Insights Into Pastoral Ministry

What this episode covers

Blank Outline Filled In Outline Colossians 1:24 – 2:5 Scroll to 33:20 for beginning of sermon Colossians 1:29 – 2:5 This is Colossians chapter 2 and we’re going to read the first five verses from Paul to the church at Colossae. Here’s what he writes, I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for all those that lay out of Sea and for all who have not met me personally. My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart, united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments, for though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. Well, we are going through the book of Colossians. We’re going section by section, verse by verse. This morning we’re going to be in Colossians chapter 2 and the first five verses. But what I’d like to do, just to kind of get us thinking again of the context, to remind you that Paul’s writing from prison. Paul’s in Rome and he’s under house arrest. He’s awaiting trial. He doesn’t know if he’s going to live or die. And he gets a visitor. The visitor is Epaphras, who’s the pastor of the church at Colossae, 1300 miles away. Probably took him three months to travel to see the apostle, Paul. What drove him there is that he was concerned about the church. He was concerned about some false teachers that were teaching the wrong way of salvation, that were teaching that Jesus is not who Jesus is. And so, Paul writes this letter to correct their thinking, their doctrine on who Jesus is and the way of salvation, and to encourage these new believers. Paul’s writing to people that he’s never met before. Paul’s not visited the church at Colossae, but he’s still praying for them and encouraging them. Insights into Pastoral Ministry And so, this morning in these five or six verses we want to look at this morning, I’ve entitled this Insights into Pastoral Ministry. Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be a pastor? Some of you maybe have. Our oldest of eight grandchildren, Shane, he’s just turned 13 and he comes to Awana and Youth Group here on Wednesdays. And a couple weeks ago he asked me, he says, like, Grandpa, like, how do you get paid as a pastor? How does this work? I said, well, people put money in an offering plate, and that’s how we pay our light bill, our insurance bill. That’s how we support, actually we’re supporting 14 missionary families, not their total support, but supporting 14 missionary families, and the pastor gets paid out of that. Oh, so he’s trying to put it together. Quite frankly, there’s a lot of misconceptions about the life of a pastor, and we’re going to get some insight here from Colossians chapter 2, but I feel like I probably have some unique insight because I grew up in a pastor’s home. My dad was in the ministry for 60 years, pastoring churches, and he traveled to a lot of mission fields and encouraging missionaries. And then I’ve been in pastoral ministry, this is year number 46. So, I think I’ve got a little bit of insight into what pastoral ministry is all about. Now, here’s what I remember from growing up in a pastor’s home, and of course, this is a long time ago, this is like 60 years ago, but I remember this is back when church schedules, it was almost like the more times you came to church, the more spiritual you were. We were at church all the time. Of course, I had to be there because we’re the pastor’s family. We were there Sunday morning, then in the afternoon we had something called training union, and that was like at 4:30. Then we had a service in the evening, and then we had a Wednesday night service and other activities. I remember my dad being gone a lot. You know, Sunday was a busy day. He g

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