The Danites showed up at Micah’s house and made the Levite an offer: “Come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” (Judges 18:19). He took the deal. One household wasn’t enough. A whole tribe sounded better.
They wanted him for the same reason Micah did. Having the priest along made their plans feel right. They were heading out to take a city that didn’t belong to them, and a priest in the company would make it look like the Lord was with them. It wasn’t really about hearing the Word or walking in obedience. It was about having someone who could put a religious stamp on what they already intended to do.
A lot of people still want that from a pastor. They want him to bless the marriage, bless the house, bless the business plan, bless the move, bless the next step. If he prays over it and says the right things, it feels sanctioned. The plans already decided can now move forward with a sense that God has given them the green light.
The preacher becomes a kind of lucky charm that makes the next thing feel safer. And when the seats fill up and the building looks busy, it is easy for the people to treat that as proof of God’s blessing. Most of the congregation can sit and watch while one man does the real work.
That’s the flip side to this. Some pastors start measuring success the same way. If the numbers are up, it must be working. People are gathering to watch, and the crowd feels like confirmation. But a full room is not the same thing as a healthy church. What matters more is who the people are becoming. Not just people who manage to live decent lives and avoid the obvious sins, but people who are actually being equipped for the work of ministry. People who know how to open the Bible with someone else, who can sit with a brother or sister in trouble, who can share the gospel, who can serve in ways that build the body.
The church is not supposed to be a one-man show. Yes, God still gives leaders. The ones called to labor in the Word are supposed to preach the whole counsel of God, not just the parts that keep people comfortable. But their main work is not to do all the ministry for everyone else.
Paul says Christ gave them “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). The church is not a place we go so one professional can perform. It is a body we belong to. Every part has a function. When each one does its work, the body grows and builds itself up in love.
Because of the blood of Jesus, every believer is a priest. We are not looking for a hired gun to handle the ministry and the evangelism while the rest of us cheer or critique. We are looking for our place. Charles Spurgeon put it simply: “Know which part of the Lord’s work he has called you to and give your whole soul to it.”
The Levite left Micah for a bigger platform. Most of us are not in danger of that. We are in danger of settling for a church that only needs one person to do the real work. Find the part God has given you. Give your whole soul to it. The body is healthier when we do.
They wanted him for the same reason Micah did. Having the priest along made their plans feel right. They were heading out to take a city that didn’t belong to them, and a priest in the company would make it look like the Lord was with them. It wasn’t really about hearing the Word or walking in obedience. It was about having someone who could put a religious stamp on what they already intended to do.
A lot of people still want that from a pastor. They want him to bless the marriage, bless the house, bless the business plan, bless the move, bless the next step. If he prays over it and says the right things, it feels sanctioned. The plans already decided can now move forward with a sense that God has given them the green light.
The preacher becomes a kind of lucky charm that makes the next thing feel safer. And when the seats fill up and the building looks busy, it is easy for the people to treat that as proof of God’s blessing. Most of the congregation can sit and watch while one man does the real work.
That’s the flip side to this. Some pastors start measuring success the same way. If the numbers are up, it must be working. People are gathering to watch, and the crowd feels like confirmation. But a full room is not the same thing as a healthy church. What matters more is who the people are becoming. Not just people who manage to live decent lives and avoid the obvious sins, but people who are actually being equipped for the work of ministry. People who know how to open the Bible with someone else, who can sit with a brother or sister in trouble, who can share the gospel, who can serve in ways that build the body.
The church is not supposed to be a one-man show. Yes, God still gives leaders. The ones called to labor in the Word are supposed to preach the whole counsel of God, not just the parts that keep people comfortable. But their main work is not to do all the ministry for everyone else.
Paul says Christ gave them “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). The church is not a place we go so one professional can perform. It is a body we belong to. Every part has a function. When each one does its work, the body grows and builds itself up in love.
Because of the blood of Jesus, every believer is a priest. We are not looking for a hired gun to handle the ministry and the evangelism while the rest of us cheer or critique. We are looking for our place. Charles Spurgeon put it simply: “Know which part of the Lord’s work he has called you to and give your whole soul to it.”
The Levite left Micah for a bigger platform. Most of us are not in danger of that. We are in danger of settling for a church that only needs one person to do the real work. Find the part God has given you. Give your whole soul to it. The body is healthier when we do.
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