The Call to Pastoral Ministry.
Service of Ordination into the Christian ministry
Scripture readings: 2nd Corinthians 4:1-10, 16 – 18; 1st Peter 5:1- 4.
There is so much that could be said at this time, but my message can be summed up in the words of advice that a pastor father gave to his son on the day of his ordination. “Son, keep close to Christ; Keep close to your people and by the grace of God seek to bring them together.”
First of all: Keep close to Christ. The Bible says, guard your heart. And at the heart of your ministry there must be a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior. The world is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men and women. With God, people are more important than programs or methods.
As church leaders we cannot possibly fulfill all the demands made upon our time. One thing I've learned the hard way is the importance of setting priorities in ministry. After four years of full-time ministry I was suffering from a breakdown in health and emotional burnout. Then I committed myself to the priorities of prayer, people in need and proclamation of the Gospel in word and deed. I have not always followed these perfectly but the discipline has literally changed my life. I suggest that your priorities be like the spokes of a wheel with Christ and the word of God at the center. The hub is the most important part of the wheel. So the hub or center of your life should be your devotional life, your time spent in prayer and personal Bible study.
No Christian is greater than his or her prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing with his or her own soul and the souls of their people. God has to do the work in us, before he can do a work through us, because the work that we do flows out of the life that we live. Ministry without character, without integrity, is only religious activity! It simply will not last. I believe your character in Christ likeness will be your greatest asset over the long haul. Remember, talent is a gift but character is a choice.
There is something awesome and wonderful about one's ordination into the Christian ministry. It is a recognition by members of the body of Christ that here is an individual called by God to communicate by word and deed, the unsearchable riches of Christ. For you................... this service is not the end but we trust the beginning of a very fruitful and meaningful ministry for the glory of God and the building of Christ's Kingdom here on earth. I was glad to hear you say that you really felt called by God to this special ministry. There will be times in the days and years ahead when you will need that strong call of God to fall back upon, especially if and when things get tough. Vance Havner once said, “In today's world, a pastor needs three things: the mind of a scholar, the heart of a child and the hide of a rhinoceros. Your hardest job is to learn how to toughen your hide without hardening your heart or softening your brain.”
One way to keep close to Christ is through prayer. And in speaking of its importance, this applies to both pulpit and pew. Pastors are under tremendous pressures these days. I believe Satan's chief targets are twofold- first he seeks to destroy marriage and the family and second, he plots the downfall of Pastors and Christian leaders. The devil knows that if he can take a Christian leader down, many others will fall as well. And if there was ever a time when believers should pray for their pastors, and their pastor's family, it is today. Furthermore, I believe that God will bless the church that prays for and seeks to honour its pastor. And speaking of the pastors family I know that .................................... had a very meaningful role to play in your journey toward ordination. And let us never forget that it was the power of the Holy Spirit that energized the early Christians and all of us here today desperately need that same power in our lives and ministries. Yes, keep close to Christ, the source of that power
But, our preacher father also advised his son: keep close to your people.
Seek to know them and understand them. A godly pastor from Scotland, spoke these words years ago, which are still relevant today. “Always be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. There could be a broken heart in every church pew.”
Down through the years, various titles have been given to Gods leaders in the church. Some are from the New Testament, others have been added later. Titles, such as Elder, Bishop, Priest, Preacher, Clergyman, Cleric, Rector, Parson, Minister, Father, Reverent, even Sky- pilot. But here is a remarkable fact, Jesus never called himself any of these. But he did refer to himself as a shepherd. He said he was sent to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In the New Testament the Greek word for pastor is almost always translated shepherd, from the verb “to shepherd.” Jesus saw individuals as lost sheep, lost coins, prodigal children, builders on sand, as weary and heavy laden. As you tell people about the love of God, you can seek to be the love of God to them. It is amazing what can be accomplished through patience and prayer. All of us are much like children. We seek for someone who will understand us and believe in us, in spite of our imperfections.
Today, pastors are called upon to do many things as evangelists, counsellors, administrators, social activists, teachers, youth workers, church builders, and more! But when rightly understood, the role of Shepherd includes them all. The shepherd of Jesus day faced many responsibilities. He acted as Watchman, Guardian, Guide, Physician to the sheep that were sick and Savior to those that went astray. No other animal becomes so hopelessly lost as do sheep. Feeding the sheep is another essential duty. Sheep will follow the shepherd who feeds them. And best of all, the shepherd loves his sheep. He called his own sheep by name,he carried the lambs next to his heart..
Apart from Christ himself the person has never been born who has all the gifts and abilities required for ministry and leadership. That is why pastors need a lot of help from members of the congregation. Your pastor is the playing coach of your team but he or she is not the whole team. Every member of the body of Christ is important and has a vital part to play.
If the pastor or leader is the shepherd, what about members of the congregation? Who are they? Who are you? You are the sheep, right? That image is often found in the Bible. And old preachers never die, they just go out to pastor. Howard Hendricks is fond of saying, “Ministry is about sheep. And let's face it, sometimes sheep can be stubborn, lazy, uncooperative, and even rebellious. But if you don't like sheep you have no business being a shepherd.
Here is a paragraph from The Building of the Church, by Charles E. Jefferson. “If a preacher has a contemptuous view of the church, he is almost certain to be afraid of it. But love casts out fear. The preacher who loves his church and proves his love by his life, can say to it anything which is proper for a Christian teacher to say to his pupils; anything which is proper for a Christian to say to his friends. The preachers who gets into trouble are, as a rule, preachers who do not love their churches.”And I believe that the love you give to your church will be returned. From my own experience I can say that next to my immediate family, my wife and children, the strongest ties of love and friendship are often between pastor and members of the congregation. Carol and I have been privileged to meet some wonderful people over the years.
Now to be perfectly honest, you won't be loved by everyone. And you can't please everybody, even God can't do that. Christ faced opposition and as his servants, we are not greater than our master. In every church and community there will be few people who will give you a hard time. The devil will make sure they are there and the Lord permits it because that is one of the ways we grow spiritually and it helps to keep us humble. And we can sometimes learn from our critics. Did you hear about the congregation who gave their pastor a medal for being a man of humility. Then they took it away because he wore it.
These days we are hearing the question, what should be the major role of a Christian leader? Some would say there is a great need for pastors who will serve the people. Others say no, as never before, we need strong pastoral leadership. What do you think? What does the Bible teach? Servanthood or Leadership? Servants or Leaders? I believe that 1st Peter 5:1- 4 will help us find the answer. This passage is addressed to elders or pastors. “ Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, taking the oversight thereof.” There are two concepts here that I call to your attention – among you, and over you. The pastor is to be among the sheep and also over the sheep. This may sound like a contradiction but actually it is quite logical. Because he or she is one of the sheep, the pastor is among the members of the flock. Also, because he or she is called to be their shepherd and leader, the pastor is over the flock. Now this can create a problem, especially the sheep do not understand the purpose behind it all. I believe that effective pastors need both of these relationships. He or she must be among the people to know their needs and problems. But also the pastor needs to be over the people in order to lead and teach them from the word of God. There are two sides to a pastor's heart, love for God and love for people. The two should always go together. The shepherd concept unites these two roles, Leadership and Servanthood in perfect balance.
The priesthood of all believers is an important doctrine of our faith. The recognition that every believer has unique gifts, that need to be recognized and exercised to the glory of God. But, the priesthood of all believers does not mean the leadership of none. In fact the more varied the gifts among members the stronger and more respectful leadership ought to be. Let me be clear that I believe there will always be the need for well-trained pastors and we have ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, for that purpose, at......................
I believe that if you are a servant of the people for Jesus sake, you will also be recognized as their leader. I find myself agreeing with a statement made to his congregation by a pastor from England by the name of Jim Graham. “I will gladly be your servant for Jesus sake but you will never be my master; because I only have one master who is the Lord Jesus Christ.” There will be times when you will be called upon to defend the faith entrusted to us and bring a message from the Lord which may not be popular in today's world. A message that may not be considered politically correct. At times this will not be easy but, by the grace of God, the truth can be spoken in love. Ephesians 4:15. Love by itself can be mere sentimentality; truth by itself can be spoken in severity. But when love or grace is strengthened by truth. And truth is mellowed by grace, we have the spirit of Christ who is full of grace and truth.
Keep close to Christ. Keep close to your people. And finally, by the grace of God seek to bring the two together. As a pastor, you are that link between this material world, which is passing away, and the real spiritual world which abides forever. ..............,...... in your role as pastor or under-shepherd, you can be the Bridge between the church and the world. And as you share Christ's ministry, your main task is to bring God into the experience of people and to bring men and women into the presence of God.
And yet I fear that as pastors, there are times when we are so busy with church promotion, solving church conflicts, and putting out brush-fires, that there is no time for sales. This seems to be Satan's favourite tactic to keep us sidetracked and preoccupied with trivial matters that keep us from the real work of the Lord. It is time to get back to basics – the Word of God, heartfelt prayer, the fullness of the Spirit and the cleansing, purifying fire of the Spirit in our hearts and lives. We're finding that many people today are turned off by institutionalized, organized religion. But, here is a hopeful sign, they are not turned off by Christ. There is a huge hunger, a God shaped vacuum in every heart which all the trinkets and treasures of this world can never fill.
The great challenge that all of us here today face, is to make today's church appealing and relevant to the needs of the people. And do so without compromising the message or diluting the gospel to the point where it no longer has the power to convict and convert a single soul. I would like to close with the words of Dr. Samuel Chadwick, as he looked back over his ministry under God. “I have loved my job with a passionate and consuming love. I would rather be a pastor, than anything else in the world. It has its price in the agony of sweat and tears but no calling has such joys and heartbreaks. But it is a calling that an Archangel might covet. I wish I'd been a better pastor, but there is nothing in God's world I would rather be. Is there any joy like that of saving a soul from death? Any thrill like that of opening blind eyes? Any reward like the love of little children?”
But to tell it like it is, I think most of us realize that this is not an easy time to serve the Lord. The battle lines are being drawn between those who believe that salvation comes from God, and those who believe that salvation comes from man. Will Christians here in .................. face the kind of persecution Christians are facing in other parts of the world? I do not know, but as you go forth to face a confused world with its almost insurmountable problems, you must not lose heart or hope. You can have confidence in the sovereign God of the universe who is the Lord of history. These are great days to be alive in and for Christ! Never was the need greater; never where the opportunities more obvious; never has the gospel had such means of communication! God is calling all of us to be his ambassadors. May we be faithful, not necessarily successful, but faithful. The outcome, the results are in Gods hands. And the final victory is sure and certain.
I believe that if you are a faithful pastor you will never be without loyal hearts that love you and pray for you. And then someday, like David the shepherd boy, .............. ................. can look back and say, “I too have had a shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want any good thing.” Amen
( Note: This sermon was delivered at a service of ordination, on October 14, 2012 at the Middleton Baptist Church in Nova Scotia, Canada. Names of individuals have been deleted but spaces have been left for other namesin to be included later, if the preacher so decides.)
