shepherding the shepherd
from PreachingToday.com
What Did You Call Me?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly like being called Reverend. Clergyman is ponderous too. I’ve also cringed under preacher-man and parson. But then there’s Man of God, a title which seems to come with a black suit, a chiseled face, and a voice like thunder. So, it is surprising that Paul addressed his young protégé, Timothy, that way.
Speaking as a Father
I don’t have to tell you how many people in our congregations are desperate for a godly father figure. They don’t look for someone who is perfect, and certainly not someone who is authoritarian. They need someone who loves Christ, is authentic, and who steps into their lives to speak for the Lord. Like our calling as shepherds, this fatherly manner doesn’t have to come naturally to us; it is God-given.
‘Like a Nursing Mother’
Next Mother’s Day, instead of trying to find yet another mother somewhere in the Bible, maybe you could preach about pastoring. Get one of those carnations you’re handing out to all the mothers and pin it on your own shirt….
Our Gospel Trust: When You Have Jesus
The gospel invitation, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,” is the vestibule to God’s vast treasury of truth and grace. From the passages and rooms beyond, preachers bring out old and new treasures at every opportunity.
‘Entrusted with the Gospel’
Pastors are officially set apart in various ways, some more ceremonious than others, but every pastor must carry this imprimatur of the Lord: “We speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thess. 2:4). … It isn’t enough for pastors to do our sermons, counseling, meetings, and visits. To be worthy of the gospel entrusted to us we must always answer to the watchful standards and soul scrutiny of God.
How to Get Results
All sensible pastors know how unqualified we are for this work, no matter how arduous our preparation of heart and mind. Yet, despite how much we’ve yet to learn from Scripture, despite our inadequate praying, misplaced priorities, sin, and foolishness, when we speak out the vast wonders of the gospel, publicly or privately, we carry the approval and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.