"In an effective ministry, the relationship between the man of God and his people will be central. The man of God must have love for his people. He must be free from all fear of men, that is, he must be a man of holy boldness. He must have the respect and confidence of his people. Where these things are operative there will be a climate conducive to a fruitful ministry." (p. 81)
"Those people whom God has placed under the pastor's charge are either redeemed and precious in the sight of God, or they are lost and face an eternity of torment in hell. If the true state of men does not move him with a Christlike, pastoral love, then he ought to get out of the ministry and sell insurance or used cars. These are the truths which every pastor must spend time meditating on in order to produce this kind of love and kindle it afresh over and over again." (p. 87-88)
"If one is to have an effective pastoral ministry, he must be growing in unfeigned love towards his people. It is vital for his work among God's flock. In nurturing this unfeigned love pastoral love and affection, he must continually ask God for fresh supplies of it; he must continually meditate on truths which are conducive to the production and kindling of this love. In manifesting this unfeigned love, he must show it in his high standard of pulpit ministry. He must take the initiative with the saints, being sensitive to their needs. he must also be warm and affectionate with the children in his congregation." (p. 89)
"If pastoral ministry is to be effective, the man of God must not only be growing in unfeigned love, but he must also be liberated from the fear of men. There is a complexity here which the Bible sets clearly before God's servants. First of all, every one of God's servant's is a social creature (Gen. 2:18), who was made for social interaction. If he is a normal human being, he wants to be liked and loved by those around him. The difficulty begins to emerge when he considers that man, by nature, squashes the truth of god (Rom. 1:18), hates the law of God (Rom. 8:7) and loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19). The difficulty comes to full bloom when one considers that the natural man attacks the messenger through whom the truth comes before he ever directly attacks the truth. Jesus reminds His disciples that since the world hated Him, it would hate them too (John 15:18-27). This is nothing new: the people fought against Jeremiah (Jer. 1:17-19; 19:14-20:2), and in the words of Amos, 'They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks with integrity' (Amos 5:10). The Apostles frequently faced this approach (e.g., Gal. 4:16)." (p. 90)
"Herein lies the conflict: The pastor loves the people, and his desire is to be loved in return, but many times his calling to be faithful will create just the opposite response. If he bends in his faithfulness to maintain his lovableness, he will undermine his effectiveness in pastoral ministry. This is not a contradiction to the first point concerning unfeigned love, it is the height of proving unfeigned love. A man who acquiesces to people's wants and desires instead of standing firm in God's truth does not have a genuine love that is looking out for their best interest." (p. 90)Note the emphasis on unfeigned love and the proclamation of God's truth. One can identify phony love by the way the pastor preaches the word of God to them. Feigned love distorts the Gospel or neglect essential truths of it, while genuine love is demonstrated by proclaiming it- all of it. Genuine love for the flock of God will not allow soft pedaling of truth but deceptive love plays the editor of God's Word. You can tell the difference by their preaching.
This book is a must read for men in the pastorate for years, the pastor in his first church or the young man desiring to herald the Word of God. You can find it here.
Soli Deo Gloria!
For His Glory,
Fernando
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