A Charge To His Overseers

Like an animal that has entered its den for the winter, many church leaders are content to spend these days in hibernation, secluded from the world around, and unaffected by any commotion going on outside their church walls. For here in their burrows, they can hide away from the stormy weather that is sure to arrive in this season. And although a biting wind is about to blow across this land, these overseers have decided it best to stay nestled away and sleep through the tempest that’s brewing, for their main concern is their own comfort, creating an ambivalence towards those who live outside their snug hideaways.

So, unless trouble intrudes uninvited into their cozy houses, these pastors see no point in venturing beyond this perimeter, for the struggles happening to others in their vicinity have little to do with them or their congregations. Why then should they borrow trouble when the problem belongs to someone else?

Yet, this seems to be the prevailing attitude amongst many who were given the responsibility of caring for the people of this world. And because My Body has been polluted with a self-serving spirit, the light radiating from the Church holds a dull glow, as if a torchlight shrouded with a thick fog. So while some overseers have popped their heads out to look around, still among most of these, the reason for sticking out their necks is to clamor about the last government shutdown and what it has done to their churches.

But do these leaders really need buildings to be who I have called them to be? Can‘t they simply be overseers in their communities without all the added trappings? Aren’t pastors (those who are called “Shepherds”) able to affect their communities without corporate meetings, or has the definition of being “the Church” changed since I established it here on the earth long ago?

If “mental health” is a real concern during this pandemic, then pastors should be seen canvassing their neighborhoods looking for those in need of encouragement. But very few are actually taking this idea seriously. Instead, they have allowed their attention to rest on what is best for themselves and the interests of their own ministries.

If the words of these pastors who have used “mental health” as a valid reason to be released from the COVID restrictions are genuine, then their own good conduct should show that they truly are concerned about those who are suffering. For during this season, I am asking these devout believers to lead My children by exemplifying Christ in their communities, as neither My Son nor his disciples thought themselves above getting their hands dirty, laboring right alongside one another out on the streets. Did My Son relegate the duties of healing the sick or feeding the poor to only His disciples, while He tended to the business matters of His ministry? No. He was right up in front, accessible to all who were in need.

Then where are those I have called to lead? Are they still hiding behind the walls of their churches, or are they out in their neighborhoods ministering to the oppressed and supplying physical aid to the poor, whose spirits are downtrodden because this pandemic has left their lives in ruins?

So the challenge I am presenting to My overseers, those who hold titles and stand behind pulpits, is to step down from their stages and leave their well-protected offices, as I no longer want them separated from the rest of the flock, or stowed away from their communities, for their position in My Body is not above the rest.

During this season a divine shift has occurred, one that was out of their hands to prevent, for the era of ‘celebrity pastors’ has ended, as this is not what I meant when I set overseers to watch over My children. For how can one who has no relationship with the majority of his parishioners, think himself able to speak into each one of their lives? Doesn’t the word used to describe a pastor’s role in among My flock depict someone who closely looks after the sheep?

Yet, many who were called to oversee started practicing social distancing long ago by setting themselves apart from the congregations and communities I asked them to serve. This is not, however, how I intended pastors to lead. For when this anointing was deposited in their being, it was meant to resemble the loving behavior My Son had for those He came to save.

It was with real concern that He walked among the people He was sent to rescue, never once bothered or annoyed by the great need He saw all around Him. Though He occasionally secluded Himself away, this was only for short respites of time to refresh Himself in My presence, for He knew Our priority was to set free the captives by establishing My Kingdom here on Earth. But to see Our plan take shape meant personal interaction with the crowds, where He not only taught, but knelt before the lame and broken to express My love through miraculous encounters.

Although the power of My Spirit coursed through His being, when the enemy came offering Him a large platform, along with fame and fortune, this man Jesus declined, instead remaining a humble servant, the One who gave up even His dying breath to redeem every wretch and guilty sinner. He never counted Himself more highly than those He came to serve, and, as a consequence, accepted the most lowly of deaths, the kind reserved for despots and criminals. There He surrendered His reputation and life, for He counted it a privilege to sacrifice Himself even to a death on the Cross.

Then, who among My own who seek to follow His example, would say their role as a pastor excuses them from ministering in their neighborhoods and communities (for haven’t they spent their days studying the Scriptures to discern what it means to truly live as a believer)? Look and see the way My Son interacted with those He encountered, for His motivation and true intentions were to always be in My will, even if that meant consorting with the tax collectors and beggars, or meeting with Nicodemus in the late hours of the night. He dwelt within the crowds and walked as a commoner, without any pretensions or self-aggrandizement. 

So, if He, Who was the most deserving of honor and praise, ministered effectively without a stage or pulpit, then those who have come after Him can do the same. What is required to be a leader within the Church has nothing to do with your name or the size of your congregations. No. The way to be an overseer of My flock is to lead from among them; to walk side by side with your neighbors, those who have nothing to offer but a friendly handshake, and yet, sometimes not even that. 

Therefore, in this season filled with difficulty, I am challenging My overseers who are accustomed to standing on platforms, to step down into the crowd, to literally walk in and through your communities: those areas where you live, and also the streets around your church buildings. For as you do this, I will show you where the deeper needs in these areas exist; those people for whom you were called to minister the blessing of salvation.

Stop fretting about the shutdown restrictions and what it means for the future of your churches, for if I have ordained these ministries to continue, then not even the government can stop the work of My hand through these houses of worship. So quit kicking against the doors and follow Me outside, for if you will look with your spiritual eyes and listen with the ears of your inner man, you will see and hear the suffering abounding in your communities. 

Here is where this new season of My Church is to start. For I have stripped away all the excess and brought her back to her simplistic, humble beginnings, because this next generation of believers who do not yet know My Son, are looking for something authentic, and will be drawn to Him through real relationship, and not a sales-like pitch coming from a pulpit. 

Then, stop trying to resuscitate what should be called “dead”, and follow the direction My Spirit is leading, for He is pointing outside, but not in the way many of you think. He is not saying hold outside worship services meant to mimic Sunday gatherings. No! He has sent the Church outside in search of those who are Mine: those who are still steeped in sin and have yet to identify themselves as sons or daughters. 

Therefore, if you will quit outwardly fighting against your church closures, your spirit will have time to settle down enough to hear the whisper of My Spirit, Who is calling you to walk out onto the streets of your communities and begin ministering to your neighbors.