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Monday, February 28, 2011

DO YOU EVER WANT TO QUIT YOUR CHURCH?

I suspect all Pastors/Elders, at least occasionally, want to quit! You may be thinking - "yeah I wish mine would", but it isn't that easy. Scripture says:
2 Tim. 4:1 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; 2 Preach the word! Be ready in and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heal up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (NKJV)
Once called to a church and given the responsibilities as outlined in scripture Pastors/Elders have a call form God to lead and serve as instructed above. Similar to marriage: How can you be sure you are called to be fully committed to your current spouse? By the fact that you are married to them! Likewise, unless a moral issue or a stray form Biblical orthodoxy requires a Pastor/Elder to be removed or resign it must be assumed they are where God has called them. It is evident from the verse above that God's will for the Pastor/Elder does not always mean smooth sailing, but also may include resistance to sound doctrine, afflictions and the necessity of being long suffering!
So what do you do as a Pastor/Elder when you want to quit? Remember God’s call and stay. Simple enough, but is that all there is to it? Is it necessary to be enthusiastic about it or simply go through the motions out of obligation? Back to the marriage comparison - is it God’s desire that we simply tolerate our marriage/spouse out of obligation or must we actively love them? It goes without saying we are to actively love, not just tolerate our spouse. Consider the call to love the whole body of Christ and see the bar is set very, very high:
Phil. 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (NKJV)
So as a Pastor/Elder quitting is not the answer, staying with a bad attitude out of obligation is not the answer, but rather seeking power in the Spirit to actively love the church in the confidence that God’s will is being done as we fulfill our call according to scripture. As God is way better at managing the universe than we are, it would be right to be very thankful for where He has us and seek to grow in our relationship with Him as we face the difficulties He allows into our lives right where we are - for His glory! Not always easy, but that is our call and we should fulfill it!
So - What should you do when you want to quit?

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