The best way you know if your pastor loves you is not if he visits you in the hospital… gives you a hug with a smile every time he sees you… writes you a note on your birthday… or calls you when you’ve missed a service (Although a loving pastor will do those things). No… the way you know if your pastor really loves you is much more simple than that, much more obvious, much more important.
THE way you know if your pastor really loves you is whether or not he faithfully proclaims God’s Word. The way you know if your pastor really loves you is whether or not he faithfully teaches you God’s Word. The way you know if your pastor really loves you is whether or not he spends large quantities of time praying for you and the church. The way you know if your pastor really loves you is when he leads you to honor God by glorifying Him in all things.
I’ve considered this question before, you can CLICK HERE to read on this topic from 2008.
Consider the Scripture…
Acts 6:2-4, It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
1 Timothy 5:17, Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
The best thing a congregation can do for their own spiritual health… walk with God… and the vitality of the congregation is to require of their pastor that he prove his love for them by spending massive amounts of time in prayer and ministry of the Word. They will protect the time he spends with God pouring over the Scripture and seeking God’s face through prayer.
The church must not tolerate their pastor telling story after story in the pulpit and calling it preaching. The church must not tolerate their pastor delivering a watered down religious speach that skips over deep truths and doctrines of the faith. The church must not allow their pastor to short change them by presenting things to them other than Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The church must hold their pastor accountable to love them in the purest way as found in Scripture and that is how faithful he is to proclaim and teach God’s Word!
Too many churches are weak, cold, and dying because their pastor has abandoned God’s call for him to pray, study, and proclaim God’s Word. If your pastor really loves you, you’ll be able to tell by what comes from the pulpit. If your pastor really loves you, you’ll be able to tell by how faithful he is in prayer. If your pastor really loves you, you’ll know because every time you hear him speak from the pulpit it will be obvious and evident he has sought God about what is in the Scripture for the congregation to hear.
So… does your pastor really love you?
Based on this measure…YES, my pastor REALLY loves us…and me! But you knew that, didn’t you! And you love us too because you give us the true word of God through these blogs and manuscripts. For this I am eternally grateful, and for my precious pastor and staff too!! My prayer continues to lift the Church to God for His glory! Blessings Ron!
WOW! Now that’s what I am talking about. What a powerful expression of love. Ron, you nailed it on this one. Thank you for your blog.
Being a discouraged pastor, this is very timely for me. Thank you.
In His Word,
Scott
Scott, as a pastor myself, I have learned that discouragement and disappointment is a part of ministry. It just is. If we love our people, pray for them and serve them, we will be discouraged. Take heart, however, the Lord knows our need and will meet it. Grace always, my friend.