Continue the Reformation by Appreciating God's Pastors
October can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Here are some things October can mean to people:
But do we forget that October is also pastor appreciation month aside from celebrating the Reformation? Although pastors need your encouragement all day long - I think pastors also need that time of the year to be appreciated more than usual. We need to remember that if schools need teachers then churches need pastors. The pastor has the double responsibility as both a preacher and a teacher of God's Word. Ephesians 4:11 lists the offices of the pastors and the teachers. A teacher may not be a pastor but you can't separate the office of a teacher from a pastor. Sure, it's nice to celebrate that Martin Luther hammered the 95 Theses and continued the work of the pre-Reformation Christians - we shouldn't forget that pastors have been ordained since the time Peter made his confession of faith. Peter was appointed as the first pastor or elder of the church. Peter would later start his pastorate in Acts 2. He would later refer to himself as simply as a fellow elder (1 Peter 5:1-3) without asserting any authority like the Pope of Rome does. He even said not to be lords over the heritage of God but to be examples.
The job of God's pastor has never been easy. If we're going to go by the Old Testament - the Levites had no inheritance. They were to be a separated people. They were God's representatives. Being a priest in the Old Testament carried a lot of responsibility. If your father was a priest then you ought to teach your son to be a priest. If a priest's daughter would profane herself - she was to be burned alive (Leviticus 21:9). The priests were required to marry only virgins (Leviticus 21:7). This was a very serious office. Even the priests weren't exempted from following the standards because they were to represent God's standards. Remember how Nadab and Abihu died for ignoring that one command not to offer fire that was not prepared by the LORD (Leviticus 9:24, 10:1)?
The New Testament pastor has a very difficult work to do. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 uses the word "bishop" instead of "pastor". The Greek word for bishop is episkope which means overseer. Pastors are ordered to be overseers. The word bishop appears in Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, Titus 1:7, and 1 Peter 2:25 (where Jesus is called the bishop of souls). The demands of the pastorate are very high such as requiring pastors to be blameless, sexually pure husbands, good behavior, teachable, able to teach, sober, peaceful, not greedy, having a family of good repute (and Eli failed at that regard) and not a novice but a mature Christian. Such work is very difficult yet it's sad how pastors are underappreciated. The term bishop means overseer or superintendent. The word pastor comes from the word shepherd. The book of Jeremiah condemned irresponsible pastors. Jeremiah 3:15 says that God will give pastors to feed with understanding. That's not a very easy job now, is it? A pastor was an elder, shepherd, overseer, and a minister. That's a lot of responsibility and pastors who fail to meet the standards need to resign as soon as possible. It shouldn't be covering things up like the Vatican or sadly some apostate Protestant and Baptist churches (some of these are now in league with the former) have been doing!
Some pastors have objected to the pastor's appreciation month saying it's becoming as hypocritical as Christmas. I can agree with that especially with the demand to appreciate the pastor all year long. But there's the statement that it can be Christmas every day in your heart even if you celebrate it only once a year. Personally, I don't like celebrating Christmas due to how commercialized it is but I can still take it as an opportunity to have a get-together and go evangelizing. I still think of it that it's possible to appreciate what your pastor does for God on a daily basis then give them a special time of the year to give God more thanks than usual.
See also:
- It's just a few months away from Christmas the "most perfect day of the year".
- It's Halloween.
- It's celebrating the United Nations' month.
- For some, October 5 also means Teachers' Day though some celebrate it on September 28 which is the birthday of Confucius.
- For some Christians, it's also Reformation Month. Reformation Day falls on the same day as Halloween.
But do we forget that October is also pastor appreciation month aside from celebrating the Reformation? Although pastors need your encouragement all day long - I think pastors also need that time of the year to be appreciated more than usual. We need to remember that if schools need teachers then churches need pastors. The pastor has the double responsibility as both a preacher and a teacher of God's Word. Ephesians 4:11 lists the offices of the pastors and the teachers. A teacher may not be a pastor but you can't separate the office of a teacher from a pastor. Sure, it's nice to celebrate that Martin Luther hammered the 95 Theses and continued the work of the pre-Reformation Christians - we shouldn't forget that pastors have been ordained since the time Peter made his confession of faith. Peter was appointed as the first pastor or elder of the church. Peter would later start his pastorate in Acts 2. He would later refer to himself as simply as a fellow elder (1 Peter 5:1-3) without asserting any authority like the Pope of Rome does. He even said not to be lords over the heritage of God but to be examples.
The job of God's pastor has never been easy. If we're going to go by the Old Testament - the Levites had no inheritance. They were to be a separated people. They were God's representatives. Being a priest in the Old Testament carried a lot of responsibility. If your father was a priest then you ought to teach your son to be a priest. If a priest's daughter would profane herself - she was to be burned alive (Leviticus 21:9). The priests were required to marry only virgins (Leviticus 21:7). This was a very serious office. Even the priests weren't exempted from following the standards because they were to represent God's standards. Remember how Nadab and Abihu died for ignoring that one command not to offer fire that was not prepared by the LORD (Leviticus 9:24, 10:1)?
The New Testament pastor has a very difficult work to do. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 uses the word "bishop" instead of "pastor". The Greek word for bishop is episkope which means overseer. Pastors are ordered to be overseers. The word bishop appears in Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1-2, Titus 1:7, and 1 Peter 2:25 (where Jesus is called the bishop of souls). The demands of the pastorate are very high such as requiring pastors to be blameless, sexually pure husbands, good behavior, teachable, able to teach, sober, peaceful, not greedy, having a family of good repute (and Eli failed at that regard) and not a novice but a mature Christian. Such work is very difficult yet it's sad how pastors are underappreciated. The term bishop means overseer or superintendent. The word pastor comes from the word shepherd. The book of Jeremiah condemned irresponsible pastors. Jeremiah 3:15 says that God will give pastors to feed with understanding. That's not a very easy job now, is it? A pastor was an elder, shepherd, overseer, and a minister. That's a lot of responsibility and pastors who fail to meet the standards need to resign as soon as possible. It shouldn't be covering things up like the Vatican or sadly some apostate Protestant and Baptist churches (some of these are now in league with the former) have been doing!
Peter himself would show the difficulty of being a pastor. John 21 actually shows us that Jesus was still willing to restore Peter. Peter was reminded of the tremendous responsibility of feeding the sheep. Jesus asked three times, "Lovest me more than these?" Later, Peter was given the task to preach in Acts 2 with the other apostles. Peter's life was anything but glamorous. He had suffered persecution and even imprisonment. It's also said that later Peter would be crucified in Jerusalem which may explain why he probably asked he would be crucified downward. The "Foxe's Book of Martyrs" seems to say that Peter's martyrdom was no invented falsehood of Rome. Peter if he ever said he wasn't worthy to die like his Lord would picture the pastor's need of utmost humility. Peter himself gave a model for pastors to follow by repenting of sin (that was when he denied Jesus and backslid), by living the repented life, by being humble to correct (Acts 15, 2 Peter 3:15), and not being a lord over his flock but an example to them.
While I don't like the term "reverend" and I think it's a mistake to do so but the pastor is worthy of respect. Reverence is termed as a deeper sense of respect. Respect is to treat others right even when said person is disrespectful. Revere means to have a greater sense of admiration. I can respect a disrespectful person but I certainly can't revere. Yet I think that deeper reverence is reserved only for God alone. So why the English cleric came up with the word reverend is beyond me. I still think the great preachers should've refused the title. I may admire Charles H. Spurgeon and Matthew Henry but I don't like why they were referred to as reverend. Yet, I don't want to deny that 1 Timothy 5:17 demands that the man of God should get double honor even when I don't like to call pastors reverend. A man of integrity like Peter and Paul do deserve their double honor. I wonder if Paul had Peter in mind when he penned that a man of God should get double honor? Later, we know Timothy would also become a pastor himself for the Gentiles too (1 Timothy 1:18).
Some pastors have objected to the pastor's appreciation month saying it's becoming as hypocritical as Christmas. I can agree with that especially with the demand to appreciate the pastor all year long. But there's the statement that it can be Christmas every day in your heart even if you celebrate it only once a year. Personally, I don't like celebrating Christmas due to how commercialized it is but I can still take it as an opportunity to have a get-together and go evangelizing. I still think of it that it's possible to appreciate what your pastor does for God on a daily basis then give them a special time of the year to give God more thanks than usual.
So are you appreciating God's pastor?
- Christians, Please Pray For Your Pastor
- Christians, Please Pray with Your Pastor
- Every Pastor Needs These Two Voices
- Honoring God's Pastor Also as a Teacher of God's Word
- Pastors Are Called to be Mentors and Not Tormentors Towards Their Flock
- Render the Man of God His Double Honor
- What Lesson Can Christians Learn from Peter's Denial and Restoration to the Faith?