Managing God's People - Part 7
Pastor yourself first before you can Pastor the flock. You also need pastoring from yourself. If you succeed at it you'll succeed at pastoring others.
If the workman is not in good shape the work will suffer. The workman's fitness is more important than the work.
This is why God expends a lot of resources to raise great leaders.
Acts 20:28
[28]Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
We are called to first take heed unto ourselves before attending to the flock. The flock will be better for it if we've attended to ourselves before them.
Take heed means, to pay attention, watch out for, be on guard, be in a state of alert. This is what we must do to ourselves as leaders first.
It is a command to continually be on alert. You're to constantly watch your spiritual growth, your doctrine, your relationships, your vision and ambition and your appetites.
Before we can take heed unto the flock we must have successfully done so on ourselves as Pastors. That's the only way we can be of true value and help to the flock.
Take heed how you're building the life of the flocks. What we teach them can alter their eternal destinies for good or bad so we can't trivialize it.
1 Corinthians 3:10
[10]According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
We're not at liberty to build according to our pattern. We must do it the Bible way. The way the Lord wants it done. The way that brings honour to the Lord.
Galatians 5:15
[15]But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Slander and backbiting amongst us must die. It kills us and kills the victim. It's a dangerous cancer.
Colossians 4:17
[17]And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
Focus on your ministry, not someone else's. God won't ask you about their ministry, he'll only ask you about your own.
Fulfilling your ministry should be your number one goal. It should be what wakes you up everyday.
1 Timothy 4:16
[16]Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Watch what you preach and teach. What you preach should lift men, not pull them down. It should save men, not condemn them.
As the Pastor goes so the people. You have to first go the direction you want the people to go. If they see you there they’ll follow.
Eve ate the fruit and everything was still fine. It was when Adam ate it that they became naked. Until leadership goes wrong everything may still be alright.
Sarah was barren but it was Abraham God was talking to. Even when Sarah doubted as long as Abraham was still in faith, everything was still fine as long as God was concerned.
Your spiritual health and vitality is important to the state of the flock. Your spiritual tempo will always be that of the flock. The flock becomes what you are.
Kevin Ashwe
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