IDOLATRY IN MINISTRY

Satan may attack us overtly, as a roaring lion seeking to devour us.  Peter warns us of that, (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8).  Yet, at other times, he comes as a serpent and assails us subtly.  He is so cunning, (cf. Gen. 3:1a). The devil will take something meant for good to be used for God’s glory and entice us to seeking our own glory.  It becomes a substitute for God—and that is idolatry.  There can be idolatry in ministry.  Scott Saul’s points this out in his book, “From Weakness to Strength: 8 Vulnerabilities That Can Bring Out the Best in Your Leadership.”  He warns:

If you find your happiness in yourself and your own achievements, you’re bound to be disappointed. Consider how often you’ve let yourself down, for one thing. For another—well, C. S. Lewis was onto something when he said:

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.

I learned this the hard way when, for a season, I allowed ministry in a “notable” city among “notable” people to become an idol. I now see how foolish this thinking was. I see how right Francis Schaeffer was when he said that there are no little places and no little people. If Jesus would choose the small, obscure town of Bethlehem as his birthplace and the better-known (but only because of its bad reputation) town of Nazareth—“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)—as his temporal home, and if he could choose to build his kingdom chiefly through people who were not wise or powerful or of noble birth (1 Corinthians 1:26), how dare I act or think or believe otherwise as I minister in his name! (p. 26, Kindle edition). 

May we never seek the spotlight, but strive to shine it upon the only One worthy—our great God and His Son, Jesus Christ! 

A MASTERPIECE OF MINISTRY

Before an artist paints a picture on the canvas, he creates it in his mind. The shape of a sculpture takes form in the sculptor’s thoughts, before a hammer and chisel go to work in his hands. In the same way, God inspires a vision in the hearts of the pastors and the people to guide the church into the future. God wants to paint a masterpiece of ministry in His church. He wants the picture to form in our minds to move us forward together in achieving of the vision.

How do we get such a vision? How can we be sure that it is not just something we’ve dreamed up or borrowed from some other church, but is God’s will for us? What is required for a masterpiece of ministry? Nehemiah has lessons for us—timeless truths that still apply today.

A masterpiece of ministry is determined in part by THE NEED AROUND US.

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, ‘The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.’ ”  ‬‬(Neh. 1:1-3).

This is THE SITUATION REQUIRING VISION. The people of God were in a bad way. The situation was bleak. God often shows us a need as the initial step in giving us a vision to meet that need. Although this principle transcends time and space, its application will be in time and space—a universal truth that has a local application.

What do I mean by that?

There is a reason God has placed a local church in a particular place. Its ministry is to be specific to the strategic opportunity presented in that spot of soil.

What needs do we see around our church field?

John Wesley said, “I look on all the world as my parish.” Indeed, the church’s mission involves a global mandate, but in reaching to the uttermost parts of the earth, we must not shirk our Jerusalem and Judea and shrink back from our Samaria near by. What particular needs are in your church community, crying out to be addressed? Your church family does not live at its current address by accident.

A masterpiece of ministry is inspired by THE GOD ABOVE US.

“So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said: ‘I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses. Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘ “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations; but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.” ’ Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.’ For I was the king’s cupbearer.” ‬‬ (Neh. 1:4-11).

He is THE SOURCE INSPIRING VISION. Our tendency, oftentimes, when faced with a need, is to run away from it, because we think the need is too great, or we run out and try to fix it, thinking we can handle it. We should do neither, but instead run to God and hear from Him.

There are many things we can do after we pray, but nothing until we pray. The vision that God has for His church is not a product of our best reasoning or the expectation of others—rather, it comes down from above. Acts 16:6-10 gives us an example:

“Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

Now, the vision we have for what God is calling us to do will not likely be so dramatic in its delivery as that, nevertheless, it will be the Holy Spirit guiding us through Scripture, summoning us to meet the need we have found in His direction and power.

Then, the masterpiece of ministry develops by THE PASSION WITHIN US.

“And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Therefore the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’ So I became dreadfully afraid, and said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?’ Then the king said to me, ‘What do you request?’ So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.’ Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), ‘How long will your journey be? And when will you return?’ So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Furthermore I said to the king, ‘If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the River, that they must permit me to pass through till I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy.’ And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.” ‬‬ (Neh. 2:1-8).

This is THE PASSION SUSTAINING VISION. What was in Nehemiah’s heart registered on his face. Even though it was punishable by death for a cupbearer to enter the king’s presence with a sad countenance, he just couldn’t help it. Not only did he disclose the need to the king, but he boldly asked for help to do the job.

He took a deep breath—a whispered prayer—and then he “spilled the beans.” Not for a moment did he waver. There was a fire in his soul—a passion for his God and his people that inspired Nehemiah.

If we are ever going to achieve what God has for us, it will be that a sacred fire burns within. We can’t just go through the motions. It can’t be business as usual. We can’t play church. The Spirit of God must stir us. He will, if we will but open the door and make Him welcome!

Creating a masterpiece of ministry requires a passion fueled by the needs of people and inspired by a vision from God because we will most certainly engage THE ENEMY AGAINST US.

“Then I went to the governors in the region beyond the River, and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.” (Neh. 2:9-10).

This is THE PROBLEM FACING VISION. Here we have the first, but not the last time, these two are found opposing the work of God. One way we can know we are moving forward in God’s will is that we run head on into the devil! When heaven is at work that’s when it may seem all hell breaks loose.

Satan knows there is only one force that can defeat him, only one power on earth that can set those free whom he holds in fetters of sin, dragging them down to hell. That power is the Lord’s army—the militant, triumphant church of the living God! We may wrongly conclude when facing problems that we are out of God’s will. The fact is that often confirms it. Every God-inspired vision is met with significant opposition.

Let us be cautious about running roughshod over church members who may be slower to catch the vision than those in leadership—being out in front and bringing people along are essential to what leaders do. Just because someone has questions and is wrestling with doubt doesn’t mean we should view them as “tools of Satan.” Yet, having said that—we must move forward in the face of opposition graciously, yet firmly, if the need is there, God’s Word aligns with the way to meet that need, and the Lord has built a passion in us to do so.

Let me expand on that by noting how a masterpiece of ministry comes to the canvas of our community via THE INVESTIGATION BY US.

“So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.” (Neh. 2:11-16).

This is THE LEADERSHIP FORMING VISION. The vision first forms in the heart of one man who will lead the way: Nehemiah. He doesn’t consult with anyone else at first, for he has already heard from God. Instead, Nehemiah investigates the task at hand. He is forming a plan for how to get the job done. Once he gets direction, then he is going to influence some others who will help lead the effort.

John Maxwell has said—and every church leader needs to recognize—“Everything rises and falls on leadership.” Churches can be crippled by failed leadership. “A leader knows the way, shows the way and goes the way,” (Maxwell). He or she will investigate the opportunities, know the resources, and come up with an action plan. He will then inspire others to follow. Getting “buy-in” from the people who will do the work is crucial at this juncture.

A masterpiece of ministry is painted by THE DEDICATION OF US.

“Then I said to them, ‘You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.’ And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. So they said, ‘Let us rise up and build.’ Then they set their hands to this good work. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?’ So I answered them, and said to them, ‘The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.’ ” ‬‬ (Neh. 2:17-20).

There must be THE LAITY EMBRACING VISION. Nehemiah challenges the people with the vision of building the walls of Jerusalem. They respond by dedicating themselves to the work. Despite the continued negativity of a few, they positively stated their belief in God and dedication to the vision’s fulfillment.

What do we see happening at our church when “the hand of God” is upon us? Can you see a worship experience where a church building is packed, as the people gather in an atmosphere saturated with the presence of God—a place of exuberant praise? Can you picture an evangelistic thrust that brings people to faith in Jesus and then brings them forward every service to confess their new faith? Could you visualize a fellowship that is so warm and winsome that deep friendships are formed that offer encouragement in overflowing measure? Do you dream of a day when people’s lives are genuinely transformed by the Word of God—disciples who mature and have an impact on their home and workplace and school? Have you imagined more people discovering and developing and deploying their spiritual gifts—a breadth and depth of leadership that moves the church forward as member after member becomes a minister? Do you dare conceive of a church where failing marriages are restored and struggling marriages are strengthened—where men become the spiritual leaders of their home and church, so that a generation of children and youth grow up to impact their world as new missionaries and pastors and church leaders?

Then, the church we attend will be a global impact church! That is the indisputable Great Commission our Lord has given and sent the Spirit to enable us to fulfill.

You might scoff and call me a dreamer. That’s okay. Nehemiah was, and look at his statement of faith that became fulfilled to the glory of God, “The God of heaven Himself is the One who will prosper us.”

Amen?

Amen!

BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was early in my ministry from a mentor, Dale Fisher.  He told me, “God knows where you are and how to get you where He wants you to be.”  Now, looking back over a half-century of preaching, I can see the reality of that.  If you are going to systematically preach through books of the Bible, it will require you to put down roots—to bloom where you are planted.  It enables you to love those people in your congregation—to get to know them and their needs—and to speak to them directly from the Word.  You feed those sheep rather than looking for a larger flock in greener pastures.  I never went to a church that I viewed as a stepping stone to get somewhere else.  I only left when compelled by God and with a tearful farewell.  Here are some thoughts on this from, “The Whole Counsel of God”:

Closely related to pride is jealousy, and this can be born out of a dissatisfaction with the place where God has called us. Instead of faithfully and thankfully laboring away at preaching through the Bible for a smallish congregation in a smallish town, we can instead look to the capital cities, with their megachurches and high-profile pastors, and think about how we could preach ourselves into contention for a role alongside them. In doing this, we are forgetting that God has us exactly where he wants us and that he is as pleased with us doing our work of feeding our particular flock the fullness of his word as he is with the megachurch pastor proclaiming the gospel to thousands each week. In fact, if we were not preaching the word of God to the members of our flock, they might miss out on it, and so what we are doing is essential in God’s economy. God has marked out some to be famous stadium preachers, so we can peacefully entrust that task to them. He has entrusted others of us with the various flocks and missions we have, so that is where we must concentrate our efforts. (Kindle edition, location 3038).

I realize there are some situations that make it impossible to have a long tenure. We may be fired!  It happens. God may direct us to another place. Yet, we should seek to bloom where we are planted. 

 

 

THE RELEVANCE OF “THE REFORMED PASTOR”

Many years ago I got hold of “The Reformed Pastor,” by Richard Baxter. It was a little paperback that had a powerful impact on me. Pastor, do not read it, unless you want to be brought under conviction—it did that to me!  Here was an old Puritan pastor whose ministry was so impactful to the flock he shepherded. His writing is merely theoretical, but for him these truths were transformational. I was reminded of them as I read an article by Jonathan Threlfall called “Richard Baxter’s Advice to Pastors.”  He summarizes some of the counsel Baxter presented in his book and fleshed out in his ministry. I am providing the link in hope you will read it and take it to heart. My prayer is that you will get hold of the book and that the book will then get hold of you!  Read the article here: https://www.9marks.org/article/richard-baxters-advice-to-pastors

THE PRIORITY OF PRIVATE PRAYER AS A PREACHER

The preacher must give priority to private prayer.  The anointing of God cannot be worked up but must be prayed down  It is not a matter of performance as an actor on a stage, but preaching is an outward expression of the Word of God springing from the inward unction of the work of God.  Spurgeon underscores the essentiality of speaking with God first before we seek to speak to men.  

“If you as ministers are not very prayerful, you are much to be pitied. If, in the future, you shall be called to sustain pastorates, large or small, if you become lax in secret devotion, not only will you need to be pitied, but your people also; and, in addition to that, you shall be blamed, and the day cometh in which you shall be ashamed and confounded.

It may scarcely be needful to commend to you the sweet uses of private devotion, and yet I cannot forbear. To you, as the ambassadors of God, the mercy-seat has a virtue beyond all estimate; the more familiar you are with the court of heaven the better shall you discharge your heavenly trust.

Among all the formative influences which go to make up a man honored of God in the ministry, I know of none more mighty than his own familiarity with the mercy-seat. All that a college course can do, for a student is coarse and external compared with the spiritual and delicate refinement obtained by communion with God. While the unformed minister is revolving upon the wheel of preparation, prayer is the tool of the great potter by which he molds the vessel. All our libraries and studies are mere emptiness compared with our closets. We grow, we wax mighty, we prevail in private-prayer.” (Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, pp. 42-43, Kindle edition)  

 

 

DEMONSTRATION OF OUR DECLARATION

“Practice what you preach.” How many times have you heard that? Saying the way we should live through our communication is a lot easier than showing how we should live by our conduct. Yet, we are disqualified as hypocrites if our walk does not exemplify our talk. People need to see a sermon as well as hear one. The Apostle Paul writes to a young pastor, Timothy, and underscores this truth, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (1 Tim.‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬). You might panic at the thought of standing in front of a crowd and preaching a sermon, but I will tell you that after fifty years of ministry, it is more challenging to flesh out the message in daily living.  Yet, this is demanded, no matter how difficult.

“Nearly every pastor we know can give examples of once godly friends who went through theological training with them or worked in churches nearby, but who are no longer in ministry (or, in some cases, not even in the faith) because of sins of a moral or relational kind. Guarding our lives and our teaching is therefore a constant need, one that is captured in the apostle’s advice to Timothy: 

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Tim. 4:15–16) 

The four imperatives are important: (1) practice these things, (2) immerse yourself in them, (3) keep a close watch, and (4) persist. Basically, Paul is exhorting Timothy to focus on the teachings and duties that Paul has laid out in the previous verses, to take care of his conduct and his teaching. Such exhortations make clear that guarding our lives and our teaching is a constant need that requires vigilance and focus. This can be helped by meeting with others to urge one another on and to keep one another accountable. It might even mean setting rigid boundaries for ourselves that help us avoid drifting in these areas. God’s leaders are to be people who are growing in submission to Scripture. Their daily lives are to reflect and exemplify the Scriptures that they teach. We are to be those with whom there is no hint or appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:21–22).” (Patrick, The Whole Counsel of God, location 2700-2720, Kindle edition)

May God help me and every messenger of God, to be a man of God!

FEEDING YOUR SOUL TO FEED THE SHEEP

Every man of God is a student of the Word of God. A daily feeding of our soul is needed that we might be equipped to feed and lead the flock. It is not enough to study to preach a sermon, but to open God’s Book with an open heart to hear from the Lord. Only as we grow can we elevate others. As I master the contents of Divine Truth, the Spirit uses it to master the communicator by Divine Truth.

The most important thing that I have ever since coming to follow Christ is to regularly ingest and digest “the whole counsel of God.”  Morning by morning has found me going through all the Bible in view of prayerfully applying the Scripture in my daily life. Though I certainly have intentionally focused on a portion of the Word as I prepared to preach and teach, I have found that having an overview of all the Bible has helped me proclaim the truth out of the overflow of the Spirit’s instruction to me. 

“The need is for a rigorous and widespread personal Bible-reading program that is separate from your preparation for the sermon. Such reading enriches your knowledge and understanding of Scripture, and helps you integrate that knowledge with your ministry of the word. It also enriches your biblical, systematic, and gospel theology, and enables you to adequately and intelligently critique the commentators that you read.” (Tim Patrick, The Whole Counsel of God, location 2680, Kindle edition). 

Context is crucial in correctly communicating Biblical content. Of course, there is the immediate context of the paragraph and chapter, but also of the particular book as a whole. But, to get it right goes beyond to the context of the testament and indeed the context of all the Bible. I will not convey the message correctly, unless I have studied the Word comprehensively.