Do you work, or just pastor? Tuesday with Timothy # 65

"Do you work, or are you just a pastor?" I've been asked that question enough that I am no longer surprised  the general population think preaching or pastoring is not really work. And all the stay at home mom's say "amen!"

It takes work, and it's usually hard work, to understand the meaning of the text and then to prepare a message for the people, rightly dividing and rightly applying it to the congregation. A message that is preached so plain and in such a logical way that the profundity of the passage is clear and accessible; that is the message that has been worked on, prayed over,  and studied. It takes no work to make a complicated matter seem complicated. It takes very little effort to make a simple thing complicated. That isn't the sign of a deep thinker, but a lazy preacher.

Because preaching is a spiritual endeavor, some think that study and preparation is not relying on the Holy Spirit. They quote Matthew 10  "take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you."  Using this verse to justify no preparation for your sermon is further proof you NEED to study. The context is clear this was direction for the apostles for when they were called to testify before the Jewish and Gentile leaders who are persecuting them, not for Sunday morning worship. I think it was Spurgeon's grandfather who told him to prepare like the fruit of your sermon depends upon your efforts and enter the pulpit knowing that the it depends on the Holy Spirit.

I have on many occasions, been asked to preach with only a few minutes notice. I relied on past study and was able to preach extemporaneously. If you do that every week, you will starve the sheep.

If we could borrow from Paul's instructions on "widows indeed" that elder that labors hard, works, and strives to understand the text and works hard to make it known to his people for their good is a "pastor, indeed." He is not only worthy of his pay, but he is worthy of twice whatever you are currently paying him. I know most churches pay their pastor as much as they can and not as much as they would like to, but it's a worthy investment for the church.