Tag: Pastors

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Valuing our next-gen.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Luke closes out the temptation of Jesus in chapter 3, writing, “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came” (4‬:‭13‬). Satan later, visited again, returning in force through the chief priests and temple guards in the Gethsemane moments – “But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns” Luke 22:53.

Jesus returned to Galilee filled with Holy Spirit power! And word got out. But then he went home, his roots, where he was raised. There it was a completely different challenge. Jesus had risen to be recognized as a Rabbi, so he went to his local synagogue (https://bit.ly/nazarethsynagogue), and led the people in the reading from the scriptures. For Jesus, going home was critical, but risky. He wanted to let his family and friends know what was coming, but they could not get past the fact that he was a son of their own carpenter, Joseph. The neighbors could only remember Jesus as a youth. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”‭‬ ‭(4‬:‭22‬).

Mathew tells us that Jesus addressed this, Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.” And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief” (Matthew‬ 13‬:‭57‬-‭58‬). And in Mark “And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭5‬-‭6‬).

Interestingly enough, these same passages are quoted by young, next-gen leaders who perceive that Church folks that knew them as a child or as youth, are not capable of letting them grow up and mature into adults, very much gifted by God, to lead Jesus’ Church. They often have to leave to find “belief” in their abilities. Is it true that we can’t value or find honor in those that grow up among us? Does this not add a sense of “unbelief” when the church continues to treat its own up and coming adults as children? Do we not want them to stay and use their talents and gifts among us? Do we not think that God can use our own to teach us and lead us? The Apostle Paul had to tell young twenty-something Timothy not let anyone “despise or disregard” his youth (Timothy 4:12). Why? Because the church folk were seeing him as too young! Timothy ended up pastoring the church in Ephesus for 60 years! And becoming the Bishop over several churches in the region.

In my own life, just a couple of years after coming to faith at fifteen, I was already teaching Junior High and High School classes on Sundays and served as an interim youth pastor as well. I knew I was young and still had a lot to learn. My wife, Robin, ended up becoming the children’s pastor at 20 years old! At 22 years old, Robin and I accepted a ministry position in Bakersfield, CA. Except, Robin was the one hired to direct the preschool at the church, I just went along for the ride. I was the unpaid, unofficial youth pastor, and the official sprinkler-repairer and janitor for our small church. The former Pastor had an affair with the church secretary and had left. Our friend was asked to come in to pastor the small, now brokenhearted people. The previous pastor’s wife, now abandoned, still attended the church! We were only there for 18 months when we were offered a position at a larger church in the Los Angeles area.

All through our 20’s we were pastoring children (Robin) and youth (Glenn), it was called “Christian Education” back then. Robin and I both knew we were still young, even though we were parents of three children. We didn’t mind folks thinking of us as young. Even so, we were kept out of more serious conversations and decisions concerning our own church, because those were for the real adults, the elders. In my late 30’s I initiated and started an elder’s team, but some of the church folks felt I was too young to lead it because of course, the word “elder” to them, meant old! The Bible definition for elder has nothing to do with age. Maturity yes, age – no.

All through my late 30’s I wondered when I would get my chance at being a lead pastor, it wasn’t going to happen. I went on to become a Vice President of a nonprofit that focused on children of foster care. I was out of the leadership of a local church for 17 years. Then in my late 50’s I was elected to return to the church in Los Angeles as their lead pastor. I tell our church, I am their CSO, Chief Servant Officer. My heart’s desire is to both pastor those who are our super-seniors as well as our next-gen. My hope is to find, support and release our young leaders into the big decisions now, as well as for our future.

Prayer

​Dad,
Clearly your Church is filled with all ages, from infants to senior adults. For married couples, single parents, singles, and widows. And for every group, every generation, there is a need for called, gifted pastors to love and lead the gathering of believers. It is Your Church, whose Chief Shepherd is Jesus. Help us Oh God, to look for your guidance and wisdom and be obedient to Your will. All of us should be following the voice of the Holy Spirit! Amen.

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Leaders carry extra loads.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul wouldn’t ask this for himself. But for others, like Timothy, Titus, and the local pastors and deacons in the church, he reminds them – honor their position. Great pastors do exactly what Paul writes about, they “WORK hard among!”

A few of the elders at my own church pretend to sniff me once in a while. When I give them a puzzled look, they say, “just making sure you smell like sheep!” It’s true, right? What shepherd doesn’t smell like those in their care. Paul uses the Greek word for “work hard,” kopiáō: exhausting labor – to labor until worn-out, depleted. It’s a physical and mental depletion. The New Living Translation says it’s because pastors give spiritual guidance, but Paul’s literal word is proístēmi: they are diligent to take the lead.

Why is leading so hard? And, why are leaders are harder to find in this current culture? Because of two reasons: One, whoever even thinks about leading observe how church folk treat pastors and decide, “it is not worth it!” Two, there is such a deficiency of trust that makes it ten times harder to lead change! I know, many might think pastors create their own moral sink-holes and deserve to go down in them. But think about it. What are pastors trying to escape from? Why are they making horrible choices in their personal lives? Maybe they’re just trying to fill the void, dull the pain, use the escape to get away from you (and the overwhelming emotional trauma of leading other humans in spiritual endeavors). Many of them have no emotional reserves, no margin because they’ve given it away to others. Who wants to live as an empty shell of a person?

Paul’s spirit-led wisdom tells the church, show them esteem – hēgéomai: a leader who carries important responsibility and hence “casts a heavy vote” (influence) – and hence deserve cooperation by those who are led. Again, NLT uses the word “respect,” but it it’s not just honoring them with a nod and a smile. It’s working with them, alongside them without ADDING to their load, but instead, helping lessen it! And, in this kind of esteem for them, we should show them a “hyper-love,” huper (beyond) love.

It’s also Paul’s last little admonishment that gets my attention. I think it should be emphasized! Paul writes, eiréneuó: to bring to peace, to be at peace with EACH OTHER! I don’t know the statistics on this, but an enormous amount of time and emotional energy is spent on trying to resolve or at least manage CONFLICT among church folks. Pastors beg of you… forgive, reconcile, stop gossiping about each other – be peacemakers rather than poop spreaders. That alone would go a long way in helping and respecting your pastor. Paul shares this out of love and his apostlistic responsibility. Pastors don’t just carry their own life, their own family and their own responsibilities. Remember, the “extra” load pastors carry…. is YOU and your family!

Prayer

Dad,
We need more pastors, not less. We need more men and women who seek this leadership responsibility in the Church, not less. In these days of spiritual recession, we need your grace even more. We need an outpouring of your Spirit to revolutionize our Z’s and Alpha’s to answer that calling to ministry. Could you supernaturally speak to them and call them up to leadership just like you did for me? Thank you!

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Leading in a vacuum.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” Acts ‭7:51-53‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​What in the world makes us so weird and trippy about religion? These men, and they were all men btw, who murdered Stephen for his mouthy truth telling were nothing more than elevated scribes from Ezra’s day, some 400 years earlier.

Ezra was a “scribe and a high priest” in the Old Testament, which was a well respected position and important place of honor in Israel.

Ezra did something extraordinary. He started a school, a school for “ready scribes.” These were writers, translators and keepers of the written laws of God.

Interestingly enough, it was the Persian king, “King Artaxerxes, King of Kings,” who appointed Ezra to this task. “This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.”

Artaxerxes speaking, “And you, Ezra, are to use the wisdom your God has given you to appoint magistrates and judges who know your God’s laws to govern all the people in the province west of the Euphrates River. Teach the law to anyone who does not know it. Anyone who refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king will be punished immediately, either by death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.” Ezra‬ ‭7:10, 25-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

God was certainly with Ezra, and I am sure he was a great guy for the job. However, it’s worth noting that God never told Ezra to create this special class of scribes who would eventually become the religious leaders of Jesus day (Pharisees and Sadducees). They were like a religious council both controlling the high priest and the people of God. And no doubt these religious council leaders still operated under the authority of the school of scribes started by Ezra.

Just remember it was Artaxerxes who charged Ezra and his appointees to punish, with death, anyone who would refused to obey the law of God. Plus, Artaxerxes was the first guy to finance their newfound positions, “Any silver and gold that is left over may be used in whatever way you and your colleagues feel is the will of your God.” Ezra‬ ‭7:15-20.

Whoa. This was still in place when the religious leaders used temple funds to pay Judas to betray Christ! All that power, all that wealth, used just to force the New Testament people to obey their massive rules attached to the law of God! So when they didn’t like what Stephen was saying, they were in their Artaxerxes given rights to stone him to death. Wild huh? Do you think keeping the priestly, scribe-like position is a good thing for the Church today? I am not a fan.

Prayer

Dad,
It is so disturbing to think of what we are capable of being and doing in a vacuum of godly leadership. I’m sure that Ezra’s motives were pure. Maybe his actions were a little off, but wow it started a very long line of spiritual abuses of excess and misappropriation of justice. It’s a good thing we don’t run the Church like that today… or do we? Christ’s example of servant leadership was supposed to be the preferred model, right? It seems hard to lead without power and money. Yet, this is how it should be done, if we are to lead under the authority of Jesus – right?