This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. Churches suffer when pastoral search committees are informed more by the corporate world than by the Word of God. Preferences concerning style, personality, appearance, speaking ability, management skills, and sense of humor often factor too heavily in the decision-making process, obscuring clear instructions from God’s Word… Continue reading Rightly Handle God’s Word
Month: August 2023
Pastoral Sobriety
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. When was the last time you sat down and evaluated your testimony? Not the story of how the Lord saved you, but the daily testimony of your life. What does your life say about your faith, your knowledge of God and His Word, and your love… Continue reading Pastoral Sobriety
Be Peaceful and Not Pugnacious
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. The church’s highest office demands the highest moral character. And one of the most accurate indications of a man’s true character is how he responds when he is challenged or criticized. That is why Paul excludes pugnacious people from the office of elder or pastor. An overseer, then,… Continue reading Be Peaceful and Not Pugnacious
Free from the Love of Money
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. It is a severe and perverse corruption of biblical ministry to be in it for money. Contrary to the model we often see today, pastoral work and church leadership are not meant to be avenues to wealth and fame. In fact, men who carry the love… Continue reading Free from the Love of Money
The Power of Integrity
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. What is the most important quality leaders can demonstrate? Intelligence, a forceful personality, glibness, diligence, vision, administrative skills, decisiveness, courage, humor, tact, or any other similar natural attribute? Those all play a part, but the most desirable quality for any leader is integrity. While integrity is… Continue reading The Power of Integrity
The Home of a Godly Shepherd
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. The pastor’s primary mission field is not his congregation or the surrounding community—it’s his own home. His abilities to communicate the gospel, to be a godly example, and to lead others in sanctification and godliness are never more accurately on display than in the lives of… Continue reading The Home of a Godly Shepherd
Leadership and Spiritual Maturity
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. New believers, and especially young men, are often very passionate for the truth. The joy of new life in Christ goes hand in hand with the desire to proclaim God’s truth to others and see them come to repentance and faith in Him. But that passion… Continue reading Leadership and Spiritual Maturity
The Shepherd’s Public Reputation
This post was first published in January, 2015. —ed. Have you ever considered what the unbelieving world thinks about your pastor? He doesn’t need to be a household name or a celebrity preacher with a worldwide audience—it’s not a question of how famous he is. Put it this way: What do the nonbelievers in his… Continue reading The Shepherd’s Public Reputation
Should Fallen Pastors Be Restored?
It always saddens me to watch church leaders bring reproach on the church of Jesus Christ. What’s perhaps most shocking to me is how frequently Christian leaders sin grossly, then step back into leadership almost as soon as the publicity dies away. It seems like Christians don’t expect much of their leaders anymore. Some time… Continue reading Should Fallen Pastors Be Restored?
God’s Infinite Perfection
This post was first published in June, 2020. —ed. We can’t fully understand God’s holiness. But we can understand it much better than we currently do. By and large, the typical evangelical’s understanding of God is pathetically superficial. Too many professing believers think about God in only self-centered and self-indulgent terms, reducing Him to little… Continue reading God’s Infinite Perfection