The pursuit of God is a task that we are all given as Christians. We are all to pursue Christ of our own accord on top of being under the leadership of a pastor or spiritual mentor.
A pastor is called to take care of his or her flock, but we often forget that they are just people and can only do so much. We also have to play our part in getting closer to God. Jude 20-21 tells us, "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
Pastors love to serve their congregations, but unless members are willing to help themselves, there can be very little to no progress in their walk with God. Growing in God is primarily our role as individuals and pastors are there to supplement and guide.
Here are five practices that pastors need you to do for yourselves.
Read your Bible. Pastors cannot read the Bible for their congregation. They can preach the word, but that is never a substitute for growing in our personal devotionals. God wants us to grow as individuals in our personal Bible reading.
Pray to God. I'm sure your pastor loves to pray for you and He would and will always pray for you, but that should never be an excuse to skip personal prayer time. When we pray, we don't only pray to get results in the form of provision, protection or guidance. We also commune with a God who wants to grow in a relationship with us.
Encourage one another. When a brother, sister, spouse or child is in need of encouragement, we need not to wait for the pastor to have the free time to meet with them. We can, as the same recipients of the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace that comes through Christ, edify and encourage others as well.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us, "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing."
Reach out to the lost. Evangelism is not a call given only to vocational ministers. Everyone is called to share the gospel. It doesn't matter if you're young, old, employed, self-employed, unemployed, Bible-schooled, or new in the faith. You can share the good news of the finished work of Christ to your family and friends.
Face your problems. Your pastor can pray for you and encourage you, but he or she cannot face your problems for you. In true essence really, we don't need our pastors by our side everytime we face financial, marital or work-related problems. We have Jesus in us and the power of the Holy Spirit and we can conquer our problems through Him even when the pastor is nowhere in sight.
