TOPIC:"The Charge to a Congregation"
(Installation of a Minister)
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Philippians 1:19-30
"Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him" (2:29, NIV)
There is nothing more mysterious in all of the world than a church calling and a man accepting that call. Such is a divine mystery. On the other hand, there is nothing more marvelous in all of the world than the love of a congregation for its minister.
In the book of Acts as Paul said farewell to the Ephesian Elders, we read these heart-moving words of how the congregation really felt about Paul: "They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again" (Acts 20:37, 38). Here was a congregation, represented by its leaders, who not only had a love affair with Jesus Christ, but also with their beloved pastor, the Apostle Paul.
I say to you, such love for Christ and loyalty to your pastor is needed today in our churches. I do not mean by this that there will not be differences of opinion, for that is good, but I do mean that in spite of those differences you will show him respect if he is living God's way and doing God's work.
So the challenge I give to you as a church is this -
I.
First of all, I charge you as a congregation to PRAY for your minister. There is nothing that your pastor needs more than your prayers. Paul was of this persuasion. To the Colossian church he wrote: "Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you" (Colossians 1:9). Then he turns right around to petition these believers: "And pray for us...pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should" (Colossians 4:3, 4). You see, my friends, prayer involved teamwork. Paul prayed for them and they prayed for Paul.
I am absolutely convinced that the ministry is the greatest profession in all of the world. But it also presents some of the biggest problems. Because of this, your pastor needs your constant prayers. He needs to know that you are faithfully holding him and his family up in prayer.
Remember this: You called a man to fill your pulpit. He is an ordinary man with all of the temptations and problems that men face. He is not God. He is not perfect. He is like every one of us. He has faults. He gets tired, discouraged, weak, lonely and tempted. So it is of momentous importance . . .