throughout the world . Although incredibly principled , this pastor may have acquired a skewed perspective of who he was and the lowly nature of the place and people he pastored , which was a tiny farm community on the edge of a modestly populated town few people even knew existed . With all the love and praise this pastor was able to garner within his county lines , the larger , more looming question was whether his influence on the culture was leveraged to best reflect the lowly heart of Christ ?
One of the temptations of being a pastor with a personality , or a pastor with a preaching gift , or a pastor with some passion , is that it ’ s far easier to gain a following in a place where there are fewer people , fewer pastors , and therefore less “ competition .” Maybe you ’ re facing this temptation in the small town you pastor . As much as we like to criticize celebrity
pastors for building national platforms to gain followers , sell books , and speak on large stages , small-town pastors can pursue a similar celebrity on a smaller , and dare I say , more attainable scale . So , how do small-town pastors pursue a lifestyle of lowliness in a place that seems not to invite or encourage it but instead encourages the subtle pursuit of self-glory ?
In Matthew 16:13-20 , Jesus has a curious encounter with His disciples where they learn something about both Jesus and themselves that makes their apprenticeship with Him more countercultural and , therefore , much more gruesome than they could have possibly imagined . Imagine what it was like to travel with Jesus , this public figure who was gaining increased notoriety , public fame , and adoring admirers by the hour . You can see how easily it would have been to interpret your call into
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