A Journal of a Broken Personality

I'm learning about Pastors Part 1

 I'm learning, I'm learning about Pastors Part 1

To become a pastor is first and foremost a calling; God hand picks his servants, with God there is no mistakes for he sees the future and knows when one is capable to do his work. God also equips his chosen, he is not a mean God to throws them in the deep end just to watch them struggle to swim. God is faithful enough to call and prepare the called. Some pastors know their calling and respond correctly without any hesitations but some other times the individual can rebel and run the opposite direction. I'm reminded of Jonah when he was called to go to Nineveh and he ran away in a different direction.

The stories of pastors are interesting and usually quite the same. Some have rebelled against the calling and found themselves in trouble but Praise God those troubles still points them back to Christ and it becomes their beautiful and powerful testament. I've heard a testament of a pastor who ran away from God and his turning point was when he got into a serious accident, another case his Rugby career came to a halt, the doors of opportunity started closing around him and he was reminded of the time when he was sleeping and he heard a voice telling him "mission" Just like Samuel he woke up three times but to that voice saying mission, he responded to the calling. Another case whereby his father was a pastor and he didn't want to follow his footsteps leading him to a life that was unfulfilled, much later did he rise to the call and is now happily serving Christ.

A pastor is just like you and me. No different he or she breathes the same air; they eat food and even have emotions and wills. They too are not exempted from sin and are also faced with the challenges of temptations. Romans 3:23 "For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" In fact the pastors would get more of the attack from the devil because they are called to do the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Growing up I saw how people treated the pastor of my childhood church, he was treated with the uttermost respect and I believed and still do believe that yes we are to treat them with respect, but also realizing that respect is not just for people with fame or authority but for all mankind regardless of stature.

There is a thin line between RESPECT and IDOLARTY. As I got older I began to see a trend with the congregation not just at that church that I was in but even in other churches and that was that the people started to raise the pastor on the pedestal. The special treatment became ridiculous; people became blinded to realize that the honor that they gave him was under a banner of "the man of God" so things were done under that a special parking spot, a special seat for him, a VIP section to eat etc

Soon this pastor of my childhood church lived in a mansion then worth 1.4 million. It was strange because they used to live in a small home they had a humble car. Soon the church grew in numbers and success in a radio station and TV ministry they also thrived in a shopping mall.

I realized that the pastor has a powerful influence on a congregation. And that's why as a pastor it is important to spend time in the presence of God, dying to his carnality and living in obedience to the will of God for he is accountable for his sheep furthermore be judge stricter for handling the word of God. James 3:1 "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment" 

As a pastor he needs to be careful because pride can slip in fast by the amount of people being saved, the talk of how wonderful his sermon was and even in the way people treat him. If he doesn't draw the line between honor and idolatry and humbles himself there will be a serious problem. A pastor needs to be humble to keep his view clear.

Too many times people look to the pastor for all their answers I was one of them, The Sunday sermon should just be a confirmation to your bible study that you had during the week, a time to be encouraged or even corrected if need be and to be with the brethren. The danger of this is that the listeners will receiver anything that comes from the pulpit. It is paramount to be in the presence of God so that whenever someone stands on the pulpit we who have the Holy Spirit can discern if the preaching is truth or of a false doctrine.