An often-overlooked attribute in church leadership is gentleness. We talk about it, and we know it's biblical, but in practice sometimes we don’t walk it out, because we are much too busy doing the work of the Lord to take the time necessary to model the character of God.
Gentleness is fruit and evidence that the Spirit of God lives in you (Galatians 5:22-23). As ministers of the Lord, we must be gentle and caring when serving the people God has entrusted to us.
It’s not just that we should merely externally superimpose a gentle manner in our actions, we must pray that God would bestow upon us his very heart, which in turn will cause us to love deeply, be patient, be gentle, and ultimately to be Christ-like from the inside out. It's from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Gentleness speaks not to what we do, but to the manner in which we do it. Gentleness implies that we are cautious, kind, and caring. It speaks to our intentions as we minister to others.
Rest for Your Souls
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29
Christ is the Good Shepherd and he is gentle and lowly in heart, and as his under-shepherds, we lead people to find rest for their souls as we pastor them. We preach Christ, we minister in the love of Christ, and we draw people to the Savior.
In the gospel, we see the heart of God, his tenderness, his patience, and his love. He deals so very kindly with us. God owes us wrath, judgment, and condemnation, but instead, he patiently extends to us common grace as he postpones our judgment, allowing us to put our faith in Christ, not wishing that any would perish but that all would have eternal life.
Conformed to Christ’s Image
After we are regenerated through saving faith in Christ, he continues to be gentle with us, as we stumble, fall short, and repeatedly miss the mark. He conforms to his image, leads us the drink from still waters, and restores our souls.
Often as Christians, and even as pastors, we can lose sight of just how needy we are before the Lord. But it's only when we are aware of how dependent we are on God’s grace that we pastor in a way that is compassionate and genuine.
Jesus deals with his children this way because we are his body, and we are his bride. When any part of our physical body is suffering or is injured, we instinctively treat it with gentleness and care. We are the body of Christ and he treats us the same way. So, since we are grafted into this body, we too should instinctively be gentle with parts of the body that are weak. This is the very heart of God.
Let us pray that God would give us this heart, to love the weak and weary, to be gentle and patient, and to lay down our lives for the sheep that God has entrusted to us. Let us deal with those we pastor with the same gentleness with which God has shown to us. It is often in prayer where these truths become apparent, because the Spirit of God will lead us into all truth.
When we examine our hearts and lives regularly in view of the gospel we will be filled with thankfulness, which will produce a harvest of gentleness in our lives and in our ministers.
In Christ,
Pastor Joshua
Joshua West is a pastor, evangelist, and author. He is also director of the World Challenge Pastors Network.