Identity of a Pastor

Recently I had to write a paper for the seminary about my understanding of who a pastor is, and what a pastor does, and I thought I would share bits of it on here.  Here’s the first part.

As the Apostle Paul traveled throughout the Mediterranean making disciples, baptizing believers and planting churches he exemplified what a New Testament, Spirit-filled pastor is. 

A pastor is, before anything else is, a servant of the Lord.  Paul writes in Romans 1:9 that, “God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son” and later in 2 Timothy 1:3, “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience.”  Often times a pastor will get pulled in many different directions by people within his ministry context (who all happen to have great ideas for your life), and there’s a tendency to forget that our first priority is to serve God.  “It is very difficult to do one thing (serve the Lord) when most of the people around us are asking us to do something quite different, especially when these people are nice, intelligent, treat us with respect, and pay our salaries.” [1]  A pastor should be able to distinguish that which is truly serving the Lord, and that which is serving someone else’s felt needs.  This takes shape differently for different people, but at the end of the day, we must be able to say as Paul did, “I thank God, whom I serve….with a clear conscience.”

            A pastor is like all other believers in that he is called to be a servant of the Lord, but is different than others in his community of believers, because a pastor is called specifically to be a shepherd to God’s people. To be sure, Jesus is the Chief Shepherd[2] who is the head of the church[3], builds His church,[4] and appoints called and qualified men to be under-shepherds who follow the Chief Shepherd and encourage other people to follow Jesus as well.  Peter describes the Lord’s desire for His under-shepherds in 1 Peter 5:1-4 by saying,

“To the elders (pastors)[5] among you, I appeal as a fellow elder (pastor)[6], a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who will also share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers– not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;  not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

 Because the role of a pastor or under-shepherd is such an enormous responsibility,[7] the Lord gives the Church qualifications that must be met over a long period of time before a man can be considered to fulfill the role of pastor.  In John 21, Jesus appears to Peter, after Peter had given up on himself, and Jesus asks him three times, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”  Peter responds, “Yes” and Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”  In essence Jesus is telling Peter to pastor His people, but notice that Jesus reaffirms Peter’s role in the ministry after Peter reaffirms his love and loyalty to Jesus.  Therefore, the most important ingredient, the most obvious qualification for pastoral work is a deep love and loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

In addition to love and loyalty to Jesus, the Bible lays out the qualifications for pastors in two key places (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), and since the lists are penned by the same author, and almost identical, lets simply look at 1 Timothy 3:1-7. 

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

In these seven verses the Apostle Paul details 17 qualifications of a Pastor-Elder, which breaks down into 4 categories. 1) Relation to God. 2) Relation to family. 3) Relation to self and 4) Relation to others.

            Relation to God

1. A man: a masculine leader
2. Above reproach: untarnished reputation
3. Able to teach: can effectively communicate the Gospel
4. Not a recent convert: mature, established Believer

Relation to Self

1. Sober-minded: mentally & emotionally stable individual
2. Self-controlled: temperate, able to master one’s own feelings
3. Not given to drunkenness: free from addictions
4. Not a lover of money: free from the bondage of money

Relation to Family

1. Husband of one-wife:  One-woman man. Honor’s his marriage covenant
2. Respect from children: successful father, has kids respect
3. Manages own family well: provides for, loves on, and leads

Relation to Others

1. Respectable: honorable, well-lived
2. Hospitable: lover of strangers, engages non-Christians
3. Not violent: even-tempered.  A peaceable man
4. Gentle: loving, gracious, patient
5. Not quarrelsome: peaceful attitude, non-contentious
6. Good reputation with outsiders: well thought of by non-Christians[8]

Not only does the Bible state qualifications for pastor-elders, but true under-shepherds will also have certain traits that exhibit Christ’s character:

1. True under-shepherds will exhibit dependence on the Holy Spirit.[9]  Jesus’ entire ministry was done by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.  He intends us to rely upon Him as well.
2. True under-shepherds will exhibit humility.[10] Jesus’ mode of preaching was quiet instruction, often times in small groups, with select men.  Not in loud proclamation, not by raising His voice in the streets. 
3. True under-shepherds will exhibit gentleness.[11] Jesus’ life was marked by empathy for the oppressed, gentleness when correcting, and encouraging the smallest amount of faith, and pastor’s life should be as well.
4. True under-shepherds will exhibit persistence. During His earthly life, Jesus experienced feeling tired[12] and troubled[13] but pressed into the ministry that was taking place around Him, and pastors must show persistence to be an effective minister.
5. True under-shepherds will exhibit instruction.[14] Jesus’ ministry included instruction in learning to become more proficient at living for the Lord in this world.  He intends for pastors to continue to instruct His people to live for Him.

In summary, a pastor is a servant of the Lord, and a shepherd of God’s people who meets the qualifications set forth in the Scriptures, and demonstrates Christ’s character.

 

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[1] Peterson, Eugene. Working the Angles. Pg. 11, Eerdmans, 1987

 

[2] 1Peter 5:4

[3] Col. 1:18, Eph. 1:22-23

[4] Matt. 16:18

[5] Elder, pastors, bishops, and overseers are synonymous words in the New Testament, Eph. 4:11, 1 Pet. 5:2

[6] Elder, pastors, bishops, and overseers are synonymous words in the New Testament, Eph. 4:11, 1 Pet. 5:2

[7] Hebrews 13:17; James 3:1

[8] Adapted from: Driscoll, Mark. On Church Leadership. Pg. 15-16, Crossway, 2008

[9] John 20:21-22

[10] 2 Cor. 4:5

[11] Matthew 11:29

[12] John 4:6

[13] John 12:27

[14] Matthew 11:29

Medford: Growth & the Gospel

I’m not going to lie, I absolutely love Medford.  It’s where I grew up, attending Howard Elementary, Hedrick Jr. High and for the first 3 years of high school, North Medford.  I never really considered moving away from the Rogue Valley, because I always knew I would want to move back.

Last night I was reading an article in the Medford MailTribune that said by the year 2040 Medford’s population would almost double.  You can find the article here.   A consulting firm in Eugene figures that by 2040 there will be around 133,397 living within Medford and approximately 306,421 living in Jackson County. 

As I started to think about those numbers, and the significant growth that’s expected, I started to wonder what could Christians as individuals, and Christian churches be doing now in anticipation of this growth?  How can we strategically use our time, enegry, and resources now, so as growth in Medford occurs, the faithful proclamation of the Gospel will grow as well?

So I put the question to you, bloggers: What can we as individuals, and as a church do now in anticipation of this great opportunity for Kingdom work?

Pastor Travis

Being on Mission

I’ve been reading Wayne Cordeiro’s book, Doing Church as a Team and Cordeiro reminds us that we should partner with God and join His mission to reach the community in which God has placed us (Acts 17:26-27).  Cordeiro states, “The Bible says, “The Lord is…not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentence” (2 Pet. 3:9). And if He truly does love them and wants to reach them with the Gospel, then what would be the very best way to do that? 

Through a pastor?  Possibly, but that may not be the most ideal.  What’s the best way to reach teachers?  It seems to me the best way would be through another teacher.  So what does God do?  He takes full-time ministers (which we all are) and disguises them as teachers!  Yup!  He takes saints like you and me, and He gives them gifts and a passion to be the best teachers they can be.  Then He sends them into the school system where they can reach other educators (and students and parents) with God’s love.

How does God reach poice officers? He takes full-time ministers and disguises them as poice officers.  He gives them the necessary gifts, passions and credentials, and He assigns them to police departments all over the nation. 

How does He reach construction workers?  He takes full-time ministers and disguises them as construction works.  He gives them the gifts and passions, makes them strong and hairy (excluding female workers, of course!) and He puts them to work at construction sites throughout every city.

God’s full-time ministers are everywhere!  We are all ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20).  We are all ministers (Eph. 4:11-12).  Each one of us–not just pastors and evangelists–is called to represent Him in the world.”

Catch what Cordeiro is saying….the influence you have with your peers, co-workers, and fellow-laborers is a gift God has given you to use to minister on His behalf!  You may think, “I want authority to speak into their lives,” but the truth is authority without influence is practially useless.  Pastors have authority, but if they don’t have genuine influence their words fall on deaf ears. 

God has gifted you to work in the area in which you do, and He has given many of you influence…which means when you speak, your peers and co-workers listen. 

What should we do then?

Pray to the Lord Jesus to continue to increase your influence, not necessairly your authority.

Pray to the Lord that you would start seeing your place of work as part of His mission to reach our community.

Pray that the Lord would open up opportunities to speak about Him and His goodness.

Pray that when the opportunities arise, you will step up to the plate, and speak the words He has given you.

Is It Okay To Be Angry With God?

Daylon was a young man, 25 years old.  He was intelligent, passionate, fun-loving and kind.  He was also deeply in love with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He wasn’t perfect, but Daylon may have been the closest I’ve seen to perfection.  He was a certified pilot instructor, and was training to be a missionary pilot, who would fly into remote areas with supplies and aid for fellow missionaries.  While helping a friend fly a plane to a customer, something went wrong with the aircraft and they crashed over central Arizona. 

When the phone call came to our family that Daylon’s plane had crashed and that he and the other pilot were dead, the news hit us hard.  It was as if someone repeatedly punched us in the gut, only worse. Here was a young man that had so much promise, so much potential to do great things, and his life on earth was over. We walked around in disbelief for hours, and then began to mourn our loss.  My uncle and aunt had lost their precious son.  Our cousins had lost their brother.  We would never see him again, or hear his laugh this side of eternity. We were and still are heart-broken.

In the days that followed Daylon’s death our family received many kind phone calls, emails, and encouraging words, to which we were thankful, but we also had several well-meaning people tell us, “It’s okay to be angry with God.” 

Each time someone told one of our family members this, we made sure to look them in the eye and say to them, “It’s actually not okay to be angry with God.  It’s never okay to be angry with God.”  As our family suggested to different people, “it’s not okay to be angry with God” you could see their eyebrows furrow and they gave us skeptical looks, as if we had gone off the deep end.

What caused them to think it was okay to be angry with God, I wondered?  As I thought about this, I started to notice this idea is everywhere.  Country artist Alan Jackson sings about it in “Sissy’s Song.”[1] New York Times Best-selling novel, The Shack details one man’s anger at God over the death of his young daughter. Movies such as Signs teach us that it is perfectly acceptable to be angry with God.  

What assumptions do people carry around with them that haven’t been examined enough which would lead them to believe that it’s okay to be angry with God? 

There are at least two basic assumptions that many people make that would cause them to think it’s okay to be angry with God, and which would lead them to believe that if you don’t think it’s okay to be angry with God then you’re crazy!

First off, many people assume that feelings don’t matter. Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are.  Therefore, if feelings are neutral, than anger at God or anyone else for that matter is neither right nor wrong.  Feelings, they would argue aren’t something that you can control, they just come and go, like tides upon on ocean shore and if they just come and go than they are not moral or immoral, again they just are.  This is probably why people thought we had gone off the deep end when we told them, “It’s not okay to be angry with God.”

To many, a feeling could only be considered wrong if acted upon in such a way as to hurt another person.  This is why many people assume it’s not wrong to be angry at God; because it’s only a feeling, and if it’s only a feeling you can’t ascribe morality to it.

However the Scriptures teach that our thoughts and feelings actually do matter to God.  Within the pages of the Scriptures feelings are both morally good and morally bad depending on how they cause us to think about the Lord.  If they remind us that the Lord is faithful, true and trustworthy than they are morally good, however if they lead us to believe God is anything but faithful, true and trustworthy than they are morally bad.  In fact, Scripture commands that we love the Lord (Psalm 31:23), delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), rejoice and be glad in the Lord (Psalm 32:11) and hope in the Lord (Psalm 33:20).  These feelings are morally good because they provoke in us thoughts that cause us to trust the Lord in a deeper way, and find our satisfaction in His presence!  On the flip side to “delight in lies” (Psalm 62:4), or to “have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:12) is morally wrong because it causes us to think that something, in this case sin, is more satisfying than God, which is blatantly false.

The second assumption that many people have is that God’s not really in control.  Many people believe that God created the world, got it going and then left it to its own devices, like a boy playing with a spinning top. We watch young people we love die, we witness marriages collapse under the most terrible conditions, and we observe older people die slow, painful deaths.  It breaks our heart, it crushes our spirit.  When disaster or tragedy occurs on a national or personal level many assume God’s not aware or is indifferent to the situation.  Which would mean He doesn’t care about what He created, and if He doesn’t care about us, why should we care about Him, thus making it easy to be angry with God.  But this isn’t the case. The Scriptures repeatedly reveal that God is in control over His creation and actively involved in the affairs of humanity.  Psalm 135:5-7 declares, “I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.  The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lighting with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.”  Even the smallest events in the life of humans is directed by the Lord Himself: Not even one sparrow “will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father” (Matthew 10:29). And again, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33).  The truth is God is sovereign, which means He is in control over every aspect of His creation, both the world and its people.  The world is not spinning out of control; God is at work right now behind the scenes working all things together for good, even the things that cause us immense pain.  “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25)

If you think it’s okay to be angry with God what you’re really saying is you trust your finite mind and your personal feelings more than God’s infinite mind and God’s character, which is why it’s never okay to be angry with God. 

Now I want to make sure you’re hearing what I’m saying, and not hearing what you want to hear. I’m not saying you’re not going to experience heartache and pain, you will. I’m not saying to stuff your feelings and live hypocritically as if life isn’t difficult and sin hasn’t marred humanity, it has. I’m not even saying you can’t faithfully wrestle with God; asking Him why He would allow such things to happen, you can. What I am saying though is it is wrong for any human at any point to be angry at God for any of His decisions: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments (Revelation 16:7).

Well what do we do if we find we are angry at God?  Simply admit it. He knows it anyway; you’re not hiding it from Him.  He knows our hearts.  If we are angry at God, we might as well tell Him, and ask Him to forgive us, and pray the He might give us “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7) which will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus and also pray that He will help us keep our eyes on Him instead of on our circumstances.

The Good News is that when Jesus died upon the Cross He completely removed the wrath of God for those who trust in Him. This means when God looks at those who have faith in Jesus all He has for us is His mercy and grace.  He received the wrath we deserved; we receive the life He lived!  There may be times when we cry out to the Lord in pain and heartache, angry at sin and Satan, but continuing to have faith in the Lord, because we trust Him and His eternal plan more than our limited understanding. 

 

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[1] Loved ones she left behind/Just trying to survive /And understand the why/Feeling so lost inside/Anger shot straight at God…

What’s the Gospel?

First, let me start off with what the Gospel isn’t. Often times, by defining what something isn’t, you get a clearer, richer picture of what it actually is.

The Gospel is not simply a get out of hell card. It’s true you will not go to Hell if you genuinely give your life to Christ, but it’s so much more than that; it’s about being united with Christ, and learning to live like Jesus.

The Gospel is not sage advice from a by-gone era; it is real news, of a real event that has shaped human history. The profound news of the gospel is that God has become a part of his own creation. He has become human and defeated evil and death.

The Gospel is not about what you can get from Jesus. A lot of people think that if they accept the Gospel, they will get all these earthly blessings. In essence, they see Jesus as a Pinata, and Christianity as the stick, and they want to see what they can get out of Jesus! People think, “If I pray, than I get that big flat-screen TV, or that new house, or a better job, or a better spouse, that fulfills all my sexual desires”…that’s not the Gospel. The Glory of the Gospel, the riches of the Gospel is that you get Jesus! He’s the reward!

Well, what’s the Gospel? Good question, I’m glad you asked.

There is One God; He is the creator of the Heavens and Earth. He created us in His image both male and female, and gave us dignity, value and purpose. He made us to worship Him in a perfect relationship, and we choose to rebel against Him, and choose to put ourselves in His place, and as a result we are separated from God. God then sent His Son, Jesus Christ on a rescue mission, to come to earth to rescue the very people that rejected Him. Jesus thus was born of a virgin, fully God, fully man, the God-man. He lived a perfect life, without sin. He lived the life we were supposed to, in obedience to the Father, in step with the Spirit. He then went to the Cross to take our place, and die the death we deserved. When Jesus went to the Cross, He willingly took upon Himself the sins of humanity, all of them, past, present, and future. Jesus Christ then died on the Cross, in my place, for my sins, and purchasing my salvation. Jesus’ dead body was then laid in a tomb, and for 3 days He was buried, and on the 3rd day, God raised Him from the dead, and in so doing defeated, Satan, sin and death, and those who put their faith in Him will also. He then commissioned us by the Holy Spirit to be missionaries of this amazing news that there is a God who loves us, and pursues us, and willingly died for us. Jesus then ascended to Heaven where He is alive and at-large; calling people into repentance and genuine faith. This is the Gospel!

The good news of the Gospel is the moment you repent of your sins, and put genuine faith in Christ; He forgives you of your sins, and gives you His righteousness! He gives you this new life, a life of learning to think and feel, and live and love people like Jesus!

Miracles, Rationalism and the Resurrection

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Latest teaching from Acts 9:32-43.

Transformed By Grace

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Latest Teaching from the Book of Acts

JD Greear, wrote this on his blog, and I wanted to share it with you.

The Four Most Important Things I Believe About The Gospel

1. Gospel is spelled “d-o-n-e,” not “d-o”. The word “Gospel” implies an event that has already been done, not something we must go and do. The Gospel is not, then, primarily about what we are to go and do for God, but about what God has done for us. The Gospel is good news, not good advice.

2. The core message of that good news is that God saves sinners. From start to finish, it is all God’s work, not ours.

3. Christ saved us by substituting for us. He lived the life we were supposed to have lived, and died the death we were condemned to die. Whatever “metaphor” you choose for salvation–justification, redemption, cleansing, defeat of the evil powers–substitution is the core of it. For example, Christ’s blood cleanses us… but how? Because He substituted for us and absorbed the curse, corruption and condemnation for sin.

4. “The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”

Philip: The Evangelist

In Acts 8, Philip, one of the seven Hellenistic Jewish Christians that the Apostles appointed to deal with the distribution of food was forced out of Jerusalem because of the persecution that Saul of Tarsus was creating.  So Philip went to Samaria and started communicating the message of Jesus there, and all these stinking Samaritans started getting saved to the shock of the Jerusalem church.

The Jerusalem church, needing some eyewitness confirmation that Samaritans are getting saved, send Peter and John to Samaria to check it out.  Peter and John show up, see that the Lord has in fact been at work in Samaria, lay their hands on those who had been baptized and they receive the Holy Spirit. 

So here’s Philip with this growing Body of Believers, with this tremendous responsibility to lead, nurture, strengthen and equip these Believers.  He seemed to be utterly indispensable.  Yet it was at precisely this moment when the Lord called him to leave the area, and go to a desert road.  Amazingly, Philip didn’t put up an argument.  He didn’t say, “Lord, I’m doing great things for you here in Samaria.”  He made himself available for whatever the Lord wanted him to do. 

Sometime later we read that Philip meets up with, guides and baptizes an Ethiopian eunuch who was returning from worshipping the Lord in Jerusalem. The account between The Evangelist and The Eunuch is a fascinating account, but if you want to be an effective witness, if you want to be a Philip—someone who is effective in sharing the Gospel wherever the Lord leads you, please take notice of what Philip did; it’s a great model for us.

1. Philip was sensitive to God’s leading! (Verse 26)  Here he was in the midst of an amazing work in Samaria, witnessing all sorts of new beginnings and hundreds of lives being changed.  But God called him out in the middle of a desert wasteland—and Philip had the sensitivity to go where God led.  Amazing.  By the way, you will find that there is a direct correlation between having the mind steeped and saturated with Scripture and being sensitive to the voice of the Spirit.
2. Philip was available. (Verse 27) Philip left immediately after having received the Call.  Availability is sensitivity’s twin.  You can’t have one without the other. Sometimes we forget this, but everyone thinks about God.  We need to be prepared and available to talk about Him. Keep praying for opportunities to talk about the Lord.
3. Philip started where the man was, but he guided him to Jesus! (Verses 31-35).  When you get into conversations with people, begin with what is on their mind.  Listen well; even ask questions, before you start talking.  Let them talk until they begin to ask questions, then you can guide them….but guide them right to Jesus.  Focus on the personal relationship with Christ.  I gotta tell you one of the worst things about being a pastor is hearing other pastors…I’ll turn on the radio or the TV and I’ll hear sermons on 7 ways to gain wealth, or 9 steps to a better marriage, or 4 steps to have obedient pets.  But at the end of the day people need to hear about Jesus and what He has done by taking our place on the Cross.  In your conversations guide people to Jesus.
4. Philip used the Scriptures! (Verse 35) The passages you know will be the ones you use—so the more you know, the more effective you can be. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
5. Philip encouraged him to trust the Lord, and trusted the Lord himself. (Verses 36,38) Philip obviously encouraged this man to trust the Lord with his life, which is why he was ready to be baptized Often times though, when we witness we sense that the situation is not ripe for a response, so we end up hoping that someday this person will be led to Christ, which is the right thing for us to hope, but we must trust the Lord to oversee the follow-up.  The follow-up may be through you, it may not be through you, but trust the Lord is at work in that person’s life.

TV Antenna’s and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

My wife and I recently bought the TerkTV55 digital antenna so we could watch more TV.  Great idea, right?  So after getting the antenna shipped to us, we pulled it out of the box and hooked it up as quickly as possible, because football season is upon us!  It works beautifully. We now have more TV channels than we have had in the past 7 years.  I was able to watch two football games last week!  How cool is that?

What’s interesting though, is now my wife is always telling people how much they NEED the TerkTV55 digital antenna.  She’s on Facebook telling her friends about it.  She mentioned it to someone at the grocery store.  She’s a walking/talking advertistment.   If someone were to say, “Gas is eating away at our montly budget.”  Trea would probably respond by saying, “You need the TerkTV55 antenna so that you don’t have to drive to the movies.”  Lost your dog in a terrible combine accident?  ”No problem, buy the TerkTV55 and build a new relationship with Lassie through re-runs.”  Trea is so satisfied with the antenna that she can’t help but tell everyone about it. 

Trea didn’t need to learn techniques or gimmicks to be able to effectively tell her friends about the antenna….she willingly told them because it made a difference in our lives, albeit small. Why is it then, that Christians have such a hard time telling others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  Fear? Rejection? Not sure what to say?  My guess is that many Christians simply don’t know how great their faith in Jesus Christ really is.  They take alot of things for granted, and they don’t spend enough time in the Word or in worship to know just how great a salvation we possess.

The good news is you don’t need to learn the latest techniques or the latest fad, or learn the ”spiritual sounding voice” to be effective for the Kingdom; you simply need to be so impressed with the Lord Jesus and what He has done that you can’t help but tell others what a difference He has made in your life.   We need Him to fill up our minds and hearts so that wherever we go we proclaim in word and deed His effect upon our lives.