Pastors Are Teachers Not Builders!

1 Timothy 5:17 "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine."

I spoke you a young man today who told me they had a new young Pastor and “he was happy because; while the older one preached well he could not add to the church and he had hope the new one could; he has more energy he told me”. I responded to this young man “I guess we disagree on what a Pastors job is” because a Pastor is a teacher not a social organizer. He was not happy with the older Pastor because he taught too much, hum, but apparently this young man did not listen? Folks a Pastors job is not to build churches, nor is it to be a social organizer, his job is not to pat you on the head and make you happy, his job is not to be a fundraiser, folks, his job is to be an overseer of the Lords church and to teach the membership Gods word. I believe the reason people have the wrong idea what a Pastor is, is because most of the graduates for these seminaries are not pastors but social organizers and therefore people have concluded that all pastors should be likewise. This is what God defines as a good pastor; "Let the elders that rule well…” That is a pastor that oversees the church well, ruling well is not being a good fundraiser, nor is it being good at socializing, ruling well is working to under-sheppard the Lords church, which is keeping it running according to the scriptures and according to Gods command and will. It is possible that a pastor that does his job well may not be the most popular man in the church or even the community but he will be to the Sheppard of the church which is Jesus Christ. Folks don’t get angry at the pastor if the church is not growing, or if the money is not growing, for this anger maybe you should look at yourself and the person sitting next to you at church. If a church is functioning properly then God will grow the church, God himself will deliver the funds not the pastor. Your pastor’s job is to preach the word of God and to care and oversee the church not to be a social planner or a fundraiser. Did not God tell the church at Jerusalem to appoint seven good men to help the pastors with this work, this work is the social part of the church, however some deacons believe they are appointed to control the church and even the pastor, but it would do them well to re-read Acts chapter 6. The text scripture goes on to say “…be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine." Why “labour in the word and doctrine” because that is their real job not all this other stuff. If the church is responding to the scriptures properly and the membership it tithing then the church has no need for fundraising. If the membership is doing their job then the church will grow because they will be energetic in inviting people to church. The Lord reminds us "Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; (38.) Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37 – 38. Maybe a pastor should ask God to send some laborers that is to light a fire under the membership to work the field. A pastor’s time is well spent in study of Gods word so he can teach it to the church. Preaching is not an easy task in fact it is very difficult and one that does it well is one that studies much.

I looked at the newspaper today and it had the social events of the church here in Texarkana and almost every church listed had some sort of fundraiser for their churches, or some sort of singles connection group, and I must ask is this part of the churches work? The Lord will supply the needed funds if a church is functioning well and take away from a church that is not, and sometimes the Lord will leave a church lacking to test their faith, it is Gods work to supply the needs of the church not the pastors, it is Gods job to grow the church not the pastors, for both these works He has assembled a congregation, that is to tithe and to invite and if both of these are accomplished by the church membership then the pastor has time to do his work and teach and lead the congregation. This is the question; are you doing your part?

Fathers; Please Take Your Place!

“For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Ephesians 5:23

Today is “Fathers Day” and whether you celebrate the day or not I would like to take a few minutes of your time to remind all fathers everywhere of our great responsibility as fathers. We have a major problem in today’s society with our children and it all starts at home with the parents and mostly with the father of the family because he is responsible for the family. A father has many responsibilities at the home, he is to make the money, he is to love his wife as Christ loves the churches, he is to tend to his children, and etc, etc, and etc. The problem we have today is fathers have fled their God give responsibilities to their families. They let their wives make the money, they let their wives tend to the children, or they let society tend to them, but whatever is happening outside of what God commanded is wrong and ungodly. Most children today either live with a divorced mother, or are an award to another person or the State. Men we must remember we are all going to answer to God for our downfalls in life and as husbands and fathers we are more responsible. To you fathers that are divorced let me say this; it is not another mans responsibility to raise and support your children, it is yours. How can a man be a father if they never support or visit their children? How can a man be a father if they fail to control their children? How can a man be a father if they are not responding to what God commanded? God said “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." 1 Timothy 5:8 “HE HATH DENIED THE FAITH”. Today on Fathers Day is a time of repentance; and a time to do what God hath commanded, are you a father and do you deserve to be praised by you wife and children on Fathers Day?

God said “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 Is Jesus Christ your head fathers? If not then it is time to remedy that and make Him your head. Children are a glorious gift from God and it is up to us fathers and mothers both to make their lives consistent with Gods way of understanding. As children look to their fathers for help let us fathers look to Jesus Christ for help, God never said being a father would be easy, He just said do it and do it right. Maybe if more fathers would have been fathers instead of “their children’s best friend”, or totally absent from their children’s lives then maybe we would not have the mess we have today with children.

Happy Fathers Day!!

The Truth Of The LORD Endureth Forever

Psalms 117:1 - 2 “O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. (2.) For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.”

Truth means - stability; trustworthiness, faithful, right, and sure – and all of these are God, yes I said they are God that is His very nature, just as He is holy, Omnipresent, Omniscience, and etc. He is truth. Jesus described Himself as truth in John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He did not say He told the truth He said He is Truth meaning just as much as He is the Messiah He is Truth. Where there is Truth there is no lie "...that no lie is of the truth." 1 John 2:21 With God there is no such thing as “a little white lie” or “stretching the truth” there is only Truth because God cannot be something that He is not.

Our text goes on to say “…the truth of the LORD endureth for ever.” Since God is truth and cannot lie then He will always, for all eternity be truth. This includes His declarations; His promises; and His assurances of mercy and love. They will never change, ever. James said "...from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17 which means God cannot change, ever. God said in Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Two truths here we want to look at; God will never lie nor will He ever change His mind, ever. “God is not a man…” this very fact is most important because man simply cannot be trusted not to lie, as much as we mostly hate to lie it is our nature to do so "...let God be true, but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4. If one puts too much faith in man you will see him fall but God is different He is Truth and there is no lie in Him. Lying comes from Satan, it started in the garden with Eve and continued with Adams lie to God and has continued with mankind ever since. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44 The phrase “…there is no truth in him...” means God who is Truth is not in him at all.

It is because that God is Truth He is to be greatly praised, applauded, and lifted up, because He can be trusted in every letter of every word which He has promised. All of the promises He ever promised the Israelites have been fulfilled, and just because they have failed to see these fulfillments is there own faults. Whatever God has said will come to fulfillment and we need never doubt, because God cannot lie. God’s next promise is that Jesus will return for the rapture, the Lord’s warning is to be ready, however many today are not ready because deep in their minds they do not believe it is going to happen but it is and when most Christians least expect it He will come. This is why He warned us to be like the five wise virgins and to have our lamps trimmed with oil and ready. Beloved trust God in what He says and never, ever doubt because doubting God is sin. We show our praise to God by trusting Him, not by doubting and every Christian that is not ready for the Lords return doubts God.

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalms 138:2