Would you care to tell us what you are talking about? I would call you many things but Protestant would not make the short list. Troll OTOH would.
Oops! Missed the response. :>) And Gary North as a Presby Spokesman? When did that happen?
Chapter 6
THE LOCAL CHURCH AND THE PASTOR
In the revelation of the divine mystery of the assembly of believers, the local body of Christ, the office of pastor is unique and ought to be clearly understood that it is a "gift" (Eph. 4:11) and evaluated in that context.
Three New Testament Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) were written to and for men selected by the Lord for this ministry. The supernaturalness of the local assembly and the position of the pastor in this divine scheme merits reverential study and diligent application.
We would do well to see this gift as pastor-teacher, i.e., shepherd-instructor. Others may also be made teachers, but the pastor occupies a place in the divine plan that is distinctive and awesome.
THE CALLING
There is a difference between natural talents and supernatural gifts. Talents come through the genes of natural inheritance; gifts directly by the Lord. Talent comes from the first Adam and, however attractive, is still a part of man's fallen nature. The gift is by the Holy Spirit, as it pleases Him. Therefore, talents and aptitudes cannot be considered the determining factors in ascertaining God's will as to service, contributing perhaps but not necessarily conclusive.
Aptitude tests contrived by man or the results of what is fed into a computer are hardly the Lord's way of taking a Peter from his fishing business or a Paul from his law practice into special apostleships.
No man, however naturally talented, can make himself a pastor in God's sight. No amount of academic studies or theological degrees can produce a pastor, for this is a divine choice by the sovereign Holy Spirit.
The pastor IS a gift and has THE gift! Man cannot and must not try to make pastors of men. That is solely the Lord's business, His choice.
Either the man is God's gift or he isn't. He either has the gift or he doesn't. He who is so called by God to be a shepherd will know it. He will not require the backslapping of men to bolster that inner compulsion. If obedient to the Lord, he will make full proof of his ministry (2 Tim. 4:5).
This is not to say that God's chosen instrument is at once and automatically thoroughly furnished (2 Tim. 3:17) nor to infer that he need not stir up this gift of God (2 Tim. 1:6). This involves training heart and mind in the Word. If called of God, he is called also to prepare that the total personality be disciplined. The Lord is not limited to any one form of preparation.
In one instance the Arabian desert suited God's plan better than a time spent in Jerusalem with the elders. In every case one needs to have a lofty concept of who God is, become saturated with the Word of God, and be fascinated with God's expressed purposes. Wherever the study, personal initiative may be of greater importance than what is offered in a classroom.
When the Lord calls to show His choice, this is also according to His own will. God chooses the time to impart this to His servant, as well as the way. It is seldom spectacular, but always deep. The choice is God's, not man's. What the man does about it is, of course, important.
We ought not persist in assuming that any school of men can manufacture a pastor. Only God can make this gift! The best that formal Bible schooling can do is to assist the man who has been sovereignly selected by God in his absorption of the Word of God. This includes intercession and counselling.
To be a shepherd is by appointment and not by attainment. It is by the will of God and not by works or by worth. No man ought to take this honor unto himself. Neither a sincere desire to serve Christ nor an aspiration to preach to others is the same as being designated by the risen Lord as His undershepherd.
The carnal system evolved in Christendom prescribes certain subjects for study, looks for favorable personality traits and natural aptitudes, and insists upon endorsement by a hierarchy. Then it sets up its product before society and says: "This is a clergyman." Such a man may be saved and sincere, but he is merely the product of a man-made religious system and qualified only to serve that system.
But the Lord, Who seeks counsel from no man, may choose from the womb a prince with an ungodly father, a herdsman in Tekoa, a boy with a godly mother, a fisherman in Galilee, an introvert, an extrovert, a civil service officer or a young lawyer from Tarsus and say, "I have chosen you and ordained you." With such a selection a man will find it hard to be disobedient to the heavenly calling.
RECOGNITION
If we really understand the uniqueness of the local assemblyit is supernaturaland see its primary purpose in God's plan as discussed earlier, we are better prepared to recognize the man of God. On the other hand, if we do not fully appreciate God's purpose with the local assembly, we shall become occupied with looking at the fleshan organizer, a musician, one who seems to have a knack for interesting young people, a promoter, or an evangelistrather than a man chosen by the Holy Spirit and filled with the Holy Spirit to serve as an expositor of the written Word of God.
The denominational system required certain positions, including what it calls the pastorate, but that is not necessarily synonymous with the apostolic concept. Therefore, it is better to adhere to the revelation of the mystery, see the pastor as indicated in the Epistles, and educate the local church in exercising discernment in selecting a shepherd.
PASTORAL ESSENTIALS
Education for the man called of God does not cease with his graduation from a school! All through his career he must "give attendance to reading." No one will exhaust in his lifetime the mine of wealthdoctrine, history, prophecy, poetry, literary excellence, practical psychologyin the sixty-six books of the Biblical library.
He would be well advised to read other selected material so as to keep himself informed of religious movements and the theological trends, in order to intelligently safeguard the flock. Wolves have a tendency to modernize the tailoring of their sheep's clothing.
The shepherd is God's man, ordained by Him to feed the flock, to lead the flock, and to protect the flock. His ministry is not primarily to the community-at-large but to God's people.
As we have noted in earlier chapters, constituents of an assembly well-fed, properly led, and lovingly protected will together exemplify the mystery of godliness; and then as individuals, pastor included, will properly represent the Gospel in their daily lives, which is the basis and genius of missions.
When the risen Lord instructed His aged Apostle, John, to communicate to local assemblies in Asia Minor, the letters were addressed to the pastor in each case (Rev. 2,3). The pastor was to see himself identified with his people. This included both approval and disapproval from the Lord. In these letters one recognizes again the elements of feeding, leading, and protecting.
Ordinationso often abused and too often used merely to indicate approval for any number of servicesshould be limited to men called of God to be pastors and in the light of all the solemn factors we have been considering. (The whole subject of ordination ought to be re-examined.)
The shepherd-teacher should keep in mind that the flock, purchased with the blood of Christ, is more in need of fresh, applicable messages from God's Word than for the pastor's society.
At no time ought he forget how the pastor is described in the Word: "minister of Jesus Christ" (1 Tim. 4:6); "man of God" (1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 3:17); "soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3); and "servant of the Lord" (2 Tim. 2:24).
A Bible-centered church will seem strange to those who are enmeshed in the procedures and traditions of institutionalized Christendom. The Bible-centered assembly will take the apostolic view of the pastorate.
Whether he be selected from among the local spiritual elders or called from another area to lead the local church, the criteria will be the evidence of the Divine call and the Spirit's enduement, not natural skills and academic certificates.
A local church being guided by what is so evident in the Scripture will also know the significance of shepherding, make no unreasonable demands upon him, and recognize him for what he is in God's plan.
Where there is an unfortunately low evaluation by a local assembly of itself, the pastor will be regarded merely as a hired itinerant preacher, who was once favored over others by a representative pulpit committee, to be under constant critical scrutiny and tolerated so long as he can politically maneuver among the diverse elements. (The idea of a pulpit committee ought also to be re-examined.)
TREASURE IN EARTHEN VESSELS
The pastor is a man and has experiences and needs like other men. It is often embarrassing for him to talk about his feelings, frailties, family, or finances. He may often wish that someone would think about this. Someone has.
In King's Business, dated April, 1959, a heartwarming article appeared written by Helen Frazee-Bower entitled "Pastors Are People." In her opening paragraphs she expressed her personal appreciation for pastors who had fed her from God's Word and referred to this calling as a "most exalted position." Then she went on to call attention to the fact that "they too are people."
Pastors are people! They have feelings. Few of us would think of criticizing a fellow member of the congregation for the way his wife dresses, or his children behave, but we seem to think it is our business to keep an eye on the pastor's family. Did you ever hear, "Why are preacher's children always the worst?" The answer, of course, is that they are not. It is only that more people observe them.....What would be considered rudeness, if spoken of anyone else, is sometimes said of the pastor's family, with an actual sense of having fulfilled a righteous obligation!
Pastors are people! They get tired. They have physical limitations. It is no easier for them to work constantly than for any other human being. Even Jesus became weary; else why was He asleep on a pillow during the storm at sea?
Our individual troubles are not unique to the pastor: they are part of a long succession of similar experiences covering the entire congregation. No matter how much one may long to do for others, human strength cannot be stretched beyond a certain limit: there is a breaking point for all men. One of the finest sermons I ever listened to was preached by a pastor who had been up all night with a dying man. His message was undoubtedly enriched by this experience. Nevertheless, his life was shortened because he spent his strength too freely for his people. Because few pastors will spare themselves when they feel they are needed, it becomes the obligation of the congregation not to make thoughtless demands upon them.
Pastors are people! They make mistakes. Just because a man is called of God to preach the Gospel, he is not necessarily placed beyond the possibility of making human errors. The Scriptures say that we shall be like Jesus"when we see Him as He is." But until that time, we are in the flesh and are heirs to the weaknesses of the flesh. All of us are capable of making wrong choices, unwise decisions, unfortunate remarks. We all exhibit flaws and make errors....Pastors will sometimes make mistakes. These are God's concern, not ours. The Scriptures say, "To his own master he standeth or falleth." Indeed they say more, "Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand."
Pastors are people! They need privacy. Because men of God, like men of medicine, are on twenty-four hour call, their private life is constantly invaded. The pastor has less time with his family than the average manbut needs more. He, who gives constantly to others, has need of the comfort, understanding, and warmth that are basic portions of life within the family circle. Unnecessary phone calls to his home rob him of his all-too-brief opportunity to be alone with his own....It is God Himself who "setteth the solitary in families;" so there must be something there that a man can find nowhere else. The pastor's privacy needs to be guarded by his congregation. Over against this fact there stands another opposed to it, but equally true.
Because pastors are people, they are often a little lonely. The very nature of their task makes them that way. They have been set apart by God for a holy work, and they must spend much time apart with God, in preparation for that work. For this reason they may often seem aloof. The man in the pulpit has been dwelling "in the secret place of the most high," and it is as unfair to expect him to come suddenly down to earth at the sanctuary door, as it would be to expect Moses of the shining face to come down from the mountain to inquire, "And how are all the children?"
The pastor's aloofness may trouble him more than anyone else. He must not play favorites with members of his flock; he dare not discuss his problems with anyone in the congregation. He is a man who "must show himself friendly," yet have few intimate friends of his own. If he seems a little aloof, don't forget that he is a little lonely too.
Pastors are people: very special people, to be sure chosen vessels of the Lord, to be used of Him that others might come to know the Saviorbut human, nevertheless. As people, they have feelings, physical limitations, human desires, weaknesses as well as strengthseven as you and I. Perhaps they would like us to remember this sometimes.
Perhaps the greatest service we can render our pastors is to grant them the same understanding we would extend to any fellow Christian, and not expect more of them than we would have them expect of us."1
SATAN'S DEVICES
When the army to the north engaged in battle against Israel, the order was given to the Syrian troops to concentrate on destroying the leader of the warriors of Israel (2 Chron. 18:30). In all segments of society God has ordered that there be leadersnation, family, military. God has also set some to rule in the local church. The devil would be a poor strategist if he did not order his demons to concentrate their efforts upon the spiritual leaders, and the pastor in particular, in this spiritual warfare.
James was killed with the sword. The apostles were per-secuted, imprisoned, and beaten. Paul's productive ministry led to his execution, evidence of satanic hatred and satanic strategy. Demas, of great potential, was enticed from service by the attraction of the world.
Satan also works to discredit any servant of the Lord that exposes his wiles. Anyone familiar with the life of the Apostle Paul knows how he was compelled to defend his character and apostleship, (e.g., in writing to the Corinthians) even though he was personally most reluctant to do so.
Contemporary history of Bible churches reveals vehement onslaughts in various forms upon conscientious pastors, including unjust criticism and abuse from fellow pastors. Each man suffers personally, but what is even more serious, a local church's collective testimony can be irrevocably destroyed!
There are three areas in which pastors may be especially vulnerable. They are (1) his high calling, (2) his ministry, and (3) his person as a man. He must have the Scriptural concept of the position he holds, remembering Who put him there. His ministry should be characterized by faithful teaching of the Word. His personal life ought to be above reproach, e.g., a strict adherence to confidentiality and guarding his tongue. He should listen to Paul as he counseled Timothy and not miss these words:
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee (1 Tim. 4:16).
http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/lochurch/lchurch.htm#2
Oops ... tite = title.
Smashing post. May the Blessings of Eastertide descend upon you and all our Catholic brothers and sisters.
I just had a discussion with a Catholic and was asked the same kind of question. By what authority to I say the bible says anything. I found it very very interesting that this same person had never even once read about Joseph, the son of Jacob. It never ceases to amaze me how people who care so little about the bible have so much to say about who really has authority to say what it means.
I should have added none are supposed to have illegitimate children either. Do tell, you reject the interpretation of "elder" I offered, under what authority? That has been accepted by the Christian Community for 2,000 years - at least the two largest and longest lasting communities - the Orthodox and Catholics. I point out AGAIN you simply have avoided answering the question posed here while twisting this argument throughout the thread. Why?
Narses, reread the qualifications for elder/bishop in the Bible. Your conclusion that this is a prohibition against bigamy and illegitimacy only is laughable exegesis.
Note these are stated as POSITIVE requirements rather than PROHIBITIONS. You turn them into the later making them exclusions. On what authority?
None of your bishops meet the qualifications Paul establishes for them, including the bishop of Rome.
By what authority do they set aside the requirements of the Word of God?
Is it any surprise that having set aside these qualifications that they can not deal with rampant homosexuality in the ranks and worse?
You can keep your traditions than make void the Word of God.