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Isaiah 56:10-12
Unworthy Pastors are
Oblivious to danger, v 10a
Unable to sound a warning, v 10b
Prone to laziness, v 10c
Greedy for gain, v 11a
Incapable of learning, v 11b
Self-indulgent, v 12a
Without vision, v 12b
Now let’s flip this list and restate them positively to show how good pastors should act.
Alert
Prophetic
Hard-working
Content
Teachable
Disciplined
Visionary
“What we’ve been ignoring is this: great leaders become what their team needs them to be at that time.” ~ Rudy Doyle
Max Lucado said, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back to the crowd.”
Thomas Sowell said, “People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything!”
Another observed, “A committee is the unwilling electing the unfit to do the unecessary.”
“A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
“Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”
Jesus was a man of prayer (v35), a man of priority (v38), and a man of personal involvement (v39). It all started with prayer.
Mark 1:35, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
The benefits of early, solitary, prolonged prayer are as follows:
Clarifies your priorities, v38
Fortifies your determination, v37 (Luke 4:42-43)
Energizes your ministry, v39
Tenderizes your heart, v41
Makes you attractive, v45
A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God. - Charles Finney
During true revival, thousands of lost people are suddenly swept into the Kingdom of God. Scenes of the lost coming to the Savior in great, and unprecedented numbers, are common. - Henry Blackaby
The coming revival must begin with a great revival of prayer. It is in the closet, with the door shut, that the sound of abundance of rain will first be heard. An increase of secret prayer with ministers will be the sure harbinger of blessing. - Andrew Murray
We want a revival to come just in our way. You never saw two revivals come just alike. We must let them come in God’s way. People are ashamed to admit they need a revival. - Mordecai Ham
A true revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness and selfishness, and making God and His love triumph in the heart and life. - Andrew Murray
Revival is falling in love with Jesus all over again. - Vance Havner
Revival is the visitation of God which brings to life Christians who have been sleeping and restores a deep sense of God’s near presence and holiness. Thence springs a vivid sense of sin and a profound exercise of heart in repentance, praise, and love, with an evangelistic outflow. - J.I. Packer
Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself. - Leonard Ravenhill
God has a plan for you and He will give you all you need to accomplish His plan. This truth is vividly seen in Matthew 21 when Jesus came into Jerusalem for what we refer to as “The Triumphal Entry”
The Lord told the disciples to go into the village and find a donkey with a foal. Bring the donkey he said, and if anyone asks why tell them, “The Lord has need of them.”
Notice the remarkable provision. See the abundance of God’s provision. The Lord needed transportation and it was easily provided.
Matthew explains the miraculous abundance of God in the following verses. It had been foretold by the prophets of old that the Messiah would come riding on a donkey. Therefore, the provision of the moment was in fact a provision related to God’s eternal plan.
Now study Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’
Christians have a foreordained destiny. We are God’s masterpiece designed for His glory. If God can give a donkey for a ride, He can also give us everything we need to glorify the Lord in our appointed ministries.
Tell God what you feel you need to do His will, then trust Him to bring it forth.
Pastor Marvin Tharnish gave this definition of church. He said, “A church is a group of baptized believers who have joined together in a commitment to help each other fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.”
This definition is liberating! No stained glass required. Buildings optional. Professional clergy non-essential. This definition makes the church mobile and adaptable. This definition allows the church to soar far above pandemics and persecution. When the church is no longer an institution she is free to be whatever God wants her to be.