Joshua 3:3-4 (KJV)
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

Early in my ministry I learned a lesson, from whom I don’t recall. This lesson has been difficult to practice but I believe is very wise. I have since known numerous pastors[1] who practice this lesson, all of us with the same difficulty. The practice is leading, but with some distance. The pastor must be friendly to all but a friend to none in his congregation. This passage serves to reinforce that lesson.

Israel was about to take a path they had never traveled before. Joshua therefore instructed that, when they saw the priests lift up the ark, they were to arise and follow. But they were cautioned not to get too close. Proximity would have obscured the view.

The same is true of the pastor’s relationship with his congregation. He is close to them. He loves them and they, in return should love him. But familiarity would potentially destroy his ability to lead them. They would never know if they got off track because they had never passed this way before. By the time they were in a position to hear their pastor’s warnings it would likely be to late.

Follow and pray for your pastor, enjoy his fellowship. But don’t ask him to be your best friend.

[1] Itinerant preachers such as missionaries and evangelists often do not practice it to the harm of many a pastor and church.

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Joshua 3:3-4 (KJV) Your Pastor, Your Friend

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