Everyone needs a pastor.
We live in a time where we have access to so many different voices—voices that speak eloquently, that inspire, that bring encouragement—but those voices, no matter how powerful, how profound, and how filled with wisdom, can never replace the local shepherd that God has placed in your life.
We are drawn to affirmation and encouragement; those things are good but they are not enough.
We need someone who walks the streets we walk, who knows the trials we face in our community, and who can speak to the specific challenges we deal with day in and day out.
You can listen to someone online, and you can be blessed by a word on YouTube, but that is a SUPPLEMENT. It can never be a SUBSTITUTE for the man or woman who God has placed in your life, to lead you, to shepherd you, to walk alongside you when you’re in the valley and to help you climb the mountain when it’s time.
You need someone close enough to see when you’re going off course, someone who’s invested enough in you to not just encourage you, but to correct you, to hold you accountable, and to speak directly to your spirit.
You need a pastor, not a cheerleader!
I’m not saying those other voices don’t matter. I’m not saying that what you receive from afar isn’t valuable. It’s like taking vitamins. Vitamins are good, but they’re not your meal. If you only eat vitamins you're going to be a very ill person. Likewise, if you just listen to sermons from people far removed from you and don't get planted in a local house, my friend - you're spiritually malnourished!
Church online has its limits!
The challenge we face today, in this age of podcasts and easily accessible preaching, is that it’s creating a generation of fans instead of followers.
We’re producing a lot of fanboys, but not enough disciples.
We aren't called to be spectators in the stands but soldiers in the fight!
So plant yourself in a local church:
Submit your life to your leader.
Carry their vision.
Sow your life into that community.
Tithe.
Serve.
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