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Pastors that have learned their service in the spiritually dead churches, legalism and empty traditions of Christianity the religion and fear of men have much trouble. They hold these churches together MacGyver style using the biblically unrelated elements of fallen personality, human effort, psychology, intimidation, coercion, control, manipulation, capitulation to sin and the will of the people as well as deceit. In part two of this 2013 blog repost, I continue urging every pastor seeking a reward from Christ for your service, to repent if guilty from purposeful ministry out of the motives and deeds of the sinful flesh and instead, imitate the example of our Chief Shepherd in the power of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, woe to the domineering and sinful shepherds (Ezekiel 34:1-16)!
Originally Posted July 7, 2013
Pastor, the Lord does not see you as some infallible dictator He has assigned to lord it over His sheep. He really meant what He taught His disciples and modeled, ‘“he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves,’” (Luke 22:25-27, NKJV). Abuse of authority by leaders in the churches is ancient and continues rampant. Men weak and insecure in the flesh run off or attempt to destroy perceived rivals and those who do not agree with their every dictate like worldly despots. They are cultishly more focused on subduing and controlling others than they are serving them in genuine, Holy Spirit supplied love as the Master taught. There is no mystery as to why this is the case; such men are either impostors or quenching the Holy Spirit so that all of the failings of the sinful flesh dominate (Romans 6:1-16, 8:5-13; Galatians 5:13-26).
How can you realistically expect men to gladly follow you and it is plain you are not following Christ? Stop excusing your sin by calling it imperfection. We already know that. The issue is what are you going to do about it, pastor? The Lord calls us to confession and repentance from our sins not accommodation (1 John 1:5-10)! You cannot hypocritically call God‘s people to repentance and you refuse to do the same yourself since you are to be to them not a lord, but an example (1 Peter 5:1-3). The call from the Lord to pastor is a call to serve His local flock through visionary leadership, oversight, administration, loving works of service, teaching, guidance and counseling as a father in the home where God first begins to train you (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
As it concerns leadership and oversight, the business of leading men is not a matter of one size fits all just as it is not with our children in the home. Again, pastors and elders in the flesh without the love of God in their hearts, find it easier to see and treat everyone the same--as creatures needing to submit to their authority--falsely calling it equality. Notice that John describes himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:20, NKJV). Clearly, he speaks of favoritism to the carnal mind. Yet, there is not one recorded complaint by any of the other disciples about John’s special status with the Lord.
Surely, it is because none of them felt neglected and unloved; the Lord dealing with each man in accord with his personality even giving them special, descriptive names (Matthew 16:17-18; Mark 3:17). No wonder John felt loved--he was! Rather than cookie cutter conformity to a worldly authoritarian, flesh driven, religious handling of men, our Lord sets the perfect example of loving each man enough to really get to know him--his personality, proclivities, aspirations and needs (which requires spending quality time you cannot give if you are busy with the stuff of your own ambitions)--so that thereafter, you might gain his ear and voluntary following.
Finally--for this go round, I don’t know about you, sir, but the promise of reward from “the Chief Shepherd” means a lot to me (1 Peter 5:4, NKJV). If nothing else, serving for it has kept me from doing the things He certainly will not reward but punish since they are foreign to His shepherding example. It is Christ’s example that we are to follow in everything. For this reason, we challenge every Christian man including you, brother pastor, to aspire to be a strong man of God in Christ’s image (get my book to find out what that is all about)! Truly, being called by the Lord to be a pastor in no way suggests instantaneous spiritual maturity and Christ-likeness for the task.
In the time that is left before His return, be faithful in your service to Christ eagerly seeking to please Him. Pray, study and live out the Word as well as serve in the power of the Holy Spirit so that no sheep is lost due to your negligence (Matthew 18:6-9). Do this and you will have every confidence that His reward is yours.
It is painfully clear to me that pastors are sinful men too (except when they are sinful women in rebellion against the divine order)! Most pastors learn how to be a pastor sitting under and watching other pastors as their primary example. Watching another pastor is not a bad thing if he is following Christ’s example as did my father in the ministry, the late Rev. Percy N. Manuel, Sr. Christ is the “great” and “Chief Shepherd” of God’s flock (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4, NKJV). He is our example in everything including shepherding people as sheep since He is preeminently qualified, proven and our Head (Psalm 23; John 10:1-18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Colossians 1:9-18).
Too, He is our Judge which should cause the rebel pause since the local church is not your private flock to do with and teach as you please, but His (2 Corinthians 5:9-11). Truly, our Lord Jesus has only delegated this great responsibility of shepherding to us to be carried out under His tutelage and oversight. As foretold, however, from the first century until now, corrupt men as “savage wolves” have come among and led God’s sheep astray (Acts 20:28-31, NKJV). They do whatever it takes to gather a following including corrupt God’s Word to gain success and prove they are men of renown. Their ambitious sons in the ministry copy their manner and adopt their perverse doctrines.
The Western and especially American economic system with its attendant philosophies that for example, esteem the entrepreneurial spirit manifested in self-starting, self-made men, thoroughly saturates every segment of society along with the churches and enables such men as pastors contrary to the instruction of Scripture (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Galatians 6:14; Philippians 2:3-8, 3:1-19). In this cultural context, men rise up to found churches in any old hole in the wall with the aspiration not to see souls added to the Kingdom as a first priority, but to build a church of great numbers, wealth, buildings and stature in the community, among denominations, other pastors and churches who will envy and seek to emulate their self-made success.
Very sad are those men that after many years have not realized their aspiration, but hold on in maintenance mode with a few sheep to retain the status of being a church pastor. God calling us to be shepherds is not to satisfy the cravings of the sinful flesh, but to physically represent Him in the service of His flock (Matthew 20:20-28). In this 2013 blog repost I write urging every pastor seeking a reward from Christ for your service, to repent if guilty from purposeful ministry out of the motives and deeds of the sinful flesh. Instead, serve as men led, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit with the Lord our Shepherd as your role model and the pure Word of God as it is written as the final authority for your life and teaching.
Besides having served the Lord as a shepherd under Him just over sixteen years, I have been an observer of men in the office from my childhood. The ungodly attitudes and behavior that I have seen come from so many of these men over the years has been very grievous and in some cases, personally injurious. I know it is virtually impossible that leaders on our best days won’t offend or injure somebody given the high level of sensitivity many religious folk have. However, I am not talking about the stuff of over sensitivity, but the very real harm I have seen and experienced that was deliberately carried out by men who are supposed to be born again, love Christ and are completely sold out to serving Him by serving His flock (John 21:15-17).
On the occasion of the end of my second year since I last formally shepherded a local church, the Lord would use me to help especially a younger pastor by way of some important admonitions and words of encouragement. Let me begin by warning all pastors: the worldly conventional wisdom to only pay heed to models of success is not from the Lord, but the world and ultimately Satan who sets snares for us in accord with the ego needs of the flesh born of selfish ambition for achievement, accolades, power, standing and money (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 22:24). What? The world is crumbling around us, churches are dying ‘“And do you seek great things for yourself,’” the Lord asks, (Jeremiah 45, NKJV)?
We come to salvation mostly from among those that are not wise or noble (1 Corinthians 1:26). Does God all of the sudden change after we are saved to require of us credentials gained from the best institutions and how to information from the men who model the success we crave to do His will? No, but God has chosen us of the “foolish,” “weak” and “base things of the world” to bring glory to Himself in the wisdom, power and humility of Christ that is displayed through us (1 Corinthians 1:27-31, NKJV). Repent, brother pastor, if you are in it for your own flesh driven priorities and glory. The wisdom you need to please the Lord begins in Him and His Word (Proverbs 2) and will also come from Him through men other than success models (Romans 12:16).
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