Your life should be more than a flurry of activity. You were meant to produce spiritual fruit. Paul uses the imagery of fruit trees to illustrate this. What you want out of a fruit tree is fruit. In the Christian life what we want is spiritual fruit.

Wouldn’t it be great if every time that you received a harsh criticism you returned it with a response of kindness? That is what it is like for the believer who has the fruit of the Spirit manifested in their life.

Wouldn’t it be great the next time you are wronged, instead of rage your response was patience? On top of that you experienced a sense of joy in your life even during the time you were wronged.

What if the next time you faced uncertainty instead of agitation and inward churning you had a sense of peace. We may not see much of this, but it is what we desperately need. Nothing will take your life of disorder and replace it with a sense satisfaction and harmony than when the Holy Spirit is working, bearing spiritual fruit in your life. The answer lies right here in this passage of scripture on spiritual fruit.

Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

When rightly applied everything you do will have meaning and purpose. The spiritual fruit of love, joy, and peace will be characteristics that fill your inward being. Patience, kindness and goodness will characterize your relationship with others. These inward and outward characteristics are the result of God’s Holy Spirit at work in you. You can experience a spiritual Cinderella story. A spiritual transformation that takes you from spiritual rags to abundant spiritual riches.

Spiritual fruit is different than a spiritual gift. When you come to Christ God gives you one or more gifts to use in the body of Christ. You are unique. God has gifted you in a special way. Not everybody has every gift. But the fruit of the Spirit should be manifested in every life.

Can you visualize it? Can you see your life bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit? Can you just imagine what your life would be like if the Holy Spirit really manifested His work in every area of your life? Everywhere you went you would be a source of God’s presence.

At a family gathering you would really be able to love your relatives. You conversations would leave other family members with a desire to know the Lord. This is when people movements happen along family lines. When love, joy and peace are produced through you your marriage will be a blessing to you and your spouse. You love with a deep love of the Lord.

The routine things at the barber shop or hair salon and a visit to the dentist or doctor office will become opportunities that change people’s lives because you will witness about Christ. Talking about Jesus will be flowing from you. That is what the Holy Spirit does, magnify Christ.

The People who see you at work day in and day out will notice there is something different about you. They will see you and they will wonder why you are different. When the opportunity arises they will seek you out and ask you why. They have seen your life so that makes your spoken explanation of the gospel powerful.

It happens and it could happen to you. This is what God desires in your life. This is what is available to you. You ask, how do I get that kind of victory? What must I do to have that kind of triumph?

Following the verse on the fruit of the spirit we find a step by step way to experience this fruit. There is a simple application to make this life lifestyle change available right now.

We must start by crucifying the sinful nature. This is another way to say repentance.

Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

We nail the sinful nature to the cross. Yes, your sinful nature was delivered a death blow when you came to Christ. But just a reminder that Jesus gave Satan a death blow when he went to the cross and rose again, but Satan still wreaks havoc. He still kills and steals and destroys.

The sinful nature is still a part of you until you are in heaven. Yes when we become a Christian we nail the sinful nature to the cross. But as it has been expressed, we try to take it down again.

We need to nail our sinful nature to the cross where it belongs. It is a beautiful word picture of real repentance. We are grieved when we think or do something that goes against Christ. We acknowledge it and turn from it as an act of the will.

Our lives are to be a living sacrifice. The problem of a living sacrifice is that it crawls off the altar. We deal over and over with the sinful nature that is the description in Galatians 5:15-16

Those who want the fruit of the Spirit must consciously crucify the sinful nature. This is our true repentance before God. What grieves God grieves you. It is a U-turn, an about face.

We are instructed to keep in Step with the Holy Spirit (Faith) Galatians 5:25. This would be a great life verse. We make a fresh faith commitment to Christ.

Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

We must order our lives by the leadership of the Holy Spirit. If you walk with somebody in step you don’t run ahead and you don’t lag behind. God’s purpose runs through history and we are called to keep in step.

There are plenty of illustrations of those who are out of step. One of them is Peter drawing his sword in Gethsemane. You can spend time praying that God will order your steps. When you are in step with God you will accomplish more. Ask the Lord to order your steps. Walk in harmony with God’s purpose and plan. This is faith.

We are to avoid conceit, pride, provoking and envying. We must stop these to avoid getting off track. Nail your sinful nature to the cross and keep in step with the Spirit. Your life will be exciting. You will find God will use you.

Like a stranger in a foreign land
Leave your country, your people
Called to go to a place, by faith
Wherever you go you have the Lord’s hand

Abraham obeyed and went
Sojourned as a stranger
As a foreigner in a strange country
Knowing not where he would go, or what would be the danger

He lived in tents
Only passing through
Looking forward to the City of God
He was fixed on a promise that is true

Go and make disciples
Leave your country, your people and your home
How will you get there? Where will you live?
God is with you wherever you roam

Like a stranger in a foreign land
On the way to somewhere else
You are only passing through
Because heaven is your home

                                          

 

Paul uses the image of running a race as a picture of living the Christian life.

1 Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.”

I think that Paul was using the best illustration available to him at the time. He says “Run the race that is set before you”, because the Tour de France had not yet begun.

Here are some of the reasons that I believe the Tour of France better illustrates the Christian life than a Marathon or running race.

1. Stages– Life is better illustrated by the stages of the Tour de France. Some stages are suited for sprinters, some for time trailers, others for mountain climbers or the breakaway specialists. When you finish the stage that particular segment is over. You can’t change it you start the next stage with a fresh start. Life is more or less a series of stages. There is High School, College, first job and on and on. Everyone has a unique set of stages but they are stages. You may even rest between stages. A summer between High School and college or other breaks between the stages.

2. Unpredictable and Dangerous– A Tour de France better represents the dangers of life. In a stage race of 200 riders it is pretty certain that at least one of them will fall descending a mountain and be airlifted to the hospital. In a recent stage race a rider was found 60 meters down the mountain from his bicycle. We all know how uncertain life can be.

3. Teams– The Tour de France is not an individual sport, but a team sport. On a cycling team you have domestiques who are there to work for the win of their team leader. On a team the members have different roles. Some are sprinters, others climbers, time trial specialist and a team leader. We have a work team and a family team and our roles may differ on the work team or in the family. There is the breadwinner and the homemaker.

What do you think? Do you have any more reasons Tour de France would be better imagery of the Christian life?

I was traveling recently and this included a few days in Goa. I spent about four hours watching the fishermen pull in their nets. It was an amazing process to watch a team of 25 fishermen drag in a net that I estimate was a half a kilometer long, bring in their boat, then spreading out their net and repairing the damages.

 

 After watching these fisherman the thought occurred to me just how incredible it would be to tap four of these guys to make up one-third of a group of twelve disciples to launch a kingdom movement that would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.    

 

None of these guys looked like the type Jesus would ask what they thought of him and then Jesus say, “on this rock I will build my church.” No one looked like they would be the ones God would choose to preach the sermon at Pentecost.

 

The fact that these disciples were so “unlikely” was probably why people were astonished at the power  of God working through them.  

 

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.  Acts 4:13

 

 

It might be that James, John, Andrew and Peter were a lot different than the fishermen I was observing, but they might have been a lot like them. The Lord uses unlikely people and works in unlikely ways to accomplish his purposes.   

 

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19″Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.

    21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22 NIV

 

Praise the Lord that he uses the unlikely. He uses us!

 

Related links

 

When considering Paul’s partners in ministry just after his Damascus road experience there seems to be two “streams” of believers in Damascus.   

When Paul was blinded he went to the house of Judas in Damascus.

Ananias was sent by the Lord to restore Paul’s sight. He Baptized Paul in Damascus. Acts 22:16

Paul spent time with disciples of Damascus, and some believers helped him escape the plot on his life by letting him over the wall in a basket. Some of the translations say that:

“his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.”

It seems more likely that those who let Paul down in a basket were not the existing disciples in Damascus. Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 9:40

It seems more likely that Saul’s “followers” mentioned in Acts 9:40 were the Jews who had just come to Christ hearing Saul preach rather than the other disciples. If they were like Ananias they would be reluctant to associate with Saul knowing his original intent for traveling to Damascus was to arrest them.   

Barnabas brought Paul to Jerusalem. Vs 27

Barnabas told them how Saul had preached fearlesly in Damascus Acts 9:27

Acts 8:1-3
Acts 9:1-31
Acts 22:1-29
Philippians 3:5
Gal 1:17-24

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The Apostle Paul: Partners on his First Missionary Journey

The Apostle Paul: Partners in Antioch

Bible verses for Paul’s Missionary journeys

 

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Modern Antalya from where Paul sailed in from Cyprus and back to Antioch on his first missionary journey.

Sergius Paulus

In all of Paul’s first missionary journey the only partners mentioned by name are:

 

Barnabas

John-Mark

One believer  is  mentioned by name:

 

 

One enemy of the Gospel is mentioned:

Bar-Jesus  also called  Elymas the sorcerer

Cyprus        Acts 13:4-12

Paul, Barnabas, John-Mark

Bar-Jesus  also called  Elymas the sorcerer – a false prophet sorcerer attendant of procouncil, cursed and blinded

Sergius Paulus- the procouncil sent for Paul, beleiveid

 

Perge     Acts 13:13, 14:25

John-Mark left Paul and Barnabas and later Paul went back and preached there Acts 14:25

 

Pisidian Antioch  Acts 13:13-52

Paul and Barnabas

Word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region

 

Iconium    Acts 14:1-7

Great number of Jews and Gentiles believed, Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there speaking boldly word confirmed by miracles. They fled when there was a plot to stone them. 

 

Listra Acts 14:8-20

Crippled man healed.

Barnabas they called Zues, Paul they called Hermes

Stoned Paul dragged him out thinking he was dead.

Disciples gathered around him and prayed.

 

Derbe   

Acts 14:20-21

Won a large number in Derbe

 

Returned to Lystra, Iconium Pisidian Antioch strengthening the dsicples appointed elders in each church  Acts 14:21

 

Antioch return   Acts 14:21-28 gathered the church and reported and rejoiced

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Related Links

Pauls Partners: Antioch minitry 

Bible verses for Paul’s missionary journeys

                        

This is part of a series of posts that list all of the Apostle Paul’s partners in ministry.

This post covers partners in Paul’s Antioch minityry.

 

Paul and Barnabas worked together in Antioch with the following local partners mentioned by name:

Agabas – Acts 11:27-28 A prophet from Jerusalem who came to Antioch and predicted famine. 

Local Prophets and teachers in Antioch:

 

Simeon called Niger - Acts 13:1

Lucius of Cyrene – Acts 13:1

Manaen  Acts 13:1 (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch)

Acts 11:9 the gospel reached Antioch because of the church in Jerusalem scattering triggered by Stephen’s death

Acts 11:19-30
Antioch sending Acts 13:1-4

Barnabas went to Tarsus found Saul and brought him to Antioch.
A great number had been brought to the Lord, Agabas prophesied drought
Sent Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem with famine relief money
Prophets and teachers in Antioch
Barnabas, Saul
Simeon called Niger
Lucius of Cyrene
Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch)

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Related Links 

The Apostle Paul: Parnters during first missionary journey

Bible verses for Paul’s Missionary journeys

Perge, Türkiye

The site where John Mark the author of the New Testament Gospel of Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem. This is mentioned in Acts 13:13.

 

The Perga you find in Acts 13:13 is now commonly spelled “Perge”. Perga was the capital of the Pamphylia region. Perge is located in what is now the Antalya province.

Acts 13:13
From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

Perga was the capital of Pamphylia.

Paul and Barnabas returned to Perga and “preached the word” (Acts 14:25).

 

Acts 14:25
and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.

Perge is only 15 kilometers from Antalya. If you are departing by the Antalya airport that is very near Perge. You can visit Perge on your way to the airport even if it is a short visit it will be well worth it.

You may remember the dramatic scene from the movie Chariots of Fire. It is when Eric Liddell Falls in a race, gets up and goes on to win the race. Now that is an inspiration.

 
What about us as Christians? Do we stumble? Do we get tripped up and fall down? Of course we do. But we don’t lay there. We don’t give up. Set backs come to individuals and to a body of believers. But the response isn’t self pity. The response is the same we saw demonstrated by Eric Liddell. We get ourselves back on the track and start running again, the race of endurance.

When we have setbacks we need to hear and cherish the voices that cry out, get on with God’s work. What God’s people need in this situation is the voice of encouragement.

For a while everything was going great for God’s people. The Seventy years of captivity ended. God moves the heart of King Cyrus and sends Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild. A remnant responds. The work begins an altar is built and the foundation is laid.

Then after running well the faithful get tripped up. The Samaritans want to join the leaders in rebuilding. Because they worship other gods Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the others refuse their offer.

Upon this rejection they set out to foil the work and they accomplish that. For sixteen years the temple lay uncompleted. Those who had completed heroic accomplishments now shift their focus from God’s house to their own needs. It doesn’t take much to get distracted.

What the need now is God’s messenger to get their attention back on God’s work. God raised up just the right men to do it, Haggia and Zecheriah. We never drift into God’s called activity. If we drift it is to our own needs. To come back to God’s will is going to take a definite commitment and focus. That is what happened. The leaders were revived and God’s purpose was renewed.

Prophets revive the work.
Ezra 5:1-2
Now Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the prophet, a descendant of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set to work to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem. And the prophets of God were with them, helping them.

Verse 1 tells us the prophets were on the scene and they prophesied in God’s name. The people needed God’s word. When you study the books of Haggia or Zecheriah you need to keep the whole context of the Ezra story in mind. The return of the exiles, the altar rebuilt, the foundation laid and then a sixteen year period when the work stopped.

Haggia criticized them for putting the attention on their own houses and leaving God’s house neglected. These prophets, men of God, urged the people to get on with God’s work. And they succeeded. There was a new burst of energy. They renewed their efforts to rebuild the temple. The leaders Zerubbabel and Joshua set back to work.

When their enemies tried to stop them they never got an official decree from any of the kings Cyrus, Artaxerxes or Darius. The letter of opposition referred to in Ezra 4:21 is speaking of was never officially issued. The leaders were simply too cautious. They didn’t trust God to overcome the obstacles.

Haggia described their situation that resulted from putting their attention on their own needs and not of God’s:
• They were planting much and harvesting little.
• They eat and never get enough.
• Drink but never get satisfied.
• Make wages to put in purses with holes.

Diverting their attention from God’s work meant less for them not more. If you ever thought there must be a hole in my pocket or my purse maybe there is if you have diverted attention form God’s work to your own needs.

Haggia told them they could not be satisfied because they were concerned about themselves. They were ignoring God’s Work.

It is ironic that if they put the focus off their needs and on God’s work their needs would be taken care of and they would be satisfied. When you put the emphasis on self and ignore God’s work you will not be satisfied. God’s plan runs opposite what the natural mind says.

God’s Eye is watching them.

Ezra 5:3-5
At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, “Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?” 4 They also asked, “What are the names of the men constructing this building?” 5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

What God set in motion was protected with God’s care. Vs 5 the eye of God was watching them. What a comfort to know that God who began a work in you is watching you and will carry that work on to completion until the day of Christ.

They went on with the work and the officials ask them. What’s going on here? Who is in charge here?

It had been eighteen years since the decree to rebuild the temple. The work had been inactive for sixteen years. The decree was forgotten by all but the Jews.

There was much revolt in the Persian Empire about this time.

Vs 8 refer to their concerns about them using large stones. Is what you are building really a temple? They thought it looked more like a fortress than a temple. This time they didn’t stop the work. They boldly kept going and sent an appeal to the king and kept on with God’s work assuming that God’s work would move to completion.

Report to the King

The governor writes a letter to the King this work is being carried on with diligence and making rapid progress. The leaders were questioned. The Jews claimed they were justified politically and religiously.

The governor did not stop them because they had such conviction, but he did check out their story. They say Cyrus gave them permission.

Israel gave a strong testimony.

Ezra 5:11
“We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished.

Cyrus told us to rebuild the house they said. Search your archives and find the decree. Let the King send us a reply.

It is a blessing when God’s people learn from their failures. When they fell down they got back up. They can gain new faith to carry out God’s will.

Have you made a mistake? Have you stumbled? Have you given up, fallen down?

Have you let your attention move from God’s work to your own interests? God’s word challenged Israel in a time of need. There followed a renewed commitment.

We need encouragers like Haggia and Zecharia to inspire Christians who fall down and never get back up. Maybe today you need the message of encouragement. Get on with God’s work!

                                                             

Last year I found our advent reading too long for young children. I revised this to make a “light” versions for shorter advent readings.

1-Dec Isaiah 9:6-7
2-Dec Isaiah 42:1-4
3-Dec Isaiah 53:1-6
4-Dec Micah 5:2
5-Dec Isaiah 7:14
6-Dec Isaiah 49:6
7-Dec Galatians 4:4
8-Dec Matthew 1:18-23
9-Dec Matthew 1:24-25
10-Dec Matthew 2:1-2
11-Dec Matthew 2:3-6
12-Dec Matthew 2:7-12
13-Dec Luke 1:1-4
14-Dec Luke 1:5-20
15-Dec Luke 1:21-25
16-Dec Luke 1:26-33
17-Dec Luke 1:34-38
18-Dec Luke 1:39-45
19-Dec Luke 1:46-56
20-Dec Luke 1:57-66
21-Dec Luke 1:67-80
22-Dec Luke 2:1-7
23-Dec Luke 2:8-12
24-Dec Luke 2:13-15
25-Dec Luke 2:16-20

                                

1 Timothy 3:1
If any man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.”

As pastor of First Baptist Church I found myself emotionally down one day and wondering why I was pastor of such a difficult church. Why couldn’t I pastor one of the vibrant first century churches that we read about in the New Testament? I was in my study and decided to take some time to list all the churches in the New Testament that I wished I pastored instead of First Baptist Church.

I first decided to get Corinth off the list. They were licentiousness and divisive and even an unspeakable immorality was found there in the church. This church was definitely worse than my church and the difficulties I was facing.

Next off the list of Churches in the New Testament of churches I wished I pastored was every church in the region of Galatia. No way would I want to pastor these churches. Paul calls them bewitched and they traded the gospel of grace for a works orientated salvation. Not me. I do not want to pastor any of these churches.

Also forget Laodicea, the lukewarm church found nauseating to Christ. Ephesus lost their first love. One by one I decided as bad as it was pastoring FBC that I was better off than all the churches in the New Testament except for Thessalonica, and Berea.

It hit me just how bad the New Testament churches were. In one sense we have most of the New Testament because these first century churches were so bad. The New Testament letters were often written to them correct problems in their church.

The Pastor is a noble task.

The pastor is a called out man of God.

Romans 1:1
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.

Paul describes his calling as an apostle and the pastor is also a man called of God.

The pastor is to serve willingly and joyfully.

1 Peter 5:1-2
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be

I) Moral Character

I Timothy 3:1-7

We find a whole list of characteristics:
Above reproach,
The husband of but one wife,
Temperate,
Self-controlled,
Respectable,
Hospitable,
Able to teach,
Not given to drunkenness,
Not violent but gentle,
Not quarrelsome,
Not a lover of money.
He must manage his own family well, children obey him
He must not be a recent convert,
Good reputation with outsiders

On Wednesday I was with a group of twenty Pastor/Evangelists and I asked them to go through 1 Timothy 3:1-7. We looked at these verses about the pastor and divided them into four categories; Character, Skill, Spiritual gift and formal education.

Here is how they categorized the qualifications of the Pastor in these verses:

Formal education:
Able to teach

Spiritual Gift:
Able to teach

Skill or Talent:
Experience
Manage family well

Character:
Above reproach, – blameless
The husband of but one wife,
Temperate,
Self-controlled,
Respectable,
Hospitable,
Not given to drunkenness,
Not violent but gentle,
Not quarrelsome,
Not a lover of money.
He must manage his own family well, children obey him
Good reputation with outsiders

Do you see the implications here? The primary qualifications of a pastor are having good moral character. We put a lot of emphasis on formal education but the biblical emphasis is on moral character.

In talking about moral character one of the brothers pointed out the literal meaning of the word blameless in the Greek. A pastor is to be blameless. Do you know what blameless means in the Greek he asked? I could not wait to hear. He said it’s the same. In Greek it means blameless. A pastor is to be above reproach.

I made an A+ in advanced Hebrew in seminary. Not on the list. As far as this list goes I am just as qualified if I made a C- in Hebrew. There is just one mention in this list of able to teach and the pastor must preach the word. But the emphasis is overwhelmingly on moral character.

He must not be a recent convert. This is an interesting one that a believer should not be a recent convert. Here is why I find this one so interesting. What did Paul do at the end of his first missionary journey?

Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Their first missionary journey was less than two years. So when Paul says not a new convert you have to put that in perspective. The longest they possibly could have been a believer as an elder was two years, but they were probably believers much less than that.

II) Word centered

Paul gives Timothy a pastoral charge to “Preach the word of God.”

2 Timothy 4:2
2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

The word, what’s right, not right, how to get right, how to stay right.
The pastor is to keep the church Word centered. His charge is to preach the Word, not philosophies are fads and trends. God’s Word the Bible.

The pastor is called to study the word, to rightly divide it, to preach it and teach it and defend it.

III) Shepherd the flock

Imagery of shepherding in Psalm 23; John 10
The pastor is called to care for and feed the flock with God’s Word.

1 Peter 5:1-3.
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof,

Acts 20:28
Be Shepherds of the church of God

Be an under-shepherd.
Caring for the flock. Pastoral care.

IV) Equip the saints

Ephesians 4:11-12
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

Do the work of an evangelist –

2 Timothy 4:5
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

V) Multiply yourself

2 Timothy 2:2
And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

Multiply the church
You have had that vision, in a nearby city to get a church started,

VI) Keep your head

There will be hardships, attacks on you, your wife, your home all things will come under attack. You are fighting the good fight. You are in a spiritual warfare, so you can expect challenges. Your prayer life is vital to bring you through.

2 Timothy 4:5
But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship,

Conclusion:

The Pastor is a noble calling. Honor your pastor. That does not mean you agree with every little thing but any disagreement voiced with respect and in humility.

When I was called to pastor the interim pastor called everyone to come and pray for me every day. I was overwhelmed as the church members came to the front to commit to pray for their pastor every day. Some of them continued to pray for me every day even after I left that church. Just last year one of the ladies went to be with the Lord who had prayed for me every day for seventeen years.

Will you commit to pray for your new pastor who begins his ministry here today?