The pastor should make at least as much as any business man in the church or community. In fact, Paul said, “Let the elders (pastoral elders) who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17 NASB). It’s clear from the context that the “double honor” he’s speaking of is money or salary (1 Timothy 5:18). Double clearly means twice as much as others. Figure it this way, if you take the average salary of the congregation, the pastor, who works hard at preaching and teaching, should make twice that. I know all churches aren’t able to pay that well. It should pay him what is the average salary of the entire congregation at the bare minimum. If you would take each family’s or person’s annual salary and average it out that is what the pastor should be paid, at the very least.
Month: May 2014
Just What Is The Duty of a Pastor Biblically?
What Is A Preacher?
There is this thought that a Preacher/Pastor is not a profession. I looked up the term: ” a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification”. In this case you might say a pastor is then not a profession. Little pay, no prolonged training and not qualified. I prefer to say that we should consider our work a spiritual / service profession.
“One who preaches, especially one who publicly proclaims the gospel for an occupation.”
“What should a preacher be known for? What is the purpose of preaching? In a day with multi-media special effects, drama and major …”
What is a Preacher that is a Pastor of a Congregation of People in a Local Church
What is a “preacher”? What are the duties of a preacher? What exactly is a preacher supposed to do? Everyone has an opinion and will readily give it, but what does God say?
The example of a preacher that comes to mind is my Dad: Everette T. Whisnant. I saw him live out what I thought was the duty of a preacher. First there is the duty of being a Dad and a Husband. Second there is the duty to the Lord in all we do. Third as a preacher to preach the word of God and Fourth as a pastor to shepherd the flock that God has given you to serve.
In this post I want to address the definition of a preacher in general and the work of the preacher.
Servant, Herald And Messenger
There are three terms in the New Testament that describe God’s worker known as a preacher. These words are not only descriptive of the worker, but the work God expects of him. These terms are: minister, preacher and evangelist.
The Word “Minister”
Diakonos, meaning one who serves, a servant. A preacher is a minister or servant of Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 4:6). His work is to serve the Lord’s Word, the Gospel to all men (Acts 6:4; Romans. 15:16). A “good minister of Jesus Christ” must also “put the brethren in remembrance of these things…” (1 Timothy. 4:6). A preacher is to “take heed to the ministry which (he) hast received in the Lord, that (he) fulfill(s) it” (Colossians. 4:17).
The Word “Preacher”
Kerux which means a herald, a public proclaimer from the king who authoritatively declares the king’s law to the people which must be obeyed. The Lord authorized (1 Timothy. 2:7) and sent out His preachers or “heralds” into all the world (Romans. 10:14-18). Their sole work is to proclaim His message, the gospel (2 Timothy. 2:1-7; 4:1-5).
The word “evangelist” is from the Greek word euangelistes and simply means a messenger of good. Christ gave evangelists (Ephesians. 4:11-12) to bear His good message, the “gospel” which means “good news.” Paul warned preachers to “do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (1 Timothy. 4:5). Paul charged “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy. 4:2).
Diverting The Lord’s Heralds
The work of a preacher is short and simple in its description, but large and vital in its scope. Men dissatisfied with God’s simple work have devised many other roles and works for their “preachers.” By this device, Satan delays, distracts and diverts the important work of the King’s royal heralds into a thousand channels. As churches have expanded their work and mission beyond what the Lord gave, they have expanded the “job description” a preacher. We are told preachers are to be pastors or “shepherds” and counselors busy visiting, overseeing and guiding “the flock.” We are told preachers are to be deacons, caretakers and superintendents managing and supervising the church building and facilities.
A gospel preacher is not a “pastor,” shepherd, elder or counselor. A pastor is a shepherd, the office of an elder, bishop or overseer. This is a different worker for the Lord with a different work. A pastor’s work is to shepherd and oversee the flock, watching for their souls (Acts 20: 17, 28; Hebrews. 13:17). A preacher appoints men qualified to do the work of a shepherd, but he does not do their work, as he has sufficient of his own (Acts 14:23, 21-25; Titus. 1:5-9; 1 Timothy. 3:1-7).
A gospel preacher is not a “deacon,” servant or caretaker of the church property or work. The church selects and the preacher appoints men as deacons to take care of this business. A preacher is not to leave the Word to serve tables, but give himself continually to prayer and serving the Word (Acts 6:1-4).
Preachers And The Local Church
Much of the error concerning preachers and their work comes from a wrong view of the relationship of the preacher and the local church. Many consider the preacher as an employee or servant of the church. As such the church is an employer that determines the scope and duties of the work of their employee. This view is expressed in the statement: “We pay the preacher and we tell him what to do.”
The command to pay preachers for preaching (1 Corinthians. 9:14) does not make them church employees. Such support is compared to that of God’s priests (1 Corinthians. 9:13-14). The priests were supported by the people’s offerings to the Lord as the Lord’s servants, not the peoples’ hirelings (Numbers. 18:1-20; Deuteronomy . 18:1-8).
A preacher is not an employee of any church, but a servant of the Lord (1 Timothy. 4:6). He is accountable to the Lord, entrusted to do the Lord’s work and not “entangle himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Timothy. 2:3-4). As with His priests, the Lord provides for His servants from His people’s offerings to Him.
The Scriptural relationship between a preacher and the Christians that support him is that of fellow workers in the Lord. The Lord commands the preacher to preach the gospel and those who hear him to support him in his work. Together they have “fellowship in the gospel” of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians. 9:6-14; Philippians . 1:5-7; 4:15-19).
Cf. Wayne Greeson
How Do We Pray For the Lost
The Bible itself provides little, if any, explicit guidance on what it is that we are to ask God to do when we ask him to save someone. That we are to pray, no one disputes. That we are to pray for the lost to be saved, no one denies. Jesus does not pray for people to believe but for the unity of those who will believe through the evangelistic word of those who already believe (see John 17:20-21). Paul’s grief for lost souls is intensely sincere (Rom. 9:1-5), and his ‘heart’s desire’ and ‘prayer to God for them’ is for their “salvation” (Rom. 10:1; see also his admonition in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 that ‘prayers’ and ‘petitions’ be offered up on behalf of ‘all men’). His advice to Timothy that he ‘with gentleness’ correct those in opposition is made on the grounds that ‘perhaps God may grant them repentance’ (2 Tim. 2:25). The problem is that in none of these instances is it specified what we are to ask or petition God to do in the heart of an unbeliever.
You pray for the conversion of others. In what terms, now, do you intercede for them? Do you limit yourself to asking that God will bring them to a point where they can save themselves, independently of Him? I do not think you do. I think that what you do is to pray in categorical terms that God will, quite simply and decisively, save them: that He will open the eyes of their understanding, soften their hard hearts, renew their natures, and move their wills to receive the Saviour. You ask God to work in them everything necessary for their salvation. You would not dream of making it a point in your prayer that you are not asking God actually to bring them to faith, because you recognize that that is something He cannot do. Nothing of the sort!
When you pray for unconverted people, you do so on the assumption that it is in God’s power to bring them to faith. You entreat Him to do that very thing, and your confidence in asking rests upon the certainty that He is able to do what you ask.
And so indeed He is: this conviction, which animates your intercessions, is God’s own truth, written on your heart by the Holy Spirit. In prayer, then (and the Christian is at his sanest and wisest when he prays), you know that it is God who saves men; you know that what makes men turn to God is God’s own gracious work of drawing them to Himself; and the content of your prayers is determined by this knowledge. Thus by your practice of intercession, no less than by giving thanks for your conversion, you acknowledge and confess the sovereignty of God’s grace. And so do all Christian people everywhere.’
Adopted from monergism.com and Sam Storms
So how are we to pray for the unbeliever knowing that God is the one who brings about salvation of those who are lost.
God’s Great Design
Pastor Charles’s and Charity’s place. The opening of this part of the landscape.
And inside the is this this project
Don’t you love the way the Lord has blessed us with variety of landscapes
Word Study from Luke 5 22 and 22
In preparation for the sermon from Luke 5 and the Healing of the man: i used a lot of word study: Here are some words used.
Repeatedly in the Scripture God Himself forbids anybody to declare a sinful person righteous.
- For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for … Not one person can have God’s approval by following Moses’ Teachings. … a transgressor and finds himself guilty, and liable to condemnation and death; … given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. … God forbid. Romans 3:20
- We are a SINFUL people: http://biblehub.com/concordance/s/sinful.htm
- Sixty occurrences of this word sinful: Matthew 26:45; Mark 8:38; 14:41; Luke 5:8; John 9:16, 24
- Repeatedly in the Scripture God Himself forbids anybody to declare a sinful person righteous.
6654 forgiveness, Jesus Christ’s ministry of
- A central feature of Jesus Christ’s ministry was his declaration that believers’ sins were forgiven through their faith in him.
- Jesus Christ’s ministry of forgiveness was foretold
Matthew 1:20-21; John 1:29
- Jesus Christ’s exercise of forgiveness
Luke 23:33-34, John 8:3-11
- Jesus Christ has authority on account of his divinity to forgive sins
Matthew 9:1-8 Jesus Christ’s authority to forgive is authenticated by his healing of the paralytic.
Forgiveness, what a word.
- Nothing is more foreign, seemingly, to sinful human nature than forgiveness. And nothing is more characteristic of divine nature than forgiveness. Man is eager for vengeance and God is eager for forgiveness. In fact, never are we more like God than when we love our enemies and do good to those that harm us, for then we prove, Jesus said, to be children of God.
- Occurrences 124 times: Ephesians 1:14; Psalms 130:4; Acts 13:38; Luke 1:77; Acts 10:43; 2:38; Luke 24:47
- http://biblehub.net/searchconcordance.php?q=forgiveness
Perception in dealing with people; perception, spiritual
- The ability to see beneath the outward form to the underlying, often hidden, reality. It is a necessary gift in dealing with people, understanding spiritual teaching and interpreting events. Perception is important for effective service, though is often lacking, even among God’s people.
- God’s knowledge of human hearts: Psalms 139:1-4; Psalms 17:3; Proverbs 24:12
- Jesus Christ’s perception of those around him: Isaiah 11:1-4; Matthew 9:3-4;
- True understanding by God’s servants: Nehemiah 6:1-2; Job 21:27 and Acts 5:1-3
- “He saw” Genesis 22:12; John 2:25; Acts 11:23, 14:9 and James 2:18 http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=luk&c=5#s=t_corr_978020
That’s the way people were saved in the Old Testament.
- And, folks, on this side of the cross we’re still in that dispensation. Psalms 32:5; 103:3; 130:4; Isaiah 43:25; 44:22; Daniel 9:9; Micah 7:19
BLASPHEMY: (988):
- http://biblehub.net/searchconcordance.php?q=blasphemy and http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=luk&c=5&ss=1#s=t_conc_978024
- The profaning, desecration and taking in vain of the name of God, or the reviling of any of his works or deeds. It is strongly forbidden by God as dishonouring to his name.
- Blasphemy strongly forbidden
Ex 20:7 pp Dt 5:11 See also Ex 22:28; Lev 18:21; Lev 19:12; Lev 22:32; Nu 15:30-31
- Blasphemy strongly forbidden
- Blasphemy against God punished
- Lev 24:10-16,23; 2Ki 19:20-37 pp Isa 37:21-38
- Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable
Mk 3:28-30 pp Mt 12:31-32 pp Lk 12:10 See also Heb 10:29 - God blasphemed indirectly
- Rejecting his word and his servants blasphemes God
Ne 9:26 See also 2Ch 36:16; Ps 107:11; Isa 5:24
verse 22, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?”
- First Chronicles 28:9; Psalms 139:2; Proverbs 15:26; Isaiah 66:18; Ezekiel 38:10; Matthew 12:25; Hebrews 4:12,
Luke 5:17-26 Noted
Studied Luke 5:17-26 yield some good thoughts. The Pharisee had some good theology about God and forgiveness and the need to be forgiven by God. They just didn’t believe Jesus was God. I learned from this sermon that
(1) Forgiveness is necessary
(2) Only God has the authority to forgive, not man, priest, pope or preacher
(3) All people are sinners, and all are under the wrath of God
(4) God forbids anybody to declare a sinful person righteous
(5) The message of Christianity is this: God forgives sinners
(6) Learned at 75% of evangelicals believe that man is generally good and they convince them they are.
(7) Jesus had the power to bring a soul out of darkness and bring that soul into the Kingdom of God
(8) Jesus knowledge of the human hearts was amazing
(9) Perception word study
(10) Jesus was about forgiven sin, rather than healing the man
(11) Faith that brings about forgiveness
(12) Jesus read the heart of the man who knew he was a sinner
(13) People in the Old Testament was saved knowing they needed to be forgiven
(14) What is necessary for a man to believe about Jesus to believe.
(15) Word study of a lot of words in the periscope.
In the study for this message I discovered so much more than I could ever thought I could.
While I have many of the technical books necessary to gleam from, what is so great is that these same books that I spend $100’s to buy are now on websites for free.
For example books that I have in my library that are on websites
Well these are three ring binders that have so much research material that I have done over the years since 2003.
My technical bible books
- Vine’s Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words
- Strong’s Greek Dictionary
- The Pulpit Commentary set (24 columns)
- Commentaries by Pink, MacArthur, Spurgeon, Gill, Barnes, Ironside, Lloyd-Jones etc
- Zondervan Pictorial
- The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
- I have a number of books on Christian Theology, Systemic Theology, Doctrinal Theology, Christian Theology, Dictionary of Evangelical Theology
- Concordances
- Greek Lexicons
- Greek Bible
Just to name a few: But there are so many good sites that one can go and get a good resources about preaching and teaching and knowing the Bible.
Salvation Past Event With Present Results
Learning to Think Right About Ministry
Dad was pastor in Roanoke VA, 1950- 1966
Preachers have to do the same things that they teach their members to do: believe the Word, and the Truth that is given to us in the Word.
Speaking from my own experience learning to think right in my mind about the ministry which the Lord has given me is and has been always a challenge to my thinking and my attitude.
I was studying the periscope from Second Corinthian 10 this last week. Paul gives a good talk about how to view him and the ministry that the Lord had given him. He is contrasting himself with false teachers.
The one area that I have had to struggle with over the last fifty years (if you count back to when I was sixteen years old in 1964) is understanding the journey of being a preacher and being in church ministry. While at the same time being a husband and a Dad and a worker in the public work force has been a challenge.
When I begin this journey as a teenager and the Lord and Dad put into my mind this idea of teaching the Word of God it was the whole focus in life. All that I wanted to do was work with teenagers, see them come to Jesus Christ, and teaching them the Word of God, and help them grow in Christ.
One of the best times of my life was in those early years when I was working with my Dad in the church. Once I started been the youth teacher, that dominated my attention 24/7 for twenty-seven months. (than my Dad died suddenly with a heart attack).
I had this idea that I would be like my Dad in ministry. I had this idea that I would be teaching in a church and working for the Lord and it would be so wonderful. I had no clue what lay ahead of me in the years to come.
First I had no clue that my Dad would die, that just about knocked me out of living, let alone preaching! I look back and wondered how Mom survived Dad dying. But Mom did survived and she was a wonderful mother. She lived forty four years after Dad died and did very well too.
What I believed would happen in the next few years, and what did happen never happen as I thought would happen.
After Dad died, we moved to Danville, VA, from Roanoke VA. And from Danville, I went to Bible Baptist Seminary in Arlington TX
Going to Seminary was to be the most wonderful experience of my young life! What I had expected and what happen was just the opposite. But I was not going to be distracted by all the political preachers distraction. From the first day to the last day of Seminary there were enough things that happen that the average person would quit. But I was bound and determine that I was going to learn as much as I could about the Word of God. And I am thankful for Dr. Oldham, Dr. Martin, Dr, Cunningham, Dr. Norris, Dr. Barber, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Barber and even Dr. Walker Moore for their teaching, but not thankful for the personal experiences in their churches and how they treat me as a person.
But I did survived three years and I did meet my lovely wife Charity and some good friends, and loved Dr. George Norris as a person and as a pastor, he was the very best and most like my Dad.
I did not quit. But then the next move following Seminary, its a wonder I didn’t.
But after awhile all this can wear on your mind, soul and body and spirit.
First Peter 1:22-25 Obedience and Faith
The work of your salvation in you by the Spirit, cleanses your soul, that will enable you to be pure, so that you can, and be willing to obey the truth.”
“TRUTH” i.e. that which is revealed in the gospel. That truth came into your life, and that truth became the cleanser. John 15:3. When the saving message came, it cleans, and it brings submission and repentance. Romans 1:5; 16:26; Acts 15:9 and Romans 6:16-17.
First Peter 1:22-25: The text links faith and obedience. Faith and purifying are link. Faith, cleansing, purifying, obeying are a part of saving faith. Submission, repentance, obedience, and purging area all apart of faith saving salvation.
Salvation takes place when in respo9nse to the call of God, the sinner hears the truth, turns from his sins, and obeys the call to believe and submit. And this gives him the ability to fulfill the command to love one another.
Stretcher Carriers, Need A Lift? Part 1
Up on the Housetop
Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26
Charles e Whisnant, Teacher/Pastor and Preacher,
May 18 2014
“A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. – Mark 2
It is not clear what the phrase “after some days” refers to, it could mean Jesus went back to Capernaum “some days” after having left it (1:38 Mark) or that He was in Capernaum for “some days” before it was known He was back in town.
The people heard that he had come home”
“and it was noised that he was in the house” kjv
What house we do not know, but it could have been Simon and Andrew’s? And it might have been Mark’s. He would have remembered when the roof of his house was torn up.
17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
THE FIRST NATIONAL JESUS CHRIST TEACHING CONFERENCE
- The Pharisees were one of the two dominant sects of Judaism in that era, the other were the Sadducees. The Pharisees were the “fundamentalists,” conservative in their views.
“Every village” shows how representative the audience was. People had come from a great distance, not only the region of Galilee but also the southern extremities of the land. In addition to Jerusalem, Judea is mentioned. The linking of the three geographical areas shows that the entire country had developed a common interest in the ministry of Christ
Note: “Jesus preached the word to them.“
- What Jesus always did was to preach the Word. The “word” is defined in Mark 1:14-15, “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” In Mark 4 where it is sown as seed upon all kinds of soil, Jesus was sowing here.
18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED
- serves to contrast the faith of the stretcher-carriers with the unbelief of the pharisees and the teachers of the law.
SERMON; Life on a 3×6 mat
1. HINDERED BY THE CROWD
2. HINDERED BY RELIGION
3. HINDERED BY HIS OWN HEART
4. CARRIED BY FOUR
Their names: Chad Faith; Eric Hope; Kyle Love and Bob Determination (well, I used my family’s names)
Chad: I believe we can get this man to Jesus
Eric: I believe there is hope for this man
Kyle: I really love this guy, I hate his sin but love him
Bob: Let’s roll!!!
So 40 fingers start digging through the roof: dust everywhere, people coughing, dirt particles falling on the religious leaders’ robes that were just back from the cleaners!!
Many people will never come to Jesus unless somebody brings them! The Bible doesn’t say anywhere that sinners are to come to church! Everywhere in the Bible it’s clear the church is to go where sinners are.
Part two next week: Jesus heals the man.
Rivers Of Joy Baptist Church 