Tutelage Is Vital For A Pastor

# 94 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 3:6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. (1 Tim 3:6) Next on the list of qualifications for a pastor is he must not be a novice. He must not be a new convert. This is so vital! Though one may have all the other qualifications, if he is a recent convert, he must not have hands laid upon him and ordained into the pastorate. This has nothing to do with age, but everything to do with someone who has had some time to exhibit some spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity comes with time and this time is well spent under the tutelage of someone else who has been schooled in apostolic doctrine. The Apostle Paul spent three years in this process as we read in Ga 1:15-18, “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.” Did you catch all that? Paul, was called by the Lord to be an Apostle, but he didn't race off and start pastoring and planting churches. He spent three years being schooled in the desert by the Holy Spirit. This was necessary for an Apostle who's qualifications for the office include face to face teaching from the Lord. Today's pastor is not required to head off to the desert for three years, but he should be spending time under tutors who have been schooled in apostolic doctrine before jumping into this vocation. But schooling alone isn't a true test of maturity. Maturity is always gauged by fruit. So the pastoral candidate must be schooled for sure, but he must also have produced some observable fruit in his service to the Lord. What is observable fruit? Plain and simple, it's performance and results. It is wise therefore to have all pastoral candidates serve under another pastor, sort of like an internship. In time, this fruit or lack thereof, will be evident.