CCOG Sunday Morning Service 10-26-25. “Honoring The Man Of God”

Ky State Administration Bishops ( State Overseer ) David Jarvis

What if the health of a church rises and falls on how it treats its shepherds? We dig into a timely, biblical call to honor pastors—not as celebrities, but as guides God uses to help us “know the way we should go.” Starting with 1 Samuel 9:6 and moving through the stories of David and Saul, the Shunammite woman and Elisha, and Elijah with the widow, we show how respect, generosity, and obedience create room for God’s provision and power.

We talk candidly about the paradoxes of ministry: the impossible expectations, the emotional toll, and the unseen weight borne by pastors and their families. With humor and heart, we dismantle the “perfect pastor” myth and replace it with a healthier vision—leaders called to pray, study, and shepherd, and people called to lift, serve, and stand fast. Moses’ raised arms become our picture of partnership: when the leader’s hands are held high, the people prevail; when they drop, the enemy gains ground. So we ask, who will be the Aaron and Hur in our house?

Stories from modern church life bring the scriptures into focus: a salesman who chose integrity and generosity saw unusual favor; a church that made space for its leaders saw God make space for miracles. The throughline is simple and strong—honor builds unity, unity fuels mission, and mission changes communities. If you’ve wondered how to strengthen your church and your own walk with God, start by lifting the arms of the ones who watch over your soul. Subscribe, share this message with a friend, and leave a review telling us one way you’ll encourage your pastor this week.

Chapters

• 0:29 Welcome & Ways To Listen
• 0:59 Worship And Expectation Of Christ’s Return
• 1:40 Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 9:6
• 3:23 Theme: Honoring God’s Shepherds
• 6:42 Challenges Of Pastoral Ministry
• 8:22 The “Perfect Pastor” Myth
• 9:59 How Honor Affects Our Walk With God
• 12:10 David, Saul, And Respect For The Anointed
• 14:28 The Shunammite Woman’s Blessing
• 18:08 Stories Of Generosity And God’s Favor
• 21:09 Elijah, The Widow, And Obedience
• 23:30 Holding Up The Pastor’s Arms
• 26:20 Corporate Unity And Spiritual Victory

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:29

Hey, you're listening to Cape Wood Church of God Sunday service on the 421 show. Hey, service is recorded live, edited, fit the platform. Please go check out our website for more content and information. At HOR421 Show.bussprout.com. You can stream the show on Apple or Spotify or whatever platform you're choosing. If you'd like to support the show, you can support it through PayPal slash HOR421 or you go to our website at HOR421Show.bussprout.com.

SPEAKER_01: 0:59

I can feel the arms of protection wrapped all round me. Every time I think about it, it makes me happy as I can be.

SPEAKER_03: 1:17

How many of you believe that trumpet's gonna sound and craves all over? Kentucky and Virginia are gonna burst open, and the dead in Christ are gonna rise first, and we which are alive and remain are gonna be caught up in the air. Jesus is coming. You believe that this morning? Well, praise him this morning. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Oh hallelujah! Get your Bibles. Let's go to 1 Samuel chapter 1. Remain standing there. I'm not gonna preach a long time, but I want to share a word with you this morning. 1 Samuel chapter 9 and verse 6. 1 Samuel chapter 9 and verse 6. And he said to him, Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he's an honorable man, and all that he says shall surely come to pass. So let us go there. Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go. Then Saul said to his servant, But look if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessel is all gone, and there's no present to bring the man of God. What do we have? I'm gonna talk to you this morning on the man of God. How many of you believe God's given you a man of God? Would you ask the Lord to have his way as we go into his word today? Lord, we love you and we thank you for the opportunity of being in your house today. God, I confess to you and this congregation, I'm nothing without you or the anointing of your Holy Spirit. God, anoint every ear to hear the word of the Lord today. And Father, would you cover this service with the blood of Jesus and bind the enemy today and release the power of your Holy Spirit, Lord? And we'll not fail to give you the praise and the honor and the glory. In Jesus' name we pray. And everyone said, turn around, tell somebody to look like a million dollars this morning. Would you do that? Praise the Lord. What an exciting day that we come together and honor the man of God and the woman of God, the one that God has set over us as our shepherd to watch over our souls. They give day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. And you know, we've got days to honor about everything. One of my favorites, National Hot Dog Day. And I like National Ice Cream Day. I like Chocolate Day. But we've got Mother's Day, we've got Father's Day, we've got grandparents' day, we've got Administrative Professionals Day, we've got a day to even honor rocks and dirt. It's called Earth Day. And I am glad, and by the way, um Mother's Day was started by Anna Jarvis over in West Virginia. No relation. But thank God we've set aside a day that we express our appreciation to our pastor and his family and let them know we recognize that God has blessed us to give us the leaders He's given us. Some people may not like it, they may not like the idea, but I'm here to tell you it is scriptural. The Bible tells us that we're to honor those and especially double honor those that labor in the word. It is scriptural, and how many of you like to feel appreciated? Everybody likes to be appreciated. How many of you ladies, you cook a meal and nobody says a word? How many of you like it when they say, oh, that was wonderful? And they come back for seconds. Everybody likes to be appreciated. And there's no field that's more rewarding, but also can be more challenging than that of the ministry. And that's why we have to hold up our pastor and their family. And it means so much for you to share your love and appreciate to them. And I believe God wants us to honor the man and woman of God He's put over us. And that's what we're going to do today. And we want to honor the ones that God has given us, and they give their lives for the kingdom service. And God has blessed you with this wonderful man of God and woman of God. Brother John is an excellent pastor and preacher and administrator and communicator. But I heard a little story about when he was starting out. He may have not been as good as he is now, but he was preaching at one place and a fella kept falling asleep. How many of you know he must have been hard of hearing? Amen. So Brother John realized after a few services that he was starting to snore. And people were watching him. And so he saw his little grandson there and he said, I'll give you a dollar if every time your papa falls asleep, if you'll nudge him and wake him up. So that worked for a few services, but then all of a sudden, a couple more services went by and the old man began to sleep. And Brother John went to the young boy and said, I've been giving you a dollar to keep Papa awake. He says, Brother John, Papa's been giving me five dollars to let him sleep. That may or may have not happened. Amen. In fact, I'm here to tell you it is a challenging place to be in ministry. What are you talking about? If a minister's is young, he lacks experience. If his hair is getting gray, he's getting too old. If they spend time, too much time in the study, they're neglecting the people. If they don't, they're neglecting the word. If they suggest improvements, they're a dictator. If they don't, they're just letting people run the church any old way. If they use illustrations, they're not preaching the word. If they don't, they're not relevant. Hello, are y'all still out there? If he preaches the truth, he's offensive. If he doesn't, he's compromised. If he preaches less than 30 minutes, he's lazy. If he preaches 31 minutes, he's long-winded. If he doesn't please everyone in the church, he's hurting the church. If he dies, he must not be a man of God. If he preaches all the time, people may get tired of hearing him. If they don't, they're shirking the responsibility. A pastor must have the meekness of a lamb, but the hide of a rhinoceros. Somebody said they found the perfect pastor. He preaches exactly 20 minutes and sets down. He condemns sin but never steps on anybody's toes. He works from seven in the morning to ten o'clock at night. He does everything from sweeping to sermons. He works for a little but gives a lot, wears nice clothes, and got a nice family. He's 36 years old, but he's been preaching for 40 years. As you know, that perfect pastor doesn't exist in the minds of some people. But I'm going to tell you something that may blow your mind. Are you ready for this? You may get mad at me, but I'm scriptural today. And as long as I'm scriptural, let it lay where it lays. Our relationship with the man of God affects our relationship with the Heavenly Father. What are you talking about? I believe it sounds crazy, but our relationship with God is directly affected with our relationship with the man of God, the one God has put over us. Sometimes churches remind me of the children of Israel, even here in Kentucky. They're praying for God to send them somebody to lead them. And somebody will come, and then just in a few months, they're like the children of Israel. They want to stone them to death. Are y'all still out there? But time after time, can I tell you they were fussing and they wanted to kill Moses? But I'm here to tell you, God wants us to honor the man of God. I read in Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6, and I believe that behold, there is in this city, in this county, a man of God, an honorable man, and he can show us the way that we should go. I'm here to tell you, there's some folks think they've got sent them to straighten out the preacher. Nobody liked that in Harlan County, is there? Well, let me tell you, the rest of Kentucky, there's a few of them around. Amen. And they call my office and tell me how to do my job too. But anyway, I believe that in Kwood, Kentucky, there is a man of God, and we ought to honor them. And we know that God speaks to him and he can show us the way that we should go. But you don't know so-and-so. You don't know all this. Can I tell you the Bible tells us about King David when Saul had backslidden and David was on the run. He was trying to kill David, and he was backslidden. He was eaten up with jealousy. Can I tell you, jealousy will do cruel things to you. It will destroy you, and it will take you down a road you don't want to go down. And it even happens in the ministry. Jealousy takes place. But it says that David, he had the opportunity that he could have taken the life of Saul. But 1 Samuel chapter 24 and verse 5, it said, Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe and he said to the men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hands, my hand against him, seeing he is anointed of the Lord. And David said in Psalms 105 and verse 15, Do not touch my anointed. It's a dangerous thing when we come against, uh when we come against the man of God, the woman of God, the one that God has set over us to guard our souls. Can I tell you in 2 Kings chapter 4 and verse 9 through 17, the word of God tells us about the Shunammite woman. It said, And she said to her husband, look now, I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly. Please let us make a small upper room on the wall, and let us put a bed for him there, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand. So it will be whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there. In verse 11, it said, And it happened one day that he came there and he turned in the upper room and lay down there. And he said to Gehazi's servant, Call the Shunammite woman. And when he had called her, she stood before him, and she said to him, Say now to her, Look, you have been concerned for us with all of this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army? She answered, I dwell among my people. So he said, What then shall be done for her? And Gehazah answered and said, She has no son. Her husband is old. So he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. And then he said, About this time next year, you shall embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord, man of God, do not lie to your man's maid servant. But the woman conceived and bore a son, and when the appointed time had come of which Elisha had told her, Can I tell you she was barren? Her womb was shut up. But when she began to bless the man of God, God opened her womb and God began to bless her. Can I tell you, you can't go wrong by blessing the man of God? She was barren. Can I tell you something? You show me a church that's dying, and I'll show you a church that's disrespectful to the man of God. They don't want the man of God to have anything, but you show me a church that's growing and God is moving. I'll show you a church that loves their pastor and they love to bless the man of God. You can't go wrong by blessing the man of God. Anyone know what I'm talking about? Not very far from here in Russell County, Virginia. I was pastoring in Honeacre and I just got there. And I went to pastor, I was youth pastoring in Pulaski, Virginia. And I got there and they told me about a man. His wife had been attending our church and he'd been going to another church. He was a car salesman at Modern Chevrolet in Honeaker, Virginia. Now, if you want to know about Honeaker, it don't even have a red light. It don't have a McDonald's, it don't have anything. Rome, I think, has probably been there. There's nothing in Honeaker. The biggest thing in Honeaker when I was there was the church of God. You got a couple of banks, and that's about it. But lo and behold, I went to the hospital. Brother Stan had been going to a different church, and he had had a stroke and he couldn't talk. How many of you know it's bad for a car salesman not being able to talk? And we went in that room and we began to pray for Brother Stan. And God touched him and God healed him and God raised him up. And can I tell you, he started coming to our church, and every Sunday he would meet me at the back door and he'd say, I love that preaching. He would slip me something and bless me. If he knew there was a need in my life, he took care of me. He blessed me. If he knew I had to go to Ohio, to the hospital where our daughter was born with a heart condition, he'd make sure everything was taken care of. And guess what? This man who was an old mountain man from Honeacre, Virginia, sold more Chevrolets than anybody east of the Mississippi. There ain't 1,500 people in Honeacre, Virginia. But all of a sudden, this man's selling more Chevrolets than they do in Atlanta. He's selling more, and they begin to see him and what he was doing. But every Sunday he would say, I love that preaching pastor. And he would bless me with a handshake. General Motors heard about Stan. And they said, We want you to come to our yearly convention and we want you to speak to all of our salesmen, all of our dealers that across America. And they took him and took him to Louisville and they had him get up in front of all the dealerships. And he had one of those hats like mountain men wear. And he took that hat off and he set it on the seat and he went towards the podium. And they're saying, Stan Farmer sells more Chevrolets than anybody east of the Mississippi. And they said, He's going to tell us how we can do it. And he got up, and this is what he said. Always tell the truth. How many of you know that's novel to car dealers? I have been in the modern Chevrolet, and they were lined up. All the other salesmen were just twiddling their thumbs. But old Stan was there, and I'd hear him say, Stan, what about that car out there? We know you'll tell us the truth. Is it worth anything? Anything wrong with it? And he would tell them the truth, and the other salesmen would just twiddle their thumbs. And he would sell Chevrolet after Chevrolet and use car after used car. And he says, if you want to sell Chevrolets, always tell the truth. I don't think anybody wrote that down in their notes. And then this is what he said. The second point was, always take care of the man of God. He said, We call it back in the mountains, pay the preacher. Take care of the preacher. And then he sat down, and all those dealers were looking at him like, What in the world do you mean? Can I tell you? He said it was because he blessed the man of God that God would bless him. Can I tell you, if you bless the man of God, God will bless you? Somebody give him praise this morning. First Kings chapter 17 and verse 8 tells the story of a preacher that God had called a widow to provide for him. Elijah went in and there was a famine and Elijah found this little lady. Oh, can you believe this? And he asked her, says, What have you got to eat? She says, I've got just a little bit of meal. I've got just a little bit of oil. And I'm going to make a cake for me and my son, and then we're going to die. But the man of God did something if they did it today. They would be on the news in Bristol and Lexington, Johnson City. They would be on the news in Hazard. They would be on the news in Louisville. CNN would probably come in here and say, Can you believe that preacher? That little boy and that widow, he said, Don't you feed that little boy, you feed me first. How many of you know they'd run him out of Harlan County? Am I telling the truth? What kind of preacher would do that? But you know what that little widow little date little little widow lady did? She was obedient. She was obedient to the word, and she went and she made that little bit of meal barrel. No doubt the devil's saying, Look at that preacher, he don't care about you. But she said, God's gonna take care of me if I take care of the man of God. And she baked the cake, and Elijah went on, and guess what? During that whole famine, her meal barrel never run dry. The oil was always there. God always took care of her. God will take care of you if you take care of the man of God. Am I still in the word? I'm still in the word. What are you talking about? We can't go wrong taking care of the man of God. But I want to ask you a question today. Will you hold up the man of God's arms? Will you hold up the woman of God's arms? We ought to honor the man of God and the woman of God because God has sent them. He's not above it, but God didn't call him to clean toilets, to sweep, and do other tasks. God's called him to study and pray and preach the word. God is calling people to stand beside the man of God and hold up their hands because I want to tell you, Kwood Church of God, there is in this county a man of God, and he can show us the way that we should go. What is our attitude towards him? Well, if you're one of the few that don't like Brother John, let me tell you what you can do. Y'all got it? You're going to take notes? Here's how you can get rid of him. Look him in the eye when he's preaching and say amen. He'll preach himself to death. Shake hands with him and tell him you appreciate his hard work and he's doing a great job and he'll work himself to death. Go to him and say, I want to work and do a job that you can't get anybody else to do. I want to win souls. He's likely to kill over with a heart attack.

SPEAKER_02: 20:18

I know you love him. I'm just teasing.

SPEAKER_03: 20:23

But Exodus chapter 17. Still in the word. When the Amalekites were coming against the children of Israel, the Bible shows us the scene that on top of the mountain, Moses is on top of the mountain. And as long as he's got his arms up, the children of Israel keep prevailing over the Amalekites. But Moses got tired, his arms got heavy, and those arms began to hang down at his side. And what happened when his arms began to hang down? The other enemy, the Amalekites, began to prevail. And there were two men of God standing there by the name of Aaron and Hur. They saw what was taking place. They saw as long as Moses' hands were up, the people of God would prevail. But his arms got tired, he got weary, and his arms began to drop down at his side, and the enemy began to prevail. So you know what they did? They got on one side and the other got on the other side, and they began to prop the arms of the man of God up. And what took place because Aaron and her stood beside the man of God, they prevailed over the enemy. Can I tell you we need to stand beside the man of God and hold up their arms? Brother John, would you and Leanne come up here and face the congregation?

SPEAKER_02: 21:55

I want you just to hold your arms up. As long as their arms are up, we're prevailing.

SPEAKER_03: 22:02

But you know what the devil's trying to do? He's trying to make these arms heavy and tired. And when that happens, it affects us. Oh, when their arms drop down to their sides. Give me a couple of ladies here that'll get on each side of Sister Lynn. Give me a couple of men here that get on each side of Pastor John. But you know what? The job's too big for one person. As good as Pastor John is, he can't reach the whole county by himself. He needs you to stand by his side and hold up his arms. He don't need, well, that preacher. He needs somebody to hold up his arms. Somebody to hold up her arms. And you know what, Kwood Church of God, as long as we're standing beside the man of God, the one that God sent us, we're going to prevail over the gates of hell. There'll be no, the devil wants to send division. But if we get together in unity like they did in the upper room when they were together, together in one accord, I'm here to tell you, God will rescind a rushing mighty wind. He'll send the move of the Holy Ghost. He'll send the outpouring. But the devil's trying to attack and bring the arms of the man of God down and discourage him. But we're to stand beside them and hold up their arms, and we're believing God is going to give us victory. Anybody believe we're living in the last days? We got to reach our communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ. They can't do it by themselves. They need you to hold up their arms. They'd come to the instruments. I'm going to ask some of the leaders just to come and join me if you would. And we're going to pray over Pastor, and we're going to pray over Leanne. Give me some leaders, some of our ladies too. Come up here. You have no idea what this couple goes through. You have no idea the hurt that they have to go through in ministry. You know, somebody was talking about the big term now, Brother John, is church hurt. But there ain't nobody been hurt by the church worse than preachers. Because their family gets taken to lunch on Sundays and they're not even there. They're the subject. We need to hold them up. Would you stand with me this morning? Would you stretch your hand this way and ask God to bless this wonderful family today? Jan, come and join me.

SPEAKER_01: 25:37

Ever since I've been adopted into the Holy Family.

SPEAKER_00: 25:49

If you're looking for a church, please come and visit us at the Cape Wood Church of Gods. Service times are 11 30 a.m. on Sunday and Wednesdays at 6 30 p.m. Go check out our website for more content and information at HOR421Show.bussprout.com. And if you'd like to support the show, you can support it through PayPal slash HOR421 or you go through our website, HOR 421 Show.bussprout.com. Recorded and edited at 421 Studio. Contact information you can email at HOR421 Ministries at gmail.com. Phone number 2398495.

SPEAKER_01: 26:30

It was great that brought me saved this one. When I'm alone, I'm not a shame. Call the mind.