t’s Sunday! I know teaching, preaching and ministering is not always easy. Among those things that can be difficult is to love those who are hard to love. How can you preachers and teachers love those who are difficult who are in your ministries and class?
Similar to last week today’s post comes from 2 Timothy 1:7:
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Here’s a question based upon the verse:
Are you aware that God has given you the spirit of love and hence you can love others in ministry?
In terms of the context of 2 Timothy 1:7, it is from an epistle that is part of the New Testament collection of “Pastoral Epistles.” Pastoral epistles refer to letters in the New Testament concerning the topic of leadership of the church and what God has to say to leaders of the church.
Here we see Paul remind a younger man in ministry name Timothy that God has given has given him a spirit of love. Know that your ability to love is a gift from God! The Spirit of God is there to help you be loving in your ministry!
Go forward to preach and teach and do so lovingly, believing that the power of the Holy Spirit is working within and through you!
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When we walk with The Lord. When we are doing the will of the Father. When we have our mind set on the the things of the spirit. Then we will be edified and strengthened in our labors.
Conversely when we minister with our own strength and talent and self effort it will be an exhausting sapping exercise.
Having a seminary degree does not prove that your being in ministry is the will of the Father. How many have called themselves into ministry?
( never the less not thy but my will be done? )
I am perplexed as to why, if pastors are to have such a prominent position in the Church why pastor-teacher is mentioned only once, period. Why is it that pastor-teacher is never mentioned in the pastoral epistles. Why are they called pastoral epistles when they are addressed to Elders and Deacons but pastors are not addressed? Is that wishful presuppositional exegetics. (A joke term I thought up)
Pastors not operating in the power of the Holy Ghost also could explain their utter lack of discernment concerning the flood of false teachings gleefully accepted in far to many churches and seminaries. .
PS Not a complaint rather an FYI: An email was sent to me inform me that my previous comment had been approved. I clicked on the link provided only to see that it was not posted.
Thanks for sharing SlimJim. I think the average Christian can easily forget about pastors needing encouragement and endurance to love not so loving individuals.
I think the average pastor can easily forget about the average Christian needing encouragement and love from not so loving pastors.
Although showing favoritism is prohibited far to many ” minister ” with a blatant double standard. Christians are valued based upon their level of undue pastoral adulation. Fail to enthusiastically jump on board the pastors fan club band wagon and you will be shunned if not vilified by him and his posse. Jesus taught that, ” those who are not with us are against us “. That does not apply to Christians who simply and quietly differ with the pastor. Pastors have no use for Heb. 14 when it comes to such things.
Hebrews 14? There’s no Hebrews 14.
Its important for the church and the pastor to not have a fanboy/celebrity syndrome. Sadly some pastors mimic the world more than Christ in seeking pastoral adulation. I sometime think it is best to raise pastors from “within” a church ought to be the goal rather than a “hire and fire” mentality towards finding Pastors. I guest-speak at many churches, events and conferences and its easy for people to love a guest speaker. But at my own local church where I pastor but also grew up, they really know me, my strengths and my weaknesses and I’m part of the family of God first before anything. I think its a much more healthy dynamic that goes both ways, for the pastor so that it doesn’t get to his head that he’s all since they have known him for years while also the congregation are less prone to a hero worship mentality since they know the guy. It really takes a spiritually mature man to be a biblical pastor and those who are looking for pastoral adulation or treat people differently who are not in the pastor’s fan club need to repent, grow up quickly or they have no place in the ministry.
Kudos to preachers!
Thanks for the corrections. Romans 14 is the correct passage. I highlight 2 verses :4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. We can differ on the non-essentials and yet both do so by faith unto the Lord. And the last part of :23 ….; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. There is a rapidly growing trend of required compliance which goes way beyond voluntarily honoring the elders.Even worse pastors are encouraged to bully those who resist into leaving, no exception. Formal church membership is absolutely enforced. Then mandatory small group participation with hyper-accountability is required.
This is the current template put out by Rick Warren and company. 150,000 churches have signed onto HIS vision for the modern church. They are seeker friendly and missional kingdom builders. Rick also recommends teachers in the; emergent movement the new perspective on Paul movement, the contemplative spiritual formation movement. the deeds not creeds pluralistic all inclusive ecumenical movement. The apostate church practices the spirit formation meditation trance inducing heresy. This they have in common with all false religions. They all have altered state trance inducing traditions. Even Muslims have the Sufi. This then is the tool to bridge all religions into one giant global apostate religion. Ready made for the literal anti-christ.
We are to make disciples. We are to proclaim and implore. That is the gospel. The false social gospel or social justice gospel is now called the missional gospel. This movement now joins in the political kingdom building gospel. Which in turn will foolishly join with the new age global community. Christ said that He would prepare a place for us. He never ever asked us to prepare a place for Him. Because He is the King of kings He Himself IS the kingdom. Although I am solidly 90% reformed I reject the amillinial eschatology that they borrowed from the RCC. The RCC borrowed that view from Origen who borrowed it from the Gnostics and the Platonists who borrowed it from the ancient Medo-Persian dualism religion. ( No one before Origen put forth the dualistic inspired hermenuetic idea that all Apocalyptic scripture must be interpreted allegorically).
Christ will rule and reign on earth in His Kingdom that He will set up after he casts the devil into the abyss for a literal 1000 years. Rev. 20 What God decrees He cannot fail to bring it to pass. No angel of God ever failed to complete His decree. What God seals God alone can unseal and release.
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