The Pastors Best Friend
Last Friday, I returned to my previous pastorate to preach the funeral of L.D. Becton, who I called on facebook “one of the greatest friends a pastor could ever have.” People who did not know L.D. asked me if he was a young man, near my age, since that is logical to think that we are friends with people near our age. L.D. was 78 years old, so in today’s world, he could have been my grandfather.
L.D. was a pastor’s best friend because he supported his pastor. The day I was called to pastor First Baptist Church in Hampton, he told me, “As long as you are our pastor, you will have my support.” He would instruct prospective deacons that their main responsibility was to support their pastor as long as he was following the Lord and His Word. These were more than words to L.D., as many say those same words but back down from that commitment when they disagree with a decision or a sermon. L.D. lived this commitment.
I have been blessed with a couple of other men just like L.D., and as I think about them, this is what a pastor’s best friend looks like:
They are physically present. It is hard to support your pastor when your attendance is sporadic. Other than the Sunday following Thanksgiving and Easter, L.D. was always at church. He was in Alabama for a family gathering those two Sundays. When we had business meetings, L.D. would skip out on the meal part due to being a diabetic, but he was there by the time they business session started.
They do not rubber stamp every decision. I don’t want you to think that a pastor’s best friend is a “yes man.” L.D. asked hard questions and raised caution, but ultimately he supported my decision. There were times that he would tell me, after the fact, that he thought something would never work, but you would have never known that by his actions.
They do not tolerate murmuring. It is common in the church for leaders to listen to murmuring and then report to the pastor. A pastor’s best friend realizes that listening to such complaints gives validation. L.D. would stop people in their tracks, reminding them of the Lord’s work, and “nip it in the bud” as Barney Fife would say. There were a few times he would report his actions, but there was no action for me to take because it had been handled.
They laugh with you. L.D. would stop by the office and the house at times for the sole purpose of laughing with (or at) me. Like the time he (as a Alabama fan) left a role of toilet paper and an empty bottle of Tide on my desk. When he stopped by, it was not always serious, which was refreshing many days.
I owe much of the success of my pastoral ministry to the “pastor’s best friends” I have been blessed with. Much like Aaron and Hur held Moses’ arms in support in Exodus 17, these men have allowed me to experience victory.
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Quit Treating the Symptoms
Quit Treating Symptoms
February 7, 2017
Unfortunately, Yazoo City has been in the news recently. The latest was a quadruple murder that occurred in the early hours Monday outside of a local club. The previous news was centered around three overdose deaths that occurred within a six-week period. No one likes their city to be highlighted for these reasons. But what do you do?
In response to these events, one group of pastors wants to have a prayer march. Another pastor called for a day of prayer and fasting. And another group of pastors is meeting to determine what are the greatest issues to address in Yazoo: unemployment, education, drug abuse, etc.
I have chosen not to participate in any of these in the past because I see them as a way to attempt to treat symptoms and ignore the sickness. The Bible is clear: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The problem is that we are all sin-sick. As a result of this sickness, people turn to drugs to fill a void. Adults are at a nightclub “enjoying” the night away rather than being at home in the bed, preparing for a day of work the next morning. Sin-sickness leads to us living for ourselves, without any concern for others and the pain our actions will cause.
The cure to this sickness is a personal relationship with Jesus, where one surrenders their life to Him and aligns their lives according to His Word. We have told people they need to change their ways and we have pointed out finger at them long enough. All we are doing is addressing the symptoms.
While I would never speak against the importance of prayer, I am afraid we use it so excuse ourselves from calling people to surrender to Jesus. We sound spiritual when we tell others we are going to a prayer march for our city. I think we need to remember Jesus’ instructions that “when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). The prayers offered in secret stir the heart of God.
If we want to see true change in our community, we will spend time in prayer, but we must put action to our prayers and proclaim the Good News of Jesus, calling people to turn from their sin and surrender their life to the Lord. “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13, emphasis mine).
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Why We Still Have Revivals
First, we need revival. When I speak of revival, I am not referring to the services but to the fresh awakening from the Lord upon areas of our life that have grown cold. Like Jesus’ parable of the soils in Matthew 13, the worries of life and other troubles cause us to ignore God’s Word. Sin that we once despised becomes comfortable. We quit serving. We become numb to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We need revival.
Second, revival services cause us to focus spiritually. Attending revival services results in us attending church more than we do in a normal week. In a busy world, revival services are the few times when we attend church more than Sunday and Wednesday, although the average church member attends only Sunday morning.
I always tell my church that Satan will attack relentlessly during revival services. You will have a bad day at work. The children will be completely defiant between getting home from school and leaving for the service. You will have to rush homework and supper. Many other excuses are readily available for not attending revival, but when you are willing to push through and attend, you are able to focus spiritually more than normal.
Third, you get to hear another preacher during revival. As a pastor it is tough to admit, but I know that my church gets tired of hearing from me. Or they are least get used to hearing from me and think they know what to expect. When I prayerfully invite someone to preach a revival at the pastor where I pastor, it is always someone that I want to hear. To not beat around the bush: they are going to be good. And it is refreshing for the preacher to be in a new place and get to speak to new people.
Lastly, I have revivals because God works in revival services. Because we know the need for a fresh encounter with the Lord and we are focused spiritually, God uses the revival preacher to challenge His people. I have seen people make decisions in revival services that they have been needing to make for a long time, but for whatever reason they did not answer God’s call until attending the revival. And this is the main reason why I continue to have an annual revival service.
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On the Same Page
This past Sunday included a Deacons Meeting and a Finance Team Meeting. At the end of the day, I was tired (which is normal for a Sunday) but very encouraged, as both meetings were very positive. I was not surprised, though, as this is normally the case for both of these meetings. While I was thankful for my day, my heart was with a couple of pastor friends that were each facing a very difficult day with similar meetings.
I posted the above feelings on Facebook Sunday evening, which brought personal responses from some other church leaders. Some were positive, others were negative. Then one individual posted about how he was not a deacon or on committees because “it is too much drama.” I talked to another friend today at another church who basically stated the same thing.
Teams function properly when everyone is on the same page.
Set aside personal preferences.
Focus on the team’s objective.
Demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit.
Remember why you are on the team in the first place.
Not every meeting is as good as the ones that started these thoughts, but they all can be. Most of it is up to you.
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Reminders of the Past Year
The past couple of weeks have given me the opportunity to think back over the past year as I prepared sermons, anticipate our annual meeting at church, and evaluate ministries with staff. I have also gotten to speak with some friends in the ministry over the past month, some of whom are struggling. These experiences and the memories of the past year have reminded me (or caused me to re-learn) some important principles:
The power of the tongue
Everything
The requirement of forgiveness
The importance of supporters
The priority of missions
The brevity of life
There were other things in the past year that I learned, including the importance of perseverance as the Cubs won the World Series, but these are the ones that I needed to be reminded. What did you re-learn this year?
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