh, what a blessed life.
Heading into another Christmas season, we can see self-centeredness everywhere. “Gim’me this, gim’me that” is the ugly side of the holidays. Acts says that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Let’s look for ways to give ourselves away. In place of piling up more things, most of which we won’t use and don’t need, how about giving to those truly in need or to a ministry that works tirelessly for the oppressed?
Here’s a word from the Word that demonstrates the kind of love our Father desires to see in us. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14, NIV) “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16, NIV)
A couple of websites that offer some great alternatives to the usual consumer orgy of spending are listed here. Check them out and make your Dad glad!
http://www.worldvision.org/
http://www.ijm.org/
________________
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.
Behold the man upon a cross.
My sin upon His shoulders;
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished;
His dying breath has brought me life -
I know that it is finished.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts, no power, no wisdom;
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
How Deep The Father's Love For Us
Townend, Stuart
© 1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
It’s a Festival of Light
Among the Christmas traditions I appreciate most are the lights! I don’t go for the colored ones, too gaudy for me. I think that the clear white ones are the only way to go. I shopped for some to put on the small shrubbery in front of our house (No, my display is not award winning, more of a nod to convention!) and was surprised at the variety now available including some that use LED technology to save energy. Imagine that. Christmas lights that are ‘green.’ I digress! I love the symbolism of the lights. As the long darkness of winter settles over us, we protest by putting up the lights that make our homes bright. In so doing, we remember the One who came to a world dark with evil to be the Light.
Few things change the atmosphere around us more than light, though we seldom think of it. When a morning dawns with brilliant sunshine, we are hopeful of a better day. A room can be made so much more inviting just by changing the way it’s lit. You have heard of ‘mood lighting,’ right? The harsh glare of fluorescent light may be great for a workshop, but not so much for our dining room. Jesus changes our lives by bringing Light, understanding and meaning, to us. Of the Incarnation, the Word says, "What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out." (John 1:4-5, The Message) And… He commissions us to take up the challenge of shining His light into the world. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NIV)
Disciple, are you living in the Light?
Are you presenting yourself to Him prayerfully, expectantly, and letting His Light shine into your life; or are you living the shadows of disobedient sinfulness?
The glorious Truth is that when we open ourselves to Him, to the truth of His Word, the Light streams into our lives and dispels the darkness. Darkness is a void, the absence of light. To rid ourselves of the ugliness and hopelessness of sin is a futile task. But, when Jesus Christ enters our lives, He does in us, what we cannot do for ourselves.
I hope that the Christmas lights strung around your home, along the streets, and in the stores will cause you to rejoice. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2, NIV)
Here’s a prayer from the Word. In these opening days of Advent, make it your prayer.
"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 43:3-5, NIV)
_________________________
I wandered so aimless,
Life filled with sin.
I wouldn't let my dear Savior in.
Then Jesus came
Like a stranger in the night.
Praise the Lord! I saw the light!
I was a fool
To wander and stray;
Straight is the gate
And narrow the way.
Now I have traded
The wrong for the right;
Praise the Lord! I saw the light!
I saw the light,
I saw the light.
No more in darkness,
No more in night!
Now I'm so happy,
No sorrow in sight.
Praise the Lord!
I saw the light!
I Saw The Light
Williams, Hank
© 1948. Renewed 1975 Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. / Hiriam Music, Inc. Unaffiliated Catalog (UC)
CCLI License No. 810055
Few things change the atmosphere around us more than light, though we seldom think of it. When a morning dawns with brilliant sunshine, we are hopeful of a better day. A room can be made so much more inviting just by changing the way it’s lit. You have heard of ‘mood lighting,’ right? The harsh glare of fluorescent light may be great for a workshop, but not so much for our dining room. Jesus changes our lives by bringing Light, understanding and meaning, to us. Of the Incarnation, the Word says, "What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out." (John 1:4-5, The Message) And… He commissions us to take up the challenge of shining His light into the world. "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16, NIV)
Disciple, are you living in the Light?
Are you presenting yourself to Him prayerfully, expectantly, and letting His Light shine into your life; or are you living the shadows of disobedient sinfulness?
The glorious Truth is that when we open ourselves to Him, to the truth of His Word, the Light streams into our lives and dispels the darkness. Darkness is a void, the absence of light. To rid ourselves of the ugliness and hopelessness of sin is a futile task. But, when Jesus Christ enters our lives, He does in us, what we cannot do for ourselves.
I hope that the Christmas lights strung around your home, along the streets, and in the stores will cause you to rejoice. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2, NIV)
Here’s a prayer from the Word. In these opening days of Advent, make it your prayer.
"Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 43:3-5, NIV)
_________________________
I wandered so aimless,
Life filled with sin.
I wouldn't let my dear Savior in.
Then Jesus came
Like a stranger in the night.
Praise the Lord! I saw the light!
I was a fool
To wander and stray;
Straight is the gate
And narrow the way.
Now I have traded
The wrong for the right;
Praise the Lord! I saw the light!
I saw the light,
I saw the light.
No more in darkness,
No more in night!
Now I'm so happy,
No sorrow in sight.
Praise the Lord!
I saw the light!
I Saw The Light
Williams, Hank
© 1948. Renewed 1975 Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. / Hiriam Music, Inc. Unaffiliated Catalog (UC)
CCLI License No. 810055
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Good vibes for me, Jesus!
Christians expect to have an experience of the Presence of the Holy Spirit. This is both good and right for the Lord is an active Person in our lives. Yet, there is real danger in defining our discipleship around ‘spiritual experience.’ Seeking an experience can set us up for manipulation by unscrupulous leaders who play on our emotions. If some subjective experience defines faith, we may well despair of real transformation when we fail to feel the right mix of emotions.
When I was a teen-age Christian, full of earnest desire to become a true follower of Christ, I attended meetings that offered me an experience. At the end of a stirring talk, we gathered “around the altar” at the front of the church where loud prayers and songs opened our hearts. A particularly effective means of touching our hearts was the ‘testimony,’ the personal story of someone whose exciting experience of God’s power was held up for us to emulate. The weakness of the system was demonstrated by the fact that 99% of us who made genuine commitments during those moments of ‘spiritual experience,’ found our resolve to live holy lives waning before the dawning of the next day! It’s not that ‘altar’ experience was useless. It was incomplete. We needed to be taught and encouraged in the spiritual disciplines - things such as regular worship, generous giving of time and resources, study, service, living in community, meditation, and contemplative prayer – that allowed God’s Spirit to make us into true saints on Monday morning at school and work whose actions matched our altar aspirations. It wasn’t nearly as exciting to faithfully commit to discipline as it was to stand with friends in the holy huddle in the highly charged atmosphere of the ‘altar service.’
Many who would follow Jesus as adults are, in fact, chasing a ‘spiritual experience.’ They want Jesus to give them good vibes in their soul, but they don’t want to practice the disciplines that are absolutely required of those who would become mature, productive, and fruitful disciples. The Bible is clear that an emotion based Christianity will make us "infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." (Ephesians 4:14, NIV)
Paul expressed the kind of rock solid faith that will keep us when spiritually dry times overtake us, when experience fails us. He said, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2 Timothy 1:12, NIV) "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39, NIV) He did not trust his fickle feelings, nor did he chase good vibrations! His hope rested fully in Christ Jesus.
I pray that you will commit to faithful disciplines that open your mind and heart to the transforming work of the Spirit. Build your hope of eternal life, yes, and a rich and full life here, not on some spiritual experience, but on the Truth of Christ Jesus.
____________
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found!
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.
The Solid Rock
Mote, Edward / Bradbury, William B.
© Public Domain
Monday, November 29, 2010
How to Get a Better Pastor
Sometimes I feel a little like the Wizard of Oz, a man who lives behind a curtain of misperceptions. One little girl saw me in the grocery store and said, “Mommy, God left the church.” That’s not good! Yet, even many adults do not really understand the reality of the daily life of ministers. Many perceive that pastors enjoy a relaxed lifestyle. In fact, a pastor is always a pastor wherever he goes. It’s not a job, it’s a way of life.
He (Could well be a ‘she’ too, but I’m writing from my point of view.) awakens in the middle of the night with people’s hurts on his mind, and lifts them to God in prayer. He must negotiate rapid shifts from emotional highs to lows; visiting a nursery and a funeral home on the same day, congratulating someone’s achievement and sharing another grief on the same Sunday morning. Pastors provide the equivalent of spiritual and emotional Emergency Room care for their congregants. He must remain a student of Scripture and his world throughout his lifetime so that when he stands before the congregation to preach he is able to provide spiritual nourishment that connects with the people of God. And, he must deliver a message every Sunday - regardless of his personal state of mind or circumstances. And, he loves every minute of this life to which God has called him!
Yet, he is susceptible to becoming ineffective for many and various reasons.
So, how can you help to make your Pastor's better in his work?
1. Pray for him, everyday. - Spiritual leaders are front-line targets in the battle with evil, as they encourage people to stand with God. If a pastor falls, there is devastating fall-out suffered in many lives. Some even lose faith. Others conclude that Christianity is a fraud. Many lose their trust in pastors because they think all preachers are like the one whose sin was exposed. And even where there is no moral compromise, pastors know the attack of the Enemy through discouragement. So, pray for your Pastor – not for an easy life, but rather that God will keep and protect him, that he will be disciplined and courageous, and that he will finish the race well.
2. Readily accept his ministry with the spiritual gifts God has given to him. - Pastors are not equally adept at all kinds of ministry service. You bless your pastor if you appreciate and encourage him in his unique strengths. Understand that God has equipped him to minister in a way that will not be exactly like the ministry of your favorite preacher or that father-figure pastor who introduced you to Christ. He knows the gaps in his skills and gifts better than you do, but it will be a waste of his strengths if he is constantly pressed to 'fix' his perceived deficits rather than being encouraged in what he does best in God's service.
3. If you must criticize him, and no pastor is above correction or criticism, do it honestly, directly, and person to person. - Every pastor deals with “Mr. They Say” in his church. This mystery man whom few know, but everyone quotes, is ubiquitous! A good pastor will never respond to anonymous criticism because he has no context for it. Still, he wonders, "Does it mean that a majority feels this way, or is this just the opinion of the same two people who are never satisfied with anything I attempt?"
If you have an issue with your pastor, be mature about it. Don't play games, hinting at the difficulty. Know what you really want and be courageous to state it. If you think he's missed the mark, tell him first; not after you have told a dozen of your best friends. If he's wise, he'll listen and evaluate. He may have an explanation for the decision with which you disagree or he may have a higher priority than making you happy due to his principles, convictions, or demands of leadership of Christ’s church.
Many people get angry with the pastor and fail to understand that they are actually angry at God! If you’re mad at the Lord and admit it, your pastor can help you with your doubt or confusion but it will be doubly difficult for you both, if you're misdirecting your anger at him.
4. Don't idolize or idealize him. - Pastors are disciples of Christ, who are human. They are raising kids who don't always do what they're taught, just like you. Their marriage hit rough spots, just like yours. They have real emotions and fight temptation - just like you. Yes, you should expect him to live what he teaches, but not flawlessly because, like you, he’s a sinner who is working out the implications of God’s grace each day. If you make him into idol, you sin because only God is worthy of your worship and devotion. If you idealize him, thinking he's more or better than he is really is, you set yourself up for disappointment. You may then mistakenly transfer your disappointment to Christ which would be doubly tragic. When you put a minister on a pedestal, remember that you make his ability to serve you faithfully all the more difficult. He teaches you best, not from some lofty place far removed from your life, but as he is allowed to demonstrate, in ordinary circumstances, a living faith in a loving Lord.
Here’s a word from the Word. "Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all.... Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?" (Hebrews 13:7, 17 The Message)
"Elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” Do not listen to complaints against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses to accuse him." (1 Timothy 5:17-19, NLT)
(Some of these thoughts are original, some borrowed from authors and speakers I’ve long forgotten.)
______________________
He (Could well be a ‘she’ too, but I’m writing from my point of view.) awakens in the middle of the night with people’s hurts on his mind, and lifts them to God in prayer. He must negotiate rapid shifts from emotional highs to lows; visiting a nursery and a funeral home on the same day, congratulating someone’s achievement and sharing another grief on the same Sunday morning. Pastors provide the equivalent of spiritual and emotional Emergency Room care for their congregants. He must remain a student of Scripture and his world throughout his lifetime so that when he stands before the congregation to preach he is able to provide spiritual nourishment that connects with the people of God. And, he must deliver a message every Sunday - regardless of his personal state of mind or circumstances. And, he loves every minute of this life to which God has called him!
Yet, he is susceptible to becoming ineffective for many and various reasons.
So, how can you help to make your Pastor's better in his work?
1. Pray for him, everyday. - Spiritual leaders are front-line targets in the battle with evil, as they encourage people to stand with God. If a pastor falls, there is devastating fall-out suffered in many lives. Some even lose faith. Others conclude that Christianity is a fraud. Many lose their trust in pastors because they think all preachers are like the one whose sin was exposed. And even where there is no moral compromise, pastors know the attack of the Enemy through discouragement. So, pray for your Pastor – not for an easy life, but rather that God will keep and protect him, that he will be disciplined and courageous, and that he will finish the race well.
2. Readily accept his ministry with the spiritual gifts God has given to him. - Pastors are not equally adept at all kinds of ministry service. You bless your pastor if you appreciate and encourage him in his unique strengths. Understand that God has equipped him to minister in a way that will not be exactly like the ministry of your favorite preacher or that father-figure pastor who introduced you to Christ. He knows the gaps in his skills and gifts better than you do, but it will be a waste of his strengths if he is constantly pressed to 'fix' his perceived deficits rather than being encouraged in what he does best in God's service.
3. If you must criticize him, and no pastor is above correction or criticism, do it honestly, directly, and person to person. - Every pastor deals with “Mr. They Say” in his church. This mystery man whom few know, but everyone quotes, is ubiquitous! A good pastor will never respond to anonymous criticism because he has no context for it. Still, he wonders, "Does it mean that a majority feels this way, or is this just the opinion of the same two people who are never satisfied with anything I attempt?"
If you have an issue with your pastor, be mature about it. Don't play games, hinting at the difficulty. Know what you really want and be courageous to state it. If you think he's missed the mark, tell him first; not after you have told a dozen of your best friends. If he's wise, he'll listen and evaluate. He may have an explanation for the decision with which you disagree or he may have a higher priority than making you happy due to his principles, convictions, or demands of leadership of Christ’s church.
Many people get angry with the pastor and fail to understand that they are actually angry at God! If you’re mad at the Lord and admit it, your pastor can help you with your doubt or confusion but it will be doubly difficult for you both, if you're misdirecting your anger at him.
4. Don't idolize or idealize him. - Pastors are disciples of Christ, who are human. They are raising kids who don't always do what they're taught, just like you. Their marriage hit rough spots, just like yours. They have real emotions and fight temptation - just like you. Yes, you should expect him to live what he teaches, but not flawlessly because, like you, he’s a sinner who is working out the implications of God’s grace each day. If you make him into idol, you sin because only God is worthy of your worship and devotion. If you idealize him, thinking he's more or better than he is really is, you set yourself up for disappointment. You may then mistakenly transfer your disappointment to Christ which would be doubly tragic. When you put a minister on a pedestal, remember that you make his ability to serve you faithfully all the more difficult. He teaches you best, not from some lofty place far removed from your life, but as he is allowed to demonstrate, in ordinary circumstances, a living faith in a loving Lord.
Here’s a word from the Word. "Appreciate your pastoral leaders who gave you the Word of God. Take a good look at the way they live, and let their faithfulness instruct you, as well as their truthfulness. There should be a consistency that runs through us all.... Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?" (Hebrews 13:7, 17 The Message)
"Elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” Do not listen to complaints against an elder unless there are two or three witnesses to accuse him." (1 Timothy 5:17-19, NLT)
(Some of these thoughts are original, some borrowed from authors and speakers I’ve long forgotten.)
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