Guest Post by Sara Scates

Our Pastor: Worthy of Double Honour

May is a busy month for celebrating. Last Sunday we celebrated mothers. They are certainly very deserving of a day to be honoured. Ephesians 6:2 says, Honour thy father and mother. Whether you know it or not, last week was also Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week. These two professions, in my opinion, are worthy of a time set aside to be recognized. Both nurses and teachers spend a great deal of time ministering to the needs of others. Before the month of May draws to a close, there will also be days designated specifically to commemorate fallen soldiers, active military personnel, and police officers. There may be more observance-type holidays that I’ve missed for the month of May and there are most definitely countless more marked on the calendar throughout the year. The Bible is filled with verses encouraging us to: honour, remember, and salute. BUT- there is only one position that God’s Word states is worthy of “double honour.”

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word or doctrine. 1 Timothy 5:17

Under the inspiration of God, Paul is writing here in this passage that faithful Pastors are counted worthy of double honour. Can we agree that we could all do a little bit better at honoring our Pastor? Maybe he hit a sore spot as he was preaching God’s Word a few weeks back. Maybe he didn’t greet you personally when you passed by last Sunday after church. Maybe you had an urgent prayer request and he wasn’t able to take your call right away. Despite all these things, the Bible urges us to doubly honour our Pastor. Honouring our Pastor is not so much about ‘who he is’ but rather, ‘what he does.’

And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13

When we, as church members, do not ‘highly esteem’ our Pastor and do not properly respect him, we are hindering his work and rendering him ‘unprofitable’ to the church and the cause of Christ.

Hebrews 13:17 says, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

In summary, I am saying that along with celebrating mothers, and teachers, and nurses, and veterans, and police officers this month- why don’t we take time out today and EVERY day to doubly honour and highly esteem our Pastor like the Bible is encouraging us to do? Not doing so, as stated at the end of Hebrews 13:17 above is unprofitable for you.

Pastor has been encouraging me to ‘Guest Blog’ on this site for some time now. I know that this is not what he had in mind. I’ll actually be surprised if he leaves it posted once he discovers that I posted it. But, after being present for Kids Club and Bible Study tonight and just engaging in a short conversation with him, God laid this on my heart. We are in the midst of a large-scale effort to see souls saved at Jersey Shore Baptist Church. Pastor is burdened for the people of this area and by way of the campaign we are in and the revival approaching, he is hoping to help more people realize their need for a closer relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is disgusted by the thoughts of that! Satan would love to destroy our Pastor. Through bus mishaps, congregation conflicts, sickness and injury, financial woes, etc Satan is hurling one dart after another at our Pastor trying to bring him down and the whole church along with him. Praise God we already know who comes out on top!

So, from one church member to another: Can we team up and obey, honour, and esteem our Pastor? He needs our prayers daily. He needs our support- via our attendance at services, our tithes and offerings, and in helping him to do the work of the Lord. And, he needs our encouragement. He mentioned in his devotional yesterday about how its hard to come by men that willingly serve the Lord without looking for a pat on the back. I’d say Pastor is one of these men. In the ministry, if he was only looking for a pat on the back, I think he would have tired from that long ago. He’s still in it because he loves the Lord and he loves serving the Lord through serving men. I think he could benefit from a pat on the back every now and again. I challenge you to find a way to be an encouragement to him sometime soon. The calendar might not read “Pastor Appreciation Day” but why don’t we celebrate anyway?! Drop him a card. Send him a text message. Thank him for staying faithful to the work God has called him to do. Designate part of an offering to his family if you feel so led. Bake him oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Or, PRAY for him. When Satan is seeking to destroy him, it’s up to us to uplift, edify, and encourage him.