CHURCH LEADERSHIP SERIES LESSON ONE: PASTORS

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

CHURCH LEADERSHIP SERIES LESSON ONE:  PASTORS 

When one thinks about leadership in the church the position of pastor usually seems to be first in mind.  It’s because the pastor has the calling to spiritually nurture his flock and lead his sheep in the ways of the Lord.  This image of flock and sheep leads us to the actually meaning of the word pastor.  Did you know the word pastor actually means shepherd?  A pastor then must: 

FEED HIS FLOCK:  (John 21:17)…Jesus said to him (Peter), “Feed My sheep.  This means teaching the Word of God to them.  This includes preparing and delivering messages and which should occupy the main focus of his ministry.  Getting other people to do some of the administration and service of the church then is essential to maintain this emphasis (Acts 6:1-7). 

TEND HIS SHEEP:  (John 21:16)…He (Jesus) said to him (Peter), “Tend My sheep.”  A shepherd must not only feed his flock, he must also tend to them.   This means he must care for their spiritual needs.  He must have a listening ear, a compassionate heart, and be willing to make sacrifices for others. (1 Thes 2:1-12)  He must not seek to build his own empire but to humbly serve the people God has put in his care. (Mark 9:33-35) 

LEAD HIS SHEEP: (Psa 23:2-3) He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  A pastor leads his flock both by precept and example.  He also practically leads them in the ways of the Lord and what would be the best for them.  This involves much prayer and wisdom and sometimes making hard (and sometimes unpopular) decisions. 

PROTECT HIS LAMBS: (Acts 20:28-30) Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.  29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  The devil seeks to devour the flock of God.  The pastor therefore must be vigilant against his attack through prayer and discernment (1 Pet 5:8-9).  He must guard his flock against wolves in sheep clothing (Mat 7:15) and from false doctrine (Jude 1:3) and ungodly influences (1 Cor 5:1-8) that would infect the church.  The pastor may need to take the lead in church discipline and sometimes even the excommunication of troubling church members (1 Tim 1:20).    

Pastors are gifts to the body of Christ from Jesus Himself for the spiritual maturity of the flock and the equipping of saints for service. (Eph 4:7-16)  The greatest gift a sheep can give to their shepherd is to pray for him and his family and seek to be supportive in any way possible.  This will lighten his load considerably so he may keep to his task to shepherd his flock as under the Good and Chief Shepherd Himself.  (John 10:11; 1 Pet 5:4) 

Louie

WILL SOME CHRISTIANS MISS THE RAPTURE?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

WILL SOME CHRISTIANS MISS THE RAPTURE? 

(Luke 21:36) Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to this earth from the sky to take His bride home (1 Thes 4:16-18; 1 Cor 15:51-52).  This is called the Rapture of the church.  It will happen suddenly and therefore scripture teaches us to be ready (Rev 22:12).  But will some Christians miss the rapture?  Will they not be ready and therefore be left behind? 

The church of Thyatira was a corrupt church that tolerated idolatry and immorality.  Jesus warned the perpetrators as such:  (Rev 2:22) Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.  Does this mean that some confessed believers will be punished by having to endure the judgment of God that will be coming to this earth?  This is the belief of the Partial Rapture Theory that states only faithful Christians will be taken and unfaithful Christians will left behind.   

The problem with the Partial Rapture Theory is that it is works based.  But the Bible says we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9).  Our salvation is not by merit.  It also teaches that our sanctification is the work of the Spirit (1 Thes 5:23-24) and that we can do nothing without Jesus (John 15:5).  If we believed you could not be righteous enough for the Lord’s coming then at what point are we guaranteed that transport to heaven and at what point are we not?  There’s no way a person can know so that would produce constant anxiety in the believer when we are called to Christ’s peace and being rooted in God’s love (Col 3:15; Eph 3:17-19).  

So what do we say about some believers missing the Rapture?  I believe the Lord will take all believers in Christ home to heaven and deal with each one at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Rom 14:10; 2 Cor 5:9-10; 1 Cor 3:11-15).  Some will be rewarded and others will only have the reward of heaven because they had a saving faith but failed to do any works for Christ.  How sad would that be to not have any commendation from our Lord.  How much better to live for Jesus and hear Him say:  (Mat 25:21) His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. 

Though it seems all believers will be raptured, all make-believers will not!  (Mat 7:21-23) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 

Louie

PARENTING TIPS FOR DADS

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

PARENTING TIPS FOR DADS 

(Eph 6:4) And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. 

Being a dad is one of the greatest experiences in the world.  You hold in your arms a baby that will grow and become their own person.  Everybody tells you don’t worry and it’s natural and you’ll figure everything out but every dad wonders if they have what it takes to raise a child correctly.  What if I mess up?  How do you know what to do?  How can I give the child the guidance he or she needs?  Let’s encourage dads with advice from the apostle Paul.  

Notice how the apostle Paul addresses the fathers.  Fathers represent the head of the family on whom rests the main responsibility of child rearing and discipline.  (1 Cor 11:3) But I want you to know that the head of woman is man…(Eph 5:23) For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church…  Men, it’s so easy to relegate the authority of the home and children to the wife because moms are so naturally gifted by their nurturing instincts.  But don’t default to this brothers.  If God has called you to fathering then He’ll give you what it takes.  Just pray for wisdom every day (Jms 1:5) and you will be gifted by the Spirit to raise that child and make the decisions you need to make for his or her growth and future. 

Paul then goes on and says to not provoke your children to wrath.  This means to not discipline them too harshly by means of unreasonable demands, petty rules, ridicule, favoritism and the like. (This will also create tension between you and your wife.)  You can also exasperate you children by means of being too lenient with them and never drawing the line or following through with your warnings.  Either way creates anger in the child that will be acted out and will eventually come back to bite you.  Keep on top of your child’s behavior and remember discipline is loving correction and not punishment as an anger outlet. 

Then the apostle says to bring them up.  This means to nourish tenderly.  Children should be objects of tender, loving care and treated in such a way that the children will want to obey.  Men, our wives have that tenderness thing down but we struggle with roughness because we are men.  Therefore we must memorize and exercise the nine fruits of the Spirit beginning with love (Gal 5:22-23).  Next, dads are instructed to train their kids.  This is an overall term that speaks of the time it takes to train children in every area of life taking in the practical, ethical, and educational.  This takes a lot of time but it’s so worth it as you see your child grow and develop and bring you tons of pleasure.  Finally Paul says to admonish.  To admonish means loving verbal correction when called for.    

All this is to be done in the Lord because dads, we can’t do it ourselves!  But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We can do this dads!  Let’s enjoy the children God has given us and watch for the rewards along the way as we raise godly kids for Christ! 

Louie

WHY DOES GOD FEEL FAR AWAY?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

WHY DOES GOD FEEL FAR AWAY? 

(Jer 23:23) “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? 

There are many times when a child of God will feel far away from God.   When God used to be closer than a brother why does He sometimes feel like a stranger?  What causes this feeling and how can a believer get that sense of nearness back?  Let’s examine this important question in the light of scripture so that sense of intimacy with Christ may be reestablished in our lives.   

First of all we must ask ourselves if there is a blockage in our spiritual life that is causing the feeling that God is occupying another universe.  Consider these verses: (Isa 59:1-2)  Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.  (Psa 66:18) If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.  Is there something in our lives that is grieving the Holy Spirit whereby we will sense a distance between the us and the Lord?  (Eph 4:30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  If so, let’s fess up and get it right so we can feel right!  Nothing is as important as staying close to God.  Whatever we have to let go let’s do it!!   

Another reason for God feeling far away is perhaps our emotional state has been centering on the negative.  It could be that we have let doubt and fear take over our lives.  Maybe we have been overtaken by the banditos of anxiety or depression that have robbed us of the blessings God has intended for us.  When we are low on faith it seems we are high on that sense of being abandoned and lacking the presence of God.  Faith puts us in touch with the Lord.  Just a small mustard seed of it can make us good-to-go.  When we express faith it turns everything around. We tell God we believe in him and with His help we are going to stop being so full of bad vibrations that kill the sensation of intimacy with Him.  (Mark 5:36)…“Do not be afraid; only believe.” 

Consider also that sometimes we are too attuned to feelings in the Christian life.  The Christian life sometimes boils down to sheer faith.  Maybe it’s just a trial you are going through that deprives you of that Christian bubble you have been in and have started to rely upon.  Pop!  Now you must learn to operate by motion instead of emotion.  (2 Cor 5:7) For we walk by faith, not by sight.  It could just be that the Lord is testing you if you will follow Him without the goose bumps and giddy excitements that keep us on Cloud 7.  When all that blows away will you really follow Jesus?  (Mat 13:21) yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Our faith is supposed to be deeper than that!   

Here’s a promise for all who desire to come closer: (Jms 4:8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  May the nearness of God be yours today!   

Louie

PLATE FULL OR CUP RUNNING OVER?

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

 

PLATE FULL OR CUP RUNNING OVER?

 

(Psa 23:5) …My cup runs over. 

We hear so much these days about our plates being full.  What people are saying is they are so busy and can barely keep up with it all.  When something new or unexpected comes their way they go ballistic because they say it’s too much and all so overwhelming and how are they going to make time for this?  Truly we are victims of our overly busy society but why does it all have to be so negative?   

Think about how great you and I have it.  We have a family, a home, a job, a car, abundant food, friends, and opportunities and privileges most people don’t have in this world.  And then we complain about how busy we are and we wish we had more time and blah, blah, blah!  What a downer we are when God has been so good to us and His blessings abound to us.  Our blessing buckets are full and we complain about how heavy they are!  Oh God, forgive our ungrateful hearts.   

People complain about I HAVE to go to work, I HAVE to wash my car, I HAVE to pick my kids up from school, etc.  No, you GET to do all these things.  Isn’t this everything you hoped and prayed for?  That you would have a rich and complete life with so much activity that you are so thankful to be a part of?    This is what gets you up in the morning and keeps you motivated all through the day.  Life is good!  But we treat it like it’s an intrusion.  I think it’s time we here in our blessed country get a BE POSITIVE transfusion and start counting our blessings.   

Instead of saying our plate is full, let’s say our cup is running over!  That’s the ticket!!  That’s what David said about his life.  And that was just after talking about going through the valley of the shadow of death and being in the presence of his enemies.  Atta boy David!  You saw it right.  You didn’t say your plate was full.  You said your cup was running over!  That means abundance.  That doesn’t mean the Lord said “Oh sorry, I can’t fill your cup up full today because there’s not much to go around.”   No, he said his cup was running over with God’s blessings like the waiter who pours too much beverage in your cup and it runs over and gets the table and you wet and he profusely apologizes.  Only God doesn’t apologize.  

God is so good.  And His blessings keep flowing in our lives!  Why do they?  It’s because Jesus promised the abundant life (John 10:10).  That means life to the overflow.  The riches of His grace just keep coming and there’s no stopping them.  This is just to let us know how much He loves us!  It’s also because there are people around us that have never tasted of the abundant life of Christ.  God blesses you and as a result of this blessing others experience how good God is and this can create the thirst in them for more of Jesus.   

Let’s stop saying our plate is full!  It’s not full because our cup is running over!! 

Louie

MY ROW TO HOE

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

 

MY ROW TO HOE

 

(Gal 6:5) For each one shall bear his own load.

 

Every farmer has his own land to tend, His field to plow and his row to hoe.  It’s hard work just like the Bible says: (2 Tim 2:6) The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.  And nobody else can do it for him.  You see him working from sunup to sundown.  He’ll hire a farmhand when he must but most of the time you see him all by himself doing a multitude of tasks.  He’s not asking for any help.  Neither is he intruding on another farmer’s property.  He’s minding his own business.  You could say he has his own row to hoe.

 

That’s the way it is in the Christian life.  Each one of us is unique and we have our own life to live and nobody can live it for us.  Who we are, our makeup, our history, and our own set of circumstances goes into our personal distinctiveness.  We have Christ in common but our place in life will vary from person to person.  With this in mind then we are like the farmer who has his own row to hoe.  It’s a daily challenge and sometimes you think you’re alone but then you find out you are just like the other believer who is farming in the plot next to you.

 

One day I arrived at church on a Sunday morning being fatigued from a challenging and arduous week.  I willed myself out of the car and lumbered across the parking lot and up the steps to the front door of the Chapel.  At the same time another brother was getting out of his car and limping his way in my direction.  I asked him how he was doing and he groaned and said how tough a week it had been.  I just burst out laughing because we were like farmers who just finished a hard row of hoeing and met at the fence-line and ended up comparing stories.  Well, we found our way into the service together and as always received the inspiration we needed keep at it in the Christian life. 

 

Each Christian must bear his own load.   We can encourage each other but in reality we’ve got to get back out there in life and serve the Lord with what He’s called us to do.   We’ve got to put our hand to the plow (Luke 9:62) with the hope that good will always come from our daily walk and work for Christ (1 Cor 9:10).  We must be patient for the precious fruit of the earth (James 5:7) and cheer our hearts with the fact that we will reap in due season if we do not give up (Gal 6:9).   One of these days we will be with Jesus, and like Elisha will burn our farmer’s equipment to follow and serve the Lord in His field forever (1 Kings 19:19-21).  

 

Let’s give up the silly notion that we need more help in the plot we are to tend.  Let’s be like that hard working apostle Paul who said: (Phil 4:13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Let’s trust the Lord for daily strength (Deu 33:25) because a harvest is coming and we want to be a part of it.  And let’s teach our sons and daughters that hard work is really a gift from God with much reward!  (Zech 13:5) But he will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a farmer; for a man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.’

 

Louie

 

A MOTHER IS ALWAYS A MOTHER

 

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP

A MOTHER IS ALWAYS A MOTHER

 

(Gen 2:24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

 

Maternal love is the strongest love in the world in terms of its depth and devotion. Just think of it, the woman carries the child in the womb, gives birth, and then becomes the main source of nurture for her offspring for years. Then overnight the child becomes a teenager and begins to pull away. This accelerates as time goes by. There is graduation and then off to college or the work force. Soon they will leave the nest and eventually there is marriage when the child leaves permanently (hopefully!). But a mother is always a mother.

 

I think of Mary, the mother of Jesus who is seen in the birth story: (Luke 2:7) And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

Then we see Mary when Jesus was twelve years old: (Luke 2:42) And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.

After this we see Mary at the cross: (John 19:25) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother…

 

Finally we see Mary in the upper room after the Lord’s resurrection and ascension: (Acts 1:14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus…

 

This final appearance of Mary in the New Testament shows me the incredible love she had for her son. I mean, here she was devoted to her son even after His permanent departure from life. It also shows me a mother is always a mother. Oh yes, they eventually leave the home but they never leave the heart! What occupies a mother’s mind more than anything else? It’s her children. She’s always thinking about them. She’s wondering how they are doing. The cares of the children become her cares as well. She exults in her child’s successes and pines after her child’s struggles. She longs for the opportunity to be a part of her child’s life.

 

Since a mother is always a mother what can she do when her kids are up and grown and on their own?

 

PRAY: (Eph 6:18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. You used to have them on your knees…now you are on your knees for them! Pray for their salvation, protection, and progression in life and in the faith of Christ.

 

STAY OUT OF THEIR WAY: (2 Chr 25:19) …Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble…? It’s the hardest thing for a mom to do, and that is to restrain those motherly tendencies and the temptation to rescue or give unsolicited advice. They have to live and learn on their own as experience is the best teacher.

 

ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE: (2 Tim 4:2) …Be ready in season and out of season… Adult children are always so busy. They probably should call and come by more often but remember how caught up in life you were in a younger year. Be ready for that phone call or visit and especially when they need you and your help.

 

Your work isn’t over mom because a mother’s work is never done and a mother is always a mother!

 

Louie