The effectiveness of a pastor has to do with his character. This is a basic requirement. Stability in character is of utmost importance and cannot be neglected before God and man. Some people are solid and unshakable before the Lord while some are loose and unstable in all they do. Their loyalty is divided and their environment and situations determine their character flow. This should not be so as a pastor. These men have no conviction in anything and they are unreliable.
In Matthew 16:18 it says, “Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
Peter whom the Lord made this statement to was then an unstable person but you see God always addresses us not with our present situation instead of whom we shall become. When that statement came from Jesus, He was also addressing the church at the time. Meaning no matter the troubles, persecution and trials, the church will keep on marching forward. The church is built on a foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone. This implies that a pastor who refuses to trust in God’s Word and His promises will keep on swaying back and forth. They cannot be able to discharge their duties appropriately because if and when they encounter a challenge they can easily give up and just the way Peter returned back to his fishing business (John 21:3), so will the man start looking for alternatives where he is not supposed to do so.
What man can’t do God’s grace works it out. Just as in Peter who was seen as a wavering person he now became a fearless man, bold and solid, who could stand to speak and challenge the elders and people who gathered to question their authority of speaking in different languages (Acts 2: 14 – 41). That same day three thousand people were added to the church. The power within us is great and we should stop allowing ourselves to be governed by our emotions, afraid of loss (seeking in our own happiness alone and afraid to suffer because of our faith), and being afraid of men. A man’s emotions are unstable and this is why many today have been rejected by the Lord. I pray and ask that we come out from being pastors who are being driven by emotions to pastors driven by faith. By faith the men of old earned good reputation, divinely approved and commended (Hebrews 11:2). Allowing your emotions to lead you will cause you to wreck God’s work and your service to men. Such pastors are always doing things on the impulse (spur of the moment). But walking in faith builds your character and makes it effective and relevant as you keep your steps in line with the Holy Spirit.