The Charge to the Pastoral Candidate and the Church

by Pastor Wesley Darby

 

THE CHARGE TO THE PASTORAL CANDIDATE & CHURCH
August 19, 2001

Every Pastor should have firmly in his mind a solid vision of:

  1. The Truth of God and His Church - This is the Pastor's power.
  2. A clear vision of how the church can shine for Jesus in a dark and sinful world.
  3. The true method of oversight- How to speak, preach, rebuke & exhort in spirit of Jesus.
  4. His personal CALL must be clear, and he must pursue it with all his heart!

WHAT A CHURCH SHOULD EXPECT FROM ITS PASTOR - A CHALLENGE TO ANY MAN

  1. He must be REDEEMED and KNOW IT: II Tim. 1:12, Acts 26:16
  2. He must be consecrated to the Lord's call, and to Godly living - Acts 20:18
  3. Must be separated from Worldliness - in speech, appearance, recreation, & entertainment
  4. Must be CALLED) to be a Pastor- Not just a JOB, but a life! - II Ki 9:1-13, 1 Sam 16:1-13
  5. Must be FAITHFUL in the long stream of life: The best ability is dependability
  6. The People must be able to see in his face the light of Christ -II Cor 4:6, even though it is in an earthen vessel - II Cor 4:7, a little muddy in rain storm?
  7. Must be well trained in the Bible, theology, and human relationships -I Pet 3:15 It helps to read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie
  8. Must lead as a humble servant of Christ, not as a dictator- I Pet 5:1-11
  9. Must preach the Word of God - II Tim 4:1-5, Not his own hobby horse
  10. Basic instruction to a pastor - II Tim 2:1 -strong in grace, 2- commit to faithful men.

WHAT A PASTOR SHOULD EXPECT FROM THE CHURCH - A CHALLENGE TO EACH CHURCH MEMBER

  1. The prayer support of his people - A Pastor is shaped by answer to the people's prayers
  2. The Financial support equal to the average member of the church - plus business expenses and this includes a Parsonage, auto, and office expenses - and BOOKS! If the Pastor can't feed his family- how can he feed you? - Check Ezek 44; 26,30,31. If the Levite got the 1st of their dough- Gal 6:6, 1 Tim 5:17,18 is for Pastors
  3. The Bible says "obedience" to their leadership - Heb 13:17 He will grade you later
  4. Though he is an earthen vessel - it is your FAITH that sees in him the Glory of Jesus.  Some members are so blinded by their own prejudice, and pride - they see their own sin in their attitude toward the pastor.
  5. Don't believe any gossip against the Pastor - I Tim 5:19,20. But if he sins - judge him according to the instructions of Jesus Matt 18:15-20
  6. Be very careful about judging another man's servant - are you smarter than Jesus? And remember - ‘David refused to "Touch the Lord's Anointed" - I Sam 26;9,11
  7. I do not know how a Pastor can "Rule" in an age when our culture glorifies democracy, and school kids are taught in kindergarten to "Resist Authority", and our Baptist churches practice "Free Will", and the "Priesthood of Believers", but as a general rule - the 1st man to shout "A--Men" to the Pastor when he comes is the 1st to shoot him - 3rd John 9,10, but the Pastor must remember 3rd John 11, and Romans 12:21.

It has been said that pastoring certain churches is like riding a tiger -May be a rough ride - but worse when you fall off!

 

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