Tag: minister

Passive Prayer

Carl Pollard

Far too often we believe (or act) as though once we pray about something, we don’t have to do anything more. It’s almost as if we see devotion to God and helping others as being mutually exclusive. We will pray for someone who is hurting, sick, or hungry and then do nothing more. Jesus prayed often, for long periods of time, but He was never passive. He didn’t separate faith from action. Jesus would pray, then heal. He believed, then acted. He would preach, then live what He taught. 

Why do we think it would be any different? 

Could it be that we are the answer to our prayers more often than we realize? Maybe we are the ones to comfort those who are mourning. Maybe we are the ones who are supposed to feed the hungry. Maybe we are the ones who need to study with the lost. 

It’s important we pray for others, but we cannot be passive and expect our prayers to be answered. 

Jesus warned against being passive. 

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus is teaching about the final judgment we will all face in the end. 

Notice how Jesus rejects those who aren’t concerned for the physical well-being of others. He will have nothing to do with Christians who fail to have an active prayer life. Verses 33-40 say, “And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” 

A prayer by itself won’t clothe someone. 

Prayer by itself won’t fill an empty stomach

A prayer with no action will never give someone a drink. Jesus accepts those who DO SOMETHING. Prayer should open our eyes to the needs of those around us. If we have a say in the matter, if we have the ability to change someone’s circumstances WE ARE THE ANSWER TO OUR PRAYERS. 

Then, in verses 41-46, Jesus says, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”“

Jesus will reject a spirituality that is not concerned for the tangible needs of those around us. People matter to God, so much so that our eternity depends on how we care for anyone we may meet. Don’t get me wrong, God expects us to pray for others (Jesus’ example of prayer included praying for our enemies and those we love), but He also expects us to be His hands and feet. 

James 2:14-17 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Unfortunately, we often use prayer as a substitute for action. In fact, it sounds so spiritual to say that we will pray about it; but highly hypocritical to have the tools and resources to do something about it but not act. Wives, how would you feel if you went to your husbands and asked them to put together that piece of furniture you bought from the store and they answered by saying, “I’ll be praying about it.” Maybe you need the oil changed on your car and they say, “I’ll definitely be praying that gets taken care of.” How frustrating would that be? 

At some point our prayers should open our eyes to the works we should be doing!

Like Jesus, we should pray as though it all depended on God, but act responsibly and obediently as though it all depended on us.

He prayed over big decisions, then did something. In His prayers, He was never passive. We would do well to imitate His example! 

How We Know Jesus Is Better (from Hebrews)

Gary Pollard

Old System — Priest had to make a sacrifice for himself first, because he’s fallible, too. 

New System — Jesus was a perfect sacrifice; he never made a mistake. 

Old System — Priest was mortal, so his viewpoint was confined to his lifespan, altitude, and number of people he knew. 

New System — Jesus came from an all-knowing, immortal father. His perspective spans all of time, and he has a bird’s-eye view of all of earth. 

Old System — Priest had to bring blood that didn’t belong to him. In fact, it was just the blood of an animal. That wasn’t enough to forgive everyone’s mistakes! 

New System — Jesus brought his own blood, which has enough power to forgive anyone who seeks him. 

Old System — Priest had to make sacrifices constantly, both on a regular schedule, and whenever someone brought a sin offering. 

New System — Jesus made one sacrifice, which was and remains all we need. 

Old System — Priest could only enter the most special place one time per year. 

New System — Jesus lives to enter the father’s presence every single time we pray. 

Old System — No sin could really be forgiven, and every sin required restitution. 

New System — Our sins are completely forgiven, and Jesus keeps us pure with his own blood. 

We might take this new system for granted, but our king Jesus is the most perfect high priest. We will live forever because of what he’s done (and continues to do) for us! 

The Local Preacher (Part 2)

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog 

Carl Pollard

Acts 20:18 says, “And when they came to him, he said to them ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia…” The apostle Paul gave of his time to the church. If a preacher doesn’t give his time to the church, then he is doomed to fail the congregation. 

What is a preacher that does not give of himself? First he is selfish, and secondly he is not treating the Bride of Christ with the respect and care needed. Notice that Paul says “the whole time,” not just “most of the time” or “some of the time.” Paul was fully devoted to those in Ephesus. He was a man that was church-minded. This was a man that showed focus, and likewise we must show this focus and determination to make the church as strong as it can be. A proficient preacher proffers personal time for others. It takes a selfless person to give up time for the brethren. 

Paul uses the Greek word epistamai which means “to acquire information about something, know, be acquainted with” (BDAG 380). Paul knew for certain that the elders knew who he truly was. The same must be true for the preacher and the congregation. So what does this mean? This means as ministers we must be transparent. The elders should know what we are doing to help build and strengthen the church, and so should the members. 

When it is all boiled down we see that a minister, in the most simplistic of terms, is to be a servant. He should be a servant of others in the church, and most of all he should be a servant of God. If the preacher is not a servant and is not setting that example then how are the other members in the congregation supposed to look up to him and follow him? Will they be servants? Most likely they will follow the example of the minister. We, as ministers, in many cases set the standard. We can inspire, or we can harm the church. One thing we should never forget is that our influence and example can be some of our best tools. Are we excited about God’s word and work? We should be showing that and lighting the fires of every member in the church. 

Work Cited: 

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, edited by Frederick W. Danker, et. al., Third Edition, U of Chicago Press, 2000. Logos Bible Software, 13.0, Faithlife Corp, 2022.

The Local Preacher (Part One)

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog

Carl Pollard

When taking a look at the book of Acts, many insights can be found about the church. From the Lord’s supper to the appointing of elders, there are many things that can be learned about the Lord’s Church and how it should act. Today there are far too many churches that have left and strayed away from the original design. Since we have one Bible, there should be one church. Out of the many things that can be learned from Acts, one of the most prominent aspects seen is the local preacher in a congregation and how he should behave. 

Today when we look in the denominational world, we see the preachers as a sort of leader in the church. The names given to preachers can sometimes be misleading. But the preacher has a very significant job, and hopefully by the end of this article series we will see that the minister is not too different from the member of the body. He is one that proclaims the word. His main job is to be an example and one who can take the word of God and turn it into something that God’s people can learn, and then apply to their christian walks. By looking at the examples given in Acts about the local preacher, we are able to answer quite a few questions. 

Probably the chapter that contains the majority of these insights is chapter 20, specifically verses 17 through 38. These articles will be an in depth study on this section of Acts, and how it applies to a preacher in a local congregation. 

Acts 20:17, “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.” Notice that Paul met with the Elders of the church at Ephesus. The word for elder here is the word presbuteros, and we know that this is in reference to those who held the office of elders, and were not just older men. We see this in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6ff. 

To be a successful local preacher it is vital to talk to, and build a relationship with the elders of the congregation. Elders play an extremely vital role in churches, and to be an effective minister we must make sure that there is a healthy relationship between the elders and the preacher. Paul set the example, and now we follow what he has set. It makes sense. The elders are the leaders of the congregation and if the preacher is leading in a way other than what the elders have asked then how will the members react? The preacher must be one that uplifts and submits to the authority of the eldership. Paul was a great man. He had given up so much for the gospel yet even he submits himself under the elders. God knew what He was doing when He designed the church, so it is no wonder that many denominations fall away from the original design, and then run into many issues. 

The local preacher is a member, therefore he must submit to the oversight and leadership of the elders.