Understanding the Gift in Your Pastor

By B. Shaun Garing

One of the greatest gifts ever given to the believer is the gift in their pastor. Unfortunately, many in the Body of Christ are confused about this gift. A pastor’s involvement in a situation may cause one family to think “the pastor went too far” while another thinks “the pastor didn’t go far enough.” This confusion stems from a lack of understanding about the gift in the pastor. It was this same lack of understanding that caused Jesus to be “moved with compassion” on those of His day “because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.” Sadly, believers today continue to experience similar limitations because they do not understand the gift in the pastor.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B. Shaun Garing
• Release date: Jan 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9780976580935

B. Shaun Garing

B. Shaun Garing has a Bachelor of Arts in Education and has taught eight years in the public and private school sectors. He joined the staff of Church on the Rock in 2000 and was ordained in 2002 along with his wife, Jenny, by Dr. Michael and Pastor Diana Jacobs. Currently, Shaun serves as a ministerial staff member and ministers in conferences concerning issues involving the local church. He is also president of Rock House Publishing, a Christian publishing house founded in 2005. Along with authoring several books, Shaun has written materials used in local churches, Bible schools, prison ministries, and on the mission field. His heart is to not only serve, but help equip those in the church to better serve their pastors and the local church vision as given by Jesus.

Book preview

Understanding the Gift in Your Pastor

B. Shaun Garing

Copyright by B. Shaun Garing © 2012

Published by Rock House Publishing at Smashwords

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Part I: Receiving from the Gift in Your Pastor

Chapter One: Titles in the Church of the Early New Testament

Chapter Two: Receiving Your Pastor as a Gift

Chapter Three: Benefits Available Through This Gift

Part II: Pastoral Examples from Scripture

Chapter Four: The Book of Psalms, Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Five: The Book of John, Chapter Ten

Chapter Six: Moses, an Old Testament Pastor

Chapter Seven: James, a New Testament Pastor

Part III: Selecting a Pastor

Chapter Eight: How do I Select a Pastor?

Chapter Nine: You Don’t Know My Pastor’s Mistakes!

Chapter Ten: Remaining Covenant Minded Toward Your Pastor

Part IV: Responding to the Gift in Your Pastor

Chapter Eleven: Guarding Your Eating Habits

Chapter Twelve: Avoiding Di-Vision

Chapter Thirteen: Understanding Authority

Conclusion

Foreword

The importance of understanding your pastor and the gift in him is critical for proper connection in the local church. Your future and the ability to fulfill your destiny is directly tied to your man of God.

Many are needlessly scattered and unfulfilled because of no understanding of receiving and honoring their pastors.

In thirty years of ministry, I’ve never read a more accurate picture and revelation of the pastor. Brother Shaun Garing’s new book will help you grow up into maturity and find your place, if you will heed the instruction on these pages.

Michael P. Jacobs, Pastor

Church on the Rock

New Albany, Indiana

Introduction

One of the greatest gifts ever given to the believer is the gift in their pastor. Unfortunately, many in the Body of Christ are confused about this gift. A pastor’s involvement in a situation may cause one family to think the pastor went too far while another thinks the pastor didn’t go far enough. This confusion stems from a lack of understanding about the gift in the pastor.

As a staff member in a local church, I watched believers base their idea of what a pastor should or should not be on their experiences rather than the Word of God. Often times these believers fail to realize the pastor conducted himself well within the Biblical guidelines of his ministerial office. They do not know the function of the pastor because they did not study the scriptures about this subject. (Matthew 22:29)

Through the encouragement of my pastor and his wife, this book was penned for those who desire to more fully understand the gift in their pastor. Scripture offers clear examples of the function of the pastor and the benefits that can be enjoyed as we receive this gift from Jesus. We are not talking about hero worship or a pastor being the source of one’s blessings. We are talking about the benefits that come from God through a man or woman of God.

And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. (Acts 19:11-12)

God wrought the special miracles, but He did so by the hands of a man. God uses your pastor in much the same way. We need to understand the gift in our pastor to get the most out of that gift. We should not, however, misinterpret what we will read in the following pages.

Now I have applied all this [about parties and factions] to myself and Apollos for your sakes, brethren, so that from what I have said of us [as illustrations], you may learn [to think of men in accordance with Scripture and] not go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up and inflated with pride and boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another. (1 Corinthians 4:6 AMP)

The Word does not promote blind, cult-like obedience. We are commanded never to heed counsel that encourages immoral, illegal, unscriptural or unethical behavior, and we should not expect such counsel from our pastor. Nor am I suggesting that having a pastor is a license to shirk our personal responsibilities of Word time, prayer, and fellowship with the Father. A true pastor is not interested in micro-managing your life nor seizing your responsibility to hear God’s voice for yourself and your family. (1 Peter 5:2-3) This book merely reveals the benefits of allowing oneself to be shepherded and what the scriptures say about the gift in your pastor. God is building strong local churches with strong sheep, but a strong local body is not possible unless a flock understands the gift in their shepherd.

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26-27)

I believe you will be greatly blessed and encouraged as you read this book and receive the revelation of what Jesus has given you in this precious gift.

Part I:

Receiving from the Gift in Your Pastor

Chapter 1: Titles in the Church on the Early New Testament

What is a Pastor?

When studying the office of the pastor it is important to know what the Bible says a pastor is and what a pastor is not. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, therefore, we must study the Hebrew word for pastor to more fully understand this ministry office. The Hebrew word for pastor in the Old Testament is often translated shepherd. Fifty-six times this word is translated shepherd, and only eight times we find it translated pastor, all in the book of Jeremiah. According to The Complete Word Study of the Old Testament, this Hebrew word can be defined:

(7462) to feed, to tend; to be a shepherd. In general to care for, to protect, to graze, to feed flocks and herds. To live in an area and develop associations with the people.

The word for pastor is also the same as that for shepherd in the New Testament. While the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, the New Testament was written in Greek. Knowing this, it is important to understand the Greek definition for the word pastor. We see in the New Testament, as with the Old Testament, that this word is most often translated shepherd. Sixteen times it appears in the New Testament as shepherd and only one time as pastor. (Ephesians 4:11) The Complete Word Study of the New Testament defines this Greek word as follows:

(4166) Shepherd, one who generally cares for flocks. The spiritual guide of a particular church. A derivative is 4165; guiding, guarding, folding of the flock as well as its nourishment.

The Vines Expository Dictionary defines pastor/shepherd as:

(4166) A shepherd, one who tends herds or flocks. Pastors guide as well as feed the flock; it involves tender care and vigilant superintendence.

Considering the frequency with which the Hebrew and Greek translate the word for pastor as shepherd, we may actually be doing the office of the pastor an injustice by referring to it as such. I am not saying this is an inaccurate title, but the word pastor has a wide variety of meanings depending on the audience. When we say the word pastor, it conjures an image in a person’s mind based on denominational slant, religious views, traditional mindset, or experiences. None of which may be based on scripture. When we use the word shepherd, however, the mental image changes completely. There is not as much confusion and weeding through tradition and doctrine with this particular term. A shepherd is very simply a leader of sheep. This image is what we hope to instill in the hearts and minds of those who read this book. It is the image most often portrayed in the Word of God when it comes to those who walk in the office of the pastor.

The Elder of the Early Church

When we see the church of the New Testament beginning in the book of Acts, it is lead by the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. (Ephesians 2:20 and Revelation 21:14) Scripture indicates that the apostles established churches in areas where the Gospel had not yet been heard, then travel to new areas and continue their work. Before leaving, however, they appointed elders over the churches to take the oversight of the flock. (Titus 1:5) An elder (4245) is defined as an old man, an ambassador, a senior or one who is aged. The elder was given the oversight because the office of the pastor had not yet been established in the early church. The fivefold ministry is not mentioned by name until Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus around 62 A.D. The elder of the early church was a man placed in a position of authority until the fivefold ministry gift of the pastor could be raised up to take over the care of the flock. An elder may have been called to be the pastor and may have stepped into that calling, but not