“I don't want to be rude, but...”

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Many times I have found myself situations where I have let things go because I know the response or correction would fall on deaf ears. This article will try to clarify a few of those things. I want people to know, “I don’t want to be rude, but…

…I am not a pastor!

Yes, I have received calls from hospitals over the years which stated, “Is this pastor so and so? We want you to know that one your members has been admitted and is in room such and such.”  That brief time on the phone is not the proper time to explain this, but a “pastor” is not a synonym for “preacher” in the Bible. Anybody who doubts this should read Ephesians 4:11. The word pastor means “elder, bishop or overseer.” If you read I Timothy 3 and Titus 1, you will find the qualifications be a pastor. Also note that a local church needs two or more men fulfilling the office at the same time (Titus 1:5; Acts 14:23, etc.). A preacher could also serve as a pastor, but not all preachers are pastors. I hate to be rude, but I am not a pastor.

…I am not a reverend!

Just like the previous point, we need to be aware that our Lord does not want anyone to wear a title (Matt. 23:8-10). Peter, who was an apostle, told someone who was bowing down to him, “Stand up, I also am a man,” (Acts 10:25-26). There is no room for anyone to elevate themselves. The term “reverend” belongs to our God (Psa. 111:9). I do not want to be rude, but being called reverend is something that just cuts to the heart. Consider how Paul and Silas felt in Acts 14:14-15.       

…it is not my church!

Sometimes people ask me about the church I attend. Often though, the local church is referred to as “my church” during these conversations. I did not start the church – no man did. Jesus established it, and He is the head (Acts 20:28; Col. 1:18). The church belongs to Christ (Matt. 16:18). The local preacher does not own the church in any sense and did not go to the cross to establish it. People who refer to the local church as “my church” might now understand the significance of what they are saying, but Jesus had to sacrifice His life to build this spiritual body, the church. As a follower of Him, I do not want to steal His credit for that.

…I am not part of a ministerial group!

You might be familiar area preacher/pastor/reverend groups. They get together for breakfasts and have “fellowship.” Again, I do not want to be rude, but why would I want to be part of a group whose members promote false, non-Biblical doctrines? Some might construe this as arrogance. But the truth is that we are not to have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11). Certainly we are to love all people as our Lord does (Mark 12:30-31; John 3:16). This does not mean we should condone unlawful behavior though.

…no person(s) sent me here to preach

People wonder how long I will be working in this area before I am reassigned somewhere else. It is even implied that I was sent here by some board to Newburgh. Many do not realize the Bible mentions no organizing body higher than a local church (Phil. 1:1). There is no hierarchy system in the churches of our Lord. Christ is simply the head. If a man wants to preach at a place and he is invited, it’s between him and that local church. I do not want to be rude, but preachers can work wherever they want and the local church can accept or reject whomever they want.    

 My goal in sharing these clarifications is to help us all follow God as He has called us to. Are these distinctions made in the local church you attend? Consider these things.

Chuck

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