BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO
Not many Christians know that their pastors need their help to be able to minister to them better. I’m using pastor as a generic term for church leaders, irrespective of the title they bear. Many Christians tend to forget that although their pastors are anointed, they are still human beings.
In Exodus 17:8-16, Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. At the instruction of Moses, Joshua led Israel’s army. While the war was on, Moses stood on the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand. When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he let it down, Amalek prevailed.
Because Moses was a human being, his hands became heavy. Therefore, Aaron and Hur, who were with him, took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. They supported his hands on each side so that he could be up while the battle was going on. It was like that till the going down of the sun, and Israel defeated the Amalekites.
That victory was possible because Aaron and Hur helped Moses to serve the Israelites better. If when he was tired, they didn’t help him, believing that he was a great servant of God, they would have lost that war. Your pastor needs your help to minister to you or lead you better.
How can you help your pastor minister to you better?
1. Receive him as a gift from God. A gift you don’t receive can’t be a blessing to you. In Ephesians 4:8, the Bible says that when Jesus ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. Verse 11 says He gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. For them to minister to you better, you must receive them as gifts from God, no matter what you know about their backgrounds.
2. Don’t take offence at your pastor. Matthew 13:53-54 tells us that when Jesus returned to Nazareth, His hometown, He taught in the synagogue, and everyone was amazed. They wondered where He got His wisdom and the power to do miracles. They ridiculed Him as being just the carpenter’s son and talked about knowing His mother, brothers, and sisters (verses 54b-56).
They related with Jesus in the flesh; they didn’t see Him as the Son of God, to receive the best from Him. Verse 57a says, “And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him” (New Living Translation). They were deeply offended means they took offence at him, they were upset with Him, or they were bitter against Him. Don’t take offence at your pastor or be bitter with him because of his teaching or ministration. If you are deeply offended and don’t believe the Word of God from him, his ministry can’t bless you.
3. Honour him; don’t be too familiar with him. If you don’t esteem a genuine servant of God, the anointing upon him can’t bless you much, if at all it does. According to Jesus, a prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house (Matthew 13:57b). Mark 6:4 says a similar thing. The people of Nazareth were too familiar with Jesus instead of honouring Him.
4. Believe in him. Because the people of Nazareth were too familiar with Jesus, they received all He said with unbelief. Therefore, He couldn’t do any mighty work there. Matthew 13:58 says it like this: “Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (New King James Version). Jesus was highly anointed, but He couldn’t minister to His people as much as He would have loved to, because of their unbelief. Your unbelief or doubt will limit what the anointing upon your pastor can do in your life. 2 Chronicles 20:20 says, “Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (New King James Version).
5. Avoid speaking ill of him or spreading false rumours about him. Understand that your pastor is not perfect; he has his own weaknesses. Every Christian is still a work in progress. Don’t let his weaknesses (not sinful lifestyle or moral weaknesses) make you not receive from him what the Lord has given him to deliver to you. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But this precious treasure — this light and power that now shine within us — is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own” (The Living Bible).
In 3 John 10, part of the things the Apostle John accused Diotrephes, who loved to be the leader, of doing was that he gossiped maliciously about him. Don’t engage in such a practice.
6. Share the burden of the work with him. Make yourself available for service. Don’t leave the work to your pastor alone. He will minister to you better or be more effective when he is relieved of some responsibilities.
In Acts 6, after the seven deacons had been appointed to oversee food distribution to the widows who were Greek-speaking Christians, the apostles devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7 New King James Version).
Join the kingdom workforce. Jesus said, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38 New King James Version). Make yourself available for evangelism and other responsibilities in the church. Don’t just pray for more kingdom workers; become a kingdom worker, especially a soul winner, if you’re not one yet.
7. Encourage him by obeying him and walking in the truth he teaches you. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (New International Version). When you don’t obey and submit to your pastor, you make ministering to you difficult.
However, obeying him and walking in the truth he teaches you, give him joy and help him appreciate that his work is not in vain. The Apostle John wrote, “For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 3-4 New King James Version).
8. Pray for him. Most people ask their pastors to pray for them; they don’t think that their pastors also need their prayers. Your pastor is not so anointed that he doesn’t need your prayer!
Paul, as mightily used as he was, asked for the prayer of the saints. He wrote, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25). Also, in 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2, he prayed, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith” (New King James Version).
Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20 New International Version). The writer of the book of Hebrews also said, “Pray for us” (Hebrews 13:18a).
Your pastor will minister to you better, if you pray for him daily or more, rather than only submitting prayer requests to him every time.
9. Support him financially. Pastors should never be a burden to the people they pastor whether it is a small or big congregation. Nevertheless, the people must know that their pastors need money to meet their personal needs like everybody else. They also need money for the ministry. According to your ability, give to your pastor to help him meet his personal needs, particularly where he is not being paid any salary/allowance by the church.
Some pastors’ salaries/allowances are very small, yet they minister to the people and believe in God to meet their needs. Some churches are small and cannot pay a pastor full salary. That’s why some take full-time or part-time jobs to support themselves, the bi-vocational pastors – pastors with another job. Support your pastor and church financially but don’t give under duress; give voluntarily. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Your pastor will minister to you better if he has enough time to do so rather than not being available enough because of his second job. He will also minister better if the ministry has enough money to pay its bills and finance its programmes and projects.
Paul, writing to Titus, his partner and fellow worker, concerning two travelling ministers, said, “Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need” (Titus 3:13 New International Version).
In Philippians 4:15-16, Paul, acknowledging the gifts of the Macedonian churches, said, “Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities” (New King James Version).
Because of the Philippians’ giving to him more than once, Paul added, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God” (verse 18 New King James Version). This is how it should be.
Many believers like quoting what Paul said in the next verse, verse 19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (New King James Version). But these believers don’t do what necessitated that statement (or prayer) by Paul. The givers, the Macedonians, didn’t pray that prayer for themselves; the receiver of their gifts, Paul, prayed it for them.
Paul said about an Ephesian Christian brother, Onesiphorus, “When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return. And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus” (2 Timothy 1:17-18 New Living Translation). Help your pastor.
Some ministers are being distracted from ministering well. A wise congregation will help their pastor minister to them better. Every genuine servant of God should be helped. Don’t stay under a false servant of God.
Conclusion: Cooperate with your pastor to minister to you better. As stated in Hebrews 13:17, the spiritual leaders are watching over you as men who must give an account. If you act on this message, you will help your pastor minister to you better and give a good account.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
