The Work of Shepherds (4)

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5.11

The Book of Pastoral Rule
Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604)
“For indeed it is the duty of a ruler to shew by the voice of preaching the glory of the supernal country, to disclose what great temptations of the old enemy are lurking in this life’s journey, and to correct with great asperity of zeal such evils among those who are under his sway as ought not to be gently borne with; lest, in being too little incensed against faults, of faults he be himself held guilty.”

There has been a drift in preaching these days away from confronting sin toward comforting and encouraging the faithful. We prefer not to unsettle the saints any more than is necessary, lest they settle themselves in some other congregation in town. But comforting and confronting must go hand in hand; for we can give no true comfort or encouragement to those who insist on holding to their sinful ways. Unless pastors are willing to preach against sin, they will, Gregory says, bear the responsibility for all the sin that ravages the souls of their flock. And they may find themselves falling prey to the very faults they tolerate in others. Better to face sin boldly, and call for repentance, than to allow it harbor in the heart of the Church (Ps. 66.18).

Why do you think pastors are reluctant to “correct with great asperity of zeal” the sins of their people? Could this be related to yesterday’s warning against wanting to be loved by men more than by God?

T. M. Moore

The Time of Your Life
An effective self-watch begins by knowing where your time goes each day. We’ve prepared a brief worksheet, The Time of Your Life, which you can use to analyze how you use your time each week, and to help you begin thinking about how to make better use of the time God gives you each day. You can receive a free copy of this worksheet (print it on two sides of a single sheet) by writing to John Nunnikhoven at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The Time of Your Life worksheet is one of the assessment tools of our Pastoral Hope Initiative, which can help you discover baselines and make plans for growth in all areas of your life. Watch this brief videofor more information. We have permanently waived the registration fee, so all you need to do begin this protocol is drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we can talk about whether the Pastoral Hope Initiative might help you.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.All quotations are from Gregory,The Book of Pastoral Rule,in Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 12(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1895, 1995).