Saturday, October 13, 2007
Pastor Brian Cook

1 Samuel 14:6-7  “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armor bearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.”

In this Old Testament account we find two interesting men. The first is Jonathan who is the son of King Saul and the next in line to be king over Israel. Jonathan was a mighty warrior of great courage and faith. The second man is not known and not even named. He is Jonathan’s armor bearer. At this time in history an armor bearer was a trusted servant who would enter into battle with his master and carry his master’s weapons.

Just as an armor bearer was expected to follow his master into battle, God has put pastors in the church to lead it into battle and He expects the people to follow him. But before that can happen a pastor must engender the faith of his people. After watching life, his walk and hearing his words on Sunday mornings, the people ought to begin to have confidence in his decisions and choices because they realize he knows and hears from God. If they do not trust him they will not follow him and if they do not follow then nothing can get done for God in that church.

It is obvious that somewhere in the past Jonathan had demonstrated to his armor bearer that he knew and heard from God. Somewhere in the past Jonathan had proven himself to be a trustworthy and dependable leader, so much so that his armor bearer trusted him with his very life without hesitation.  What characteristics did this armor bearer exhibit in following Jonathan on what could be seen as a “suicide mission”?  He was a servant. This armor bearer was a servant of one who served God.

This armor bearer understood the importance of his position. That may sound like a contradiction, but the fact is Jesus said that “he that is greatest shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11). Just because a servant is not in the forefront or the limelight does not mean they are not important. Without his armor bearer Jonathan could not have accomplished the great things he did and God would not have received the glory that He did.

·        He was loyal. Loyal is another word for “faithful”.  It was his desire to be a servant to Jonathan and it was his loyalty to Jonathan that allowed him to say without guile “I am with you”. So often pastors hear those words only to find out that later that they were empty words. Loyalty will cause you to remain faithful even when the situation or circumstances you are led into cannot be explained away by common sense. This armor bearer was not a “fair weather friend”.  As our pastors pick up the Sword of the Spirit and prepare to go into battle week after week, they need unnamed armor bearers to stand with them; they cannot battle alone. The church needs armor bearers who are servants of the one who serves God, who are loyal to their leader and willing to take a risk in order to follow him. Just as it was Jonathan’s job to lead and it was his armor bearer’s job to follow, we in the church also have those who lead and those who follow, but we are working together for victory!

October is “Pastor Appreciation Month” and speaking as a pastor I know that what every pastor would like more than kind cards or gift certificates. What our pastors truly need are a few loyal armor bearers who are not afraid to stand with him, who are willing to be servants even if it means that their service may go unnamed, who are willing to follow him into the battle and to fight.