3 May 2009
Pastor and the
Church 3 May 2009
Ps Rishi Anandani
What are the
qualities of a perfect pastor – it could be a long list which may include
all the acts and activities of taking care of his flock- praying and
visiting, caring and calling, good preaching, generosity and giving, gentle
and kind and good temperament, connecting to the young and old folks,
hospital visits and attending wakes….etc. What do pastor go through and do
we really understand them.
1 Corinthian 1:12
12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I
follow
Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]";
still another, "I follow Christ."
There is a problem
of division even in the early church- Paul, Appollos, Cephas/ Peter or
Christ . From racial perspective, the Greeks probably follow Paul and
Appollos and the Jews – Peter and Christ. Paul is recognized as the pioneer
to the gentile world (Greeks in the early church). From skills standpoint -
Paul’s ability to expound on correct teachings example on the issue of
circumcision – getting saved by trusting the Lord (baptism) and not
justified by physical circumcision. Followers may follow loyalty to Peter –
who is one of the original apostle and whom Jesus has mentioned “upon this
rock I will build my church”. Yet there are others that remained neutral-
follow and focus upon Jesus.
So even as we look
at church pastors, that have gone before us , current pastors and those yet
to come. We can discern similar pattern amongst members to favor one over
another due to racial ground, nationalistic lines, eloquence, loyalty (due
to baptism by a pastor).
There are
situations where the congregation supports their pastor inspite of his
weaknesses. Yet there are also congregation who dislike their pastor for
different reasons – their preaching, their admin or organizing weakness or
just because they felt that their pastor is not so spiritual because they
never make altar call. It is not correct to criticise your pastor outside
the church – instead before any negative thoughts, we should reflect and ask
if we have appreciate our pastor enough for the good things. It is also good
to consider the Pareto principle- 80%/20%. Focus on the better 80% ( greater
good) rather than the negative 20% ( shortcomings). Stop criticising and
comparing, instead support your pastor and unite.
1 Corinthian 1:13
13Is
Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into[b]
the name of Paul? 14I am thankful that I did not baptize
any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say
that you were baptized into my name.
Another point to
note is that we often take a worldly view and personal perspective in our
critique of church and pastor- we see weaknesses, judge people based on our
experience of the world. We are, instead, to adopt a spiritual view:
1 Corinthian
1:27-31
27But
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the
weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose
the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that
are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one
may boast before him. 30It is because of him that you are
in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our
righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31Therefore, as it
is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."[d]
Moreover, each
member of the congregation has his role and each pastor has his role in
building the church of Jesus. As in early church of Corinth, Paul planted
the seed, Appollos watered it, maybe Peter also has a way to help it grow
..etc
1 Corinthian 3:5-11
5What,
after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you
came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.
6I
planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.
7So
neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes
things grow.
8The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and
each will be rewarded according to his own labor.
9For
we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10By
the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and
someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he
builds.
11For
no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is
Jesus Christ.
Hence, with every change of pastor, we need to look at it from
God’s purpose and God’s view, bless and support them, agreed to disagreed
and better still do not disagreed, cover their weakness and appreciate more.
1 Timothy 5:12
5The
goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith
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10 May 2009
Confession and Confrontation
We are not perfect. The transgressor
will confess. Confession is good for the body, soul and spirit- our entire
body and being. Confession is a healthy attitude. In verse 1 and verse 2,
God present 2 incentives/ blessings for those who come to Him and are
forgiven. There is no more guilt or deceit as God cover your sin.
Psalms
32:1-5
1
Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
2
Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
3
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4
For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah
5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah
Confrontation with God
David, a man after God’s own heart, has
to be confronted with his sinful endemic nature. Hand of God was heavy upon
him as he lives in sin. Verse 3 and verse 4 illustrate the consequences of
sin- it leaves us miserable and frowning inside. Sin make us cunning, wear a
mask and pretend. If we do not confess, sin can destroy, drain and dry us
up- mentally, emotionally , spiritually. We become lethargic- all the jest
and zeal will be stripped away.
Verse 5 urges us to make right with God.
We are to be honest and truthful, and acknowledge our sin. David admits that
he sin against God and receive forgiveness.
1st John1:9-10
9If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we
have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in
our lives.
Psalms 32:6-7
6
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
7
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah
The key is prayer. Jesus life shows us
he pray and talk with God constantly- start with prayer, ministry also in
prayer, ending in prayer. Now he is interceding for us. When you pray to
God regularly – we create a spiritual hedge/ wall. God provide a shelter to
preserve us. He surround us with songs of deliverance from ungodly people -
like Job of old- "the one who fear and pray to you". The godly prays to you
while you may be found, but on the day of wrath- God will conceal himself.
Psalms
32:8-11
8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
9
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
10
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him.
11
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!
God specifically instruct us in His ways but we need to
first call on Him.
=======
HE WHO KNOWS NOT AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS NOT
– AVOID THEM
HE WHO KNOWS NOT AND KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS NOT –
TEACH THEM.
HE WHO KNOWS AND KNOWS NOT THAT HE KNOWS –
AWAKE THEM.
HE WHO KNOWS AND KNOWS THAT HE KNOWS – FOLLOW
HIM.
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17 May 2009
United or Divided
The growth of the early church and its
impact were not from buildings, music or instruments- it comes as a result
of the unity in the church and of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They were
united and in one accord.
Abraham Lincoln also based on
verse 25 to explain the need for all Americans to be united and not
divided- slaves versus freeman.
"United we
stand, Divided we fall" is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from
nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are
united, it is easy to destroy them. This is a counter to the maxim divide
and rule.
Mark3:22-26
22And
the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed
by Beelzebub[c]!
By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
23So
Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out
Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that
kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against
itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes
himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
The teachers of the law were blinded
and instead of honouring God- they find fault with divine manifestations of
God- this is Satan ‘s work- to divide and create distrust in the house of
God. Divided we become weak and fall. The house will collapse.
It is sometimes said alcohol, drugs and
sexual problems ruins thousands but quarrel, fighting , gossiping and other
negative attitude ruin tens of thousands. We should avoid negative thoughts
and statements that do not lead to peace. We must stop critical , cynical
and judgmental words. Sometimes, you may win an argument but you will also
feel restless. It is important to keep the peace- it is like superglue that
bond us together.
Eph
4:2-3
2Be
completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace.
1st
Corinthians 12:12
12The
body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
1st
Corinthians 12:25-26
25so
that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have
equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Worship belongs to the Lord and each
one of us can contribute in different areas, in different things and in
different dimensions. Do it as unto the Lord- musicians, worship leaders,
backup singers..etc. Others can do well to come on time, preparing their
family and children to be ready for church, building up regular and good
church going habits. There is this story of a lady who is a regular church
goer and she goes to church on Wednesdays and Sundays with her dog. She
performs the routine of sitting at the back and praying at the altar before
going home each time. Her husband detests it and would hurt her. Finally
after she passed away, the dog continues with the church going routine and
her husband was curious. After following the dog- and witnessing what the
dog have been following its master all these years sitting at the back and
praying at the altar - her husband was changed and transformed and saved.
God work in mysterious ways.
In modern multi-tasking environment
with the compression of time, we tend to wear multiple hats but no matter
how much we can do- our days are all numbered. But in the time that we have,
let’s inspire one another to be united as one for the Lord.
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24 May 2009
TBA
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31 May 2009
TBA
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