Often what makes pastoring difficult is, when you bring the truth, when you reprove, when you correct, then you find people react - it's just part of the deal. If you think about your children - they don't want to eat their vegetables. They love to eat the sweets, and the desserts, and drink the fizzy drink; and you know as a parent, if you do that, they're going to get sick. They're going to lose their appetite for good food; they'll get sick, they'll be unhealthy; you have to give them a balanced diet - it’s the same in the church. We're not just to teach messages which are sweet, motivational, positive, feel-good messages; we must speak messages that involve repentance, transformation - addressing the issues of the heart, and the character.
This is a big issue across the world right now. There are many churches, when you go to them, you'll find that what is spoken is not a word that will really build. It's basically wanting people to feel good. The Bible tells us that in the end days, that people would have itching ears, and they'd turn their ears away from the truth, wanting things would just tickle their ears. We need to be able to say things, and say them in the spirit of love, but also bring them from the word of God. Help people see it; here's what God says, it's not just me saying this. So, the first thing is: we need to shepherd or nurture people.
Secondly, we need to lead them willingly. Willingly means you're doing it not reluctantly, or out of a sense of compulsion. The moment you get any ministry, or any job, where you are feeling reluctant - sort your attitude quick. You've got to really repent: God, I'm feeling reluctant. I'm feeling resentful. I'm not too sure why. Lord, I just yield to You, to do this 110 per cent. The only way you can get over these bad jobs, unpleasant jobs or reluctant feelings, is if you embrace it. Do a little more than you were asked, then you kill the bad feelings. You either say ‘no’, and not feel guilty; or you say ‘yes’, and don't feel resentful - and do a little extra, so you get rid of all those feelings. The little bit extra you put into it solves that problem. He's saying that some people don't do things willingly. They do it reluctantly, or out of a duty or obligation, rather than a love for the Lord and a love for people.
Thirdly, he says: lead with pure motives. Don't do it for dishonest gain or exploit - he's talking about leaders exploiting people to advance their reputation or their finances; and again, we see a lot of that around the world. There's a lot of issues come up, particularly around Prosperity Gospel, and so on - people being exploited by shepherds, who are using them to make personal gain, so this is quite a challenge. Essentially, how that would apply to us, would be simply this: have a purity in your motives. Don't do it to get something off people. Don't do it to later-on come back and want something. It's just appalling when people do that - they give and serve, and then they want something back - it just creates a massive a problem. God wants us to have pure motives in our work with people.
The last couple of things then... Notice there, he talks about the purity of motives; then he goes on to talk about serving as an example - “not lording it over but being an example to the flock”. Jesus rejected ‘lording over’ people. That means dominating them, controlling them.
Matthew 20:25 – “He called His disciples and said: you know the rulers of the Gentiles lord over people, and they exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. If you want to be great (or desire to be great), become a servant”.
He talks there about rejecting trying to control, or bring privilege, or power, or weight, or all that kind of stuff over people. We're to humble ourselves, and to serve them - and that means you love people. You're a genuine person in your treatment of them. We're to be an example to the flock. People watch your life! Man, they watch your life, they watch everything. When you don't think they're watching… they're watching! We had one lady come up to us, and she said: I'd like you to pray for me. I said: okay then; and she said: I've been watching you for two years and feel it's safe to ask you to pray for me. I feel I can trust you... I thought: I'm shocked - two years, you've been watching me? I said: what have you been watching? Oh well, how you treat your wife, and how you treat your children, and how you treat people who are a little bit strange, and unusual, or difficult in the church - I watch all of that. I thought: man, everything you do is being watched by someone; and its always being watched by the Lord. She said: I feel I can trust you.