The Church and Its Pastor

MORNING STAR BAPTIST CHURCH

Annual Pastor's Anniversary Banquet

October 15, 1988

Hebrews 11:6

Ephesians 4:32-5:2

Pastor and Mrs. John Borders, members of your families, Reverend Clergy, Honored Guests, and Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ:

Greetings! It is a privilege and an honor to be invited to speak to you on this seventh anniversary celebration of your relationship as pastor and people.

I am not an 'after dinner speaker,' and your committee and pastor know that already. Now I understand that after dinner speakers are supposed to be entertaining and even funny. Usually the time when I am funny is when I am seriously trying NOT to be!

For I am a college pastor, and everyone knows that college pastors are dignified! So please believe that I am dignified! And yet I must confess that I have gotten my biggest laughs sometimes when I say one thing to several hundred college students, and they hear something quite different! That is embarrassing. I don't know what I said that was funny.

I feel then like the young missionary that one of our 'adopted sons' told us about— he is a Mexican citizen— the missionary was learning the Spanish language, and had come to preach his first sermon 'on his own,' so to speak.

He decided the Lord wanted him to preach about the ninety and nine sheep and the one gone astray. But the word for "sheep" and the word for "bee" are similar sounding in Spanish: "abea" and "ovea"; and you know our young friend got them mixed up.

So the poor Mexicans had to sit there and try not to laugh out loud in the young preacher's face while he told them about the Good Farmer who had ONE HUNDRED BEES; and when he went to count them he saw that there were only ninety and nine BEES in the fold, and one BEE was missing. And so on. And so forth!

I've never had a problem quite like that, to my knowledge. But I did have a problem with BEES once; or I should say, with ONE bee. I'd do well to forget about it ... but ...

So you see I'm dignified but it takes a little effort!

But I haven't really come to talk about ME this evening. And I haven't really come to give an after-dinner speech.

I want to talk to you about what is to me one of the most wonderful relationships in all the world— a relationship that is dear to my own heart: this relationship of a church with its pastor.

I. THE CHURCH AND ITS TASK

A church is not quite like any other organization in the world. A true church, that is. We have a mission before God that calls us to holiness, and calls us to serve the present age our calling to fulfill. This encompasses FIVE TASKS.
I don't have any "notes" about these tasks, and I don't need any. YOU might divide the tasks differently— I have dear friends that word them differently. But I believe that the church must WORSHIP, and EVANGELIZE; the church must EDUCATE, and it must SERVE THE COMMUNITY; and last but not least, it is a holy function of the church to enjoy Christian FELLOWSHIP!
But these five tasks can be laid aside or sidetracked. They can be sacrificed on the altar of "GOOD THINGS" which keep them from fulfilling the CENTRAL PURPOSE AND WILL OF GOD. We can neglect one or more as we over-emphasize others. But usually the temptation is to try to do God's work in the power and wisdom of the world alone. It is wonderful to let the wisdom we have SERVE God. It is too bad when we think we know more than God, or think that God needs "correction" from science!
The church often becomes enamored with other paradigms, other "models" if you will— of human endeavor or achievement.
From the world of the MIND: PSYCHOLOGY AND PERSONAL WORTH AND PERSONALITY 'ADJUSTMENT.'
From the world of ENTERTAINMENT: ARTISTIC CREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT AS AN END IN ITSELF— we can fall into the trap of trying to compete with TV in our services!
From the world of big business: CORPORATE MODELS OF BIG BUSINESS/ BUILDINGS/
[I certainly am not saying any of these is evil of itself; I AM saying they are not stopping places for the church.]

The church is understandably influenced and even to some extent shaped by culture and by other human factors. Every church is in some sense unique. [I know problems in my situation which would seem foreign to you in yours; and I am certain that you have burdens and challenges that I would know nothing about.]

Yet the true church is a living, breathing part of the Body of Jesus Christ. We have much more in common than we have that separates us. And you need, and I need— the whole Body of Christ needs to stay in vital touch with the Lord of the CHURCH! We are called to be IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT OF THE WORLD!

II. CHURCH AND PASTOR WORKING TOGETHER AS ONE

The Lord has His Ways of keeping His church pure. And one of the key elements in this process of keeping us from lesser goals is a gifted pastor who seeks to be like Jesus Christ, supported by a church full of Christians who love him.
No pastor in his right mind would ever claim to be the reincarnation of Jesus, and I would not embarrass either Pastor Borders, or myself or any other clergy here by holding us up as having achieved the full standard of what I am sharing with you. But still, the MODEL is Jesus Himself!
In this "Jesus model" for pastoring are the three great titles of our Lord. Jesus was PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING.
Bear with me, now— I am not suggesting that we set up the clergy as KINGS with little kingdoms in any way shape or form.
But the prophet is to call for justice, to proclaim the coming of the Lord, to make us uncomfortable until we are willing to line up with the will of God.
And the priest is to mediate between God and Man— and somehow to show us God's LOVE.
The KING is a little different; but a king calls the people to community— and a pastor-servant serves under the King to bring us into a community, a unity, a loving body of believers! AS OUR CHURCHES GROW WE NEED THIS KIND OF COMMUNITY-BUILDING! AND WE ALL SUFFER 'GROWING PAINS' AS WE BREAK THROUGH THE BARRIERS ONE BY ONE AND SEE OUR NEED FOR CHRIST-LIKE ORGANIZATION GROW!
This is where the pastor-congregational relationship comes full into play. [I believe that often a church can make or break the man of God! My own testimony!] The pastor can lead the church into new areas of victory by gifts and graces, AS THE CHURCH MAKES THEIR PASTOR STRONG BY DEMANDING IN PRAYER THAT HE BE PROPHET, AND PRIEST, AND SHEPHERD. [I didn't say "king" there, but we must become a community of faith and love!]

CONCLUSION: A PRACTICAL VISION

HOW MAY WE PRAY FOR EACH OTHER? [How can I do much more than suggest in a brief sermon like this?] I assure you that the answer is prayer!!

Pray for a constant renewal of FAITH! We must pray as constant SEEKERS; and pray the prayer of FAITH. (Hebrews 11:6)
PRAY THAT YOUR PASTOR WILL PREACH WITH PROPHETIC AUTHORITY ... and then pray for grace to believe with your feet! ((Psychology is fine-in its place, and it is great to be able to understand ourselves. But before we are "well balanced" and have "great self-images" we need to make sure we are right with God!))
We must pray for the SPIRIT OF LOVE; perhaps this is the most important part! (Ephesians 4:32-5:2)
PRAY THAT YOUR PASTOR WILL LEAD YOU IN WORSHIP UNTIL YOU SEE JESUS as you come together! {I'm sure that he does— and that you do! But nothing is more important than worship!] ((Entertainment is great!! I enjoy it as much as YOU do! But our churches are not just places to put on pageants, or hear great "sermons" or great "singers." We have to see Jesus!))
And finally, together we must pray for a constant renewal of HOPE! You have a wonderful name! MORNING STAR!
And I see an unlimited glory in your future as you dig into God's great resources!! PRAY THAT GOD WILL HELP YOU SHARE A VISION OF "MUCH FRUIT!!"
My verse for you, for "HOPE" is John 15:8, for it tells me that God Himself wants you to FILL THE FUTURE WITH HIS GLORY!

((The great corporate models of the business world are well and good as servants; no doubt many of you men and women are well-schooled in business techniques and management by objectives, or whatever. [I am NOT!] And I hope and pray that as you continue to grow your organization and your cash flow and all those aspects will keep pace. But God has a vision for Morning Star Baptist Church that exceeds all business models; God has a success for your church that together as pastor and people you can make an eternal difference in Boston, Massachusetts, and in the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ!))