Reverend Dr. James S.Hall, Jr. Pastor of Triumph Missionary Baptist Church, Philadelphia, PA R everend Dr.James Samuel Hall, Jr.Installation-Service-Ad.jpg' alt='Installation Service For Baptist Pastor' title='Installation Service For Baptist Pastor' />The Pastors Reward Keep Believing Ministries.August 9, 2. 01. 3The Pastors Reward.Thessalonians 2 1.A sermon at the installation service for Brian Bill as the pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church, Rock Island, IL.When I was student at Dallas Seminary four decades ago, I spent a lot of time in the library.One of the largest collections of sermons from the AfricanAmerican pulpit on the Internet.Ive always been fascinated by old books, especially old books that are not well known.One day I was browsing in the stacks of the Mosher Library when I came across a little volume called Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers in My Study.It was written by Charles E.Jefferson, a man almost completely forgotten today but who in the early 1.New York City. It is a measure of his importance that when Warren Wiersbe published his book Walking with the Giants, he devoted an entire chapter to Jefferson and his ministry.It was a little book, and from the looks of it when I pulled it from the shelf, it appeared that no one had checked it out in many years.That fact alone proved irresistible to me.So I checked it out, read it, and decided I needed a copy.That was long before personal computers, the Internet, and long before you could order books on Amazon.So I gathered my change and did the only thing I could do in those days.I took the book to the copy machine and copied every page. Download Songs Free On Iphone 6 Ringtone Download . Eventually I collated it using one of those plastic punch binders.I carried the book with me through all three of my pastorates in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago.Over the years I came to regard it as one of the best books on how to be a good pastor Ive ever read.Years I mention all this because we are met today for a high purpose.We are here to install the next pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church.Thats no small thing.Its a big thing were doing here, and we ought to think of it in a big way.It is always a big thing to install a pastor, but this is a special moment because you dont do this very often.Your previous pastor served here for 4.Its a wonderful thing when a church and a pastor get along so well that they can last that long together.Pastor Mel Brown set a high standard not only of longevity but of pastoral faithfulness.Use your ministry to build your people p Said another way, we ought to have a big time this weekend because we dont expect to do this again for a long time.While its true that Brian may not be here for 4.I do believe he has come to a very great church, and I fervently hope and pray that he will be here a long time.On that point, though this is not particularly important, I had the pleasure of helping in the installation service at Brians previous church, an event that took place about 1.Since I am 6. 0 years old, I want Brian to know that I do not expect to be available to help him out 4.Live as close as possible to your peoplep And that brings me back to Charles E.Jefferson and his book of quiet hints to growing preachers.One of my favorite chapters is called Near to Men, Near to God, which is Jeffersons advice on how to be a good pastor to your congregation.Let me give you a few nuggets of his wisdom A preacher of Christianity must live as close as possible to men.Isolation to him is fatal.Knowing men is the preachers first and most important business.It is the man in the street whom the preacher must know, and if he does not know him no other sort of knowledge will make him a successful preacher.If a preacher really deserves to serve his people, he will not count time lost which is spent in their company.The closer he comes to them the larger his opportunity to give them what they need.What they are fearing and hoping, feeling and thinking, enjoying and suffering, loving and hating, reading and dreaming, all this can become known to him only as he comes into contact with them, and to know these things is more important than to know nine tenths of all the books can teach.In short it is the gospel of love which the preacher is most in need of.Not until he loves is he truly born of God.There is a lot there to think about, and much more in the chapter.Even though Jefferson wrote his book in 1.It is good for a pastor to consider these things as he begins a new ministry.Perhaps you have heard it said this way, No one cares how much you know till they know how much you care.I think the operative phrase is the last partTill they know how much you care.The Shepherds Heart.In the nature of the case, pastors do many things because there are many things that need to be done.These days the pastor must have some understanding of administration, finance, social media, cultural trends, local news, national news, politics, social issues, theological trends, and he needs to know something about history, literature, science and sports.GGive yourself to prayer and the ministry of the Word.Above all else, the pastor must be a man of the Word.He must know the Word, love the Word, and immerse himself in it so that when he stands on Sunday, he has a message from heaven for his people.He must give himself to prayer and to the ministry of the Word Acts 6 4.Pastors have a lot to do, so much so that a man has to make some decisions.What will be important to him The point Charles Jefferson makes is quite true.The ministry is about people.At some point the pastor mast make a basic decision.Either you use your people to build your ministry or you use your ministry to build your people.The ministry is about peoplep Brian, I know you well enough to know where your heart is in all of this.You have embraced the call of God to be a shepherd.When George W. Truett served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, he was offered the position of president of Baylor University.He declined the honor with these words, I have sought and found the shepherds heart.What exactly is the shepherds heartTucked away at the end of 1 Thessalonians 2 are some beautiful words that help us answer that question.Listen to verses 1.For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes Is it not you Indeed, you are our glory and joy.There are two parts to this Heavenly Coronation In these words we have delightful glimpse into Pauls heart.How did he feel about the believers at Thessalonica They were his hopebecause he kept thinking about what God was going to do through them.They were his joyboth now and in heaven.They were his crown.The word refers to a wreath of leaves given to the winner of an athletic contest.He means that his reward in heaven would be the pleasure of seeing all those new Christians standing with him.Is anyone going to be heaven because of you J.Vernon Mc. Gee applied the truth this way Is anyone going to be in heaven who will come up to you and thank you for having a part in giving out the Word of GodHave you given your support to missions If you have, someone you have never known, someone from the other side of the earth, may come up to you and thank you for your support of missions.He will thank you for being interested in getting out the Word of God because the Word reached him and enabled him to be saved.That, my friend, is going to be part of the reward that we will get in heaven.We need to recognize that.It is a wonderful hope to look forward to the time when Christ Jesus takes the church out of this world.It is even more joyous to know that someone who trusted Christ because of your witness will go along with you to meet the LordEarthly Celebration The New Living Translation says, You are our pride and joy.Not just in heaven, but right now you are the most important thing in the world to us.We think about you night and day, we pray for you, we never stop telling others how proud we are of you.You are our pride and joyp Every new parent understands what Paul means.What happens when a baby is bornYou cant wait to tell the good news.You have pictures and statistics and stories about how he has his daddys chin and his mothers eyes and how smart he is and how it doesnt matter what the doctor says, you know he smiled at you.Hes the smartest, best looking, cutest baby ever born.And youve got pictures to prove it Thats exactly how Paul felt about the Thessalonians.Even though he was separated from them and even though he couldnt return any time soon, they were always on his heart, always in his thoughts and prayers.Love These People.Brian, my counsel to you is this.
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