I can't be your everything
That's right I said it. Because no one else will say it.
The problem today is that we have put men in the place where Christ is seated. God never called any man to take the seat as lord over your life. The lord of your life is either God or the Devil.
Why Should Jesus Be Lord of Your Life?
Jesus Is Our Savior. Sin is disobedience to God's law ( 1 John 3:4 ). Note how Jesus saves people. All of us deserve...
Jesus Is the Divine Son of God. The Father said about Jesus, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ...
Jesus Will Be Our Judge.. Jesus will someday come again and judge all people. Jesus'...
No Man can provide you with what Christ died for.
What Does the Bible Say About Make Jesus Lord Of Life? Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
However today so many govern the body of Christ as if it was there life that gives life and that you pledge your allegiance to them. Farther from the truth.
Can anyone other that Christ do this?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9 Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 1:4 And was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Why am I saying these things. Because Jesus often said Lovest me more than these?
Some say the phrase “more than these” refers to the other disciples. In other words, they have Jesus asking Peter, “Do you love Me more than these other disciples love Me?” After all, they say, Peter had claimed that no matter what others would do, he would always be loyal to Jesus (Matthew 26:33)
“Simon, son of John,” Jesus asked him, “do you love me more than these?” (Jn 21:15) Perhaps Peter did not immediately recognize the reference to the three Captains, each with their 50 men, in the 153 sent to retrieve Elijah by the evil king. Maybe he began to remember as Jesus continued to ask Him two more times, “Do you love me?”
Who do we put our trust in? I know we have leaders that we love and respect however if you have more allegiance and respect in them than Christ. You will find yourself in error. The reason is because you will look to them verses to scripture through the Holy Spirit.
I submit to you beloved in the lord that you... Matthew 17:5 - While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Beloved" means to be greatly loved. No one can love us like God. He is love. God spoke the world into existence with love. Jesus is the greatest expression of God’s love for us, so that His great love can live in us. We are His beloved children, undeserving of His love yet chosen to receive it.
When the world attempts to squeeze and isolate us, we can push back with these verses. We can remember them and transform them into an anthem in our minds. Through Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit lives in us to interpret and apply the truth. Let’s pray today for hearts open to hear and eyes open to see that His love is alive and active. His Word reminds us who we are: beloved, purposed and cherished children of the one true God.
God is our strength and our refuge, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
2. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
3. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24
4. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31:3
5. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8
Now let me admonish you what not to do in regards to leaders in the Church.
Unfortunately, some people have unrealistic expectations about what their pastors can do. In fact, they think the leader of their church can do everything all the time. They mistake their pastor to be like God by being omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent.
Even though pastors are very busy and do a lot of things for their congregation and the community, there are many things they just cannot do. They might serve diligently Sunday after Sunday and Wednesday nights, but they are only humans and should not be expected to do everything. After all, they are not superheroes or magicians. They are humans like the people they serve
Listed below are 25 things that pastors cannot do. Most of them, they shouldn't do even if they could.
Know Everything
Pastors might know a lot. However, they do not know everything. Parishioners should read their Bibles and not leave it up to hearing a one-hour sermon once a week. Most pastors do a lot of studying, but that does not mean that others can't study the Bible who have not been called to preach.
Everyone is commanded to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," according to 2 Timothy 2:15.
Do Everything
The leader of a church might be versatile and can do many times. In fact, people might look at him and think he is the "jack of all trade" but the rest of the saying is "and master of none." Do not rely on your pastor to do for you what you can do for yourself.
It is a terrible mistake to think just because someone is a pastor, he is effective in everything he does. It is a worse mistake for the pastor himself to believe that he can do everything.
Be Everywhere
God can be everywhere at all times because He is omnipresent. Your pastor is not. It is wrong to think your pastor can and will be with you every time you request his presence. After all, you are not the only member of the church.
Read Minds
Many church members hold pastors accountable for unrealistic expectations. They think the pastors should discern when some is wrong with them. The pastor can't read minds and know what is happening in your life unless you confide in him.
Remember Everything
Have you ever told your pastor something and he did not act upon it? Perhaps he forgot. He cannot remember everything. Don't feel bad if he asks you to refresh his memory.
Be God
Your pastor cannot be God. Even though he is in the position to be the head of the church, he cannot be God and should never try to take the place of God. Some people think highly of their pastor, and they should.
Pastors should discourage anyone who put them on God's throne. God is a jealous God and has said, "Thou shall have no other gods before me" (Deuteronomy 5:7).
Change Hearts
Your pastor can preach his best sermons. You can listen to them year after year, but if your heart is hardened, it will not make a difference. Your pastor cannot change your heart. Only God can do that when you are open for that to happen.
Please Everybody
Even Jesus could not please everybody, so do not expect your pastor to do so. He cannot please everybody with every sermon he preaches. If you pay attention to the sermon and meditate on it after the preacher gives the benediction, you will probably be pleased with what comes to mind.
Live A Sinless Life
"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," according to Romans 3:23. That includes your pastor. He is like the rest of us. We all sin.
Pastors don't live a sinless life. They do not dot every "i" and cross ever "t" all the time. Pray for them as they hopefully pray for you.
Make Churches Grow
Some pastors favor large churches and they want the church they are pastoring to grow. When that doesn't happen, they are willing to leave to go to a larger church.
No matter what pastors do and no matter how many Sunday afternoon programs they have, only God can make a church grow with people and finances.
Avoid Mistakes
Pastors make mistakes just like laypeople do. Everyone will mess up. Most of the time, it is unintentionally and unknowingly. Don't expect your pastor to be perfect because he is not.
Avoid Favoritism
It would be good if pastors could avoid favoritism, but they cannot. They will have favorites and friends in the church because it is natural.
Most pastors have members of the congregation who become "flavor of the month." That is a dangerous habit because someone has to be kicked to the curve to make room for a new flavor during other months.
Share Everything
Pastors are not required to tell the congregation everything. They can be transparent about some things, but Jesus did not reveal everything to His disciples because they were not at the point where they could receive the news.
Sometimes pastors tell things that leave members of the church and visitors baffled. Pastors should not be so willing to tell confidential information about others from the pulpit or in private conversations.
Ignore Sin
Pastors cannot ignore sin and continue to be a good pastor. He must address sin even though that's not a popular subject. If he recognizes someone in his congregation has a lifestyle of sin, the pastor should not ignore it. It is like that one bad apple that spoils the whole bunch.
First Corinthians 5:1-13 makes it clear what happens when sin runs rampant in a church. A man was guilty of fornication with his father's wife. He was put out of the church. After he changed his lifestyle of sin and repented, he was forgiven and reinstated into the church (Second Corinthians 2:5-11).
Empower You
A pastor of a church can preach, teach, and pray with others. People need to do what the Bible says to encourage themselves and live under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The empowerment of a person must come from God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are the Trinity that does not include pastors.
Erase Anybody's Sins
Surely pastors can forgive someone for things they have done. However, no pastor can erase sins. Only God can do that.
God can create in people a clean heart and renew a right spirit within them (Psalm 51:10). Pastors are not equipped to do that.
Make Money Come To People
Many pastors preach prosperity and give congregants false hope that money will fall into their lap. They find it easy to preach that God will give them a financial blessing no matter what. Pastors cannot make money come to people. What they should do is to preach God's principles instead of promising something on behalf of God.
Force People To Be Like Them
Pastors cannot expect people to be exactly like they are. They can preach and teach them to live righteously, but everybody has free will. Being the exact replica of one's pastor is unhealthy and not according to the word of God.
Monitor People
Pastors see members of their congregation only a few hours each week. Therefore they don't really know what is going on after the church doors are closed on Sundays after the worship service and on Wednesday night after Bible Study is over.
Pastors cannot and should not monitor people on a daily basis, but it would be wise to do what some country preachers do in small churches. They are with members of families throughout their rites of passages from birth to baptism to weddings.
Understand Everyone
The congregation is made up of various people with different personalities and attitudes. Pastors might want to, but they can’t understand everyone.
What the pastor can do is try to get to know those he serves. He does a disservice to those he preaches to if he doesn't know what their needs are.
Force Everybody to See Things Their Way
Pastors can be wrong and should be adult enough to admit it and make corrections. Many times they might mean to say one thing but make a mistake and say something else in their sermons.
Calling James when he means to say John is just an honest mistake that can be easily forgiven. However, when the pastor makes the same mistake Sunday after Sunday about a doctrine that can cause someone to stray, he should acknowledge it as soon as possible and make the correction.
Impart to Congregation What They Don't Have
People in the congregation can only go only as far as the pastor can lead them. If the pastor is deficient in his knowledge, obligations, responsibilities and obedience, the people's spiritual growth will be stunted.
No pastor can impart into or pass on to the congregation what he himself does not have.
Pastor Must Teach the word of God and most important teach congregation to study to show themselves approved unto God.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Remind the believers of these things, charging them before God to avoid quarreling over words, which succeeds only in leading the listeners to ruin.
Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth. But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,…