Pastors are inundated with voices around them telling them who they must be and what they must do. All of us in the role know this too well. If you take a cursory look online, you will find more articles and blog posts than you can count telling you what you should be doing. “Five Things That All Senior Pastors Must Do In Their Role,” “Top 10 Priorities for a Pastor in Ministry,” Top 5 Tasks of a Pastor,” “10 Things Positive Pastors Do,” “10 Little Things That Can Change Your Ministry as a Pastor,” and on and on it goes.
In my daily Bible reading, I came to Acts 20 this week, a passage I have read countless times. Paul interacted in the passage with the Ephesian elders upon his departure from them. He communicated his posture while he was among them. vv18-19 When they came to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.” He led with humility and tears. Have you seen that on a pastoral job description anywhere? Neither have I.
Then, he spoke to the elders about how he carried out his ministry among them.
Paul faithfully proclaimed the Word of God.
v20 You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly from house to house.
Paul faithfully evangelized the people.
v21 I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
Paul was led by the Spirit.
v22 And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit…
Paul yielded his life entirely to God.
v24 But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.
Paul charged them to shepherd the church of God that was purchased by the blood of Jesus.
v28 …shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.
Paul told them savage wolves would come in, not sparing the flock, so they needed to guard the flock.
v31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.
Paul committed the leaders and the people to God.
v32 And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
Paul worked hard.
v35 In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Paul prayed for and with them.
v36 After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them.
I read nothing about being a Christian thought leader, CEO, or visionary change agent. The focus is on the servant of God shepherding the people of God with the very best that he had. May it be the same in our lives for the glory of God!
