And we recall the rebellion of Numbers 16 where several “men of renown”—250 of them in fact!—announced, “We’re all holy; the entire congregation! Moses is exalting himself above everyone else.” God dealt with them in dramatic fashion, and in doing so let everyone know there was a unique sense in which His spokesperson is holy.
Can we apply that to God’s messengers today?
In my opinion, we can. There is a sense—a very real sense—in which all of God’s people are holy to Him. This is a teaching of both the Old and New Testaments (see I Peter 1:15-16).
But it’s just as sure that God’s ministers are called by Him as specifically as Moses, Jeremiah and Isaiah ever were.
I was 21, a college senior, planning a career in teaching, when on a Tuesday night in April of 1961, while I was singing “Jesus Paid It All” with the choir, the living God spoke to my heart and said, “I want you in the ministry.” Not “to preach,” but “in the ministry.” My service for Him has taken several turns over these 57 years—pastoring, writing, counseling, evangelism, teaching and training—and it has all been “ministry.”
The Lord has called. And nothing has been the same since.
Amos said, “When the lion roars, you will fear. And when God speaks, you will prophesy!” (Amos 3:8).
Bottom line
Let the servant of the Lord represent Him well. Let the servant be humble and take nothing to himself as belonging to himself. When he is received, let him give praise to the Lord. When he is heard, let him honor Christ. And when he is rejected, let him remember, “It’s not about me.”
All praise and honor and blessing be unto Him.
This article about how to treat your pastor originally appeared here.
