Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Christ Fellowship Bible Church
Do you ever wonder how you can glorify God in practical and tangible ways as you serve in your local church? Or, do you consider how you can actively minister in your church? How can you bless your pastor and bring joy to him? Here are a few simple and very practical ways that you can glorify God and bless your pastor as you minister right where you are in your local church.
1. Pray for him in his praying.
Do you know when your pastor prays? Do you know if he has a schedule or regular times that he prays for the flock, for his sermon preparation, and for the ministry? Do you know what days of the week he devotes to his sermon preparation? If not, it would be good for you to ask him and find out when he prays, when he studies, when he prepares sermons and then you can do your part to labor with him in praying even during those same times. Consider the blessing it would bring to his soul to know that he has someone (or many!) in his own church family specifically praying with and for him as he seeks the Lord in prayer, studies the Word and prepares his sermons. Consider this: find out from him when he meets with the Lord in fervent prayer and when he studies and do your best to labor with him, shoulder to shoulder during those times. Imagine the blessing this could bring to his preaching, to your soul, and to the church family as a whole.
2. Be attentive in his preaching.
Glorify God by allowing His Word to sink deep into your hearts. What did your pastor preach on last week? What was the main point? What in the sermon convicted you? How did Christ show Himself to you through what was said in the Word? Are you attentive? Do you fight distractions? Do you arrive early, on time, well-prepared, and hungry to meet with God? Another way to glorify God in your church and to greatly bless your pastor is to come attentive and sit eagerly when the Word is read and heralded. Distractions happen. Children cry. Noises come and go. But do your best to intentionally, actively, deliberately fight off distractions. Fight the wandering mind. Strive to not let your mind wander when the Word is being expounded. If you struggle with this, then move to the front row (now this will encourage your preacher!). Consider this: prepare ahead of time, come early, find one or two people before the service and pray a brief prayer for God’s rich blessing on the worship time and on the preaching of the Word. See how God will use this to encourage you and the church family as you do this weekly.
3. Serve with him in the ministry.
Serving is one of those things that everyone in a local church knows people should be doing but it can sometimes be the case that few people are actually doing it. How are you serving? This does not mean big-time ministry leaders. You can serve by praying regularly through your membership list. You can serve by reaching out to and greeting visitors and new folks on Sundays. You can serve by opening your home for hospitality to different families from your local church. You can serve by finding a family with young kids and offering to watch the kids so the parents can have a date night together periodically. You can serve by driving to the home of a retired person and having a time of Bible-reading, prayer, and encouragement together. You can serve by taking some gospel tracts and going to a school, a local college, a nearby neighborhood, or a busy marketplace and sharing the gospel. Consider this: how would God have you to actively serve Him in His local church, your family, on a regular basis. How can you creatively, proactively, intentionally and happily serve the people of God in your membership family? Remember: the pastor’s role is to equip you, the flock, to do the work of service!
4. Propagate the gospel in manifold ways.
Advance the gospel! Me? Yes! Imagine the innumerable ways that you can actively serve to advance the gospel in your community? You can glorify God by speaking forth His Word and propagating the gospel. How? If you have kids in the home, prioritize this as your great mission field. Teach truth and preach the gospel to your children (however young or old they may be). How can you serve in praying with your family and with those in your church for revival -- locally, in your congregation and in your city, and around the world? Think of how you can play a part in ministering love to your community while you clearly articulate the gospel of Jesus Christ as well (e.g., a homeless shelter, Christmas caroling). Have you considered writing a hand-written letter (1-page) to your neighbors and explaining the gospel of Jesus Christ to them and calling them to repent and believe? Is there someone that you can invite to church and offer to drive them, explain what it is and why it’s important? Is there an abortion clinic nearby that you can go to and call out to the women to not murder their babies while offering them the grace and forgiveness of Christ if they repent and trust in Him? Consider how you -- yes you! -- can actively play a part in propagating the gospel! It’s not only the pastor’s job, or the evangelist's job, or the missionary’s job; it’s our job. We all must preach repentance to all! And God will use us!