FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR PASTOR

Pastors are often a point of discussion in many circles. It is interesting to hear the different opinions people have about pastors and what they should be doing. Whereas some of the things said are true and biblical, a number of opinions are unbiblical and unhealthy for ministry. So here are five things you should know about your pastor

      Your Pastor is not a sinless perfect Saint

As a matter of fact, you will not find a sinless human being this side of eternity. So, whereas pastors ought to be holy and be an example to the people they lead, remember they still struggle with sin and temptation the same way you do. Yes, it is true, pastors have to battle lust, worry, greed, lying, stealing, anger, etc. Paul says in Romans 7

“For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

          Your Pastor is not a “jack of all trades”

The analogy of the church being a body is very instructive. It means every part has a significant role to play for the body to be fully functional and healthy. However, there are people who take the church to be a like a bus, where you can sleep and leave the driver to take you to your destination. Invariably this has led people to come up with all kinds of responsibilities for the pastor. If we summed up everything the list would include among other things: a choir master, an electrician, a sound technician, a security guard, an accountant, a driver, a chief executive officer, a therapist, etc. The apostles asked for deacons so that they may give themselves to “the word and prayer” (Acts 6:1-2). There are things your pastor cannot do, and there are things he should not do for the sake of the health of the church.

        Your Pastor does not know everything in the Bible

This is a hard truth for pastors to admit, but the reality is we do not know everything in the Bible. A pastor should be “able to teach” and know what he is teaching, but there are a lot of things we do not know in the Bible, and it is okay not to know. It’s called being human!

        Your Pastor desperately needs your prayer and encouragement

The problem with thinking pastors are super saints is that you assume they do not need your prayers and encouragement. The ministry can be a lonely, frustrating and discouraging place, and it’s a blessing to the soul to know someone is praying for you and to hear someone offer words of encouragement.  Your pastor like every other Christian needs your prayers and encouragement.

        Your Pastor is not like the other Pastor

Your pastor is uniquely gifted by God and will never be like the pastor before or the pastor after him or the pastor down the road or the pastor in the next town. No two pastors are the same, and God designed it that way. So, do not compare your pastor to another man, do not demand that he preaches like another preacher; on the contrary, demand that he be faithful to his task. It is important that you learn to submit to the pastor you have and not the pastor you wish you had, just as in the same vain, pastors should pastor the people they have and not the ones they wish they had.

Reflections on the 25th Anniversary of Faith Baptist Church

Faith Baptist Church Riverside clocked 25 years on 5^th September this year. I have been privileged to be a member for 20 of those 25 years, and in the most recent years, serve as an elder. The anniversary celebrations reflected on the faithfulness of God over the years and how that should spur us to praise and serve him. Five thoughts flooded my mind as I reflected on the Lord’s faithfulness to this local congregation.

God uses people to carry out his purposes

The Lord builds His church; he saves people; his purposes are set in heaven and no one can thwart them or say to him, what have you done. Yet as you read the pages of Scripture, it is clear that God uses people. He works through instruments, vessels to do his work to the praise of His glory. From moving people to plant a church, to prompting a person to share the gospel; from burdening an individual to start/lead a ministry, to urging a member to invite a friend; from gifting individuals, to exhorting them to use their gifts to the building up of the body; the Lord uses people. By application the people should constantly be aware that they are but instruments in the hands of the mighty God.

You will never find a perfect church

Reflecting on the history of a local church invariably exposes the faithfulness of God and the sinfulness of man. In light of the ongoing battles with sin in the believers’ lives and also the fact that unbelievers make it on the membership rolls, no single local church is perfect. When you add the fact that we all have preferences, opinions and even convictions about matters, you have a recipe for frustration, conflict and growth. The lack of perfection in local churches is actually a great testament to the faithfulness and patience of God. The Lord in his wisdom has chosen to use the weak to confound the wise, so that the glory may be His alone.

Unity in diversity is beautiful

As the Lord saves different individuals and brings them into a local church, you end up with a diverse group of people. This is a beautiful sight to behold as one marvels at the wisdom of God in salvation. However, there is a greater blessing when this diverse group of strangers live in familial harmony, each using their gifts, time and talents to serve one another with joy. It is beautiful to behold when God’s children are selflessly serving one another with oneness of purpose.

It is important to count your blessings

The psalmist cries out, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Due to our forgetful nature, it is important to count blessings and take stock of what the Lord has done. This keeps you grateful. Counting your blessings helps you remember where you have come from and how faithful the Lord has been to you.

God is the one constant in the life of the church

When you stay in one church for a while, you realise that people come and people go. The church goes through different seasons; there times of growth and stagnation; there are times of unity and division, and there are times of excitement and drudgery. People come and go, events come and go, but the Lord remains constant. He is the one who builds His church. He is the faithful one.

Lessons from the Hospital Bed

The last two months have been a great health challenge for us as a family. All four of us have struggled with one thing or the other. Our daughter Tionge and I were hit the hardest. I was bed ridden for a few days, and I was left weak and drained. Not to be out done, Tionge took it a step further and spent a few nights in the hospital. It is an understatement to say that this has been a trying time, but valuable lessons of life are often learnt in the midst of storms.

Our bodies are frail

The human body is a complex organism. Its mechanism has been the source of study for centuries, yet this complex machine is frail. It is amazing how strong and energetic bodies can be rendered weak and powerless by a bout of sickness to the point of failing to stand and walk on your own. This frailty ultimately leads to our death as our breath ultimately gives way.  It is this frailty that led Job to exclaim, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” (Job 14:1-2)

We are dependent beings

The irony of human beings is their desire and attempt to be independent. In our pride we even entertain the illusion of independence but reality is that we were created to be entirely dependent on God and inter-dependent on fellow people. God created man insufficient, and God alone is the all sufficient one and in Him we are made complete. He also created us as social beings. No wonder we are born in families and live within a community, even the church is designed to be a family, a community of believers living together. There is a blessedness to biblical dependence on God and the community.

Sickness makes you appreciate health

Ideally, we all should be grateful for good health, but unfortunately, we take it for granted and just assume that we will wake up and go about our day without a fuss. Because we presume good health, we are rarely grateful for it. Sickness therefore, has a way of knocking us out of our comfort zone; it reminds us that sound health is not a guarantee. There is something about being bed ridden that makes you thankful even for the slightest bit of good health. 

Vulnerability gives others a chance to minister to you

 Being weak and bed ridden makes you vulnerable and in desperate need of help. Being needy is in the nature of insufficient, dependent beings. Granted a person can be abused by other people, but the truth still stands that dependency and vulnerability are a part of the package of God’s creation of man. This vulnerability gives other people a chance to minister to you as they sympathize and empathize with your situation and show kindness to you. It is self-centeredness that will cause someone to abuse this blessing, and it is pride that will cause one to pretend and appear self-sufficient.

Psalm 103 has greatly encouraged my soul through this week. Hear the words of David:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.