Christians Lift Up Your Leadership 2

OPEN WITH VIDEO (Pastors Are Awesome)

This morning, I am going to do something that I have not done since Desirae and I started here as the pastors at Cumberland Worship Center. I am going to a re-preach a sermon. And not just a sermon that I have preached before, oh, no,no. I am actually giving you the very sermon that I preached this past Wednesday evening!

So, for those of you who were here this past Wednesday, please, in kindness and love, indulge me and allow me to do this again!

Two things about this: 1) I felt, even after I was done typing up Wednesday’s sermon notes, that this really needed to be a Sunday morning sermon. And then this past Thursday, while speaking with a very wise man of God, he said the very thing that was on my mind to begin with, “You should really consider giving that same message on Sunday for everyone who was not here on Wednesday”! 2) I have went back and repackaged the sermon some, with some new thoughts and some new verses to tie in with those thoughts, so it will be a kind of new experience for everyone.

Another reason that I wanted to revisit this message, is because this month is Pastor Appreciation Month and this is my message and my chance to petition for and on behalf of all my brothers and sisters who are in the trenches serving and preaching and teaching and counseling and grieving and rejoicing and standing in the gap with the Body of Christ every single day of the year!

READ THE TWO EXERTS ABOUT BEING A PASTOR

Please turn in your Bibles with me to

Nehemiah 4:16–22 NLT

But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judah who were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm. Then I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, “The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!” We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard. I also told everyone living outside the walls to stay in Jerusalem. That way they and their servants could help with guard duty at night and work during the day.

In this passage in Nehemiah, we see the people of Israel rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem, as God was directing him to do.

Within this passage, the basic situation is this. As the people are doing the work of rebuilding the wall, there have enemies who want their work to fail and who are coming against them. So, the people are literally working to build the wall with one hand, while the other hand is holding a weapon to fight.

And in the process, while those who are working diligently to complete the wall of protection for Jerusalem, there are others who are standing guard over them and keeping watch over them, to protect and lift them up if need be.

Wherever there was a broken down section of the wall and one person was there working to fill the gap, another was there to guard the laborer and stand in the gap for them, if the need arose!

Do you guys understand that the wall around the city had to be intact and guarded to keep out the enemies of Jerusalem and thus keep the souls living there protected and fortified and healthy?!

Now turn real quick to ,

Ezekiel 22:30 NLT

“I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one.

In this passage, the Lord is speaking about a wall, not made of brick and stone, but rather a wall of righteousness. A wall made up of faithful people who are listening to and following God and His commands for them to resist evil.

God was looking for someone who was willing to stand in the gap where the wall was weakened and protect it and thus defend others.

This is similar to what is seen in about the Lord and His search for someone who is willing to listen to and obey His words, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

And just like the physical wall of Nehemiah and the need for each person to lift up the other as they worked to keep any opening that their enemy could use to come against them closed off and secure, so too is there a spiritual wall for the church that needs to be guarded and secured.

This wall is to be guarded and repaired by every member of the church body and if there is a breach in it, due to sin, then it must be repaired, or the whole body is at risk from the enemy getting in.

This is what God is looking for. Men and women who are willing to stand in the gap and work and protect each other while the Kingdom is ever growing and coming under attack.

And even though each person inside of this spiritual wall, that is, each person inside of the church body is to work and serve and protect, there are still those whom God has called and equipped to do more specific tasks and whose work is held under more scrupulous eyes.

These workers answer not to men, but to God, whom they serve and to whom they go to for battle directions and for the equipping of God’s army!

These workers are the those who are specifically called and equipped to be the leaders of the church body. And today, I mention more specifically, those who are called to be the pastors, the preachers, the shepherds of God’s flock!

These are those who devote great lengths of time into reading and praying and listening for the voice of God, so as to teach and impart and equip the body with God’s directions and guidance for that part of the flock!

And just as we saw of the building of the wall, the workers get battle wearied and beaten down and if they are not looked out for and the someone is not there to stand in the gap for them as they weaken, then the wall becomes compromised and the enemy can get through.

Just like in our military, when we fought on foreign soil and our troops were on the ground and in operation, the enemy would look for those whom soldiers saluted, or who wore distinct uniforms, so as to mark them as officers, as the leaders of the troops!

If the enemy could identify the officers, the leaders, then they would put a mark, a hit assignment on them to take them out and cause a weakness in the troops!

If you can destroy the leadership, then you can weaken and more easily destroy the whole unit!

The pastors of the church, if they are truly doing the will and the work of God, stand in the gap for the church body as effectively and continually as they can; BUT they are easily marked out by the enemy while they are standing and defending the wall around their flock as the battle rages on.

And they need, just as much as you do, someone to stand in the gap for them and lift them up when they become too tired to hold their sword and shield any longer!

In , we read of Israel going against Amalek in battle. Moses said that he would position himself on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. As long as Moses kept his hands held high, Israel prevailed against Amalek, but when Moses’ arms became tired and they began to drop, then the enemy began to win against Israel.

So, they sat Moses on a stone and then Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and each one held up his arms so that the enemy could never prevail and defeat Israel’s army!

The leaders of the body of Christ and more specifically, the Pastors need men and women who are willing to come along side of them and support them when they are wearied and hold up their hands in the battle.

This spiritual battle that we are engaged in will not end, until Jesus comes back and completely and utterly destroys our enemy!

Until that time occurs, we must stand in the gap as co-laborers, as co-soldiers and come long side of the pastors, the shepherds of the flock and help keep their hands lifted towards heaven when they grow weary!

As many of you know, I attend a certain ministerial meeting about every other month that meets at different churches and is made up of different denominations; and this is such a blessing, because all of the ministers have the same heart. (That is, we all want to see the church drop all of the barriers of denominations and come together as THE BODY OF CHRIST!)

This past Tuesday, one of the members of our group, poured their heart out to us and shared with us, in confidence (as I am not telling who they are, or where their church is), of how they were called into a meeting with the leadership of their church and told that night, at that meeting, that effective then and there, they were no longer to be the pastor, the shepherd of that church!

As I sat and listened to the whole story, my heart sank, my stomach turned sick inside of me. You see, I knew this person and their spouse and their heart and desire to serve the body of Christ! THIS PASTOR AND HIS WIFE ARE TRULY SERVANTS AND THEY HAVE A SERVANT’S HEART!

It is one thing for people to refuse to come along side of and help support the pastor by holding up his/her hands when they grow weary from the battle.

It is another thing all together, to raise their hands against that leader that God has placed in that position as shepherd of that church and strike them, that is, to remove them, while God watches.

Especially when there are no moral grounds, or even a faint hint of cause for such an action!

This group of ministers that I mention to you, started off with 8 members and although we have been blessed with the addition of two more, three of the original and instrumental members of the group, have recently had to step down or leave. (Doesn’t it seem coincidental that when you have pastors who are striving to bring the church body together, as ONE FUNCTIONING UNIT, and they begin to be moved out of the picture, that maybe the enemy is heavily at work?)

The church is one functioning body, made up of different members, and when one member of the body suffers, the whole body suffers with it!

That is, when one part of the body of Christ suffers through emotional, physical, spiritual hardships, then this should affect the operation of the body as a whole. (Now yes, I understand that what happens to a part of the body in some remote part of China, will not cause us the distress, every time, and yet it most definitely may!)

MENTION OF HOW HOLY SPIRIT MAY WAKE YOU UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO BEGIN PRAYING FOR SOMEONE!

When we pray and intercede on behalf of others, we are calling the omnipotent hand of God to intervene!

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this of prayer, “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.”

In other words, it is when we pray in FAITH to God, that His mighty hand moves on our behalf!

But, my point is, a disruption in the Body of Christ that you are definitely aware of and have knowledge of, should affect you and of how you pray for one another!

In the natural, physical body, an infection can begin in one small part of the anatomy and then, if untreated, it will spread and can eventually turn septic and even destroy the entire body!

Here is a more common and easily understood example: How many of you have ever had a kidney stone?

This is an example of one very small problem (insignificant in the normal, natural state of affairs). Kidney stones are tiny, (like a grain of sand tiny), calcium oxalate build up and yet, all it takes is that one little spiny grain to land in the ureter of a kidney and BAM, its like WW3 in your body!

Grown, strong and healthy men will lay in the floor writhing in pain and vomiting and begging for relief!

My wife has had them and she can definitely tell you what she thinks about them!

Point being, the whole body is affected by that one, tiny little piece of debris, that formed naturally within the body, it was not a foreign invader! This painful and debilitating irritant came from within and yet its very rogue actions, shut down the normal, healthy operation of the whole body!!!!!!

And how devastating it is for something from within the body to go rogue and cause such pain and dysfunction within the operation of the body!

In , the apostle Paul tells us, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.”

Paul is stressing to us, especially if you read the whole 12th chapter, that all parts of the body are designed and created with a special purpose and that no one part is of more value or importance than another!

The eye cannot say to the foot that it is of greater importance because if it were not for the eye then the body would not be able to see where it was going. And in like manner, the foot could say to the eye that it can look all day long at where it wants to go, but if it were not for the foot, the body would not move at all!

All part of the natural body were created by God and are of equal importance and so it is for the Body of Christ; WE ARE ALL EQUALLY IMPORTANT AND HAVE EQUAL VALUE IN HIS KINGDOM!!!!

EVERYBODY HAS A JOB!!

Let me share story with you about some church people… It’s about 4 people in the church whose names were Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody…

The church had some financial responsibilities and Everybody was asked to help… Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it… Anybody could have done it… But you know who did it? Nobody… It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done…

Then the church grounds needed some work, and Somebody was asked to help… But Somebody got mad, because Anybody could have done it, and after all, it was really Everybody’s job… In the end the work was given to Nobody, and Nobody did a fine job…

On & on it went… Whenever work was to be done, Nobody could always be counted on… Nobody visited the sick, Nobody gave his time, Nobody shared his faith… In short, Nobody was a very faithful member…

Finally the day came when Somebody left the church and took Anybody & Everybody with him… Guess who was left. Nobody! Isn’t that a sad story?

And what Paul is trying to stress in saying that if one part suffers, all parts suffer and if one part is honored, all parts are glad, he says again to the church at Rome, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.”

Within the body of Christ, if one part rejoices we all do and if one part weeps, then in like manner, so does the rest of the body!

If that little kidney stone hurts the urinary tract, then the whole body is affected! AMEN?!

So, please understand what I am about to say, is not being said to place a hierarchy of importance upon the role of the pastor of the church, or of an elder, or anyone else, as all members of the church are equally important. But I do want to stress, just as Paul said, that if the one part is hurt, then we should feel it also!

God, Himself established and put into place the role and position of the pastor, as mentioned by Paul as part of the Five Fold ministry to the church body in (apostles, prophets, evangelists, preachers and teachers).

And Paul says in this same passage, that God gave these specific parts to the Church Body, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ!

And yes, just as we pray when we hear of one of our church brothers or sisters having a illness or a major problem that they are in turmoil about, even more so, we should lift up the men who God placed in the role as the shepherd of the flock!

You see, just as I said earlier about the officers and ranked personnel in the military, if the enemy can destroy the leadership of the church, he can begin to dismantle and unravel the fiber and health of that particular church body!

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER SEEN CHURCHES FALL APART AFTER THE PASTOR WAS REMOVED AND ALL BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT STEMMED FROM THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE CHURCH HAVING SOMETHING PERSONAL AGAINST THE PASTOR?!

I wonder in these various situations where this has happened, or even in the one that I learned of this week, if the church and or the church leadership committees, ever spent intent time in praying for the pastor and seeking out God’s will for that church and for that pastor?

I can tell you in this situation that I am speaking of this morning and the pastor to whom it happened, that the church did not walk this out in a Biblical and Godly manner.

They never came to the pastor with any offenses or complaints to work them out.

They never approached the pastor about working out some difficulties. They never used the core method of conflict and offense resolution as given to the church by Jesus Christ Himself in !

Paul shows us that we are to pray for our leadership and authority in ,

1 Timothy 2:1–2 NLT

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.

Intercede on behalf of ALL of those who are in authority, pray for them and lift them up! Ask God to HELP them, not eradicate their role and position!

Are we seeking the WILL of God, or the will of man?!

Are we seeking the WILL of God, or the will of man?!

Paul both commissioned as well as warned his spiritual son Timothy, about the role of the pastor and of what would eventually happen as people turned from the TRUTH of the Word of God.

,

2 Timothy 4:1–5 NLT

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you.

That is exactly what is happening all over this country. Churches are removing the true spoken words of Jesus and the pastor who teach them and replacing them with a “pastor” who will teach want sounds good and feels good to them!

To the church in Thessalonica, as Paul was giving some sound wisdom on having a healthy church body, he closes out his epistle of I Thessalonians with these words: “Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other.”

He then goes on to say, “Dear brothers and sisters, pray for us. Greet all the brothers and sisters with Christian love. I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.”

Well, who are the “us” in that verse, where Paul says, “pray for us”?

ANSWER: Paul and all of the ministry related leaders like himself!

He repeats this in his second epistle to Thessalonica, where he says, “Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.”

And again to the church of Colossae, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful, At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison.”

And Paul even narrows it down, specifically, when he says to the church of Ephesus, “Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God's mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Pray for your church leadership and show the LOVE of Christ to one one another is what Paul is saying. Stand in the gap for them, lift them up, because it is for the churches benefit and gain if you do so!

And how important was this little bit of wisdom? Paul said, “I COMMAND you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.”

Listen to what the author of Hebrews said this to the church body, ,

Hebrews 13:17 NLT

Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

It is for the benefit of the church body that they listen to the pastors of their church. As the pastor is to be ministering to them and protecting them according to God’s word and His direction and counsel to that pastor and for that particular church body!

And just as the pastor is watching over and protecting the church body that they are in charge of, so also, the body SHOULD be watching over and standing in the gap for the pastor!

says,

Galatians 6:2–3 NLT

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Galatians 6:2 NLT

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

EVERYONE say, “share each other’s burdens”!

Look at someone and say, “I share your burden”!

And what does that mean? In the Greek, the word for “share”, is “bastazō”, and it means, to carry, to pick and up and bear!

So, we are to pick and bear each other’s burdens and so obey the law of Christ!

Jesus’ law, His last command for us, was that we love one another, even as He so loved us!

And that is exactly what Jesus did. He took our burdens, He bore our griefs and our afflictions! He lightened our load and burdened Himself with our burdens!

In , we read,

Matthew 11:28–29 NLT

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

And finally, let me close with this thought, having been talking about standing in the gap for our pastors and the representative church leadership.

You know, in each of your lives, how great life’s burdens can become, right? You know how it is when you are dealing with your own difficulties and struggles and then when someone in your family, whom you love and care for, comes to you and lays their burdens and struggles at your feet for help.

This weighs tremendously on your heart and soul! When they hurt, YOU HURT!

Well, if you can understand this, then expand that same concept to a much greater scale. A pastor deals with his own burdens and struggles as you do and that of his immediate family, as you do. BUT, they also carry the burdens and the weight of their entire church family whom they love and watch over, just a shepherd should do!

The phone calls late at night, the text messages and emails and passing conversations they receive, where people place their burdens upon the pastor for prayer and resolve!

These shepherds become wearied and so great is the need for someone to come alongside them and lift them up and stand in the gap for them!

Don’t turn your back on them when they struggle, when they are doing the Lord’s work and need you, just as witnessed this past week; come alongside of them!

To find the perfect example of the need for someone, or someones to intercede and pray for and lift up the shepherd of the flock, you need go no further than the gospels and the account of Jesus Christ, Himself when He went into the garden at Gethsemane with His disciples.

Jesus was about to take upon Himself, the weight and shame of every sin that had ever been committed or that was ever to come! Talk about a weight and a burden!

And what does He do? He brings with Him, his closest and most dear friends; those whom He counted as His family to be around Him.

To be with Him for comfort, to lift Him up in prayer, to intercede for Him with petitions to His Father........TO STAND IN THE GAP FOR HIM!

STAND IN THE GAP FOR PASTORS CHURCH, STAND IN THE GAP!