Preachers, Pastors, & Participants

Introduction

In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 11, the Apostle Paul said, I’ve learned in whatever situation I am, therewith to be content. We’ve been studying that in our class in the auditorium, and I suppose today we’re getting a test on whether that’s really what we have learned ourselves. The temperature in the auditorium is not as maybe we would wish. But you know, I can remember sometimes back when we didn’t have the air conditioning, it was even worse. And I’m thankful that we have what we do have. And I hope that you’ll be able to overcome the situation that is so hot and be able to listen and study with me tonight. And before I get started, I’d like to also tell you that if you’re studying in the auditorium class with us, that on Wednesday night, our lesson will begin with a study of the letter to the Thessalonian, 1 Thessalonians, and then after that, 2nd Thessalonians.

And there, since it’s the introductory lesson, the introduction to the letter to the Thessalonians, there’s an outline for that study on the table in the foyer. So if you uh are a member of that class would like to pick up one, perhaps it will help you even in preparing for the class Wednesday night. And also, by way of introduction to the lesson tonight, I might tell you that, Lord willing, I’m supposed to be speaking in Birmingham area two weeks from today, congregation on the west side called Huey Town. It’s a congregation where Arlene and I and our three oldest children moved there. Two oldest children, really. Amy was born there back in 1964. And of course, we’ve had a relationship and fellowship with them for over 40 years.

They supported us fully when we went and lived in Australia, in fact. So a lot of good relationships that I’m looking forward to reacquainting with. But the elders there have asked me to preach a particular lesson that Sunday morning. Brother Jim Jonas has been with them for the last few years and just recently has moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area at the Embry Hills. And so they are currently looking for a man who would come and work with them as a gospel preacher. So the elders said, We want you to preach a lesson about the work of preachers and the congregation’s response, what it ought to be to preachers. And so that’s really what I’m going to do tonight is sort of try it out. And I invite your constructive criticism.

If you can help me sort of polish this and make it even more effective. Or if it is effective, I’d like to hear from you because at this point it’s what I’m going to try to say Sunday morning, two weeks from today. I titled it Preachers, Pastors and Participants. And started to call it preachers, pastors, and Christians. But I remembered a time when I was in a service where there was a large number of preachers who were present, and the statement was made there are more preachers here than there are Christians. And I didn’t like that designation because I counted myself as a Christian also. But I also think that there is a sense in which we are participants. So I call it preachers, pastors, and participants.

1. What Kind of Preacher Do You Want?

There are three things that I want you to consider with me tonight. First of all, the question, what kind of preacher do you want? The second question is, what kind of pastor does God want. And then the third, of course, is what is the proper role of a member of the church who is neither preacher nor pastor. Well, the first question is pretty simple. You know, we ask the question, what kind of preacher do you want? And I began to make a list that I think is pretty common. Probably most people say, well, we want an excellent Bible student. We don’t want a beginner. We want one who’s capable of answering false doctrine and teachers and who’s able to give meat to the church. And we certainly want to be able to preach good sermons.

We we want to be able to cover any Bible topic, whether it’s deep or shallow, and to do so within 20 to 30 minutes. We want a man who is a good personal worker. He’ll make new contacts and teach home Bible classes. We want a man who will certainly visit the sick, who’ll make regular visits to the hospital and the shut ins, and really to all who need encouragement. We want a man who certainly welcomes newcomers. He he makes them feel welcome and at home with the congregation. He’s outgoing. And we certainly want a man who is willing to encourage weak members. If one begins missing the worship, he’s going to visit them. And he’ll reason with them about the danger to their eternal life, and he’ll encourage them to be zealous in Christ.

And when we we want a preacher who really is able to counsel the trouble. He has a willing ear and hand to assist in various problems, marriage problems, to comfort the grieving, to assist in handling other distressing situations that might arise in a person’s life. And we certainly want him to work. And to work steadfastly. He should be interested in the salvation of souls and not just the paycheck. He’s going to work all hours of any day and seek out ways to reach the lost. And really, that’s pretty noble, I think, when you say that these are qualities, and you may add the list if you think of something else, I’d be happy for you to tell me about it. But I would say that these are good qualities.

And frankly, if he’s an excellent Bible student who preaches good sermons, he’s going to preach the word. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the young preacher Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, verses 2 through 5, he said, Preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. What an exhortation for preachers.

1 Corinthians chapter 2, he and early in the epistle said, I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I’m with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and the power that your faith should stand, should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So really, when we talk about this kind of preacher that we just described, he’s surely going to be the kind of man who preaches this message, Christ and Him crucified.

Really, when you read the sermons in Acts, for example, in Acts chapter 2, the sermon that is recorded as spoken from Peter. Or you go to Acts chapter 7, the sermon that is recorded as spoken by Stephen. Or even in Acts chapter 17, where Paul preached it at Athens. These sermons all call men and women to a higher life. Challenges them to a high standard of morality. They certainly all had a higher and more noble theme than mere social change. What the preaching of the gospel was, as we read in the New Testament, was a message that indeed called men how to be delivered from sin. They were messages that called them to the glory of serving God. Now, indeed, they taught men how to be good and righteous and morally right.

But there’s more to being saved and serving God than just being morally good. And so they preached the kind of sermons that were more than just speeches. They were speeches with eternal implications. Every sermon you read in the New Testament was of that nature. Frankly, the kind of preacher that we read about in the Bible always preached a distinctive message. I’m afraid that many who call themselves preachers today preach a kind of a watered down type of sermon. We’ve been taught today in our society to be tolerant. You don’t have to be ugly, and I’m not suggesting that any man ought to be self-righteous in his presentation, but there is a need to be distinctive. It does make a difference what we believe.

He said, I marvel, I’m amazed that you’re so soon removed from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we preach, let him be accursed. It makes a difference what we preach. They were teaching some doctrine, or there were some people who were teaching a different way to be saved than what the gospel taught, and that’s why Paul said, I’m amazed that you’ve been led astray by them. It’s a perverted gospel. In fact, Jesus himself made it very clear in Matthew 7 21, when he said, Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

It makes a difference what we believe. So we we need a preacher who preaches the word, preaches Christ and him crucified, preaches a distinctive message. He preaches a message that stands the test. What do we mean by that? In 1 John chapter 4 and in verse 1, the apostle, at a time when there were certainly some false teachers even among the Lord’s people, he said, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they be of God. For many false prophets are gone out into the world. Just because a man brings a Bible and says, I’m a preacher, doesn’t mean he’s preaching Christ and him crucified as we read in the Bible. We need to test. Is he really giving us book, chapter, and verse?

Is there really spiritual preaching that is based upon the authority of God’s word? In fact, one of the fearful passages of the Bible, I think, is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, where verses 13 and 14, the apostles spoke how that there would be false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves from the apostles of Christ. He went on to say, No marvel, for Satan himself also is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose ends shall be according to their works. He said, There’s going to be some preachers who are really servants of the devil, but they’re going to come like they’re preachers of righteousness. They’ll have a Bible and they’ll preach a lot of truth.

But they’ll preach with it enough era to condemn the souls. So really, when we look at a preacher that we find in the New Testament, we find that he was not simply taking that role because it’s a job to have, but rather because it is a life. He is willing to give his life to the service of the Lord. And all of these qualities, and more could be said, are certainly involved in the role of a preacher. When we understand that, we can say, well, look at the terms by which he described in the Bible. In 1 Timothy 4 and verse 6, Timothy was described as a minister. The word minister simply means to be a servant. It’s really translated from the same word, diakonos, that for which deacon is found.

He’s a servant. He ministers unto, he serves others. Jesus said, I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister unto others. And so it’s in that same idea of the word. But he’s also called an evangelist. We just read 2 Timothy 4 and verse 5. Do the work of an evangelist. You know, sometimes when I’ve used the term and people say, What do you do? And I say, Well, how many evangelists? You know what their first thought is? Oh, he’s a traveling preacher. They never think about an evangelist as being someone who actually would work with a local congregation over a period of time. But we read in the New Testament that Philip was an evangelist. But in Acts chapter 8, he went to Caesarea in Acts 21 and 9, he’s still there over some 20 to 25 years.

He’s been in Caesarea. Or Paul stayed in Ephesus for some three years. Or Timothy, even who was left after Paul left there. So an evangelist is simply one of the literal meaning is he proclaims the gospel. The Greek word Unileon for gospel. He is an evangelist or a gospel speaker. And then, of course, he’s called a preacher. How should they hear except they have a preacher, Romans 10 14. And it wasn’t just talking about somebody standing in the pulpit like this, but in that particular verse, one who was inspired, who began to proclaim the word, but a preacher speaks forth the inspired word of God. These are terms by which this role or work is described in the New Testament. Interestingly, though, he may not be a pastor.

2. The Pastor, a Shepherd of the Flock

Now when you say that to the denomination where that sort of raises eyebrow, where you be? You know, more often than not, people in the religious world say, Uh, are you a pastor? And you know, for years I’d say no. I happen to have accepted that role now in this congregation, but but most of the years I would not be qualified to be what the Bible calls a pastor, a shepherd of the flock. You know, that word is really found only one time in the Bible in the New Testament. It’s Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11. Actually, the word pastor is the Latin form of a Greek word that is more often translated shepherd. It just happens to be the Latin form of that same Greek word.

In Ephesians 4.11, where he’s describing the gifts that God has given for the perfecting of the church, he said he gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. Now, the very terminology of that verse is there’s a difference between evangelists and pastors. Not all evangelists are pastors. There’s a difference between the two. In fact, there are three Greek words that describe the role of a pastor. He’s also called an elder or a presbyter. And Acts chapter 20, and in verse 17, the apostle Paul, when he called the elders of Ephesus. Now the term elders is used in verse 17. Speaking of these same men, in verse 28, he said, Take heed unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops or an overseer.

And then the word to feed, or literally the verb form of the word pastor or shepherd, to shepherd the flock of God. Those three words are also found in 1 Peter chapter 5, where Paul, where Peter said, The elders which are among you, I exhort whom also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also partaker of the glory that shall be revealed, feed, or pastor the flock of God, which is among you. Now who’s he talking to? The elders. What’s their work to shepherd or pastor the flock which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, the bishopric thereof. And he says, Not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready man, neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being in samples of the flock.

And then you get the same word in verse 4, when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. These words really describe what they are. They’re older, mature men in the faith, elder, spiritually mature. That their role is to watch for the well-being of the congregation. That that false doctrine not be taught there. That they’re familiar with the scriptures so that they can guard the church against wolves that might come in among the flock. There is a shepherd, and a shepherd, uh, while we don’t have a lot of sheep or flock around our area. If you’ve ever uh studied about one or been around one, you know that the sheep know who the shepherd is. They know his voice.

And he knows his sheep. They’re known to one another, and they’re willing to follow as he goes before them and leads them to green pasture and to cool water, and he provides for them, and and he guards against the wolves that might enter the flock, and if one sheep goes astray, he goes out to find him. That really is the role of a pastor. And you know, the Lord has given some spiritual requirements. It’s not just any person, it’s not a it’s not a matter of someone who is just the most popular among us, or happens to be the oldest among us, or happens to be the richest among us. In fact, when you read in 1 Timothy chapter 3, 1 through 7, and in Titus 1, 5 through 8, several different qualities are spiritual requirements.

To be blameless. That doesn’t mean he’s perfect, but he’s certainly not a hypocrite. He’s blameless. He’s married, the husband of one wife. Find it interesting. Some churches now even have women who are called elders. Interesting. How could they be the husband of one wife? Impossible, isn’t it?

What he wants. And so though men may change this role and appoint different people, this is what God wants. He’s to be vigilant. He’s ever on guard against sin. He is sound or sober-minded. He’s of good behavior, orderly. You can depend upon him as being polite and courteous. In fact, his life is chaste of good behavior. And he’s given to hospitality. He’s ready to receive a stranger. He’s to be apt to teach, capable of instructing others. And to be patient, or one translation says, to be gentle. He’s not easily discouraged. You find him persevering even when there may be times that are somewhat disappointing and discouraging. But one of the spiritual requirements is that he has faithful children. He rules well his own house, has believing children.

And Paul to Timothy said that the reason for this qualification is that if he knows not how to rule his own family, how can he oversee the flock of God? So there’s a family requirement to help him be qualified for the flock of God. But he’s to be of good report from others. Indeed, he’s respected by even the community. He is a man who’s lover, a lover of good men. He’s attracted to the noble, to the benevolent, and he’s a just person. He’s upright, he’s fair. He’s certainly holy, devoted to God, and he’s self-controlled. He’s not self-willed, but he is self-controlled. What a quality here. He’s not to be given to wine. He’s pure from the effects of intoxication. He’s not a striker. He’s not quarrelsome.

He’s peaceable. And he’s not a brawler, or the word contentious there. He’s not given to strife. There’s some people who just seem like always are in the midst of strife. But he’s not that way. He’s not greedy of filthy lucre. Really, one translation says no lover of money. An example of liberality is what he is. He’s not a person who has money by ill gains or dishonest means, just trying to get rich, whatever. In fact, the next word goes with. He’s not covetous. He’s a person who is willing to be content. He works. And it’s right to work even for money, but that’s not his prime goal in life. In fact, he’s not a novice. The very word elder says he’s an older person of the faith.

He’s not a new convert. He is a person who is not self-willed. He he will will he will yield his way to others if it does not compromise the truth. And certainly he’s not soon angry. There’s some people who wear their feelings on their sleeves, you know, and they get angry just like that, and their mouth goes off when it shouldn’t, and they get sometimes a trouble. What are these? Spiritual requirements. Lord set these up. And I might say that the purpose for these requirements is certainly not to prevent men or churches from appointing men to be elders. I I’ve seen some say, oh man, for anybody to have these qualities, he just about has to be perfect. Not really so. Sometimes we are all different, and some are stronger in some qualities than they are in others.

But to some degree, all every one of these requirements should be found.