This means I find that my only desire in being a pastor is to push my congregation to find themselves deeper and deeper with Jesus so they realise themselves how much more they need Him.
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!I fret when I pick up that people are putting their own spiritual identity in who I am, or what I do. Because when people don't own their own faith, when they rely on the pointers of others then we're not really doing what the psalm above says; 'exulting his name together', what is actually happening is one or two people are exulting the Lord and the rest are just doing what they see others doing.
~Psalm 34:1-3
Francis Chan said something amazing at the start of his sermon at the Passion Conference in February, that his desire, and the only desire of the entire conference was to bring people to the foot of Jesus' cross and leave them there. As humans all we can do is bring people to the cross and from that point it is between the individual and Jesus. In this way I've realised I live a life kneeling in the dust at the foot of the cross, even as a pastor, that's where I need to be, and where we all need to be, there's nothing more special we need to do ourselves. Jesus does amazing, supernatural works in our lives, but there is some element of individual response that is needed on our part... something that ultimately you can't fake, or just copy off someone else.
My heart breaks at the thought of people not getting that, and never realising grasping that praise 'continually coming from their mouths, their souls boasting only in the Lord, and being humble and glad'.
But I know all I can do is bring people to the cross, from there it's between them and Jesus.
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