Attitude of a Good Pastor

A good pastor is a mature Christian who shows the fruit of a godly life. This includes good works and a kind loving attitude. We don't expect emotional immaturity, sinful behaviour or selfish attitudes from a man of God.

For four chapters in his letter to the Galatian church, Paul argues for Christian freedom from the law. Having established our freedom Paul immediately says: “Do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh.”

Rather, says Paul, use your freedom to serve one another in love; thats how freedom grows. Love others as you love yourself. That is an act of true freedom.

Live freely, says Paul, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit not compelled by selfishness. The root of sinful self-interest is at odds with (contrary to) freedom in God’s Spirit.

So a godly pastor alive in God’s Spirit will display love rather then self-interest. He will be concerned about others not just about himself. He will want others to shine and not hog the limelight.

What is hard to understand is how any ‘Spirit-filled’ Pentecostal minister could display so little kindness and concern for others and so much self-interest. Paul says that life in the Spirit frees us from the compulsions of selfishness.

The pastor portrayed by Miriam Bellamy in Demons in the Sanctuary shows little of real kindness and a real streak of selfishness. Dan spotted the way he could not keep his hands out of the kitchen project and lied to cover up any wrongdoing. He apparently does not make use of the full talents of (share the limelight with) the associate pastor who is a capable worship leader and teacher.

Pastor R. was impatient with and hard on the volunteer on the sound system. He made his Board Treasurer feel very small and incompetent when he angrily resisted her questions about unauthorized expenditures. She was confused about how he alternated between coldness and outright flattery.

At Board meetings his attitude conveys that he considers it a waste of his valuable time. He seems to have everyone on the Board intimidated. They don’t meet his gaze. But the Board is disappointed with the way he treats the cleaning lady. Others in the story seem to understand and have compassion for the people Pastor R. treats with disdain.

How can this be? Pastor R. is in an independent charismatic church and yet he does not live in the Spirit that Paul described in Galatians 5:13 – 26.

And if he is not of the Holy Spirit then of what spirit is he? Does this have anything to do with why the book is called Demons in the Sanctuary?

I have not commented on that aspect of the story where the author portrays demons infiltrating the church and holding off God’s angels. Does the infiltration of demons have anything to do the Pastor Rutherford not being of and in the Spirit Paul describes in Galatians? This may become clearer as we read further. I am at Chapter 7 now. I will read on.

Who is Pastor R.?  The portrait in the book should match Ralph Rutledge (Queensway Cathedral up to 1989) if the book is "just the way it happened" when Rutledge was at Good Samaritan Church.

Other posts in this series on Demons in the Sanctuary: 1. Masculine Tough and Feminine Soft, 2. Narcissistic Personality Pastor, 3. Nicolaitanism – triumph over the lay people, 4. Church Scandal and Financial Wrongdoing, 5. Attitude of a Good Pastor, 6. The Blessing of Unity. 7. Touch Not God's Anointed, 8. Spiritual Covering, 9. Control Exit with Threats,

See also the blog on "What do we know about Ralph Rutledge?"   The wolf in Sheep Clothing,  Character Issues to Observe,  Good Boundaries make Good Ministers, Thesis, Method, Observations and Conclusions about Ralph Rutledge, Ralph Rutledge Defrocked