Why is it so hard to be a pastor? It's because we're ministering to three parts of a person. We are made up of three parts--body, soul, and spirit. It's much like the tabernacle or temple of God in the Old Testament. A little background: In the tabernacle, there was the outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. All Jews could enter the outer court where they offered sacrifices for their sin, but only priests could enter the tabernacle. The first room the priests entered was called the holy place. In this room was the unleavened bread, the lampstand with an endless supply of oil, and the incense. The unleavened bread represented our need for a sinless sacrifice who would be the light of the world (lampstand with endless oil). The incense represents the prayers of the priest for the people. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies once a year. A rope was put around his ankle so the other priests could pull him out in case he was killed by God for any unconfessed sin. (He was supposed to confess his own sin and the sin of the people before he entered the holy of holies.) This was all a picture to show us how serious God is about sin. Sin deserves death. That's why there had to be a perfect sacrifice (Jesus) for our sin. God could accept no less. The holy place is a picture of intimacy with God and the holy of holies is a picture of the presence of God. When Jesus (the perfect, sinless sacrifice) died on the cross, the veil separating the holy place and the holy of holies was torn in two from top to bottom--God tore it! This was to show us that we now all had complete access to God without the need for a priest.
What does this mean for us? People are made up of body, soul and spirit. Many professions minister to the body (doctors, coaches, trainers, nutritionists, cooks, etc.) and many professions minister to the soul (counselors, teachers, psychiatrists, musicians, life coaches, lawyers, etc.). And ALL believers are supposed to minister to the spirit. We are all to carry the presence of God to the world. We are supposed to tell others the way of salvation. We are to tell people the veil has been torn and they have access to God! But not all do. Ministering to the spirit is the most important job. It's a matter of eternal life or death. The spirit is the innermost being of a person. It's the throne of a person's life. We can allow Satan access to that throne, remain on that throne ourselves, or invite Jesus to sit on the throne of our lives and take away our sin--saving us for all eternity.
Pastors try to minister to the body of people (ministering to the sick, helping people find jobs, giving them food, etc.) and they are ministering to their souls regularly (counseling, guiding, giving advice, emotional support, etc.) But they're also dealing with the spirit of people. They're bringing the presence of God to them and encouraging them to open their hearts to God.
Very few professions minister to all three. And if they do, it can be costly. You can empty yourself daily by ministering to body, soul, and spirit. That's why it's a harder job than most.
Excellent insights, Becky.
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