Most churches have a traditional honor for those who have served the congregation. Their pastor deserves special recognition for his time and dedication to the church. This editorial explains why. Churches should recognize those who work hard to serve their community. A pastor works day and night, sacrificing their time and energy to the people of their congregation. They are the heart of the church, deserving of special recognition for their efforts.
You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and most updated information on what does it mean to honor your pastor, the importance of honoring your pastor. Read on to learn more. We at Churchgists have all the information that you need about the benefits of honoring the man of God.
Sermon to Honor a Pastor
Why Recognize Pastor Appreciation Month
Pastor Appreciation Month is a great opportunity to recognize the importance of pastors in the church.
Pastors are an important part of the church, and they deserve to be recognized as such. The Bible teaches us that we should honor our leaders, so it’s fitting that we do so through Pastor Appreciation Month.
Pastors are often underappreciated for all they do for their congregation, which can make them feel isolated or like they’re not doing enough. Honoring them helps lift their spirits during this time and sets a good example for the rest of us to follow when someone does something nice for them in return!
Because they are called by God and have chosen to serve out of love instead of money (or any other reason), every pastor deserves respect from their congregation, no matter how long they’ve been there or what kind of relationship you have with them personally.”
When Is Pastor Appreciation Month?
A lot of people don’t realize that the second Sunday in October is Pastor Appreciation Day. It’s a day set aside to honor those who serve God and their congregation with faithfulness and devotion.
In addition to Pastor Appreciation Day, October is also known as Pastor Appreciation Month. In fact, this entire month has been designated as an opportunity for churches of all denominations throughout the country to celebrate the contributions that their pastors make on a regular basis.
How to Celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month
- Honorarium
- Gift
- Sermon (the actual words you say)
- Donation
- Surprise party for him/her, with family and friends in attendance. This is especially good if the pastor has been through some hard times recently.
- Video tribute to celebrate his or her life, which can be shown at the service or during a special event like Christmas Eve or Easter morning. You could also write out your thoughts on what it’s meant to have this person as a spiritual leader in your life, and present him/her with that document as well.
- Certificate (You could write out his or her name on an official-looking piece of paper.)
- A framed photo of you both together (A picture says more than words.)
Preaching About Pastor
Christian Churches can honor pastors by dedicating a month to them.
In this month of June, we should dedicate ourselves to honoring our pastors.
- Thank them for their service.
- Show our appreciation.
- Pray for them as they serve God and lead us.
Major Sermon Points
- Recognize the Man of God
- Bless the Man of God
- Receive Blessings through the Man of God
Sermon Notes
- Recognize the Man Of God
9 She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God.”
In the day and age we live, there’s a lot going on in Churches. It seems people are doctrinal focused, what I mean is denominational focused, rather than Jesus focused. It is very important that we pay very particular attention to what scripture says and practice the methodology, principle, commandment and system of God which is stated in his book, The Holy Bible. It seems that people especially Christians would rather make excuses, argue, criticize, ridicule, speak against what the word of God says, even going up to the limit of refusing to adhere and rebel against the man of God who works in their mist. Of course, the end is never good. Self-pride always means self-destruction sooner or later.
In verse 9, we see that the woman recognized the man of God for she says, “this man…..is a holy man of God”. Thank God she knew it. Let me ask you some simple questions, “Do you recognize the holy man of God in your mist? Do you know who God has anointed to work in your congregation? Who is God’s selected, special servant working among you for your blessings and benefits? Who is the vessel of God in Rhema Bible Church chosen to lead, guide, help, develop, teach, preach, shepherd His flock of sheep? Are you sure you recognize him? Are you sure you know who he is?”
These are the types of questions which must be seriously taken into account so that when you make your conclusion, you are 100% sure without a thread of doubt that God’s chosen one is indeed leading you, your church members, your family and not to overemphasize but it can be the entire community at large.
But how can someone be absolutely sure who the true man of God is in their mist? There are 3 keys to look for:
- He is anointed to lead God’s people and do God’s work.
- He does not compromise the word of God to please men.
- He walks in God’s love to serve, edify, and sacrifice for his flock.
Of course you should use your common sense as well, since the devil is a deceiver.
- Bless the Man of God
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. 9 She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”
The first words that really catch my attention in the above few verses are “well to do women”. Let us quickly look at how the other versions translate this:
The Message: leading woman
KJV: great woman
AMP: rich and influential woman
NKJV: notable woman
It seems this woman was someone well known in her area and was involved in the activities of her community. It also leads us to conclude that she was a God fearing person. As soon as she recognized Elisha as a holy man of God, she urged him to stay for a meal. It’s translated too easy. If you look at the original Hebrew word for urge that is “chazaq”, you will realize that it has a much greater and deeper meaning. It seems the original writer wanted us to fully understand the intensity of blessing a holy man of God. Let us quickly look at how the other versions translate this:
The Message: talked him into
KJV: constrained him
AMP: insisted him
NKJV: persuaded him
In other words, it means that she did not take “no” for an answer. She made sure that that Elisha ended up at her house and she got the privilege to serve him with food. To emphasize, I mean fresh, hot, good food. NIV says that she urged him to stay for a meal. This leads us to conclude that while Elisha came over, he most probably rested while she was busy in the kitchen, all excited and overflowing with joy, putting together a feast for the holy man of God. She treated him as if God is sitting in her house and this is (who knows) once in a life time opportunity to serve him with the best. She was not waiting for another day to bless the man of God. She is a smart lady; she knows it’s now or never. Whatever it took, we don’t fully know, but the Shunammite was pretty firm in making sure that this opportunity does not, I repeat does not escape her hands. As a matter of fact, the very next line says that she extended her house. It’s a new room she builds on top of her current house and it is fully furnished i.e. has furniture and other necessities. Look at this very carefully, from feeding a meal to having the man of God inside her house so that she can serve him all she wants, she can bless him all she wants, she can talk the things of God with him all she wants. Her entire desire and inner thirst for honoring, respecting, and giving all she can to the best of her knowledge, power, and skill, to the man who represents God in her day and age is being fulfilled and quenched. Watch this; she was not doing it in expectation of getting something out of the man of God or doing it as a give and take relationship. She was immersed into the very purpose of serving the man of God simply because he was God’s chosen vessel in her day and age.
Today we have a chosen man of God in our mist, our Pastor. He toils for us day and night. I know that when problems come, we ask the Pastor to pray for us. When the circumstances seem too difficult, we seek his advice and guidance, when there is no hope, we desire his mentorship. Today I want to lay down some simple questions, When was the last time you blessed him? When was the last time you said, Pastor let me take you out for lunch? When was the last time you fell on your knees and prayed fervently for the man of God? When was the last time you said, Pastor thank you for all you do for us, here is a small gift as token of appreciation for all you do? You can buy a big gift but small is better since he’s house is pretty full already. Let us not become ignorant of loving, serving and giving back onto the man of God who has been anointed as a caretaker of our souls. Do not become critical and stingy in blessing your Pastor. God wants to bless you through him. Honor him with the best so that God can honor you through him with His best. It is one of God’s method and standard for blessing us. Let us take full advantage of this opportunity while we can. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Today is the day of your greater blessings. But do it with the right motive i.e. out of love, care, concern and respect for who he is: “A Holy Man of God”.
- Receive Blessings through the Man of God
14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.
Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 Then Elisha said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway.16 “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”
17 But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
This is actually the best part of the passage. Here we see something very unique. Elisha wants to bless the Shunammite and she is not sure about what to ask for. Let me emphasize this strongly, God knows what you need or desire far more better than you do. He created you so the question of what is good and bad for each individual can be understood and answered better by God than anyone else in this universe. Seek God’s will in your life through prayer, praise, fasting, bible study and fellowship. In His will, you will find peace, comfort, joy, blessings and external life.
God now speaks through Gehazi to inform Elisha that the woman has no children. It may seem odd but even the woman did not think of this. The wonders of God, how can we ever fully understand them? Many may not be aware but in the olden days, a woman with no children was considered a disgrace or embarrassment to the society. People would make fun and call the barren woman unblessed or cursed. That’s pretty messed up considering the fact that this woman’s husband is of old age and still they have no children. People talk even nowadays about these things, come on now, you all know what I’m talking about. Elisha prophecies that she will have a son same time next year. He even told her the exact time frame. Praise God, He is so accurate and precise. We can fully sit in confidence in His word. He is the same today. The woman was not expecting the miracle. Her situation was “all hope gone”. That is the reason she did not want to even mention it. But God had a plan. He saw her love for his servant. In other words, God saw her deep affection and benevolence for his servant and out of His mercy and grace, the miracle child was born. Let me tell you something, He still does it today. There are several women our Pastor has prayed for and praise God; they have conceived beautiful and handsome babies.
So what is the secret? There is no secret. Follow the steps that God has laid in this particular passage and even if you are not expecting, you end up with a miracle, you end up with undeserved blessings, you end up with something divine happening in your life; you get what you did not expect in your wildest dreams. I’m afraid that’s how the Message translation puts it in one particular scripture. The steps are simple. Don’t complicate it with your own theology and opinion or others advise. Let me conclude with the three steps:
