PASTOR'S APPRECIATION- Pastor Conard Profitt
Introduction
MINISTER'S ULCERS
Nearly every businessman complains of at least one ulcer. Think how many ulcers the poor businessman would have if he worked under the same circumstances as the average minister!
"Just suppose, Mr. Businessman, that you were the overseer of 100 workers. Suppose only about 50 percent of them showed up for work at a given time, and only 25 percent could be relied upon. Suppose that every time a simple flash of lightning appeared in the sky, large numbers of young workers pulled the covers over their heads and failed to report for duty.
"Suppose your workers only worked when they felt like it and yet you must be very sweet and never fire one of them. To get them back to work you must beg them, plead with them, pat them on the back, and use every means under the sun to persuade them without offending them. And suppose you were in competition with a notorious rascal, the devil, who had no scruples and is far more clever than you are and uses such attractive things as fishing rods, guns, soft pillows, televisions and a thousand other things to attract your customers.
"How many ulcers would you have?"
A Treasure of Bible Illustrations pg 245
Don't get too nervous this week as the Pastor is lifted up and shown so much
appreciation. It is only for a week. He will return to the reality described above
next week.
Pastoring is like a sport such as racing. Everyone watches as you run as fast as you can. Everyone watches as you win or lose. When you or yours hit the wall so to speak, everyone is watching. You can lose everything in the flash of a crash. You compete
with several others and get bumped around. And, you need a crew to help you stay in
the race.
I. Theme Scripture:
KJV Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Amplified Version Ephesians 4:11
And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us,] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of
His flock) and teachers.
A. Some pastors volunteer:
1. For the right reasons. They have ability/desire to do good. Some of them may make good pastors. Others may fall and be destroyed not having been called to pastor.
2. For the wrong reasons. They like the attention, money, power, etc. Family
Members are preachers and pastors. It's a family tradition. Mother or father
want their son to pastor. These individuals do harm to many members of the body of Christ to fulfill their own lusts. They like to speak and be heard.
People have a curious power of recognizing when a man is speaking because it is his duty, and when he speaks because he cannot help it, because his heart is
aflame. And once they suspect a man is preaching as a matter of business he may be ever so eloquent, but his effect upon them is nil.
J. D. Jones The Greatest of These pg 25
B. Some pastors are called: "He gave some, pastors" Amp Version "He gave men to us"
God personally choose these individuals to do a work as a pastor.
Jeremiah 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
Eph. 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
II. YOU CANNOT TELL
You cannot tell if a pastor is called by:
the size of the building, the number of members, the number of conversions, the church finances, by his education or upbringing or speaking ability
Romans 12:5-8 differing gifts
I Peter 4:11 ability from God
III. SIMPLE SIGNS FOR SOME
The tasks of a Near Eastern shepherd were:
A. To watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep: lions, wolves, panthers, and bears.
Heb 13:17
B. To defend the sheep from attackers. Robbers would slip in to steal sheep.
John 10:12-13
C. To heal the wounded and sick sheep.
Ezek 34:16
D. To find and save lost or trapped sheep.
Luke 15:4-6
E. To love them, sharing in their lives and so earning their trust.
You can tell that "he gave some pastors" when you see men doing these things.
IV. DURING WW II
During World War II, a shepherd was a pilot who guided another pilot whose plane was partially disabled back to the base or carrier by flying alongside him to maintain visual contact.
Bro. Conard Profitt flew alongside me when:
--- He was preaching when I got saved.
--- He baptized me in the river at Mayking.
--- He stayed by me when I was first saved and experienced difficult circumstances.
--- He told me one night that God wanted me to receive the Holy Ghost because God wanted to use me as a Bible teacher.
--- He performed the wedding between Pat and I.
--- He was there when I had a mining accident and was hospitalized.
--- He was there when Nick was born.
--- He was there when Nick had viral meningitis.
--- He was supportive when I started taking college classes at night.
--- He attended when I graduated from MSU.
--- He is still there when I have called for advice when facing crises in life.
"He gave some pastors", and you, this congregation have one that was given by God as a gift for the perfecting of the church.
A PREACHER'S PREDICAMENT
A man had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. He could receive little company and was not to be excited. While in the hospital, a rich uncle died and left him a million dollars. His family wondered how to break the news to him with the least amount of excitement. It was decided to ask the preacher if he would go and break the news quietly to the man.
The preacher went, and gradually led up to the question. The preacher asked the patient what he would do if he inherited a million dollars. He said, "I think I would give half of it to the church."
The preacher dropped dead.
A Treasure of Bible Illustrations pg 249
FIVE WAYS TO GET RID OF YOUR PASTOR
1. Sit up front, smile and say "amen" every time he says something good. He will preach himself to death.
2. Pat him on the back and tell him what good work he is doing in the church and community. He will
work himself to death.
3. Increase your offering in the church. Then he will suffer from shock.
4. Tell him you have decided to join the visitation group and win souls for the Lord. He will probably
suffer a heart attack.
5. Get the whole church to band together and pray for him. He will get so efficient that some other church will hear about him and give him a call. That will take him off your hands.
A Treasure of Bible Illustrations pg 250
