As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“While…I don’t believe women should be the pastors or regular teachers of men in the church, I do believe that in the pushback against that idea of women pastors, often the case gets overstated, and there is an anti-women feel to it, which disturbs me.” - Randy Alcorn
Read the series.
In one of Paul’s earliest epistles the Bible gives us a second way to care for our pastor:
But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. (1Th 5.12-13)
Paul identifies the object of his readers’ action as doing three things:
“Introduce yourself to one person each Sunday…. I feel squeamish thinking about walking over and sticking out my hand to a stranger or, even worse, to somebody I’ve seen regularly and haven’t yet greeted. But what’s the worst that could happen?” - TGC
Read the series.
I’m going to structure this series around several passages that tell churches how they ought to treat their pastors. I’d like to start with a passage at the end of Hebrews:
Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith (Heb 13.7).
We’re told to “remember” our pastor.
Most Christians have been members of (or at least attended) a church long enough to go through a pastoral transition or to witness an ordination service. When they do, they’ll often hear a sermon on the pastor’s responsibility to the church. It might include a look at the qualifications for pastor as listed in 1Timothy 3 or Titus 1, and perhaps also a charge from 2Timothy 4.1-2:
“Over 80% of churchgoers predict a promising future for their churches. Is this figure what you would expect? Until I saw the research, I would not have guessed optimism was so high among churchgoers.” - Sam Rainer
My journey with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry took me to Kansas this past weekend, to speak four times at a church in Salina.
I have now spoken on behalf of The Friends of Israel upon the soil of the following 12 states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin. Later this year, Lord willing, I will add Missouri and Wyoming to the list—along with the nation of Israel!
“While I do not want to judge you or argue with you, would you consider reading the rest of this article? Would you look at the following seven considerations before you make the decision final?” - Thom Rainer
Discussion