The Pastor and His People

Good evening!

It is my great pleasure and honor to be here with you tonight!

Marilyn asked me a few months ago if I would surprise Juan Jose and preach for them tonight.

JJ, I hope this is a pleasant surprise!

In October, many churches celebrate Pastor Appreciation, but if you have not grown up in the church, you may not know how significant that is for the Pastor.

This gives the church the opportunity to say thank you for all that the pastor does for them.

In order for us to celebrate properly, it is important to understand the job of a Pastor.

Therefore, tonight, I want to spend some time with you, looking at the role of a Pastor as described by the bible.

And just as importantly, I also want to spend some time tonight looking at the role of a church member as described by the bible.

Whether you grew up in church or not, it is always good to be reminded of how God had intended for the church, or as it is commonly called, the body of Christ, to operate.

Illustration:

Have you ever played a game with someone who didn’t know or didn’t follow the rules of the game?

It is very frustrating!

Everyone wants to win because that is the point of games.

However, if everyone is playing with different rules, no one really wins and no one is happy.

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens all the time in the church.

There are expectations that are placed on the Pastor that God did not intend.

Or sometimes, there are expectations put on the church's people that God does not intend.

This is why it is important for everyone to take the time to look at what God has said about the pastor and the people.

There is no better way to celebrate the gift of Juan Jose and Mayra that God has given Punto De Conxion than to understand their role and yours fully.

If everyone in the church is playing with the same set of “rules,” everyone benefits, and the “game” is a blessing to all!

What is a Pastor?

A pastor is a unique person, and it is a unique job.

It is unlike most other jobs because you cannot simply be trained and take the position.

God must call you to this role.

A Pastor’s job is to lead and care for God’s children.

The word “Pastor” only appears a few times in scripture, but the role is described as a Shepherd.

Sometimes, the biblical authors refer to these shepherds as pastors, elders, overseers, or bishops.

They all refer to someone fulfilling the role of shepherding God’s people.

In the Old Testament, before Jesus came, God’s people were going astray.

God had clearly defined how He expected the people to treat one another and how they were to respond to God.

But the people chose not to listen to God.

So, God sent a man of God named Jeremiah to speak with the people on his behalf.

God promised that one day, he would send someone to guide them.

Jeremiah 3:15 NASB95

15 “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.

Jeremiah 3:15 LBLA

15 Entonces os daré pastores según mi corazón, que os apacienten con conocimiento y con inteligencia.

God was promising a shepherd.

A shepherd watches over, protects, cares for, and leads his flock.

His sheep trust him because they have learned by experience to trust him.

Today, we call these kinds of people Pastors.

What does a Pastor do?

God calls them to do a very specific task.

Our main scripture today will be from Ephesians chapter four.

Look with me at what the Apostle Paul said.

Ephesians 4:11–12 NASB95

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

Ephesians 4:11–12 LBLA

11 Y Él dio a algunos el ser apóstoles, a otros profetas, a otros evangelistas, a otros pastores y maestros, 12 a fin de capacitar a los santos para la obra del ministerio, para la edificación del cuerpo de Cristo;

A pastor teaches his church how to follow Jesus.

Juan Jose’s role as this church’s pastor is to equip you, to teach you, and to guide you in the work of ministry.

He does that by role-modeling what it looks like to love God and to love others.

From the day I met Juan Jose and Mayra, it was obvious that God’s love was overflowing from them both.

They care for people in a way that is uncommon in today’s world.

I have seen them spend late nights, early mornings, long hours, and busy times so that you could feel the love of Jesus.

I have learned from them about loving others better than I did before.

I have been energized by their commitment to follow God and their excitement for following Jesus.

And I know that all of you have felt the same things.

Because of their sacrifices, you have felt the love of God, heard the gospel, received Christ, and been baptized into this body of believers.

They obeyed God to come here, and because of their obedience, you have become a church.

They have been faithful to share the gospel and to disciple you all.

They are teaching you what it means to follow Jesus.

Their obedience and God’s activity in your lives have created this church.

We got to celebrate that at your one your anniversary celebration.

What is the church?

This group of people who have chosen to trust Jesus as their savior and given their lives to him is the church.

The first church was born after God sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples as promised.

When God poured his spirit out upon them, they began to speak and share who Jesus was and what he had done with everyone.

The result of their message was the birth of the church.

You can read about that beginning in Acts chapter two.

I want us to look specifically at Acts 2:41-47

Acts 2:41–47 NASB95

41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 2:41–47 LBLA

41 Entonces los que habían recibido su palabra fueron bautizados; y se añadieron aquel día como tres mil almas. 42 Y se dedicaban continuamente a las enseñanzas de los apóstoles, a la comunión, al partimiento del pan y a la oración. 43 Sobrevino temor a toda persona; y muchos prodigios y señales eran hechas por los apóstoles. 44 Todos los que habían creído estaban juntos y tenían todas las cosas en común; 45 vendían todas sus propiedades y sus bienes y los compartían con todos, según la necesidad de cada uno. 46 Día tras día continuaban unánimes en el templo y partiendo el pan en los hogares, comían juntos con alegría y sencillez de corazón, 47 alabando a Dios y hallando favor con todo el pueblo. Y el Señor añadía cada día al número de ellos los que iban siendo salvos.

This is the church!

It is a group of people from different cultures, languages, and life experiences.

All come together because of one thing they hold in common: Jesus Christ.

This is what has made you a church.

All of you have had experiences with God; even though you are from many different backgrounds and places in the world, you have Jesus in common.

God is doing in this church what he did in the beginning.

Your collective experiences with God have made you a family.

I can tell you that Punto De Conxion has been a blessing to my church, The Gathering Place West.

You have blessed us by allowing us to see your growth in Christ.

To see this church flourishing has been an incredible joy for us!

If you are a new believer, you may not even realize why that might be a blessing.

But I would remind you of what we just read so that we can answer our final question.

What does the church do?

They learned from the apostles.

They ate together.

They experienced God’s miracles together.

They gave to one another as they had needs.

They cared for one another as Christ cared for all people while he was alive.

They shared what they were learning about God to the people in their lives.

As they did these things, the church grew.

You may be thinking, I don’t know how to do those things.

I don’t know what to share or how to share it.

I have good news.

That is why God gave you Juan Jose and Mayra!

As you read those verses, I imagine many of those things sounded familiar.

I imagine you have been experiencing some or all of those things as you joined this church.

God has placed Juan Jose and Mayra here to teach you these things.

To show you the love of God by the way they love God and love others.

Let’s go back to where we left off in our focal passage in Ephesians.

When we left off, we read that the pastor’s job is to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to build up the church.

Let’s pick back up in verse thirteen.

Ephesians 4:13–16 NASB95

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:13–16 LBLA

13 hasta que todos lleguemos a la unidad de la fe y del conocimiento pleno del Hijo de Dios, a la condición de un hombre maduro, a la medida de la estatura de la plenitud de Cristo; 14 para que ya no seamos niños, sacudidos por las olas y llevados de aquí para allá por todo viento de doctrina, por la astucia de los hombres, por las artimañas engañosas del error; 15 sino que hablando la verdad en amor, crezcamos en todos los aspectos en aquel que es la cabeza, es decir, Cristo, 16 de quien todo el cuerpo (estando bien ajustado y unido por la cohesión que las coyunturas proveen), conforme al funcionamiento adecuado de cada miembro, produce el crecimiento del cuerpo para su propia edificación en amor.

God’s desire is for all people to know him personally.

Once that relationship has begun, grow in your knowledge and personal experiences with Him.

Just as a child is born and grows in stature, maturity, and knowledge, we are to grow as followers of Christ.

On this special day that you have set aside to celebrate your pastor, can I tell you what would bring him the most joy?

The best thing any pastor can experience is a church growing in their likeness to Jesus.

This is why God gave us Pastors.

He gave us them to teach us how to follow Jesus.

As you grow in your relationship with Christ and mature in Christ's fullness, your pastor will swell with Joy.

God has given Juan Jose the responsibility to help you grow closer to Christ.

Your natural and authentic growth is the best gift he could ever be given.

It brings him joy because he sees the fruit of his labor and the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life.

Your spiritual growth and growing maturity allow Juan Jose to experience God.

And it allows you to join him in ministry.

This is what Paul is urging the church in Ephesus to do.

To grow in their own faith and to become co-laborers in the gospel.

God gives us Pastors to guide and care for us.

God’s goal is for us to grow in our faith.

As we grow in faith, we will naturally fulfill our roles in the church.

God gives the Pastor a church so they can work together to share the message of Jesus.

We are all given one another to be an encouragement, to meet one another needs, and to care for each other.

Please join me tonight in thanking God for Juan Jose and Mayra.

Jesus, we are eternally thankful for the love, care, and ministry of Juan Jose and Mayra. Through their lives, we have learned about how you are and how much you love us. We ask that you continue to grow their faith and our own. Please continue to guide them as they shepherd this church. We ask that you bless them and protect them as they follow you. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.