Love um, Lead um, & Feed um
By Pastor Clinton Browning
John 21: 15 – 18
As we close out October, which happens to be clergy appreciation month. I want to end the month by talking about what a pastor is supposed to as well as what you as members should be able to expect from your pastor.
You all have heard of or may even know all of the Ten Commandments:
Today we’re going to talk about what I refer to as the pastor’s additional 3.
15So when they had (B)finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you (C)love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend (D)My lambs."
16He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "(E)Shepherd My sheep."
17He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him (F)the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, (G)You know all things; You know that I love You " Jesus said to him, "(H)Tend My sheep.
Love Them
Lead Them
Feed Them
Illustration: A story is told about a pastor who was late for church. He flagged down a taxicab and instructed the cabdriver to do everything within his power to get him to church on time. So the cab sped off and weaved through traffic for about ten blocks. The dangerous driving ended in a fatal accident. Both the cabdriver and the pastor died.
When their spirits arrived at the entrance of Heaven, they met Saint Peter. The Pastor, confident of his entrance into Heaven, allowed the cabdriver to go ahead of him. After chatting with the cabdriver, Saint Peter allowed the cabdriver into Heaven.
Then Saint Peter turned to the Pastor and said, "Pastor, I’m afraid I have bad news for you. You aren’t going into Heaven."
The Pastor, shocked at what he heard, asked, "Why would you let a cabdriver into Heaven and not let one of God’s servant into Heaven?"
To which Peter replied, "Well, whenever the cabdriver drove, people prayed. Whenever you preached, people slept."
I. Love Them:
A. First the pastor must love the Lord & Them Love His Sheep:
i. Matthew 22:37-40 - 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
ii. John 15: 9- 17 - 9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.
II. Lead Them:
A. Illustration: There was a pastor from a small rural congregation who visited an old farmer from time to time in an attempt to share the gospel with him. Each time the farmer would tell the pastor, "I believe in God. It is impossible not to when you look around at the beauty of this earth and the way in which life is created. It’s just Jesus I don’t understand. Why would a perfect and all powerful God have to come down as a man, and then die, just to make things right." The pastor was never able to come up with an answer that the pastor found satisfactory.
Then one night, as the farmer was sitting in his living room, he heard a thump on his window. He went to see what it was and outside he saw a group of birds floundering in the snow. They were trying to get into the warmth but they couldn’t figure out how, and so they were dying in the snow. So the farmer went outside and opened his barn doors, and turned on the lights, and tried to herd the birds into the warmth of the barn, because he realized it was their only hope for salvation. But the more he tried to direct them the more they scattered. At that point the farmer thought, if only I could become one of them then I could lead them into the warmth. At that moment, he had an epiphany, and he fell to his knees and accepted Christ as his savior.
B. Show how to love the Lord:
C. Show how to love each other:
D. Be an example not a superior:
E. 1 Peter 5: 1-4 - 1To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
i. Be shepherds, lead but not dictate.
ii. Mark 10:42 – 45 - 42Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
F. John 10: 11 – 13; 14 – 18; 27 – 30
G. As a your appointed leader I am accountable for you and for how I lead you.
i. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
III. Feed Them:
A. What food does Christ speak of?
i. Food is necessary to sustain life, it energizes us, keeps us healthy, helps us grow, but …
ii. He is speaking of Spiritual food:
1. The Word:
a. Jesus according to John 1, is the word made flesh
b. Jesus describes himself as the Bread of Life
c. AS YOUR PASTOR I WILL FEED YOU THE WORD OF LIFE
2. The Holy Spirit:
a. If we stay full of the Spirit we will have the strength to overcome the evil desires of the flesh.
b. AS YOUR PASTOR I WILL ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALLOW THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FILL YOU DAILY
3. Submitting to one another:
a. Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
b. We as a group must stand together, we must lift each other up and we must nourish each other through the spiritual gifts we have been given.
c. The wolf loves to find sheep that are alone, he stalks those that have no one to turn to or that have turn away from the flock.
d. When we stand together as a group, as a flock, as a congregation, we can face any attack that comes.
e. AS YOUR PASTOR I WILL ENCOURAGE US AS A GROUP TO COME TOGETHER AND FELLOWSHIP
IV. What should you be able to expect from your Pastor:
A. Prayer
i. I will be in prayer daily for you and the direction and vision we as a church are to follow.
ii. I will be there to pray for your needs and request
1. As the Bible states you do not receive because you do not ask, the same goes for me I can’t pray for you if you don’t come to me.
2. Confidentiality and confidence
a. You will know that I will keep that which you request to be keep in confidence in confidence.
b. Illustration: They were sitting on the back porch of the parsonage and the man said, "Pastor, I’ve got something to tell you. I’ve never told this to a soul, it’s extremely difficult to tell you this now, but my wife and I have had a fight almost every day for the past 30 years of our marriage."
The pastor was taken back. He looked away. He nervously took a sip of his coffee. He didn’t know what to say. The young Pastor aid, "Everyday?" "Yes, just about every day." "Did you fight today before you came to church?" "Yes." "Well, how did it end up?" "She came crawling to me on her hands and knees." "MY Goodness what did she say?" "Come out from under that bed you coward and fight like a man!"
c. A pastor my hear many things some are pains and some are just ventings, that is what I am for.
B. Love
i. I will love you and lay my life down for you.
ii. I will be accountable for you and to you.
C. Leading
i. I will daily seek to lead you as best as I can
ii. As a congregation
iii. And as individuals
D. Feeding
i. I will study the word and seek God direction in the spiritual food He seeks to provide you.
V. What Should your Pastor be able to expect from you:
A. Accountability:
Illustration: A pastor entered a class as the lesson was in progress and asked, "Who broke down the walls of Jericho?" A lad answered, "Not me, sir."
The pastor turned to the teacher and asked, "Is this the usual behavior in this class?" The teacher replied, "I believe this boy is an honest boy, and I really don’t think he did it."
Leaving the room, the pastor sought out a deacon and explained what had happened. The deacon said, "I have known both the boy and the teacher for several years, and neither of them would do such a thing."
By this time the pastor was heartsick and reported the incident to the Christian Education Committee. They said, "We see no point in making an issue out of this thing. Let’s pay the bill for the damage to the walls and charge it to upkeep. Anyway, our insurance may even cover it. "
i. I will hold you accountable
ii. And I hope that you would hold me accountable
B. Honesty
i. I expect you to be honest with me
ii. If I have wrong you, I expect you to come to me
iii. If some one else has wronged you, I expect you to go to them and tell them.
1. If you need me to be a mediator that’s also is part of my job.
2. But when we let things Big or Small, split us that’s when the wolf attacks and that’s how church’s split.
3. Remember, I am accountable for you.
Conclusion:
I have been appointed by you and by God to lead this congregation. I can assure you that my plan is to stay and that the only thing that will remove me from the pulpit will be you or death. I love it here and I love each of you. No one here, including me is superior to any one else. We are all equal in God’s eyes, I just happen to be a little more accountable.
Let’s Pray
