In Jeremiah three, verse fifteen, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Jeremiah pictures a day when God’s nation would have pastors who lived according to God’s word and imparted life through their understanding of it. Because they know God’s heart, they would know how to shepherd God’s people. That type of knowledge in leaders is essential for the spiritual validity and ethical purity of God’s people.
Today, there are pastors around the world who present and preach the gospel to millions of people. The word that comes from their mouths from within their being is to help the people grow in faith and draw them closer to the Lord. “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach,” as in Romans ten, verse eight. The most important thing for leaders to remember is this. It is not only what is said out of the mouth but how that person lives that gives the Word out of their mouths. Anybody can bring the word, but to live it is another thing.
“Practice what you preach!” A statement sometimes used when a member questions a leader about something or a situation they might not fully understand. A pastor should have the presence of God surrounding them, within their home, and wherever they go. A pastor who is engaged heavily in prayer to the Father, who is God, and in a close relationship with the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of God.
A pastor should not have issues, as in First Timothy three, verse three, “Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous.”