Jump Start # 3073

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

We love our safety and security. It gives us a peace of mind. We have all kinds of passwords to protect our identity. We have locks on our doors. Many businesses have cameras as a form of security. Many congregations now have hired security to keep everyone safe. Passwords., locks, doors, safety and security.

There is another form of security that is often missing these days in our congregations. It’s not something that can be bought in a store. It doesn’t come in a box and is not mounted on a wall. The kind of security I’m talking about, is the watching and guarding that is done by the shepherds in the church. One of their roles is to keep the church safe. The word from our passage today is “guard.” This is much more than locking the doors at the end of services and making safe deposits of the weekly contribution. Keeping our congregations safe involves protecting the members from spiritual influences that pull faith away from the Word of God. These influences are all around us and are saturated on social media. Every opinion, every wild idea, every false idea is easily found on social media. No longer is the wolf disguised as one of the sheep. The wolf walks boldly and proudly in broad day light these days. He challenges doctrine, twists truths, and confuses the hearts of those who are not settled in their faith. At stake is the unity of the congregation.

Protecting the church falls under the job description of shepherds. This often involves making tough decisions and this kind of work isn’t pleasant. The wellbeing and the safety of the church is at hand. How are shepherds to protect the church?

First, they must have their ear to the ground. They must notice what people are talking about. Many shepherds do not want to be on Facebook or Twitter, but those are the powerful platforms that people use to share thoughts and ideas. Things are being said and many shepherds are not aware of it. Social media can be a platform for every disgruntled saint to find a sympathetic ear that encourages more disenchantment with the pattern and plan of God. This doesn’t mean that they are to be Facebook police, but they are not to have their heads buried in the sand. What blogs, podcasts, books are the members talking about? Do you know?

Second, solid preaching and teaching must be the core of what is being publicly offered to the congregation. Our faith is built upon the word of God and that word must be taught over and over and over. Ignorance allows the devil to gain a foothold in hearts, homes and the congregation. Error runs from the truth. Solid preaching that explains, illustrates and builds upon the word of God is a must.

Third, we are instructed to be diligent to preserve the bond of unity. Some are not diligent about that. Some are not wanting that at all. Some have an agenda of dividing and splitting the church. Their hearts are not content with what God says. They are not wanting to be different from the world. They desire to be like all the churches in town. So, they introduce ideas, concepts and activities that are not Biblically based nor a part of God’s eternal pattern. The Romans were told to mark those who were not interested in walking in the ways of God. Keep an eye on them is the instruction from Heaven. Don’t place them in the position of teaching, when they do not understand nor accept what the Bible says.

In our homes, if a teenager pulled out a cigarette and started smoking, we’d immediately tell him to stop and to leave if he persisted. If someone can into our homes and started using foul language, we’d stop him. However, if someone in a Bible class started advocating strange ideas, criticizing the way the Bible teaches, we much too often, give that person a pass. We allow it. We allow poison to fill the air and hearts to be confused, because he is one of our members. And, right there, the spiritual passwords have been compromised, the spiritual locks have been removed and the doors of safety have been left open. A wolf has been invited in and now trouble looms. The spirit of rebellion is allowed to grow and spread until one day, a whole group announces that they are taking over the direction of the church, or more often, they are splitting the church. Unity has been crushed. The work has been hurt. The church suffers.

What can be done? What do we do to the smoker that comes into our homes? What do we do with the person who cusses in our homes? They are told to stop or they are shown the door. Protecting the flock may necessitate shepherds asking someone to leave. You are no longer welcome here because you do not have a spirit of unity. You must leave because you refuse to follow the traditions of the apostles. Ending fellowship towards someone with a rebel heart is often necessary to keep the congregation safe.

Through the years we’ve allowed every dog in town to come in without changing because our thirst for a larger congregation has superseded our desire to make disciples, and churches have suffered. Congregations have splintered and divided over every opinion and most should not have been expressed. They have kept hidden sins secret rather than demanding repentance and righteous living.

Keeping the congregation safe is essential. Without the proper steps a congregation is plague with sickness, disease and error.

It is amazing and something to be thankful for that God has designed a level of safety within our congregations. Rather than fighting this, we need to see how wonderful this is.

Roger

Jump Start # 2943

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

One of the roles of God’s shepherds is to protect the people entrusted to them. Protection brings a sense of comfort and ease to our hearts. When a storm is ragging loudly in the night, a child may crawl in bed between his parents. The storm is still making noise, but the presence of the parents brings a comfort of love, security and safety. The child falls back to sleep.

As today’s shepherds look over the flock, there are so many different factors and areas that they need to consider to help the church remain safe, strong and moving forward with the Lord.

First, there are physical concerns. This is touchy, but I’m going to open this door. Through the pandemic shepherds had to make the tough call to do what they felt was best for their people. Some services were cancelled. Some didn’t understand why. Some have said some awful things of which they will have to answer to God about. Many things have been said on social media that should never have been there. The elders who made that call were only trying to keep their people safe. On other times, they may cancel services because of snow storms or hurricanes. It’s not politics that drives this, but the love of the people. Once, when we were in Kansas City, as our Wednesday night services were ending, a SWAT team was outside of building with guns drawn. They were looking for someone. The SWAT leader came into the building and asked if we could stay inside until the situation was clear. We did. It was a call to protect the people. Some congregations have hired security or policemen during services. It is to keep us safe.

Second, there are doctrinal concerns. There’s a lot of stuff floating around that just isn’t Biblical. When some start paying attention to those things and begin to get wiggly in their thinking, it’s time for shepherds to protect the flock. Some of the junk out there is put out by our brethren who either need to study more, post less, or else they have an agenda and that’s scary. There may come a time when specific names, podcasts, books are named as being poisonous, dangerous and unhealthy to our spiritual wellbeing. Some wouldn’t like that. But it’s the job of the shepherds to protect us. Sometimes sheep do not recognize good grass from dangerous weeds. As a parent, I had to send a neighborhood child home who was getting too mouthy and disrespectful. I did that to protect my children. We wouldn’t let them watch any show. We checked what books they were reading. All of this was to protect them.

Third, there are emotional concerns. This often comes from within. Discouraging attitudes, gossipy tongues, back biting, putting leaders down, trying to undermine the good others are doing, and even offensive and prejudicial comments should have no place among God’s people. I believe much too often we give each other a pass when that shouldn’t be done. We have a standard to live up to and we need to do that. We don’t help each other spiritually when we look the other way when things are said that should never be said. That’s wrong. Offending brethren is serious. It’s enough to make some stop coming. It can send visitors running away. And, we just put up with the ole’ brother because he’s old and that’s just the way he is. Well, that’s just not right in my book and it’s especially not right in God’s book. I don’t care how old he is, he needs to straighten up and hush up. Allowing inappropriate comments, whether said in a Bible class or in conversations hurts the church. We are disciples of Christ. We are not a “good ole’ boys club” where rude, crude and offensive things are laughed off. Shepherds need to protect the flock. Wounded feelings are hard to heal. The wounds seem to stay fresh when it appears that nothing is ever done.

We come from different backgrounds. We have different stories. We have different histories. We have different needs. We need to try to stand in the shoes of others. Something may seem awkward to me, but be totally out of bounds to someone else. What I think is no big deal, may be the very thing that shatters a fragile faith. A woman who grew up in a sexually abusive home may take real offensive and really be bothered by some things others say. Not thinking about that, hurts others. We must be mindful of others. Calling the denominations dumb only hurts those who have family members still in denominations. The sensitive training that major corporations have gone through probably has pushed the envelop too far, but a lack of sensitivity among us can undermine all the preaching and good that a congregation is trying to do. Not everyone grew up in this fellowship. Not everyone knows the ‘in house’ words we all understand. Be thoughtful. Be kind. Let your speech be seasoned with grace is what the apostles said. Coming across rough, abrasive and mean doesn’t fit in with the Gospel message.

And, shepherding includes having to deal with those kinds of things among us. We can be just like kids. You remember. Your sister said, “You’re ugly.” You replied, “You’re dumb.” Back and forth the insults went until one really touched a nerve and off to mom one of us went. We complained that the other called us a mean name. And our poor moms had to iron out the disputes and trouble that we caused. Our moms must have thought, ‘why can’t they just be nice and play together.’ And, I wonder if the shepherds think, ‘Why can’t they just be nice and worship together?’

Protecting—that’s not easy work. It means getting in the trenches. It’s hearing both sides of stories. It’s making the call that may not be popular. It’s driven by love. At the core, the shepherd wants the sheep to be safe. Safe: physically, doctrinally, spiritually and emotionally. Wolves, poison and danger can be found everywhere, even among us.

Bless our shepherds. Thank you, Lord for keeping us safe.

Roger

Jump Start # 2175

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

A few weeks ago, a young California preacher took his life. Depression was something that plagued him most of his life. That sent shock waves through the many blogs that are associated with preachers. Posts about preachers and discouragement and the signs of depression among church leaders are flying through the internet news. Even among our brethren, there have been some helpful and needful thoughts drawn to this concern. There are many factors that are connected to this, some personal within the makeup of the individual preacher, and some professional, that comes with the job we do. It can be lonely. Few understand outside of those who preach. The demands are high. There is no real sense of job security. For most, a fumble on a Sunday and one is likely to lose his job. There is a lot of internal pressure.

The fearful question then is asked, “Have you ever thought about taking your life?” For me, no. But I have thought about quitting, often. And, all of this directly leads to our first article that I want to address in this area.

Our verse today, showing the elders or shepherds of a congregation to be on guard for all the flock and to shepherd the church of God, includes watching over the preacher. How rare this is done today. We assume the preacher doesn’t need shepherding. We assume that he can work through whatever bothers him and he is so strong that he’s ok. Wrong assumptions.

The preacher is a member and is very much like everyone else in the congregation. He has good days and he has days that are not so good. You see the preacher on Sunday, smiling in his suit and all wired up to preach and ready to go. But what’s running through his mind? What’s on his heart? What’s he going to be like later that day? How will he handle the things that are said to him? This is where shepherding must come in and must excel.

There was a scene in Mel Gibson’s movie, the Patriot, in which the British high command were complaining that the colonial militia were targeting the officers in battle. Take out the leaders and chaos follows. This wasn’t just a tactical move in the Revolution, it has been a strategic plan of Satan for a long time. Get King Saul to disobey. Get King David to lust. Get the leaders and chaos will follow. Today, Satan’s sights are set upon shepherds and preachers, the leaders. Take them out and chaos follows.

• The preacher has strengths and weaknesses like every member does
• The preacher has a family and that can be peaceful or turmoil, like everyone else
• The preacher has temptations just like everyone else
• The preacher has moments when he is not so confident, just like everyone else
• The preacher deals with his own family budgets, raising kids, trying to keep everyone happy, including in the church
• The preacher often has a hard time getting away from the demands of the work. Even on vacation, he is thinking about what to preach when he gets back. He worries about complicated matters that have been placed on his heart. He wonders if he is doing enough. The larger the church the greater these pressures and these demands.
• The preacher must continue to feed his faith and fight his battles, just like everyone else
• The preacher needs Christ, just like everyone else
• The preacher needs to be led by shepherds and watched over just like everyone else

A discouraged preacher doesn’t do his job as well as he ought to. This only adds more burdens when he recognizes this. His sermons slip. His classes are blan. His passion and his energy level falters. As these dark thoughts multiply, so do the thoughts of moving, getting out, or, in the sad story of the young California preacher, taking your life.

It is imperative that shepherds get out of the elders room and get among the flock. If they cannot recognize a discouraged preacher, who else in the congregation is discouraged and is not getting any help? Too much time is spent in discussing copiers, parking lots and paint colors and not on the people of God. All across this country, people are dying in the pews, and those who are to be watching, are not seeing it. They are oblivious to what is taking place. As long as there are no current mutinies, or poisonous teaching going on, it is assumed that all is well. Like too many homes today, all is not well, and no one sees that.

So, how do shepherds shepherd the preacher? That’s a great question that ought to lead to many conversations. In one way, just like they ought to shepherd all the members. Yet, in another way, because of the role the preacher plays, there may be some other signs and other details that they must consider. Walking out the door on Sunday morning and asking, “How ya’ doin’ preach?” probably won’t get much of an answer other than, “Ok.” Is that shepherding? Is your role finished because you asked him how he’s doing? Would he admit it if he even needed help? If he admitted that he needed you, would he take that as a sign of spiritual weakness and would he fear his job could be at stake? Does he have the relationship with the shepherds that he could be transparent, honest and open?

I’m not a shepherd, but I’m a preacher. I’ve been doing this preaching stuff for just about four decades. I’ve seen mountain top moments and I’ve been seen the valleys. So, here are a few thoughts:

First, like with any member, asking someone how they are doing won’t get to the heart of the matter. The right questions, the right moment and the right atmosphere is all very important. Walking out the front door on a Sunday morning is not the right time. Sitting around with all the elders won’t bring the right connections. Too many. Too fearful. But one on one, during a lunch, in a conversation, is the beginning steps.

Second, putting the job pressure at ease helps one to be open and honest. For the preacher, to find another preaching job means moving. It means pulling the kids out of school, selling the house, and moving, often across the country. Many times the preacher’s wife has a job. So, the pressure and the fears that come with job security are enormous. It’s unlike what most members face. Most, if they quit their jobs, they don’t have to move. So, put the preacher at ease about his job. Let him know that you are a friend and that you want to help.

Third, shepherd. Realize before you is a heart that the Lord loves. It needs to be protected. It needs to be prayed for. It needs to be encouraged. Do that. There are things said to the preacher that he never tells you. People who have never preached once in their life, seem to know just what a preacher ought to do. Their words can come out backwards and they can cut and hurt. Most preachers just take it in silence. Consider seeing him as a person that needs you and not an employee that you have hired. Share books with each other. Talk about things on your heart. Connect. Build a relationship of love and trust. All of this takes time.

Fourth, as Jesus showed in the story of the good Samaritan, prove yourself to be a neighbor, a friend, a caring shepherd to the preacher. Especially for the young preacher, he may view the shepherds as his bosses. He wants to please you but there is a barrier that keeps him distant from you. Do what you can to remove that barrier. Prove yourself to him.

Next time, we will take a look at the inner thoughts of a preacher and discouragement.

How is your preacher doing? Do you know? Do you really know? Don’t you think you should know.

Roger

Jump Start # 1900

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

This week we are looking at the Hallmarks of a good church. There are certain internal characteristics that make a church healthy, powerful, helpful and pleasing to the Lord. These things just do not happen. They are the result of making the right spiritual choices by the folks who make up a congregation. There seems to be a disconnect between what people want in a church and what they are willing to be themselves. Everyone wants a warm, growing, spiritual congregation but many do nor realize that a congregation is a reflection of what the members are. A strong church comes from strong members. So, when we read in Revelation of a congregation that God called dead, guess why. The members were dead. And, Laodicea, being lukewarm. That was because the members were lukewarm. We must move past the idea that I can be whatever I want to be and the church can still be powerful.

In our first installment, we saw where a good church must be Biblical. That’s the foundation upon which everything else is placed upon. If it is not Biblical, all the good that it may be doing doesn’t matter.

A second hallmark of a good church is leadership. Someone must be at the helm steering the ship. Our verse today, Paul’s final words to the elders at Ephesus, reminded them as well as us, of the importance of overseers shepherding the church. Good churches have good leaders. It’s that simple. Good churches have men who have devoted themselves to the care of God’s people. They love these people. They want the best from them. They pour their lives into their lives. They pray for them. They are always thinking about them. They want those people in Heaven.

Working with people, working with us, can be messy. We can get ourselves into some real issues. Sometimes we don’t make the best choices. Sometimes temptation seems too good to resist. Sometimes we just don’t think. And if we do think, often it’s not spiritually. As a result, we struggle and stumble. We wander off. We don’t eat well spiritually. We fuss and pick at each other. Our marriages can be strained. Just like a family with kids at home, someone needs to calm us down, figure out what’s going on and get us back on the right path. We need someone to remind us to apologize. We need someone to show us how to be a team player. We need someone with a wise head who knows where we ought to be going.

All of this is why good churches have good leaders. Men who spend time helping us work through our problems. Men who will take us to the word of God and remind us of what God wants. Men who know that a solid church is built upon solid Biblical teaching. Men who understand when good and honest hearts intersect with the word of God, good things will happen. So, they are busy putting forth that word of God. They find different ways to do that. They find ways to head off trouble. They see where a church is headed and they can steer through the rough water and avoid the rocks that will sink us.

Good churches have good leaders who spend their time with the flock. They know that church. They know the history of those people. They know what they need. It’s just like a family. When my four were living at home they would have their friends over. We’d eat together. I couldn’t figure out some of their friends. I didn’t know them well. A few seemed a bit odd in my book. But my kids, I knew them. I knew what they needed and how to approach each of them. It works that way in the church.

God’s leaders are not hiding behind a closed door deciding the color of carpet or writing checks and balancing the checkbook. Others can do that. God’s leaders are with the people. God’s leaders are thinking about what these people need. Many large congregations in the past, have dwindled away partly because of a lack of good leaders. Oh, they had men who chose the color of the carpet, and paid the bills, but the members drifted and no one knew why. Some became spiritually sick and no one noticed. Some drank spiritual poison and no one was there to warn them. No one was there to show them. No one was there to guide them. The church drifted on, always dong the same thing. They were drifting toward the waterfall and no one tried to change the course. Preachers came twice a year to preach their favorite sermons, often not what the church needed, but the preachers didn’t know. No one told them. Some were baptized but they quickly withered away because no one was there to nourish that tender faith. Money was sent afar to preachers in other lands, but little was done at home. And the church drifted. Folks moved out. Some quit. People saw it but no one said anything about it and certainly nothing was done. And the church drifted. Finally, one day people realized that the bills couldn’t be paid and the money that was promised to far away preachers was too much. And for the first time talk began about closing the doors. The boat had gone over the waterfalls and crashed on the rocks below. And now, some were wondering what ought to be done. It was a little too late. A death had occurred. A church died and no one noticed. To satisfy their hearts, people blamed the community. Everyone has moved out to the suburbs. Others blamed the times. No one is interested these days. No one ever thought we died because we allowed it to die. No one ever thought we were headed for the waterfalls and no one tried to turn us around.

Good churches must have good leaders. Good churches not only have good leaders in place, but they are already looking for the next group of good leaders. Thought is given to who will take over after us. Classes and special lessons are given on developing spiritual leadership. Men are trained and taught. Good churches realize that it takes just one generation of no leaders or poor leaders and the ship will be headed for the waterfalls.

Good churches with good leaders realize that strong marriages and personal involvement are going to be the backbone of good leaders. Getting people involved. Getting people teaching. Getting people to open up their homes and their hearts. Getting people to sacrifice their time. Getting people to love one another is the key to keeping things going in the right direction. Good leaders do not have time to balance the church’s checkbook. They are busy working with folks. They are busy planning what’s next. They are developing people. They are helping the wounded. They are caring for those who are struggling. In a word, they are shepherding. The flock trusts them because of what they have done. The church knows that they have the best interests before them.

But, someone says, “we don’t have good leaders?” Get them. Develop them. Work on it. Without them, what is keeping you from the dreaded waterfalls? Those with good leaders, thank them and the Lord. Support them. Encourage them. Let them count on you, just as you count on them.

Who is at the helm? You want someone who knows what they are doing and is gifted, qualified, and has the wellbeing of the church at heart. God wants good leaders. God wants shepherds.

Roger