The Real Heroes of October

The Real Heroes of October

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  2 Timothy 4:2

Do you look forward to the World Series of Major League Baseball each October?  I do.  I enjoyed the first game between the Mets and Royals recently.  14 innings!  Wow!  Playing past the regular season, the “Boys of Summer” try to get their team into position to play baseball in the postseason called the playoffs.  Then the National League Champion will play the American League Champion to determine the World Champion in the World Series.

Baseball great Reggie Jackson was known as Mr. October.  When a team is advancing and still playing baseball into the month of October you know they are a good team.  There will be another MVP this year and one team will walk away the winners, the heroes of the baseball world.

Between both the Mets and Royals, there are many players I am not familiar with.  There are some new names on both teams.  No matter how long a player has played on his team, as a team member – he is committed to the same task – win the next game.  No matter what path he took to get to the majors, he is still accepted on his team as a vital asset towards winning.

There are other heroes in October, some of which we will never hear about.  They are the pastors, faithfully feeding the flock of God in their local fields.  However God called them and wherever they are serving, they are on the same team as I am – the Gospel Team.

In independent Baptist churches such as the one I pastor, we may not be familiar with pastors in other parts of the country.  We are not isolated, but we are just too far away to know each other.  There are pastors, missionaries and evangelists boldly declaring God’s Word and we may never know them on this side of Heaven.  We are on the same team – giving out the Gospel.  I am thankful for each team player.

The churches they preach in vary in size; some with 50, 250 or over 2000 members attending weekly services.  Some pastors and their churches are well-known, others are not.  All these pastors are known to those they minister to as being passionate about Jesus and His Holy Word.

Some churches will say “thank-you” in a public display.  Others churches are comprised of individuals who behind the scenes say “thank-you.”  However this is accomplished, it should be clear to the pastor that the church is blessed with his effort to serve the Lord and minister to them.  The real heroes of October are the pastors.  They are the ones ready to “preach the Word in Season or out of Season.”

Some folks have set aside October as a month to strategically say “Thank-you.”  Someone once aptly said that “What gets scheduled is what gets done.”  It is true that our human nature is to forget.  We may forget the impact 1 message had on our home.  We may neglect to give a testimony of how a message fed to the congregation met a specific need in your soul.  Sometimes a pastor is preaching on a totally other subject, but the Bible passage God directed him to, challenges and changes your life.  If we do not mark something good on a calendar, it just may not happen.

According to Thrivingpastor.com, pastor or clergy appreciation has been “over the centuries, decades and years, pastors have been recognized and honored, either formally or informally, by many denominations and local churches at various times of the year. It has been a long-standing practice.”  They refer to the I Timothy 5:17 as pastors preaching the Word should receive “double honor” as the precedent for this special recognition.

As you watch the closing games of this baseball season, be reminded of the real heroes of October.  The unsung heroes are those faithfully preaching the Word.  While you may not know all of them – take a moment to encourage those you do know.  Say “thank-you” in some way this week.