What is a pastor?

What is a pastor?

 

I may compare a pastor to ‘a toilet bowl.’

People come, put off their pants, sit down on the bowl, and remove wastes from their bodies into the bowl.

Then the person feels clean.

In the same way, a pastor opens himself to sinners

so that they come freely, be naked, and pour out what are inside.

Then, the pastor takes all the wastes and brings them to the Lord on the cross.

 

Another metaphoric image of a pastor is ‘a clean mirror’ that reflects God as He is and reflects people as they are.

That is, pastor plays the role of revealing the truth about God’s love and holiness and people’s sinfulness.

When the mirror works properly, through the pastor, people can see themselves and God

and the two parties, as sinners and the Savior, meet each other, fight each other,

and are reconciled to each other.

 

Considering these images of a pastor, the traits required most of a pastor are humility, faithfulness, and courage.

A pastor has to deal with the ugliest, scariest, and dirtiest things (sins and sufferings) in the world and,

at the same time, has to reflect the light of God steadily to the world.

 

Moses, as the leader of the Israelites, endured their sins humbly, served the house of God faithfully,

and stood against Pharaoh bravely.

Using the humble but faithful and strong hand, God could guide millions of helpless people as He wanted.

 

I believe that God is with his servant through his Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of wisdom and power.

These gifts of the Holy Spirit may work properly only when the person completely dies to the world.

Therefore the most wanted discipline for a pastor is being a friend with death.