The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – April 2002
Original articles published August 1997
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
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Sermon Thought: “The Two
Ministries"
The Price
Of Pastoral Leadership
Sermon Thought:
“The
Two Ministries”
Hebrews 7:25, Revelations 12:10
Heb 7:25
”Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them..”
Rev 12:10
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the
accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and
night.”
The Scriptures reveal that there are two acts of ministry which go on continually before the throne of God – intercession and accusation. It is the nature of Jesus to be an intercessor (Hebrews 7:25). To the degree that we abide in Him, Jesus will use us to intercede. Satan is called the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelations 12:10). To the degree that the enemy has access to our lives, he will use us to accuse and criticize the brethren.
How can Satan continue to accuse the saints before God if he has been thrown out of heaven? The answer is that Satan uses the saints, who do have access to the throne, to do his diabolical work.
The presence of Satan always promotes discord and division. The greatest threat to Satan’s domain is the unity of the church. The devil knows very well the authority that Jesus has given to any two that will agree.
So, as saints, we either become intercessors or accusers. Accusation shows up most often as criticism. And criticism is caused by insecurity. The insecure are threatened by anything they cannot control. But God promised in Isaiah 58:8-9 that if we remove the yoke of criticism (“the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness”) that He would heal, show His glory and answer prayers. What a Promise!
Criticism is pride, because when we criticize someone we are assuming that we are superior to them. But pride brings God’s resistance (James 4:6). And no person wants to fight God! When we criticize, we are actually saying that God’s workmanship in my brother’s life does not meet our standards. This grumbling is what caused Israel to spend their entire time in the wilderness wandering in dry places.
So, what do we do with faults and problems? Don’t criticize, but intercede. When I’m criticizing, I’m doing God’s work! Our ability to serve and complete God’s purpose will be determined by which of these two ministries we become a part of – accusation or intercession.
Personal Growth Plan
According to the Pareto Principle, if we devote our energy, time, and resources to the top 20 percent of our priorities, we’ll achieve 80 percent of all the results we desire. If you haven’t been focusing on the tasks that yield the highest return, set aside an hour to apply this principle for the coming week.
1.
Create a time log for one week.
2.
Arrange next week’s schedule according to your priority list.
3.
Follow your newly prioritized schedule for one week.
When we apply the Pareto Principle correctly we have the chance to become more focused and efficient with our time.
The Price Of Pastoral
Leadership
We all know the blessings of being in pastoral ministry – the blessing of knowing that your life is spent for the gospel, using your gifts, meeting wonderful people, receiving people’s encouragement, and seeing changed lives. We can’t achieve these things, though without paying a price.
In John 12, Jesus said, “Unless
a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it stands alone. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” The “Law of the Harvest” is simply
this: If we want to be productive for
Jesus, there will be pain and dying. I
have learned there are specific costs to being a leader. Here are five prices of pastoral leadership.
1.
The price of people’s projections.
Some
people will project onto us negative feelings from authority figures in their
past.
2.
The price of being a lightning rod.
As
leaders, when we make decisions, people may become angry with us.
3.
The price of displeasing people.
If
we live to please people, we become slaves of our people. Instead of one master (Jesus, whose yoke is
easy), we end up with numerous Pharaohs.
4.
The price of unrealistic expectations.
Leaders
will face unrealistic expectations, both other’s and our own.
5.
The price of fatigue. Following a conference or
weekend of ministry, I will be subject to spiritual attack and feelings of
depression. For ministry to go forward,
some people must be willing to say, “I will pay the price of pastoral
leadership.”
The key to poise
and eloquence in the pulpit is focusing not on the dazzling techniques but on
the foundation.
Establishing a friendly atmosphere. Most of us know you don’t want to start on a
negative note, like “I’ve had a cold all week.” I want to communicate openness; that I’m here to serve these
people. Also, before I speak, I pick
out certain people and smile at them.
Encouraging participation, not observation. Our goal is to have people’s minds actively engaged
by our subject matter. If I'm making a
controversial point I’ll say something like, “I can tell by your faces that…” They’re thinking, he understands. And they want me to continue the
conversation.
Ensuring I’m believable. You
can establish your authority by being a researcher, a Bible scholar, or a
collector of scintillating anecdotes.
But whatever your authority, be careful of extrapolation – taking a principle
from an area you know and applying it to an area you don’t.
Making my voice inconspicuous. Audiences will listen to a poor voice, as long as
there’s fire in it, because as soon as the audience realizes the voice is real,
they adjust to it.
Remembering my limited knowledge. I leave open the possibility that someone may be
there who knows an awful lot more about the subject than I do. That tempers many remarks I’ve been tempted
to make.
Six foundational aspects of ministry are crucial to creating an environment for healthy growth.
1.
Create an atmosphere of love. Jesus’ insight, “By this
will all men know that [we] love one another,” (John 13:35)
2.
Build a relational ministry. Building relationships with
people was an intentional, aggressive agenda for Christ. “He spent time with his disciples”
(John 3:22). He lived by the principles
that people respond when we reach out to them.
3.
Communicate Christ clearly. In a world that knows only
caricatures of Christ, people need to know Him as He really is. We must present Him and His message of live
and grace as He gave it, so that people might build a real relationship with
the living Savior.
4.
Build a healthy ministry image.
What
kind of vision do the people in your ministry have for the work to which God
has called them? How confident are they
in His ability to accomplish the task He has entrusted to them? Cohesiveness, commitment to the cause,
receptivity to change, and teachability are all related to a healthy group
image.
5.
Mobilize a prayer base. Our task is
to effect spiritual live change. This
kind of spiritual work is not accomplished by human means. As we move into the arena of prayer, God
moves into the arena of our lives.
6.
Communicate the Word. Research
has shown that even our most regular churchgoers have some biblical
illiteracy. We continually need to
evaluate our teaching to insure God’s Word is being taught accurately.
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