Pastors' Panel Podcast

Obeying Christ at Home and Among the Brethren

What's up, everybody? I've got Pastor Haps with me, and I've got Pastor Jeff with me, and we're recording this pastors panel. Third I think this is our third edition. I'm so excited about what God is doing through the pastors panel and Everybody that can attend when they can attend we all have different schedules.

And I know it's it's busy and hectic for everybody, but I'm thankful for these guys that are joining me and God is using you guys and the rest of the folks that join us to encourage and edify Believers.

I believe and We want to pray that he's glorified, so I want to pray for us real quick before we get started. Father we thank you so much for Allowing us to get together. We want to look at your word.

We want to look at Christ, and we want to put our eyes toward heaven put our eyes toward the kingdom seek him first and And trust that all other things Will be provided as you see fit. We pray for your kingdom come here, and your will be to be done on earth as is in heaven.

And we we trust that you will. You will do what's right you are the? Complete and fully just one. And everything that you do will be fair and just and right and we trust in that and what you're doing in the world.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your kingdom and be a part of your kingdom work. And we pray these things in Jesus name amen amen all right, so Here's the first question that I wanted to pose to you guys and it stems from Sermons that I've been hearing at church with which have been so wonderful for me we're going through first Peter and The Sunday before last it was first Peter chapter 3 1 through 7 and the the questions stem from of course the context of the verse.

But one of the main points from first Peter 3 1 through 7 was if you have Ambitions to to save the world if you've got your own you know saving the lost if you're if your missions minded Just want to support missionaries want to be a missionary yourself whatever it may be if your eyes are on Saving the world for Jesus Christ.

Looking at the context looking at the scripture of first Peter 3 1 through 7. We see that and the point was made that We must obey Christ at home. And then the next Sunday a different pastor preached he preached the next section chapter 3 verses 8 through 18 and then in a similar sense I Inferred from what he was saying Because of wind along the same lines if you're if you've got your eyes on the world saving the world you love.

So winning you love to see souls come to Christ. You know if you've got your eyes there Your priority should be Obeying Christ among the brethren so so first is at home and then second is amongst the brethren and and then God is in God's economy.

He's using that he's using us and our obedience at home and our obedience among the brethren To change the world to save the world. And so I wanted I wondered how you guys saw that. How how you think we walk that out practically.

So I'll just turn it over there before I Use up all the time and.

The Family, the Local Church, and Corporate Worship

Jeff's and deep deep thought I can see no go ahead. Like we were we were just talking and stuff I really believe honestly that First and foremost we are sure to worship God and God is is where we start right there and it's From the top down not the ground up, and I believe that when it comes to the the family and really advancing the kingdom of God that that The family unit all right was designed by God.

All right, and so us coming under the the covering of a local church if the the pastors being faithful to the word and there's a giving of the the sacraments and and and we are all growing in the knowledge of God.

And young men Are coming up along the side mean older men are coming up alongside of the younger men. Like like you know Yoking all right here. Let me let me show you how to do this you know and and though the older women are taking care of the younger women and we are involved in corporate worship together and I think right there is is the key because when we come home, and we're at home, and we bring with it with the The Bring we bring the scriptures how home and we have family worship, and we have the reading of God's scriptures and and you know I think that the the kids learn from us and as we evangelize we can take the kids with us and I think that not excluding the children from What's going on around us?

You know like a lot of a lot of people do they they want to shelter their kids from the reality of what's going on in the world, and I think that We need to be truthful and we need to be wise and seek direction from Christ for Versa.

Missions, Church Planting, and Reaching the Community

I'm gonna I'm gonna look at how well. This is my perspective, and you guys can tell me if you've had a different perspective. Yeah, I grew up in church. I'm thankful for that. Thank you for the Lord for you know Christian parents and grandparents and being involved and growing up in the church you know I've seen the the mindset of church members church leaders denomination leaders and and what we've been what we were told and what we've seen is.

Or our view of missions is you you're either the one at the end of the rope or you're the one Holding the rope sending sending somebody down the well. To fetch something or whatever the analogy is. You're one of two people so you you send missionaries.

And you're the missionary that goes or you you're the one at home praying and giving money. And that's kind of the mindset of missions but putting together what we're learning biblically and. We were having a conversation earlier today with and and Jason was talking about his Home church, and how his home church is growing and how they may need to branch off.

And start another church off their church. And I think this this kind of where we're coming from where I was coming from when I was hearing first Peter 3 1 through 7 first Peter 3 8 through 18 where Obeying Christ at home is first priority obeying Christ among the brethren is first priority if if missions and so winning is our objective.

It starts at home, and it starts in our in our home church. Among the brethren and and then adding to it what you were talking about apps. The the women older women teaching younger women and then. When our churches branch off and start other churches they take that with them and they begin to reach out to their community and for the lost and For Christ and draw people in and the older women are teaching just just one example older women teaching younger women.

They begin to grow and then they branch off and just put another church. And I see that to be the more biblical model that we were training Pastors. Like, you know our brother Paul Washer, you know training pastors and look or local pastors.

Things like that to I don't know, you know, I I'm sorry good. Yeah. Yeah, I I just you know, I really believe we need to get back to biblical manhood you know, I believe that the enemy has has crept into the church and The masculinity of man has been robbed and We're raising up boys not men to march forward to lead on to lead their families and and to go out and in and do missions work, you know that you know, it it's a lot of what a lot of people don't understand is is the whenever I'd like studied like Local missions or Revivals, let's say that broke out.

It always changed the community around them first. It was very local, you know and I'm starting to see that all over the place actually in the craziest places, you know. Coming soon to the home but you know.

Anyways, yeah, that's I.

Bearing One Another’s Burdens and Sowing to the Spirit

Know just waiting to say something. I just have a passage. I'd like to read and and then kind of Rock and roll off of it for a second. Galatians chapter 6 Again in the verse 1 says this. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.

We are to restore that person in a spirit of gentleness, I don't want to overlook that. Keep watch on yourself. At least you to be tempted bear one another's burdens and. So fulfill the law of Christ, which we know is love neighbor love God.

For if anyone thinks he has something when he has nothing he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work and then his reason for boast. Will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

Let the one who has taught the word share all good things. With the one who teaches do not be deceived. God is not mocked for whatever one sows. That he will also reap. Verse 8. For the one who sows to his own flesh Will from his flesh reap corruption.

But the one who sows from the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Verse 9 and let us. Right. Here's the point and let us not grow weary in doing good. For in due season we will reap if we do not give up so then we have an opportunity let us do good to everyone and Especially listen and especially to those who are in the household of faith.

Mm-hmm so as a pastor of a small congregation I was I've probably been asked this question a few times within the last Month month and a half. If God decides to grow our church, what will the future look like for us?

Right now we're. We're written. We don't have a church building, but we're really we are renting what it's called in our area a women's club. We're a bunch of elderly women gathered together once a month and I don't I really don't know what they did.

But they get together and they I don't know bake cookies. I don't know. Get together and they and they you know have fellowship and so we rent this building from them and it's it's very nice and. And it's been working out well for us.

You know, it's gonna be three to five years before the bank will Loan us the money if we don't come up with the money to get a piece of property. And so we're just you know I'm preaching the gospel. I'm witnessing.

We're being faithful you know people are coming for the most part people are Looking online for reformed churches. I got this one gentleman. He's been coming. He just heard a reformed theology about six months ago through Jeff Durbin.

And so he's been listening to Jeff Durbin and and and and and James White and all of them guys and so he he looked on his phone googled reformed churches found us and he's been coming very very Good brother, he has a Fundamentalist background.

Hey guys, I'll be right back. I got an emergency. And so he's been coming to church and the questions been asked well Jeff if the church does just So happen to grow what are we gonna do. I said, well, I don't plan on Having two or three services in a week nor do I plan on having satellite campuses?

I said it's my job to raise up men men strong men. To raise them up to do what I'm doing for two reasons. One I'm gonna die. Okay. Okay, like like I could die in two years, all right someone needs to be there.

To take my place. I need to raise up someone that's going to be able to take my place and for two. The winner of whenever I we established this church as a plant. Although that I was doing a lot of the heavy lifting and stuff like that during the plant I made it to where if the congregation doesn't want me to be their pastor.

I have to sit down. So every four years. They have to vote. Whether or not they want me as their pastor and so three two and a half years from now. They're gonna vote and if they don't want me to be their pastor, I got to sit down.

All right. Well, if I have to sit down It's my job to make sure there was someone there that could take my place. So I have to raise up men. Who can take my place one if I die to if the congregation decides they don't want me to be their pastor but but outside of that if the church does get.

You know decide to blow up. I need men there in order for us to plant a church. Where where I where I can feel comfortable with planting a church because I know there's men there who study the scripture.

And we're able to do what I do. And so we give member the male membership of our church. We give them opportunity to teach Sunday school and stuff like that just to get them used to this. To speaking in front of people and being able to get their theological thoughts out well.

But before we can reach out to our community. We have to practice what this right here says, yeah, it's good to bear one another's burdens outside of the church and inside of the church. But we really need to make sure.

Especially when the opportunity comes up to do good to everyone especially in the household of the faith now. Before we even mention the church. My first household of faith is my home. I Have to lead and be the pastor of this home.

All right, and if I'm not doing that correctly. Like how How am I gonna if I can't shepherd my wife and kids? How can I shepherd a flock? You know, and if I can't shepherd the flock, how can how can I reach my neighborhood if I can't reach my neighborhood?

How can we reach the world? And so, you know. The main thing that we. It's like it's like you're talking about in that sermon them our main focus first. Even before we're talking about the church.

No, come on Jeff, come on Jeff resuscitate everybody.

There we go, okay, yeah. We got a thanks. You ever heard that saying aim small miss big. But aim big and miss small. Well in ministry, although we aim. Like like we really want to aim big. But we but in doing so we don't want to miss our community.

We don't want to try to reach the world. I don't want to try to reach the world and miss, Tallahoma. Yeah, you know I don't want to try to reach the world and. And not reach my kids. Yeah, and so we want to make sure that whenever we're we're casting this message that.

That the people closest to us here at first. That they're able to come under the umbrella that that we're able to feed and nurture them first. It's not that we don't love it's not that I don't love people like.

Like a community next to us is called Manchester before I can try to reach Manchester. I need to try to reach, Tallahoma. Mm-hmm. All right before I can reach, Nashville before I reach Alabama, which I already have a member in our congregation from Alabama.

We need to reach Tennessee. We don't want to miss the forest or the trees. The forest from the trees like why we want to have everything in view. And I thank you for not loving our family for not loving our church.

If a pastor is not being faithful to his church, but yeah, he's able to travel around the world doing conferences. Yeah. Are you really like the connections broke? Yeah, so we really need to make sure that.

Our love is focused. You don't want to rob Peter to pay Paul, especially in ministry. Yeah, sorry for the rant. Oh.

Raising Up Men, Shepherding the Home, and Sending People Too Quickly

No issues. No issues. And and I'm coming from again, you know my personal background growing up from a more Baptist perspective. Country country southern, but I don't even know what label I should give it because we're all it's different everywhere you go.

But anyway, um. How can we do what you're you're saying. How can we we raise these people up? How can we raise our children up if we're if we're sending our young people our? Teenagers and we're sending our college students and we're pushing them on these mission trips in these mission fields.

How how are they being raised up at home if we're if we're pushing them out so quickly especially young single ladies. Push.