Moses or Joshua

Moses or Joshua? Who was more successful? Moses faithfully led the Israelites without ever getting to the promised land. God showed it to him but he never got there before he died. Joshua it seems reaped all the benefits of Moses long time of faithfulness and obedience to God. That's not to say Joshua was not just as faithful or obedient because he was. He was doing what God had for HIM to do. He was the one chosen to bring the people into the promised land.

In the church we have pastors who are Moses and those who are Joshuas. The Moses pastors plant and plow, sometimes for years never really realizing the harvest. Then a Joshua comes in an "Boom!" We have a tendency in the church culture to celebrate the Joshuas as highly successful and the Moses as failures. Why? Because of how we gauge success. That being how many people are in a church, that is, "church growth". The pastor who plants and faithfully plows in obdeince but never gets those high attendence numbers is deemed a failure. Yet he is just as successful because of his faithfulness and obedience, something that God wants from all of us regardless of visible results.

As pastors we may have seasons during our ministry. There may be times when God asks us to be a Moses and others when we will be privileged to be a Joshua. This could happen in one place or in multiple places as God leads.  Whatever role God has you in embrace it and do what he tells you. Don't listen to the naysayers or so called experts. And when God tells you to move, move. Don't stay somewhere because you want to. Because you are achieving "success". Remember pastoring is a calling not a career path (or at least that's what it should be). As such we need to be sensitive to the Spirit. Sometimes that means we need to embrace our role and sometimes that means we need to move. Again, whatever it is be faithful and obedient and you will never go wrong.

And to all of you who are not pastors, stop judging ministries and pastors based on church size or other numbers. Take a good look at the man. What is his heart? Is He faithful and obedient regardless of our measure of success? Or is he out to build a career?

Until next time,

Pastor Paul