1998-08-25 - So You Hate Your Pastor

1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God among you...

For a long time I have quoted Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I am not a Baptist, but I love my Spurgeon (who was a Baptist). Denominations come and go but faithfulness to the word of God is priceless. Spurgeon had this and he was given the pulpit of another faithful minister, Dr. Gill. Here is a little story:

About 230 years ago someone thought they understood all about the Bible. They did not like what Dr. Gill had preached and went to tell him that they had something against him. "Well, my good lady," said the doctor, "What is the difficulty?" "Why, sir, I think your bands are too long", (bands would be the showmanship of his educational achievement) "Ah! Do you?" said he, "I have never thought anything about it: I will give you a pair of scissors and will thank you to cut off as much as you think best."

She replied, "I hope you will not be offended?" "Not at all--not at all," said the doctor. Without much ceremony, she folded, and cut off quite a large piece of the bands. "Are you now satisfied? Perhaps you had better cut off a little more while you are about it." "I think they are still very long," replied the lady; and she cut off a second piece saying, "There, I think that will do."

"Well my friend," said the Doctor, "I must now tell you I have something against you." Have you, Sir," she exclaimed, "what is it?" "I thing your tongue is rather too long; and you had better let me cut off a piece of it!"

So we all have issues with our churches (so I think). I do, and do you have a year to let me spew? GET OVER IT. Yes your issues are valid, so are all the other issues you have never even thought about and other folks are not sleeping over.

I will tell you something simple I realized years ago while working in a church. I hated the tension between pastor and member and I hated the fact that I never, as much as I tried, met expectations. Nothing, even in the Church of Christ is perfect. It should be, yes, but what version of perfect? This is why I always say (maybe not enough), "study the word of God." The Bible is our source of truth. It stands alone.

Sure, we all have our "issues" with our churches, or with some members in our church, but the Bible is our basis of everything. If our issues are Biblical there should be others that agree with us. How important are your issues? Does the gospel hang on them? I have issues, I have things I really don't like about my church and every Church I have attended, I take it as life, and that is all.

I have met many folks that let "issues" keep them from church. My prayer is that this never happens to anyone who reads this devotional.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Tim