The Gospel Unites (and divides) And The Rest Follows

"Clarifying the Gospel is so critical, especially at the beginning of a work, because you want to ensure, as much as externally possible, the purity of the church’s membership (i.e., that all members are truly converted). The more your congregation is clear on the Gospel, the less likely it is that either tepid nominalism or carnal divisiveness will find air to breathe—and the more likely it is that you will forge healthy and growing unity around the Good News that distinguishes the church from the world..."* 

" (1) Expositional preaching. As people see you being faithful to clearly present the point of the Scripture as the point of the sermon (i.e., as they see you preaching expositionally), it will help them trust that you are submitting yourself to the text and intention of the Bible. Your vision for the church will more likely be biblical if you are preaching through Scripture expositionally. As a result, people will be more likely to see that you are setting a biblical course for them, and that you are being careful to follow Scripture as you lead them. The more clearly you present God’s Word, the more likely God’s people are to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice in yours, and to follow you as you follow Him.

(2) Personal relationships.We are simply less likely to trust people until we have had an opportunity to know them, especially when choosing our leaders. We want to know them—their personalities, their motives, their goals, their struggles . . . the list could go on. Be knowable. One of the biggest mistakes pastors make is thinking that a false demand for “professional distance” precludes us from having friends in the church. You are a sheep, too—you need relationships just as much as anyone else does. That is the nature of the church—it is a godly web of mutually sanctifying familial relationships. Relate—have conversations after church; take people out to lunch during the week; exercise hospitality by inviting people to your home for a meal; take an interest in people, and be open to answering their questions about you; offer to read a book with a younger Christian man; offer to have someone accompany you for conversation as you run errands. Give people a relational context in which they can develop love and trust for you as a fellow Christian.

(3) Humility. As you relate, do so in humility. Two of the most godly and disarming ways to display humility are accountability and correctability. Be accountable. Invite a few men to keep you accountable in the areas of sexual purity, ambition, or other issues that you struggle with particularly. Do this not simply because you want people to trust you, but because you know you are sinful and need other Christians to help you live a trustworthy lifestyle. And when you know you are in the wrong, admit it freely. Be correctable. The mere fact that we’re leaders doesn’t mean we’re always right. In fact, leaders usually have more opportunities to do things wrongly! Get used to admitting that you’re wrong. It’s normal—even for pastors. The sooner you get used to it, the more easily the church will see and trust your integrity. As an incentive, remember that the church you serve will reflect the weaknesses you model over time. An uncorrectable pastor breeds uncorrectable people. Do you really want to lead a congregational meeting with a bunch of uncorrectable members? Genuine humility breeds genuine trust, and growing Christians." * 

*Alexander, Paul (2005). The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel (pp. 45-46). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition. 

"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Co 2:1–5).


"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia"(1 Th 1:2–7).

Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando