Pastoring

GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PASTORING
DR. JIM DIXON
NOVEMBER 19, 2000
EPHESIANS 4:10-16

Years ago, a chain letter was sent to churches all over America. This chain letter was sent to elder boards and deacon boards. The chain letter concerned pastors. I want to read it to you:

“Are you tired of inept preaching? Are you tired of inefficient management? Are you tired of incompetent counseling? Are you tired of your pastor? If so, please send a copy of this letter to six other churches who are tired of their pastor. Bundle up your pastor and send him to the address of the church at the top of the enclosed list. Put your church’s address at the bottom of the enclosed list. In 30 days, you should receive 3,671 pastors, and one of them ought to be a dandy. However, have faith in this letter, and don’t break the chain. One church broke the chain and got its old pastor back!”

There are 250,000 Protestant pastors in the United States of America. I suppose it is true that there are many congregations who would like to ship their pastor someplace else; but the Bible tells us that the Church of Jesus Christ very much needs pastors. A church without a pastor is like a flock without a shepherd. And so, God has appointed pastors in the Church. He has given this spiritual endowment, this gift of the Holy Spirit called the gift of pastoring or shepherding.

The Greek word for “pastor” is the word “poimen.” This word is also the Greek word for “shepherd.” To be a pastor is to be a shepherd. I have three teachings this morning, and the first teaching is this: pastors are called to feed their congregations. They are called to feed the flock. The word “pastor” comes from a Latin word, “pasari,” which means “to feed.” The word “poimen,” the Greek word for pastor, etymologically also means “to feed.” The primary function of a pastor is to feed the people of God, to feed the flock of God.

The Bible tells us in John 16 that our Lord Jesus Christ fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. The Bible tells us that the multitudes followed Christ after that, but He rebuked them saying, “You seek only the food which perishes.” They sought food for their bodies. They wanted a miracle baker, but Jesus wanted to feed their souls. This is the function of a spiritual shepherd: to feed the souls of the people of God. This is the call of the pastor: to feed the souls of women and men.

The Bible says, “All Scripture is inspired of God; and it’s profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the person of God might be complete and equipped for every good work.” Pastors are called to feed the souls of people through the proclamation of the Word, through the proclamation of Scripture.

I must say, I virtually never have a Sunday when I don’t feel that I could have done a better job, that I could have been a better vessel for the “archipoimen,” the “Chief Shepherd.” It is the Chief Shepherd who really feeds us, but He seeks to use “under shepherds.” He seeks to use pastors as vessels. I rarely have a Sunday when I don’t feel like a clogged vessel. I rarely have a Sunday when I don’t think afterward, “I wish I had remembered this or that,” “I wish I had said this differently,” or “I wish I hadn’t said this at all.” I think pastors generally feel that way, and they are oftentimes frustrated with themselves in terms of their ability to feed.

But pastors are also, at times, frustrated with congregations in terms of their ability to eat. There are eating disorders in congregations, spiritually. There are a lot of fast-food eaters in the churches of America. I mean, they can spend three and a half hours at sporting event, but they find it very difficult to spend an hour at a worship service. They can spend an hour trying to get their car out of the parking lot at the Broncos stadium, but they won’t spend 10 minutes trying to get their car out of a church parking lot. Fast food eaters. I think that frustrates pastors.

There are junk food eaters in congregations. The Bible says, “In the last days, some people will no longer endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking. They will turn away from listening to the truth, and they will wander into myths.”

When the Apostle Paul writes, “In the last days, some will no longer endure sound teaching,” the word in the Greek for “teaching” is “didaskalia.” The word in the Greek for “sound” is the word “hygieine,” from which we get the word “hygiene.” This word means “healthy.” What Paul is saying is that in the last days, a lot of people will not desire healthy teaching, teaching that is healthy for the soul. People will accumulate teachers to suit their own liking, and they will turn to junk food. That’s what Paul is saying. They will want teachers who do not focus on the Word of God and do not teach faithfully the Word of God. As soon as you move away from the Word of God, you tend to move into junk food.

The Bible centers on love. The Bible tells us that God is love. Jesus tells us, “By this, all people will know you are My disciples, if you love.” Once a person comes to Christ and receives Christ as Lord and Savior, the primary purpose of feeding is to learn what it means to love. Apart from love, everything is junk.

The Apostle Paul said, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret tongues? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I’ll show you a still more excellent way, for if I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic powers and I understand all knowledge and all mysteries and have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all that I have to the poor and deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I accomplish nothing.” Then Paul goes on to define love in the 1 Corinthians 13, the “Love chapter.” Feeding is all about learning to love. Do you have an appetite for that? Do you want to learn to love or do you want junk food? Learning to love is what it’s all about.

There are fast food eaters. There are junk food eaters. There are also food critics. There are picky eaters. There are a lot of picky eaters in the body of Christ. I thank you for your grace and mercy here, but it is true that there are people who leave church services and just basically criticize the sermon. I would have to confess there has never been a sermon that couldn’t be criticized. But I would also say . . . When Barb and I are traveling and we visit churches . . . We go to churches where we know that the people love Christ, the pastors love Christ. I have heard a variety of sermons. I can honestly say, I’ve never heard a sermon that wasn’t food to my soul. The Bible tells us to “hunger and thirst after righteousness, and we’ll be satisfied.” So, there’s a certain attitude that we need to bring to the proclamation of the Word of God.

In addition to having fast-food eaters, junk-food eaters, and picky eaters, there are also anorexic Christians, Christians who just don’t eat enough. Do you know that 40% of the people of America are in church this morning? That’s the national average of Sunday church attendance—almost 40% of the people are in some kind of a church. But here in Colorado, perhaps because we are an outdoor recreational state, we only have 20% of our people in church on a typical Sunday morning. That’s a concern. It would appear that the Christians in Colorado attend church with half the frequency of the national average. There are a lot of anorexic Christians who just aren’t getting fed the Word of God. We need to be fed the Word of God privately and devotionally in our homes. But we also need to be fed the Word of God by those who are called to teach and preach.

The Bible says, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together.” We’re told in Acts 2 that in the early church, the Christians gathered daily in the Temple. They listened to the Apostles’ teaching sessions. They gathered in each other’s homes, broke bread, and fellowshipped in prayer and with great joy. We have a hard time getting people to gather once a week because, I think, there’s not a great hunger and thirst for righteousness in our culture and in our time. The responsibility of a pastor is always to feed, seeking to be a faithful vessel of the “archipoimen,” the Chief Shepherd of the sheep.

There’s a second function that a pastor has, and that function is to lead. A pastor is called not only to feed the people, but also, in some sense, to lead the people. Psalm 23 states, “The Lord is My Shepherd. He leads me . . . ” It is a fact that in the ancient world, the word “poimen,” the word for “shepherd,” was sometimes used as a title for kings, governors, magistrates, and rulers; but shepherd leadership, pastoral leadership, is a different kind of leadership than what the world understands.

Years ago, Barb and I went on vacation up to South Dakota. We took our children, Heather and Drew. We went with my brother Greg and his wife and their kids. We went up to Custer National Park. We stayed at the State Game Lodge there in the Black Hills, not too far from Mt. Rushmore. One day, we all decided to go horseback riding. The kids really wanted to go, and we thought it might be kind of fun too. It really was kind of a bore because it was one of those deals where you’re all in a line. You know how that is. You just get in a line and for an hour, you stay in a line . . . and you go real slow.

When we got to the stables, the person at the stables gave a horse to each one of us. They gave Barbara a horse called Bimbo. They said, “Your horse is called Bimbo.” We didn’t understand that then, but we kind of came to understand that. The person at the stable said to Barb, “Make sure you keep Bimbo at the back of the line.”

We took off in this line. Barb had Bimbo in the back, but she was having a hard time keeping Bimbo there. Bimbo kept trying to get in front of the other horses. Barb just couldn’t stop Bimbo. Eventually they began to pass other horses. Every horse she passed, she would cut in and then kick the horse behind her. It just caused chaos. The horses were scrambling everywhere. There was a cloud of dust. The gal from the stable turned around and looked at Barb and said, “Get Bimbo to the back!” Barb was trying to do that but needed help. Finally, we were able to get Barb back to the back again.

The person from the stables explained that Bimbo was a horse that had to be in the back because Bimbo couldn’t lead. Whenever Bimbo led another horse, Bimbo would try to intimidate the horse behind her or abuse the horse behind her. That’s how Bimbo led, through intimidation and abuse.

There are a lot of bimbos in the world. Have you noticed that? Whether we’re talking about corporate America or even churches, there are a lot of bimbos—people who want to lead through intimidation and abuse. They really need to get to the back of the line, but we all know that doesn’t always happen. In the Church of Jesus Christ, there is a special kind of leadership that Christ calls pastors to, and that is the shepherd leadership.

Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. When He was finished, He said, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call Me Master and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then, your Master and Lord, have washed your feet, how much more ought you to wash one another’s feet? I have given you an example that you should follow in My steps.” Jesus said, “You know how the rulers of the Gentiles love to lord it over them. Their great men love to exercise authority over them. It shall not be so amongst you. He who would be the greatest among you must be the servant of all. He who would be first must be the slave of all. Even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but rather to serve and to give His life, a ransom for many.”

So, Christ calls us to servant leadership and leadership by example. The Apostle Peter says, “Tend the flock which is your charge. Not by constraint but willingly. Not for shameful gain but eagerly. Not as domineering over those in your charge but being an example to the flock. When the Chief Shepherd is manifested [the ‘archipoimen’], you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

I can tell you that all of the pastors at this church seek to be servant leaders. Insofar as you, as lay people, are called into leadership, we encourage you to be servant leaders. We desire that all leadership be by example, not by intimidation. Everything I ask you to do, as Christ leads me . . . I know that I would be a hypocrite if I did not do it myself.

When we ask you to tithe . . . Barb and I have always sought to be faithful to tithe. When we ask you to consider, those of you who are greatly blessed, to go beyond the tithe and give offerings and tithes . . . Barb and I do the same because we feel greatly blessed, and we seek to be an example. When we’ve had capital stewardship campaigns and we’ve asked you to give sacrificially and joyfully . . . Barb and I have tried to do that by way of an example. When we ask you, by the grace of God, to commit yourself to faithful marriages . . . that’s what Barb and I, by the grace of God, do. We have committed ourselves to a faithful marriage that we might, in some measure, by God’s mercy, be an example.

When we call you to ministry and service in the church, whether we call you to serve in the inner city or here in the suburbs, we seek to be an example. I seek to involve myself in servant ministries outside the church because I know that when we call you to serve, we’re asking you to serve above and beyond your normal work. So, I feel like I ought to serve above and beyond my normal work in some kind of volunteer service or ministry. We’re trying to be examples because this is what the Bible tells us pastors are to do. Pastors are to lead; and they are to lead by example, recognizing that the true leader is Christ, the Chief Shepherd.

There’s a third and final function given to pastors biblically, and that is to protect. Shepherds are called to protect their flock. Psalm 23 says, ”The Lord is My Shepherd, I will fear no evil.” The word “shepherd” comes from two words: “sheep” and “herd.” Etymologically, the word “herd” comes from a root word that means “to protect.” The shepherd is called to protect the sheep. Jesus Christ is called the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls because He protects His people. Jesus Christ says, “I know My sheep. They hear My voice. They follow Me. I give them eternal life. No one is able to snatch them out of My hand.” You see, He is the Guardian of your soul, the Protector of the sheep. There’s a sense in which pastors, as under shepherds, are called to a protective role with regard to the people of God.

The fantasy genre of literature—and I think this is particularly true in terms of children’s fantasy literature—has always had a tendency to include the supernatural and, perhaps, in some measure, the occult. Oftentimes in these fairy tales and children’s stories, you see ghosts and witches. You see the supernatural. This has been true of children’s fantasy literature through the years. It’s true of Dicken’s “Christmas Carol”—You have the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Future. It’s true of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia”—In “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” you have the wicked White Witch. It’s true of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” It’s true of his trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings”—Middle Earth is populated in part by wizards who are good and bad.

I think this tendency for the fantasy genre to include, in some measure, the occult, has never been more controversial than it is with the Harry Potter series of books. In the Harry Potter books, you have a school of wizardry where children are taught to be witches. You are taught that there are good witches and there are bad witches, and you have this struggle between supernatural good and evil.

While most Christians acknowledge that there is a certain amount of this in all fantasy literature, they feel that the Harry Potter books have perhaps gone overboard. The books are incredibly popular. So far, J.K. Rowling, the woman who has authored these books, has published four in what is to be a series of seven books. Her most recent book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” was released for sale on July 8th of this year.

Prior to its release for sale, millions of copies of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” were ordered over the internet. When it was available for sale on July 8th, many bookstores in America opened up at 12:01 AM, just after midnight, so people could buy the book at the first legal opportunity. A lot of parents, thousands of families, allowed their children to stay up and go to those bookstores in various cities in America and buy that book when it was first available. The publishers had to go back to the printing presses and publish two million additional copies of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (a book that’s more than 700 pages long) because the book is so popular.

There have been some people in the Christian community who have tried to demonize the author, and it’s been tragic. They’ve made up quotes and attributed them to her. They’ve put those quotes on the internet, and then people circulate them through email and in other ways. But J.K. Rowling never made those statements. The Bible calls that slander, and it is sin. We don’t want to demonize our alleged enemies.

I read a Breakpoint commentary by Charles Colson on the Harry Potter books. Charles Colson observes that the books are so popular because of what C.S. Lewis called “sehnsucht,” which refers to the longing in the heart of children and adults for the mysterious. It is the longing in the hearts of children and adults for the wonderful, for things full of wonder. It is the longing in the hearts of children and adults for otherworldly things. Sometimes, this life seems so boring, and every day seems the same. Everything seems so mundane. The fantasy genre of literature has tremendous appeal because it offers wonder and mystery and a little bit of excitement. I’m sure that Colson has accurately described that desire in the hearts of men and women and children.

I’m not here this morning to condemn the Harry Potter books. I have not read the Harry Potter books. I’ve just started because so many of you have called me and asked questions. I’ve just started to look into one, and I’m going to do that. But I will say this: I know that parents who are concerned about the books are desiring to protect their children. There is a shepherding dimension to parenthood that’s reflected in this Greek word “poimen.” There’s a sense in which, as parents, we want to feed, lead, and protect our children. We want to be shepherds to our children. Therefore, in our desire to protect them, we try to filter, at least in some measure, what they read. We try to filter, at least in some measure, what they watch on TV. We try to filter, if possible, perhaps in some measure, their friendships. We pray for them. I mean what parent does not pray for his or her children every single day? You do this because you are shepherds, and you have a desire to protect the sheep. If that desire is in parents, how much is it also in pastors?

I promise you that most pastors have a real desire to protect the flock of God and to protect the people of God. That’s why pastors go to the hospitals, and that’s why pastors counsel. That’s why pastors pray. Barb and I have a long prayer list. When we hear of those of you who are sick, we try to be faithful to pray. We very much want Christ to protect you. That’s why, through preaching and teaching, all of us on staff warn of moral and theological apostasy—we don’t want any sheep lost. We don’t want any sheep to go astray. This is the call of God on those who, in the context of the church, in the mercy and grace of God, are called to be pastors.

I want to say, as we close, that there are certain things pastors just can’t do. I mean, we can’t force feed the people of God. People have to hunger and thirst after righteousness. We can’t force lead the people of God. We can try to set an example. We really don’t have power to protect the people of God, although we seek to be involved in that ministry. Only the “archipoimen,” only the Chief Shepherd has power to completely protect.

I also want to say this as we close: we don’t have power to grow the Church of God. We can feed, lead, and protect, but we can’t grow the Church of God. It’s true that pastors, through strategy and marketing, can grow larger churches. But pastors don’t have the power to grow the true Church of God. The true Church of God, the true Church of Christ, consists of all women, men, and children who have committed their hearts to Christ as Lord and Savior. Only God can make a Christian. Only God can add a sheep to the flock. Only God can do that.

In the Church, Christ has appointed apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers; but none of them have power to create a sheep. Only God can do that. So, we look back on what happened when Franklin Graham came here. I marvel at Franklin Graham because I respect him tremendously; but most of all, I marvel at God. I marvel at His power. I marvel at what He did. It’s absolutely unbelievable that a thousand people came forward in three services.

I think of a passage in John 4. Jesus had just spoken to the woman at the well in Samaria. The disciples began to question Him. Jesus said to the disciples, “You say four months and then comes the harvest. I say to you, truly I say to you, the fields are white now and ready for harvest. The reaper will receive his wages and gather fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper might sit down together and rejoice. I have called you to reap where you did not sow. Others have sown and you have entered into their labor.”

It seems to me that in the Church of Christ, pastors are normally sowers. Evangelists are normally reapers, but they are called to rejoice together. They’re not called to rejoice in themselves. They are called to rejoice in God. I think of a passage in 1 Corinthians 3, where the Apostle Paul said, “What is Paul and what is Apollos? Servants. Slaves through whom you believe. I planted. Apollos watered. God gave the increase. He who plants is nothing. He who waters is nothing, but only God who gives the increase.”

Isn’t that an awesome passage of Scripture? Only God. I know that Franklin Graham would say he wants God to get the glory. I know Christ wants me to say that to you today. When you look back on that Sunday, give God thanks and pray for the power of God—because only God can grow a church, the true Church. Only God can add a sheep.

As under shepherds, our burden is to feed, lead, and—by the mercy of God . . . as best we can—protect. Commit yourselves today to be servants of God, servants of Christ through whom a shepherding role might take place in you—that He might use you in feeding others, leading others (if only your children), and protecting others as you pray for them. That you might be willing to be used by Him even in evangelism, as He seeks to grow His people.

Thanksgiving is coming up, and we have many things to be grateful for; but what is greater than salvation? This Thursday, as you gather around the table with friends and loved ones, I hope and pray that you’ll be able to take time and gratitude to God for saving your soul and the souls of so many others in our church, in this congregation, and all over the world. Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd of the sheep. He feeds. He leads. He protects. And He grows His Church. He says, “I will build My Church, and the powers of hell will not prevail against it.” The Church is His. Only He can build it, and only He can protect it. Let’s close with a word of prayer.