The
Relationship of a Pastor to His Church
Ephesians 4:9-12
Audio MP3
July 10th 2011 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Eph 4:9-12)
A.
Jesus gave a
precious gift when He gave a pastor to a small group of believers
1.
He at first
gave Apostles
and Prophets,
who wrote down into the New Testament what He had said – these were pretty
important people – they gave us the Bible!
2.
Then he gave
Evangelists
who went out and started churches all over the world – small groups of new
believers
3.
Then He gave
Pastors and
Teachers to lead those churches, perfecting them (notice what
God calls Christians on earth – saints),
preparing them to be able to work the ministry, and edify the body of Christ
on earth
B.
They are
vitally important to a church – and especially to every Christian
C.
Today, most
churches only exist for the pleasure of the sheep
1.
They only
Entertain – great motivators, and performers
2.
Only try to
Calm people down from the stress of life – help them to “cope”
3.
Try and take
care of people’s every need, offer counselling and every other service to
people
4.
Always
making sure to never offend or upset anyone – just make sure everybody is
happy
D.
But,
Christ’s church exists for the pleasure of Christ Himself
1.
He saved us
so that we would walk with Him
2.
Worship only
Him
3.
Obey ALL He
has said to do
4.
So that we
could get cleaned up, and changed, and live holy as He is holy!
E.
A Pastor is
called by God to make sure a group of believers please Jesus by their lives,
in their homes, and by their unity as a Church!
F.
Examples of
Pastors in the Bible include:
1.
Moses –
Pastored a million and a half people!
2.
Jesus –
Pastored 12 fishermen, tax collectors, and carpenters
3.
Timothy –
Pastored thousands of people spread throughout the big city of
G.
Can a
Christian be right with God and not have a pastor? Just worship God on his
or her own with no accountability? No.
H.
Why?
1.
Because God
ordained pastors as the shepherds of a flock of believers.
Sheep don’t shepherd themselves
– they need a shepherd
2.
Because
Jesus died not to just save your soul, but to bond you together with other
Christians – He loved the church idea enough to die for it!
3.
Because not
submitting to a Bible believing pastor only proves that you have a problem
submitting to Jesus!
I.
This
morning, I want to look at the relationship between Bible believing pastor
and his church
II.
Message
A.
What is a Pastor?
(Acts 20:16-22; 28-32)
1.
He
is a shepherd - Notice the “flock” (20:28)
a.
Not much
glory in that title! When was the last time being a shepherd won any awards
for popularity?
b.
A Pastor is
NOT a Doctor, or a C.E.O. of a company, nor a politician, or a solicitor,
not a counsellor, nor a friend or buddy. He is not a priest, or “a man of
the cloth”
c.
He is a shepherd
- He “shepherds” sheep
d.
That means
he is responsible for them, protects them, guides them, prepares them for
use – more about this in a moment
e.
In my
estimation, it is the greatest calling in the world! There is no greater job
to do, no greater service to give than that of shepherding a group of born
again Christians as they seek to be like Jesus!
2.
He
is Called by God (20:28) – not of his own will
– not for his own gain
a.
The Holy
Ghost places men in charge of guiding believers in obedience to God’s word
b.
Called means
appointed – they are given this task by Jesus Christ
c.
Just as real
as when Jesus called Saul of Tarsus
d.
That makes
him a “man of God” – God’s man (1Tim 6:11)! Not owned by anyone but God.
Fearing no one, except displeasing His Saviour!
e.
If someone
WANTS to pastor and preach and teach, praise God! But the only people in the
Bible that pastor churches are those that know that GOD asked them to do it
– not because they thought it would be fun, or easy!
3.
He
is a Man – not a woman (1Tim 3:2; 2:12,13;
1Cor 14:34,35)
a.
God calls
men to lead His churches – call that sexist all you want, but that is what
the BIBLE says
b.
That means
he will be strong, loud, masculine in character
c.
He doesn’t
always understand everything about what you are going through, and doesn’t
feel everything you may feel, but he does care
d.
And he cares
most about God and HIS honour – not yours!
e.
He wants to
win, build, accomplish things
4.
He
is Well Trained – not a novice (1Tim 3:6)
a.
He is a
student of this Book – his whole world view is based upon the Bible!
1)
Still
learning yes – never thinks he has it all figured out
2)
But he has
absolute convictions about what is right and wrong, and truth and error!
b.
Has been
trained to lead, to preach, to teach, to win souls, and to build a church!
c.
He has been
prepared not just by schooling, but through hardships and struggles
d.
He knows how
to pray and how to trust God for everything he needs
5.
Ordained – approved
a.
Doesn’t just
head off and take authority – he has earned that power
b.
He has
proven himself to his pastor, and to the people of the church he grew up in
c.
He has
earned the right to lead others!
B.
What Does a Pastor Do? (Acts
20:20-35)
1.
Most people
think a pastor just writes down a few things on Saturday evening, and then
lectures on a Sunday morning, and then that is it for another week. Well,
maybe that is how it is in many churches, but not in a Bible believing
church!
2.
He Leads
(Act 20:28)
a.
He
is the Shepherd. Sets the pace, the direction
of the Church
1)
A Pastor
constantly seeks God’s will for the Church as a group
2)
He has
burdens for people and places you have never seen
3)
He dreams of
where God wants his group, not just tomorrow, but 2 years, and 10 years down
the line
4)
Follow him
as he follows Christ (Heb 13:7,8; 1Cor 11:1; 4:16)
5)
He is your
example – an imperfect one – but the one God has given you (2Thes 3:7-10)
a)
Of how hard
to work
b)
Of how much
to love your wife and family
c)
Of how to
live by faith
d)
Of how to
care for people
b.
He
is the Overseer – the manager – that’s where
we get the word “Bishop” from.
1)
It is the
same man, with different titles: Pastor, Shepherd, Bishop, Elder – same man
2)
He manages –
coordinates
3)
He helps
people discover what their spiritual gifts are
4)
And then he
gets them using those gifts
5)
Sometimes he
just gets people busy serving – because he sees a job that needs done, and
just sets out to get it done!
c.
He
is a Ruler – governs what happens in a church
(Heb 13:7,17)
1)
That is the
Bible’s word for him – “ruler”
a)
Like as a
father has rule in his home
b)
Like as the
Garda have rule in our communities
c)
Like as the
Dail has rule over our country
d)
So does a
pastor have rule over his church
2)
Your pastor
is responsible to God for how you live as Christians
a)
I’m not
doing my job if you are just living any old way you want
b)
My task, as
is the job of all Bible believing pastors is to get Christians to live by
this Book – to not just be hearers of the word, but doers!
3)
Notice 1 Tim
5:17, “them that rule well” not just “teach” well
4)
Most people
only want a token leader – a figure head that they can use when they need
him, instead of treating him as the Man of God that he really is! Obeying
his counsel, and following his lead!
5)
A pastor is
a ruler, NOT as a LORD, but as a servant who has the authority of his
Master. When the pastor speaks from this Book, he speaks with the authority
of the Author, not of just himself!
d.
He
works as part of a leadership team – with the
mature Christian men in that church – called elder Christians – not older
men, but mature and faithful men who serve along side him, under his
leadership
3.
He Loves
– cares for the flock.
a.
Doesn’t care
about money, economies, or about aliens and UFO’s and beached whales!
b.
Cares about
souls (Heb 13:17)!
c.
About
families
d.
About
spiritual growth, and faithfulness, and integrity, having humble and right
attitudes
e.
He loves
people!
1)
He loves
sinners
2)
He
especially loves the people who gather on Sundays and Wednesdays
f.
And he will
give his life, spend himself, pouring himself into anybody who will listen
4.
He Feeds
- Preaches and Teaches (Acts 20:28,32)
a.
Challenges
you with the absolute truths of the Bible
b.
Pulls you
and pushes you beyond what you are comfortable with
c.
Shows you
what God says and what God expects
d.
Shows you
truth upon truth – unlike most universities today
e.
A pastor
will never teach anything other than what GOD says (1Tim 1:3,4) – not what
another scholar, or writer, or religious leader says!
f.
Gives you
hope, and encouragement
g.
And also
gives you correction and rebuke
h.
It all goes
together like a good meal (2Tim 4:1-4)
i.
Every time
we gather together, we will always open the Bible and feed on something in
it that will fill and bless our souls, or correct our souls
5.
He Protects
(Acts 20:29,30)
a.
From false
doctrine – wrong beliefs
1)
There is so
much junk that people hear and believe today
2)
People
believe in angels and
b.
From false
teachers – wolves
1)
There are
false shepherds (Zech 11:17; 2Cor 11:3,4)
2)
They are
such good speakers, smooth talkers
3)
A good
pastor exposes the wolves in sheep clothing
c.
From false
spirits – demonic spirits that take over people’s homes and lives, and
ultimately churches!
1)
The spirit
of today is the spirit of rebellion, and bad attitudes, and anger, and wrath
2)
The spirit
of today is self help, self love, self gratification
3)
It seeks to
replace the cross with entertainment, and the Bible with emotions, and
preaching with “discussions”
4)
It
constantly creeps into churches
d.
A pastor is
on eternal guard to keep that stuff OUT!
C.
What Should Christians Do? How
should Christians treat Pastors?
1.
Prove them
– test them with the Bible (John 5:39; Acts 17:10,11)
a.
The safest
church is the one where everyone has an open Bible, and a testing mind
b.
All a pastor
should ever do is say, Thus saith the Lord
2.
Submit to
them (Heb 13:17) – obey them
a.
Listen to
them – don’t ignore them, or find fault with them
b.
Come under
their authority
c.
If what they
say is what God said to do, then do it – even if you find faults with them
(Mat 23:1-7)
d.
They are
God’s gift to you just like you as a parent are God’s gift to your children!
3.
Emulate
them (2Thes 3:7-9). The world offers so
many shallow lives to emulate
a.
Movie stars
– Brad Pitt,
b.
Music stars
– emminem, lady gaga, filthy elton john
c.
Sports stars
d.
Fantasy role
models
e.
Everybody
wants to emulate their hair, their walk, their talk
f.
Learn some
things from your pastor! He aint perfect but he is better than those creeps
4.
Honour them
(1Timothy 5:17,18)
5.
Pray for
them (1Thes 5:25) – the great apostle Paul
knew he needed the supportive prayers of God’s people! Your pastor needs you
to pray for him as much as you can!
6.
Supply
their needs (1Cor 9:11-14).
a.
I am not
paid by this church
b.
But it is
right to minister to a pastor, a missionary
c.
They live to
meet your needs
d.
It is only
right and proper to find out what they need, and supply it as well
e.
That is how
the whole body ministers to itself in love!
III.
Conclusion – Challenge
A.
Every church
needs right leadership – a church is not a democracy, but a sheep fold, with
a shepherd.
B.
Most
churches only exist for the pleasure of the sheep
C.
Christ’s
church exists for the pleasure of Christ Himself
D.
Jesus gave a
precious gift when He gave us pastors
E.
He expects
believers to follow their pastor as he follows Jesus
F.
It allows
Christ to lead them, love them, feed them and protect them through their
pastor
G.
When a
Christian rejects their pastor’s rule, they are away from God, and cannot be
protected from Satan’s attacks and dominance
H.
We have learned What a Pastor
is
1.
He is a
shepherd
2.
He is called
by God (20:28) – not of his own will – not for his own gain
3.
He is a man
– not a woman (1Tim 3:2; 2:12,13; 1Cor 14:34,35)
4.
He is well
trained – not a novice (1Tim 3:6)
5.
Ordained –
approved
I.
We have Learned what a Pastor
Does (Acts 20:20-35)
1.
He Leads
(Act 20:28) As a shepherd. Sets the pace, the direction of the Church
2.
He Loves
– cares for the flock
3.
He Feeds
- Preaches and Teaches (Acts 20:28,32)
4.
He Protects
(Acts 20:29,30)
J.
We have Learned How Christians
should treat Pastors
1.
Prove them
– test them with the Bible
2.
Submit
yourselves – obey them
3.
Emulate
them
4.
Honour them
5.
Pray for
them
6.
Supply
their needs
K.
Let’s make sure we do all that!
L.
Why? So that we can be the kind
of church that Jesus died to obtain!