Matt W

To assist congregation in finding the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.

1. The church is the only institution Christ promised to build and bless. He said, "I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it" (Matthew 16:18). Christ's purpose in the world is to call to Himself a redeemed people who would live to the praise of His glory. He is building the church. In that I take great comfort and confidence, thankful for having a small part in our Lord's great work.

2. The corporate functions of the Body all take place in the church. The church is where God has ordained His people to meet together to celebrate the Lord's Supper, to worship Him, and to encourage and edify one another. It's my joy to call God's people to worship, just as the psalmist said, "Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand" (Psalm 95:6-7).

3. Preaching is the chief human means God uses to dispense His grace. The apostle Paul commanded Timothy to "preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2). I have the privilege each Sunday of proclaiming God's message to His people - a message of grace, by which God saves people and transforms lives.

4. I can be consumed with study and communion with God. There's a public side to me that the congregation sees, but there's a private side to me that only God knows. While I might preach three hours a week, I study thirty. And those hours spent each week in God's presence are a high and holy privilege.

5. I am directly responsible to God for the lives of the people He has given me to shepherd. As a radio teacher, I'm not as personally accountable for how people apply God's Word. But as the pastor-teacher of a congregation, I have a relationship with my people like that of a shepherd and his sheep. I watch over their souls as one "who will give an account" (Hebrews 13:17).

6. I am also accountable to the people in my church. Everything is exposed to them: my life and family, my personal strengths and weaknesses-everything. I cherish that accountability. It is a constant encouragement for me to reflect Christ in everything I say and do.

7. I love the challenge of building an effective leadership team from the people God has put in the church. When someone starts a business, he can hire anyone he wants. It's another thing entirely to build with the people God has called, when few of us are wise, mighty, or noble by the world's standards (1 Corinthians 1:26). God reveals the greatness of His power by demonstrating that the world's nobodies are His most precious resources.