How to Shepherd Biblically by John MacArthur - Book Report/Review Example

 How to Shepherd Biblically by John MacArthur I. Introduction John MacArthur, in Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically—tackles several issues that those in Christian service tackle every day. This examination of Pastoral Ministry will take into account: a book summary; a critique and evaluation; and a real-life application of the book in my life as a ministry student. II. Summary A. Part I. Biblical Perspectives Part I of MacArthur’s book is entitled Biblical Perspectives. One of the sections of the book is entitled, “What Is A Pastor to Be and Do?” The answer given by MacArthur is, “A shepherd who fails to feed his flock will not have a flock for long. His sheep will wander off to other fields or die of starvation.”1 In the section about Pastoral Ministry in History, there is more focus on witnessing community and worshipping as a community. “A history of pastoral ministry must begin in the Old Testament. The theme, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’ (Ps. 23:1), expresses the pastoral role of God with his people.”2 The pastoral role, from a Biblical perspective, is primarily concerned with the minister’s ability to shepherd keeping God’s laws in mind. Of course, as much as the Old Testament is important, it is of premier significance that the New Testament is also focused upon to some extent—because it qualifies many of the harsher statements put forth by the God of the Old Testament. Indeed, it was Jesus who came to give freedom and set the “captives” free—whether it was liberation from psychological slavery, physical entrapment, illness, or poverty. Today’s ministers, the book argues, should try to do the very same, baptizing adherents in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the mandate given to disciples in Matthew 28. B. Part II. Preparatory Perspectives Preparatory perspectives in ministry deal mainly with how the person ministering can prepare for serving his or her flock. Preparatory action includes many facets, such as making sure to pray and study the Word of God on a regular, daily basis. The element of Bible study cannot go without careful attention being paid to what is the message that God has for us today as ministers. For example, one might be reading a passage that directly relates to one’s life in a way that might not have been visible at first. However, with regular fasting from food—even if it is something as simple as skipping a meal to pray—this can help ministers also. However, MacArthur focuses mainly on prayer and Bible study in order to accomplish the level of preparedness needed by today’s ministers in the field. C. Part III. Personal Perspectives Personal perspectives of ministry cannot be avoided. The Character of a Pastor is one of the subsections talking about what the minister’s ethical underpinnings should look like, in effect. “The first way [God provides leadership] is through his Word…The second way God provides direct guidance to each local church is through the giftedness of people He has sovereignly given to given to each church.”3 Of course, there are always going to be multiple elements which are tied up with peoples’ character in ministry. This is especially true of the minister’s prayer life. In fact, there is a section entitled The Pastor’s Prayer Life which includes the following statement: “ ‘Abiding’ is at the heart of the Christian life according to the greatest of all shepherds, Jesus.”4 So, at its true core, shepherding is about following the example of Jesus and then letting the parishioners or church members follow in those steps. Pastors and ministers are to lead by example (which will be mentioned in the next section). However, “[c]hurch leadership is about releasing and confronting, not controlling.”5 Many times within a church, it is easy for simple disagreements to turn into vicious power struggles—which cripple the church and stifle the Spirit of God’s movement through its members. Other elements that should not be neglected in terms of the personal elements of pastoring include: having prayer meetings6, having small groups7, conducting staff meetings and Sunday services8, and modeling prayer9. Additionally, the impact of the pastor’s weekly sermon10 cannot be underestimated. It is a litmus test of where the church is at and should provide a road map as to where the congregation is headed. D. Part IV. Pastoral Perspectives In section four, Pastoral Perspectives, there is a subsection entitled “The Pastor’s Compassion for People.” There are examples of pastoral compassion which include the following elements: leading by example11, leading by administration12, leading by nurture of the flock13, leading by cultivating maturity14, and leading by guarding from harm15. Other pastoral elements that should be included in the pastor’s toolbox include the following: worshipping, preaching, modeling, leading, discipling, watching and warning, observing ordinances, and answering frequently asked questions. As a pastor, it is also the minister’s duty to also do outreach in some way, shape, or form. This not necessarily need be proselytization, but it can include that. Outreach can be very important, therefore: “Why should evangelism be the concern of the church, and why should involvement in evangelism be the ambition of the pastor? The answer is simple: Our Lord Jesus told us to evangelize (Matt 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21; Acts 1:8).”16 For the most part, many if not all of these proposed activities most definitely require the past to shepherd, or have oversight over, the people conducting them. “Pastoral oversight includes a strong emphasis on watching carefully for lurking spiritual danger…”17 III. Critique and Evaluation A. Critique One of the great things that Pastoral Ministry accomplishes is that, MacArthur tells his readers the straight dope. He’s basically saying, if you’re going to be someone who is in ministry or a pastor, you have to be reliable, trustworthy, and able to navigate spiritually nebulous issues that could threaten to destabilize your flock and the progress it is making in church. In one of his other books, Fool’s Gold?: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error, John MacArthur talks about the fact that it is folly to give a bland message to one’s congregants as a minister. One of “the major reasons discernment is so scarce in today’s church [is due to] [t]he culprit of watered-down preaching. Hosea 4:6 records God’s estimation of spiritual leaders who fail to faithfully proclaim his message: ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.’”18 Again in Pastoral Ministry, MacArthur pulls no punches. He insists that congregations cannot live sheltered lives and live in this world as godly people. In order to fulfill their missions on earth, MacArthur convincingly argues that people cannot live in a vacuum—but rather, they must reach out to other people and make networking and evangelization to the lost a priority in their lives. Of course, it goes without saying that neither can a congregation afford to put off other commitments because events are still happening—prayer/Bible study group, small group activities, church events, church outings, and so forth. MacArthur makes a point of helping the effective minister realize that of course, evangelization is important, but that as a minister one must be organized enough to juggle all of the other types of responsibilities that the position requires of the person who is in charge. B. Evaluation Overall, the book Pastoral Ministry is a very thorough, comprehensive account about what someone going into ministry can expect and should plan for as someone who is going to be serving a flock, and effectively being a shepherd to those believers. This is a key linchpin to remember—that the minister is going to have to not only gain the trust of his or her parishioners or church members, but that the minister will also have to learn how to keep that initial trust and not break it. This may not be an easy task. Ministers are people too, and they make mistakes. However, it is up to the minister or pastor who is playing the role of a role model to ensure that he or she is not being disingenuous with his or her parishioners. For example, a minister who wants to exemplify holy speech, thought, and action should not necessarily be listening to uncouth music or lyrics on his or her music devices. Lyrics that do not glorify God or are supportive of a culture of life are not advisable for pastors or ministers to espouse—either in word or in deed. So, of course, as a pastor, keeping one’s word and practicing what one preaches are large parts of holding that office or position. One cannot say one thing and do another. As MacArthur points out in Pastoral Ministry, one of the key elements of being a pastor is that one must be reliable and trustworthy in order to maintain a credible stance within the congregation. Overall, MacArthur does a wonderful job of tackling all of the important issues that could arise within a church setting and addresses them with class, tact, and thoughtfulness. This book is recommended for beginning pastors or ministers who might need guidance as to how to operate their church organization on a day-to-day basis and also on a long-term basis. It is a great testament to Mr. MacArthur’s work that this book is still in print and widely available to a number of people who might need its good advice and guidance. IV. Real-Life Application of the Book in My Life as a Ministry Student MacArthur’s book Pastoral Ministry has really been a blessing in my life. It opened my eyes to the many challenges that are faced by the minister or the pastor in a church, and how I can better address those issues being a ministry student myself. That notwithstanding, another few areas which I can now focus my attention on include prayer and Bible study. Of course, prayer is very important—but one cannot underestimate just how very key the element of Bible study is in a minister’s life. If one does not know the message of the Bible, one cannot in effect, save people or help them out with their problems. That is what Christian ministry is supposed to be all about—spreading the Good News of God’s love by having sent His Son to die on the cross as propitiation for our sins. This, of course, is the first step (ideally); and then, the second step is to help individuals improve their lives as they grow in Christ. People who are either unchurched or unsaved are also part of the overall plan. Charity work can be done by both the minister and church members in order to ensure that people notice the good work and progress that is being done by the church congregation so that it gains good rapport with the community. Even if people never decide to step foot in the church at first glance, those same people who witness the good deeds of church members may point potential congregant in the way of the church as a referral, due to the good things they have heard or witnessed within the community. The people who had a hard life in their earthly life will receive rewards in heaven. This means that one should not focus on getting rich in life, but that they are working for a greater reward which is heaven, and working for their earthly masters as for the Lord. The action response suggested is to not worry so much about how much money one has but that one will definitely receive rewards for one’s good deeds in heaven even if one does not necessarily become rich on earth. However, if one does receive earthly riches, it is important that those riches are used wisely—because as stewards of God’s goodness the Christian needs to be responsible with his or her resources in all cases. MacArthur, with the first part of the book focusing on biblical perspectives, really encouraged me to start reading more about the history of Christianity, as I believe that is an important part of understanding our faith as we know it today. What I found out was very interesting and helped serve the purpose of educating me more about the ancient times in which our Lord lived and how He was trying to educate and inform the people as well as teach them about the blessing of believing in the Messiah. Early Christianity was basically based on Judaism as well as Roman religious tradition. Everything from the Lord’s Supper (which was basically consisting of bread and wine)—to providing sacrifices for Jehovah or Yahweh—were rituals based on both Roman and Jewish tradition. While the Eucharist was based on a Jewish tradition, Roman love-feasts were also the basis for the Lord’s Supper. People got together in secret burial societies and had feasts, committing each other to themselves in order to ensure that after their deaths they would be properly buried. These burial societies were the precursors of early Christian tradition. It was only with the appearance of the early church fathers that these Jewish and Roman customs were totally extracted from Christian tradition, and new religious meanings were associated with the Lord’s Supper. In lieu of the Jewish tradition of celebrating in the mikveh ceremonies, the practice was renamed baptism and was required of all Christian converts. There were so many traditions that were borrowed from Judeo-Roman religious tradition that many Christians are not even aware of these traditions. It is necessary for Christians to realize that Christianity indeed was a sprout forth from Judaism, and, indirectly, a branch of Judaism. The only difference was that Christianity declared Jesus not only their prophet, but the son of God, Yahweh—also known as Jehovah in some circles, depending upon one whether one used the Hebrew or the Greek translation. Even though the language of Jesus was Aramaic, many of Jesus’s followers were indeed Jewish before realizing that following Jesus meant converting into a Christian—which was a new way of life which was unfettered by all the rules of Pharisaic Judaism. Indeed, it is true that the several traditions that still continue today in Christianity are evocative of religious Jewish and Roman tradition. Having learned all this, it has inspired me to make comparisons to my life as a ministry student. In today’s era, we are concerned about the ways in which our government is leading us, and our politicians are not making moral decisions but are doing what is in their best interest. As a socially and politically active minister, I want to ensure that history does not repeat itself in terms of oppressing the poor and downtrodden. We should continue to honor those traditions which first were celebrated by people of the Jewish faith and which are now incorporated into our own Christian faith. In doing this we honor Our Lord. V. Conclusion Here, several elements within the Christian faith have been discussed with regard to John MacArthur’s book, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. In this examination of the book, we have completed: a summary of the book; a critique and evaluation; and the book’s real-life application to my life in ministry. REFERENCES MacArthur, John, Nathan Busenitz, and Scott Lang, eds. Fool’s Gold?: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error. US: Crossway, 2005. MacArthur, John. 2005. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. US: Thomas Nelson, Inc. Read More