The Glory in the Church

When someone other than God or Jesus is getting the glory for the success of a church, you can be sure things are not going as they should. You can be sure that things have gone awry. The glory in the Church is not for any pastor, teacher, or missionary. It’s for God.

… to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

The ministry of the apostles was not to glorify the Church or anyone in it. Their ministry was to glorify God in the Church. The glory was always for God. The glory wasn’t for the apostles themselves. They didn’t proclaim themselves as lords. The apostles made sure that people understood who they were—humble servants, calling people to turn from sin to the Living God.

[When Barnabas and Paul heard that the people wanted to treat them like gods, they shouted] ‘Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you Good News, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the Living God…’ (Acts 14:12-15).

… we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5; NASB).

In spite of the precious example of humility in the apostles, many pastors today are busy seeking their own glory. They don’t seem to realize that God has only given them temporary authority. They have a stewardship in the Church, not a lordship over it.

You Are Our Glory

Our job is to get people in—not into a church building, but into the Kingdom. Lots of Evangelical churches today will call themselves “sending” churches. By that, they mean that their purpose is not to just fill auditoriums, but to send out missionaries. That's certainly a higher goal than the churches which have made their goal filling auditoriums.

They have set an ambitious goal, but it’s not ambitious enough. The high purpose and goal of any pastor should be for every person he evangelizes to have a warm welcome into the Kingdom. That's it!

Yes, the true pastor’s joy and glory is to see the people he cared for make it into the Kingdom. He must aim at assuring that they are ushered into the presence of Jesus on the day of our Lord’s return. Salvation is so much more important than anything we can do in this life.

… [Paul said to the Thessalonians] Who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at his coming? For you are our glory and joy… (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; NASB)

… entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied for you (2 Peter 1:11; LEB).

Betrothing the Church

It is no easy task to prepare people for the return of Christ. It requires diligence, patience, and lots of prayer. It requires wisdom and integrity. It also requires great courage because a pastor must correct sin and handle issues of church discipline—even punishing people when necessary.

Good pastors will labor to purify their congregation from sin so that every believer in it will be ready for the return of Jesus.

… [Paul said to the Corinthians] I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2; NASB).

Just as a father strives to keep his daughter chaste for marriage, so will a good pastor labor to keep a congregation free from the contamination of sin. Pastors who refuse to do so are not serving Jesus. They have forgotten the goal.

Avoid Them

There are pastors who do not eagerly hope for the Return of Christ. Secretly, they wish he would delay longer so that they would be able to keep their position of church authority uninterrupted.

Who then is the faithful and wise slave [a pastor] whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their food [preaching the Word of God] at the right time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find so doing when he comes back. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

But if that evil slave [the pastor] should say to himself, ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards [abusing his power in the church], the master of that slave [Jesus] will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:45-51; LEB).

Those men, pastors who will not focus on Christ's return, instead of serving the Church, serve themselves. Instead of seeking God's glory, they seek their own. They do not serve the Lord Jesus, but their own stomachs. They ran, but they were never sent. They are eloquent, but they do not teach sound doctrine. Avoid them.

... note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:17-18; KJV).

I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied (Jeremiah 23:21; NASB).