Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 91

April 1;    I Timothy 5:17;    91/260(II);    ‘Double Honor’

I Timothy 5:17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.    NIV

Pastoring is an honor.  Pastoring is also an incredible responsibility.  Pastors deal with not only natural duties, but have the mandate from the Lord to study the Word, know the Word and teach the Word in a manner that will build up and mature the congregation.  Doing secular work before the ministry, I was not responsible to make decisions, just follow instructions.  Once we started the church, suddenly decisions had to be made about many different aspects of the church.  Obviously the Holy Spirit helps when we sought His direction.  After many years pastoring, the decisions that need to be made are almost second nature, plus there are others to help with the important decisions that arise daily.  Seeking the direction of the Holy Spirit for what to preach and teach is so vital.  The congregation needs to be taught the ‘full counsel’ of the Word of God.  Spiritual topics are vital and so are practical topics.  Thank the Lord for all of the study material that is available today to help pastors prepare messages that will help the congregation grow.  The foundation of a good Bible School is so important as well.  Not every church believes in certain biblical truths that greatly affect the lives of the congregants.  The biblical foundation received at the Bible School attended gives the foundation that new pastors can begin to build the church on.  Thank God for the Bible.  The Lord has given it to us so that what a pastor teaches his congregation can be verified by them as they study on their own.  It blesses a church when the congregants pray for the pastor and ask the Lord to bless him and help him to minister.