Listen here: “What Authority“
- The primary element of their authority and power was the Holy Spirit. And the fact that it was the Holy Spirit was problematic for the Temple authorities because they had no knowledge or experience of the Holy Spirit.
- And to see how the Holy Spirit functions in the church, the Lectionary takes us to John 10:11-18, where Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd, and serves as the model for church ministry.
- According to this model, the pastor is the shepherd of the flock, the local church. Jesus provided the model for how it is supposed to work.
- If pastoral ministry is a job, then the pastor is a hired hand by definition.
- And, indeed, this is the way that the government defines pastoral ministry.
- But it is not the way that the church should define it. The church should not follow the lead of the secular government, nor should the government impose its definitions on the church.
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