Church members must never let their pastor lack anything, Bishop Charles Agyinasare of Perez Chapel International has urged his congregation.

In his sermon titled ‘The Reward of the Man of God’ on Sunday, 21 March 2021, Bishop Agyinasare quoted Philippians 4:18, which says: ‘But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God’, to demonstrate how the Apostle Paul was provided for by the Philippians as he did the work of God.

“The caring attitude of the Philippian brethren made Paul not lack”, he said, adding: “Constant lack in ministry can puncture the confidence of a minister”.

He noted: “Lack can easily cripple the ministry of the pastor make him serve with pain. One way to honour the pastor is to make sure he doesn’t lack the good things that you have”.

Read excerpts of Bishop Agyinasare’s sermon below:

Care for his health

Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? For I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me (Galatians 4:15)

Some believe that this verse means that the Galatian Church was ready to literally donate their eyes to Paul if it were possible. Some have said that, at this point, Paul was probably having problems with his eyes. Others think it was a figure of speech for going an extra mile for him. The point is, they had great care for his wellbeing. In essence, one other way to honour the prophet is to care about his health and make provision for him to be taken care of when he has health challenges. The pastor should be put on healthcare programs as a way of assuring him of future security.

Do for him what he cannot do for himself

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered (Matthew 27:57-58)

Regardless of a pastor’s wealth, there are things he cannot do for himself. When Jesus died, He couldn’t have buried himself or provided His own tomb. It took a rich man to provide Him a tomb, something which He couldn’t do for Himself. To honour the pastor is therefore to look for things he can’t do for himself and to offer to do them for him. If you have influence with the authorities to facilitate the ease of travelling or securing documents for his personal interest, you can do it. If you can help him to register his car or property, which may take some bureaucracy to do, you honour him by helping in that regard.

Conclusion

These are just a few ways to reward the man of God.

Remember, the man of God over you is one of God’s major channels of blessing in your life and moving you to the place where God has designed you to be.

Therefore, do not despise him, but rather give him double honour, especially because of his great impact in your life through his ministry of the word, prayer, and pastoral care.