0:00:14.631,0:00:16.708 Question: Some of the [br]people that follow 0:00:16.708,0:00:19.431 your ministry on the Internet, 0:00:19.431,0:00:20.897 they get kind of frustrated 0:00:20.897,0:00:24.011 with their own local pastor, 0:00:24.011,0:00:27.345 and they have this desire [br]for their local pastor 0:00:27.345,0:00:29.811 who's shepherding the same flock, 0:00:29.811,0:00:32.640 he preaches in the [br]same pulpit every Sunday, 0:00:32.640,0:00:35.345 he's going expositorily through a book, 0:00:35.345,0:00:38.605 and they want their [br]pastor's pulpit ministry 0:00:38.605,0:00:40.636 to look like your itinerant ministry 0:00:40.636,0:00:43.809 with the passion and the [br]zeal that you preach, 0:00:43.809,0:00:45.962 and they want their pastor 0:00:45.962,0:00:48.855 to basically be a copy of Paul Washer. 0:00:48.855,0:00:50.841 What advice would you give a young man 0:00:50.841,0:00:52.462 that's feeling that way? 0:00:52.462,0:00:56.728 Paul: They know not what they ask for. 0:00:56.728,0:01:01.412 Listen, sometimes I'll [br]walk out of a church 0:01:01.412,0:01:04.059 or I'm standing there with the pastor 0:01:04.059,0:01:06.569 and shaking people's hands [br]and they're walking by - 0:01:06.569,0:01:08.469 I have heard people come up to me 0:01:08.469,0:01:11.306 and say, "I've never [br]heard anything like that. 0:01:11.306,0:01:15.692 That was more truth than [br]I've heard in five years. 0:01:15.692,0:01:20.166 And man, I wish we could hear [br]preaching like that in this church." 0:01:20.166,0:01:23.453 And that's just the devil. 0:01:23.453,0:01:26.381 That is so wicked to say that to that man. 0:01:26.381,0:01:29.149 Or, they'll say, "we've never [br]heard these truths before." 0:01:29.149,0:01:30.766 Well, just let me share with you 0:01:30.766,0:01:33.233 something from when [br]I was a pastor in Peru. 0:01:33.233,0:01:34.352 When I was a pastor, 0:01:34.352,0:01:37.226 I learned that men did not learn things 0:01:37.226,0:01:38.573 because they heard it once. 0:01:38.573,0:01:41.666 If I was going to teach on a [br]certain doctrine or certain thing, 0:01:41.666,0:01:43.744 I would teach on it for months at a time. 0:01:43.744,0:01:45.655 And when I would finish teaching on it, 0:01:45.655,0:01:47.642 exhausting everything that I know, 0:01:47.642,0:01:48.713 I would teach on it, 0:01:48.713,0:01:51.045 I would invite godly Peruvian pastors 0:01:51.045,0:01:52.585 and godly missionaries 0:01:52.585,0:01:55.322 who I felt would be a great [br]blessing to the church - 0:01:55.322,0:01:58.921 I would have them come and [br]teach on the same subject. 0:01:58.921,0:02:01.301 And when the members would be walking 0:02:01.301,0:02:02.713 out of my church 0:02:02.713,0:02:04.295 and we'd be shaking their hands, 0:02:04.295,0:02:06.201 they'd look at that missionary and say, 0:02:06.201,0:02:09.017 "We've never heard anything [br]like that before in our life." 0:02:09.017,0:02:10.528 And that just goes to show you, 0:02:10.528,0:02:13.121 that's part of the itinerant ministry. 0:02:13.121,0:02:16.766 What I like to do in most [br]churches that I go to honestly, 0:02:16.766,0:02:19.435 when I go in, 0:02:19.435,0:02:22.052 I'm preaching almost the exact same thing 0:02:22.052,0:02:24.150 most of their preachers are preaching. 0:02:24.150,0:02:26.879 Now maybe in a different way, 0:02:26.879,0:02:29.499 but it more confirms their [br]ministry than anything else. 0:02:29.499,0:02:30.813 Another thing. 0:02:30.813,0:02:33.540 I was asked to preach for about 3 months 0:02:33.540,0:02:37.420 in a little tiny church 0:02:37.420,0:02:39.776 last year in Alabama. 0:02:39.776,0:02:41.680 And oh, I loved it. I loved it. 0:02:41.680,0:02:45.997 I kind of was their interim [br]pastor for 3 months. 0:02:45.997,0:02:49.113 And a bunch of the young [br]guys who heard me preach, 0:02:49.113,0:02:50.706 they came there. 0:02:50.706,0:02:52.108 Well, after about two weeks, 0:02:52.108,0:02:54.484 they went up to one of the [br]leaders in the church 0:02:54.484,0:02:56.885 and they said, "I have a question. 0:02:56.885,0:02:58.587 The leader said, "what?" 0:02:58.587,0:03:01.327 And the leader happens to be [br]a very good friend of mine. 0:03:01.327,0:03:06.227 They said, "Has Brother [br]Paul changed his ministry? 0:03:06.227,0:03:08.438 Has he compromised? 0:03:08.438,0:03:10.596 Is something going on in his life?" 0:03:10.596,0:03:12.845 And the man said, "Why?" 0:03:12.845,0:03:16.427 He goes, "Well, his [br]preaching is so different." 0:03:16.427,0:03:18.682 You see, that's because he's gone 0:03:18.682,0:03:21.496 from this itinerant preacher mode 0:03:21.496,0:03:23.612 to pastor mode - 0:03:23.612,0:03:26.468 to feeding sheep on a long term basis. 0:03:26.468,0:03:29.521 But I want to warn the pastors, 0:03:29.521,0:03:32.017 expository preaching - [br]preaching through a book - 0:03:32.017,0:03:35.270 if it's boring, you're not doing it right. 0:03:35.270,0:03:36.833 I mean, how can you preach 0:03:36.833,0:03:41.833 through the book of [br]Ephesians without zeal? 0:03:41.833,0:03:45.293 How can you do this without it [br]having an impact on people? 0:03:45.293,0:03:47.348 So, I want to look at it from both sides 0:03:47.348,0:03:49.687 because there are a lot [br]of pastors out there, 0:03:49.687,0:03:52.339 they're not feeding their sheep. 0:03:52.339,0:03:55.473 You know, here's the thing [br]I'd like to recommend. 0:03:55.473,0:03:57.310 Several years ago - many years ago - 0:03:57.310,0:03:58.733 Warren Wiersbe wrote a book, 0:03:58.733,0:04:00.455 "Walking With the Giants." 0:04:00.455,0:04:02.975 And in there, he's got all these 0:04:02.975,0:04:05.919 short one page, [br]page-and-a-half testimonies 0:04:05.919,0:04:07.049 of men and women of God 0:04:07.049,0:04:09.132 that have been used down through the ages. 0:04:09.132,0:04:12.088 And you know, I kept that book [br]by my study for so long. 0:04:12.088,0:04:13.384 You want to know why? 0:04:13.384,0:04:15.031 Pastor, listen to me. 0:04:15.031,0:04:18.387 When I would get where [br]I didn't want to pray - 0:04:18.387,0:04:20.232 I just wasn't motivated to pray - 0:04:20.232,0:04:22.254 I'd open up that "Walking With the Giants" 0:04:22.254,0:04:24.204 and I'd read about, I don't know, 0:04:24.204,0:04:25.973 Praying Hyde of India 0:04:25.973,0:04:27.683 or David Brainerd or something, 0:04:27.683,0:04:30.324 and it would jar me to want to pray. 0:04:30.324,0:04:32.550 Or, I'd sit there and it was Monday 0:04:32.550,0:04:35.497 and I wasn't ready to [br]take up the next sermon 0:04:35.497,0:04:37.835 for next week and I was [br]just kind of lethargic, 0:04:37.835,0:04:39.194 I would open up that book 0:04:39.194,0:04:40.974 and I'd read about Alexander MacLaren 0:04:40.974,0:04:43.692 who would spend sixty hours on one sermon. 0:04:43.692,0:04:45.105 And it would motivate me 0:04:45.105,0:04:47.060 to get back in that study. 0:04:47.060,0:04:50.040 A lot of people are saying [br]this because they're wrong, 0:04:50.040,0:04:53.090 but in a lot of ways [br]people are saying this 0:04:53.090,0:04:54.205 because it's right. 0:04:54.205,0:04:56.990 Pastors are not staying in [br]the study long enough 0:04:56.990,0:05:01.090 to come out and give their [br]people a word from God. 0:05:01.090,0:05:03.167 Question: There seems to be 0:05:03.167,0:05:04.545 a mentality today 0:05:04.545,0:05:06.741 that if you as a pastor 0:05:06.741,0:05:09.578 are not invited to be one [br]of the main speakers 0:05:09.578,0:05:10.644 or a keynote speaker 0:05:10.644,0:05:12.339 at one of these big conferences 0:05:12.339,0:05:14.616 where all the big names [br]are getting together, 0:05:14.616,0:05:16.955 then you're almost nothing. 0:05:16.955,0:05:20.266 What damage do you [br]think has been done today 0:05:20.266,0:05:22.836 to the lack of appreciation and respect 0:05:22.836,0:05:24.784 that should be given to the faithful, 0:05:24.784,0:05:29.253 even though unpopular local pastor? 0:05:29.253,0:05:32.973 Paul: We have grown up as a culture 0:05:32.973,0:05:37.250 that honors heroes, celebrities, 0:05:37.250,0:05:38.704 whether they're worthy or not, 0:05:38.704,0:05:40.946 we've got to make them [br]heroes or celebrities 0:05:40.946,0:05:44.185 because we just feel like we need them. 0:05:44.185,0:05:47.960 One of the things that's terrifying me 0:05:47.960,0:05:52.213 is there in reformed circles everywhere, 0:05:52.213,0:05:55.693 there is this circle of celebrities. 0:05:55.693,0:05:57.214 And in every big conference, 0:05:57.214,0:05:59.152 it's going to be those men. 0:05:59.152,0:06:02.601 Now, those men, I could name them, 0:06:02.601,0:06:05.921 I'm not worthy to carry their sandals. 0:06:05.921,0:06:07.416 They are honorable men. 0:06:07.416,0:06:09.135 And it's not the men themselves, 0:06:09.135,0:06:11.289 it's just that the reformed community 0:06:11.289,0:06:14.416 and a lot of young people, 0:06:14.416,0:06:17.218 they're looking to men now. 0:06:17.218,0:06:19.781 And many times, they're looking over here 0:06:19.781,0:06:21.559 to the person who writes the books 0:06:21.559,0:06:23.779 and the person who [br]preaches in the conference, 0:06:23.779,0:06:26.056 and they're not honoring the very man 0:06:26.056,0:06:28.417 who feeds them, prays for them, 0:06:28.417,0:06:31.539 intercedes for them, [br]visits them in the hospital. 0:06:31.539,0:06:35.247 You see, what we need to realize is this. 0:06:35.247,0:06:39.510 We just need to wait [br]till Jesus comes back. 0:06:39.510,0:06:41.097 And when He does, 0:06:41.097,0:06:43.785 we are going to be greatly surprised. 0:06:43.785,0:06:45.464 Greatly surprised. 0:06:45.464,0:06:49.827 You know, it's not tough to [br]preach in a conference. 0:06:49.827,0:06:52.217 Well, sometimes it is when [br]everybody's mad at you, 0:06:52.217,0:06:54.804 but it's not really tough to [br]preach in a conference. 0:06:54.804,0:06:57.223 Why? You're asked to [br]come to this conference. 0:06:57.223,0:06:59.712 Everybody wants to see you. 0:06:59.712,0:07:01.872 That's not difficult. 0:07:01.872,0:07:04.908 That doesn't demonstrate godliness. 0:07:04.908,0:07:07.511 What demonstrates godliness is the man 0:07:07.511,0:07:10.019 who ministers to God's people 0:07:10.019,0:07:12.109 and is hidden and is not recognized. 0:07:12.109,0:07:14.417 But when the Great Shepherd comes back, 0:07:14.417,0:07:17.083 he will be recognized.