My Dear Friend,

Being omniscient, God immediately sensed Moses was overwhelmed at the commission He had just given him. It was daunting: Moses, the lowly, dusty, forgotten, desert shepherd that he was, was solemnly charged with liberating the entire Hebrew nation from the despotic grip of the world's most powerful king, the great Egyptian Pharaoh! Who wouldn't have been overwhelmed?

So, God gave His wavering appointee a sign. A very personal sign. Something only He and Moses would know about. "When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12). "This mountain" was Sinai, the hallowed ground where Moses met God and intimately communed with Him while immersed in His indescribably awesome Presence. So, God's promise was this: just as Moses had come into a profound closeness to God on Sinai, one day Israel would also. Let's go deeper.

Paraphrasing, God was saying, "Moses, I will bring My people to where you are." Or, "I will lead them into the very same amazing, deep fellowship with Me that you are living in." Or, "You will teach and guide My people to know and experience Me just as you do. I will raise them to live on your level of spiritual life. My desire is that, once saved in Egypt by blood and baptized in the Red Sea, My people will learn to walk in My ways just as you do – very close to Me, in constant contact, listening, worshiping, and never again separated from Me."

And God made good on His promise. Once delivered, the people of Israel came to Sinai, "wedded" God in a solemn covenant ceremony, witnessed His awe-inspiring Presence, followed His glory-cloud by day and glory-fire by night, drank miracle water from a rock, ate angel food daily, worshiped at God's Tabernacle as He instructed, and heard countless messages of divine truth straight from God through Moses. Truly, for a time, they lived a "Moses life" - though later, through unbelief, rebellion, and carnality, they tragically limited God from doing all the good He wanted to do in and for them.

Fast-forward nearly 3,000 years. Amazingly, today the "Moses principle" still holds among His covenant people, the church. How does it operate? Simply stated, Christians rarely go farther in the spiritual life than their pastor.

If he (or she) is wholly committed, so will they be. If he is prayerful, so will they be. If he lives in God's biblical "ways," or spiritual life disciplines, so will they. If he is a lifelong student of the Bible, so will they be. If he is a true worshiper, so will they be.

If he doesn't covet the things of this fallen world, neither will they. If his goal is to finish his life-course well and receive Christ's, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," that, too, will be their goal. If he is a giver, they, too, will delight to give to God's works and missions. If he wholly relies on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, guidance, and strength, so will they.

If his heart is open to all teachings that are biblically sound, so will theirs be. If he is humble and not self-serving, so will they be. If he is forgiving, seeking reconciliation whenever possible, so will they be. If he receives and loves all believers regardless of their church group, so will they. If he loves to have deep, spiritual fellowship in the things of God with any spiritually minded Christian, so will they. And so forth.

The opposite is also equally true. If a pastor is proud and arrogant, his people will also cultivate pride and disdain for others. If he is intellectually incurious and uninterested in excellent learning, they will be too. If he talks about prayer, yet never prays himself, so will they. If he preaches often on worldly success and material prosperity, they, too, will focus on these goals - while professing to follow the One who taught, "one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15, NKJV).

If he is hyper-sensitive and quick to take offense, they will be also, and never enjoy spiritual unity. If he is envious of other ministers and churches he deems more successful or more spiritual, so will they be - and not fellowship with them. If he makes snap judgments based on race, occupation, education, or political views, so will they.

If he regularly overindulges, so will they. If he secretly walks in sins of the flesh, so will they. If he rarely, if ever, seeks Christ in the "secret place" (Psalm 91:1), neither will they. If he likes deafeningly loud, "rock" praise and worship teams, so will they. If he is overly ambitious, always seeking a larger pastorate or wider ministry, they too will be - and suffer discontent regularly.

These examples underscore this: a pastor does more than lead God's people in normal religious activities: sermons, board meetings, sacraments, marrying, and burying. He creates the all-important atmosphere that prevails in a congregation. And that atmosphere can liberate God's children to grow vigorously in their spiritual life or bind and confine them to wander aimlessly in the wilderness of worldliness and never grow up to know Christ intimately and faithfully finish the race He has set before them.

In all these ways, Christians come to live wherever their pastor lives - on the mount of deep devotion or the desert of shallow worldliness. Pause, and ponder this . . . then consider this suggested response.

From now on, when searching for a church, look for spiritual depth, biblical messages, the sensed presence of the Holy Spirit, true worship "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24), and a prevailing desire among the members to continue growing and always go forward in their walk with God. Pay little if any attention to a church's programs, technology, buildings, number of members, wealth, local popularity, or demographics. Such things do not matter to Christ. But one issue, above all, does.

The pastor's Christlikeness! Humbly pray for discernment as you patiently, thoroughly, and mercifully - yet honestly - examine him. Why?

He is what you will become! All life, natural and spiritual, reproduces after its own kind. So, don't choose a pastor whose spiritual immaturity will lead you into spiritual immaturity. Set your pastoral boundary high. Choose a "Moses" - a humble, faithful, deeply devoted, utterly committed, spiritually grounded, ever-growing pastor in whom Christlikeness of character, life, and ministry is evident. No, he won't be sinlessly perfect, but he will be perfectly serious about pursuing spiritual perfection: full spiritual development, evident Christian maturity, and consistent Christlikeness of life.

Then follow his ways as he follows God's ways. No doubt aware of this Moses principle, Paul wrote, "Be ye followers of me . . . [and] my ways which are in Christ" (1 Corinthians 4:16-17). And if in following your "Paul" you should stumble or fail, don't be discouraged and abandon your quest. Immediately confess your sins and be restored (1 John 1:9). Then persist! Keep following your pastor's teachings and ways of living, day after day, until you are living like him, on the church's "Mount Sinai" - drawing near God daily, drawing life from His Presence, feasting on His Word, talking with Him constantly, following His guidance, understanding His plan, helping bless and guide fellow Christians, and reaching out to the lost so that they, too, may be called to the mount. One more thought.

To some degree, our spiritual education parallels natural education. Teachers vary widely in their knowledge, training, and experience. Consequently, they teach at different levels: preschoolers, elementary grades, middle schoolers, or highschoolers. The same is true in our universities. There are undergraduate professors (and lecturers) and those instructing graduate students seeking higher levels of academic knowledge and distinction - masters and doctoral degrees.

Similarly, God has "pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11) who instruct Christians at every level of spiritual life: babes in Christ, new disciples, more experienced disciples, and mature Christians. At each stage of our spiritual development, these counsel and instruct us as Jesus did: "He spoke the word unto them, as they were able to hear it" (Mark 4:33); or "as much as they could understand" (NIV); or "fitting the stories to their experience and maturity" (Message). For those determined to live in full, deep spiritual maturity, God has reserved His "graduate professors," or "Moses" - ministers with vast experience in biblical studies, intimacy with God, self-examination, hearing His voice, discerning His hand, knowing His plans, and a thousand practical tips for walking ever closer with Christ and serving Him more fruitfully.

Therefore, as you grow in Christ, God may move you from one church to another. Not because your current pastor is foolish or worldly, but to enlarge your spiritual boundary. He has another minister ready and gifted to take you deeper, farther, and higher than your current pastor can. When you come to this place, obey the One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Follow His Spirit in implicit trust, even if you are misunderstood, criticized, or ostracized. Those who disobey this higher call, choosing instead to stay and pray for their pastor to grow, while they mean well, only stunt their spiritual growth and limit what God can do through them. Don't make that mistake!

Remember the Moses principle and let God take you higher. An amazing spiritual adventure awaits. Go possess it!

For the Moses principle,

Dr. Greg Hinnant

GREG HINNANT MINISTRIES