Pastors: it's about souls, not cars, but also houses of master | Characteristics

IT IS NOT appropriate that the servants of Jesus Christ ignore what should inspire them in their ministry. It is not good either that the children of God do not ignore what really gives hope, joy, and glory to preachers of the gospel. Christians around the world need to know what really motivates preachers to stand trial, insult, hunger, loneliness, rejection, and all forms of persecution.

I often teach that God does not produce ignorant children. On the contrary, it produces well-informed children. It is a great mistake to suffer deception and perish forever. The Word of God is taught to us for our knowledge, our obedience, and our salvation. And from the Bible, we understand how the Christians of old worshiped God in spirit and in truth; we see what has been the source of their hope, their joy and their glory.

The money, the sophisticated cars, the throws, the mansions and the exclusive wardrobe have never been the source of the joy, hope and glory of the early Apostles. The material things mentioned above are not bad in themselves. These are good to use and can be very useful for modern ministry, but this is certainly not what attracted the attention of the early Apostles and publicly praised and vaunted about them as we see and hear today.

Of course, times have changed, but Christ, his Word, his vision, his mission, his commandments, his teachings will always remain unchanged. They are constant and eternal. Thus, the things that have served hope, joy, and glory to Peter, James, Paul, and the other apostles remain unchanged.

About these things, the apostle Paul, in his letter to the church of Thessalonica, asked, "In what is our hope, our joy, or our crown of glory before our Lord Jesus at His coming? ? It's not you? For you are our glory and our joy (1 Thessalonians 2: 19-20, ESV). Again in Philippians 4: 1, Paul wrote: "… my brethren, whom I love and yearn, my joy and my crown, so remain in the Lord, my beloved."

Paul explained to the churches to which he had written that they – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers – had reason to boast or rejoice at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And their greatest joy and hope of doing the Lord's work did not concern the wealth that they would display, but souls that they would present to the Lord on the last day.

Paul understood that it was wiser to boast of the souls that he saved than his material wealth. He knew that one soul is worth more than the whole world. From the beginning of his apostolic duties, he knew that the Christian ministry was entirely devoted to Christ and to the preparation of souls for eternal salvation. For this reason, Paul and the other ministers preached Jesus Christ, warning and teaching all of us with wisdom, so that they could present any mature person in Christ (Colossians 1:28). The word mature means perfect.

Now, if today's preachers also claim to have been called of Christ, prepared in His Word and filled with His Spirit, then we should have the same mindset, vision, and understanding as Paul and his brethren. The exposure and fame of powerful cars, planes and mansions have no place in Christian ministry. Christ did not die for cars and houses but for souls. So he frowns at the earthly spirit because it leads to death.

Indeed, a true servant of Christ is not self-centered, glorious, ambitious and exhilarating. A true pastor does not seek his own interest; he is not in a ministry for selfish gains but to do the will of Jesus Christ who appointed him. The greatest concern of such a minister will always be on the salvation of souls. He will pledge to pray for and to teach the faithful entrusted to him the good and the right way (1 Samuel 12:23).

And the proper way that a servant of Christ will teach his followers is Jesus Christ, who is the only good and just way, the truth and the life. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation given to Christians to teach and learn.

As a result, the prime ministers greatly preached and taught about Jesus Christ. Peter preached and taught about Jesus Christ (Acts 2); Philip preached and taught about Jesus Christ (Acts 8); Stephen bore witness to Jesus Christ (Acts 7) and John taught and wrote about Jesus Christ.

A servant who preached and taught much about Jesus Christ was the apostle Paul. He received a great grace for this great work. Paul, a Pharisee who knew the law of Moses well, the prophets and the psalms preached and taught nothing except Jesus Christ.

In Acts 28, the Bible says "… from morning till night, he (Paul) explained to them, testifying of the kingdom of God and trying to convince them of the existence of Jesus, both by the law of Moses and by the prophets. He … welcomed all who came to him … teaching the Lord Jesus Christ confidently and unhindered "(Acts 28:23, 30-31).