SUNDAY MORNING SERMON - JUNE 21st - Pastor Ben Talley and Brother Josiah Shipley - What is a Pastor?

The Meaning of Neighbor and the Church as Family

Part of a life, our journey, place on. Those that walk together through life in Christ, that's what the word neighbor means in Scripture. It doesn't mean the guy next door. It means those who walk through life with you.

And I know a lot of people couldn't be here today, but first, son, you're the best backup music dude in the world. Someone, I hear this a lot, and it humbles me. They say, you have done a great job with your kids.

And it's humbling, but to be honest with you, Josiah, who is being ordained today, is not just a product of me or his mother. You peoples, you guys, see, when you have a real church and a real family, it's not a village idiot thing with Hillary Clinton.

It's Scripture. Let the older ones teach the younger ones. Paul, you and Cindy are responsible for Josiah being here today. Chandler is responsible for Josiah being here. Jimmy, all you peoples, all you peoples helped raise this young man.

All you peoples invested in him. And the product that we get, not just in him, but you realize we have such a huge college ministry. And you look at them 20-year-old boys and girls. My heart leapt when I saw baby Eden today.

We are blessed. We are blessed. Pastor Gerald struggles with so much. But one of the greatest honors for you, son, is that Pastor Gerald and his wife are here today. See, that's family. That's not about social correctness or political correctness.

That's love. And there is no powerful unifying force in the world than the love of Jesus Christ. And we're here today. We're here today to continue something. I want you to look at the bravery of our old peoples, these old ladies, senior ladies, whatever.

I want you to, you know, we went on and said, hey, we had a case of COVID. A lot of y 'all need to stay home. And I'm not mocking the peoples who stayed home today because that's the right thing for them to do.

But I was telling Patsy the bravery because you 20-year-old kids, you get sick, you know. I remember what it was like 20, you know, run up and down Summer Avenue all night, go to work and then do it again, right?

But these peoples, the bravery they're here to honor you, son, to honor you. Shane, Char, Deborah, Sandra. I mean, Barton, I'm looking at all you peoples and you guys are teeth in the gears that God used to form this young man.

Probably one of the most powerful tools God used for Josiah is this little girl named Fred. When I came here 15 years ago, this little blonde girl whose glasses were constantly like this, whose smile and teeth were bigger than her head, would always come running up and I couldn't ever remember her name, so I called her Fred.

I called Brittany George. And my son ended up marrying her. And that's probably one of the most beautiful things, a polishing stone to finish out what God started in your life. I thought it would be best today, instead of me preaching, to honor what I'm talking about is to let our associate pastor, Pastor Ben, give a charge to Josiah and then have Josiah respond.

So I'm not preaching today and I think that is what's appropriate because guys, this is a product of you. This is our family and guys, this is our future. So I'm gonna ask Pastor Ben at this time to come on up and give a charge to Josiah and then immediately after that, I would like you to respond.

Shepherding the Flock of God as an Elder

Josiah, you are an honorable man, a friend and a brother who is seeking to take responsibility for shepherding God's flock. First Peter chapter five, verses one through five says,. So I exhort you, the elders among you, as a fellow elder, a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Brother, I could say a lot, but I wanna encourage you, and I also wanna exhort you. So Peter tells the elders in verse one, so I exhort you, elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed.

I want you to know this. Suffering comes before glory, and any and all glory belongs to God. Being a pastor involves suffering. Anyone who desires to live a godly life will suffer persecution. People will criticize you.

They will mock you. They will challenge you. They will flat out hate you because of your decisions as a pastor. Your words, views, and failures, and simply because you choose to obey God and choose to do what is best for the people.

But stay the course. Seek to know the word. Follow the master. Seek him for forgiveness, vindication, and correction. Don't let people's opinion of you as a leader define you as a man of God. He goes on in verse two.

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you. Exercise in oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you, not for shameful gain, but eagerly. He says, shepherd the flock. The role of an elder is to tend to the sheep you are called to.

Counsel, correct, rebuke, listen, serve, teach, train, love. Brother, you are doing this very well. Exercising oversight, not under compulsion, not for shameful gain, but eagerly, willingly, as God would have you.

Not only do you serve with eagerly and willingly, but you do it with joy. I see this on your face as you serve. This is you, brother. You consider, like many of us, it a privilege to serve the people of this church, and I praise God for you.

If any of you know Josiah, you know he's very much a yes man. Very much so. He will go over hills to do things for people. While this is a good thing, brother, it can become a stumbling block in ministry if you begin to sacrifice time with family and your time with God.

Guard your time with God and family. He carries on with this thought in verse three. Not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. Pastors are not dictators. Remember your identity is as a child of God first, not as a pastor.

You are to be an example first in how you walk with God daily. You are a Christian first. Second, as a husband. Remember that. Third, as a servant, leader, and pastor. Always remember that. Remember your roles.

Then he introduces this. The one who matters the most. The shepherd who matters the most. He says in verse four, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Something to remember, the church does not belong to you.

The church does not belong to you. Whichever church you place, your place that has been entrusted to you. It is Christ's church. He has given you instruction on how to handle, lead, and guide it. You will be held accountable to him for how you tend to it.

Live, lead, serve always with the future glory in Christ in mind. Lead it well. Lead it wisely. Lead it in his power and strength. Even when times seem as though you're wasting away, seek him for strength.

I wanna leave you with two things to remember along with the others I've already said. Number one, he lastly says this. He says, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility towards one another. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Stay humble, brother. In dealing with arrogant people, angry women, prideful men, disobedient people, rebellious believers, and people who challenge your leadership, remember, he gives a greater grace, not only in dealing with sin, but in dealing with people like this.

Second, remember this. Paul said, the saint is trustworthy and deserving of all full acceptance. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. He saw you, Josiah. He saw you in your sin.

He drew you to himself. He chose you. He saved you. He cleansed you. He's working in you. He's directing you. He will strengthen you. He is for you. He will use you. He will glorify you. This is his message to all those who will repent and believe.

This should be your focus. This is your message. This is your heartbeat. This is his ministry to you. You are called. Would you please turn to Acts chapter 20? That is the book of Acts chapter 20. I am a public school teacher and haven't had to be at work in a couple months.

I'm not used to wearing these. I felt like a dork this morning during Sunday school. I couldn't hear somebody, so I pulled it down to hear them better. That's who you're ordaining. Guys, I am just a dude.

There's nothing special about me. I've known most of the people in this room for a very long time. I am just a dude. And God has decided that this dude's job will be to be a pastor. So today I want to tell you what does it mean to be a pastor?

If I say that's what God has told me to do, then I should know what that means. And if you're gonna choose me to be that, then you should know what that means. How did I get here? I am 27 and never, at least never seriously, during high school or later, did I ever plan on being a pastor.

My wife, well, Rachel, before we were married, asked me, do you ever see yourself being a pastor? And I said, absolutely not. I do not. And I meant that. That wasn't a lie. The Lord laid this on my heart back in October.

Someone help me with math. Eight months ago? Eight months ago, right? And you know, it was one of those things, guys, and some of you will know what I'm talking about. I wasn't listening to an inspiring sermon.

I wasn't singing a song. I wasn't on the phone with anybody. I wasn't watching a YouTube video. I was just driving. I can't explain it. But I'm so used to people over-spiritualizing every decision in their life, as if God is a genie in the bottle, deciding when to ask your boss for a raise by flipping a coin or things of that sort, kept to myself for a little while.

That feeling has not left, has not dwindled, has not shrunk in the past eight months. And in my experience in life, that means it's of God. If it was of me, it would have gone away after a couple weeks or would have found something else or a new toy to play with or whatever.

But it has not. It has only grown. So when people ask me, why are you choosing to be a pastor? Well, in one sense, I didn't. I'm just obeying the call that I believe has been placed in my heart. And I mean that with all sincerity.

I could take a lie detector test right now and tell you that I truly believe this is what I'm supposed to do. And I did not always. What is a pastor? The Bible uses three words to define this role. Pastor, in Greek poimen, overseer and elder.

The word pastor literally means shepherd. If you speak Spanish, you know that. The word, the Greek word poimen, in Luke chapter two, it literally says, and there were poimen, keeping watch by their flock by night and lo the angel of the Lord.

You know it, right? The word pastor literally means shepherd. If you're to turn to Ephesians 4 .11 in your Bible right now, some of your Bibles will say shepherd, some will say pastors, because it's the same word.

It's literally what it means. Another word is overseer or elder. These are leaders. These are teachers, correctors, and example setters. Let's look at an example. Acts chapter 20, starting in verse 26.

Therefore, I testify to you this day, this is Paul speaking, that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Verse 28, pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood.

I know that after my departure, fierce wolves will come among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things and draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering for three years, I did not cease day or night to admonish everyone with tears.

Paul has called the elders of Ephesus to speak to him for the last time. He will never see him again. And he calls these elders, in verse 28, overseers and shepherds of God's flock. The same group of men were called pastors, overseers, and elders.

If you ever wonder why we just say pastor, it's all three of those words in one. I'm used to, for those of you who go to my Sunday night Bible studies, I'm used to teaching through a book of the Bible very slowly, one verse, one sentence, one word at a time.

We normally go at a pace of a chapter a month. So it's difficult for me to not point out things, but there's one I must in verse 28. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God.

Some of your Bibles may say Lord, the word is theos, which He, God, obtained with His own blood. Does God bleed? He did for 33 years. Ladies and gentlemen, until you see who Jesus Christ really is in His deity, you will never worship Him as you should.

And you'll never see this as it really should be. And this is what a pastor's job is, to feed the sheep. Feed them what? This, right here. You see, what this is, guys, though I recognize that it is a collection of works over 1 ,500 years by 40-something different writers from a lot of different places, thousands of miles apart, I recognize that there are 40 writers but one author, and that's the Holy Spirit.

And I mean that. And that sounds crazy to some. But that's the reality of what we have here. It says the same thing. How can Abraham in Genesis say the same thing that John says in Revelation, unless it has the same author?

A pastor is to feed that truth to the sheep. Notice that the triune nature of God is evident in the working of these pastors' lives as it says, the Holy Spirit has made them overseers. He has made them overseers of the church of God, which God obtained with his own blood.

The pastor is to declare the entire counsel of God, not the parts that make him or the people comfortable, but the entire counsel of God. A shepherd, since that's the main word used, provides for the sheep.

It's interesting, Pastor Ben read from 1 Peter. Anyone remember the last thing Jesus ever told Peter individually? The very last thing he ever told him individually. If you love me, feed my sheep. Shepherd my flock, tend my lambs.

I believe Peter was remembering that when he wrote that 30 years later. Peter obeyed that command. And for a pastor, listen to how Jesus said it. Do you really love me? Then show it by feeding my sheep.

A pastor that does not feed the sheep is not showing his love to Jesus that he has called him to do. Jesus said to every believer, if you love me, you will keep my commands. Well, if his command to a pastor is to feed the sheep, then that's how a pastor shows his love to Jesus.

A pastor is a protector. Verse 29, for I know after my departure that fierce wolves will come among you, not sparing the flock. Paul knows when he leaves, wolves will come. The job of a pastor is to produce sheep that don't need a pastor for every little thing.

That is the job of a pastor. The job of a teacher is to produce students who can now teach and no longer need a teacher for every little thing. And that is the job of a pastor. When those fierce wolves come, you have prepared the sheep to defend it.

An overseer, a bishop, presbyter in Greek, or an elder, eskapos, they are the leader of which God selects, which is why James chapter three says, not many, not many should become teachers knowing they will, not might, they will receive stricter judgment.

Yes, an overseer is a corrector that sometimes has to gently nudge the sheep in the correct direction. A leader, an overseer, sees potential in others, even when they don't see it in themselves. I asked Dana Sneed one time what was her favorite characteristic about Brother Jeff, and she answered without hesitating, he sees the ability in other people that no one else, including those people, see.

That's an overseer. Not to see where Richard or Justin or Lana is now, but where they will be five years from now. And who they will be impacting five years from now. An overseer needs to be able to see how Justin is gonna influence Maria, or how Tara is gonna be able to help Elena five years from now.

To see that potential in others and make it reality, even when they don't see it themselves. The song Hunter sang in the operatory, I've told you about before, is my favorite song of all time. It's called Canvas and Clay.

Go home and read the lyrics again, please. We are all a lump of clay that God is molding to whatever he see fits. So I wanna be the most moldable clay possible. And I wanna show you how to do that for yourself in your life.

How to be the most moldable piece of clay possible for God to mold in whatever he sees fit. We've seen it, right? Where the potter presses a little pedal and spins a little table. I don't know the real name for it.

It spins a little table. Yeah, the potter's wheel, that's what I said. And it's spinning it, right? The potter can form it into whatever shape he sees fit. That's us. I wanna be that lump of clay. Let him mold me whatever he wants.

And know that not one part of it has been wasted. A pastor is an example setter. Paul said it twice, most notably in 1 Corinthians 11. He told the church at Corinth, you can follow me because I'm following Jesus.

Think about that sentence. In some sense, it makes me afraid. You follow me because I'm following Jesus. By the way, every man, every leader of his household should be able to say that to his whole household.

You can follow me because I'm following Jesus. Every parent should be able to say that to your child. And just like when a household is not in order, the Lord first speaks to the husband like he did with Adam.

When a church is not in order, as John did in Revelation, he wrote to the pastor first. Hey man, what is going on? A pastor does have to correct. If you remember one of those seven churches in Revelation, I believe it's chapter four, what John had against them was not what they taught, but that they tolerated sin and didn't speak truth against it.

A pastor should be the number one truth speaker no matter who wants to hear it. 1 Peter 2 .25 says that Jesus is the great shepherd and overseer. Just like Jesus calls himself the good shepherd in John chapter 10, he has left his church in the hands of under shepherds.

And the great shepherd will come to collect his sheep one day and judge the pastor on what he did with the flock God left him in charge of. Pastor and the words he speaks and the way he lives his life should so emulate Christ that every person should be able to follow him as an example in whatever path of life they're on.

Last week when brother Tim was reading the whole piece of paper I gave him and word for word. And then he read from 1 Timothy and Titus, which I printed off about six months ago and I've been reading every day and it's on my fridge.

I look at these characteristics and I'm like, okay, I'm good there, I'm good there. And then I come across ones like, ooh, I don't know about that one. I've got to work on that one, right? A pastor should be able as verse 28 says to pay careful attention to himself so that he can pay careful attention to the rest of the flock of God.

A pastor has to be in right stead with God. A pastor has to have his own heart and right mind so that he's able to lead others. And I promise to do that. It's not that I'm gonna tell you that I may fail.

It's that I'm telling you that I am going to. I'm going to. But the righteous man gets up eight times and whenever I fall, I'm gonna repent, I'm gonna get back on the horse and I'm gonna keep on moving.

And I promise that for every ounce of my being, with every effort I have, with every love I have in my heart that I will try to be those things for the people of God. And I promise that. I promise to love God's people.

I promise to love God more than I love anything and the way to do that is to show that love to his people. He told his disciples, the world will know you're my disciples by the way you love one another.

And I have raised that standard now even more for myself. Love tells the truth always. Love tells the truth. Love sets an example. Love consoles, comfort, teaches and exhorts. I love you all very much.

And I pray that when I said that, the people in this room already knew that because I've already been shown that. Years ago when I was preaching and I'm gonna end with this brother Hunter, you can come up here.

I preached a sermon and I got done. I believe it was Ms. Doris, but I can't remember precisely. She said, Josiah, I can't do her voice, but that was beautiful. And today I call you preacher, but one day I believe I'll call you pastor.

And I kind of scoffed and I said, okay, Ms. Doris, thank you. She was right. My job is to recognize that a preacher is about 5 of the job of a pastor. I promise to be transparent and open, sharing my struggles and to be able to help anyone in this room, however they need.

Goddess, I love you all very much. And to sum it all up, I promise to show that love every day the best I can to each one of you individually.