I want to share on a subject that I never heard a pastor teach on and that is what and who is a pastor. This is a something that most people who go to church make assumptions of what and who a pastor is and that is because they do not care to define a pastor from the Bible. I will try to explain what and who a pastor is from the Bible.

Timothy and Titus were both young disciples of Paul who he sent to be pastors at churches in Ephesians and Crete.

Paul did not send them to seminary to learn how to be a pastor. Paul chose them because they loved Jesus, and they knew Old Testament Scripture and they had on-the-job training, teaching and experiences with him.

Paul said this about Timothy.

2 Timothy 3: 10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings-

Timothy had on the job training when he lived and traveled with Paul on his missions to preach the gospel of Jesus. Timothy learned firsthand experience witnessing how Paul dealt with extreme hardship and difficult situation in preaching the gospel, he heard Paul’s evangelizing words, spiritual teachings and the amazing power of God he had to prove that the words he spoke was from God.

Paul knew Timothy studied Scripture.

2 Timothy 3: 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Pastors must be able to teach the gospel, so they need to be a mature student of Scripture who have been taught by the Holy Spirit. But pastors will not have the opportunity like Timothy and Titus to have on the job training experience with someone like Paul or the apostles with Jesus.

That is why Paul said in Ephesians 4 that a pastor is someone who has been given the spiritual gift to be one determined by the Holy Spirit. To be a pastor is to receive the gift to be one. Just because someone calls themselves a pastor does not make them one. The same with someone calling themselves a Christian does not make them one.

Paul said there are qualities a pastor must have as evident they can be a pastor.

1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer (pastor) must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

These godly characteristics a pastor should strive to have to know they can oversee the body of Christ and church members are responsible to recognize it in their pastor and remind them of it without being a hypocrite. These are qualities every believer should strive for and not just expect it in their pastor.

Paul gives instructions to Titus and Timothy what they needed to do in the church.

Titus 1: 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless--not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. 10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. 11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach--and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

Titus was tasked by Paul to find pastors that had the godly qualities to oversee the church so they will be able to encourage its members to remain in the sound doctrine of Jesus and refute those who opposed it.

Paul gave this instructions to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1: 3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith.

Timothy was also charged with stopping those who were teaching false doctrine in the church. Paul tells Timothy why he must do this.

1 Timothy 4: 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Pastors must have sound doctrine that is true to the gospel of Jesus and must live and persevere in it knowing it will save them and those they are called to oversee in the church.

Paul charges Timothy what he needs to do to keep the church in the sound doctrine of Christ and why he must do it.

2 Timothy 4: 1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

Everyone who say they believe that Jesus is their Lord and Savior must know what sound doctrine is by being a disciple of God’s word. We are in the time when people in church will not put up with sound doctrine but will follow what their itching ears want to hear in church.

There will be pastors who will teach what itching ears want to hear to gather their own followers and not make followers of Jesus. They are the ones who will not recognize the voice of Jesus or follow him when he calls.

Paul teaches what sound doctrine is.

Titus 2: 1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. 9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10 and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

These are sound doctrine a pastor needs to be preach to the body of Christ and not what itching ears want to hear because they know it will save them. Did any of these sound doctrines make your itching ear reject? If it did, then you need to examine yourself to see if you are in Christ and that you are capturing your every thought and making it obedient to Him.

Your brother in Christ, Glenn.