Burning Vapor

My Pastor, My Brother, My Friend

Pastor Keith Watson

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” 1 Timothy 5:17

This is the primary passage that we argue for paid pastoral positions.  If there are Elders among you who preach and teach then they should be considered to be paid.  It’s not a mandate, but it is an option, a very good option.  Logic follows that as you free up a man to preach and teach by paying him so that he doesn’t have to pursue outside employment he will be able to minister to more of the flock and deepen in his ability to preach.  But I want to take the verse one step further…I want to throw a party.

Actually, we did.  We invited all of the people in key leadership roles over for a Porch Party.  On the surface it was to give our team a time to talk, drink, eat, relax and have fun.  But there was something much more sinister going on under the surface.  I waited to strike until the time was just right.  The party played out and people had a great time.  Then there is always that moment that the first couple must take their leave – that was my moment of opportunity.  So I gathered all the team together, had them grab a glass and lift it in honor.  First, to our Lead Pastor – Jesus.  We were only able to meet together, and drink and eat and laugh and honor God by doing it, because Jesus died for every one of us.  And then to our Elder – Keith Watson.

I have probably known Keith for 15 years.  Jennifer has a cousin named Amy (she is the sister that Jennifer never had) and Amy married Keith.  He was in Bible College when I was being trained at Faith Bible Church.  That always made for great theological discussions.  Jennifer and I had actually talked about moving south 5 years ago in order to work with Keith at a new church he was at.  Instead, we adopted Bri and I was hired at Valley Bible Church. We kept talking over the years and Keith was one of the guys that walked me through some of the early difficult theological moments at Valley and then through some of the hairy decisions made at the previous non-profit that I worked for.   All along my respect and friendship only deepened for Keith.  Then the Lord began transitioning our hearts to return to GA and at the same time Keith was planting a church.  As I watched the church from a distance, I longed to be a part of it.  I didn’t necessarily need to be a Pastor – I just wanted to be there, where I felt like God was moving and drawing me.  The Lord opened one door after another and here we are.

So what have I learned about Keith and New City?  I know that I can barely keep up with him.  He runs hard, always.  Never taking a moment to breathe, he just pushes and pushes and pushes.  Don’t sign up with New City if you think this is your typical ‘sit in your pew and rot’ experience or ‘let’s get theologically accurate and stroke each other’ experience.  No, no.  If you join Keith and New City on mission, you better be wearing your shield, helmet, and cup – your sword better be drawn and bloodied.  Don’t worry, you won’t be pushed as hard as Keith pushes himself – but I can guarantee he will redefine what you may think about living the Christian life. He has this crazy vision of communities of people living out the Gospel, preaching the Gospel, sharing the Gospel, talking about the Gospel, and being transformed by the Gospel – and he calls it church.  He made it clear in his sermon series called ‘Stop Going to Church, Be the Church’ where he challenged people to realize that church is not an event that evolves around sunday morning or wednesday night.  The church is people and if the church is people then we better be doing what Jesus calls us to do.  All of this seems to be driven by his deep love for Jesus which creates a deep love for people and drives him to make every moment count for the Gospel.

Keith is a knuckle busting fighter, an attentive father, a faithful husband, a powerful preacher, and an out of the box thinker.  Keith loves Jesus, is a reformed thinker, and is a humble warrior.  Keith calls New City to be a force, to be a movement in Macon, GA and it’s because he himself is a force and a movement.  Don’t believe me – follow in his footsteps for a day.

Keith is a man worth following because he follows Jesus.  He is being transfomed by Jesus.  He’s living his life as a burning vapor and I count it as a joy to call him my pastor, my brother and my friend.

I can say this without issue because I have been an Elder and am currently not serving in that capacity.  I know the weight that a man must carry to properly shepherd the flock.  I know the pressure that a man feels inwardly because he wants to keep up with Jesus.  And like Keith, they are going to hate being made much of – just remind them that there are clear biblical principles that we should honor them and if they stop us from doing that they are hindering our sanctification.  They wouldn’t want that now would they

Today, honor your Elders.  Call them, email them, write them a note, pray for them (and let them know that you did), throw a party, invite them to dinner, give them a gift certificate, watch their kids so that he can have a night out with his wife – do something – honor them.  They are men who watch over your souls – make it a joy to do so and not a thankless pain in the butt.

7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

~ Heb. 7-8, 17

This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 8:29 am and is filed under Gospel, New City and tagged with Elder, Keith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.