Pastors

 Ephesians 4:11-16 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Each of these have a responsibility for the edifying of the body of Jesus Christ

Apostles – One who is sent out or a messenger

Prophets – Acting as a mouthpiece to deliver direct messages from God to correct or guide

Evangelists – Is a missionary who travels from place to place to spread the Gospel

Pastors – A recognized or appointed person serving a local church or parish

Teachers – Responsible to impart biblical wisdom and the importance of leading by example

This is called the five-fold ministry.  Not one is more important than the other.  They are called to work together to instruct, enlighten, and uplift the Body of Jeus Christ for the Kingdom of God.  Everyone has been called to do one or more of the five-fold ministry. 

Today, we are going to focus on the pastors in today’s church.  In many cases the modern pastoral job description is often unmanageable, requiring leaders to act as CEO, counselor, event planner, spiritual guidance and primary leader of prayer. This "over functioning" frequently leads to extreme responsibility and pressure to perform the functions of the church even though the Body of Jesus Christ should be contributing more, especially in the area of prayer. 

Spiritual attacks on pastors are broadly viewed within Christian theology as intense, targeted spiritual warfare designed to distract, discourage, or derail church leaders. Because pastors lead congregations, the enemy targets them and can cause widespread fallout in the church. 

The pastor and even his family have become the focal point of the church and have become a target of criticism by the church body, others, and even family.  They will attach pastors through anonymous letters, emails, gossip, slander, browbeating and even church insurrection.

Many pastors are forced to build a bubble of protection around them and their families.  It can be very difficult to trust anyone for fear of being attacked.  This is fearing into the future leads to stress and anxiety.  They are forced to withdraw and trust only a few.  

I put this teaching together last week and it is interesting to hear the topic yesterday at church.  It was focused on Proverbs 6:16-19, so I added this to the teaching.

There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:

1.    haughty eyes, 2.

2.    a lying tongue,

3.    hands that kill the innocent,

4.    a heart that plots evil,

5.    feet that race to do wrong,

6.    a false witness who pours out lies,

7.    a person who sows discord in a family.

Although this applies to everyone, it applies to those who come against leadership in the church as well and especially the pastors.

What Can We Do to Help Church Leadership?

The most effective thing we can do is to pray for our pastors consistently and especially prior to the church service.  The following is a prayer covering that I pray each morning before I go out into this evil world.  It is a very, very effective and a powerful prayer declaration. 

Father God, in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray a hedge of protection covered by the blood of Jesus and Psalm 91.  I cancel all evil assignments against me directly or indirectly.  Thank you God.

I can’t count the number of times I have dodged harmful attacks from Satan directly and indirect attacks that Satan worked through others.

Folks, we must be a praying body of Jesus Christ.  We cannot be part-time prayer warriors because the attacks are full-time.  We have power and authority over evil according to Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  We are called to do what Jesus taught us to do in scriptures. This is not an option.                                Tony 5-28-2026

 

 

Envy and Jealousy

I would like to share a story of a friend we have ministered to and is tied to envy and jealousy.  She is a special person in the Lord. She has special high level spiritual gifts. During worship and song, she would be in a spiritual Godly trance soaking in the presence of God.  We will call her Ruth.

In everyday life Ruth would discern evil people and one could see a change in her countenance. The evil was not something Ruth wanted to see.  From an early age people of all ages have targeted her and Ruth could not understand why.  Ruth was always very kind to everyone and always put others first. 

Ruth grew up to be a physically beautiful young woman.  Heads would turn when she came into a room.  Ruth did not think she was beautiful.  Many times, women would not like the attention she got from men and would treat her with contempt.  This resulted in many hurts from, family, friends, co-workers, and even church ministries. Ruth now stays away from people and the church.  She was targeted by Satan to destroy her like so many others.  Ruth has health issues as a result of these attacks.  Ruth couldn’t understand why people are so mean and ruthless.  Ruth doesn’t feel loved or worthy to be loved because of these attacks.

Satan will work in people to go after other people.  Satan will attempt to destroy our connection with God and our worship lifestyle honoring, surrendering, and revering God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

This teaching is about envy and jealousy and how it affects our health spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  Envy and jealousy are about wanting what others have. It is a painful, often resentful feeling of wanting someone else's possessions, achievements, attributes, or spiritual gifts from God. 

Why do we need to know more about the subject of envy and jealousy?  Because scripture warns us about envy and jealousy.  It is sin and it greatly affects our health. Envy and Jealousy are rottenness to the bones, Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness (cancer, NLT) to the bones. Proverbs 12:4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. 

James 3:16 Wherever you find jealousy and fighting, there will be trouble and every other kind of wrong-doing.

Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Isaiah 58:11 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

Psalm 6:2 Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

Psalm 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning (physical pain) all the day long.

Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin.

Why do we need healthy bones?  Scientifically, we need to identify what is in the bones. Inside the bones is a complex, living tissue structure designed for strength, flexibility, and blood production. The interior consists primarily of spongy bone and bone marrow alongside blood vessels that run through the bone's canals.

Bone marrow produces white T cells.  T cells are a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. They help your immune system to fight germs and protect you from sickness and disease. There are two main types. Cytotoxic T cells destroy infected cells. Helper T cells send signals that direct other immune cells to fight infection.

What Is Tied to Envy and Jealousy?  Scripture tells us anger is tied to envy and jealousy.

 Proverbs 27:4 Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous NLT.

Psalm 38:3 Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.

Psalm 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin NLT.

If you have anger, you most likely will have bitterness.  They are tied together in Ephesians 4:31–32 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. This verse includes evil speaking, which is slander and slander includes hatred and lying lips, Proverbs 10:18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool Proverbs.  All these leads to gossip as in 1 Timothy 5:13 And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not. As you can see from scriptures, envy and jealousy includes many other sins that will destroy your health and the health of others.

Habakkuk 3:16 There is no soundness (lack of physical health) in my flesh because of your anger, nor any health in my bones (bone marrow) because of my sin. 

NKJV - Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  NIV Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

Not only are the envious and jealous at risk from sickness and disease from their sin, but it affects the health of the person who they have targeted like was done with Ruth.

James 5:16 says to: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results, NLT.

We cannot overcome sin that leads to sicknesses and diseases if we refuse to repent by confessing our sins and praying for one another so we can be healed.  This is an everyday requirement by God and it is not an option if you are a believer in Jesus Christ.  Make yourself available and ask for prayer in and out of church.

Job 21:24 His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moist (healthy).

What say you?