ANGELS IN THE PULPIT

The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.  (Revelation 1:20)

One of our deacons stood before our congregation and proclaimed, “Our pastor is an angel—he’s always up in the air, harping about something!”  Of course, that remark met with uproarious laughter—and I joined in.  The reality is, however, that the pastor is an angel!

The Greek word literally means a messenger.  It is true that the dominant use of the word is in reference to a heavenly messenger, but in the first three chapters of Revelation, I believe the term applies to a human messenger.  That suits the context better.

The glorified Christ appears to old John, suffering exile on the rocky island of Patmos—his sole crime being faithfulness to the Lord.  Jesus has a message for His churches—seven of them will receive letters, dictated to John by Christ Himself.  Each letter begins with the expression, “To the angel of the church….”  Who better to be the recipient of the letter than the pastor who will be responsible to share the Word of God?  His eyes would be the first to read the message—and applying the truth to his own heart, then, proclaims it to the congregation.

Men, we are messengers of God!  We do not have to search for something to say.  People do not need our opinions.  Our aim is not to enchant them with our eloquence.  We are simply a conduit to carry living water to thirsty souls—and that is the Word of God.  Be faithful to read the text so that the message is fully understood.  Having grasped the content, let the content grasp you!  Integrate its truth into your own life lest you be a hypocrite—and that drains the sermon of its effectiveness.  People want to see a sermon and not just hear one.

Stand with boldness as a herald of heaven; do not mealy-mouth.  Christ did not.  He had commendable things to say of most of the churches, but He did not refrain from confronting the churches where false doctrine and sinful lifestyles were present.  The “angels” in the pulpit were not to dilute the strong medicine Jesus prescribed.

Will everyone like the fact that the pastor is, “Always up in the air, harping about something”?  No—and the threat of retribution from the members is always possible.  John knew such pain—on that island for preaching the Word faithfully.  Always remember this comforting truth: Christ holds the seven stars in His hand!  Jesus holds His angels—His messengers.  We are secure in His grip; preserved by His power and love for His purposes.  Sure, we may be rejected by our current congregation, but, if so, God has another place of service for us.  We are not necessarily immune from facing the fire of opposition and the heat of hatred, but it will be filtered through the refining purposes of God, and will work for His glory and our good.  So, tune up that harp, and sing the lyrics of heaven.  You are an angel in the pulpit!