Any high school election is
just a popularity contest. Hopefully, when these teens are old enough to vote in a general election,
they will also be mature enough to judge candidates on legitimate merits, not on good looks and personality.
That said, in my lifetime, I've observed an increase of popularity
contests among churches, as they try harder and harder to outdo each other in attracting large crowds. Sadly, though, most churches are not increasing the flock with “new believers” but by “transfer” growth, people moving from one church to another. This is sometimes referred to, especially by the 'losing' church, as “stealing
sheep.”
In the Church at Corinth, the sheep were aligning themselves with the most popular shepherds within the local church, causing divisions (1 Cor. 3). While this was condemned by Paul, he did not address any problem with “transfer” growth (after all, there was only one church). In our day, there seems to be an increase of restlessness among the sheep. Is this another sign of our
times?
Sunday is a week-END for pastors. On Sunday, the pastor goes into high gear, sparking a surge of adrenaline—he’s on duty, on stage, on call; and everybody wants something from him. When the demanding day is over, the adrenaline subsides, and he or she may be tempted to Post-Adrenalin Depression (PAD), also known as ‘Monday morning blues.’ PAD can also result in Monday morning doubt: “Was my sermon clear?” “Did I really help anybody?”
Would it surprise you to know that your Spirit-filled pastor may have an emotional descent on Monday morning? It’s a normal physical phenomenon. Everyone must learn how to pace himself (finding God’s pace, and grace) to make sure he’s being led by the Spirit (Ro 8:14), not driven by adrenaline. I know this because I was a pastor, and I am a friend of many pastors!
October 14th is Pastors’ Appreciation Day. You could write if off as just another Hallmark holiday. Or, you could send a note to your pastor to thank him for his service. And you might even give him some positive feedback! “Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:13). Send your pastor this post and let him know you'll be praying for him—especially on Mondays.
A month ago I received an email from a pastor in Belize who had found my blog post about the hardship of Belize pastors, entitled “The Pastors’ Graveyard.” I was shocked that he found my unknown blog and hugely blessed by an encouraging email from him. His name stuck in my mind: Pastor Love. Since we were coming to Belize City, I knew we might have opportunity to meet, but was uncertain if it would fit “my” schedule. I put him on my list of people to call. Then on Saturday afternoon, only minutes after we had checked into the Best Western Hotel in Belize City, Altha and I spontaneously decided to take a taxi downtown to an Indian restaurant. When we entered the lobby I saw two men at the desk, and wondered if one of them might be our taxi driver—neither was. In fact, the taxi driver was 15 minutes late. But one of the men approached us and said “Are you Dr. Greg?” “Yes,” I said, quite amazed. And before I could even ask “and who are you?” he said “I am Pastor Love.” He recognized me from my picture on my blog profile. He explained that he was checking his friend into a room at the hotel, and that he had not planned to be there for another two hours, but his plans had suddenly changed. We had a beautiful connection while we waited for that “late” taxi! And made plans to meet the next morning when we had another beautiful, divine time of mutual encouragement. It was so obvious God had arranged our meeting.
What a great lesson this was in God's sovereignty, to the smallest detail. I thought we were making the decision to take a taxi to dinner. I thought something was out of order when the taxi driver was late. Pastor Love probably thought he was the one who spontaneously changed the time of their check-in! But all along, God was setting up a divine appointment, 2,000 miles away from our home in the lobby of the Best Western Hotel in Belize City.
