These notes were taken from the second session of today's pre-conference seminar, "The Pastor: Not Yet Perfect, Still Under Attack." (Read the notes from Part 1.)

This side of eternity it's very hard to keep what's truly important in your life. It's hard because sin is idolatrous and there's always inertia away from the Creator toward the creature. Things rise to a level of importance to rule your heart, and what rules your heart influences your behavior.

A few years ago, I was able to purchase a car that I truly enjoyed. People would look at me in that car and say, 'I wish I was that man.' My niece and nephew came to visit from FL to experience a northern, white Christmas. We would take them to Philadelphia Christmas sites and to NYC. There's great food all around. We ate our way through Philadelphia at Christmas. I love how much of the glory of God in creation is edible. We ended the day by taking our family to Starbucks. I did that as a servant to them.

Troy, my nephew, ordered a grande latte with a big brownie. We then piled into the car and made our way home. The street we had to take was Lincoln Dr, which is full of sharp curves the whole length. Somewhere along Lincoln Dr., Troy said one fateful word ... 'sick.' And what came out of his mouth next cannot be described. I think I saw his body getting smaller.

Then I said something that was untrue, "It's ok. I love you more than I love this car." My niece and I cleaned it up at home. I thought that leather doesn't soak much in. I woke up in the middle of the night remembering that my seats were ventilated with little holes. I went down earlier in the morning than is healthy to see my new orange and black seats. It's hard to keep important what's important.

Imagine when you see a nice bagel on the counter in the kitchen at night and think that it will be a perfect breakfast for you tomorrow morning with a nice, hot coffee. You can even take some extra time in the morning. And you go to bed in your own bagelism. And you wake up and take some extra time and come down to the kitchen to find the counter bare, and you say, "Who ate my bagel!?" It's easy to get angry even at the people you love.

This side of eternity, it's very hard to keep what's truly important, important. If this is true in regular life, then it's that much more true in your ministry. This side of eternity, it's very hard to keep what's truly important, important. Secondary things become more important than they are. That elder doesn't always have to agree with you! It's very hard to keep what's truly important, important.

I want to do this: some of you will say, "Paul, I think you're right. There are some disconnects." Some of you have said, "Are you gonna tell us what to do?" So, I'm gonna take some time to do that, and if it takes the rest of the time, then God is sovereign and this is what I was supposed to do here.

Two Texts That Are Important to Pastoral Ministry

Hebrews 3:12-13

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

If you are aware that there are incongruities in your public and personal life, then seek help. You are not designed to do this thing by yourself. Your ministry is a community project.

See to it that no one has a sinful...unbelieving...hard heart. Pastors, hear this: if you push, poke, and slap your children, those aren't acts of discipline but abuse. You are sinning, so stop it.

You don't live life in big moments. You live life in the utterly mundane. If God doesn't rule your mundane, then he doesn't rule your life. The character of a life is set in 10,000 little moments, not big moments. We begin in those little moments to let down our guard. A little lust, jealousy, or anger in ministry because I haven't gotten the appreciation that's due to me. If you're a believer and do something wrong, your conscience bothers you..that's the work of the Holy Spirit.

You have two options for your unbelief, either go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness or you erect your own justification for what you've done wrong. You say things like: I wasn't lusting, I was appreciating beauty. I yell at my kids like a prophet, 'Thus says the Lord...' I exerted my power because I have leadership gifts.

You are the most influential person in your own life. you talk to yourself more than anyone does. What are you saying to you about you?

I love how Paul talks about self-swindling. Pretense that set themselves up against the sovereignty of God. The danger of self-swindling is that you never tell yourself a bad lie. You live in a fallen world and you have plenty of material. The purpose of these arguments is to make you feel good about that which is not good.

The 3rd word of Hebrew 3:12-13 is about turning away, falling away. This will always lead to further drifts in your life. You lose my anchor. And the final position you find yourself in is hardened by deceitfulness of sin. Those things that used to bother you don't anymore.

There's a theology here: the theology of sinful blindness. Sin blinds. I always see my wife and children's sin. There's a difference between physical blindness and spiritual blindness: the physically blind know that they are blind; they can't see anything. But the spiritually blind are blind to their blindness. And because we buy that we don't think we need a rescuing community.

The writer of Hebrews addresses that. As long as sin still lives inside of you, there will be spiritual blindness and you will need help. The only solution is daily intervention. Not just occasional, but daily, intentionally intrusive, Christ-centered, grace-filled people surrounding me. People that step into my life because I'm scared to death of my blindness.

Christ-centered, because we don't believe in a system, we believe in a Redeemer. Grace-driven, because it's only in grace that I have the courage to step out of myself to say I need help. Quit thinking about losing your job, about what your elders will think. Step into grace, and let it transform you. I think every pastor needs to hold on to this reality: we are a people constantly in need of redemption.

Personal spiritual insight is the product of community. So get help. Step into the community so that you may see yourself with accuracy and receive the continual resources of grace that your Savior died to give you. Don't live in denial, hiding, or fear. Live in hope and courage. Get help.

1 Peter 5:6-10

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

This is good encouragement for us to do what we need to do.

5 directives from this passage:

1) Know your place. Humble yourselves under hand of God. Realize it is Christ's truth, gifts, and people. I am only ever an instrument in his redemptive hands. It's not my ministry or church, it's Christ's. Daily pray, 'God keep me aware of my place.' May it not go to my head or change the way I think of my identity. May it not change the zeal of my ministry. How about having 5 people pray that thing for you?

2) Rest in God's care. I think there's a tremendous amount of pastoral fear, anxiety, and sleepless nights. Listen, your Lord and Savior rules over all things for the sake of his name. His sovereign will will be done. May we rest in his care.

I'm not talking about ministry laziness but ministry rest. You believe that no one is more concerned about the use of your gifts than the Giver. No one cares more about the progress of the gospel than the One who died to make it a reality. Maybe you're dealing with a lack of success with your programs or fellow leaders. Maybe your ministry is driven by concern and anxiety rather than rest.

3) Take ministry seriously. Look what he says: 'Be sober minded, be watchful...' We believe in an enemy. And I can't forget that. I can't make ministry about whether or not I design the right kind of program. No. This is war. I want to take that seriously as I live in the middle of this war in ministry.

4) Resist no matter what. "Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world." Why would Peter say that? Misery loves company? No! He's speaking to an evil but seductive lie that comes from an enemy who says you've been singled out in your ministry for suffering.

No. Peter says you're not alone, that there are others. The gospel is an offense. Why would we be surprised when it does lead to suffering? The gospel is good news that's full of bad news. Do not believe that somehow God has forgotten your ministry.

5) Entrust yourself to God's sanctifying grace. In the midst of the hardships of ministry and of disappointment, the God of grace is working in your heart to restore and establish you. What seems like the ministry you never wanted may be God's plan for your life.