I didn’t know it would be this hard.
When my parents told me that I would need to prepare for harder days.
When my youth pastor told me it wouldn’t be easy following Christ; much less, being a pastor.
When Jerry Falwell repeatedly encouraged us to “never, never quit.”
And that’s the nature of life. You can’t know something intimately until you experience it.
So, what’s “it”?
It’s the feeling that I’m not being the best husband I can be.
It’s the sense that I could have spent a couple more quality minutes with my boys.
It’s that nagging critical comment that won’t get out of my head.
It’s the worry that my hard work is in vain.
It’s the weight of the fact that I still haven’t paid that debt down.
It’s the paralyzing fear that my life is a joke.
Have you been there? I have. Pastors aren’t immune to these feelings by any stretch of the imagination!
Jesus promised us this in Matthew 16:13-20:
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keysof the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bond in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What’s beautiful about Jesus’ promise here is that it’s not up to Peter to build God’s church. Jesus wasn’t saying that He would build His church on Peter…or even a literal rock. He was speaking about the confession Peter made moments earlier in verse 16:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus will build His church. I happen to believe that He will use His faithful servants to do so. What’s even more interesting is that, in the Bible, we have numerous examples of common, uneducated men doing the work of ministry. They didn’t always get it right, but they stuck close to God.
Let me speak clearly to you church leaders for a minute. Don’t fall into the trap that I’ve fallen into many times; that it’s up to you to do the work of the ministry.
If you have been called, then you have been equipped. If you have been equipped, then you have everything you need to do what God wants you to do! It’s not up to you anyways! You have the Holy Spirit living inside of you!
Let the Divine Guider guide you. Let the Divine Comforter comfort you. Let Him empower you and convict you.
Whatever you do, don’t attempt the work without his power, direction, favor, or blessing. It will crumble.
But God’s work…God’s work will stand! The gates of hell will not prevail against it. Nothing will prevail against you. YOU ARE THE CHURCH!
“Nothing of eternal significance is ever accomplished apart from prayer.”
– Jerry Falwell