1 Series: Called to Commit “The Church and Its Ministers” 1 Peter 5:1-5 Today we continue in the second week of our sermon series “Called to Commit.” Throughout this series we are looking at the importance of the church and our commitment to it. Last week I asked you to consider two questions: 1) Are you committed to Christ? 2) Are you committed to His church? Many have a difficult time defining or describing a church. Some identify a church by their location or meeting place. Others identify a church by their noted behavior or works in a community. Some identify a church by their specific beliefs or creeds. There are many ways that a person may define or describe a church, but according to Scripture, a “church” is simply “an assembly of called out ones.” In other words, the church is not a building, but a body of people who have been called out from darkness into light, out of sin into salvation. The church is made up of all those who have believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There are, however, two components of this church. First, there is the Larger Church. Some call this is the universal church because it is comprised of every person from every generation from every nation who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation. As a believer, at salvation you became a part of the Larger Church simply through faith in Christ. The Larger Church is not visible to us. Yes, we can meet members of this Larger Church as we meet believers here and there, but we can’t see them all because we can’t be in all places at all times. Additionally, many of these believers have already died and are in heaven with the Lord. The second component is a local church. The local church is described as a local body of believers that covenant together in mission, discipleship, and fellowship. The local church can be clearly seen and identified through our mutual commitment to the Lord and to one another. There are many who don’t understand the importance of both components. In fact, some even argue that they see no point in committing to a local church because they are already a part of the Larger Church. However, many of the commands, instructions, and exhortations that God gives to believers have a direct correlation to the local church. HB Charles, Jr. said it well, “You are not on a biblical path to spiritual growth if you are not a participating member of a local church.” Unfortunately for many, we have allowed our cultural trends to even affect the way that we view the church. Our culture has become so self-focused that it is easy to live our lives only doing the things that we prefer or want to do. Burger King introduced the motto years ago, “Have it your way.” The slogan was catchy and effective and became a catalyst for us having our way in just about everything. When Netflix began years ago, you would make some selections in a catalogue and you would wait a few days to receive your movie, but you didn’t know which of your selections would actually arrive. My how things have changed. Today, you can go the menu on your tv or your computer and instantly select from thousands of options. Whatever you want, you can get it. We go to Amazon to select items for purchase. We not only find what we are looking for, but we see it in a 100 models, colors, and accessories. In other words, they are communicating, “You can have what you want.” I told you at Christmas time about a music app I installed on my phone. I was amazed at how I could literally pick any song from any artist and set up my own 2 playlist, my own exact order, etc. It was how I wanted it to be. While that is great for a music app or a television service, sadly, for many Christians, we have begun to approach the church in the same way. We look at the church as if it exists for our pleasure, our preferences, and our wants. However, I believe we see from God’s Word that the church exists for the glory of One and only One – the Lord Jesus Christ. We are His Church. So, how should we respond to His church? How should we respond to the local church? I believe we should respond in the same way that He did. He committed Himself and gave Himself completely up for her. Through this series and through His Word I believe that God is calling us to do the same. Show Text You may be wondering this morning why we are studying this topic. Perhaps you aren’t called to be a pastor, perhaps it is of little interest to you today, or perhaps you just don’t see the importance. However, I think it is vitally important to understand that Christ’s commitment to the church wasn’t a stand-alone action. His example was calling us to do the same, and we see that first in the calling of the ministers who serve the local church. God has a plan for the church which begins with Christ as the head, but next God points us to the role of the pastors. This is important for the purpose of accountability. As pastors we need to be reminded of our calling and we must regularly examine our lives to make sure that we aren’t disqualified from the task. This is also important so that we have Biblical expectations. As a pastor of 17 years, I have seen people leave a church over some interesting things. The pastor(s) are the most common target for such actions: “He preaches too long, he didn’t visit me in the hospital, he didn’t approve of my new relationship, he didn’t take my call while he was on vacation, he wasn’t practical enough, he was too deep, he wasn’t vulnerable enough, he’s too polished in his speaking, he didn’t write a note on my birthday, he didn’t comment on my Facebook post, etc.” Of course, you can imagine that there were deeper heart issues in each case, but there is a significant problem with each of these things. Nowhere in Scripture does it say that a pastor is called by God to do any of these things. In each case, people had an expectation based upon their own unbiblical understanding or their own selfish desires. Finally, this is important because we need a Biblical understanding of the role of a pastor. This will help each of us to know our part in the body and encourage us to walk in love and unity together. It is also helpful because God will call some of you away. How do you know what to look for in a church or a pastor when you move to your new place? Should you go with your gut or with what the Bible says? What does God say is important in a pastor? From our text I want us to see five main truths about the pastor: I. The Calling of a Pastor (vs. 1-2a) It is important for us to understand Who a minister gets his calling from and what he is called. It is common for a church to look at its pastor as if they are the ones who called him to serve. There are also times that someone grows up within a ministry and feels led to serve the Lord as a pastor. That person is ministered to, mentored, and perhaps even ordained. It is easy for a church, and at times even a leader, to feel that they have called an individual into ministry. However, this is a great disservice to the Lord. It is only God who calls out His servants to become a minister of the Gospel. A minister may be influenced and impacted by the faithful ministry of a leader, he may be affirmed and appointed by the congregation, but his calling is from God and God alone. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says it simply, “ For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not 3 many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” In other words, a man’s calling is from God and it isn’t based upon our ability or knowledge, but simply only the will of God. We must understand that it is God who calls a man to serve as a pastor, but we must also understand what He calls him. God gives him a specific term, “elder.” The word implies a sense of spiritual maturity. The word “elder” is also synonymous with other key words such as “bishop” and “overseer”. In fact, the words are used interchangeably to describe the same role or office within a local church. In each case, the term is used in reference to one who leads. It is God who calls a minister for the purpose of leading within the local church.