Blackpool Rocks, A Perspective on Pastoral Ministry

 I decided after a few tough weeks, that I needed a change of scene and considered what I could do, I did consider several options:-

1.   Visiting Chester

2.   Visiting Blackpool

3.   Staying at home and watching TV  etc

I decided eventually to go to Blackpool, which as the seagull flies or indeed the crow flies, Blackpool is some 11 miles from Southport, however because of the unique geography of the North West of England Coast, unless you can travel by Sea, to get from Southport to Blackpool you have to travel via Preston which is a distance of some 31 miles.

On Monday, I decided to read up on Blackpool and read the Wikipedia Article, the Visit Blackpool Website and the Blackpool Gazette Website,  it would have  easy for me to read about Blackpool and because I have read about it to consider reading about it  to have the same value of visiting there.

I had several options how to get from Southport to Blackpool,  these included walking, going by bus or going by train,  I don’t drive, so driving was out of the question,  and I know of another church here in Southport who have an annual sponsored cycle ride from Southport to Blackpool.  I don’t have access to a bicycle so cycling was also out,  it would take to long to walk,  so this left travelling either by Bus or Train, so it came down to cost,  the Train would have cost some £17.00 or the Bus would cost £7.00.

So, I found myself just after 9.00am on Tuesday, at my local Tesco Express taking money from the Cash Machine and then buying some refreshments for my journey, and then walking to the Bus Stop to wait for X2 Stagecoach Bus from Southport to Preston, then I had a choice to make I could either travel by the 61 Stagecoach Bus from Preston to Blackpool via Kirkham or the 68 Stagecoach Bus from Preston to Blackpool via Lytham St Annes.  When I’ve travelled previously to Blackpool via Preston I had opted for the 68 Service which seems to take ages.  I decided to opt for a change and when for the 61 Service which went via Kirkham.

 It was interesting going a different way to reach my destination rather than going in a familiar or expected way, yes I still got to Blackpool but I got there in a way that I hadn't considered until after  I had arrived in Preston.

On my journey to Blackpool, I had to travel via some interesting places such as Kirkham and Marton, because of various reasons such as the heat and the traffic,  it could have been easy to get off before Blackpool and explore these places, but they weren’t my destination,  I knew what was my destination, because I could see the Blackpool Tower in the distance, and I know what I was heading for.

 I had to rely on the Bus Driver and I did wonder why when there were so many signs saying Blackpool, the driver seemed to ignore them and carried along on his journey, but despite the driver ignoring these signs the buses' destination was still Blackpool!

I could have got off the Bus when I saw a sign that said Blackpool and said I have seen  the sign that says Blackpool so I must be there, but the sign pointed me in the direction of Blackpool and it wasn’t my destination, it just showed me the way to go.

On my way to the Blackpool Tower,  there was  a lot if traffic congestion because of roadworks and building work being done, although I could see my destination of Blackpool Tower. I could have been frustrated by circumstances and decided to get off before my destination and called where I got off my new destination, eventually the Bus stopped near to  Blackpool Tower, and I realised that I had arrived, it seemed to take longer than I expected and there had been delays but I was there.

In my childhood days, my parents and my grandparents would take my sisters Becky, Abby and myself to see the famous Blackpool Illuminations for the day by train excursion, one particular trip comes to mind, on the 2^nd and final family trip to Blackpool, it was just my parents, my sisters and myself this time and being October it was raining, my mother decided to take us to see a show on one of the piers and she mistakenly thought she booked for us to see Camberwick Green,  but had booked us to see the Grumbleweeds instead!, and after we had left the show, my mother who was slightly shocked by what she had seen,  reminded my sisters and I “don’t tell your grandparents!”

Since I’ve moved to Southport,  I’ve made 3 journeys from Southport to Blackpool, in many ways it’s so near,  yet so far!  Blackpool has a certain reputation and tends to attract a lot of stag and hen parties, there is a lot of need and in ways it is quite a deprived area, and Blackpool Council and other parties are making financial investments into the communities of Blackpool.

On my  trip to Blackpool last year, I made several observations and the Lord bought a scripture to my mind

Matthew 9:35-38 New American Standard Bible.

35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Following on from that Scripture

John 4:35-38

35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured and you have entered into their labour.”

We, the Church are the visible representation of God’s Kingdom Rule and Reign here on Earth, we are his messengers of hope, healing, love and compassion, salvation & restoration, the people we see every day are the people for whom Jesus died on the Cross for, we are the ones who are to bring hope and healing to our communities.

Isaiah 6:8-9 New American Standard Bible

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people:

Romans 10:14-16 New American Standard Bible

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things 16 However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Like a majority of you who read this blog,  I'm not a  Christian Leader and/or Minister, however that doesn’t disqualify us from being a messenger or messengers to our community or  our surrounding communities.

We see in Ephesians 4:11-16 New American Standard Bible

11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 3 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Some 2,000 years ago, our Lord and Saviour Jesus choose 12 Ordinary Men, that weren’t the most educated, or the brightest or indeed the best, many people including themselves would have taken one long look at themselves and thought who are these Men, Jesus can’t use us  or these!

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 New American Standard Bible

26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.

The Lord has called people to be Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers to equip us all for works of service.

An extract from Kingdom Dynamics from the New Spirit Filled Life Bible.

, “Shepherding amid the Supernatural, Ephesians 4:11ff teaches us that all leadership gifts are given by Christ the Lord of the church to “equip” (that is to mend, prepare and enable to function) the whole body of the congregation............ , true supernatural ministry at work in the church begets vital, spiritually functional people throughout the whole church family. The body is to be built up by the mutual efforts of all members supplying their contribution to the whole.  The call to empower people requires mentoring, training, imparting and discipling/discipleship - all aimed at preparing the body for stability and increase.”

Jeremiah 33

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Restoration Promised

 ³ ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ ⁴ For thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which are broken down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword, ⁵ ‘While they are coming to fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness:

 ⁶ Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. ⁷ I will restore the ^[c]fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸ I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. ^9 [d]It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’

¹⁰ “Thus says the Lord, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a waste, without man and without beast,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, ¹¹ the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,

“Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good,
For His loving kindness is everlasting”;

and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the Lord. For I will restore the ^[e]fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the Lord.

¹² “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or beast, and in all its cities, a ^[f]habitation of shepherds who rest their flocks. ¹³ In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,’ says the Lord.

Word Wealth, also from The New Spirit Filled Bible

Ephesians 4:12 equipping,  katartismos, Strong’s  #2677

“A making fit, preparing, training, perfecting, making fully qualified for service”

I believe that the more time we invest in spending with our Ephesians 4:11 leaders, the more we embody their divine gifting, and their lives and ministry equips us to reach our communities, for example if we spend time with Apostles the more Apostolic we become,  and again the more time we spend  with a Pastor the more Pastoral we become.

Another word for Pastors is Shepherd, I’m going to refer again to Word Wealth from The New Spirit Filled Bible

Matthew 10:2 shepherd, poimon, Strong’s #4166

“a herdsman, sheepherder, one who tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds, and protects a flock. The New Testament uses the word for a Christian pastor to whose care and leadership others will commit themselves.”

I believe that we the church are to be pastoral or shepherding to the people in our communities,  some of us are called to the Ephesians 4:11 ministry of Pastor, their role is to equip us to be pastoral to our communities. A pastor or shepherd has the shepherd heart of Jesus, and that could be to the Church he pastors or the community they pastor or shepherd.

If you have time, I suggest you read John 10,  to close I’m going to quote

John 10 New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The good shepherd and his sheep

10 ‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.’ ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a]They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹ ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ ‘I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.’

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, ‘He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?’

²¹ But others said, ‘These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’

Further conflict over Jesus’ claims

²² Then came the Festival of Dedication^[b] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’

²⁵ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all^[c]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.’

³¹ Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, ³² but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’

³³ ‘We are not stoning you for any good work,’ they replied, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’

³⁴ Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I have said you are ‘gods’”^[d]? ³⁵ If he called them “gods”, to whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be set aside – ³⁶ what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, “I am God’s Son”? ³⁷ Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. ³⁸ But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.’ ³⁹ Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptising in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹ and many people came to him. They said, ‘Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.’ ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.

 1 Peter 5:1-3

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Serve God Willingly

5 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

Although this speaks of  eldership being pastoral to the Church they lead, I believe that we are also responsible to the Lord to shepherd the communities we live in.

Rise up O Church

My place is here in Southport, and God has called me as part of His Church here to pastor my community, but I can pray for Blackpool and other places.