PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR HE IS A TARGET!!

By JERRY BURNAMAN

POST OFFICE BOX 73
WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS 75168

The pastor is viewed as a mature spiritual leader of the church. Supposedly, if he doesn't have all the answers to people's needs, he has most of them and knows where to find the answers.

Why should we pray for him? Because he is under attack by Satan, more than anyone else in the church. Why are pastors a special target of the enemy? Jonathan Graf, founding editor of “Pray” gives 4 reasons.

ONE: The pastor is more accountable to God than the average member. James said not many should desire to be teachers because they will come under greater Judgment (James 3:1). The accuser would like nothing more than to defeat the pastor- teacher and rub his nose in it.

TWO: As the pastor's spiritual life goes, so goes the congregation. If Satan can keep a pastor defeated and prayerless, most believers in his church will not grow spiritually. The prayer level of a church seldom rises above that of the pastor.

THREE: When a pastor falls, more damage usually is done to the church than when anyone else in the church falls. People look to the pastor as their spiritual leader. Less mature believers are often very confused when someone they look up to spiritually lets them down. They may even fall away from the Lord in the confusion and hurt.

FOUR: The pastor is the most visible member of the church, so more damage is done to the ministry's reputation in the community when he falls.

It may affect the ministry of the church for a significant length of time. When scandal hits a church, nonbelievers tend to think there is no power in that religion.

Therefore, pray for your pastor. In the early 1900's, a well-known Presbyterian pastor named Wilbur Chapman recognized the value of people praying for him. Two older gentlemen in his congregation began praying for him that the Holy Spirit would anoint his preaching every time he stepped into the pulpit.

Soon, more people began praying for Chapman, and eventually more than 200 men were praying for him every Sunday. Over the next 3 years, Chapman's church saw more than 1100 people come into the kingdom.

What could happen in your church if you and a friend began faithfully covering your pastor in prayer? What if more prayers began to join you? You might be surprised at the results.  (From Baptist Progress)

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