October is recognized nationally as Pastor Appreciation Month — a time set aside to honor the servant of the Lord, the preacher of the gospel, these laborers in the vineyard.
In 1 Timothy 5:17 it said, “Is worthy of double honor, especially if they labor in the word and doctrine.”
These servants who have been ordained long before God said in Genesis 2:3 “Let there be light.”
In Jeremiah 1:5 it said, “Those whom God called before they were yet formed in their mother’s womb, anointed and appointed.”
I must say that this month’s celebration is so appropriate. In 1994, the “American Christian Organization Focus on the Family” began promoting Clergy Appreciation Month as a national month of observation.
I hope that the churches all across our country will take the time to celebrate, appreciate and honor their servant leader of the Lord. For this is what the church has been called to do.
Readers don’t listen to negative minded people that tell you that you are not to honor, appreciate and be a blessing to your pastor.
In fact, you don’t want to be standing close to anyone that tells you that you don’t need to do so because if you want your church to be blessed you had better do it. Any church that will have their minister starved and slacked; God will require it of them for another day.
Now understand that the pastor is not just an ordinary person. They have two hands, ten toes and fingers and two eyes like any other person.
They breathe just like any other person, if you cut them, they will bleed just like any other person, they get tired, and have aches and pain in their body.
In the winter they get cold and in the summer they get hot. When they don’t eat, they get hungry and when their body loses fluid, they gets thirsty just like any other person.
They hurt like you hurt.
They have feelings and emotions, and when their bills don’t get paid, they get harassed by creditors just like you.
They have personal issues and temptations just like everybody else. The difference is they have to carry the issues and problems of their congregations as well.
Their time is not their own, they sacrifice time away from their families, put their personal lives on hold to love, and minister and pray for their congregation.
They often give so much yet they often receive so little. In this Pastor Appreciation Month, we have to understand first of all that true pastors are representatives of Jehovah God.
The closest thing to God that people have here in the flesh is the “servant of God.”
The bible said in 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, “Know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord… and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.”
Even if you don’t always agree with them because they are servants of the Lord, if you bless them, God will bless you.
God will bless you and your family. He will bless “your going out” and “your coming in” if you bless your servant Leader.
Jesus said in Matthews 41 and 42, “He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
Now community, I know that no pastor is perfect. Even the most dedicated and faithful pastor is not without fault despite their effort to live holy and be faithful to their calling. They all fall short because they are human.
I also know, that there are some that are a disgrace to grace but God himself will deal with that at the “judgment seat” of Christ.
In some churches, the pastor can never do anything right. There are some that find fault with everything that they do. Pastors are supposed to know where every scripture is in the bible, perform the perfect wedding and eulogize the best funerals.
In some churches, they are too old fashion and in others they are too contemporary.
There are destructive criticism about their sermons. There is a “roast the preacher” at the Sunday dinner table but I have discovered that destructive criticism never changed any pastor, but prayer will. When there is prayer in the pews, there will be good preaching in the pulpit.
Most people don’t understand that being a pastor is one of the loneliest professions in the world. A godly faithful pastor will have a few true colleagues that they can share with and that can pour into them.
Statistics have proven that over 5,000 pastors have walked out of the pulpit and the divorce rate is also high among pastors. What is even more shocking is the fact that the three professions, doctors, lawyers and pastors have the highest suicide rates.
My community friends, if you have a good pastor thank God for them and pray for them. Give them an encouraging word for they marry you, bury your dead, visit you when you’re sick and spend hours preparing sermons to feed the flock of God.
In this year’s Pastor Appreciation Month, take the time to appreciate and “honor your pastor.”
The Rev. George Ellis is pastor at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
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