2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

A pastor’s ministry is not just about his preaching. It is also about his life. God expects calm, steady, self-control. “Keep your head.” When things aren’t going well for a congregation, it won’t do to have the pastor in a panic. He, of all people, needs to live by faith and trust that God has it under control. If others are opposing him, it won’t work to have him explode in anger. An old pastor once said, “It is of no use to an unrepentant one to be annoyed with him. What he needs is seeking love.” And if things are humming along the way they should, it is no reason for him to become full of himself. who wants a cocky pastor?

Paul is also realistic about the kind of life to expect. “Endure hardship.” That’s not to say that the ministry is all hardship. There are many pleasant things, many blessings that have come to me because of my ministry. But I think we all realize that if a man’s ministry is only about making life comfortable for himself and his family, only about doing what is popular, only about taking the easy road, something isn’t right. You can’t parent that way. You can hardly expect any other calling in life to work that way. People who manage others in the secular world often have to call out bad behavior, confront substandard work, even fire those who are insubordinate. If they don’t, things get worse for everyone. I am not saying that the pastor should “fire” members who are out of line. He needs to shepherd them. But of all people, the pastor needs to carry the cross that comes along with the work God has called him to do.

The real heart of the behavior God expects is in the phrase, “Do the work of an evangelist.” Don’t think of traveling revivalists here, like the evangelist Billy Graham, or a person who serves on a committee that visits people in your neighborhood. Paul is calling on Timothy to do his work in an evangelical way. The gospel, the good news about Jesus’ saving work, the love of God in his grace and forgiveness, the seeking of souls and the building of faith–this is the flavor of a ministry that is fulfilling the solemn duty God has given a man. All your pastors’ preaching, and teaching, and visiting, and confronting, and pleading, and counseling wants to lead you back to the gospel. The pastor is successful when you know that by faith in Jesus your sins are all pardoned, God is your Father, and heaven is your home.

Taken together, Paul calls on pastors to “discharge all the duties of your ministry.” In another context he asks the question, “Who is equal to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). Every man of God will fall short. Yet, with God’s blessing, your pastor’s ministry will serve as God’s tool to preserve your soul and others.