As Pastors, we often feel incredibly misunderstood. We are called to preach an exclusive Gospel for which we ourselves are entirely unworthy, and to counsel sinners among whom we are often foremost. But for the grace of God and His gift of righteousness, preachers deserve the same hell about which we warn the reprobate. The scoffs of our mockers will never wound us as much as we feel we deserve, and our vilest critic will always be ourselves.
This may seem self-deprecatory but only when we are unmistakably aware of our weakness and hypocrisy are we ready once again to stand behind that sacred desk and preach the glories of Him who will judge the quick and the dead[1]. Before Him we were charged. Before Him, and Him alone, we will give an account for every word we speak.
So, why not enhance and adapt the message to appear more tolerant and current? Why be so rigid and narrow? Why not make the Gospel more universal and inclusive? The lure of human favor can be relentless for us, but our calling is to say what Jesus said. Since most rejected Jesus and hated both Him and His Gospel, then we should expect no less. More than 1700 of us quit the ministry every month[2] and the ones who stay understand quite well why others left.
Because of the exclusive nature of the Gospel, we may appear intolerant and even bigoted. While we are not above either, such is never our intention. But we have no measure of liberty to acclimate the message to meet the expectations of the day. Ours is not to domesticate or broaden its appeal but to preach the Gospel just as Jesus gave it. Attracting lost souls to Jesus is the sovereign work of the Father.
This is how most of us understand ourselves and our calling. Our desire is both to experience and bring the joy of Christ to all. We dearly love the people we serve, and we desperately desire to be loved by them. However, we must love others more than we love them loving us... so we preach Christ and His invitation to come, take up our own cross, and die to self. A stumbling block to some – foolishness to most.[3]
[1] 1 Timothy 4:1
[2] lifeway.com
[3] I Corinthians 1:23
