Sunday, January 2, 2011

10 Things You May Not Know Abiout Your Pastor

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“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-13)
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As I read through the January Home Life, I came across an interesting article written by Stephen Cavness titled “10 Things you may not know about your pastor”….This article put into words many things I have thought over the last 21 months, and prayed about; in many ways, it says what my heart has wanted to say to the wonderful people at CBC….Continuing below you will find the 10 things listed in the article, as well as a few changes, additions, or subtractions to personalize them just a little.
“10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOUR PASTOR”
1) HE LOVES YOU – and not just because it’s part of his job description. As a pastor, God has placed in his heart a love and concern for you that you probably wouldn’t believe if he tried to explain it; even at that, he could try harder. Your words, notes, and other forms of encouragement mean so very much because they come from people your pastor really cares about!
2) HE GETS FRUSTRATED – because most of his church family thinks he’s the first to know everything when often he’s the last. Few things are more discouraging than learning there has been heartache, sickness, or turmoil that some have been talking about for a week, wondering why the pastor hasn’t called or come by; he could use others help. (Note: the CBC family has done really good at keeping me updated)
3) HE UNDERSTANDS THAT YOU DON’T AGREE – with everything he does. He may even know your way would be better. But sometimes, he also knows he might have to do things a certain way a while longer, or change something rather quickly, for the greater good. He is deeply aware that it might be inconvenient, but is willing for some to be frustrated if it means he can prevent bickering in the church; and to make certain that he’s not compromising doctrinally in any way.
4) YOU FILL HIM WITH OVERWHELMING JOY – whether it’s your becoming consistent in your attendance, your tithing, your walking by faith, or some other spiritual growth aspect, or asking him a question that reveals you’ve been thinking about gospel implications, or treating others with grace, or smiling while singing, or showing concern when others are missing from church life, or lingering after services because you desire to spend more time together, or a multitude of other great things, you make him happy! There are times that he sheds tears of joy because he sees God bringing His work to completion in you!
5) HE WANTS YOU TO REALLY KNOW AND LOVE THE GOSPEL – to have genuine love for one another, and to have your life shaped by the grace of God; when the church has this true love and is gripped in this way, there is rejoicing both on earth and in heaven!
6) HE DOESN’T EXPECT YOU TO BE PERFECT – and he is acutely aware that he is not! In fact, a lot of times he’s afraid that you may perceive he’s not the man of God you thought he was; not because of some gross sin but because he, too, can be lazy, selfish, tired, frustrated, and distracted in his walk with Christ. Pray that he won’t be!
7) FOR EVERY SERMON YOU THINK HE BOMBED, -- he thinks he bombed twice as many. But know this: Sometimes, the sermon you love the most leaves him frustrated because what you tell him you loved about it misses the point he was trying to make. Other times, he’s 100% certain that he proclaimed the Text exactly as the Lord wanted him to and feels invigorated to have done so --- until he realizes almost everyone hated it or was bored. Knowing that he shouldn’t try to please people, but wanting his church family to be encouraged and engaged is hard to balance. Pray for him!
8) SOMETIMES, HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE IS DOING – It’s not that he hasn’t been called to the ministry, but college and seminary doesn’t train him for every situation! Things often come up and he has no idea what to do. Sometimes, by the grace of God, he gets it right. Sometimes, he fails and it scares him to think he might fail the next time. Pray that he would be bold in trusting Christ at all times and in all circumstances!
9) IT BOTHERS HIM WHEN HE CAN’T MAKE YOUR SITUATION BETTER – He does not care at all about being the hero or great problem solver, but he does care if your marriage will work out; he wants your rebellious child to see the truth; he desires your parent to show you affection; he wants the memories of abuse to be swept away; he wants your spouse to get better and come home from the hospital; he cares that you have been diagnosed with cancer, or some other disease; and he has a heart’s desire to see you overcome doubts that God is real, that He is in control, and that He alone can heal all these mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds and perform miracles! But when his prayers are being answered with a no or wait, it breaks his heart for you and your family, and he would do almost anything to fix things for you, if he could!
10) HE WANTS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, FOR YOUR LABOR TO BRING HONOR AND GLORY TO GOD! – He knows he has blown it sometimes, that there have been instances when he simply could have and should have done better. His calling as a pastor often terrifies him because he knows his own inadequacies better than anyone else! He longs for the church family he serves to get it right because he loves God and he loves you; and when God gets the glory and you reap the benefits, your pastor relishes in the joy that is all rooted in Jesus Christ! He desires for each one of you to “Let Go, and Let God”; stay focused on Christ, remain faithful to Him and His mission, and always follow Him and obey; and remember – that it’s ALL about JESUS!!!!!

Please remember that I understand that I can do nothing without God’s help and divine strength, wisdom, and power! In fact, I AM NOTHING WITHOUT JESUS! I desire to be the very best Pastor, Minister, and Preacher for all of you for as long as God wills it….Please pray for me that in everything I do, I will please and glorify and honor our Heavenly Father, as His name is lifted up and His kingdom is furthered here on earth!

WISHING A HAPPY & HOLY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!!

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