“…[F]eed my sheep…”  (John 21)

 

I remember years ago hearing a young man say that his aunt suggested to him that he ought to be a pastor. Her reasoning was his friendliness and charm.  Reader, friendliness and charm are traits of a sociopath and the devil!!! This man put himself equal to other men who have walked with God.

Another man said to me once, “Anybody could be a preacher, all you have to do is talk on Sunday and sit around the rest of the week.”  I asked him to name the first (1st) five books of the Bible, it was no surprise, he couldn’t”  I then said to him, “I guess if everyone could be a preacher, you are the only one (1) who couldn’t, how stupid are you?” I know it wasn’t a loving reply, but we need not always give loving reply if a harsh retort leads to further discussion.

The pastor is a misunderstood person. The pastor is often the recipient of much maligning by the lost and unfortunately of the saved. Many believe the pastor lectures on Sunday and sits around and placates himself the rest of the week. These persons are ignorant of the ministry and all that it entails. These persons know nothing of the weight a minister bears.

So, What does it take for a man to be a pastor?  Is it charm and friendliness only?  Is it a solid working knowledge of Scripture? Is it a Bible college degree?  Is it the qualifications of First (1st) Timothy three (3) and in Titus? These qualifications are: Blamelessness, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth his own house well; Not a novice,  and he must have a good report of the lost.

Some remarks on the above qualifications before we discuss what else is required of a man to be a pastor. We will do this in bullet point form:
*Blameless. this, of course, does not mean sinless. It means that no one should have a reason that would disqualify a man from the pastorate, like having multiple wives, being violent by nature, etc.

*Vigilant, sober.  The pastor is a person who is a shepherd always on the watch for approaching wolves and other predators and there are many (The world, the flesh, the devil, corrupt preachers, etc). The pastor is a man that is serious regarding his ministry as it has been entrusted to him by God.  That is not to say a pastor should not have a sense of humour or enjoy life, it is saying the pastor is deadly (figuratively speaking) serious when it comes to the Word of God and all things God.

*Good behaviour, given to hospitality.  This needs no explanation, the pastor should behave himself in all settings. Hospitality speaks to the fact that the church began in home churches and I believe the church will, again be in homes during the upcoming perilous times.

*Apt to teach.  What is the difference between preaching and teaching?  This has been asked by many. My answer is this, One preaches the Gospel and one teaches the Scriptures. Another is one preaches to the heart and one teaches the mind.  Personally, I tend to do both at the same time.  When I bring a message, I preach a little and i teach a little.

*Not given to wine.  This means a pastor must not be an alcoholic, it does not mean he cannot drink wine at dinner, HOWEVER, one must know one’s self. I know I cannot drink wine because I have an addictive personality.

*No striker and not a brawler…spiritual discussions, debates, arguments can and often do turn ugly and even physically violent. The pastor should not be of this frame of mind. The pastor fights with prayer and words, he does not call for fire from Heaven….a lot.

*Greedy. This is the main attribute of many a televangelists like Robert Tilton (look this guy up on youtube), Peter Poppoff, and their ilk. There is nothing wrong with a ministry asking for support for this is Biblical, but when filthy lucre, mammon, and materialism become the driving force, it is of the devil or man-centered.

*Patient. The pastor must be longsuffering and tenderhearted with his God appointed flock.

*Not covetous. The sin of coveting is the sin that will lead you to break all of God’s laws.

*A well run household for as Scripture states, if a man cannot lead his family in the ways of God, how can he lead the people of God? He can’t.

*Not a Novice.  Not a beginner.  It is a capital mistake to put a newly saved celebrity in a pulpit, this can lead to trouble for everyone involved.

*Of a good report of them without. The lost should speak well of the man that would be a pastor. The lost may not agree with the pastor or even like the pastor but the lost would have to speak well of the pastor if they are intellectually honest.

 

Other than the above, what is needed for a man to fill the office of pastor well and good?
*The calling from God: The calling of God is absolutely essential. If a man enters the ministry without being called, he will fail, even if it looks like he is successful.  This trespasser will hurt others, hopefully unintentionally. I have seen and heard men preach that were not called to preach.

The preaching, of the not-called preacher, though sound and true, is dead, dead, dead. In the Old Testament we have prophets speaking for God, who were NOT sent by God. We also see, King Saul trespassing into the priest’s office and offering a sacrifice.  The examples given in the last few sentences are akin to a man or woman entering the ministry without the calling of God.

Some might ask, “How do you know or who are you to say who is called and who is not?” My reply, Like calleth unto like, deep calleth unto deep. A pastor will recognize the genuine article and he will recognize the impostor (Impastor?) It is called spiritual disernment.

*The pastor’s heart: The pastor’s heart is the creation of God for no man has a natural pastor’s heart. God creates this heart in different ways. Moses, for example, God was angered with the Jews and tells Moses, He (God) could destroy the Jews and raise up a seed unto Moses. Theologically speaking, God would never have done that, if He did He would be going against His Own Word and would be breaking covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So why does God put this option before a frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed Moses? So Moses could see his own heart, his own love for the Jews. The same goes for Abraham and the sacrificing of Isaac, Abraham needed to know his heart belonged to God and God’s puposes and pleasures.
*The God-Obsessed mindset: The pastor has God in his mind always and I mean always. Every decision or choice goes through a God-filter. When the pastor passes gas, he asks God’s pardon. When he sits to eat, he eats with God and is in God’s Presence. The pastor, in other words, is Godhead-consumed, he is consumed by the Father, he is consumed by his love for the Son (his elder brother) and the desire to be like the Son and he is consumed with a sensitivity to the Spirit. For the pastor, everything, everything is about God. The pastor is a burning bush.
*An experiential knowledge of the God of the Word,  this is different from knowing the Word of God. One can know the Word of God frontward and backward yet not know the God of that Word. (s)atan is an example, he knows the Word of God, yet he loves God not. The pastor, to be effective, must have experiences with God. I’m not speaking about tongues or baptisms of the Spirit, I’m speaking about experiencing the mountain tops and the valleys (everyday life) with God at His side and with God instructing him and directing him, and counseling him during these times.
*An animating love for others: The pastor must be a man with a need…a need.. a need to protect others. The pastor must be animated by his need and his love to protect his flock and to do so fiercely.
*Righteous convictions: The pastor must be persuaded of his convictions. The man of God, must not be easily swayed to and fro. God’s servant must know who he is in Christ and what God expects from him. The minister must be complete before he can lead others under Christ’s Lordship. When I say complete, I mean, The man of God knows who he is and he knows and understands why he does what he does. This man is not soon shaken or frightened by the face, arm, or word of men. This man is a shield, protecting God’s people and behind this shield there is real love, care, and concern.
*Faith in God Alone and no confidence in self (Proverbs three (3)), college degrees (Philippians 3:4-10), other persons (Psalm 146), worldy concepts (1 Corinthians 2:4), or man’s plans (Genesis 11).
*A completely surrendered life to God, IE. The will is surrendered, the feelings and emotions are surrendered and open to God’s instruction (Ezekiel 24:15-18, Take some time and look at this passage). The mind is surrendered to God in totality. It is the giving up of one’s right to lead one’s life. Yes, it is to become God’s robot, if you will. It is to be possessed by the Holy Spirit as a lost person is possessed by a demon.  It is the ultimate trust-fall. It is counting all things loss. It is the emptying of self and the filling of the Spirit. The pastor must be a man who is dead to self so Christ will live freely through him, regardless of cost; and there will be cost. He will take almost everything, if not everything, so that He can give everything…in His time, that’s how it works, like it or not.

The effective pastor is dead to self, for he dies daily to self, and yet he lives an abundant life as Christ, Who is Life, lives in him.