EQUIPPED TO HONOR

“The elders who are good leaders are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

1 Timothy 5:17

In the church world, November is known as “Pastor Appreciation Month.” The looming question then becomes, “What does that say about the other eleven months of the year?”

If members of my congregation ever asked, I would share two things I desired far more than gift cards, pens, or novelty coffee mugs:

1) Be kind to my wife & family.

Saying “Bless your heart,” and “We love y’all so much,” but then vomiting endless complaints, spewing criticisms, gossiping, and creating divisions—those were things I could never reconcile.

2) Contribute.

Whenever you’re around your church family - on campus or off - bring your A-Game. Be an active listener during the sermon by taking notes, highlighting in your Bible, use body language (e.g. head nods) and vocal responses (e.g. Amen!) to let your pastor know you’re dialed in!

A great way to get dialed in outside of service times is to study the Word. If your church is trekking through a particular book of Scripture, study it. Learn more than the Veggie Tales version. Hebrews 5 notes, “By now you should be teachers. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the first things you need to know from God’s Word. You still need milk instead of solid food. Anyone who lives on milk cannot understand the teaching about being right with God. He is a baby. Solid food is for full-grown men. They have learned to use their minds to tell the difference between good and bad.” Knowing stories isn't the same thing as knowing The Word.

Dedicate some time to studying the background, author, style, word use, providence, geographical references, dates, the original audience, major theme(s), literary devices, etc. A lot of that work has already been done for us by groups like The Bible Project and others. Before entertaining or embracing any of the multitude of excuses that may be running through your head right now, such as, “I don't have enough time,” be honest with yourself regarding how much time you've wasted over the past month doing things that have absolutely zero eternal value...

If your pastor has been preaching through a particular book of Scripture for weeks or months and you don’t know anything about the person who wrote it, the audience, the major theme, or how it fits into the overarching biblical narrative -or- you can’t remember your pastor’s message from a few days ago and its application... What does that say about your response to King Jesus' parable about the seed of the Word being sown in unproductive soils? The Lord said, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Are you consuming or producing?

Honoring your pastor isn’t something to do annually with a $20 gift card. What every legitimate pastor truly desires for you will always far outweigh anything they desire from you.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 4, “And it was Christ Jesus who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastor-teachers, to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.”

Your pastor’s ultimate calling and goal isn’t to make you feel affirmed, warm fuzzies, or appreciated. His ultimate goal is to honor Christ Jesus, our Bridegroom and Sovereign Lord, by equipping you to do the work of ministry within the context of the church… each member doing its part.

Don’t be just a passenger on the ride. Be an active and contributing part of the crew. A lot of Christians treat Sundays like they're a big pep rally for us... They aren't. That’s why Sundays are referred to as “The Day of The Lord,” and our time together is called a “worship service.” It’s a day and time for us to drop all the self-worship that goes on throughout the week and (re)focus exclusively and collectively on worshiping The One True God of Holy Trinity with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

You can honor Christ Jesus by honoring your pastor’s calling and commission to equip YOU for the work of ministry, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in together as our new way of life within the Body of Christ. Strive to treat your pastor and his family respectfully rather than acting like an entitled customer at the drive-thru. Work to be an active listener and participant in the sermon by preparing your heart and mind for the message. Study. Learn. Dialogue. Circle. Underline. Highlight. Nod. Engage. Seek and welcome correction. Produce kingdom fruit. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind because the Bible says, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Grace & peace,

Kevin M. Kelley

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