A pastor, an elder, or a deacon must not be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but he must be a man who has experienced the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3), a man who is sanctified in Christ Jesus with the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, a man who is purged daily from the vicious appetite of his own flesh, from his own pride, his self-importance, his self-esteem, and is now a man with an eye single to the divine glory and the building up of the precious body of Christ. He must be a man with a gracious sincerity, not ruled by a selfish spirit, but one who will naturally care for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That means that you, as a pastor, an elder, or a deacon, are to care for the faith, for the repentance, for the souls of the people of God. How can a person do that without first experiencing the reality of that life within his own heart? The aim of his work, the single aim, is the honor of the Redeemer and the life of the people entrusted to his care.