Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast. My name is Kosti Hinn, and I have the pleasure of being your host today. I'm flying solo as I answer a question that we have continued to get on social media, in direct messages, on all our platforms, and even via email with a contact form that's on our website. And the question really is about pastors. What kind of pastor should I be submitting to? Who should I be following? What is a pastor going to look like that I can trust? This is a really important question. Our ministry is all about providing sound doctrine for everyday people. And I don't know about you, but uh I'm I'm an everyday kind of guy as well that thinks pretty simply if the Bible says in Hebrews 13 17 very clearly, easy for everybody to understand, submit to those who are over you in the Lord, for they keep watch over your soul as ones who are going to give an account, we're not to uh do that causing them a lot of grief, then we better know who we're supposed to submit to. The logical question that everybody should be asking when we look at a passage like Hebrews 13 17 is that if the Bible says I'm to submit to leaders, or if I'm a leader, I look at that and think the Bible says I'm gonna give an account for the way that I cared for people's soul. Well, I sure better know that that individual, or if I am a pastor, I sure better know that my life matches what the Bible says a pastor is to do and who a pastor is to be. And so that's where we're at today. The first thing that I want to point out is the seriousness of pastoral ministry. It's not a flippant calling, it's not an easy way to just hang with people and get a paycheck. It's not something you do because you want power. A lot of people would have made better CEOs and better entrepreneurs than they ever would, a pastor or a shepherd of the flock of God. It's not something that we want to do so we can get on a soapbox and monologue for an hour a week and tell people all our opinions. It's a sacred calling. It's not even one that we get into because somebody said you should think about being a pastor. That's the way that a lot of men end up in pastoral ministry, and that's great. The Lord uses disciple makers in their life who says, You should think about this, and people say, Wow, me? I never thought about that. And then the Lord makes it clear that they are called to it. But there's a lot of men who try to go into ministry because they were told they should, or they felt pressure. Uh sat with one man not very long ago who was wrestling through all this, and he clearly was not called to be a pastor. He hadn't made it in the pastorate multiple times. There were multiple indications of him simply uh going through the motions to take a paycheck, and one day we sat down for a real serious conversation. And the reason he wants to still be a pastor is because his wife and kids think he should, because he hasn't made it yet. That's not indicative of you being a pastor. When you are a pastor, God will make it clear, he will bless your work. That doesn't mean it's going to be big crowds and big money and big conferences. It just means he's going to bless your work. He's going to open doors and use his shepherds where he has called them. It is a serious calling. You will know if you're supposed to be a pastor, and that seriousness should cause us all to pray for our pastors. And it should cause us to think very, very seriously about who we are to submit to. I want to read you a text from 1 Timothy 3 1 through 7 that outlines the qualifications of a pastor elder, and that is where we're going to pretty much look at uh every single qualification in this episode. And then I want to list 42 functions. These are responsibilities that pastors are to fulfill. 1 Timothy 3 1 through 7 says, It is a trustworthy statement. If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. So that's great. You can want it. That's awesome. An overseer then must be above reproach the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity. But if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God? And not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil, and he must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he may not fall into the reproach and snare of the devil. There are roughly seventeen qualifications that I just read. We are going to go through every single one briefly. I'm going to give you bullet point snapshots of those, but first I want to get honest about the functions or responsibilities about a pastor from the epistles. I'm going to list off 42 functions. I'm going to do it quickly, as quickly as I can, and I'll read the reference every time. And I want you to simply, as you listen, begin imagining your pastors, or if you are a pastor, imagining your ministry, do you look like this? Does your pastor or pastors and elders look like what I'm about to list out? This is convicting for all of us, especially in this era we live in where a lot of people are chasing the wind, there's a lot of cultural wars going on, and you've got people barking about being woke, and you've got other people just sort of putting ministry through the motions and hitting cruise control and just trying to survive and keep a paycheck going. Let's look at what God's men are to do. Number one, correct those teaching false doctrine, calling them to purity, good conscience, and sincere faith. That's first Timothy one, three through five. They fight for divine truth and for God's purposes. They keep their own faith and a good conscience, first Timothy one, eighteen to nineteen. They pray for the lost and they lead men in the church to do the same, first Timothy two, one through eight. They call women in the church to fulfill their God given roles through submission to husbands and respect of husbands, to raise up godly children, to listen and learn and grow in God's house, to be an example of faith, love, and sanctity with self restraint. That's first Timothy two, nine through fifteen, and they are to teach Titus two, three through five, that older women are to teach the younger women. And so they're to instruct the church on godly roles, not avoid it, not run from it, not shirk that responsibility because it's going to offend the feminists in the congregation. No. But to give God's people his word so they might grow and enjoy his beautiful design. Here's some more. They are to select spiritual leaders carefully, based on their giftedness, godliness, and virtue, first Timothy three, one through thirteen. They're to recognize error and those who teach it and point these things out to the rest of the church. 1 Timothy 4, 1 through 6. Notice that they are not to avoid calling out error for the sake of protecting the flock. They're to be nourished on Scripture and its sound teaching, 1 Timothy 4.6, as well from that passage. They are to avoid a bunch of myths and false doctrines. 1 Timothy 4, 7 through 11 says that a pastor is to discipline himself for the purpose of godliness. Next, he's to boldly command and teach the truth of God's word, 1 Timothy 4.12. He's to be a model of spiritual virtue that everyone can follow, 1 Timothy 4.12. He should be progressing towards Christ's likeness in his own life, 1 Timothy 4, 15 and 16. How many of you know our pastors, they sin as well. They're not perfect as much as we want to put them on a pedestal and think they are. They sometimes are going to sin. In fact, shocker, they're going to sin every single day because every single human being does. How they grow and progress in their holiness and how they deal with their sin, repent of their sin, and address their sin is paramount because they are examples to us. We are examples of past as pastors, not of perfection, but of progression in the Lord, which includes being honest about sin, repenting of sin. Anytime you want to get a gauge on how a man might be doing that, just look at his wife and her countenance. Is this woman loving her husband? Does she call him her best friend? Does she see a man who's a phony out in the church? And then the real him comes out in the home. We ought to be following men who are the same way all the time. He's to be gracious and gentle in confronting the sin of the people he's shepherding, first Timothy five, one to two, to give special consideration and care to widows, first Timothy five, three through sixteen, to choose church leaders with great care, seeing that they are mature and proven, first Timothy five, twenty two. Notice a theme multiple times in the pastoral epistles, which would be at least Titus and Timothy, many would add in, of course, Philemon, that church leadership matters. He's to take care of his physical condition in such a way that he is able to serve, first Timothy five twenty three. It was Paul who said bodily discipline is of some benefit. When I discipline our bodies so that we can continue to serve for as long as the Lord would number our days and allow us. He's to teach and preach true godliness and help people discern between godliness and hypocrisy, first Timothy five twenty four, and then chapter six verse six. He's to flee from the love of money, first Timothy six seven through eleven. He's to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness, first Timothy six eleven, fight for the faith against all enemies and all attacks, first Timothy six twelve. He's to instruct the rich to do good and to be rich in good works and generous Timothy six, seventeen to nineteen. Let me pause there. I know and you know, there are many pastors who are scared of rich people. In fact, they cater to them and show partiality, which is what James says not to do. We are not to be scared of wealthy people. If you are wealthy, you are not to bully pastors and wave your checkbook around, trying to manipulate the agenda of the church. If you are a very wealthy person and you are listening to the sound of my voice right now, I say this in love to encourage you. If this is you, great. If it's not, well, the Lord can use you mightily if you are willing to walk in humility in this way. You are a gospel patron. You are one who the Lord has given great means to so that you may give money to the ministry and enable great things to move forward. But you don't drive the vision of the church, quote unquote. The word of God does, through God's man and God's men who he has put in position for spiritual leadership, and so be a gospel patron, follow the pastor's directive to be generous, ready to share, and rich in good works, and you, if you're a pastor or a church leader, don't you ever waver on your boldness and your courage and the message of the gospel, and to call out sin and see the bride purified because you're scared of them walking out the door with their money. The Lord will honor your faithfulness. A pastor is to guard the word of God as a sacred trust and a treasure, first Timothy six, twenty to twenty one, to keep the gift of God in him fresh and useful, second Timothy one six, not to be timid, but walk in the power of God, Second Timothy one seven, never to be ashamed of Christ or anyone who serves Christ, Second Timothy one, eight through eleven, to hold tightly to the truth and guard it, Second Timothy one, twelve to fourteen, to be strong in character, Second Timothy two, one, to be a teacher of truth, so that he might reproduce himself in faithful men. Second Timothy two, two says that we're to entrust these truths to faithful men who in turn will be able to teach others. He's to suffer difficulty and persecution willingly while making maximum effort for the glory of Christ and the work of the gospel, Second Timothy two, three through seven. He's to keep his eyes on Christ at all times, Second Timothy two, eight through thirteen. He is to lead with authority, delegated from God, Second Timothy two fourteen. He's to interpret and apply scripture accurately, Second Timothy two fifteen. He's to avoid useless conversation that only leads to ungodliness, second Timothy two sixteen. He's to be an instrument of honor set apart from sin and useful to the Lord, 2 Timothy two, twenty to twenty one, to flee youthful lust, pursue righteousness, faith, and love, 2 Timothy 2 22, to refuse to be drawn into philosophical and theological, what Paul calls vain wrangling, 2 Timothy 2 23. He's not to be overly argumentative, he's to be kind and teachable, gentle and patient, even when he is wronged, which is difficult for everyone. Second Timothy 2, 24 to 26. He's to face dangerous times with a deep knowledge of the Word of God, 2 Timothy 3, 1 through 15. He's to understand that Scripture is the basis and the content. It is sufficient for all life and practice for the Christian. He is to preach that faithfully, and without wavering. Second Timothy three, sixteen and seventeen. He is to understand that the word of God is adequate for ministry. He doesn't need any other fancy means to grow the people or keep them happy. Give them God's word. He's to preach the word in season and out of season. He is to reprove, rebuke, exhort, and do that with great patience and instruction, 2 Timothy 4, 1 through 2. He's to be sober in all things, endure hardship, and do the work of an evangelist. 2 Timothy 4, verse 5. What a list. Forty-two functions, 42 responsibilities that you can find in just 1st and 2 Timothy alone. Paul's words to his young son in the faith are still words that pastors can apply today? What a wait. What a call. If you think about that list that I just read off to you, what time is there for foolishness? What time is there for uh silly empire building? What time is there to uh putz around and play games with God's people and God's call? What time is there if you're a father, a mother, or you're a young person? What time is there to waste sitting under a man's ministry who's wasting time? We used to call these guys hobnobbers in the locker room in college baseball. They're the guy always sitting in the corner, goofing around when other guys are working hard, the guy in the weight room always jawjacking when he could be lifting and getting better. Pastoral ministry is very similar. I think when we look at Paul's model, he was such a go getter. His apostolic example is one that all pastors can take into consideration. He was, of course, an apostle, he was missional, he was traveling around and going hard, but we can all have that same energy and effort locally. We can also take the call to honor our families the same way, winning at home, honoring our wives and our family, raising godly children, and going hard for the bride of Christ as well. I want to list out the qualifications for a pastor elder. This is less about the function and more about the character. You could say it's less about the doing and more about the being. What I've already listed is what you should expect your pastors to be doing. This list is who you should expect them to be. We read it already in 1 Timothy 3 1 through 7. The first thing we see is that there'll be an aspiration. Number one, he will aspire to the office. You don't loathe being a pastor every day. No one had to twist your arm to be an elder and an oversee of the church. You're passionate. That's what you want from your leaders. Guys that don't have to experience some level of compulsion to stay in ministry. They're fired up. They're not in it for the paycheck. They do it for free. It just so happens that the church is gracious enough and God has provided enough that they can do it for a living, but we all know plenty of lay and bivocational church leaders who get after it. What an aspiration. What an example. Next, he's to be above reproach. And this is really the driver on the rest of the list. An above reproach man is going to look like a lot of the things that I'm about to list. But above reproach essentially means he's not able to be held, meaning this is a man who doesn't have any obvious sin or blight on his character. This isn't going to be a man who has a private, adulterous affair going on in the background, or he's stealing money, or he's doing things that we wouldn't want our pastors and our leaders to do. Maybe he's a man who is out at the casinos on the weekends gambling away his money and he's getting drunk in secret. All those things would be somebody who is not above reproach. And people may not know him or recognize him, but someone could say, Hey, aren't you the pastor of that one church? No, no, I'm not that guy, and they find out, and all of a sudden everybody sees they was living a double life. Pastors are to be above reproach. No one can really grab onto anything and say, you know, I know what you're really doing. I know who you really are, and have it be factual and true as a way of his life. Next, Paul says he's to be the husband of one wife. So first, not the wife of one man. This is the husband of one wife. So elders, that's where we get that there to be men only, of course, that and first Timothy two, but he's a one woman man. He's devoted to this woman in his heart and his mind. He practices faithfulness to her. He loves her, he desires her, he thinks of her, he maintains sexual purity with regards to his covenant to her and with her. He's a husband of one wife. He's temperate, Paul says. This word literally means not to be mixed with wine or it means without wine. And it it would metaphorically reference a man who is alert and watchful and vigilant. This is a man whose mental faculties are not restricted by his mental or emotional turmoil. He's he's not always losing it, would be a great way to describe it. Or we might say he's not a basket case, or he's not overly dramatic about everything. He's not always sitting around going, woe is me, and complaining about this or that, or not able to control his emotions. He's temperate. Another thing Paul says is he's prudent. He's prudent. This is literally a phrase that means he avoids the appearance of being a clown. This is a guy who is serious, he's thoughtful. You would ask him to analyze your finances and your decision-making process because he's not a goofball who just flies by the seat of his pants. He's not somebody who goes around just joking all the time. Even his humor and his nature of joking and laughing is well timed and well placed. He makes good decisions. He knows how to behave himself next to the hospice bed. He's a good thinker. He's a critical thinker. He's not getting caught up in the frivilties and distractions of the world and mindless vanities. He's prudent. You know what the root word there is? Prude. It's what often in mockery the world calls a woman who dresses modestly and is very careful and is not out like a wild woman, if you will, of the world, but she is a woman who's focused on going about her godly business, and the world would say, What a prude. Yeah, what a wise, prudent woman. God expects the same thing of his pastors. Oh, that we would be proud to be prude in today's world. Respectable. Respectable is what Paul also says. This is orderly behavior. It actually stems from that temperate and prudent mind. Of course, if you are controlling your emotions and you're making wise decisions and not getting caught up in foolishness in this world, you are temperate, you're prudent, and thus you will be respectable. This is a well-disciplined person who has a well-disciplined mind and thus a well-disciplined life. A respectable man maintains his commitments, he honors his word, he accomplishes his goals, he sees God's word and says, We will do it. He's not in disarray. Also, hospitable. The word here in the original language for hospitable is a compound word that comes from two words it's to love and strangers. So, this is a man who openly loves strangers. He's willing to meet with them. He's willing to open his home to them. He's not withdrawn from showing hospitality. His home is a place where people can come, strangers can come. This would be likened to uh joyfully seeing our pastors out engaging their neighborhood or uh seeing our pastors show kindness to people and go out of their way for others. This would also be convicting for those of us who demand our pastors only spend time with us or spend more time with us. This would be a man who spreads out his calendar with opportunities to love on people from all facets of his church and his community. This isn't a man who's shut off to people. He's able to teach, Paul says. It's the hard work of study, it's the diligence in prayer and preparing God's word to deliver it to God's people. This is an important aspect of pastoral ministry. James 3 1 says, Let not many of you become teachers, lest you incur a stricter judgment. God takes his men's ability to teach his word very seriously. Another one would be not addicted to wine, Paul says. This would be a man who doesn't have a reputation as a big drinker. He's not wild with alcohol, he's not known to be sitting around and, you know, what some guys would be a little flippant with in today's world and like to crack a few and just have a good time and get loose with the use of alcohol. Of course, Ephesians 5.18 says it's a sin to be drunk. The Bible says do not be drunk with wine. And so we know it's a sin to be drunk. Of course, no one can make the argument that it's a sin to drink alcohol unless you're causing someone to stumble. Paul makes that clear. So if you're being a stumbling block by using alcohol, you're most certainly in sin. But the reality here is that a man who consistently enjoys alcohol and becomes known for his drinking becomes a poor example to those with a weak conscience. And how many of us understand, as pastoral leaders, we are those who care for those with weaker consciences, and so we want to take great care even with our Christian liberties. Because if a man is temperate and prudent and respectable, then even the way that he carries out his Christian liberties will be a way that honors God and takes into consideration all members of the flock. He's not pugnacious, Paul says. This literally means he's not a giver of blows, he's not a guy who throws the fists, he doesn't settle disputes with physical violence or harsh, angry words about acting out violent desires. He settles disputes in a calm and cool demeanor. Which feeds into, of course, the next thing Paul says, which is that he's gentle. This is a man who's considerate, he's forbearing, he's gracious, he's forgiving, he pardons even after being sinned against, he forgives. He doesn't keep a list of wrongs and hold a grudge against people in bitterness. Paul also says that a man who is faithful and qualified to lead the church will be uncontentious. This is a peaceful and non-quarrelsome man. He promotes unity among the church members, and he supports the church leaders and the forward movement of the church as Jesus builds it, even against his own personal agenda. This would be a guy that isn't just arguing about always getting his way. He is all about the mission of God, not himself. Next, Paul says, not a money lover, not a lover of money. This means that he's not fixing specific attention in a way that is obsessed with making money as his reward for ministry. His goal isn't to get rich, he doesn't love it. It's not the motive. He's not always looking for more. He is this way in his home, he is this way in any business dealings, he is this way in the church, he is all about doing the right thing the right way, not always looking to get rich off everything. This is a man by application, I would add this, who is a model of generosity and giving. Because how in the world could a pastor or leader ever stand up and command people to a life of generosity, which is really what Paul does. Giving is a Christian command. How could we ever do that if we're not ourselves giving? And so we're not a lover of money and selfish with it. We're a giver of God's money and thankful that we would get to do this and be laborers who are given wage. Next, Paul says he manages his household well. It means he presides over each part of his household morally and in the way that it's presented. So managing your household well would be akin to practicing fiscal responsibility. The money situation in a pastor's home is not out of control. They're not in loads of debt, outspending what they earn, trying to keep up with the Joneses. There's an orderly way about his house. His wife and him are clear on their biblical roles. His children understand the convictions of the home. And his wife, of course, is supportive and considerate of his pastoral calling. The home is managed well. Next, Paul says the children are under control with dignity. Okay? This doesn't guarantee that they're saved at any given point. The New Testament is clear, God saves. But imagine this for a moment. Even in a pastor's home, the requirement that a qualified man is under is that his children are under control with all dignity. That means that the family lines up under dad's authority. They say, My father is the authority, and they are morally respectable. And of course we pray that the Lord would save them, and that morality would turn into a heart transformed as a worshiper of God. But these are children who maintain courtesy and humility. They are obedient, they follow, they are learning and growing in these ways. And doesn't this push against the classic PK caricature where we all kind of laugh and excuse it? I know it happened for me when I was younger, I was a PK, and we sort of just laugh that that's what pastors' kids do. Well, according to God's word, that stereotype has nothing to do with Scripture. The Bible does not call a man to succeed in the church and fail in his fatherhood. The Bible does not call a man to put more energy into building Christ's church than he does building the lives of his children in godliness. This is why the home, and primarily even before the children, the marriage, is your first ministry when you are in pastoral ministry. I heard it said this way. The primary ministry of every pastor is his home. And so we need to be raising our children and seeing our pastors make an effort. This doesn't mean his children are perfect and now they're on a pedestal, but we should see a way of order in the lives of our pastor's children that reflects his leadership in their life. Again, not needless perfection and pedestal, but order and godly leadership. Also, not a new convert. Not a new convert means that this is not somebody who is what the word is used in a lot of extra biblical text as a newly planted tree. That's the original language here that Paul uses. Not a young or newly baptized believer. They shouldn't be elevated to leadership until a period of tempering and humbling and teaching and testing has taken place. I experienced this personally. And I had to get biblically baptized because I was baptized as an unbeliever before, just kind of doing it in a big, you know, pool to kind of please my parents and because everybody else was. And there was a time of testing where men kicked over rocks in my life, and I still maintained local elder and outside accountability, even as a pastor. We're not to be new converts. And then finally, good reputation outside the church. This is where we see a man who has a certified testimony within the local community. This would be also likened to somebody saying, you know, I don't agree with that guy's narrow-minded beliefs, but he sure is a man of integrity. This might be the narrow-minded pastor out at dinner one night, and somebody leaves their wallet in a booth and he takes it, runs it out to the parking lot, and hands it to them, and it's somebody who was sitting in the church a few months prior and was real angry because the pastor brought it from Scripture and left. That person might say, I really don't like your fundamentalist, narrow-minded, bigoted beliefs, because you said marriage was between one man and one woman. But I'll tell you what, you sure have some integrity bringing my wallet back out to me. That would be the idea of a man with a good reputation with those outside the church. And so, what should we be seeing young, aspiring pastors going through? What should our pastors and church leaders have gone through? What should we be observing in their life? The last thing I'll add is uh three Ts, and we've used these here at our church, and I use them with Mission Bible Church as they have a great program for raising up men in the church, and it's three T's. Pastors should be first tested. We should be testing men with responsibilities in the church first, observing their life, observing the way they work, observing the way that they speak, the way that they raise a family, the way that they love their wives, the way that they operate. We should test them in the right way. And then men should be tempered. Think about steel. It goes through fire, it goes through a heat source, if you will, and is shaped and strengthened and made stronger. The same thing is for men who go through training. There's this idea that you could just kind of zip through a little program or zip through a little next steps course, and all of a sudden you're a pastor because you're young and influential, or because you do what the big boss says, and so you get into leadership. Uh, there is a very, very big need for pastors to train. How in the world can a man rightly divide the word of truth and minister as essentially what is a spiritual surgeon? That's what pastors are. Without having gone through any formal training of any kind. And I'm not saying that it has to be the most expensive seminary in the world and he has to have a PhD. I'm just saying on some level, getting Bible training, because as the old adage goes, do you do you want to go see a heart surgeon for a heart surgery who uh got his papers from a weekend course online, and all of a sudden he's the guy operating on your ticker? No way. You want to submit to men who are godly and who are training, and if they're late bloomers, are actively growing and outpacing you in the way that they train. They should be tempered, they should be going through the heat source of good training. And then finally, there should be a season of trusting. This is where men begin to be handed ministry, they're beginning to be endorsed as standout leaders in the church. They're beginning to be allowed in to certain levels of leadership because people trust them. They look at them and say, I've seen your life, I've sat under your ministry, you've poured into this church. We know you match these qualifications. A lot more can be said, but in these dark days, there are many who are quick to chase the cultural winds. That's actually how many churches end up at the point that they're at, and many people like you listen to this particular podcast and maybe through tears or conviction or some heartache begin to think, wow, I I wish I would have heard this before, or maybe you're saying, I'm sure glad I'm hearing this now. Or why didn't my church take this more seriously some years back? Well, it's because the pastors were not trained properly. It's because the pastors didn't have these convictions. Scripture's sort of like a little footnote or a cherry on top to their weekly Sunday, and they did a lot of other things, well intentioned, but all the while they led the church down the path it has gone down. The destination is a weak church, the destination is an endangered church, the destination could even be a Trojan horse now in that church because men were not following Scripture and being unwavering as protectors and shepherds of God's flock. And so what do you do? If you're not sitting under leaders like I've described, I think first you got to pray. Pray for them, pray for change. I don't know how long that season is, but you need to pray. Number two, you need to talk with them. I'd be careful of making railing accusations without witnesses. The Bible is clear, if you're going to bring a charge against an elder and you think the man may be qualified but wavering, then you need to bring some evidence and you need to bring some witnesses. But here's something that a lot of people may not like to hear, especially church leaders. If a man is not qualified and he does not match what scripture describes, then he's not a qualified elder, so you don't need to bring two or three witnesses. You pray for him, and then eventually you go in, you have a meeting, and you say, As for me and my house, we are going to serve the Lord. We are out of here. God bless you, we love you, we wish the best for you, but this church has gone the wrong direction. You know it, we know it, and you're sticking with the ship, and so, like the captain of the Titanic, if you choose to stay on and go down with it, that is your decision. But I am taking my wife and my children, and I am going to lead them because you were our pastor, but truly in the home, each man, father, and husband is also the quote unquote pastor, the shepherd of his home. And he is called to lead his flock to green pastures where God is being declared, where his word is held in high regard, where he is being worshipped faithfully. And so, if that's you, make the hard decision. Get to a Bible church that is being faithful, go all in and follow Christ. Because Hebrews 13 17 says that you will have to submit to leaders. And so choose the kind of leaders that the Bible describes. And if you are a church leader listening to this episode, I pray that you, along with me, will look at Hebrews 13 17 with fear and trembling, knowing we are going to give an account one day, not for the empire we built or how big we got that church to grow. No, we give an account for how we cared for the flock of God. Size doesn't matter. Notoriety and fame doesn't matter. Faithfulness is what matters. So that is what you should expect of your pastors. Thank you for listening to this special episode of the For the Gospel podcast. Next week, we're gonna walk through what your pastors should expect of you. So, church leaders got theirs, and now the rest of us are gonna get ours. Thank you for listening. If this has been a blessing to you, please share it, a subscribe, rate, review our podcast, and we will be back next week. Keep on living for the gospel.