Holy Leading

I’m reading a book by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), the Anglican bishop of Liverpool, called Holiness. It’s a good book for any serious follower of Jesus, but particularly for those who lead a congregation as pastor.

He writes, “While some are satisfied with a miserably low degree of attainment, and others are not ashamed to live on without any holiness at all, content with a mere round of church-going and chapel-going — but never getting on, like a horse in a mill; let us stand fast in the old paths, follow after eminent holiness ourselves and recommend it boldly to others. This is the only way to be really happy.”

Ministry can seem to be an endless round of attending meetings, planning programs, and other such things to keep the wheels of the machinery of ministry going, like a horse going round and round in a mill, grinding away at the grain, as Ryle writes. We pastors give leadership to this, we lead the parade. We could blame our parishioners for not seeing the big picture, but sometimes we lose sight of it ourselves.

Ryle reminds the reader that holiness is the goal of the major work of sanctification and we pastors sometimes need that reminder ourselves. Ryle writes, “The Lord Jesus puts a searching question to His people when He says, ‘What are you doing more than others?’ (Matthew 5:47).” It’s easy as a pastor to judge the spiritual condition of our parishioners, but it would be good for us to ask ourselves if the process of sanctification is happening in us more than in our people. “Behold, the people are ahead of me. I must hasten after them, for I am their leader.” We should be leading the way!