If you are a pastor, aspiring pastor or church implanter, it means you are busy. He doesn’t want to talk like Kevin DeYoung, but he’s “super busy. “If you’re already a pastor, then you have things to do, people to see, sermons to prepare, meetings to attend, hospital visits to do, and counseling sessions to work on. So, is there a life at home? You have children in football, a house that urgently needs repairs, a lawn so intimidating that your lawnmower won’t accept it, and a computer on strike. And there’s always Sunday’s relentless march. Sunday always arrives and you always have to be ready.
The last thing you have to do is read, right?
- While I can certainly report.
- I want to share a small idea that has made a big difference in the ministerial vitality of many pastors and preachers: Read to Lead.
In other words, you have to study. Specifically, you must read and study books written by other wise leaders, thinkers, and theologians, from now on, without fear of making a mistake, Scripture must remain at the top when reading and studying, however, in this article, I want to speak specifically about the importance of reading and studying good books. Lots of them.
So why study? For many reasons
THE EXPRESS STUDY
When we read and study, he expresses our commitment to be a pious disciple. One of the first things I remember learning as a new convert was that the Greek word for “disciple?”(Mathetes) literally means “apprentice”. To be called in Christ is to be called to learn, to grow, and to develop, so that we may learn to live worthy of the gospel (Ephesians 4. 1).
The Apostle Paul was a very competent guy, he studied the law of mosaic at the feet of Gamaliel, who was the most requested school of instruction of the Pharisees (Acts 22:3), he also had all the revelation of the gospel directly. Jesus Christ himself (Galatians 1:12). He even had visions of paradise (2 Corinthians 12:2). But Paul not only rested while studying or learning from the past. In Philippians 3:12, Paul says, “It is not that he has already received it or that he has already attained perfection, but that I proceed to accomplish this for which I was also conquered by Christ Jesus. “Paul was a man doomed to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus. Likewise, studying and reading is an expression of our commitment to grow, to move forward, to become what we are called to be.
If we train other men and women to advance in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we must also move forward. The study expresses this commitment.
THE FOOD STUDY
We don’t just read good books, we support them; We open their minds and give them the gift of influence; as friends, books feed us. That’s what makes them powerful, that’s what makes them beautiful. As they were for Paul.
In 2 Timothy 4:13, Paul gives Timothy astonishing instructions:
When you come, bring the blanket I left at Troas, Carpo’s, as well as the books, especially the scrolls.
You know what makes these words so amazing?If I were in prison, facing certain death, I’d probably say, “Hey, Timothy!Bring me decent food, find me a better lawyer! Find a way and get me out of here. But that’s not what Paul says, he asks Timothy to bring him books. Books! When a death row inmate asks for books, you know they feed the soul.
I can’t begin to say how much reading good books has affected me. It is not possible to quantify how my company with Charles Spurgeon’s messages led me to dark moments of discouragement, how Thomas Watson put me in the fight for satisfaction, or how John Piper prompted me to have God as treasure until my last breath. As good company, books nourish the soul and widen the spirit. They help prevent the “ministry of light,” which is disciplined based on impulses, impressions, intuitions, and instincts. He said, “You must read. He renounces any literature as lightly as possible, but studies healthy theological works as much as possible, especially Puritan writers and biblical exhibitions. “
The studio feeds your ministry. Aspiring pastors and church planters, listen: the ministry consumes!Every day we are dedicated to communication, counseling, preparation of sermons and many daily requests. In light of this step, we must think strategically about how and when we will be replenished. Studying and reading can fill an empty heart.
As for the time to read, it is a dance that every director must learn to dance, some find the moment just before bedtime, others reserve time every morning What does John Stott say?Is it an hour a day [study] absolute minimum study time for busy pastors?You may not be able to do this now, so you should use it 15 minutes a day. The main point is to open the book and cultivate the habit.
If you want to lead, you have to read it
DO YOU STAY CONNECTED TO PART 2 OF THIS ARTICLE?
By: Dave Harvey, © 2014 Call Me? ORIGINAL: IF YOU WANT TO BE A LEADER, YOU WANT TO BE A READER
Translation: Joel Pedro Cavani Review: Yago Martins © 2016 Faithful Ministério All rights reserved. Website: original MinisterioFiel. com. br: Two study benefits for pastoral ministry (Part 1/2)
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.