{"id":14872,"date":"2017-10-04T05:44:28","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T10:44:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/?p=14872"},"modified":"2017-10-04T07:32:17","modified_gmt":"2017-10-04T12:32:17","slug":"what-to-do-when-your-pastor-stirs-the-pot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/what-to-do-when-your-pastor-stirs-the-pot\/","title":{"rendered":"What to do when your pastor stirs the pot"},"content":{"rendered":"

“….according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal….”\u00a0 (2 Timothy 2:9)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Pot-stirring: To take a stand on a controversial issue.\u00a0 Known colloquially as “opening a can of worms.”\u00a0 Rocking the boat. Rubbing the old cat’s fur the wrong way.\u00a0 Upsetting apple carts.<\/p>\n

Expect it.<\/p>\n

It’s a poor pastor who doesn’t stir the pot from time to time.<\/p>\n

They didn’t crucify Jesus for sweet-talking the 23rd Psalm, for explaining the symbolic meaning of items in the Tabernacle, or for spending six months on the Greek verbs.\u00a0 He took a stand on what matters most, and when people didn’t like it, He held His ground and paid the ultimate price.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I remind pastors\u00a0if they’re\u00a0in this line of work for job security,\u00a0they might want to think again.\u00a0 Right after\u00a0reading Matthew 10, beginning at verse 16.<\/p>\n

–Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to their courts, and scourge you in their synagogues<\/p>\n

–Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child<\/p>\n

–You will be hated by all on account of My name<\/p>\n

–If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household<\/p>\n

–Do not think that I am come to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.<\/p>\n

–He who loses his life for My sake shall find it.<\/p>\n

All over the globe, pastors and other sold-out Christ-followers daily demonstrate the reality of those words.\u00a0 It is to our everlasting shame that we in the 21st century American church expect our pastors to play it safe, to avoid controversy, to keep silent on matters which could offend.<\/p>\n

God, help Your church.<\/p>\n

If your pastor is taking a stand on an unpopular issue–and in the minds of some, taking the wrong side–but he backs it up with\u00a0a solid\u00a0interpretation of God’s word, then congratulations.\u00a0 You have a courageous leader.<\/p>\n

Give thanks for such a fearless shepherd.<\/p>\n

Now, support him.<\/p>\n

Speak up for him.\u00a0 I assure you that some in the congregation and the community are upset.\u00a0 Your silence when they rant will be interpreted by them as approval of their position.\u00a0 Do not be silent. Speak up.\u00a0 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light” (Matthew 10:27).<\/p>\n

Teach the people.\u00a0\u00a0Remind the congregation\u00a0that the pastor is God’s messenger and not “our employee.”\u00a0 He is not sent to find the lowest common denominator of convictions and opinions and parrot them. He is not sent to tickle ears and spout platitudes.\u00a0 Even if doing so would guarantee continued employment and periodic raises.<\/p>\n

He is sent to preach the Word, to shepherd God’s flock, to oversee the Church, and to disciple the people of God.<\/p>\n

It’s a rare church that will give the pastor the freedom of the pulpit to preach the word fearlessly.<\/p>\n

Church leader, make your church\u00a0the exception.<\/p>\n

A friend with a half century in the Lord’s vineyard texted to say, “If you want to be ostracized, lead undocumented people to the Lord.\u00a0 Work with the poor, those who are obviously poor because everyone at church knows they are too lazy to hold a job.\u00a0 Then, dare to question something the president said or what he tweeted.”<\/p>\n

God’s people can be so harsh, particularly toward those on the cutting edge.<\/p>\n

The time will come, said the Apostle, when the people in the pew will not endure sound doctrine.\u00a0 They will want to hear what pleases them, and will support the teachers\/pastors who give them what they want.\u00a0 They will not be able to abide the truth, but will fall in love with myths and stories and pleasantries.<\/p>\n

Do not play that game.\u00a0 Tell them the truth. Endure hardship.\u00a0 Do your work.\u00a0 Fulfill your ministry. (Recognize 2 Timothy 4?)<\/p>\n

Pastor, you be the exception.<\/p>\n

“Though none go with me, I still will follow.”<\/p>\n

They said to Evangelist Billy Sunday, “You’re stirring up opposition and the city fathers don’t like it.\u00a0 We depend on these people for our support.\u00a0 You’re rubbing the cat’s fur the wrong way.”<\/p>\n

Sunday said, “The old cat’s going to hell! Let him turn around!”<\/p>\n

Someone had better rub the cat’s fur the wrong way.\u00a0 Stir the pot.\u00a0 Rock the boat.\u00a0 Open this can of worms.<\/p>\n

Quit playing it safe, preacher.\u00a0 You will stand before the Lord some day and give account.\u00a0 Make sure you have preached the whole word and not just “fun with the Greek verbs,” the sweetness of the 23rd Psalm, and the riches of your pet verses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“….according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal….”\u00a0 (2 Timothy 2:9) Pot-stirring: To take a stand on a controversial issue.\u00a0 Known colloquially as “opening a can of worms.”\u00a0 Rocking the boat. Rubbing the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,27,5,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conflict","category-church-leadership","category-pastors","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14872"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14887,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14872\/revisions\/14887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/joemckeever.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}