Your Pastor's job.

If you were to ask yourself or your congregation what you Pastor's job is what answers would you get? I imagine you would get answers like this:

1. His job is to win the lost and get people to church.
2. Visit people.
3. Answer my questions.
4. Come to my aide anytime I need him.
5. Be at the hospital when our members are in there.
6. Do weddings and funerals.

And you can add the many things I left out. Many of these things are needed to be done but lets look at what the Bible says:

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Ok now let me pick out the things the pastor is suppose to do:

1. Equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

The pastor is to prepare the saints(which is you if you are a believer) to do the work of the ministry! WHAT? That's right the pastor is not to do it ALL! He is to train us to do the work! That should shake many off their rocker!

2. For the edifying of the body of Christ. Our work in the ministry will build up the church! When we all work together amazing things happen! It build all up!~

3.The pastor teaches us until: till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

Unity, perfection, and fullness are all a continuing process so the pastor will continue to teach us until Jesus comes or we die first!

4.The pastor teaches so: that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

We won't be drawn away by man to the ways of the world!

5.The pastor teaches us:   but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

He tells us the truth in love even when it hurts! So we may grow up (mature) in Christ!

6. The pastor teaches us:  from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

We have a responsibility! To do our part in the ministry building and serving in love!

So what part of ministry do you own? The pastor is to lead not do all! Think on this today as it is straight from God's Word!

Tom

Me Monster!

If you enjoy clean comedy check this clip out:






Why are we so selfish? If you think about it the very first sin started from selfishness! Eve wanted to be like God~!



Genesis 3:1-6



3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.



Have you ever thought about that? Our lives are consumed with me, me, me! We are starting a new study at church called "Seven daily sins" by Jared Wilson. Some of these thoughts this morning are coming from this study. In the study Jared says this Me Monster has a name and it is Pride. Jesus had an answer for pride:



Luke 9:23

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.



If we deny selves and put Jesus first in everything I can promise you pride will not be a factor! Christ humbles us when we put Him first.



Pride is basically self-worship. Look at how Satan tempted Jesus:



Matthew 4:1-11

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,



‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.



I want you to notice a couple of things here of how this temptation of Jesus and the temptation of Eve have in common.



1. Satan told Jesus to turn stones to bread, Satan tempted eve with the fruit. Both events appealed to the appetite. Satan is good at tempting us with things that appeal to our appetite both physically and mentally.(Not just food either!)



2. Satan tempted Jesus to call the angels to appeal to His deity. Satan tempted Eve to "be like God". Again we are me oriented so if we think we can be like God, we want to go for it!



3. Satan tempted Jesus with the kingdoms of the world and their appeal. Satan tempted Eve with the fruit which was "delightful to look at". Oh aren't we a coveting kind of people? We want what the world has to offer!



Notice how Jesus countered Satan's offers, He quoted scripture! This once again shows the importance of knowing God's Word! Pride tells us "I am God and can do whatever I want." The scriptures show us God is God and we are nothing before Him. But He loves us and the truth will set us free!



So think on this some today. Does the Me Monster of Pride have a hold on you? Think before you answer because it may have more of a hold on you than you can imagine!



Tom

Excitement!

So many deer hunters won't be able to sleep tonight. Tomorrow is opening day of bow season here in Tennessee. I get a little excited myself, but trust me I will be able to sleep! Many things in life bring excitement into our lives. Think about your own life and what really gets your heart pumping? Thinking on this it made me think about my excitement for the Lord. Jesus is the greatest part of my life. Do I get excited about serving Him? Do I get excited about telling others about Him? Do I get excited to go to church every time the doors are open? Do I get excited about reading His love letter to me...the Bible? Do I get excited to be able to talk to Him in prayer? All these are questions we need to ask ourselves. If we are not excitied about these we need to find out why!



Hebrews 11:16

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.



Get excited my friends about the King of Kings.....Jesus!



Tom

What are your priorities?

The Holy Spirit has a plan for you today. You have a plan for today. So who wins out? If our lives are in tune with God the answer is easy...the Holy Spirit. But if we are not in tune with God self will win out. Being on fire for God takes so much discipline and self denial. Think about this question, What if you knew today was your last day on earth? How would you sum up your ministry for the Lord? Would others have any doubt you are a follower of Christ? How much of God's Word have you learned? How much regret would you look back on your life about? All these have to do with our priorities. How did you do on answering these?



One of the most important jobs of a believer is sharing the good news of Jesus. Paul summed up the importance with these words:



Acts 20:26

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.



2 Timothy 4:6-8

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.



I wish I could say that! I know I have let witnessing opportunities slip through my fingers many times. I will answer for that one day. Those days my priorities were in the wrong place! I am working for the Lord now but I must let the Holy Spirit lead me and not miss out on the race set before me! I just want to remind you here that our job is not to convert people, only God can do that, our job is to share the gospel so folks have the opportunity to be saved!



I want to encourage you this morning to examine your priorities in your life right now. Are you a faithful servant of God? God wants us to give our all not just half-hearted service to him. It is our choice!



2 Chronicles 16:9A

9A. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.



Tom

Cheer up and be courageous!

Life is tough, no doubt about that. There have been many days where it seems the world was crashing down on me. As I have grown in Christ though I have found no greater joy than serving Him! I like to hunt and fish but there is NOTHING comparable to serving Jesus. We are programmed like that. We are made to have a relationship with God and serve Him. That is why we are most content when worshiping and serving Jesus.



When working for Christ we will have difficult times as we have talked about recently. But we must be bold and continue you on! Paul is a great example for us:



Acts 23:1-11



23 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”

5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”

10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.

11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”



Chances are we will never face the stuff Paul did but we will face things that are difficult when telling others about Jesus, may we take the words Jesus told Paul..."be of good cheer.....you must also bear witness"! In other words you are doing great Paul, continue the good work!



Cheer up my friends, be bold, and fight the good fight!



Tom

On fire for God...the devil is coming!

One thing we learn very quickly in the Christian life is that if you are on fire for God, the devil is coming to try and put that fire out! Look at the book of Acts. Over and over again the disciples worked for God through the Holy Spirit and time and time again the devil worked through people to arrest, beat and even kill the disciples to try and put the fire of the Holy Spirit out! Be ready....opposition will come!



2 Timothy 3:12

12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.



It is not a question of will persecution happen but when. Now chances are for us, we will not be killed for our faith in our communities but we will be ridiculed, questioned, and even mocked when are are faithful to God's call and His work. Matter of fact I say if you want to know if you are on fire for God, look at your life and see if you have faced any opposition lately, if not, are you really sharing Jesus and trying to win the lost for Christ?



Here are 3 reasons we should be thankful for persecution! Yes I said thankful!



1. Persecution is a blessing.



Matthew 5:11-12

11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.



Nothing more to be said here! Think on this!



2. Persecution is a purifier.



It separates those who are faithful to the end and who are not! In the early church, persecution strengthend believers and those who were fake or weak ran for the hills! Trial by fire will purify you!



3. Persecution reminds us of who we are in Christ!



When we are being abused or made fun of for Jesus sake, standing upon His Word, it should be a reminder to you that you are on the right track! Christ suffered and told us we would to on His behalf. Just remember this life in a vapor but life on the other side is for eternity!



Romans 8:18

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.



2 Corinthians 4:17

17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,



Oh my brothers and sisters don't let Satan put your fire out for Jesus, we want all saved for God's glory! What we face in trials on this side will be nothing compared to the glory that lies on the other side!



Tom

Discipling others.

Last time we met we looked at sharing the gospel with others and how God expects us to do that. One thing that happens too much in churches today is stopping with leading someone to Christ. Our job is not done at that point. Then we MUST disciple that person. Some may ask what is discipling? In a nut shell, it is teaching others how to live a christian life. It is not just teaching alone, it is encouraging, supporting, and praying with that person you led to Christ. Many who do not get discipling will drift away from the church...this is a must!



Look at Acts 9:9-19 as it tells us a very important part of Paul's conversion:



Acts 9:10-19



10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”

And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”

13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.



Why do you think Paul spent some days with the disciples? For some training! To be discipled! If it was important for Paul it is important for all! New believers need role models on how the Christian life is to be lived.



One warning to those who are discipling others, be sure you are walking right with the Lord yourself! If you are living a wayward life you are not going to be a good example to someone else!



One encouragement, you will be empowered as you see the growth in the one you are discipling!



So let us be bust about the Lord's work He has for each one of us...winning souls and then discipler the new believer!



Tom