NEVER ALONE

 

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

Ministry can be lonely business.  Faithful friendships are hard to find.  There is such a spirit of competitiveness and jealousy among many pastors that discovering a peer with whom you can share your heart is rare.  Sometimes we may find friendship in our congregation, but do we feel the need to be guarded to some degree?  There are things that others have told us in confidence where counsel might be helpful, but would seem a violation of trust to discuss.  We will face criticism and attacks at times that are burdens hard to bear alone, but we may not want to share with even our spouse, lest we sour their attitude about others.  Yet, we need somebody.  Where can we turn? 

Jesus had promised to be with us—and He is enough!  His unerring wisdom will be our counsel.  His unfailing power will be our strength.  His unwavering love will be our comfort.  His unending presence will be our joy.  There is no mountain too steep, and no valley too low; there is no river too wide, and no darkness too deep—but our Savior walks with us.  We are never alone!

So today, if you are carrying a heavy load—and as a pastor that is a high probability—cast your care on the One that is an ever-present help in time of trouble.  The old hymn underscores this:

I’ve seen the lightning flashing, I’ve heard the thunder roll.
I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul.
I’ve heard the voice of Jesus, telling me still to fight on.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone!

No, never alone, no never alone,
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.
No, never alone, no never alone.
He promised never to leave me,
Never to leave me alone.

Paul knew this reality.  Mediate on his testimony:

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.  But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.  And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!  (2 Timothy 4:16-18)

MOTIVES MATTER

 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)

The work of the pastor necessitates that much of the spiritual service he renders is done in a public forum.  In fact, all believers are to exhibit good works in order to glorify God though them.  That, however, is the issue.  I have found that knowing what to do is not so much a question, as to knowing why I do it—and motives matter.  Man may look at the outward results of a minister’s work—how many pack the pews and how much cash is in the collection plate—and brand that pastor a success, while God may look at his work as hay, wood, and straw, for it was done to glorify the pastor and not the Lord.  It was work in the flesh, for the flesh, and appealing to the flesh.  On the other hand, there is nothing necessarily commendable about a lack of growth or shortages in funding the mission—maybe that pastor is just incompetent or lazy!  The heart is what matters most, and what God judges.  I was again reminded of this as I read these words from Randy Pope last week:

Ministries designed to reach the unchurched (thus committed to healthy growth) can easily become vehicles for delivering personal significance through public accomplishment.  Large ministries, like large back accounts, most often become monsters that devour their leaders.

Our goal as church leaders should not be to grow large ministries that reach unchurched people but to build discipling ministries that develop mature followers of Christ who, in turn, reach large numbers of unchurched people.

Though the two approaches to ministry described…may appear to be very similar, the ministry that invests in the individual through discipleship, with the intent of preparing him to reach the lost world, represents an animal much different from the selfish ambition monster that ultimately devours its leader. (The Intentional Church, pp.40-41)

So let us have a great passion: to make disciples, for a grand purpose: to glorify God!  Then, when ministry is outwardly flourishing, the success will not become our ruin, or when there are seasons when the fruit seems scarce, we will not become discouraged and tempted to quit.  We will not compare ourselves with other pastors, and succumb to conceit in times of blessing, nor covetous in times of barrenness.  After all, it isn’t about us.  Keep check not just on the weekly attendance and offering totals, but evaluate your heart condition.  Motives matter to our Master and so they must matter to the minister.

PURITY AND PERCEPTION

 

Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.  (Matthew 5:8)

It is my joy and privilege today to point people to Jesus.  But, do I know Him of whom I speak?  Can I point them to a Christ that I have seen or to someone that I have only heard about from others?  Unless I have been with Him, how can I show others the way to Him?  The man who seeks to introduce someone he does not know is a charlatan.  Too many preachers come across as trying to sell a product they do not own.  I must be sure that my life is not marked by such hypocrisy, but rather “holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb.12:14b).  Judas Iscariot was a preacher who knew about Christ, yet did not know Christ.  We must make sure of our own salvation, before we can show others the Savior.

Even if that most important matter is settled, I need to move ahead in sanctification.  There needs to be a purity of heart that makes my life a clear channel through which truth may flow.  The lens of my soul must have every smudge wiped away so people can get a clean view into eternity through my preaching.  An inconsistent life will obscure even the most accurate exposition.

Clarence Macartney put it this way:

The better the man, the better the preacher.  When he kneels by the bed of the dying or when he mounts the pulpit stairs, then every self-denial he had made, every Christian forbearance he has shown, every resistance to sin and temptation will come back to strengthen his arm and give power to his voice.  Likewise every evasion of duty, every indulgence of self, every compromise with evil, every unworthy thought, word, or deed, will be there at the head of the pulpit stairs to meet the minister on Sunday morning, to take the light from his eye, the power from his blow, the ring from his voice, and the joy from his heart.

Lord, wipe away every stain that would hinder us from effectiveness!  May there be a purity of heart that produces a perception that has clarity.  Then I can point others to the One I have seen.  I can lead men and women to the Christ I have walked with.  I can speak the message that He has spoken to me.

THE PROMISES ARE FOR PASTORS TOO!

The works of His hands are verity and justice;

All His precepts are sure. 

They stand fast forever and ever,

And are done in truth and uprightness. 

He has sent redemption to His people;

He has commanded His covenant forever:

Holy and awesome is His name.  (Psalm 111:7-9)

How often pastors have sought to lift the downcast with the assurances of God’s promises and reminders of the faithfulness of His love.  We open our Bibles and read to the suffering and sorrowing those eternal truths, to give them an anchor of hope in their present storm.  It would be well if we preached the same sermon to ourselves!  When the difficult seasons of plowing hard ground have come, as weeds seem to grow, but believers do not, and when the sun turns the soil to dust and tender ones wither, let us remain steadfast in our confidence.  God has promised to bless His Word.  He commands, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  (Gal.6:9)  The promises are for pastors, too! 

There were times that people forgot all that Moses had done for them, rebelled against him—even wanted to kill him.  David’s own wife ridiculed his exuberance in worship.  Elijah had to be reminded that conditions were not as dire as he thought; there were more following the Lord than he supposed.  Jeremiah saw little positive response to his preaching, but much hostility, yet, he was God’s man for the hour.  Ezekiel had a congregation of skeletons in a graveyard, but God worked through his sermon to raise the dead.  John the Baptist saw diminishing crowds, and in the end lost his head over his sermon, but Jesus commended him for his greatness.  People will be fickle; God will be faithful.

I am preaching to myself when I say, “Pastor, trust the promises of God.  His character is immutable when our popularity with people may change with the weather.  Look to His Word, and do not be a hypocrite in offering its counsel to others, but disdaining it yourself.  Trust Him and do not let discouragement diminish your service.”

Can I get an amen?

THE SUPREME STANDARD FOR SHEPHERDS

 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  (Psalm 23:1)

God is the only perfect Shepherd.  His leading the flock is flawless.  His feeding the sheep is peerless.  Christ’s bleeding for the lambs is matchless.  He described Himself in terms of the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down His life for the sheep.  Now, I am called by His Spirit to look to that supreme standard and by His grace to follow Him in shepherding His flock.  Though, in my flesh, I will never attain such success, but aiming at it, I will at least be heading in the right direction.  Perfection is not achievable, but progression toward the goal is.  Concentrating on the gravity of my accountability to God for discharging my duty drives me to Him—the Shepherd who indwells me—Who can do through me what I could never do myself.  The author of this Psalm knew something about shepherding—real sheep and God’s people.  David didn’t always get it right, but he was faithful.  “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.” (Psalm 78:72)  David had a heart of integrity and hands of ability.  In this, he imitated his God. May I seek as a pastor to be a shepherd who follows the example of the Lord our Shepherd!

ONE MORE ARROW

 

Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.”  (1 Kings 22:34)
 

The battle was winding down.  The armies of Israel had been routed.  A lone Syrian soldier looks into his quiver and there a single arrow remains.  What is the point of returning home with it?  He places it to his bow, pulls the string taut, and fires at random.  Like a guided missile, that last arrow finds the smallest of openings in the wicked King Ahab’s armor—and it would be fatal.  The Word of God by His prophets was fulfilled, exactly as uttered by God’s men, Elijah and Micaiah.
 

So, this Lord’s Day, I come into battle for the souls of men.  Who am I, but one solitary soldier of the cross?  Yet, I will do my duty.  There is one more sermon in my quiver which I will launch.  Is it the last one?  I never know.  I only know that there will be a final message someday—and each sermon delivered might be the last arrow.  What shall I do?  I will stand in front of the congregation and fire that arrow.  I will trust God to guide it to the target He has ordained in His sovereignty.
 

Men, let us all do likewise—pulling back the Bible bowstring with all the strength God gives.  We claim the promise of the Lord of Hosts, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:11) 
 

Did the nameless archer with one more arrow know what he had accomplished that day—that his act would be recorded in Holy Scripture and read countless times across thousands of years?  I doubt it.  So, we may judge that the sermon was launched into the air, but wonder how it might possibly have been effective.  God knows.  More may be accomplished than we are aware.
 

Now, weary warrior, after a week of battles, set that arrow to flight and trust God to bring it to His target.  By God’s grace, next week He will furnish another arrow, and another after that—until the last arrow is sent into the air.  For today, He has given one more arrow.

 

 

MOTIVATION AND MIGHT FOR MINISTRY

 

I will love You, O LORD, my strength.  (Psalm 18:1)

There are a number of motivations for ministry that are wholly inadequate.  Some pastors are motivated by guilt—they think God is ever standing over them with a lightning bolt poised to be unleashed if they do not do their duty.  Others are motivated by compensation—they are trying to compensate for some failure in the past, or a flaw in their soul which they presently struggle with, and so work to balance out that fault.  Then, we may be motivated by co-dependency—we have a need to be needed.  Maybe that Christian leader grew up in a dysfunctional family where they learned such behavior and now as an adult practice it in a church family.  Doubtless, there are those who are motivated by seeking gain or glory—lusting for the privileges and power that may accompany their position.  None of these are proper motivations—and they will eventually lead to disenchantment with ministry and our passion and power will be depleted.  All of these are to some degree carnal compulsions.  They are to be recognized when present and repented of promptly!

David seizes on the supreme motivation that is worthy of God’s service, and that will sustain us with enthusiasm and supply us with energy for the task: “I will love You, O LORD, my strength.”  There is no greater command—and so it is a decision of the will, “I will love You.”  I can choose to embrace love because His love has embraced me—and no matter the feelings I have or the circumstances I face, my love relationship with Him is a matter of decision.  As I meditate on His love for me, read His love letter—the Scriptures—and spend time with Him in prayer, passion is reignited in my heart and power is replenished in my soul to go out and serve Him because I love Him!  Old Isaac Watts captured this in the climactic stanza of His hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

If this day finds you exhausted from a demanding week of ministry, or weak from the barbs of critics that have wounded you, and now facing another Sunday of being spent in sermon delivery—a weekly pouring out of your soul on the altar called the pulpit—with motivation lacking and might lagging—look at the cross, my brother!  Consider the love manifested to you.  See how much Jesus gave, how much He endured, and yet, what immeasurable grace He displayed and inestimable good He did!  What great love is this!  Now, it is my motivation and might to respond in the ministry assignment, my dear Lord has given, with this, “I will love You, O LORD, my strength.”

PARTNERS WITH DEITY

 

by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  (2 Peter 1:4)

It is remarkable that a God who needs nothing—omnipotent and omniscient—would take needy creatures such as we are, with all our frailties and follies, and choose to partner with us in accomplishing His work in the world.  Each Sunday I can stand with a Bible in my hand and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, in partnership with Deity, although I am but flesh.

How grateful we should be, even if we stand in the most obscure place—it is an assignment that is far grander than we could ever merit.  Should I be tasked with a labor suited to my ability, how lowly would that station need to be?  Perhaps standing by a stagnant pond, preaching to frogs in bogs, amid the stench of decay and the sound of buzzing flies? 

Instead, God imparts such grace to me, in that He has always given me an assignment beyond my capacity.  I have been required to throw myself upon Him and plead for more wisdom than I possess, and more strength than I have, or I would have surely failed!  Astonishingly, the Lord has made this useless man a useful tool in His Almighty hands. 

God, do it again this Lord’s Day—and make trash into treasure.  I’m just an old clay pot, but You can fill me with Your power and pour out of me transformational truth.  If You are so pleased to do this, You will receive all the glory!

THE HEART OF THE MATTER

 

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7)

All that glitters is not gold.  The evangelical world seems to always be searching for another rock star, when God has most often rocked the world with the obscure man that has a heart for His glory, rather than being impressed with his own credentials.  Just so, when Samuel saw Eliab, the eldest son of Jesse, come before him, the prophet was certain this outstanding piece of humanity must become the new king of Israel—but no.  The runt of the litter, David, was the last called from his task of tending Daddy’s sheep, and yet, he was God’s man.  None other would have chosen him, but God did—and that’s all that mattered.  Why?  He was a man after God’s own heart.  You can’t judge a book by its cover, as the old saying goes.  Inside the boy’s tender cover were pages written full of God’s truth, indelibly inscribed with passion for His purposes.  The heart of the matter, is the matter of the heart.  God will take such raw material and shape it into a vessel He can use.

Now, I may never slay a giant with a slingshot like David, but I can be a soldier of the cross and fight the good fight of faith where God stations me.  It is not likely that I will wear a crown on earth as David did, but I can gain a crown for eternity if I will be faithful to shepherd God’s flock!  What God is looking for is a heart that is linked with His.  May His Spirit inflame us with zeal for His cause and make us pant after Him!  That, dear brother, is the heart of the matter.