Maranatha Messenger

YOU NEED A PASTOR
(Part IV)

Thank God for the spiritual shepherd the Lord has provided for you and your family. Although ministry includes a variety of duties such as performing weddings, funerals, visitation, counseling, and a host of other administrative duties, the man of God has but two primary responsibilities. He must minister the Word of God and give himself to prayer (Acts 6:1-7).

1. Notice first of all, the pastor’s preaching ministry. The pastor, elder or bishop of a local congregation must give himself to the study of the Word of God. Paul told the elders at Miletus to “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).

The elder is to prosecho {take heed} or be attentive to his personal life, tend to his flock and poimaino {feed} or nourish the people of God.

Paul told Timothy to honor the elders that rule well, “especially they who labour in the word and doctrine” (1 Timothy 5:17). The Greek word kopiao {labour} means to labour to the point of exhaustion. In other words, the pastor who nurtures the congregation by diligently working in the Word of God is worthy of double remuneration. Most Christians don’t equate Bible study with work. However, Paul described the diligent student of the Word of God as an ergates {workman} who can successfully impart the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). The Greek word orthotomeo {rightly divide} literally means to cut a straight line. The skilled worker of the Word must be able to handle the book like an expert carpenter using a mider saw. The mider saw is used to cut crown molding and other expensive wood in precise angles. One mistake can be very costly! Likewise, the mishandling of scripture by an incompetent minister can be very harmful to the people in a local congregation. Therefore, men of God must be thoroughly trained in theology, eschatology, hermeneutics, homiletics, and even acquainted with Biblical languages. Should the elder of a local fellowship be ill equipped for ministry, most likely the people in that congregation will suffer.

Even Peter commanded the elders to “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind (1 Peter 5:1-2). Again, the emphasis is on feeding the flock and tending to the needs of the sheep. In the context of this passage, Peter explained to the elders an incentive for faithfully teaching and tending to the flock. Should they tenderly lead and feed the flock they would receive a “crown of glory” (v.3-4).

The pastor’s personal walk with the Lord as well as his preaching ministry is paramount in the life of the local church. You and your family need a spiritual shepherd who will teach you the Word of God.

2. Secondly, you can personally benefit from the prayer ministry of the man of God. A godly pastor is always a man of prayer. James told us if any among the congregation are sick, they can call for the elders of the church to pray for them (James 5:14). Thank God for the prayer ministry of your pastor in times of sickness.

Furthermore, your children need the prayer ministry of the man of God. Do you remember the story of the widow woman whose son died? Do you remember the prayer of Elijah? The Scripture says,

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no
breath left in him. 18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance,
and to slay my son? 19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and
laid him upon his own bed. 20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I
sojourn, by slaying her son? 21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee,
let this child's soul come into him again. 22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23
And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son
liveth. 24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth (1 Kings
17:17-24).

The son of this widow woman of Zarephath had fallen sick. The scripture does not tell us how long he had been ailing; however his illness had progressed to the point of death. Many scholars believe that Elijah spent approximately one year in the home of this widow and her son (v.15). Nevertheless, her son dies leaving her all alone. Notice a few thoughts from this passage of scripture.

First of all, notice the gentleness of Elijah (v. 18-19). In the midst of her grief this widow actually blamed Elijah for the death of her son, “And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son (v. 18)?” A more literal translation of the phrase, “What have I to do with thee” is “Why have you done this to me.” Elijah certainly did not deserve such a stinging accusation. This cutting allegation could have prompted a bitter reply from Elijah. Even so, Elijah gently responded, “Give me thy son” (v.19a). Paul informed us that one of the evidences of being filled with the Spirit is “gentleness” (Galatians 5:22-23). The child of God needs to remember unless you tame your spirit at Zarephath there will be no mountain top experience at Carmel with the prophets of Baal. Even the Hebrew word Zarephath means a place of refining. God was certainly refining the prophet Elijah while he was in the city of Zarephath.

Secondly, notice the guilt of the woman, “art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance (v.18b). Somewhere buried deep within the depth of her soul laid some haunting sin of the past. Perhaps the memory of this dreadful deed had lain dormant for several years and is now awakened as she stared at her dead son. The text does not tell us the nature of this tormenting sin. Scholars have speculated that it had to do with the birth of her son. Some go as far as saying the child was born out of wedlock. Whatever the offense was we do know that it stood out in her memory above of all the wrong doings of her entire lifetime. Nonetheless, this passage does not reveal to us the nature of this woman’s transgression.

Thirdly, notice the godliness of Elijah. “And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed” (v. 19). This godly prophet actually came into direct contact with the defiled body of the dead boy. Elijah was not afraid of becoming ceremonially unclean by handling this dead body. Elijah had one concern and that was to minister to the deceased lad. As Elijah laid himself upon the body of the young man (v.20-21), he actually became a channel through which the life of God flowed through generating life in the boy. By choosing to live a godly life, Elijah became a conduit through which the life of God touched others. The believer must always remember that God will not use a dirty vessel. Sin always stops the flow and power of God in the life of a believer.

Fourthly, notice the genuineness of Elijah (v.22-24). This answer to prayer confirmed the authenticity of the prophet Elijah. The phrase “Now by this I know” was a statement of verification that the widow knew Elijah was a man of God and that word of the Lord that he spoke was true (v.24). She saw the living results of the prayers of Elijah. In the same way this widow benefited from the prayer life of the man of God, the member of a local church can profit from the prayer ministry of their pastor. Thank God for the godly minister who prays for his flock.


Discussion
What are the two primary duties of the Pastor/Elder in the local church?
Why is it so important that the Pastor/Elder spent hours studying the Word of God?
Why do your children need a godly pastor?