The kingdom of God had always prospered and expanded truthfully whenever God T sees men after His own heart. Men and women after God’s heart are the key to glorious days of God’s power and victory over the enemy. Psalm 12:8. Pastors are crucial to the life and vitality of churches. Without godly and steadfast pastors, there can be no living and vital churches. God is not happy when worthless men, ungodly men, children and chalatants takes over leadership positions in His work and church. We shall experience the days of God’s, power. visitation, open heaven and victorious expansion when pastors after God’s heart are in charge of the church.
A. Biblical Foundation Jer. 3:15; Acts. 13:22; 2 Chron. 16:9; Jer. 23:4; 1 Sam. 13:14.
The people of God always fared better when leaders after God’s heart rises to the surface. Pastros after God’s heart are men and women that are God-called, God moulded, God-sent, in God- place at God’s time; they have a burning heart for the will of God; They love what He loves and hates what He hates; They are tender, pliable and amendable in the hand of the Lord; have been touched by the live coals from the altar- Isaiah 6:1- 8; Zealous, dynamic and productive for God. John 5:35. Pastors after God’s heart are:
- Pastors who really know and are close to the Lord.
- Pastors who pursue hard after God. Psalm 23:1-6.
- Pastors who seek to please the Lord in all they do.
- Pastors who have deep insight into the heart of God.
- Pastros who feed and lead people to the deep things of God.
- Pastros who serve as true shepherds and the sheeps are reproducing.
- Pastrors who are true models and lead from the depth of their lives.
Where can we find such rare pastors today? They are very scarce and in short supply, the more reason the church is shallow, fickle, wordly and earthly.
B. Why Many Pastors are not after God’s Heart
Today, we have hundreds of thousands of pastors in the field. Every year, thousands are also graduating from bible schools and being ordained into the ministry. But why are they few pastors after God’s heart.
- Lack of personal encounter with the Lord
- Wrong motive of coming into the ministry.
- Wrong foundation and training
- Little or no knowledge of God.
- Personal slavery to sin and devil.
- Lack of passion for God and spiritual things.
- Slaves to tradition, dogma and systems of man.
C. As the Pastor Goes, So goes the Church.
More than any other leadership position in the church, the pastor has more direct influence upon the church.
- The church is lively because the pastor is lively.
- The church is godly because the pastor is godly.
- The church is carnal because the pastor is
- The church is prayerful because the pastor is prayerful.
- The church is spiritual because the pastor is spiritual.
- The church is worldly because the pastor is worldly.
- The church is mission minded because the pastor is mission minded.
- The church is in disarray because the pastor is in disarray.
The life of the pastor is always the ceiling for the church. No church can rise above the life and passion of the pastor. The life of the pastor permeates, percolates, penetrates and permanently affect the life and blood of the church.
Recoommended Reading
THE CHURCH IN A CHANGING WORLD
The Place And Power Of The Local Church
Top Ten Lessons from the Life of Daniel
10 Guidelines That will Keep You In Minsrtry
D. Marks of Pastors after God’s Heart – Ezek 34:22-23.
If you want to become a pastor after God’s heart and cause revolution for God, then you can imbibe these factors into your life:
1. Purity-Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:14-15. Purity of life, thought and feelings. Pure personality and moral uprightness. God only uses clean vessel.
2. Passionate – John 4:34. You must have a burning passion for God and things that touch his heart. You must have a driving passion in your heart.
3. Purpose-Acts 26:18-19 You must discover your purpose in God. What has He called you to do and accomplish for His glory? That is what you must live by.
4. Praying – James 5:16-18; 4:2-3 Pastors after God’s heart are deep prayer warriors. They don’t pray selfish and carnal prayers, but prayers that bring out the fulfilment of the will of God on earth. They really have audience with God and seeks to bring His will to bear on earth.
5. Power-Micah 3:8 Pastors after God’s heart have avail themselves of the power of the Holy Spirit to bring change, transformation to lives, families and society. Their lives are open channel for the Holy Spirit to flow through.
6. Principles Only principle-driven churches will last and endure. Scriptural principles are the bedrock of churches that are pastored by men after God’s heart. Methods, systems and tactics changes, but principles don’t change. Pastors after God’s heart build the work on unchanging principles of God’s word.
7. Priority Pastors after God’s heart have clear priority in ministry. They know they cannot do everything and therefore concentrate on what they can do well. Thy choose their calendars and programmes and major in major and leave the minor to others.
8. Production-Jer 1:10. They seek for and produce results that gladden the heart of God. They produce fruits to eternal life and seek to bring change to everywhere they do ministry.
9. Patience – Heb 6:12; 10:36. Pastors after God’s heart knows that it takes time to build a durable work for God. They therefore patiently labour, pray, intercede, teach, train and equip the church for long time fruitfulness.
10. Persistence – Rev 3:11; 2:25 Bull-dog tenacity, never-say-die spirit and ability to stick to it when you are hardest hit are the hallmark of pastors after God’s heart. They hold tenaciously to the promises of God and wait in faith until God comes and prove Himself strong on their behalf.
God is looking that every pastor will rise up today to become men and women after His heart. Then, He can show Himself strong on their behalf. 1 Chro. 16:9. Then He can rebuke kings for their sakes and prosper the work in their hands. 1 Chro. 16:20-22. God will have to do an operation in our hearts, changing our hard heartedness to tender hearts for Him. (Ezek 36:25-27). If we are going to be men and women after His heart.