The Work of Shepherds (4)

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works… Hebrews 10.24

The Book of Pastoral Rule
Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604)
“Differently to be admonished are they who do not even begin good things, and those who in no wise complete such as they have begun. For as to those who do not even begin good things, for them the first need is, not to build up what they may wholesomely love, but to demolish that wherein they are wrongly occupied. For they will not follow the untried things they hear of, unless they first come to feel how pernicious are the things that they have tried…”

Gregory understood that redemption is unto good works (Eph. 2.10), and he knew it was the pastor’s job to stir up those who were not inclined to good works in such a way as to get them started. First, he insisted, you must show them that they’re wasting their time on useless, even “pernicious” matters, if they are not occupied with the good works of the Kingdom. Then you can begin to exhort them to the works God has prepared for them from of old. Gregory did not hesitate to insist his pastors urge and exhort and direct and insist their people take up good works as the proper expression of God’s grace and truth.

Preachers who do this are often gossiped about as “meddlers” because they call their people to lives of good works. Are you a meddlesome preacher? Should you be?

T. M. Moore

If Men Will Pray
Paul explicitly declared that men everywhere should lift holy hands in prayer, so that the Gospel could flourish (1 Tim. 2.1-8). So how is it with the men of your church? Are they men of prayer? Do they take no rest, and give God no rest, seeking Him in prayer? Men at Prayer provides resources for you to use in enlisting, equipping, and encouraging your men for prayer. Watch this brief video, then begin developing a strategy for leading the men of your church to take their place on the wall, seeking the Lord for revival, renewal, and awakening in our day. If you need helping thinking this through, or you’d like to talk about this effort, send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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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).