Written by Mark Driskill:
Friday April 1, 2011
Read Acts 12:1-5
“But the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
Recently a pastor was arrested and taken into custody for simply doing his job. He has been held without bond for several months and get this, the congregation didn’t even know it! For months he sat in a jail cell awaiting his sentence and not one person from the church even noticed something was wrong. The pastor is still in jail and there is no word yet on when or if he will be released. Who was it? It was your pastor. And you didn’t even know it. What would you do if you discovered that your pastor was in jail? This happened to the church in Jerusalem. Persecution was breaking out against the church. James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, had been executed and Peter was next in line. As he sat in prison awaiting his sentence the church was earnestly praying for his release. It was because of their prayers that an angel was sent to set him free. Are we praying for our imprisoned pastors?
Today many pastors are living in invisible prisons and only through the faithful prayers of a loving congregation can they be set free. Only a pastor knows the secret hardships those who shepherd face. Too often though we expect our pastors to be perfect, models of spiritual strength. When they show weakness we criticize and start looking for another church. I wonder what would have happened if the Jerusalem church had responded to Peter’s imprisonment the way we respond when a pastor gets locked up in a modern day prison.
In many nations pastors are literally locked in prison for their faith. Do we pray for them or forget them? But there are also invisible prisons that pastors get locked into at times. For some it is the prison of loneliness. You would think a person with such a calling would have many friends. But this is not always the case. For some reason pastors often find themselves alone because of stands they have taken or simply because the members feel awkward hanging out with the preacher. The pastor often only gets calls when there is a crisis or a complaint. This can lead to great loneliness.
Another prison is discouragement. When it seems you keep teaching the same lessons repeatedly but no one appears to be moving forward, and there is no positive feedback from the congregation the pastor can begin to doubt his or her effectiveness, even their calling. I know one pastor who says, “after church no one even speaks to me. They just get up and go home. I don’t serve for the recognition, but every now and then a kind word would be nice.” These are only two of the prisons pastors can get locked into. Time would fail me to speak of the prisons of temptation, fear of failure, weariness, worry, marital struggles and grief. But these prisons, though often unnoticed are real and usually only are discovered when it’s too late. After a pastor falls into some sin or leaves the ministry it is often discovered that they have been doing secret jail time for months or even years in advance.
Here are some warning signs that your pastor may be doing jail time and is in need of your prayers and support:
- Sermons and teachings are losing power. We often joke about this, but sermons that lose their spiritual power may indicate something deeper going on in the pastors life. Stop making jokes and start praying.
- Increased forgetfulness. Sometimes a pastor who keeps forgetting important dates and information related to the church is showing a sign of stress. Stop being offended and start praying.
- Becoming highly legalistic and demanding. Sometimes pastors deal with discouragement by trying to “take charge” and make things happen. They create crisis by making unrealistic demands and new rules that serve no purpose. Before you look for another church, look for your prayer closet.
- Less prayer and Bible study. This may be harder to detect. So occasionally ask your pastor, “when was the last time you had a spiritual retreat?” or “Are you getting fed pastor?” Don’t get offended when the pastor asks for time to pray. Your leader is not just looking for a vacation, which they may need anyway, but for time to get alone with God in order to serve you better. So don’t get angry, get prayerful.
Friends let’s get our pastors and other leaders out of jail by getting on our knees. I had one deacon say to me years ago, “I discovered that the difference between a good sermon or a bad sermon from my pastor is in how much time I spent in prayer for him that week.” You want a better pastor? Then pray for the one you have.
Pastor Mark Driskill
Web Minister of Begotten by the word web ministry
See our website at http://ourchurch.com/member/b/bbtw
and www.facebook.com (to group “begotten by the word”)
Begotten by the word is a ministry of Helping Hands Christian resources-Evangelism Outreach www.hhcr05.org
(Feel free to copy in any way that will bring glory to God and further his kingdom.)
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hilbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
