In the month of October many churches will honor and celebrate their pastor. As a pastor I always had mixed emotions about Pastor Appreciation Sunday. First, I never wanted the focus to be on me but on Christ. My constant prayer was that I would become less and He would become greater in my life. Second, handling public praise was difficult because I knew where the anointing originated. Finally, and this is being very honest, you could not help but notice the number of cards or well wishes did not equal the number of people you served. This lack of recognition could create some hurt, again being honest. On those occasions I would have to remind myself who I was truly serving and recognize not everyone in a church will see me as their pastor. Those that are not in covenant relationship will receive the gift of a good sermon, an encouraging word, help during difficult times, and other ministry as needed. However, those that are in covenant relationship will receive the blessing. Blessings last a lifetime and have kingdom impact.
Today, there are many pastors that wonder about their calling, are carrying heavy burdens, their finances are tight, their marriages are struggling, and their children show signs of falling away. These men and women of God are shown little appreciation and feel all alone at times. Pastor you are not alone. There are men and women who pray for you that you will never meet. As they drive by your church they pray blessings and pray against the curses of the enemy. In our own community, the Triad, pastors gather together to pray for other pastors. We may be working in different rows but it is in the same field, working for the same LORD. We are not competing one against another because our only competition is Satan for souls. We are co-laboroers working for the kingdom. Your success is not determined by the size of your ministry but by your faithfulness to the things to which you have been called. The Father so loves you!
To those pastors that I have sat under, thank you. To all the priests who served their parishes with love and faithfulness, thank you because you placed the desire to serve in a young boy's heart. Rev. Kearse you taught me to love the Word of God not knowing that one day I would serve as a pastor. Pastor Marvin, you modelled how to love the least of these and how to have a pastor's heart for the community. You also gave me the first opportunity to preach for which I will be forever grateful. Pastor Bobby, you blessed me more than you can imagine by your love and adopting me as a spiritual son. Bishop Tommy, thank you for being my pastor and friend and praying for me during turbulent times.
To the pastor who I have not met, you are loved and our prayers are with you. Your service and sacrifice is appreciated by those that you serve and most of all by your Father in heaven. Thank you for being there when it was your day off or it meant missing yet another family outing. Thank you for sharing your life with those that Jesus has placed in your life. Thank you for praying in the middle of the night for one of your flock. Thank you for modelling Jesus before the congregation. Thank you for loving the hurting and broken. Thank you for loving the sheep, even when they bite.
I keep this quote by Matthew Simpson in the front of my Bible, "His throne is the pulpit; he stands in Christ stead; his messge is the word of God; around him immortal souls; the Savior, unseen beside him; angels Gaze upon the scene, and heaven and hell await the Issue. What associations, and what vast Responsibility." Pastor great is your reward!
You are loved and if you ever need prayer please contact me and I will pray with you and for you. May His face shine upon you as you serve Him.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Repairer of Broken Walls
Yesterday while in prayer at C3 Church in Greensboro I began thinking about one of the words they have on the their front wall, Repair. As I began to pray about the word, Repair, the Holy Spirit led me to Isaiah 58:9-12. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read through that passage. Meditate upon this word for the church. The yoke that the church oftens burdens people with is the yoke of performance, legalism, and man made traditions which all equate to religion. Pure religion is how we look after the widow and orphan while keeping ourselves from the influence of the world (Jas 1:27). In many ways we have added to the Word of God just as the Pharisees did in their time, adding burdens that most people cannot carry. The pointing of the finger is the spirit of the elder brother that has infected the church. The elder brother does not accept the returning prodigal sibling in love with joy but in judgment and condemnation. We are exhorted to gently restore a fallen brother and bear their burdens with them (Gal 6:1-2) and not turn them away from the church because they are not like us.
The promise of God is conditional concerning the restoration of the walls. Repair of the walls begins with the ministry to the least of these. We are to look after those who are broken and in need. Unfortunately, it is much easier to support a missionary in a foreign country than support the mission in our own community. One of my greatest joys is ministering to those that are in need. Years ago while giving groceries to a woman I asked her if I could pray for her. Her response was that Christians don't care about people like her. When I asked why Christians don't care about people like her she said she had AIDS, had been a prostitute, an IV drug user, and had been in prison and Christians just don't care about people like her. My response was that Jesus loved her and that I loved her and she allowed me the blessing of holding her hand and praying with her. In that moment of time the kingdom of God was at hand and she could sense the love of the Father. Blessings follow the ministry to the least of these and the church is in much need of blessings today.
As we repair the walls of the church we are laying a foundation for future generations. Today we are leaving our children a broken institution with a form of godliness but with no power. One of the questions that I like to ask teens is, do you believe there is more to Christianity than what you see in the adults around you? Generally the response is, if this is all there is to Christianity then I want nothing to do with it. There is so much more if we just go back to the words of Jesus. He came to give us abundant life not a life focused on ourselves.
The walls of the church are broken and are in need of repair. God is seeking those that are willing "to put their shoulders to the work of the Lord" (Neh 3:5 NKJV). To repair the walls of the church we must have a mind to work with a trowel in one hand and the sword of the Spirit in the other hand. Are you willing to put your shoulder to the task before you? The work is difficult but the rewards are amazing.
The promise of God is conditional concerning the restoration of the walls. Repair of the walls begins with the ministry to the least of these. We are to look after those who are broken and in need. Unfortunately, it is much easier to support a missionary in a foreign country than support the mission in our own community. One of my greatest joys is ministering to those that are in need. Years ago while giving groceries to a woman I asked her if I could pray for her. Her response was that Christians don't care about people like her. When I asked why Christians don't care about people like her she said she had AIDS, had been a prostitute, an IV drug user, and had been in prison and Christians just don't care about people like her. My response was that Jesus loved her and that I loved her and she allowed me the blessing of holding her hand and praying with her. In that moment of time the kingdom of God was at hand and she could sense the love of the Father. Blessings follow the ministry to the least of these and the church is in much need of blessings today.
As we repair the walls of the church we are laying a foundation for future generations. Today we are leaving our children a broken institution with a form of godliness but with no power. One of the questions that I like to ask teens is, do you believe there is more to Christianity than what you see in the adults around you? Generally the response is, if this is all there is to Christianity then I want nothing to do with it. There is so much more if we just go back to the words of Jesus. He came to give us abundant life not a life focused on ourselves.
The walls of the church are broken and are in need of repair. God is seeking those that are willing "to put their shoulders to the work of the Lord" (Neh 3:5 NKJV). To repair the walls of the church we must have a mind to work with a trowel in one hand and the sword of the Spirit in the other hand. Are you willing to put your shoulder to the task before you? The work is difficult but the rewards are amazing.
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