Are the leaders in your church more characterized by their authority or their service? By the way, studying the bible to teach you is not an escape. Because you are to study the bible just as much as they are and you are to teach (your family and others) just as much as they are?
So the question again stems from Matthew 23 and even 1 Timothy 3. If it is authority (which the bible never gives Christian “authority” over one another) then why? If it is service then how?
I can without a doubt in my mind say that the leaders at my church are more characterized by their service than anything else, though they are great teachers as well. I’m not going to say their names nor what church I attend because it’s not relevant. But for example, I once heard my associate pastor remind a group of pastors that spiritual leaders (i.e. pastors, elders, deacons, etc…) should serve the body of believers in their local church setting more than anyone else. And as a matter of fact they should be the first to volunteer when an opportunity to serve arises. And the Lord has graced me with the opportunity to see what a real pastor with a heart for the flock he’s over does. Prime example, last week was an extremely busy week for our body, even for members. We continued our Monday morning summer bible study through the Sermon on the Mount (which is pretty intense) of course Wednesday night service and Sunday school and service. However, we also had vacation bible school on Biblical peacemaking on Friday night and Saturday morning as well as working as a body to send a missions team to Peru which left this past Friday. I was pretty tired physically, but enriched spiritually when all was said and done so I could imagine the wear the week had on our leaders. To top everything off, Sunday night we had the Lord’s Supper.
But here is where I saw that my associate pastor is characterized by service more than anything. After the Lord’s supper on Sunday and all the week’s goings on, this man, who has three kids, the oldest of which is three, hops in his car and drives to one of our members’ house to to FEED THEIR DOGS at like 10 p.m. because they were out of town. That was impressive to me, especially because he does stuff like that all the time. And to my knowledge, he doesn’t care if anyone notices it. He just loves to serve people and especially the people of God. This was no isolated incident either. Not to exhalt a man, but I coud go on. When I was sick, he visited me (LOL)., driving clear across town to do so and arrived with with bags full of groceries because he knows I can’t cook and couldn’t leave the house to get anything. He helped move into my apartment along with a group of men from the church. Got a group of folks together to give me furniture for my crib when I first moved into to town without me even asking. Began discipling me even before I became a member of the church. Urged the church to foot the registration cost so that I could attend a conference that he felt I’d benefit from spiritually. Allows me to hold/have any book in his personal library. Is literally on call (or text 24/7) and the list goes on.
And by the grace of God, the sermons are banging as well. In my life, he’s been the best example I’ve seen of someone who seeks to live out the principle set out in Ezra 7:10. “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”
Maybe this isn’t the type of stuff you were looking for with this one but I benefit from the blog so much I’d thought I should throw my piece in every once in a while. All that and $6.50 can get you you an extra value meal at Mickey Ds.
Grace and Peace.
Keep doing what you do Lionel and Tyris. You brothers have helped me greatly in my walk.
Hey Nick,
This is exactly what I was looking for brother. Exactly. Praise God and I pray that many more testimonies come across like this my friend. God bless and I am thankful that this blog could be of any assistance to anyone. Tell your Pastors that you love them tomorrow and that we are praying that God will raise up more leaders like them. Not only that, you have no excuse not to serve my man!
My bro, I just want to share this short testimony. My wife and I homeschool our children, and my wfe is currently pregnant with our third child, this pregnancy is a highrisk one. My wife was diagnosed with a subchorionic hematoma which can fatal for the baby and in some cases the mother. And while we are in the military stationed overseas, we worship in a little house fellowship. The Pastor has three children two of which are daughters.
During the time that this dianosis was given to our family, my wife had to be put on bedrest which meant no homeschooling or no supervision or stucture to our children’s day. And we do not allow just anyone to keep watch over our children. After much prayer our, pastor volunteered to have his oldest daughter come over every day for as long as we need them to actually homeschool our children and help my wife out. While at times I felt like we were being a burden, his whole family continued to remind us that this was their calling and that they did not want any financial compensation because the Lord would reward them His time. Man I cant not even begin to glorify enough for showing Himself through our pastor!
God Bless you bro and thanks for the testimony. I too, do not like letting just anyone watch my son and wholeheartedly have the same aspirations to homeschool my son. At my fellowship which is also a house church-we had a similar situation where a mother was put on bedrest and one of our elders did the exact same thing with his family and didn’t think twice about serving those in need. We are known by our love towards one another! I thank the Lord for such a heartfelt Pastor willing to offer his family and self for service.
Sean I will be praying for your wife and that you and her would seek God for His wisdom in this trial! Thanks for your testimony and we’ll be in prayer-God Bless in Christ
(First-time visitor standing in the back watching… for now.)
hi nick,
your assoc. pastor sounds like a very nice man and kind. i hope this doesn’t come across as mean spirited but i wonder if his ministerial life is balanced out with his home life. you said he does stuff like this (tending to the members needs) all the time, and yet he has three small children home. if there is an understanding between him and his wife and her’s and the children’s needs aren’t being neglected for needs of the rest of the Church, then i find his actions commendable.
however, if he is making the mistake of putting the household of faith before his own household then that is problematic. i know of a few pastor/elder’s wives who would prefer their husbands recognize that God ordained the family THEN the Church and that the needs of their immediate family shouldn’t be put on the back burner because they are tending to the rest of the flock.
just wanted to add balance to this servant’s heart discussion and not controversy.