When seeking the office of Pastor, Paul told Titus the following: He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it (Titus 1:9).
In my last two blogs on this verse, I shared the positive side of a pastor’s work: He is to hold fast the faithful Word. In other words, the pastor must be completely loyal to the Scriptures. There will be times when the Bible will contradict his experiences and go against what the majority is teaching. When such times come, will he be true to the Word of God?
But there is a negative side to the work of the pastor and it is this: He must refute those who oppose it. While on the one hand the pastor is to encourage others by teaching and taking the necessary time to explain sound doctrine, he must also on the other hand “refute” or “oppose” those who differ. This can at times not be a pretty or joyful task. But it must never be abandoned or given over to someone else to do.
“Refute” literally means “to speak against.” Here is the bottom line: The pastor will be spending much of his time and effort correcting those WITHIN the church who oppose the message of the Bible. What makes the pastor’s job so serious is not the threat that comes from the outside of the church, but the subtle threat that stems from within.
When Paul was saying goodbye to the leaders of the Ephesian Church, this is what he said to them: 28Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them (Acts 20:28-30 NIV).
Notice the three serious tasks Paul gives to these church leaders:
First, they were to keep watch over themselves. Anyone can drift – anyone! This is why it is so very important for leaders to constantly be in the Word. Again I say that doing devotions is necessary, but not enough. Leaders have got to get down and deep into the understanding of the Scriptures. It is not wise to always float on the surface. You have to dive down where the treasures are and a lot of hidden secrets remain to be found. You cannot stay down there for too long because you got to come up and be in the real world. Leaders who spend too much time in deep study that they don’t balance it out with serving and helping others become too heavenly minded that they are no earthly good especially to others.
Furthermore, leaders need to keep one another in check and accountable. If a leader goes astray or off on a tangent of some sort, his comrades need to pull him back in and shape him up. Beware of the lone pastor or leader who refuses help and fellowship from others. Such a person will become a problem in due time.
Second, Paul also said to watch or guard “all the flock.” Sheep don’t know and often cannot discern the spiritual dangers that are out there. But pastors can. Woe to the church that has a pastor who for some reason cannot discern such things. Like Jesus once said, “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Luke 6:39).
Guarding the flock is an awesome work God has bestowed on pastors. This doesn’t mean that the pastor has to know every detail of TV watching a church member does; nor does he have to know every movie a members sees. But what he does need to do is to make sure that they grow in their knowledge of God (2 Pet. 3:18). And if he gets wind that a church member goes astray on some things, he gently brings them back to the truth – correcting, refuting and if necessary, rebuking.
For example, some Christians believe that it is absolutely necessary for others to “pray in tongues” in order to manifest the Spirit. This sort of teaching is clearly man-centered and off track with what the Bible teaches. The whole idea of praying in tongues lacks biblical support let alone the idea of tying it to the visible realities of the Holy Spirit. How much better to attach the “fruit of the Spirit” in Gal. 5:22-23 to the presence of the Spirit in a person’s life?
Thus when I hear of such things from a church member who tells me that they attend a bible study and this is what they hear, I do the following: I take the time to teach the attendee what the bible says. I give him or her passages from the bible and explain the context and meaning and refute the other side scripturally. Then I tell them, now go back and share with those in your bible study what you have learned.
What have I done? I am building and strengthening a disciple. And if God grants me success, I will also turn such a person into a useable leader in the church. You see, one of the best ways to combat false teaching is not always to go after the source directly. Some situations demand just that. However, if I can go after the source using a disciple who is teachable, then I will achieve two things: First, I will help train a disciple to become more discerning and to handle accurately the Word of truth, and Second, I will attack the source, not directly, but indirectly through a teachable church member.
Now when should a Pastor go directly to the source of error? Well, a church leader needs to learn to pick and choose his battles wisely. Some things like “praying in tongues” to me is not that big of a deal. But what I do find to be a big deal are things that fall into the following three categories:
1. Salvation
2. Knowledge of God
3. Christian Living
If I hear of any teaching in my church that contradicts the clear teachings of the Bible that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing, if I hear that there is someone who teaches against this and I discover the source, I will go directly to the source and confront it. I mean, this is a matter of life and eternity, know what I mean? Error in salvation cannot be tolerated.
If I hear something about God is being taught that clearly contradicts His nature, and diminishes Him in the eyes of others and brings Him down to the level of man, I will confront the source. This too will not be tolerated. We live, believe and practice ministry based on our knowledge and understanding of God. It is crucial therefore that we hold a high view of God which is the Scriptural view.
If I hear that a form of Christian living is being taught that contradicts what the bible teaches, I will confront the source. It is one thing for believers to be living in sin, it is another thing for such things to be taught to be alright with God. We all have our faults and Christians need to be reminded to repent and turn back to God if there is a sin in their lives that they are holding onto. But if those same believers teach others that God accepts their sin and so likewise others should not have to worry about doing it as well, then we got a major problem that must be confronted directly.
So Paul tells the leaders at Ephesus to guard themselves and the flock of God.
Third, “shepherd the church of God.” The idea of shepherding involves three primary things: Leading, guarding and feeding. The illustration of leading is found in 1 Peter 5, where Peter says this: To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock (1 Pet. 5:1-3).
The best way to lead is with a willing heart and by a godly example. Notice that Peter says to take care of the sheep that are “under your care,” and “those entrusted to you.” Again, it is high and honorable calling to be a Pastor. God grants to each one a flock – some large and some not as large. Whatever the amount, those who are under your care are those you are responsible for. Lead them well.
The idea of teaching comes from 1 Timothy 5:17: The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
It is hard work to preach and teach. A typical 35 minute message will take 20-25 hours to prepare. On some Sundays, I preach two different messages for each of our two services. So during the week I am sitting on my fanny for about 30-35 hours in preparation. I also lead a Men’s Bible study twice a month, teach a bible study at the First Insurance Building on Beretania twice a month, and sometimes asked to fill in at a Midweek Service, Life Change, and recently was asked to fill in at Growing Deep, Growing Strong. It’s all good. Pastors are called to teach. This comes with the calling.
So in summary, to shepherd the church means three things:
1. To Lead – 1 Peter 5
2. To Teach – 1 Timothy 5
3. To Guard – Acts 20
Okay, now this is the part I’ve been trying to get to. Paul tells the leaders at Ephesus that “from among your own selves, men will arise speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:30).
He goes on to repeat himself in the very next verse by saying, “Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not seek to admonish each of you with tears.”
This is what Paul wanted Titus to catch. This is negative side of being a pastor. False teachers will come into the church and false teachers will arise from within the church. Therefore, “be on the alert.”
Thus the pastor has a dual role: He is both to proclaim the Word and to defend it. The proclamation is the positive side and the defending it is the negative. Both are critical and both are necessary. The person whom God puts in charge of a flock who is somehow unable to do these two critical tasks, ought to seek help and guidance so he can be the shepherd of God he was meant to be.
