True Saving Grit

       The remake of the John Wayne classic “True Grit” was a masterful modern western starring Beau Bridges in the iconic role of Rooster Cogburn.  There has been much thought and discussion regarding which version was better, or maybe which one has the most grit.  As a connoisseur of the western genre I must say I found each version to have plenty of grit.  But when I consider the deepest meaning of what it is to have “true” grit I find Cogburn to be insufficient.  The ultimate sufficiency of a man with the truest grit comes to us in the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke.  Luke 9:51 says, “when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”  

The city of Jerusalem was a dangerous city for Jesus to enter.  His fiercest opponents were there and controlled much of the city.  The Scribes and Pharisees could lie about Him and manipulate people to oppose Him in that city which was under their leadership.  Jesus and His disciples knew the danger involved with walking right into the center of the trap His enemies had laid out for Him.  And Jesus knew everything that was awaiting Him.  He knew He would be betrayed, falsely arrested, and maligned.  He knew He would be mercilessly beaten and tortured.  He knew He would be scourged and crucified.  And yet knowing that all of this awaited Him in the city of Jerusalem we see that beforehand, “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”  Isaiah 50:7 prophesied in the 8th century BC that this day would come.  He delivered these words from the Messiah, “I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.”  Jesus knew all that He would face and yet He set His face like a flint toward it all.  His face was determined as He looked toward the city of Jerusalem.  His face was resolute like an impression chiseled in stone.  His mind was made up that He would fulfill the mission for which He came.  Any calculations or thoughts were already completed and could not change.  There was only one thing left for Him to do:  die to accomplish the mission.  That is true grit.

Why was Jesus so resolute?  Why was He so determined to achieve that which was so difficult?  Why did He have so much grit?  Luke tells us in verse 51, “the time had come for Him.”  This was the God-appointed moment for which Jesus was born.  He did not “come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45) according to the plan which was made “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).  As a matter of fact the plan was settled in His mind before He ever came to earth in that He was the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).  Jesus set His face toward death when He set His face toward Jerusalem.  And what Jesus did that day is not only grit but it is true saving grit.  For He “has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).    

ANSWERING THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

The problem is normally stated as follows:

• There is evil.
• If God were all-knowing He would know of evil. 
• If God were all-powerful He could stop evil.
• If God were all-good He should prevent evil.

LOGICAL CONTRADICTION? 

Some have suggested that Christianity is stuck here in a contradictory predicament.  The presence of evil is a very real presence indeed and any belief system that denies this lapses into certain incoherence. The Bible presents God as the all-knowing being and yet to some it seems as though God may not be aware of the evil we face in this world.  Christian theology states that God is all-powerful and yet there is so much evil that continues in human experience.  Christians believe that God is all-good and yet people wonder why does God not prevent the evil that causes so much pain.  Does God know what we are going through?  Can He stop it?  If He knows and can stop it, why doesn’t He?  

There is a difference between a set of propositions that humans do not understand and an actual logical contradiction.  A contradictory statement is one that presents at least two propositions that both cannot be true at the same time and in the same sense.  For example, it is contradictory to say that all bachelors are married or that Richmond is married to Leanne and Leanne is not married to Richmond.  These are contradictions because they are opposing statements that both cannot be true at the same time and in the same way.  To consider it necessary for God to now (He will in His timing) stop evil because He is all-powerful does not mean that God contradicts Himself for not doing it, but only that we have an expectation that we prefer to impose upon Him.  The same is true of God’s goodness and knowledge.  God is all-knowing, but to question whether He actually knows about the evil only exposes a presumed human expectation upon the divine.  The only reason the question is presented in this manner is to impose an expectation upon God by assuming how He should handle the situation.  The implication is that if God knew, or was really all-good, what was happening here below then He would certainly do what I want Him to do.  These ideas present disappointment in what God should do according to a certain human perspective but they do not offer formal contradictions.  It is perfectly possible that God is all-knowing and knows all about the evil in this world and yet has a purpose for what He now permits.  It is also plausible that God is all-powerful and is moving history to a pre-appointed time in which He ultimately and finally will eradicate evil.  It is also conceivable that God is all-good and is using His power to redeem that which is evil for a greater good. 

THE WAYS OF GOD

God has His ways of handling the wickedness of this world and His ways are not our ways.  Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”  God has a perspective of the universe that we simply do not have.  The Bible also says that God has a divine way of manipulating the evil that occurs in order to achieve an even greater good.  As Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, “you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.”  The Almighty is constantly working in people’s lives to redeem that which the world meant for evil and transform it into something which brings about a greater good.  I remember enduring some great difficulties as a child and at the time I did not understand and just wanted someone to take the pain away.  There is still much that I do not understand but I can now look back at the difficulties of my childhood and see how God used that to make me the person I am today.  Those previous times of misery have been turned into beautiful and more effective opportunities of ministry toward others who are enduring the pain of this fallen world.  Romans 8:28 displays all three of the divine attributes in the lives of His people, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”  God is all-knowing in that He knows “all things” in the lives of those who “love God”.  God is all-powerful in that He “works together” all things.  God is all-good in that He “works together for good” all these things.  I admit this verse speaks only of God’s attributes actualized in the lives of His called out ones, but rather than debate the extent to which He exercises His attributes I prefer to encourage the reader to receive Christ and enjoy the benefits of God’s knowledge, power, and love.

DEFINING EVIL AND ITS ORIGIN

The presence of evil demands something absolutely good by which one may determine what is evil.  Evil is defined as that which is morally wrong or bad.  In order for something to be morally wrong there first must be a standard of what is morally right.  This perfect righteousness is part of who God is.  Before anything can be categorized as bad there must be a standard of what is good by which to measure that which is bad.  This absolute good is God.  When we say “God is good” we are not only saying that God acts in ways that are good but that God is intrinsic goodness.  The presence of evil is the departure and its results of rebelling against God and His goodness.  

God created life and granted His creatures the gift of actual freedom.  This freedom of agency allows them to be significantly free which allows for the potential of at least two alternatives.  Humans were given actual freedom and the moment this freedom was actualized there came with it two options.  The first option was that which is good, or morally consistent with God, His character, and His commands.  The second option was that which is evil, or morally inconsistent with God, His character, and His commands.  Someone may wonder at this point why did not God just create His creatures in such a way that they were determined only to do what was right?  This determination would not have allowed for actual freedom because if we are not significantly free then we cannot do what is right freely.  The absence of actual freedom would also remove the possibility of doing that which is actually good.  The presence of good actualizes the possibility of that which is evil.  Actual rightness actualizes also the potential for actual wrongness which results in the existence of two alternatives therefore bringing about significant freedom.  The propositions may be stated this way:

• One of God’s eternal attributes is absolute goodness.
• God created beings and actualized goodness in the experience of created beings.
• The actualization of goodness produced the potentiality of it’s opposite which is evil.
• The actuality of good and the potentiality of evil presented two alternatives which actualized freedom of agency in created beings. 
• One created being actualized evil by exercising freedom of agency to choose it.
• Evil originated with this one being.

This one being in whom evil originated is called Lucifer or Satan.  He is the one who initially actualized evil and rebelled against God and later introduced sinful rebellion also to the first humans (Adam and Eve) which God created.  The freedom of agency which was granted to the first humans allowed for the capability of both moral good and moral evil.  The exercise of this freedom resulted in the choosing of evil.  This explains the beginning of the problem with which we are still plagued today, and so we continue in the choosing of evil.  Romans 5:12 puts it this way, “just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

GOD’S REMEDY

God knows all about it.  God has power to overcome it.  God lovingly grants His power to all who will turn away from evil and receive His provision.  Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus was “tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.”  He knows about the evil in this world and He knows about each individual way that evil manifests itself in our lives.  In all of the perfect holiness of Jesus we find the One who is absolute goodness and has power to not be infected by evil.  He was born of a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by the seed of man, indicating the evil of man’s sin was not transmitted to him as it has been to every other human born.  He lived such a perfect moral life that even His judicial prosecutors (Herod and Pilate) confessed they could “find no fault in Him” (John 18:38; 19:4, 6).  When Jesus died on the cross He, “disarmed principalities and powers (evil), He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)  On the third day after His crucifixion Jesus rose victoriously from the dead.  His resurrection reveals the exercise of power over evil and the effects of evil (pain and death).  The Bible also promises that Jesus Christ will return at a time which has been appointed to completely eradicate evil forever (Revelation 19-22).  God is completely aware of the evil in this world and He is acting.  He is alleviating the suffering of many through a variety of means today and one day He will completely eliminate the evil of this world and consign it all to a place called Hell.  He has all the power to do it and He will.

¹ In technical philosophical terminology the opposite of good would normally be recognized as not-good rather than evil.  I do not intend to propose a dualistic equality in considering evil as the opposite of good but it seems to me that to identify not-good in practical terminology is to call it evil.  Good is more powerful than evil just as light is more powerful than darkness and it is with this sense of reference in mind that I express these propositions.

Making the Most of What You Have

1 Timothy 4 reminds us to make the most of what we have been given, "14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you."

Let me cut through my normal sermonic meandering and may we ask ourselves a few very pointed questions from this text:

• Am I fully utilizing that which God has imparted to me? "do not neglect the gift that is in you"
• Am I thoughtfully stirring up the giftedness which God has given me?  "meditate on these things"
• Am I giving myself entirely to the expression of these gifts?  "give yourself entirely to them"
• Is my progress in Christian growth and service evident to others?  "that your progress may be evident to all"
• Is my salvation steadfastly persevering?  "take heed to yourself...continue...save yourself"
• Are others being saved because they are seeing and hearing God's grace alive in me?  "you will save...those who hear you"

Make the most of what you have for the glory of God, your good, and for the eternal sake of others. 

A Most Important Moment for the Future of the Southern Baptist Convention

The International Mission Board (IMB) is in another transition of leadership after 3 years of blessings with Tom Elliff in the top spot.  Although this may be a little sooner than some expected, it is certainly no big surprise considering Elliff’s age (no offense intended).  The IMB is at a pivotal point in its existence and many missions-loving Southern Baptists like me are earnestly praying for a strong, loving, and capable leader to lead this far-reaching ministry at this momentous time.  This is probably the most important moment before us in determining the future of the Southern Baptist Convention.  The IMB is our primary rallying point for cooperative efforts and this moment in time is of colossal importance.  There is so much I do not know but I offer these simple contemplations about connecting with the IMB with the hope that they may in some way make a contribution to our cooperative missions efforts across the globe.

1.  We Need To Win Souls.

I realize that bridge-building needs to take place and in some areas it may take longer than in other areas.  However, too often there are missionaries (and local pastors) who spend so much time building bridges that they never cross over and actually share the gospel.  I also know that different situations around the world sometimes require our missionaries to work through various vocations just to be allowed to be present in the region without persecution and/or expulsion.  We may also want to reconsider any missiological strategy that focuses the vast majority of our personnel in areas of the world that are least responsive to the gospel.  Definitely we should be wise in these matters and be sensitive to where God has prepared people’s hearts to receive the gospel, but we must always be intentional about the one purpose for which we are alive - to preach the gospel and make disciples.  I also don’t want to do construction work that robs local workers of employment and call it missions.  Nor do I see much sense in spending thousands of dollars to send people across the world to have only a “cross-cultural experience” and call it missions.  This is not meant as a grumbling criticism at all, rather it is a clarion call for Southern Baptists to stay focused on what made us the largest missionary sending agency in the world.  May our hearts beat for the winning of souls!  May we constantly be focused on leading people to Jesus!  When people are getting saved, God and His people get excited and there will be great blessings.  “He that winneth souls is wise” (Prov. 11:30)

2.  We Need To Train National Leaders.

Jesus is coming back at the pre-appointed time.  We don’t know when that is and we can’t make it happen.  I appreciate the zeal of those who are in a hurry to reach every people group with the gospel and there must be a sense of urgency to our task.  However, we must not stop short of the fullness of the Great Commission.  We must make disciples who will do the same.  2% of a people considered to be evangelized hardly seems like a sufficient number.  I have been in parts of the world where the numbers are much higher among those who are considered “reached” peoples only to find cults that are called churches and faithful members who have heard the name of Jesus but not the Jesus of the Bible.  If there is not faithful pastoral leadership training following the initial evangelistic efforts the work either dissipates altogether or the leadership falls into heresy and departs from the faith once delivered.  I have personally talked with indigenous pastors who say they are thankful to the IMB for bringing them life in Jesus, but now they are infants and still need help only to find that personnel is either not available, not being appointed to that area, or not very helpful.  Some experts may dismiss me as naive or even somewhat ignorant.  I must admit that there is always more that I don’t know but I do know what I have seen and heard in various parts of the world.  Let us be committed to the fullness of the Great Commission and may we train pastors to biblically lead the churches Jesus loves so dearly.  “commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Tim. 2:2

3.  We Must Improve Connections With Local Churches.

The days of local churches blindly sending CP gifts is rapidly vanishing.  Churches want involvement in their missions efforts in the least and some even want complete ownership.  The IMB has done well in the attempts to connect churches through the EMBRACE program.  Although there should be extra careful attention to avoid the usual pitfalls of a denominational bureaucratic program these efforts deserve thundering applause.  Churches want to know who they are supporting and are now even adopting people groups for long-term relationships of reaching and teaching.  Praise God!  Be careful, I have been invited on 2 separate occasions to bring a team of volunteers halfway across the world that we might provide childcare for our missionaries while they have a regional meeting amongst themselves.  Please take note, that does not excite missions-minded churches in the U.S.! We want hands on soul-winning and to work side by side with national church leaders in Christ’s building of His church.  Read 1 Corinthians 16 and see how well Paul informed the churches regarding his missionary efforts.  The churches were involved and Paul’s “missions agency” thrived. 

I love the SBC Cooperative Program.  I love the IMB.  I have greatly benefited from the CP efforts of faithful Christians in Baptist churches.  I love being a Southern Baptist.  I don’t really care how young or old the next IMB President may be.  I don’t really care if he has been a pastor, missionary, or VP.  It makes little difference to me how “famous” he is in SBC life.  I do think he should be a man who weeps for souls to be saved and strategically works to get it done in the power of the Holy Spirit.  I love the IMB and I will continue to support our CP efforts, but I really hope the next President agrees with these 3 simple contemplations.

Advice for Pastors from T.C. Melton after 60 years of Ministry - Part 3

Part 3 of 3

20.  YOU, PROBABLY, HAVE A LOT OF OLDER FOLK IN YOUR CHURCH.   You need to remember that these older folk will be your greatest supporters  if you will let them know that you love them and find ways to spend some time with them.    You need to remember that if you ignore them or have a negative attitude toward  them, they can become your worst critics.  By-the-way, in all likelihood these folk pay a good percent of your salary.   Encourage your   Music Minister  to remember these folk when he plans  the song service.                      

21.  PASTORS,  REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A GOOD, WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DEACONS.  The Apostle Paul had great respect for deacons.   He makes special mention of “deacons” in the opening remarks of many of his letters to the churches.  Bro. Pastor, respect your deacons.  Never tell “deacon jokes.”  Never criticize your deacons from the pulpit.   You can have a “team” ministry with them.     Getting regular,  personal time with each of your deacons (coffee time, hamburger time, etc.)  will go a long ways in  helping you to have good working relationship with these men.  You can “handle” a problem deacon (or any other member) much better over a cup of coffee at the DQ than you can in a Wednesday evening business conference.   If it is true that a fellow does not become the pastor of a church until he has been there four or five years, then countless churches have only had “preachers,” not “pastors.”  It is likely “short term” pastorates  have  resulted in deacons becoming the “power structure” in countless churches.  It is true, not just with “difficult”  deacons, but with some  other church members.  People don’t “become” our enemies.   We usually “make” them our enemies.   A well known pastor said to a group of young ministers, when asked “How do you handle your enemies?”  He said, “Make them your friends.” 

22.  YOU WILL BECOME A GREATER AND MORE LOVED PASTOR IF YOU WILL BE FAITHFUL IN DOING  THE TWO THINGS THAT PAUL MENTIONS IN ROMANS 15:12,   “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”  Be there when people are having their happiest times...the wedding, the birth of the baby, the retirement party, etc.  And, “be there” when your people are going through their most difficult and darkest hours....a death in the family, when other kinds of tragedy and troubles come to a family, etc.  There are some things a pastor would do well to not delegate to others.  His presence is, often,  both needed and greatly appreciated. If you are not “THERE” you are not likely to be the pastor regardless of how you excel in the pulpit.

23. PASTOR, DON’T UNDER OR OVER ESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF  DRESS.   There is an appropriate way to dress that is acceptable to both your younger and older church folk.   The office you hold is one of great dignity.  Your dress should always reflect this, “in” and “out” of the pulpit.   It is not good for the people to leave church talking more about the pastor’s manner of dress than his message.   

24. PASTOR, REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF RECREATION AND RELAXATION, INCLUDING GETTING  REGULAR PHYSICAL EXERCISE   The form these take will differ from pastor to pastor.  As much as possible, try to  eat right.  Watch your weight.  Good health is a plus for the pastor.  Use the stairs   more often than the  elevator.    Park on the back-side of the parking lot instead of trying to find a parking space nearest the entrance to the building.  Be determined to be like Caleb when you are 85 years of age.

25. PASTOR, REMEMBER TO  FOLLOW PAUL’S EXAMPLE  (PHILIPPIANS 1;3), FILL YOUR MEMORY BANK WITH GOOD MEMORIES.   You can be assured that you are going to have both good and bad things  happen to you in pastoral ministry.  If you want to have a miserable ministry and grow old being “sour” and “negative,” all you have to do  is daily review and relive all of those bad things that come you way.   Too many pastors forget what they ought to remember and remember what they ought to forget.

26. PASTOR, REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF  “BURYING YOUR HEART” SOME PLACE.    It is true that our Lord moves some pastors every few years, but it seems that the greatest churches (and not just in size)  are those who have had pastors to come and “stay.”  Remember to not only have a growing love for your church, but also for the community where your church is located.  You have probably heard the story told about what happened to David Livingston before his body was brought back to London from Africa.  Part of his body is buried in Westminster Abby.  He died in Chitambo’s village (in modern Zambia) in April, 1873.  Before the natives took his body to Zanzibar on the east coast of Africa to be put on a ship for England, Livingstone’s  followers  cut out  his  heart and buried it at the foot of the tree under which he died.  It has been said that  his followers declared to those who put his body on the ship bound for England that “You can take Dr. Livingstone to England, but his heart will always be in Africa.”   Need more be said?

27.  PASTOR, IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH, YOU WILL GET OLDER.   Remember, when God called you to ministry, it was, and is, a life-long call.  If you want to do great harm to your church people  and have a dismal ministry in your post 55 years, all you have to do is start  looking forward to retiring at age 65.  A deacon, when asked when his pastor retired, said,   “He retired four years ago.  He resigned two weeks ago.”   As you get older, if you can keep reasonably good health, you should never start thinking about retiring.  Your last years can be your best and, in some ways, the most productive.    Rather than thinking “retiring,” think “retooling.”  You, probably, “started well,”  Be determined to “end well.”

28.  PASTOR, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE A HEART OF HUMILITY TOWARD YOUR CALLING...ALWAYS SEEING YOURSELF AS NOTHING MORE THAN A SERVANT.  REMEMBER TO ALWAYS BE GRACIOUS,  ALWAYS HAVE A SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING, AND EXPRESS THANKS OFTEN, BOTH TO GOD AND PEOPLE. 

Advice for Pastors from T.C. Melton after 60 years of Ministry

Part 2 of 3:

11.  REMEMBER TO BE AS PROMPT AS POSSIBLE IN RETURNING CALLS AND ANSWERING PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE   Even though you may not be aware of it, some of these may involve urgent matters.  

12. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING OUR WORK.  An elementary school teacher, before leaving school on Friday, has lessons plans made for the coming week. Most ministers  who neglect their families do so because they fail to plan their ministry work.

13. REMEMBER  THE FIRST PART OF THE GREAT COMMISSION IS TO WIN PEOPLE TO JESUS.    There is no “magic bullet” for doing this.  Fish have not changed much in 2000 years.  A fisherman may have the most updated boat and equipment on the lake.  He may  play CD fish music and even dress and smell like a fish.   But, like it was  during the days of Jesus, rarely ever will a fish jump into the boat.    Pastor, we need to remember that the vast majority of the unsaved folk are never going to come to us, whatever we do or don’t do  in our church services.  We have got to go to them.  Find as many ways as possible to “get more hooks in the water.”  Use “trotline fishing.”   By personal example, teach and show your people how to win souls. 

14. PASTORS  NEED TO REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF LETTING PEOPLE SHARE IN MINISTRY.    It is the rare person in your church who will say “No” if you will do four things.   One “put it on a shelf he/she can reach.”  Two, make your appeal to him/her personally, making what you are asking them to do sound important,  Three, make clear what you are asking them to do and help them, if needed, learn how to do it.  Four, let them do it.

15. WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.....senior citizens’ centers, the local DQ where the coffee drinkers assemble, the school events, the nursing homes, out knocking doors in the community nearest your church, etc.  In just one afternoon, it is easy to have a quick, “Just dropped by to meet you,” kind of visit with dozens of folk.   And, when you are out, it is important to remember “WHO YOU ARE”  

16. PASTORS  NEED TO REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF CHANGE AND HOW TO LEAD PEOPLE TO MAKE CHANGES.    Some aspects of ministry never change, but many things have to be continually changing if the church  remains vibrant.  Remember, don’t “change” just for the sake of “changing.”  If a pastor can give a good answer to “Why the change?” and, then, start  communicating this with,  maybe, just one “key”  leader, working patiently to get  other ” folk “on board,” most things that need to be changed can be changed.  We need to remember that a full meeting of the deacon body or the monthly business conference is not the best place to introduce your request for a change.    A  pastor can get himself into trouble if he tries to make too many changes too quickly.  It is very important to remember that for the first three or four years you are at a church, you are the “preacher.”  You start becoming the pastor when you gain the confidence of the people.  This takes time.  There is not a “verse” that says this, but it is still true....people follow “pastors,” not “preachers.”  Changes that can get a pastor fired the first year will, likely be widely accepted  in his 4^th or 5^th year at a church.

17. PASTORS  NEED TO REMEMBER  THE WAY  VISITATION CAN BE DONE REQUIRES CHANGING.   Being invited into the homes of people, who do not know you, is almost a thing of the past.  Because of the suspicions and accusations that are so prevalent in today’s society, we have to be careful in how we make contact with people. We must not cease visiting; we just have to change some of the ways we do it.  

18.  PASTOR, REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF LETTING YOUR WIFE KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH YOUR CHURCH BUT THAT YOU ARE MORE IN LOVE WITH HER.   Pastors might do well to read, often, Proverbs 5:18-20.  And, the same is true with your children.  If you are in love with your church people and when  with your family, you speak positive about your church, it will help them to feel likewise.   This will go a long ways toward them never feeling that you are choosing church above them.  If you will plan your work well, you will be at home about as many evenings each week  as are your active lay-people.  There are occasions when your wife will be your best “visitation partner.”  And, if you have children (including teens) still at home, on occasions let each of them be your “visitation partner.”  They will never forget these kind of experiences.  Your wife and children  can be, and should be,  your  greatest encouragers.

  

19. PASTORS NEED TO REMEMBER TO HAVE A BIBLICAL ATTITUDE TOWARD THE OLDER AND YOUNGER MEN IN THE CHURCH, AS WELL AS THE OLDER AND YOUNDER WOMEN.  Paul gave young Pastor Timothy some good advice about this in I Timothy 5:1-2.   Remembering to do this will save the pastor a lot of trouble and will certainly gain him love and respect.

Advice for Pastors from T.C. Melton after 60 years in Ministry

Part 1 of 3 - I am sharing this because T.C. Melton has such great wisdom through 60 years of experience and he has been and continues to be tremendously helpful in churches throughout Texas.  These are his notes not mine, I sit at his feet and learn.  Be blessed!

Even though the material is addressed, primarily, to pastors,  some of  it is very applicable to staff people and others  in places of church leadership.  This list of “reminders”  is  not  complete, nor necessarily in order of importance,  but perhaps will cause you to “remember” other things that are also important    My “reminders” do not come from a fellow who “knows it all,” but from one who is still learning what it means to be a good pastor.   

l.  PASTOR, REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE,   I Peter 1:1-2

   A. Elder.  B. Shepherd.   C. Overseer

In these passages Simon Peter is, probably, not talking about three different offices in the church, but uses these terms to describe the one office that  we most often refer to as “pastor.”   Paul makes  a similar use  of these words  in Acts 20:28.

The word “elder” calls us to remember the wisdom, maturity and dignity that should characterize our lives as ministers.

The word “shepherd” calls us to remember that we are to nurture, care for and feed our people.   Much of Psalm 23 is a good pattern for the pastor.  We need to continually remind ourselves that we are not cattle “herders” or “horse wranglers.”  We are “shepherds.”

The word “overseer” calls us to remember the dangerous world our church people live in.  We are to be prepared to stand guard over them.  What Peter wrote about Satan in chapter 5, verse 8 is still true of him today.

I Peter 5:4 teaches us that the “Chief Shepherd” is to be our example as we serve our people.  You can’t pick and choose between being an elder, shepherd or overseer.

If you try to be an elder without being a shepherd and overseer, you are likely to come across as cold and sanctimonious.  If you try to be a shepherd without being an elder and overseer, you will likely be seen as a hireling, interested in what you can get, not in what you can give.  If you try to be an overseer without having the wisdom and maturity of an elder and the “heart”  of a shepherd, you will likely regard yourself as the CEO or the “boss” of the church.  

2. PASTORS,  REMEMER THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER, I Peter 5: 3 (examples to the flock).  We need to continually  remember that when Paul gives the qualifications for ministers in I Timothy 3:1-7 and  Titus  1:6-9, probably all but one of these deal with character, not preaching.    We need to remember that our  effectiveness as a leader will be determined more by our character than by our   preaching.     

3. WE PASTORS  NEED TO REMEMBER THAT OUR SERMONS SHOULD NOT ONLY GROW OUT OF OUR TIME WITH GOD AND TIME IN WORD OF GOD, BUT TIME SPENT OUT AMONG THE SHEEP.    Unless you have a very unusual church, you will have the following kind of people present for your next Sunday morning church service:  people who may have lost their jobs; parents who have wayward children; marriages that are in trouble; teens struggling with moral or addiction problems; families  that have financial problems; people who have gone through the hurt of divorce;  one or two who got that “cancer” word from the doctor; one who has come to church one last time to try to find a word of hope, etc.     If you don’t spend quality  time with the sheep the other days of the week, you will not be prepared to preach on Sunday.  

4. THE  PASTOR  NEEDS TO REMEMBER THAT WHEN HE PREPARES  HIS MESSAGES, HE MUST PREPARE FOR ALL KINDS AND ALL AGES OF SHEEP.  Remembering this  will  help you to   

     A. Keep in clear.  When preparing your message, keep in mind the “ONE” thing you want your people to know and the “ONE” thing you want them to do.  You don’t want any of your people leaving a service asking, “I am not for sure what the pastor was trying to get across to us today.”

     B. Keep it simple.  A candidate for a D-Min degree was given an assignment to write  a sermon on the “Second Coming Of Christ,” then let three people read it, each underscoring anything that was not clear.   First, a college graduate...then  a high school graduate...and, last, a 5^th grader. .  When the 5^th grader had finished, the sermon was again rewritten.  Then, the D-Min professor told the candidate, “ Your sermon is now ready to be delivered to the people.”  

     C. Be brief.  More good sermons are ruined by being too long rather than being too brief.

     D. Be Christlike in your delivery of the sermon.  It is well to remember that you should never preach to your people on a Sunday morning in a way that you would not talk to them, individually, in the  living room of their homes.

  

5. REMEMBER YOU ARE PASTOR OF ALL THE PEOPLE.   No pastor should ever be heard saying that he  can’t relate to a certain age group in the church.  The church may employ other staff people, but you are the pastor of ALL the people.     

6. REMEMBER TO KEEP A JOYFUL AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD YOUR CHURCH PEOPLE AND YOUR CALLING AS PASTOR.  .  Remember to always speak well about your church people, whether you are talking to them or talking to others about them.  Tell your people, often, that you love them.  Having this kind of attitude toward your church people will make it less likely that you will get out of bed every Monday morning with  the thought of “getting your resume out.”

7. REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING PERSONAL TIME WITH INDIVIDUAL CHURCH PEOPLE...coffee & hamburger time...a birthday phone call, etc.  It could be that as many as 90% of the men in our churches have never had this kind of personal time with their pastor.   One 78 year old fellow got a birthday call from his pastor.  He said, “I have been a church members since I was a little boy and that is the first time I ever had such a call.”   Have a list of the birthdays of your people, including the children.  It will only take a few minutes each day to give each one of these a “happy birthday” call.....guarantees an annual contact with each member.  Try to get your church to put some DQ  money in the budget.   Set a goal to get “coffee” or a hamburger with at least one man each week.   That fellow will, likely, say, “This is a first for me.”   

8. REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF HOME VISITATION WITH MEMBERS.   Most of these can be brief, front door visits.  It is very  easy to make a dozen of these kinds of visits in a couple of hours.   Keep a list of visits and dates of visit.  If you don’t, you will find your visitation can easily revolve around just a few of the members.  This kind of visitation should characterize the regular, not the occasional,  work schedule of not just the pastor, but  all church staff people.

9. REMEMBER TO GUARD AGAINST SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON THE COMPUTER.  A recent  president of the Southern Baptist Convention, while speaking to our SBTC staff people, talked about the danger of  “electronic addiction”  (talking about computers, cell phones, etc.).  Not only is this a great time waster, it  can lead to all kinds of problems, including  pornography and having moral failure.  One fellow,  in explaining why he thought Mormons were exploding with growth and Baptists are in decline, went on to say that  we Baptist ministers  have computers...the Mormon preachers have bicycles.

 Remember to very careful about how you express opinions by  use  of  “Twitter”  and  “Facebook.”  The wrong use of these can be both harmful and embarrassing, not only for you, but your church people.  

10. REMEMBER THAT MINISTRY IS HARD WORK, INVOLVING  LONG HOURS..  How many hours should a minister  work each week?  A good pattern might be found in studying the work habits of your finest lay-people.  Most of them work 40 hours a week, with an hour or two thrown in getting to and from work.  If you add the time they spend in church ministry...attendance, various kind of meetings,  preparation for teaching, visitation,  choir, etc., you come up with about 55  hours a week.  It is doubtful if a pastor (or a staff minister)  can do his work is less time than this.   Once a pastor gets the  reputation for being lazy,  this is very hard to overcome.