You’ll never receive what you need from your church/pastor with that spirit of familiarity. It’s a counterfeit from HELL, attempting to undermine the FAMILY of GOD.
“If we begin here, there’s nothing that could stop a good church from becoming a great church.“
Here’s three things you should be doing to combat this:
1: PRACTICE HONOR: Honor should be contagious in ministry. It should be shown vertically, horizontally, and in all directions. Treat each other as if you are serving CHRIST. Remember that it is HIS BODY, so never mistreat, disrespect, or ignore one another. Prioritize your brothers and sisters over your own desires. Don’t be so selfish and sensitive; run from the trap of offense and stop running from where the Holy Spirit sent you grow and serve. LOVE is the driving force behind honor and brings blessings from heaven.
2: FOLLOW THE LEADER. Unfortunately, not everyone seems to understand the importance of this, but it remains a problem. A healthy church should have only one vision, which must come from the leader of the church. Deacons, associate pastors, ushers, worship leaders, intercessors, and prophets in a local church are not meant to set the vision; that responsibility falls to the leader. In the book of Revelation, God addressed the Angel of the church in Asia Minor, who represents the Apostle or Pastor of the House. A true pastor should receive guidance from God yearly and lead the congregation accordingly. They are the one to follow, pray for, support, and bless. While titles are often overemphasized in churches today, it is important to show respect to the pastor by not using their first or last name behind their back or in their presence when addressing them, or addressing others about them. Gossiping about them or their family is also not appropriate; instead, pray for them. NEVER allow your children hear you speak ill of your man/woman of God— it will create a root of bitterness in them for Church Life. If there are concerns to address, it should be done directly and respectfully. Choose the right way to approach the pastor. Read and apply Matthew 18:15-20 and Galatians 6:1 to that. I will address and advise on that subject in another post. (Read my blog on “21 Ways to Bless Your Pastor.”)
1 Timothy 5:17 (KJV)
“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”
3: SERVE!! Our worship should involve more than just singing, praying, and speaking into a microphone. True worship looks like scrubbing bathrooms, tending to the grounds and facilities, straightening up the chairs before you leave, and if there’s paper on the floor- pick it up; keep all things decent and in order. Whatever tasks your leader requires, do them with joy and thankfulness. True worship involves dedicating your time, talents, and treasure. Yes, real worship also entails giving! Offering up your time and finances, trusting in the Lord to bless you, will cultivate humility and inspire others to do good deeds.
Psalm 100:2 (KJV)
“Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”
After serving others in ministry and being in ministry for forty years, I do claim to be an expert in these areas. I have a desire to see healthy churches grow and the divisive nature of an enemy of that, be squashed. Our ministries should never lose the power of what it is to be FAMILY.
I have so much more to say than what’s in this short post, but if we begin there, there’s nothing that could stop a good church from becoming a great church.
I am Dr. Joseph Dutton and I approve this message.
+drd
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