Sermon Cloud

My Role in the Church: 

Church’s Response to the Pastor’s Role

Hebrews 13:7, 17, 1 Tim. 5:17-19

Introduction

*              There was a new preacher moving his things into his new office and comes across the former pastor, taking his items out.  The former pastor says, "I left           three envelopes in your desk.  If you have any trouble, open them."  Well, of course the new preacher thinks he will never have to use them, but in his           youthful enthusiasm, he tries to change the order the kids march in        during Vacation Bible School.  Well, this makes the workers absolutely furious and there     is a lot of ugly talk about the new pastor.    He remembers the envelopes and opens the first one.  It says, "You haven't been here long, but you decided to         make a change in the Vacation Bible School; now everyone is mad.  Tell everyone that the former preacher had told you this was how you preferred to do         it."  So the young preacher did that and it worked well.

                He had been there about a year and a half when he tried to change the deacon position from being a life-long job to a position that rotated annually.  Well,        this made the deacons really mad, and they were the ones who made his salary recommendation.  So he went back to the drawer and got the second     envelope: "You did something to make the deacons mad and there's talk of replacing you.  Tell them this is the official denominational policy; that you          thought they wanted to comply, but it doesn't make you any difference what they do."  He tried this, and again it worked great.

                After three years, he finally told the women's organization that they were going to have to open the kitchen so that it could be used without a representative          from the women's group being present.  This put the women's organization in open revolt.  So he went back to that third and final envelope: "You've been           here about three years and you finally got the women's           organization mad.  The only thing to do is prepare three envelopes ..."

*              This joke is only an illustration of the relationship between the Pastors and the Church. 

*              As we learned last week the Pastor has many roles but the one role we discussed which is more important than all others is      the role of “preaching the Word.”

*              However, the Pastor can fulfill his role effectively, but the Church can make it difficult for Him if they don’t stay in their        role in response to the Pastor.

*              Therefore, what is the Church’s response to the role of the Pastor?

I.             The Church should respond by remembering their leaders who spoke the word of God to them and consider the outcome of                 their way of life (Heb. 13:7a).

                *              A young couple invited their elderly preacher for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal,                                 the minister asked their son what they were having. “Goat," the little boy replied.  "Goat?" replied   the startled man                                   of the cloth, "Are you sure about that?"  "Yep," said the youngster. "I heard Dad say to Mom, 'Today is just as good                                                 as any to have the old goat for dinner.'"

                *              That’s not what remembering your leader means.  In the Greek this is to remember not only the current leaders but                                   also those from the past.  Remembering your leaders mean to recall what God has done through them, their                                                               teachings, their ways, their faith and way of life, their counsel, their shepherding and their love. 

                *              Let’s remember the men God used in different ways to lay a foundation in the past that we are building on today                                    (1 Thess. 5:12-13).

                *              Remember your leaders and their ways and apply it to your life, your marriage and your family.

II.            The Church should respond by imitating their leader’s faith (Heb. 13:7b).

                *              This role suggests that the Pastor’s faith is commendable and worthy to imitate.  I know some Pastors whose faith is                                                 not worthy to imitate.  Their life is questionable, their family a mess and their ministry is weak.

                *              The word “imitate”, (Gr. mimeomai, mimeomai, 3401), means to “mimic”.

                *              (1 Cor. 4:16, 11:1)   My prayer is that I, along with my family, lead here at WOBC a faith that is worthy for you to                                 follow.

III.          The Church should respond by obeying their leaders so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no                 advantage to you (Heb. 13:17a).

                *              Why obey?  Because it makes the Pastor’s job a joy and not a burden (2 Cor. 2:2).  The happier you keep the                                           Pastor the more it benefits the church and the more the church burdens the Pastor the less it will benefit the church.

                *              A Pastoral Suggestion:  If you ever need to speak some bad or discouraging news to the Pastor concerning him or                                      his ministry or even negative about the church, never do it on a Sunday morning before the services-wait till later. 

                *              The greatest way to burden Pastors is with disobedience to his teachings, discouragement to his ministry, discord                                        and dissension in the church.  Did you know that:

                                *              1,500 pastors leave the ministry permanently each month in America.  Why?

                                *              Because 90% of pastors said the hardest thing about ministry is uncooperative people.

                                *              And 85% of pastors report that their biggest problem is dealing with abstinent elders, deacons,                                                                worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors.

                                *              And 50% of pastors are so discouraged they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other                                   way to make a living.

                *              Ask yourself this- If the Pastor is burdened down by the Church then who is left to lift up the church?

IV.          The Church should respond by submitting to their leader’s authority as they keep watch over you as men who must give an                 account (Heb. 13:17b).

                *              Submission today is such a negative word but it literally means “to yield.”

                *              Two reasons to submit:  1) The Church should submit, yield, because the Pastors represents the authority of God to                                 them.  You may not always agree with the Pastor but respect His position through yielding. 

                *              2) The Church is to yield because the Pastors are held accountable to God for you and watch over you (1 Peter                                         5:2-4). 

                *              Pastors have a serious responsibility and yielding from the Church glorifies the Lord.

V.            The Church should respond by giving Pastors double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching                                    (1 Tim. 5:17).

                *              Double honor is not a gift but something Pastors deserve. This double honor was conditional based upon if the                                           Pastor directed the affairs of the church “well”, and this double honor wasn’t for every elder, it was especially for                                      those whose duty was to preach and teach.

                *              Paul uses two illustrations one from the OT and NT to prove this “double honor.”  The OT quote "Do not muzzle the                                 ox while it is treading out the grain." Paul is drawing off an illustration used in Deut. 25:4. This was an OT law that                                    allowed the oxen who threshed the grain were entitled to eat of it. 

                *              Paul’s point is obvious.  God requires that animals who labored to provide physical food for others were to be fed.                                    How much more would He want faithful Pastors, who provide spiritual food to their flock, to be provided for?                                                   (1 Cor. 9:9-12).

                *              Another application of “not muzzling an ox while it’s treading out the grain” is if the Pastor is doing his job                                                 faithfully and fruit of ministry is evident, then leave him alone, let him lead, don’t discourage him at all.  This will                                     lead to even more fruit and blessing to the church from the Lord.

                *              The other quote is from Luke 10:7, "The worker deserves his wages."  With this quote he moved from an animal to a                                 servant.  The Bible insists that servants are to be paid well who direct and lead well. 

                *              John MacArthur said, “Not all elders (Pastors) will have the same burden of preaching and teaching.  Some                                          may preach and teach infrequently, some constantly.  Those whose ministry demands all their attention                                               should be freed from any need to earn a living and be cared for and even rewarded for their singular                                                   devotion.”

                *              Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:14-read

VI.          The Church should respond by not entertaining accusations against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses                      (1 Tim. 5:19)

                *              There was a parish that had a notorious reputation for spitting out their pastors. Every three years, the council would review their satisfaction with                       the current pastor, and invariably ask for his or her resignation. Pastor Smith was on pins and needles as the council meeting marking his third                                     anniversary drew near. He knew the Church's anti-clerical tradition, and he began to prepare for the worst. He was in consultation with his bishop                    over other call possibilities, should he have to make a change. He even contemplated leaving the pastorate.

                                The night of that dreaded council meeting, the lay president said, "Well, Pastor Smith, as you probably know, we have to ask you to step outside,                                    while we discuss some concerns among ourselves." With his heart palpitating, Pastor Smith waited for what seemed like forever.

                                Finally, the president invited him back in and to have a seat. "Pastor Smith, we've reviewed the past three years, and the council has unanimously                                            voted to renew your term as our pastor." "That's wonderful!" cried a relieved Pastor Smith. "But tell me, that' a first here for many, many years.                                     How did you come about to that decision?" "Well," replied the lay president, "if it were up to us we wouldn't have pastors at all. But as long as                                            the Church says we have to have one, we figured you're the closest thing we'll ever get to not having a pastor."

                *              One of the greatest things the church will be held accountable for is how they flippantly and carelessly speak about                                 Pastors.

                *              Too many times the Pastor may fail to please the church and rather going with two or three witnesses and addressing                                 the issue, they speak behind his back in public. 

                *              Paul used the word “accusation” (kategoria, categoria, 2724) which comes from a compound Greek word                                     that means (kata, cata) “against” and (agora, agora) “public meeting place”.

                *              The church’s role is to never entertain a public accusation about the Pastor that has no merit, instead the church is to                                                 gather two or three witnesses and investigate and confirm or deny the accusations. 

                *              If Pastors are guilty then they are to be rebuked publicly, and if not, then the church is to rebuke publicly those who                                                 brought the accusation.

                *              1 Sam. 24:5-7, Even though Saul was a wicked king David said he would not touch the Lord’s anointed, perhaps                                      that why David spoke the words of Psalm 105:15.

                *              It’s always dangerous to entertain accusations against the Pastor.  A Church should always bath these situations in                                 much prayer and approach in a biblical manner because the Pastor position is the Lord’s anointed.  If not approached                                 in this way the church always seems to suffer in some ways.

Conclusion

*              One of the greatest gifts God gives His church is the gift of a worthy man of God who will lead the church according to the                 Word of God.      

*              Pray for your pastors that God will use them, pray that God will give them wisdom, pray that God will speak through them,    and pray that God will lead His church by them.

*              Nothing glorifies the Father more than the right relationship between the church and the Pastor.