Participants:
Series Code: PME
Program Code: PME250412S
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00:12 ♪ 09:25 >> Scripture reading today 09:26 is Matthew 9:35-38. 09:29 'Jesus went through all 09:31 the towns and villages, 09:33 teaching in their synagogues, 09:34 proclaiming the good news 09:35 of the kingdom and healing 09:37 every disease and sickness. 09:39 When he saw the crowds, 09:40 he had compassion on them 09:42 because they were harassed 09:43 and helpless, 09:44 like sheep without a shepherd. 09:46 Then he said to his disciples, 09:48 'The harvest is plentiful, 09:49 but the workers are few. 09:51 Ask the Lord of the harvest, 09:52 therefore, to send out workers 09:54 into his harvest field.'" 09:57 This verse -- Thank you. 10:00 This verse actually relates 10:01 a lot to this next song 10:02 that we're going to sing. 10:03 I don't think 10:05 lots of you guys know it, 10:06 but one of the verses, uh -- 10:07 one of the phrases 10:08 in it is "Send me." 10:10 And I think 10:12 when God is calling, he says, 10:15 "Ask the Lord to send out 10:17 workers into his fields. 10:19 That can be all of us. 10:20 And I just invite you 10:21 to make this a prayer and 10:23 just ask God, like, 10:24 "Please send me into your field. 10:26 I'm willing to do that. 10:27 And so please join us 10:28 as we sing. 10:29 ♪ 10:34 ♪ 17:14 >> Thank you, Praise Team, 17:15 for leading us in worship. 17:16 We appreciate that very much. 17:21 Welcome to part three 17:23 of our sporadic, 17:26 occasionally installed series 17:29 entitled "ChurchWorks." 17:32 Parts one and two -- 17:33 It's been a little bit 17:35 since we did parts one and two, 17:36 and I know you remember 17:37 every word that I say, 17:40 but I am going to do a brief 17:42 review of parts one and two, 17:43 because it was in January 17:45 when parts one and two happened. 17:47 So let me tell you 17:48 a little bit about 17:49 where we have been. 17:50 In part one -- 17:51 "ChurchWorks," part one, 17:52 talked about 17:53 how the gates of Hell 17:54 shall fall, 17:56 and it focused in on an analogy 17:58 that Jesus made 17:59 in Matthew 16:18. 18:01 He talked about 18:01 how he is the rock -- 18:02 he himself is the rock 18:04 on which the church is built, 18:05 and the gates of Hell 18:07 will not prevail against it. 18:08 And the analogy is 18:10 of Christians being so cohesive, 18:14 so organized, 18:17 working together as one person, 18:18 that it is as if they 18:20 have grabbed a battering ram -- 18:22 this is the picture 18:23 Jesus is painting -- 18:24 and they work together 18:26 in concerted effort, 18:27 taking the fight to the enemy 18:29 and prevailing 18:31 over the fortress of Hell. 18:33 That's what 18:35 Jesus said will happen. 18:37 Organization is important. 18:38 This is God's work. 18:39 We're not to be haphazard 18:40 or sloppy. 18:41 We're to take it seriously. 18:42 We're to do it with joy 18:43 and to the absolute 18:44 best of our ability. 18:44 That was part one. 18:47 Part two of "ChurchWorks." 18:48 We talked about 18:49 "The Great Omission." 18:50 We talked about how it is 18:51 that too many churches stop, 18:53 essentially, at baptism -- 18:54 a new believer is baptized, 18:55 and then we're done. 18:57 And actually the Bible says, 18:58 "No, we are called to take 18:59 people to be full, 19:02 devoted disciples of Jesus." 19:04 Take them to maturity. 19:06 That's what is often omitted 19:08 by so many churches. 19:10 We went through 19:10 eight characteristics 19:11 of a genuine, 19:12 mature disciple of Christ, 19:13 and we finished with 19:14 this summary statement. 19:16 "A genuine, 19:17 mature disciple is someone 19:19 who is called by Christ 19:21 to be with Christ, 19:23 is loyal and obedient to Christ, 19:26 is fruitful in the Spirit. 19:27 making other disciples, is one 19:29 who serves, sacrifices, 19:31 and suffers for Christ, 19:32 yet possesses 19:33 inner peace and joy, 19:34 has spiritual 19:35 authority, and lives 19:37 for the purpose of glorifying 19:38 God in 100% of his or her life. 19:41 Someone say Amen. 19:43 I mean, what a privilege, 19:44 what a high calling 19:45 we have to be called into 19:47 this kind of a kingdom. 19:49 This is the kind of disciple 19:51 God calls us to be. 19:53 This is the kind of disciple 19:54 God calls us to make. 19:57 And that brings 19:58 us to part three. 20:02 If, indeed, this is 20:04 the kind of disciple 20:05 that we are called to be, 20:08 and this is the kind of disciple 20:09 we are called to make, 20:12 both of these 20:13 will be much easier 20:15 if we can get back to the place 20:18 where ministers rule. 20:25 Should I have 20:26 the benediction now? 20:27 Would that be helpful? 20:28 Just finish now? 20:29 Yes, sir. 20:30 Let me explain what I mean. 20:33 Let's start with the Bible. 20:34 Take a look, please, 20:35 at Jeremiah 3:17. 20:37 Jeremiah third chapter, 20:39 beginning with verse 17. 20:39 It's page 508 20:41 in the red pew Bible, 20:42 which is somewhere around 20:42 where you're sitting. 20:43 Page 508, Jeremiah 3:17. 20:46 While you are looking that up, 20:48 if we want to know 20:50 how to best make 20:52 and to best be this kind of 20:54 genuine, mature disciple 20:55 of Christ, 20:56 then we have to have 20:57 at least a basic understanding 20:58 of how God Himself 21:00 has historically 21:01 structured His church. 21:04 As we saw again in part one, 21:05 God's work is to be organized, 21:07 not sloppy, not haphazard. 21:08 It is to be organized. 21:10 And to this end, 21:11 God put in place 21:12 a simple structure, 21:13 not a bureaucracy, 21:15 but a simple structure 21:17 within his people 21:18 so that his purposes could 21:20 be most effectively achieved. 21:23 And let's start with what he did 21:25 in the Old Testament. 21:26 Jeremiah 3:17. 21:28 My Bible, it says this. 21:31 "At that time, they 21:33 will call Jerusalem the throne 21:36 of the Lord and all nations --" 21:38 How many nations? 21:40 What did it say? All nations -- 21:41 "and all nations will gather 21:43 in Jerusalem 21:45 to honor the name of the Lord. 21:47 No longer will they follow 21:48 the stubbornness 21:49 of their evil hearts. 21:51 Hmm. 21:53 Now, here we have revealed 21:54 something very important, 21:55 because here we have 21:57 the guiding philosophy of God's 22:00 Old Testament kingdom structure. 22:02 The guiding philosophy of God's 22:04 Old Testament kingdom structure 22:06 was "Come here." 22:09 "Come here to Israel. 22:11 Come here to Jerusalem." 22:14 We won't take the time 22:15 to read it this morning, 22:16 but if we were to read, 22:16 for instance, 22:17 in Deuteronomy 28, 22:19 there's a slew of blessings 22:20 that would be Israel's, if 22:21 they were to be faithful to God. 22:23 One of those is that 22:23 they would be the head 22:25 and not the tail amongst 22:26 the nations, 22:27 because some people think 22:28 that God doesn't have favorites. 22:29 You should read the Bible. 22:30 God here says, "Israel, 22:32 you will be the head here. 22:33 People will come here to 22:35 learn the deep things of God." 22:38 Moreover, the temple itself, 22:40 the very dwelling place, 22:41 physically speaking, of God 22:42 on Earth, was in Jerusalem. 22:45 This was an incredible thing. 22:47 God is saying, by his actions, 22:49 "Come here." 22:50 This is why God says, 22:51 in Jeremiah 3:17, 22:52 "All nations will come here." 22:53 This was His desire. 22:55 This was God's philosophy 22:57 in the Old Testament. 22:58 And he set up a simple 23:00 three-part structure to help 23:02 make that philosophy a reality. 23:05 The first part were 23:06 leaders of the people. 23:08 Who are these? 23:08 Well, first of all, there were 23:10 patriarchs and elders. 23:11 These were leaders 23:12 in local families, local tribes, 23:14 maybe in a village. 23:15 They were seen as the leaders 23:16 of that structure -- 23:18 "Come here" structure. 23:20 There were also judges. 23:22 These came later on. 23:23 Not always a pretty story. 23:24 Othniel was the first one. 23:26 Sampson, probably one 23:27 of the most famous later judges, 23:28 that didn't go so well. 23:29 But the point is, 23:30 is that these judges existed. 23:31 There were many of them, 23:32 and they had 23:33 a regional authority 23:34 beyond just a local tribe. 23:37 There were also kings. 23:38 This was not a part of 23:39 God's original plan. 23:40 It was a concession 23:41 because the children of Israel 23:42 pleaded for it, said, "Okay, 23:44 I will concede this to you." 23:45 Kings had authority 23:47 on a national level. 23:49 And lastly, there were prophets. 23:51 The prophets had authority 23:52 in all of these units, 23:54 in the family unit, 23:54 in the tribe, in a regional way, 23:56 in a national way, 23:57 and if God willed it, 23:58 these prophets even 23:59 had authority 24:01 internationally speaking. 24:03 They comprised the first part 24:04 of God's "Come here" 24:06 kingdom structure. 24:08 Part two -- priests. 24:11 They were really important. 24:13 They were all 24:14 male in those days. 24:15 This was a very stratified, 24:17 very small subset 24:19 of the Jewish population. 24:20 You had to be a descendant 24:21 of Aaron, later on, 24:22 it was a descendant of Zadok. 24:23 This very finely tuned 24:25 elite group of people, 24:26 highly trained, very expensive, 24:28 and located in Israel, 24:31 particularly in Jerusalem, 24:32 and their role was 24:33 to mediate the presence of God. 24:35 If you committed a sin 24:36 and you offer sacrifice for 24:38 the forgiveness of your sins, 24:39 foreshadowing the lamb, 24:40 Jesus Christ coming, 24:41 you went to the temple 24:42 where a priest would intercede 24:43 for you and mediate 24:44 that presence. 24:46 The Jewish calendar, 24:46 all the festivals 24:47 that were there, 24:48 obviously, the priests carried 24:49 a very important role 24:50 in seeing that happen. 24:51 They were crucial 24:53 to keeping the main thing, 24:54 the main thing in God's 24:56 "Come here" kingdom structure. 24:59 And then, we get to part three. 25:00 And this was the most important. 25:03 The Jews. 25:04 The Jews themselves. 25:07 How do I know they 25:07 were so important? 25:08 Well, my Bible has 25:09 things like this in it. 25:10 Zechariah 8:23. 25:12 "This is what the Lord Almighty 25:14 says: 'In those days, 10 people 25:16 from all languages 25:17 and nations --" 25:17 so, here's this global picture 25:18 again -- 25:19 "will take firm hold of one Jew 25:21 by the hem of his robe 25:22 and say, "Let us go with you, 25:24 because we have heard 25:26 that God is with you."'" 25:29 I mean, the imagery here -- 25:30 I mean, this is vivid, right? 25:31 I mean, blessedly, I've 25:33 never had people grab the hem 25:35 of my pants as I walked -- 25:36 "Please let us come with you!", 25:37 right? 25:38 I mean, this is vivid stuff. 25:39 God desired the world to come 25:42 to Israel, to come here, 25:44 because God would be shown 25:45 to be among them. 25:46 The people of Israel 25:48 were to be the people of God. 25:50 That was their task. 25:51 They were to live 25:52 out the law of God. 25:54 They were to be 25:55 the recipient of the blessings 25:56 of living God's way. 25:58 Not just spiritually and 26:00 socially, as tangible as those 26:01 were. 26:02 Even financially, 26:03 this was part of the plan. 26:05 They were to be 26:06 this locus, this center 26:07 of attention on the planet. 26:09 And all the world would come 26:11 here to Israel 26:13 to learn about God. 26:18 Now, question -- 26:21 "Did it work?" 26:28 No, it didn't. 26:31 And the weakness was not in God. 26:33 When God creates something, 26:34 he's not the problem. Okay? 26:35 If there's a difference between 26:36 you and God, the problem 26:38 probably is with you. 26:39 Okay? Right? 26:40 And so God here, 26:41 He did a good structure, 26:42 but the people 26:43 were not faithful. 26:44 The people did not hold up 26:45 their end of this covenant. 26:46 They were unfaithful. 26:47 Among other things, 26:47 they became very ethnocentric. 26:49 You know, "Because we're Jews, 26:51 because of who 26:52 our mother and father was, 26:52 we're in like Flynn 26:53 to the kingdom. 26:54 Everybody else can just pick up 26:55 the leftovers." 26:56 That was not God's plan. 26:58 And so the "Come here" 27:00 kingdom structure failed. 27:03 So God had to make 27:05 some adjustments. 27:07 And He began 27:09 to do things differently. 27:10 And by the time 27:11 we get to the New Testament 27:13 church, particularly in 27:14 the Book of Acts, 27:15 things are going so well 27:17 that people are starting 27:18 to act downright normal. 27:21 Normal, as we have been defining 27:23 it in this series, right? 27:24 In harmony with God's will, 27:24 et cetera. 27:26 And they're so normal 27:27 that a new kingdom 27:29 structure is implemented. 27:31 The old kingdom structure 27:32 is built on this 27:33 this "Come here" philosophy. 27:35 But but the new kingdom 27:36 structure is based 27:37 on a philosophy of "Go there." 27:40 Any texts come to mind that 27:42 might support that philosophy? 27:44 You know, Matthew 28:18-20, 27:45 the Great Commission. 27:46 Jesus says, 27:46 "All authority in heaven and 27:47 earth has been given to me." 27:48 Therefore, what? 27:50 "Go! Go and make 27:52 disciples of all nations." 27:53 So it's 180 degrees out. 27:54 I mean, 27:55 geometrically, exactly 180 out. 27:58 Instead of coming here 27:59 to learn the things of God, 28:01 we are now to go there 28:03 to reach the nations. Okay? 28:05 And, again, 28:06 to support the implementation 28:08 of this philosophy, 28:10 God implements 28:11 a three-part structure. 28:13 The first part of the structure 28:15 were leaders of the people, 28:16 but no kings 28:17 and no judges this time. 28:19 Instead, we have 28:20 people like apostles. 28:21 Apostles were to lead 28:22 on a regional, 28:23 even a national level. Okay? 28:25 We also had elders. 28:27 They were to be the leaders 28:28 of the local church. 28:29 And we had deacons and 28:30 deaconesses there 28:31 to lead within the local church. 28:34 And one leadership position 28:36 carries over from 28:37 the old structure. 28:38 That's the role of prophet. 28:39 You know, we're told the gift 28:40 of prophecy goes all the way 28:41 down to the very end of time. 28:43 And, indeed, just 28:44 as with the previous structure, 28:45 a prophet has authority not just 28:47 within the local church 28:48 or over a local church, 28:49 or even regionally 28:50 or nationally, 28:51 but even internationally, 28:52 if the Lord wills it. 28:56 Second part of this 28:58 "Go there" kingdom structure 29:00 were priests. 29:02 And many of you are thinking, 29:02 "Wait a second. The curtain 29:04 in the temple was torn in two. 29:05 You know, so the Old Testament 29:06 priesthood is gone." 29:07 True. Now the priesthood is 29:09 not just the sons of Aaron, 29:10 the sons of Zadok. 29:11 Now it is all Christians 29:13 that are priests. 29:14 And I know 29:15 that you've probably heard 29:16 this text before, 29:17 but I want you to see it 29:18 again with fresh eyes. 29:19 Would you turn in your Bibles, 29:20 please, Revelation 1:5. 29:23 Revelation 1:5. 29:26 We're going to start halfway 29:27 through verse 5. 29:29 Page 823 in your red Bible. 29:30 8-2-3. 29:34 A famous text here, 29:36 but it is so crucial to 29:37 what it is that we're looking at 29:38 here this morning. 29:39 I want you to see it again. 29:40 Start midway through verse 5, 29:42 Revelation 1, where it says, 29:43 "To him who loves us..." 29:45 "To him who loves 29:46 us and has freed us 29:48 from our sins by his blood." 29:50 Who's that? 29:51 Okay, easy question. 29:52 That's Jesus, right? 29:53 "To him who loves us," Jesus, 29:55 "and has freed us from our sins 29:56 by his blood 29:57 and has made us to be 29:59 a kingdom and priests, 30:02 to serve his God and Father, 30:04 to him be glory and power 30:05 forever and ever. Amen." 30:07 Do you understand 30:08 how revolutionary 30:09 that sentence is? 30:11 Previously, the priests were 30:13 this very defined elite, 30:15 small, isolated group of people. 30:17 They were very expensive. 30:18 They were all located in one 30:18 place, right? 30:20 And now Jesus just turns 30:21 the kingdom upside down. 30:22 And he says, "Now, if you call 30:24 me Lord --" Jesus says this -- 30:25 "If you call me Lord, 30:26 you are a priest." 30:28 Or to use more 30:29 current vernacular, 30:30 "You are a minister for God. 30:32 It doesn't matter if you're 30:33 male, if you're female, 30:35 if you're young or old, 30:36 in between, 30:37 if you call Jesus Lord, 30:38 you are a priest 30:39 in the kingdom of God. 30:40 You are a minister 30:41 in the kingdom of God. 30:43 He has given you gifts. 30:44 He has given you talents and 30:45 skills and passions and ideas 30:47 and creativity 30:48 so that you might carry out 30:50 the functions of your ministry." 30:53 This is astonishing. 30:54 What used to be 30:55 so stodgy and located 30:57 and expensive is now agile. 30:58 This priesthood is agile. 31:00 They can go all over the world. 31:01 They can move and bend 31:03 and breathe, because now we have 31:04 a whole world to reach. 31:05 It's all hands on deck. 31:06 Every Christian is needed. 31:09 That's why God made you 31:10 a priest. 31:11 That's why God made 31:12 you a minister for him. 31:17 Which brings us to the third 31:18 part of this structure. 31:20 And again, it's the Jews. 31:24 But this time, Jews are now 31:26 defined as all Christians. 31:30 How do I know? 31:31 My Bible tells me so. 31:32 Galatians 3:6-7. 31:34 "So also Abraham 'believed God, 31:36 and it was credited to him 31:38 as righteousness.' 31:39 Understand then, 31:40 that those who have faith 31:42 are children of Abraham." 31:43 What were the children 31:44 of Abraham called? 31:46 Jews. Yeah, exactly. 31:47 They were called Jews. 31:48 And so here, 31:49 those that have faith 31:50 in Jesus Christ 31:51 who are followers of 31:52 Jesus Christ, 31:53 they are spiritual Jews. 31:54 Now, why is this important? 31:55 There's a number of reasons. 31:56 You could do a whole couple 31:57 sermons on this, 31:57 but just briefly, 31:59 one of the things it means 32:00 is that we are now partakers 32:01 of the promises that were given 32:03 to Old Testament Israel. 32:05 The Promised Land is coming, 32:06 but instead of a place 32:07 in Palestine, 32:08 it's going to be in heaven. 32:09 It's going to be in the earth 32:10 made new. 32:11 Yes, say amen someone. 32:12 I mean, this is tremendous. 32:13 The covenant promises to Israel 32:15 there may be some redefinition 32:16 to them, some different 32:17 locations, but we are now 32:19 partakers of them. 32:20 We're grafted into this family. 32:21 We are spiritual Jews. 32:23 It doesn't matter who our mama 32:24 or our daddy was. 32:25 It matters who 32:26 our Lord and Savior is. 32:28 We can all be part 32:29 of this new Christian -- 32:30 this construct 32:31 of spiritual Judaism. 32:33 It's an amazing thing 32:35 that's happened here. 32:36 You know, leaders of the people, 32:37 apostles and elders, 32:38 the priests and the Jews. 32:40 We are called just 32:43 as it was in the old structure, 32:46 in section number three, 32:48 to be the people of God, 32:52 to live out the life of Christ, 32:54 to have him being inside of us, 32:55 to live this out 32:56 on a daily basis, 32:58 so that when we go to 32:59 the nations of the world -- 33:00 they're not coming here. 33:00 We need to go there. 33:02 When we go to the other people 33:03 that are out there that are not 33:04 yet ready for Jesus to come, 33:05 they will look at us 33:06 and they will see something 33:07 that they must have. 33:08 They will see 33:08 something that they want. 33:09 They will see Jesus in us. 33:12 Our task is to be the people 33:14 of God, that we might be 33:16 successful witnesses for Him, 33:17 that we might be His ministers 33:19 here and the world over. 33:23 So let's sum it up. 33:26 Leaders of the people 33:27 were to have apostles that lead 33:28 on a larger regional level. 33:30 Elders that lead 33:31 over the local church. 33:32 Deacons and deaconesses 33:32 that lead within 33:33 the local church. 33:34 Prophets that help 33:35 at all levels, all the time. 33:36 The gift of prophecy 33:37 is still with us. 33:38 We're all called to be priests 33:39 and to help the presence of 33:41 God to be able to spread 33:42 into people's hearts 33:42 around the world. 33:43 And all of us 33:44 are spiritual Jews. 33:45 We are called to live 33:46 out the life of God 33:48 and to be his people. 33:50 Now, important question. 33:54 And those of you 33:55 that were either at or have 33:56 heard my GYC presentation, 33:59 I'd like you to keep quiet 34:00 for just a moment. 34:02 Those of you that don't fit into 34:03 that category, 34:04 a question for you. 34:05 What's missing from this 34:08 "Go there" kingdom structure? 34:12 Or maybe I should say, "Who is 34:15 missing from this 34:17 'Go there' kingdom structure?" 34:25 Pastors. 34:29 They're not listed there. 34:31 And some of you might think 34:32 I've made a mistake. 34:33 That I accidentally 34:34 left somebody out. 34:35 No, there's no mistake. 34:37 Pastors are not listed here 34:40 in this kingdom structure. 34:43 And you might be wondering, 34:44 "Well, how could that be? 34:45 I mean, after all, pastors are 34:46 the ones who are supposed to 34:47 lead our churches, right?" 34:51 Hmm. 34:52 Hmm, hmm. 34:56 Let's do some digging, alright? 34:57 Couple of questions. 34:59 First of all, 35:00 let's answer this question of, 35:03 what is the role of the pastor? 35:07 I mean, when people think about 35:08 the word "pastor," what normally 35:10 comes to their mind? 35:12 I was curious to hear what 35:13 the answer to this 35:14 was in kind of black-and-white. 35:15 So, in the last 30 years, 35:17 at a church within 10,000 miles 35:18 of here, I did a survey 35:20 and I asked one question -- 35:22 "What is the pastor's job?" 35:23 Okay? 35:24 146 people turned in an answer. 35:27 That's not a bad sample size. 35:28 146 people. 35:30 Let me share with you 35:31 some of the results 35:32 of what they said, okay? 35:34 30 people said, "You're 35:36 the shepherd of the flock." 35:38 Okay? 35:38 That's the phrase they used. 35:40 That's why it's in quotes there. 35:40 30 people out of the 146 35:42 said, "Shepherd of the flock." 35:44 Now, there was a whole slew 35:45 of other types of answers, 35:47 and I just called 35:47 them miscellaneous. 35:48 About 86 people of the 146 35:51 gave widely varying answers. 35:52 For instance -- 35:54 I'm paraphrasing here -- 35:55 "To keep the church going, 35:57 to run the church." 35:59 Okay? Many people, 36:00 in various ways, 36:01 basically said, "Keep 36:02 the machinery humming along." 36:04 You know, the programming, keep 36:05 the building heated and cooled 36:06 and at the right times 36:07 and that kind of stuff, okay? 36:08 That's what they said. 36:09 They also said, "To have 36:10 office hours." 36:12 [ Laughter ] 36:13 Right? Okay. 36:14 How about this? 36:16 "To pray so we can eat potluck." 36:18 [ Laughter ] 36:22 There's a pretty high 36:22 level of skill involved 36:24 in that one, isn't there? 36:24 Yeah. You know? 36:25 Four years of undergrad 36:27 and two years of seminary, 36:28 that'll get you that. Okay. 36:29 Let's see -- "To shepherd, 36:31 counsel --" and this is a quote. 36:32 "To shepherd, counsel, 36:33 comfort, lead, 36:34 answer all phone calls, 36:35 go to all potlucks, 36:36 decorate for Christmas." 36:37 [ Laughter ] 36:40 I have been delinquent 36:41 in that last one. 36:42 I have not done that 36:43 very often in the churches 36:44 that I've been at here. 36:45 How about this? 36:46 "To meet the needs 36:47 of his congregation." 36:49 Okay. 36:51 "To agonize for the souls 36:53 of your members." 36:55 Not the people outside 36:56 of the church, but to agonize 36:57 for the souls of the members. 36:58 And I must say, 37:00 there's been a few times 37:01 when I have had church members 37:02 that have brought 37:03 agony to my soul. 37:04 So maybe there's some sort of 37:06 fulfillment there. 37:07 "To keep his wife happy. 37:09 Signed, Darlene." 37:10 [ Laughter ] 37:14 That is actually true. 37:15 She did turn that in, 37:16 and she did sign her name to it. 37:17 Okay? So, yes, 37:19 that's a pastor's job, yeah. 37:22 "Be an example to others." 37:24 Not bad. 37:25 "Keep members 37:26 'on track' spiritually." 37:27 Okay. 37:29 Uh, "Preach" -- sure. 37:30 "Teach" -- 37:31 yeah, we know about that. 37:32 "Tell others about God." 37:33 Sure. 37:35 "Visit the sick." 37:36 How about this one? 37:37 "Bring and keep unity." 37:40 [ Whistles ] 37:41 Wow. 37:42 Okay. 37:43 I feel like I need an S 37:44 on my shirt right here. 37:46 Something like that, yeah. 37:46 "Bring and keep unity." 37:47 That's amazing. 37:49 30 people said, 37:51 "Make disciples." 37:54 Hmm. 30 people said, 37:55 "Make disciples." 37:56 Now, there is a measure of truth 37:57 to this one. 37:58 I was pleased to see it. 38:00 But of these 30 answers, 38:02 only 6 -- and of the 146, 38:05 6 represents about 4% of 38:07 the total number of responses. 38:09 Only six people honed in 38:10 on the precise 38:11 and correct answer, 38:13 biblically speaking. 38:14 The correct answer that 38:15 is found in Ephesians 4:11-13. 38:19 Let me put this 38:20 on the screen here for you. 38:21 Ephesians 4:11-13. 38:23 "So Christ himself 38:24 gave the apostles, the prophets, 38:26 the evangelists, the pastors --" 38:28 okay, here we go. This is it. 38:29 He's going to give us the job 38:30 description now -- 38:31 "the pastors and teachers, 38:32 to equip his people for works 38:35 of service, 38:36 so that the body of Christ 38:37 may be built up until we all 38:39 reach unity in the faith 38:41 and in the knowledge of the Son 38:42 of God and become mature, 38:44 attaining to the whole measure 38:46 of the fullness of Christ." 38:48 That's the Bible's answer. 38:49 Let me just sum it up here. 38:51 The pastor's job is 38:52 to equip members for works 38:54 of service both inside 38:55 and outside of the church. 38:57 Because if you're going to grow 38:57 up into the fullness of Christ, 38:58 that assumes that you're doing 38:59 what he asked you to do, 39:00 which includes Matthew 28:18-20, 39:01 three angels messages working in 39:03 the church and outside of it, 39:05 helping them to reach 39:06 maturity in Christ. 39:08 Now, think carefully 39:10 for a moment. 39:11 What this means is that if 39:14 a pastor is doing 39:16 his or her job, 39:19 that they will be equipping 39:20 others to do ministry and, 39:24 as a function of their job, 39:25 not doing ministry on their own. 39:26 Do you follow me now? 39:28 They may do ministry 39:29 of their own -- right? -- 39:31 but not as a function 39:32 of their job as a pastor. 39:35 If they are a pastor, 39:36 they will be equipping 39:37 other people to do ministry 39:38 for God, both inside and 39:40 outside of the church, helping 39:41 them to grow to maturity. 39:43 So if you look around 39:44 and you think to yourself, 39:45 "Well, why isn't 39:46 the pastor doing thus and such?" 39:48 Maybe the answer is 39:50 you're supposed to be doing it. 39:53 Just a thought, right? 39:54 Chew on that one 39:55 for a little bit. 39:57 Because the pastor's job, 39:58 biblically speaking -- 40:00 highest court of appeal here, 40:01 the Bible -- 40:02 biblically speaking, 40:03 is to equip, 40:04 not necessarily to do 40:05 the ministry themselves. 40:07 They may do ministry themselves, 40:08 but not as 40:09 a function of their office. 40:15 This brings us squarely 40:18 to a second question. 40:20 First question -- 40:21 "What's the pastor's job?" 40:23 Second question is easily 40:25 more disturbing 40:28 and more liberating, 40:29 if rightly understood. 40:31 And the second question is this. 40:34 "Who are the pastors 40:39 in local churches?" 40:42 Who are the pastors 40:45 in local churches? 40:49 All right, 40:50 time-out for just a moment. 40:52 If I'm going to lose you 40:54 someplace in part three 40:56 and in part four next week, 40:57 it's gonna start right now. 40:58 Okay? 40:59 Not because of disagreement 41:00 or angst or anger 41:01 or any of that thing, 41:02 because of complexity. 41:05 Because I'm gonna dig into 41:06 some some subtleties here 41:08 that we have 41:10 not correctly dealt with 41:12 in the Adventist 41:13 church in the West. 41:15 We have failed in this regard. 41:17 The devil has capitalized 41:19 on these subtleties 41:22 and brought in confusion, 41:24 and it is a deadly influence 41:27 every single day 41:29 in the Adventist 41:30 church in the West. 41:32 And there's a little bit of 41:34 complexity here, so I need 41:35 your full attention. 41:36 So if anybody next to you 41:37 is sleeping, 41:38 please take your elbow 41:40 and gently go like this, okay? 41:42 And say, "Pastor Shane told me 41:43 I had to do this to you. 41:45 I don't know why, but you should 41:45 wake up right now, okay?" 41:47 Is everybody with me? 41:48 Are we ready? 41:49 Okay. 41:50 All right, let's go here. 41:52 It is true that Ephesians 4 41:55 defines the role of a pastor. 41:58 It does that. 41:59 But who, biblically speaking, 42:02 is to be the pastor 42:04 in the local church? 42:07 Let's go back to Ephesians 4. 42:09 Ephesians 4:11-13. 42:10 "So Christ himself 42:12 gave the apostles, the prophets, 42:13 the evangelists, the pastors," 42:15 and the Greek word there 42:16 that's translated as pastors 42:18 is poimane. 42:19 Poimane. 42:21 Now, you don't have to know 42:21 Greek to understand all of this, 42:23 but let me just point out 42:24 that's the word 42:25 that is being translated here 42:26 into English as pastor, 42:27 and that is 42:28 a minority interpretation. 42:30 In other words, 42:31 the Greek word "poimane" is not 42:33 generally interpreted 42:34 as "pastor." 42:37 It is generally interpreted 42:39 by a different word, 42:39 which is quite common. 42:40 It's the word "shepherd." 42:42 "Shepherd," okay? 42:45 And, in fact, overwhelmingly 42:47 in the New Testament, that is 42:48 how "poimane" is translated. 42:50 It is as "shepherd." 42:51 So let's keep reading here. 42:53 "The evangelists, the pastors, 42:54 the poimane and the teachers, 42:56 to equip the people for works 42:58 of service," goes into 42:58 the job description. 42:59 So this is what a "poimane" 43:01 is supposed to do, all right? 43:03 Notice this -- 1 Peter 5:1-4. 43:06 Peter's writing this. 43:07 "To the elders among you." 43:09 Who's the letter to? 43:10 Okay. He's talking to elders 43:11 right here. 43:12 Let's be very clear about this. 43:13 To the local church elders. 43:15 This is a general epistle. 43:16 It's written across, 43:16 not to a particular church, 43:18 to all churches 43:18 that will read this. 43:20 "To the elders among you, 43:21 I appeal as a fellow elder 43:23 and a witness of Christ's 43:24 sufferings, 43:25 who also will share in the glory 43:27 to be revealed: Be shepherds." 43:30 Greek word "poimane." 43:33 Be shepherds. 43:35 Who's to be shepherds? 43:37 Elders are to be. 43:38 "Be poimane of God's flock 43:40 that is under your care, 43:41 watching over them." 43:43 Isn't that interesting? 43:44 Elders are 43:45 to watch over the flock. 43:46 Elders are to watch 43:47 over the local church. 43:48 They are the poimane 43:49 of the local church. 43:50 They are the shepherds 43:50 of the local church. 43:51 Then he goes on -- 43:52 "Not because you must, 43:54 but because you are willing, 43:55 as God wants you to be, 43:56 not pursuing dishonest gain, 43:57 but eager to serve, 43:58 not lording it over those 43:59 entrusted to you, 44:00 but being examples 44:02 to the flock." 44:02 Why does he talk about being 44:04 eager to serve, 44:04 not lording it over them? 44:05 Because elders had authority. 44:09 You don't have to tell people 44:09 to be careful with their 44:10 authority, unless they have 44:11 authority to be careful with. 44:13 Continuing on. 44:15 "And when the Chief Shepherd --" 44:17 Who's that? 44:19 That's Jesus. That's right. 44:20 "When the Chief Shepherd --" 44:21 again, "shepherd," Greek word 44:23 "poimane" -- "appears, you will 44:24 receive the crown of glory 44:26 that will never fade away." 44:29 This is the highest office 44:30 that the local church 44:31 has to offer -- being an elder. 44:34 Elders are to be 44:35 the shepherds of the flock, 44:36 not because I say so, 44:37 but because the Bible says so. 44:39 Overwhelmingly, 44:40 in the New Testament, 44:41 when the Greek word "poimane" 44:42 is used, 44:43 it is translated as "shepherd." 44:44 Most of the time, 44:45 it refers to Jesus or to God 44:47 because he is 44:48 the master shepherd, right? 44:49 He's ultimately the one 44:50 that is to lead our churches. 44:51 Amen? Right? 44:52 But when we're talking 44:53 about structure 44:54 and we're talking about 44:55 human beings helping to lead 44:56 out here, it applies to elders. 45:00 They are the poimane. 45:02 They are to be -- let it be 45:02 clear. 45:04 The elders are the pastors 45:05 of the local church. 45:15 All of which naturally brings up 45:16 a pretty important question, 45:19 right? 45:22 If the elders are the pastors 45:23 of the church, then what 45:24 are you doing here, Shane? 45:26 Right? 45:28 What about all the men and women 45:29 around the world 45:30 that we usually call "pastor"? 45:32 Right? 45:33 Aren't they the ones 45:34 that we are paying to be leading 45:36 in our local churches? 45:41 I want to be really clear here. 45:45 I have great respect 45:47 for my colleagues 45:48 in pastoral ministry 45:49 in the global West. 45:50 I have great respect for those 45:51 outside of the global West, too. 45:53 But for this morning, I want to 45:53 focus on the global West. 45:55 That's Australia, North America, 45:57 Europe, and those 45:58 that have kind of 45:59 broadly similar 46:00 cultural guidelines. 46:01 Often that's referred to 46:02 as the West or the global West. 46:04 I have great respect 46:05 for the pastors that 46:06 are working in the global West. 46:07 It is long hours. 46:08 It is hard work. 46:10 They are very dedicated people, 46:12 almost all of them to a person. 46:14 They are doing the best 46:17 that they know to do. 46:21 But the truth is -- 46:23 the truth is that when it comes 46:26 to the role of the local pastor 46:29 in the Adventist Church 46:30 in the global West, 46:32 the role of a pastor 46:34 that stays 46:35 over an established church, 46:37 that is paid to stay 46:39 over an established church, 46:40 usually for years at a time, 46:41 and to be its primary caregiver 46:42 and its "pastor," 46:44 that role is not found anywhere 46:47 in the New Testament. 46:48 Nowhere, not at all, 46:49 in any shape or form. 46:50 Zero, nada, nothing. 46:53 It's not there. 46:55 I didn't put it into 46:56 my kingdom structure, 46:58 not because I forgot about it 46:59 or I missed it, 46:59 because it's not there. 47:03 In fact, 47:04 so contrary was this conception 47:07 and practice of pastoring 47:09 to the New Testament 47:11 that our Adventist pioneers 47:13 actually had a name for it, 47:16 a name that would distinguish 47:17 that kind of pastoral role 47:19 from the kind of pastoral role 47:21 that they actually 47:22 wanted in the churches. 47:24 They called them 47:24 settled pastors. 47:27 Settled pastors. 47:28 And you might be thinking, 47:29 "Well, what is a 47:30 settled pastor?" 47:31 Well, let me give you my 47:32 definition of a settled pastor. 47:34 Three decades of doing 47:35 pastoral ministry, 47:36 I've had plenty of time 47:36 to look and to see. 47:38 This is my best take 47:39 on what a settled pastor is. 47:43 In the Western Adventist Church, 47:45 the typical settled pastor -- 47:47 or TSP for short -- 47:50 the typical settled pastor is 47:51 someone who is seen 47:52 as the primary caregiver 47:53 in the local church. 47:55 He or she is the primary person 47:56 who oversees the flock, 47:57 visits its sick, 47:58 and puts out its fires, 48:00 the primary person 48:01 who rebukes those in sin, 48:03 brings in new believers, 48:04 and oversees the church's 48:05 administrative machinery, 48:07 tasks which many TSPs are 48:09 sufficiently skilled at 48:10 that most church members 48:11 would never consider doing 48:12 such things themselves. 48:14 The TSP is furthermore located 48:16 over preferably 48:17 only one church, 48:18 and his or her success 48:19 is often gauged by the number 48:20 of people 48:21 in their particular flock. 48:23 The typical settled pastor is 48:24 the primary, 48:25 if not only, communicator 48:26 of the scriptures on 48:27 Sabbath morning, 48:28 a task requiring 10 to 20 hours 48:30 at least each week in 48:31 preparation, in addition 48:32 to all their other duties. 48:34 The TSP is often believed 48:35 to be "more spiritual" 48:37 than the average member 48:38 and certainly more capable 48:39 when it comes to 48:40 the various forms of ministry. 48:42 He or she is widely thought 48:43 to be the most "in-tune" pathway 48:45 to God in the church, 48:46 and consequently, 48:47 many members believe 48:48 that if the pastor hasn't 48:49 visited them, 48:50 they haven't been visited, 48:53 that if the pastor hasn't prayed 48:54 for them, 48:55 they haven't been prayed for, 48:56 even if other dedicated members 48:58 have already done so. 49:00 The TSP's role is seen 49:02 as so central to a church's 49:04 legitimacy that a church 49:05 without such a pastor 49:07 is perceived to be inferior 49:08 to the churches who do. 49:10 The TSP is furthermore to be 49:12 on call 24 hours a day, 49:14 since it is difficult to predict 49:15 when situations will arise 49:17 that no one else 49:17 wants to deal with. 49:19 In essence, 49:20 the TSP is someone 49:22 who is paid to be a Christian. 49:29 This is understandably 49:30 a taxing job, 49:32 and TSPs consequently 49:33 often stay at a church 49:34 for 3 to 7 years 49:35 and then either transfer 49:37 to a larger church 49:38 or, too often, burn out 49:40 and start another career 49:41 in a field unrelated 49:42 to pastoral ministry. 49:45 And if you think 49:46 that last part is a joke, 49:47 you're not aware of 49:48 the current statistics 49:50 in the North American division. 49:52 This is a serious problem. 49:53 We have many more pastors 49:55 leaving than 49:57 are coming on board. 49:59 This is not a joke. 50:00 This is reality. 50:02 And again, 50:03 the role of the typical 50:04 settled pastor 50:06 cannot be found anywhere 50:09 in the biblical gospel 50:10 structure of the local 50:11 New Testament church. 50:13 It is simply not there. 50:22 What do you do with this? 50:26 I mean, this is a fairly 50:28 impactful point, 50:30 wouldn't you say? 50:34 Well, I'll tell you what 50:35 we're supposed to do about it, 50:36 because there is a very 50:37 good answer to what's supposed 50:38 to happen in regard to this. 50:41 And if you want to know what 50:42 that answer is, you'll have to 50:42 come back next week to part 4. 50:44 Okay? 50:46 So I hope that you can be there 50:47 because we're going to cover 50:48 some good things. 50:50 But this does lead me 50:51 to a final question 50:52 that I do want to deal with. 50:54 The question is this. 50:56 If a settled pastor is 50:58 not the one who is supposed 51:00 to do all of that ministry, 51:01 then who is supposed 51:03 to be the primary caregiver 51:05 and evangelizer and discipler 51:07 and prayer, et cetera, 51:07 et cetera? 51:08 Well, the Bible gives 51:09 an excellent answer. 51:10 The New Testament 51:11 actually has this answer 51:12 in many, many places. 51:13 We're just gonna pick one here. 51:14 Galatians 6:1-2. 51:17 "Brothers and sisters --" 51:18 Who's that? 51:20 Are those only elders? 51:22 Are these pastors or apostles? 51:23 No, no, these are Christians, 51:24 right? 51:25 Brothers and sisters. 51:26 This is to the church 51:27 in Galatia. 51:28 But it's not addressing 51:28 officers. 51:30 It's addressing the general 51:31 populace of the church. 51:32 "Brothers and sisters, 51:33 if someone is caught in a sin, 51:35 you who live by the Spirit 51:37 should call the pastor 51:38 immediately so that 51:39 he can restore that person." 51:44 People have warned me about 51:45 the New International Version, 51:46 and maybe this is one of those 51:46 times when... 51:49 What it actually says is this -- 51:50 "...you who live by the Spirit 51:52 should restore that person 51:53 gently." 51:54 Don't call the pastor, 51:55 don't call the elder, 51:55 don't call the professional. 51:57 If you are someone who is filled 51:58 with the Holy Spirit of God, 51:59 if you are living 52:00 the Christian life, 52:01 God calls you to intercede. 52:03 You who are spiritual should 52:05 restore that person gently. 52:06 He says, "Now, be careful 52:07 or you yourselves 52:08 may also be tempted," right? 52:09 So it's not like there's 52:10 no risk here. 52:11 But even this rebuking of people 52:13 in sin, 52:13 one of the things 52:14 that most people won't touch 52:15 with a 10-foot pole." 52:17 "Call the pastor. 52:18 He'll take care of it." 52:19 The Bible here says 52:20 "If someone is caught in a sin, 52:21 you who live by the Spirit 52:22 should restore that person 52:23 gently," as Jesus would, with 52:25 wisdom and counsel from others, 52:26 yes, but you, you. 52:29 And it goes on to say 52:30 a very famous phrase -- 52:31 "Carry each other's burdens" -- 52:33 in most translations, it says, 52:34 "One another's burdens" -- 52:36 "and in this way, you will 52:37 fulfill the law of Christ. 52:38 Did you know there's" 52:39 more than 100 "one another" 52:41 texts in the New Testament? 52:43 Love one another. 52:44 Care for one another. 52:45 Pray for one another. 52:45 Help one another. 52:46 Serve one another. 52:47 You are the ministers 52:49 of the local church. 52:51 You are the ones 52:52 that are to be the primary 52:53 caregivers and the ones 52:54 that are doing evangelistic 52:56 work, that are bringing people 52:56 in and discipling them. 52:58 And when things go wrong, 52:59 God is calling you to help 53:00 them make those things right. 53:01 God is not looking for 53:03 a hired gun to come in 53:05 and do those things for you, 53:06 because he's equipped you 53:07 to do it. 53:09 You are God's ministers. 53:12 Every last one of you, 53:13 young and old, male and female, 53:15 you are His ministers, and you 53:17 are called to fill this role. 53:20 And you know what? 53:21 In my experience -- 53:23 in my experience, 53:24 most people have no idea 53:27 how revolutionary 53:28 the Adventist Church 53:29 has been in this regard. 53:32 I mean, it blows your mind. 53:34 Most people, you know -- 53:35 especially in the West. 53:37 I mean, we kind of brought 53:37 this on ourselves. 53:38 People drive by the Adventist 53:39 church, they think, "Oh, there's 53:40 just another, just like 53:41 every other belly button 53:42 out there, right? 53:42 No difference between them 53:43 and anybody else 53:44 except for the day of the week 53:45 they go to church on. 53:45 >> No, no, no, no, 53:46 no, no, no, no, no, no. 53:47 >> If you know the DNA 53:49 of the Adventist church -- 53:50 in fact, if you know the 53:51 practice of the vast majority 53:53 of the Adventist churches 53:54 outside of the global West, 53:57 then you will understand 53:58 at least a little bit of just 53:59 how revolutionary this place is. 54:02 It's astonishing. 54:03 Next week, in part four, 54:04 I'm going to share 54:05 with you some things -- 54:07 Well, I'm going to show you some 54:08 of Adventists pasts, 54:10 Adventism's past. 54:11 I'm going to show you 54:12 what I believe is going to be 54:13 Adventism's future. 54:14 And I'm going to begin 54:15 to show you, to the best 54:16 of my ability, 54:16 what God is calling us 54:18 to do with settled pastors, 54:19 with church members in ministry, 54:20 and the structure of 54:21 the local church. 54:22 And if you've never heard the 54:23 things that I'm gonna share next 54:24 week, it will blow your mind. 54:26 Guarantee you will have 54:27 something to talk about 54:28 at potluck next week. 54:30 All right? 54:31 This is crucial stuff. 54:33 So I hope that you can be here. 54:35 Until then, 54:38 I invite you to think carefully. 54:40 Is there ministry either inside 54:45 or outside of the church 54:48 that God has equipped you to do? 54:50 You have the tools. 54:51 He's given them to you, 54:53 but you are letting 54:55 someone else do it. 54:57 Either a pastor 54:58 or somebody else out there. 54:59 They are doing the ministry 55:00 that God has called 55:02 and equipped you to do. 55:03 Is that the case in your life? 55:07 Ladies and gentlemen, 55:08 brothers and sisters, 55:09 if that is the case, 55:10 I just want to 55:11 gently challenge you. 55:13 Get in the game. 55:15 Get out on the field of battle. 55:17 You are a priest of God. 55:19 You are a minister of God. 55:20 He has equipped you. 55:21 He has gifted you. 55:22 He has called you. 55:24 And the work will 55:24 never be finished 55:26 unless you get in the game, 55:27 unless you get on 55:28 that battlefield 55:29 and begin to do what 55:30 God has called 55:31 and equipped you to do. 55:32 Can you imagine -- 55:33 Can you imagine 55:34 what would happen 55:36 if even half of the members 55:38 of all the churches 55:38 in the global West 55:39 took back the ministry 55:41 that rightfully belongs to them, 55:42 if they did their ministry, 55:43 the ministry 55:44 that God had given them to do, 55:45 rather than waiting for a pastor 55:47 or someone else to do it? 55:48 Imagine if, member after member, 55:50 young and old, rich and poor, 55:52 regardless of background, 55:53 pursued Christ, passionately 55:55 praying, passionately 55:56 witnessing, passionately 55:57 discipling, filled 55:58 with the Holy Spirit of God. 56:00 Can you imagine 56:01 what this would do? 56:03 I mean, the work would 56:04 be finished in short order. 56:05 The work of sharing Jesus Christ 56:07 in the context of 56:08 the three angels' message 56:09 with the world 56:10 would be finished 56:10 in short order, 56:12 and at long last, 56:13 the church would once again be 56:15 a place where ministers rule, 56:20 where the real ministers 56:20 rule the day. 56:22 You. 56:23 Such a church would be normal 56:29 in the eyes of heaven. 56:32 Here's to normal 56:33 Christian living. 56:35 Here's to ministers leading 56:37 the ministry day. 56:39 May the Lord guide us 56:41 as we rediscover 56:43 His plan for His church. 56:46 >> Amen. 56:52 >> I'm Shane Anderson, 56:53 the lead pastor here 56:54 at Pioneer Memorial Church. 56:56 At Pioneer Media, 56:57 we have been blessed 56:58 by the financial support 57:00 that comes from our viewers like 57:01 you, that enable us 57:03 to continue this ministry. 57:05 We've made a conscious decision 57:07 not to continually appeal to you 57:08 for that support. 57:10 However, keeping this ministry 57:11 going takes money 57:12 to support our staff and 57:14 technology needs. 57:16 If God has blessed you 57:17 and you would like to further 57:18 the work of this ministry, 57:20 we invite you 57:20 to partner with us. 57:22 You can donate 57:23 on our website -- pmchurch.org, 57:26 then click "Giving" at the top, 57:29 then select "Media Ministry." 57:31 Or call the number 57:33 877-HIS-WILL. 57:35 Again, that number is 877, 57:38 the two words "His will." 57:40 My prayer is that the God 57:42 who has blessed you 57:43 will continue to pour 57:45 into your life the gifts 57:46 of His joy and His hope. 57:48 Thank you, and 57:49 I'm looking forward to seeing 57:51 you right here again next time. 57:53 ♪ 57:59 ♪ 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