Jeremiah 3 :12-15
Acts 20:28
Ephesians 4:11-13.
Topic: A pastor according to God’s heart
A question is being asked: What is a pastor according to God’s heart?
Well, before we try to answer that question, let’s take the time out and define what a pastor is. Well according to the dictionary, pastor is a noun and it is defined as a Christian minister or a priest who is a leader of a congregation. But according to the word of God, a pastor is a shepherd, a under shepherd who leads God’s people, which is the church. The pastor is one who oversees, he leads, he guides, he protects, he teaches, he trains, he counsels, he preaches to, he prays with and for it, and He feeds the church with spiritual food which is the Word of God.
In Jeremiah 3:15, the Lord says, And I will give you pastors according to my heart, which will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” The knowledge and understanding that the pastors are to feed us with is the Word of God. Acts 20:28 says, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which the he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Yes, the pastor is to feed the church through preaching and teaching the Word of God. But yet a question is still being asked: What is a pastor according to God’s heart? Now, the key phrase is pastors according to God’s heart. And it is important to know what is a pastor according to God’s heart because there are a lot of people who call themselves pastors, but they are not pastors according to God’s heart. So the question is, what is a pastor according to God’s heart?
Well, a pastor according to God’s heart is someone who is:
1. Called by God. 2nd Timothy 1:8-8 says, “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who saved us, and called us with a an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”
2. Chosen by God. John 15:16 says, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name; he may give it you.
3. Annointed and Appointed by God. Acts 20:28 says, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
4. Sent by God. Romans 10:13-15 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written , How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.”
5. Given to the church by God. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, “And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ..
7. A man of prayer, not just for himself, but for his family, and for the church.. Matthew 26:41 says to “Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation; the spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”
8. A man who studies the Word of God that he may present Jesus Christ in his preaching and teaching as the central theme of the gospel message, and that his preaching and his teaching will be considered sound doctrine. 2nd Timothy 2:15 say, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman neededeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”
9. A man who patterns his life after the life of Jesus Christ so he may be example of Jesus Christ before his congregation. 1 Peter 5:1-3 says, The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed; Feed the flock of God; which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
10. A man who rules and leads well, not just in the church house, but also in his own house.. I Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
11. A man who loves God and who loves God’s people. A I Peter 1:22 says, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto the feigned love of the brethern, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.”
12. A man who cares for people.
A man who is patient with people.
A man who is kind and gentle with people.
A man who is humble.
A man who is unselfish.
A man who is peaceable.
A man who has the joy of the Lord as his strength.
A man who loves praising and worshipping God and leading his people to worship God.
A man who is willing and loves to serve God.
A man who loves working with the youth as well as the senior citizens.
A man who loves ministering to singles, as well as the married couples.
A man who ministers to those in prisons as well as those in the hospitals.
A man who believes in doing the right thing and being holy.
A man who is courageous and strong in the Lord.
A man who will stand up for righteousness, and speak out against sin.
A man who is honest and truthful.
A man who doesn’t sleep with every woman in town, or steal money from the church.
A man with a vision from the Lord. Proverbs 29:18 says, Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he thay keepeth the law, happy is he.”
13. Last but not least, a man who is born again. John 3:3 says, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” To be born again, you must be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Last but not least, it must be understood that a pastor according to God’s heart is not a perfect pastor. King David was a man who was after God’s heart, but he was not perfect. But yet God used him mightily to be one of the most powerful kings of Israel, and God used him to write most of the Book of Psalms that we have in out bibles today. And like wise pastors who are according to God’s heart are not perfect, but God uses them anyway. That is why as church we should pray for our pastors, support our pastors, honor our pastors, love our pastors, take care of our pastors, obey our pastors so they can do the job that they have been called to do without the unnecessary trouble, and to do the job as a pastor with joy and not with grief.
