What a pastor learns over the years . . .<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1. The kingdom of God does not, and will not, skip a beat when I am sidelined.<\/p>\n
2. The church is more important than I thought when I started.<\/p>\n
3. Some of my words and actions to which I am most oblivious can be hurtful to people.<\/p>\n
4. Pastoral ministry is indeed, as John Newton said, ‘a bitter full of sweet’ and ‘a sorrow full of joy.’<\/p>\n
5. Christians are the greatest people in the world.<\/p>\n
6. Christians are capable of the most wicked actions in the world.<\/p>\n
7. My greatest challenge at the beginning of my ministry continues to be dealing with my own heart.<\/p>\n
8. An excellent wife is the greatest earthly gift I have and she is more excellent than I ever could have imagined.<\/p>\n
9. True friends are rare and invaluable.<\/p>\n
10. Some of the most outwardly religious people can be the biggest hypocrites.<\/p>\n
11. It is nearly impossible for a man who marries poorly to make it in the ministry.<\/p>\n
12. Some of the most humble, unassuming saints provide the greatest encouragement to pastors.<\/p>\n
13. Some of the most effective pastoral ministry I’ve ever had has come through my presence more than my words.<\/p>\n
14. Some words I have spoken incidentally have ministered God’s grace more powerfully than others over which I laboured and prepared for hours.<\/p>\n
15. Preaching really is a divinely ordained, foolish activity.<\/p>\n
16. Every conversion to Christ is a miracle of grace involving intricate acts and provisions that have been divinely orchestrated.<\/p>\n
17. Having the right books is far more important than having many books.<\/p>\n
18. God’s grace has shined brightest through the suffering of his people.<\/p>\n
19. Justification by faith is a bottomless well of grace.<\/p>\n
20. The complete humanity and spotless righteousness of Jesus has become more amazing to me.<\/p>\n
21. There is no easy way to do a hard task, and ministry is full of hard tasks.<\/p>\n
22. The propitiatory work of Jesus on the cross amazes me more and more.<\/p>\n
23. The relationship of God’s law to his gospel has implications for every biblical doctrine.<\/p>\n
24. Some of the greatest pastors are men who live, serve and die in relative obscurity.<\/p>\n
25. Incremental progress is real progress and should not be dismissed.<\/p>\n
26. God is far more patient than I could ever have imagined.<\/p>\n
27. Forgiveness is one of the sweetest graces both in its giving and receiving.<\/p>\n
28. Wherever you see a long pastorate, you can be sure there is an abundance of grace in the congregation.<\/p>\n
29. Godly widows and widowers are worthy heroes.<\/p>\n
30. The advance of the gospel and the spread of God’s kingdom is a testimony to the power of God’s grace.<\/p>\n
31. Raising children is one of the greatest privileges and challenges in human experience.<\/p>\n
32. Having adult children is a greater joy and blessing than I ever imagined it would be.<\/p>\n
33. Grandchildren rock!<\/p>\n
Tom Ascol is pastor in Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral, Florida.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What a pastor learns over the years . . . 1. The kingdom of God does not, and will not, skip a beat when I am sidelined. 2. The church is more important than I thought when I started. 3. Some of my words and actions to which I am most oblivious can be hurtful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"resource-author":[643],"topic":[525],"class_list":["post-13370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","resource-author-ascol-tom","topic-pastoral-theologypastoral-helps-2"],"yoast_head":"\n