Pastor Watching

“Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?” (Acts 3:12)

Here I see an exhortation for modern day Christianity. This is for the people of the church. The question we need to be asking ourselves is; Why are we staring at our Pastor’s? As if they are the origin for some move of God. At the origin of every move of God is Jesus. At the center of the church is Jesus, but for some that center stage is occupied by another. It’s never been about the man God is using it has always been about God who is using man. Here is where the problem lies.

We are too quick to give credit where it does not belong. He is such a great communicator, he is so relevant, he is so hip, and all of these things may be so, but may they not be counted as why God is using them. This limits our view of God, thinking He is only in the business of using “the charismatic” to accomplish His work. Believer, it is not by their own power or piety that dead men are coming to life, it is by the gospel, the power unto salvation (Romans 1:16). They may share the gospel better than we can, but they don’t have a better gospel than we do.

So let us not wonder, let us not stare. Unless our wondering and staring is at Jesus. For often times the work God does through man is wondrous, it is worthy of a stare, but He is the only one worthy of receiving it. God’s ministers are to be esteemed highly and respected, but may we never forget, they too are but men with a nature just like ours (James 5:17).