Dear Pastor Whoever

Dear Pastor Whoever….

I humbly advise you to make room in your busy schedule for a sabbatical. Spiritual sabbaticals – times of escape from responsibilities,distractions, influences, opinions – pay hefty dividends. Not a skimpy time-out, but at least a month of communing with your Lord. Plead with wife and children to honour this time of solitude. Don’t answer the phone, don’t listen to teachings, avoid everyone. Hide in your bedroom, stretch out on the bed with pillows behind your head, cross your legs, maybe journal a bit and, Bible in hand, prayerfully consider. Consider? Consider what?

Consider the upcoming judgement seat of Christ. Make sure you are the “wise man” building “his house” on the Bible rather than the“foolish man” who isn’t. This is not difficult. Simply compare every aspect of your christianity with NT writings. Is what you do compatible to the examples of Christ and His apostles? For example….

Is your role as shepherd of a congregation conducive with NT teachings? Begin with your title, “Pastor Whoever”. Search hard for a christian in the NT with such an appellation. Or any appellation. Next,consider your salary. Can you find a salaried person in the NT? How about the disciples…. Peter, Paul, John? Yes, there are lots of examples of contributions for workers, but is there a precedent for a salary?

Your denominational license, is that NT? Is your extensive, almost solo, spiritual input synonymous to the “one another” ministry the NT speaks of? “Wise man” or “foolish man”? Your Bible has the answer.

Perhaps it’s wisdom to confer with Lord Jesus now before that day of accountability. Perhaps a sabbatical – just you, Jesus and your Bible – really would be a good investment. Amen?

Most respectfully,

Larry Jones