OUTLINE:

Honoring All Authority
Wisdom tells us to honor authority and it will be well with us. Honor divine authority and you will be blessed. And all authority is ultimately from God. Rom 13:1-7

Honoring All Authority
Even though the flesh kicks against this, those who submit to the Word (Jesus Christ), and His Spirit, are comforted by His authority, and by all authority being from God. God will even use unfair authorities for our ultimate benefit, if we humble ourselves before them.

Stability in the Basics
We are here to master the basic truths of God's magnificent plan. They are not complex and difficult. They are truly simple and pure, and that's what makes them so wonderful.

Stability in the Basics
The foundation just keeps getting deeper and thicker and stronger, so we feel the solid rock, Jesus Christ, under our feet, and we fear less and receive His peace more and more.

Jesus Christ Is the Word
The Holy Bible is the very mind of Christ, the Word of God, the Son Himself (Jn 1:14). We must treat the Word as we would treat Jesus Christ in the flesh, as the ultimate authority in our lives. Pastors derive all leadership authority from the Word.

Matt 28:18
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

The Gospel
Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, humbled Himself to die on our behalf. Thus He became the sinless sacrifice to pay the penalty of our guilt. He rose from the dead to declare with power that He is Lord over all, and He offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith.

The Great Shepherd
Jesus Christ is our Great Shepherd. He is the One who ultimately leads His flock. Since He is now seated at the right hand of His Father in Heaven, He has anointed individual undershepherds to carry on His work on earth.


All Authority
This means that any man who exercises authority/oversight over a congregation of sheep has been delegated that authority from the Great Shepherd, Himself, Jesus Christ. This also means that any exercise of authority must be consistent with the will of Jesus.

Deu 4:2
You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

All Pastors Are Servants of the Word
In order to serve honorably under the Great Shepherd, an undershepherd must serve the Word - he must both submit to its authority and teach from that authority, as the bedrock of his ministry. Above all, pastors must be humble servants.

So, You Think You’re a Pastor?
The greatest way to lead is to first learn how to follow. In fact, our great example, Jesus Christ, was subservient to His Father’s plan. If you think you may have the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher, then submit yourself to the Word. Commit yourself with the same fervency of those who have preceded you, starting with Jesus.

The Fruit of Obedience
The peace and love Jesus shared with God the Father is insurmountable and wonderfully unexplainable. That all happened, in His humanity, because He was 100% pure in unwavering obedience to the Father's plan.

The Key To Shepherding
The key to becoming a pastor is simple. God chooses you. If He chooses you, He appoints you. If He appoints you, He provides you with all the necessary abilities, by grace, to perform your duties as unto the Lord. These duties will reflect the heart of Christ towards His own sheep.

A Shepherd’s Love
From a sheep’s perspective, the pastor must be, above all, loving. He must exhibit the same love that Christ did and the same love that Christ instructed Peter to have for His sheep.

A Shepherd’s Love
The greatest example a pastor can ever give is to be loving. His love must be unconditional the way Jesus’ was. A pastor’s love must be an abiding love.

A Shepherd’s Love
If love is the motivation, then keeping His commandments is the manifestation. A pastor’s greatest example is in keeping the law of God - that is to say that through love, a pastor abides in His commands, including the ones specifically meant for pastors alone.

The Pastor’s Example
A pastor must remember at all times that the sheep are commanded to submit to his authority and even imitate his faith! He must never take his commission lightly, for if he does, he may be the cause for stumbling in others.

Spiritual Gifts
It’s not what you call your spiritual gift…
…it is whether or not you accept your calling.

Spiritual Continuity
Only God knows exactly how the Body of Christ best works together; therefore, ONLY God can decide rightly!

Ill-Fated Rescue Missions
As soon as man decides that God needs his help, he is at risk of putting his nose where it doesn't belong. God has accomplished His will just fine for millennia without your "help". Do not let human rationalism influence your spiritual gift(s) or how you exercise it/them.

“common good”
Man may perceive common good, but he cannot author it. How can he, given his limited knowledge compared to the omniscient God of the Universe??? God causes all things to work together for good, not man (Ro 8:28). Human rationalism has no place in "common good".

“just as He wills”
God wills, plans, chooses, and enables all spiritual gifts. Man cannot do these things righteously. The beauty is that if God wills it, it will be done. Our attitude must mirror Jesus', which manifests "Your will be done" (Mt 6:10; 26:42).”

Regarding Honor
No spiritual gift is better than another. In fact, we are all servants of Christ, not ourselves. Our thoughts must be to obey, by faith, God’s will, no matter what!

2Co 9:7
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.