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Dear Friends in Christ:
In case you didn’t hear about it, October is
usually designated as Pastor Appreciation Month. I did
a little bit of reading on this last month so I wanted
to pass along some thoughts on this for your information.
October is now past but it still helps us to know these
truths and to apply them in our lives. The benefits
that are inherent in obedience to God’s Word are
available to us every month of the year.
Let’s look at 3 questions about honoring a spiritual
leader and what the Bible has to say about this subject.
First, What do we mean by honoring a man or woman of
God? Secondly, Why do we bestow honor on a pastor? And
thirdly, How do we show honor to a pastor?
To answer the first question, What is meant by honor?,
let’s look at 1 Peter 2:17. It reads, “Honor
all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
We see here that honor is mentioned in the same way
as love, and reverence, and obedience. When we speak
of honoring a pastor we mean expressions of things like
respect, esteem, love, devotion, and submission. We
are not honoring so much the personality or natural
attributes of the person but rather the gift and calling
that he has been anointed with. When we honor the gift
we honor the giver of the gift and the intention for
which the gift was given which places us in a position
to receive the benefits of that gift.
Our second question, Why do we honor the man or woman
of God? In addition to what we have already said we
honor ministers of the gospel because the Bible instructs
us to do so. We find this in Romans 13:7. We are to
give honor where honor is due. We also show honor because
it benefits our spiritual growth. Ephesians 4:11-12
outlines the ministry gifts that God has placed in the
body of Christ and their purpose. Their purpose is to
serve the body and cause it to grow. The pastor more
than any other gift is to shepherd, or lead and guide,
the flock into maturity and blessing. Another reason
is found in 2 Chronicles 20:20. It reads, “Believe
in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established. Believe
his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” If we commit
ourselves to honor and follow the vision that God has
placed within our pastor then we will experience prosperity
in our lives. Not just money, but success, favor, and
blessing, in all areas of our life.
The third question, How do we honor a man or woman
of God?, is also answered for us in the Scriptures.
We pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2), we minister
to spiritual leaders with financial support (1 Timothy
5:17-18), and we show them honor by our service towards
them with loyalty, trust, and respect (Hebrews 13:7).
We can honor them more than any other way by following
their example and pursuing God’s will with the
same passion and desire that they exhibit.
As we can see, honoring the pastor that God has placed
in our lives really holds more benefit for us than for
them. One of the greatest needs we all have is for a
God-ordained pastor to be a voice from heaven to us
to challenge and inspire, to direct and reprove, to
encourage and to support. This voice is to enlarge our
capacity to receive from God. Without it we are limited
in our walk with God. It is vital for every born again
believer to understand these truths so that as we obey
the Scriptures in these areas we will experience greater
growth and blessing in our lives for the glory of God.
I encourage you to take the matter of honoring your
man or woman of God more seriously than ever before
so that we can fulfill all the will of God in our lives.
For His Name,
John Merola
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