The Preacher Asked You To Stand Up And Pray…..

by | Jun 3, 2016

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2 Timothy 4:3
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.
Where do you go to church? How’s that working for ya? That seems to be the question these days when it comes to church! Does the church work for you ~ does the pastor preach colorful messages ~ is he funny ~ is it a great worship leader ~ how do they serve the community ~ do they make sure to keep their programs to a minimum so they aren’t always asking for volunteers to help? Which of those are questions you ask yourself when you choose a church? Do you ask yourself first if the preacher is a man who loves and follows God and preaches what the Lord lays on his heart? Do you ever ask how you might be able to serve and “work” for it?

I grew up in a small area, but there were still quite a few churches for the population, none of them were perfect of course but my parents were faithful to the one they raised me in. One of the things I see today that is the same as it was back then in any of those churches and no matter where I have lived since is that people find reasons to complain more about their pastor than they do pray for him! It is a huge responsibility for your pastor to preach the Word of God ~ he needs all the prayer he can get! Satan is coming after him big time! Some people are more concerned about the message being “entertaining” than they are that the message be from God! I have heard of churches who seem to feel the need to “help” their pastor write his sermons so they are more entertaining to “keep people awake” but are they really understanding the responsibility they are taking on? If you can’t stay awake through a simple Sunday message, maybe you need to double check your walk with God or how late you were up on Saturday night! If you need to be entertained every Sunday, you may want to take this opportunity to Grow up! Everyone loves to have an entertaining message, we all love to laugh and leave feeling good about ourselves and the day, but guess what; sometimes God is more concerned about where you are spiritually as you fall asleep during His message than He is about entertaining you! We are spoiled here in America to the point of our complacency! There are people in other countries who walk several miles in order to get to a service or they have to meet in secret and they will sit for 4,5,6 sometimes 8 or 9 hours and listen because they just can’t get enough. Sometimes they haven’t eaten in days and they are hungry and tired but their longing for the Word of God keeps them glued to their seats.

Jeremiah 3:15 says, “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” If you are a preacher I wouldn’t allow anyone to get in the way of the message God has given you. And if you are in the congregation I would spend more time praying for your pastor. If you know your pastor is a man of God and He is preaching the Word of God then don’t ask him to bend for you, ask God to help you to be molded into all God has created you to be, as you listen to His Word. If your preacher isn’t preaching the Word of God, find a new church!

“Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together”, I would encourage you to get involved in a local church. Ask God to speak to your heart, you may be amazed at what He has for you if you attend expecting Him to speak to you instead of either being critical of what is or isn’t being said or looking for what someone else needs. If someone next to you falls asleep, just nudge them and tell them that the preacher asked them to stand up and pray ~ they will never fall asleep in church again! I’m sort of kidding on that one, but hey…….

Let’s all take the time today to begin praying for our spiritual leaders God has placed in our lives on a whole new level! At the same time, let’s all pray that we will be moldable and open to His Word instead of walking hand in hand with Satan to criticize!

Quote:
“If you would lift me up you must be on higher ground.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

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