“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.”
Acts 20:28
“Pastoral Counseling just isn’t really all that important in my life.”
I’ve had the opportunity to hear this, or something very close to it, from many Christian men and women over the years. Honestly, this answer comes from Christians across the socio-economic spectrum. I’ve even asked many people who did not grow up in America is pastoral counseling was important to them, and gotten mixed responses.
It is a blessing when my flock, those that God has appointed me to serve, nurture, feed, and protect, come to me with their problems, issues, concerns, and struggles. However, with only a very few exceptions, the reason these are brought to me is so that I can pray for them. This is, after all, in part why God appointed me there, and I give thanks for every opportunity to pray for these brothers and sisters of mine. What follows is my offer to spend some time with them to talk through this issue, learn more about what is causing the issue, and provide them with some pastoral counsel. This is where my flock will politely decline, and thank me for listening to them and for my prayers.
Much like the centurion, we have faith in Christ, but do we have that level of faith? That faith that believes that if God says it is so, then it is so. If so, then we should seek the help of our pastors who are given to watch over their flock (Acts 20:28) and bear our burdens (Galatians 6:2).
When was the last time you found yourself seriously injured, or terribly sick?
For some people the pandemic was like a light cold or nothing at all. For others it a horrible sickness that sent them to Hospitals and Emergency Rooms where they were fighting for their lives. When our friends or loved ones get sick or injured, or first response is to get them to a doctor or hospital. As we get older, we learn more about the signs our body is giving to us, and we can discern the difference between a small sprain or pulled muscle and a broken bone or worse. Some people like to tough things out and wait to see if their injuries or sickness will resolve itself. Most people seem to know when it is time to go see the doctor, or rush to the hospital.
This is fine for the infantry soldier, and the military when on a mission. But it is not fine if you are hurting, injured, or sick. Of course you have a mission, or even multiple missions, that you are on from day to day or week to week. You have missions to accomplish at work, and at home, and at your church, and with your friends, and more. But that’s just not the same.
When I was a young “Hooah” Infantryman, I, like all of my battle buddies, knew how to push through pain or discomfort to complete the mission. It is amazing to consider some of the things a soldier can convince themselves can wait because the mission comes first. I’m not sure if our doctors ever got used to the Infantryman making our injuries worse by pushing on when they would have told us to stop and receive treatment. There was a sign on the gates of the base we operated out of when I was deployed to Haiti. It said, “Safety First! Mission Always!” Every single soldier I served with completely ignored the first sentence. They shouldn’t have waisted the ink on those first two words.
Like I said earlier, some of us are more stubborn than others, but when you’re sick, or injured, or hurting … you need to get help. As a pastor, and possibly your pastor, hear me clearly on this. If you are sick, injured, or hurting – go get help from a medical professional. You are loved and dear to many who would rather you get seen by a doctor for something that turned out to be minor, than to not be seen for something that turned out to be major.
When was the last time you or someone you loved was suffering spiritually or emotionally?
In exactly the same way, when you or anyone you love suffers spiritual or emotional trauma, they should seek help. Our faith in Christ means we take this to the Lord in prayer, we ask the body of Christ to pray for us, and we go to those whom God has given us to care for us. This is specifically one of the reasons pastors are appointed by God. There is a terrible misrepresentation that has grown up in the culture that tells us the pastor’s job is limited to Sunday meetings.
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” And after every time that Peter responded in the positive, Jesus instructed him, “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17) I firmly believe that Peter did not interpret the words of Christ to mean he should preach once per week at an established time and place for no more than 30 – 45 minutes. No, Peter knew that Jesus was reinstating him, and giving him the incredibly important task of shepherding Jesus’ flock.
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
John 21:16
Shepherding a flock doesn’t entail speaking to a bunch of sheep when they are gathered together in their pen, and then throwing open the gate to let the sheep wander out on their own to fend for themselves. It means getting them out of briars and bushes when they get stuck, leading them to the good pastures, running after the one who wanders away, standing guard and fighting off the wolves that come, and caring for their every need. It is a huge understatement to say this was a difficult task that Jesus laid on Peter and all the other pastors who came after in the years and decades that followed. While there is no reason to compare then to now, suffice it to say, this same task appointed by God to pastors today is still a difficult task for any pastor who rightly understands this calling.
Do you think that being too busy with one thing or another is a good reason to put off getting help?
Let’s be honest, your life is so busy that realistically you have to consider a myriad other obligations that are pressing for your attention before even making the decision to go to a medical doctor or to the hospital. How much are you going to consider asking your pastor for prayer, seeking his guidance on spiritual questions, going to him for help with emotional pain, or asking for some time to open up with real inner trauma that you don’t know how to handle? There are simply so many other obligations, so many appointments to keep, events to attend, and appearances to keep up. Besides, you don’t want to burden your pastor, and you’re sure he has enough to do without you placing more on him.
But none of that is biblical. There is nothing in Scripture that tells you not to burden your elders in the church. There is nothing that says you need to handle trauma, pain, or suffering all on your own. There is nothing that says healing for the body is more important than healing for mind, or the heart, or the soul.
Instead …
Scripture says that it is the elders’ job to care for you.
“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)
Scripture says when you are suffering, you are supposed to share that and get help from your brothers and sisters.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)
Scripture says God’s healing is for all of you: heart, mind, body, and soul.
“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” (Psalm 94:19)
God has given you a reason to hope. That hope isn’t only in the heavenly residence that awaits you in the next life. God’s hope is also in the pastors who have been called to what He has given you here in this life. Have faith in the hope that God speaks through His Holy Word.
Faith Of The Centurion 