Pastors

“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

Matthew 16:18

“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

I tell Pastors all the time, you don’t have to build His Church

He said He would build it! You just have to steward it

And don’t ever refer to His church (sheep, people) as your church!

A friend of mine’s daughter said, “Pastor Robert is rich!”

And he said, “Why do you think Pastor Robert is rich?”

And she said, “Because he owns the church!”

Bad Pastors

Acts 20:29

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”

Notice that Paul said that after his departure, wolves would come in

What does a bad pastor do when a wolf comes in?

John 10:11

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 10:12

But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

John 10:13

The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

John 10:14

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

John 10:15

As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

People who are hired to pastor sheep flee when the wolf comes

But a Shepherd called by God will lay down his life for the sheep!

The Bible goes to great lengths to warn us about false shepherds!

Jeremiah 23:1

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:2

Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah 23:3

“But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

Jeremiah 23:4

I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:1

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Ezekiel 34:2

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Ezekiel 34:3

You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.”’”

How can we recognize false shepherds? (Mt 7 – By their fruit)

They don’t gather sheep, they scatter sheep.

They don’t serve sheep. They lord over sheep!

They don’t feed sheep

They don’t lay down their lives for sheep

They don’t love the sheep

I think there are bad pastors with wrong motives

They are in the ministry for what they can get not what they can give

There are some that are good people in the wrong place

They are not gifted to pastor

This is why I know some who are called to be teachers not pastors

We met some ladies who were part of the Red Hat society

We met some Queen Mothers

If they don’t like the way I run it, they can go somewhere else!

She reminded me of some Pastors I’ve met

I built a friendship with a guy that was a car salesman

I told him there were good pastors and bad pastors

He accepted Christ a few weeks later!

Good Pastors

Hebrews 13:20

… our Lord Jesus … that great Shepherd of the sheep

1 Peter 2:25

For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Mark 6:34

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.

So, He began to feed them!

There are two things on my job description: Lead and feed

Jeremiah 3:15

“And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Numbers 27:15

Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying:

Numbers 27:16

“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

Numbers 27:17

who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

Psalm 78:70

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds;

Psalm 78:71

from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance.

Psalm 78:72

So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

Acts 15, Jerusalem Council, James, the Senior Pastor, set the vision and the values

After Peter, Paul, and Barnabas spoke, the 3 preeminent apostles

The Senior Pastor sets and protects the vision and values of the church

This is why you can go to a church and immediately feel at home

Or not at home! It’s because of the vision and the core values

If you sense legalism or a dictatorial spirit in the church

It’s because the pastor is that way,

And it’s become part of the DNA

I want to calm your heart about the future

In the next 3 to 5 years, we are going to make a generational change

God is a generational God. He identifies Himself as a generational God

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Some pastors hold on so long, they pass it to Jacob not Isaac

But I’m not going anywhere! I plan to stay in the pulpit for a season

Even when there’s a younger man set in to lead the church

You won’t notice an abrupt change. It will be gradual

I promise you this! Read my lips: No new taxes!

No new vision and values!

The new leader will have my vision and values!

And when I say my vision and values

I mean the vision and values that God put in me

To put into Gateway Church!

A younger man will have more energy (Elders say YOU’RE TOO OLD!)

It’s like raising kids or keeping the grandkids for a few days

I prayed the whole month of February

This pastor told Pastor Olen he must be doing something wrong

If you take the blame when things aren’t going well

You must take the credit when the church is doing well!

He’s the Great Shepherd, Pastor

But He has given us pastors to care for our souls

And to lead and feed us as servants to equip us for the ministry!

I built a friendship with a guy that was a car salesman

I told him there were good pastors and bad pastors

He accepted Christ a few weeks later!

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