Do you need to be a fantastic pastor for God? “Don’t quit, don’t fornicate, you shall be the just one left and also you shall be great.” I used to be stunned by those words. Really? Is that each one it takes to be great for God as a pastor?
I heard those words for the primary time in my Historical Theology class at Dallas Theological Seminary in 1994 from Dr. John Hannah as a 23-year-old seminary student studying for the pastorate.
I’m now 53 years old and realize how difficult it’s and seemingly unimaginable at times to do these two easy things: don’t quit, don’t fornicate.
You shall be the just one left and, well, you may be great.
For a few of you reading this, this statement is incendiary to you. Maybe you’ve gotten had an ethical failure within the ministry, and you’ve gotten passed through the technique of properly being restored, and you’re serving God’s people again. If that’s the case, please know that this is just not about bashing individuals who have quit or had moral failures. I’m extremely grateful for those servants of the Lord who did the very difficult task of allowing others to dig deep into their hearts and help them be restored to the pastorate. I wish them nothing but the most effective and I cheer them on.
This statement can be not about moral supremacy within the ministry. It can be not about how “perfect” you and I may be while serving God’s people. However, it’s about superb men and girls who early on in life dedicated their lives, their entire lives, to serving the Lord and His people as a pastor or minister by living out the needed disciplines, principles and commitments to assist them do that. Somewhere along the way in which, our sincere desire to serve the Lord may be tempted to offer strategy to a lesser desire in our flesh that results in devastating pain, shame, and embarrassment.
The statement is a challenge to set out on a journey to live for God our entire lives without quitting or fornicating.
Quitting seems self-explanatory, right? But what does it mean to fornicate? As a pastor there are a pair of the way we will fornicate. We can commit a lewd act with someone aside from our spouse. This act normally begins with illegal indulgence of lust. In Scripture though, fornicating may also carry a spiritual meaning not only a sexual meaning. It may also denote idolatry. As pastors and ministry leaders, we will commit fornication by not standing up for the reality of God’s Word for God’s people. We can fornicate with the world and its values. God wants us to remain true to His Word. If we stay true to sexual purity and spiritual purity, we may have reached the one greatness that actually matters ultimately.
But it won’t be easy!
I actually have now served at the identical church for 28 years. In 1996, my wife and I moved to Colorado Springs with the Southern Baptist Convention to begin Vanguard Church. Vanguard was one among 34 church plants in Colorado Springs that yr. Twenty-eight years later, I’m the one founding pastor still on the church he began.
“Don’t quit. Don’t fornicate. You shall be the one guy left and also you shall be great.”
But here’s the issue: I do not feel great. I pastor a church that has only averaged over a 1,000 people for one yr in those 28 years and that was over a decade ago. Matter of fact, one yr 23 per cent of the church left in seemingly one week. I actually felt “great” that week.
My professor’s words would tell me I’m great, but my heart tells me I’m average at best. I had illusions of grandeur of what the church I planted could change into. I had illusions of grandeur of who I could possibly be for God. Thirteen years into this journey I used to be lost, discontent, deeply wounded, confused, indignant, hurt, betrayed, and compelled to face the fact that I too had created a church with problems. It was not perfect. It didn’t ring the bell and solve all of the dilemmas the trendy church is facing. Matter of fact, as I go searching most of my church is similar to your church.
So, the dilemma of all of it is that this: the pastorate is primarily not about growing an enormous unique church but about growing yourself as a shepherd so you may faithfully, properly, purely, and sincerely shepherd God’s people. Pastors, if you need to be great for God for a lifetime, it’s essential to continue to grow spiritually yourself. Simple enough, right? But along the way in which, I actually have discovered what my teacher already knew. Simplicity doesn’t all the time equal easy.
I’m only a servant such as you. Just a few years ago, I captured the principles which have anchored me to stay faithful to God within the pastorate. I explore those concepts within the book, The Good Pastor. I invite you to contemplate it.
Keep telling the Lord this, “I won’t quit on you Lord. And I won’t fornicate in my sexuality or in my sincere responsibility to uphold and teach the reality of God’s Word to others.” But remain humble in your pursuit. Brennan Manning said it best: “I’m only one beggar telling one other beggar where to seek out bread.”
My favourite prayer to hope after I preach is that this: “Lord, whatever they’ve heard from me that’s of you, help them always remember it. Whatever is of me, I pray they forget it the moment they walk away.”
Don’t quit! Don’t fornicate!
May you be known by your spouse, your kids, your grandchildren, and generations to return as one who was great for God! And may you hear sooner or later from the Lord Himself, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Until then, keep being great for God.
