WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1
Scripture: Revelation 19:11-16, 1 Peter 5:1-4

One of the strongest passages in the New Testament portrays the Jesus you and I serve as a warrior and a judge. His eyes are a flame of fire, He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, He is obviously in the midst of combat, and He is leading armies who are dressed in white and clean linen. Out of His mouth goes a sharp sword and with it He is striking nations and ruling them with a rod of iron. Everyone in full-time ministry, because of 1 Peter 5:1-4, is responsible for the perception of a pastor. This passage states, “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” Perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts today is how the average person views a pastor! Pastoring comes from the Greek word poy-mah-ee-no and it means, ‘to shepherd.’ The cultural norm painted for pastors has nothing to do with war and is completely disconnected with the image of Christ that we see in Revelation 19:11-16. Every reference to the ruling, reigning, warring, judging Jesus has been disassociated with the pastor. Pastoring is ancient shepherding. Every one of the five-fold ministry of Ephesians 4:11 pastors according to their piece of God’s heart. A prophet shepherds differently from an evangelist. Jesus had much to say about shepherds. Jesus was not silent about the difference between the true and false shepherds. The New Testament has volumes to say about what makes a good shepherd. The Greek word translated “rule” in Revelation 19:16 is our word for shepherd. I believe the greatest answer to prayer we could get in 2012 would be the Holy Spirit empowering of shepherds. The devil’s devices have the goal of pimping the pastorate into passivity. There has been no greater assault on any single group than the demonic cultural assault on pastors. God’s shepherds are the ultimate servants. The abuse thrown at them for following the Holy Spirit in upholding a standard of righteousness is stunning. I believe the Lord is about to transform pastors with an anointing of holy boldness. If King David were alive today, would he be stunned, amazed and ashamed at the abuse of today’s leaders? We need warriors. We need to recover the Kingly character of Christ and we once again need to see men and women who will pastor with a heart of Revelation 19:11-16. There is a resurrection of the heart of David wielding the rod of iron coming to pastors.