Romans 10:1-4 Paul continues to share the burden for his own, Israel. He says they've got zeal and desire but they are ignorant of God's righteousness. It's important to know that their ignorance is not a lack of information (see v 18, 21), but a lack of submission. In other words, let's make sure we are not stuck on doing things our way, but open, subject to, and submissive to God and His ways. God, help me to losen my grip and let go of the things in my life that are keeping me from being completely submissive to You.
Romans 10:14 This passage shows the importance of the preacher, or "one commissioned to herald the evangel of good". (CLNT) Interesting that the preacher (evangelist) and pastor (shepherd) are two different roles here. The scripture says the shepherd is an elder/supervisor (Acts 20:28), and the evangelist plays a completely different role than the pastor or teacher; this distinction is made in Ephesians 4:11. This makes me wonder if asking our pastor to fill all these roles is excessive and possibly unbiblical. What's your thoughts on that?
Grace, MB
2 comments:
Interesting question, Matt. I've never looked at it or thought about it that way. I can see the point that you bring up. And if we look at it that way, maybe there should be a completely separate pastor in charge of visitation and just being the "shepherd" of the church in general. However, for a preacher to really reach the people he or she is preaching to, they need to know the people they are preaching to. And I don't think the pastor can truly get to know the congregation without taking on some of the roles of a shepherd. I could be wrong though. Just a thought...
Does a preacher really need to know the people personally he is preaching to? I can see the other side too, where the people become so accustomed to their pastor they no longer hear what he is preaching. Ever heard something put the same way too many times that it is no longer effective? Carrie you bring up a good point though, getting to know someone really opens doors you would not have otherwise.
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