Pastors & Headship

I've been thinking a lot about the pastor's responsibility of shepherding the church, and how he is only effective to the extent of, firstly, the Father shepherding him, and secondly, the measure of his shepherding his own family. And I believe this is so right because the pastor does not make the church! The Church belongs to Christ! The Good Shepherd cares for each individual believer. The Christian life is not meant to be lived out in solitude so the Father's design is inthe oneness of the marriage relationship (God, husband, wife), which is based on the oneness of the Trinitarian relationship (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Just as the Father decrees what will be, the Son carries out the will of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father given by the Son to carry out the will of the Father and the Son (the Spirit only does the will of the Son and the Father) in the hearts of believers, so the husband seeks to do the Lord's will as he leads/guides/directs his family as he is the head of his family as the Father is in the Godhead and Christ is the Head of the Church. Anyways, by the power of the Spirit, the pastor submits to God, the Father Almighty, and fixes his eyes on Christ. In doing so, as the God-appointed head of his wife and family, he shepherds them to carry out the will of the Father, in the power of the Spirit with heart and mind set on heavenly things where Christ is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Likewise, he shepherds his church most assuringly glorifying God in the power of the Spirit and face set like flint on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. So future pastor, do you bear the burden of your wife and children? Do you find rest for your soul in Jesus? Future pastor, you do that, and your church will be a God-glorifying, Spirit-empowered, Christ-exalting, Gospel-saturated, cross-centered, soul-winning, mission-driven, disciple-making movement crushing the evil one in its path and going to the ends of the world. All this, from the Father's command, the Spirit's empowerment and for the glory of Christ. Pray for me to continually lay my worldly cares at the feet of King Jesus and bear the burdens of Meghan, Jack, Isabel and Schaeffer as Christ does for the Church so we may all see how great our God really is and know of his holy justice and loving-kindness.