The Urgency of a Pastor's Self-Watch
/This morning we kicked-off a new two-year residency for developing eight potential pastors and church planters within our church. Our hope is to raise-up local elders, church planters and leaders for planting teams - domestically and internationally. We're beginning with a study of Charles Spurgeon's Lectures to My Students as a launch pad for discussing personal spiritual vitality. This week we covered "The Minister's Self-Watch", "The Call to Ministry", "The Preacher's Private Prayer" and "The Minister's Ordinary Conversation." Whether you are currently serving as a pastor, or working through a call to it, you should read this book - and then revisit it regularly. If you want to learn more about rolling out something similar at your church, I encourage you to connect with these guys. Here's a sample of Spurgeon's urgent call to a diligent self-watch:
“Many a preacher is now in hell, that hath an hundred times called upon his hearers to use the utmost care and diligence to escape it...believe it, brothers, God never saved any man for being a preacher, nor because he was an able preacher; but because he was a justified, sanctified man, and consequently faithful to his Master’s work...his pulse of vital godliness must beat strongly and regularly; his eye of faith must be bright; hs foot of resolution must be firm; his hand of activity must be quick; his whole inner man must be in the highest degree of sanity...self-denial, self-forgetfulness, patience, perseverance, long-suffering, must be every-day virtues, and who is sufficient for these things? We had need live very near to God, if we would approve ourselves in our vocation...your whole life, your whole pastoral life especially, will be affected by the vigor of your piety.”