Preacher to Preacher

From the Editors

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1 Timothy 4:16, NIV).

The influence of a pastor upon a congregation is a remarkable thing. For some years now, I’ve heard pastors bemoan the demise of clergy “standing” in the culture. Where once the clergy held a place of honor in society, we now find ourselves working hard to gain a hearing. Some of what we are working against is the fallout of highly publicized scandals involving ordained ministers. Some of it is the expected consequence of our culture’s belief in the sovereignty of the individual. We don’t want anyone telling us what to do, least of all a preacher. So, we pastors now meet with suspicion about as often as honor.

However, in the context of a community of Christians called the local church, the pastor still is afforded an amazing (and sometimes even frightening) measure of influence. Many believers who are seeking to live as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ are willing and ready to come under the gentle authority of a good and loving pastor. Paul’s advice to Timothy is sobering. Watching “your life and doctrine closely” is not only about seeking to be a preacher who lives with integrity and who rightly divides the Word, but it also has something to do with the spiritual vitality of those in our charge.

We both have stories of being shocked to realize that something we suggested or challenged our people to in a sermon actually became the catalyst for major change in their life. People have actually quit jobs in response to a pastoral challenge to think carefully about the impact of their career upon their spiritual health. The first time a parishioner told me they had done such a thing, I thought to myself, “Wow, I have to be so careful that I really mean what I say! These people really listen to God through me!” This is an awesome responsibility, and it is good work. Isn’t it wonderful to watch people actually “get it” with regard to what it means to live “Christianly” in everything?

These special times in the Christian year—Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
—provide a wonderful opportunity for us as pastors to shape the lives of people. May you remember that what you preach during these days can and will have a significant influence on your people. “Watch your life and doctrine closely,” Pastor. The salvation of your own soul and of your hearers’ souls is at stake!

The first set of sermons for Advent and Christmas is presented by Darrik Acre, working mostly with the Gospel lections. Darrik is pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Piedmont, Oklahoma.

The next set of sermons for the weeks following Epiphany comes from Tim Stidham, working with the Epistle lessons. Dr. Stidham is pastor of the New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene in Dyer, Indiana.