“LOOKING TO JESUS!”

Hebrews 12:1-2                                        (ESV)

“1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2 “LOOKING TO JESUS”, the founder and perfecter of our faith, WHO for the joy that was set before HIM endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of GOD.”

There was a post on a social media site recently by a former pastor of a “mega church” which said “Pastors of our local churches need your support, prayer, and encouragement. Anyone can point out a weakness and criticize. Choose to rise above the pettiness in our day and believe in the man of God who leads your church.”  While supporting your pastor cannot be overemphasized, and I might be guilty of “pointing out a weaknesses and criticizing”, the aforementioned statement could be SEEN as leading people through humans instead of being led by THE SPIRIT OF GOD?  

The modern church doesn’t fully understand the Spiritual Warfare that pastors are involved in today.  While it is true that even some pastors don’t recognize the degree of assault they are under, lay people are generally so caught up in their own lives and problems that we sometimes can’t SEE the load that some men of GOD are under.  Suicides by ministers are increasingly in the news.  We expect ministers to be “above the fray” and not be subjected to the pressures of life?  

True Pastors are “called”, or set aside, by GOD.  But that doesn’t mean that they are without flaws or sin.  In Acts 17:11 Scripture states that “Now these Jews (at Berea) were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”  They examined the Scriptures daily and allowed the HOLY SPIRIT to guide their lives, NOT trusted the pastor of “interpret” Scripture for them.  Hebrews 4:12 records “For THE WORD OF GOD is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Scripture doesn’t say that the priest, rabbi, minister, or preacher discern your thoughts and intentions of the heart!! 

Why have we misplaced so much trust in what we have heard all our lives from pulpits?  Could it be that we are TOO COMFORTABLE to sit in our padded pews in our air conditioned sanctuaries and AVOIDING the enemy AT ALL COSTS that we are too weak when the heat is turned up?  We definitely need to PRAY FOR and support our pastors!  But we DON’T need to believe in the man of GOD.  Rather, we need to BELIEVE IN GOD while we are “LOOKING TO JESUS” to guide and direct us!  Mature and take some of the pressure off of him and continue “LOOKING TO JESUS”!!!