How Do I Know I Have a Godly Pastor?

 April 26, 2024

Friday

All pastors have feet of clay. Not one of us is as godly as Jesus. We have all sinned. Finding the perfect pastor is not possible.

No litmus test will prove a pastor's heart. Only God can see the heart. However, people can observe and see if their pastors have the following characteristics.

Your Pastor Genuinely Loves God

Romans 8:7 (NASB 2020) ⁷ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

If your pastor loves the things of the world, he will love the physical pleasure, possessions and pride that the Bible warns us about. He will disregard those whom God loves for he will only be interested in what you provide for him. He feigns his love for God. He has to constantly explain why he is so well-cared for, rich and influential. He readily tells you how many books he has written and how many have been purchased.

When your pastor loves God, it will be reflected in how he loves the things of God. 

Your Pastor Has the Presence of the Holy Spirit

This can be seen in how he carefully presents the Word of God. He doesn't preach it as if he discovered it but because the Spirit revealed it to him.

John 14:16–17 (NASB 2020) ¹⁶ “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; ¹⁷ the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.

Your Pastor Is Obedient to the Spirit's Leading

This is a tough one. Every pastor needs to know the trends that people are taking. They need to know the best way to reach people for Christ and make disciples. However, their decisions need to be more than research from church growth gurus. They must pray for direction and lead the church that way because they know that the Spirit has led them in this good work.

Ephesians 2:10 (NASB 2020) ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Your Pastor Is Being Changed into the Likeness of Christ

Over time you will see your pastor grow in his faith. He will mature right before you. His messages will have deeper meanings. His demeanor will have a greater maturity. He may even correct some of the things he has done in the past. He does this because he is growing.

Philippians 1:6 (NASB 2020) ⁶ For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

Your Pastor Is Genuinely Humble

It isn't all about him. He sees himself as a slave of Christ. This is more than being a servant. He is absolutely dedicated to the cause of Christ no matter what it cost him. He takes the back seat to claiming rewards. He knows he doesn't deserve them any more than the one who drives the bus for the team should be rewarded for their win. He sees himself as a little child sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Matthew 18:3 (NASB 2020) ³ and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Your Pastor Genuinely Loves You

Some pastors fake their love. Recently, I have heard of pastors who openly told some of their members that they couldn't be their pastors. They wanted these people out of the church because they didn't like them. It makes me wonder how they read the Word of God and not understand this characteristic of the saved.

1 John 4:8 (NASB 2020) ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

I am reasonably sure that this list is not complete but it is a start. When you find a pastor with these characteristics, follow him. He is a godly pastor who may still sin. He may still make mistakes but he will repent. Know that he seeks to follow God even if he misses the mark occasionally. Forgive him without being compelled to tell him how wrong he is. If he is godly, he will already know it.

Do your best to find a godly pastor.

Bible Twisting

 April 25, 2024

Thursday

How do you know when a politician is lying? Easy. His lips are moving. How do you know when a preacher is lying. Also easy. What he says doesn't agree with the Word of God.

Bible twisting ought to be an Olympic sport. Some preachers are so good at it that their skill could be awarded. The key to their Bible twisting is not ignoring the scriptures but in making the scriptures say what they want to say. They are looking for what people want to hear. Thus, they are not about to read much of the scripture. Scripture twisting requires taking scripture out of context. 

Their delivery is all them. They have the ability to whip up the crowd into believing what they want people to believe. Of course, they are already starting in the direction the people want to go. It is harder to change direction on anything if it is going the opposite way. It is also hard to get something moving that is at rest. Going with the flow makes is much easier to deliver dynamic messages.

So, how do they know what to preach? They preach the things of the world.

1 John 2:15–16 (NASB 2020) ¹⁵ Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

People are incredibly influenced by the things in the world because they are living in the world. They seek physical pleasures, money and influence. So, preach that all sickness can be healed merely by doing what the preacher says is a very welcome message to those who are sick or have a loved one who is sick. Riches always hit the spot because the world never really teaches that riches are intended for generosity. Pride and power are the gods of this world. Social media platforms prove how many people want to be known. 

Isn't it interesting that these are the offerings of Satan to Jesus too? He was to relieve His hunger by turning the stones into bread. He was to be rich if He would just worship Satan. He would prove who He is if He just had the angels catch Him from the pinnacle of the temple. Jesus rejected all of these because they were not of God.

So, be careful when you listen to preachers who twist the Bible. They center in on a verse or even a word in a verse. They do not give any explanation of what else the Bible has to say about that word. They do not explain that word in context. They do not explain that word in the culture of the day. They do not relate the practice of those who wrote this word with their own explanation. Their only explanation is allegory. This plays on the felt needs of the congregation. 

Then, they rush in for the money. Somehow, you must give them money for this to work. It is like fast food for them. Come by, speak what you want, pay and receive your order all in a little over thirty minutes. And people do just that.

Typically, these preachers will produce people with testimonies of healing, getting rich and getting promoted or starting their own businesses. This makes people hang on in hope that their day is coming as soon as they have enough faith. They don't realize that true faith is a gift of God. God will not give them faith for something that isn't in His will. All these deluded people can produce is their own hope.

Some are rescued from these preachers. They read their Bibles in places these preachers don't read. They question the amount of money they have given with no results. They notice that these preachers do not care one bit about them. There are others lining up, writing checks and giving money, why do they need them?

Beware of someone who uses the Bible rather than lets the Bible speak. Preachers of God's Word have many characteristics. That will be tomorrow's topic.

Unity in the Church

 April 24, 2024

Wednesday

All churches have problems. They can be financial, missional, biblical, physical or moral. The lack of a consensus in these areas will tear a church apart. Factions are often created that declare a superior knowledge or righteousness. Those espousing their view often do not see the bigger picture. The church should have unity before it has those who are doing what is right at the expense of others. Some of these people may be experts in their fields but they are immature in Christ since they treat the church like it is something to be manipulated to establish their way. It is clear in the New Testament that unity was something the early church strived for. That unity gave them the ability to turn the world upside down. The church today can't hardly be said to shake the world.

Immature Christians make their decisions on their feelings without regard to the Spirit. They know what they like and look for reasons to support what they like. If they like a certain type of music, they will claim that the people are singing that music. They think that worship comes from the lips. The Bible says it comes from the heart. Many people will never sing because their heart is never worshiping. Many people will sing their favorite songs without worship. Whether people are singing or not cannot be the only means of measuring worship. 

Immature Christians will divide the church by their own demographic. Them is always defined as those who are not in their group. Thus, the church is black or white, rich or poor, contemporary or liturgical, young or old, etc. Again, unity is destroyed when us and they are part of the church description.

Immature Christians are always okay with lax leadership. It is when there is an expectation of living like Christ that the immature Christians start finding faults with the church. The church becomes judgmental according to immature Christians when morality is upheld. They will even claim that the church is unloving when it confronts sin in the church. They love a church which encourages gossip. They love to criticize. They don't care when marriages break up. They don't care to see people actually live for Christ. They are like the Pharisees who pray long prayers for others to hear. Their hearts are not in unity with the church.

Maybe this is why much of the New Testament is written to bring unity in the church. The church started out with immature Christians. They acted like immature Christians. Our problem is that many decades long Christians in an American church are still very immature. The lack of unity proves it.

The answer to this is making sure that each person is growing in their faith. They are making disciples who make disciples. They are being led by the Spirit and with the Spirit's leading they may disagree but not by their own feeling but the Spirit. Of course, the leadership in the church must mature as well. 

Read this passage and meditate on it. See if unity is that important.

Ephesians 4:11–16 (NASB 2020)¹¹ And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; ¹⁵ but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

When You Can't Forgive Yourself

 April 23, 2024

Tuesday

Too often, people come to see me who are burdened by guilt. They have asked the Lord for forgiveness but they can't forgive themselves. I know the Lord doesn't want people condemning themselves. What can they do when they have already confessed, repented and asked for the Lord's forgiveness?

Let's clear up a couple of things. Regret is not the same as guilt. Regret wishes that the sin never happened. It may even regret that the sin was discovered. Regret can be good. It can keep a person from getting near the sin. Regret can be bad. It can make the person resolve to hide the sin better so that it will not be caught.

People tell me that they don't "feel" forgiven. Feelings do not always reveal the truth. When I was in high school a hypnotist came to entertain us. Several in the crowd were chosen to be hypnotized. Once they were under, they were told they were chickens. They clucked and scratched. I believed at the time that they thought they were chickens. (I wonder if they were just acting for the crowd now.) Regardless, of whether they felt like they were chickens or we felt that they felt like they were chickens the truth is that they weren't chickens. (Though today I am not sure if a court of law might declare you a chicken because you felt like one.)

Truth is found in a Person.

John 14:6 (NASB 2020) ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

That Person is found in God's word. (Not the only place but a very good place to start.)

John 1:1 (NASB 2020)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus doesn't just tell the truth. He is the truth. What He has done and what He says is truth. Anything that disagrees with Jesus is a fake. When Jesus says that you are forgiven, you are forgiven. Case closed!

Recently, I paid off my house. I went to the bank and asked what I needed to do to no longer have a house payment. I thought I would just pay off the principal but there are added fees for filing a paid off loan at the court house. The bank gave me an exact amount. I suppose I could have said, "These people have been making money off me for years. They have only raised my house payment when the taxes or insurance went up. I should give them more money than they said was necessary." Would you do that? That's exactly what you are doing when you won't forgive yourself.

Jesus' blood was the payment for your sin. You are saying that your standard requires a higher payment that Jesus' blood. So, you have decided to overpay for your sins. However, you have nothing to pay that with. All you have is Monopoly money. No matter how much of it you pay, it won't be enough. Until you accept the blood of Jesus, you will feel guilty.

How did you accept Jesus? You did so by faith. You established a relationship with Him by faith. And forgiveness is something you must accept by faith. 

So, ask God for faith to forgive yourself. It is a gift that He gave for your salvation. It is a gift that He gives to accept who He is. (Ephesians 2:8-9) And declare that you are forgiven by the payment of Jesus' blood. You know that you can't overpay that.

1 John 1:9 (NASB 2020) ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Salvation Worked Out with Fear and Trembling

 April 22, 2024

Monday

I always have a measure of fear when I preach. If I preach something that is incorrect, untrue and misleading many people could be led astray. There is no way that I can gather the exact same people to correct my errors. Now, that we stream our services, I don't even know who is watching and listening. I couldn't send them all emails or letters or anything rebutting what I had previously said because I don't know who they are. So, I am careful to get it right. And I do, most of the time. (I have told the congregation that I cannot preach messages on all the things I have gotten wrong because I simply won't live long enough.)

Paul told the Philippians to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. It doesn't mean they will work for their salvation. Paul is clear that salvation is not a matter of our works. But salvation is not merely saying a prayer or being baptized either. It comes with obedience to the Lord or we really don't know what we were doing when we came to Jesus. It is based on what He did in His crucifixion and resurrection. It is not based on whether we made a commitment to Christ by saying a prayer, walking an aisle or avowing Jesus publicly in some other way. Our belief established a relationship which cannot be erased.

Yet, salvation must also be a process in which we are refined. This is done through our working it out. It is with fear and trembling that we want to get this right. We often have deacons read scripture, say prayers or give testimonies in our church. Often, they are almost terrified to do so. They are not scared of the congregation nor are they scared of what I will say about what they are doing. They are merely taking every step to make sure that it is done right. They are meticulously careful and that always brings trepidation. 

Salvation is working in us to get it right. We are working on our salvation to get it right. There is nothing wrong if this takes an atmosphere of fear and trembling. After all, while we are working out our salvation we are in the presence of the Almighty God. He is not waiting for us to make a mistake so that He can punish us. He is seeking to applaud when we get it right. Still, like those who do feats of skill on a stage there is fear and trembling because of that desire to get it right.

Each of us has days that we utterly fail. These days are those in which we didn't start the day with God and didn't walk with Him throughout the day. We found ourselves acting like those who don't know the Lord. We acted like they expected us to act. While God forgives, this is no reason that we should take our salvation capriciously.

So, we do just that. We work out our salvation with fear and trembling. It is really the only way that we can work it out.

Philippians 2:12 (NASB 2020) ¹² So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

The Value of the Kingdom of Heaven

 April 21, 2024

Sunday

If I had bought $10,000 of Amazon or Apple stock in the 90s I would be a millionaire tens of times over. Of course, I didn't know that Amazon and Apple stock would take off. I didn't know that I wouldn't lose my money. I didn't know what the future was in that stock. So, I didn't and I am much poorer than I could have been.

Now, I want you to consider these words of Jesus:

Matthew 13:44–46 (NASB 2020) ⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field. ⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.

Most of the people that do not know Jesus don't think the kingdom of heaven is worth anything. They wouldn't spend a cent on the kingdom of heaven. They wouldn't spend it because, to them, it looks like they would be losing on their investment. They are like I was when I didn't buy Amazon or Apple stock. It looked like I would be losing my money if I bought the stock so I didn't buy it. 

When Jesus spoke of selling everything in order to buy the field with treasure or the pearl, He was speaking of value rather than price. The problem is that many people will realize the value of something when it is too late to purchase that something. This happens all the time.

A father will regret all the hours he worked that caused him to miss his sons major activities in school. He will realize the value of that time far exceeded the money he made while working. There is nothing he can do to get that time back.

People who find themselves on the other side of death will feel the same way. They will know the value of the kingdom of heaven but not be able to purchase it. They will be like the rich man in Jesus parable that asked if a dead man would come back from the dead, their own family would purchase the kingdom of heaven and not suffer their fate. Jesus told him that if they won't believe Moses and the prophets, even a  dead man rising won't make them believe. Nothing convinces someone whose eyes are closed to the truth. More truth just won't do it.

Purchasing the kingdom of heaven is a miracle. The person faced with the choice must see the value. On the surface, it looks like a dream at best. Looking deeper is where the miracle is. It takes a child-like faith to initially believe. It takes a mature Christian to realize the value. It takes a person entering heaven to know the full value.

Yes, I wished I had bought Amazon and Apple stock. I can't do anything about that now. But I did "buy" something much more valuable than that. I have the kingdom of heaven. It has consumed me. But I can say not without a doubt, it is worth it.

Not a God of Formulas

 April 20, 2024

Saturday

"Everything will be okay," the preacher says, "if you will . . . ." It gives you a lot of hope. The dilemma I am in can be averted if I do what the preacher says. So, you do what he says and the dilemma is much worse than you could have imagined.

Being in the will of God is no guarantee that you won't be persecuted or have terrible circumstances. A lady with cancer asked me, "Why do I have cancer?" She was a Christian with no discernable evidence of being outside the will of God. She wanted to know why she wasn't protected from this disease. In other words, isn't cancer intended for the real sinners.

I replied to her, "Why not?" Though she didn't want me to explain my question, the truth is that we are not so good that God must protect us. We don't live by formulas that ensure our safety, riches or esteem. We walk with our God who allows us to sin and to live in this fallen world. This fallen world has cancer, heart attacks, inflation, layoffs and wars. It has murders, stealing, betrayals and lies. The reason that some may be sick may have nothing to do with how good they have been. It may have nothing to do with the fact they are in the middle of God's will. It may have something to do with the testimony of a person who goes through hardships. It should be easy to shine in this fallen world.

God gives us no formulas to live the Christian life. He expects us to walk with Him in humble obedience. He expects us to pledge our allegiance to Him. He expects us to die to self. He will love us regardless.

Our purpose is found in walking with God. Each day is brand new. Each day we make another commitment to walk with Him Each day we should be amazed with what He is doing with us. Each day the wonder should grow.

That doesn't mean that God expects you live without planning. You still go to school, go to work, pay your bills and have your celebrations with planning. Its just that when people live by formulas for their own safety, provision and worth God isn't really necessary anymore. You are just obeying the formula.

So, get up and be amazed. God has a plan for you for this day. It won't be found in a formula.

Psalm 5:3 (NASB 2020) ³ In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch.