TAKING IN THAT WE MIGHT GIVE OUT

In the book, “Anointed Expository Preaching,” written by Stephen Olford with his son, David, it states: 

Therefore, like Jehovah's Servant (the Lord Jesus Himself), we must be able to say, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened My ear; and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away” (Isa. 50:4–5; see also Mark 1:35). Jesus never missed His quiet time. Dare we do anything less? It is estimated that the average pastor spends less than ten minutes per day in this devotional discipline. God have mercy on us!

To cram in study on a Saturday night for a Sunday sermon, as one might foolishly try to do before taking a big test the next day is as likely to fail!  Our need to study goes beyond even examining the text that we are preaching. There is a need to feed—to take in from God’s Word that we might serve Him productively. Fervent devotion in seeking Christ on a daily basis will yield fruitful delivery in sharing Christ on a Sunday morning. Our cup will be filled to overflow, spilling out grace and truth to the congregation. Otherwise, our soul will shrivel from malnourishment and there will be no power in the pulpit. The ears of men and women might be tickled by a gifted communicator, but the heart of the people will not be transformed apart from one who has experienced that touch of the Spirit from His inspired Word, day after day.

Don’t be an emaciated expositor!  Take in, so you may give out!

MAINTAINING THE MISSION

 

God has given His church one mission—what we call “The Great Commission.”  Part of our duty as leaders in the church is to keep the focus and fuel the fire in the local church for world evangelization.  It is easy to be diverted into many good things, and miss the great task. 

Jesus said that before His return to earth to reign, all nations would hear the Gospel (cf. Matt.24:14). In this passage, we see the fulfillment of the promise.  With or without us, the Good News will be proclaimed, but woe to the pastor and the church who fails in commitment to this assignment!  

A church with no passion for evangelism and missions will be a church that declines and dies. The lights will be turned out and the doors locked for a final time—picturing the spiritual reality that happened long before.  Such a church closed its doors to bringing in the lost. The members did not go into the highways and hedges, inviting people to the Bible banquet (cf. Lk.14:15-24). The house of God became empty, when He desired it full!  The call came ringing over the restless waves, “Send the Light!  The Blessed Gospel Light!”  The church folk were too busy arguing about trivial matters, instead of proclaiming Jesus. The light was turned out in that church.

Preacher, you cannot do all the evangelism needed in your community, but you can be a model. Our Gospel-driven lifestyle can inspire others. In our preaching, we must continually exhort the people to obedience. You can equip them by training them and taking them with you in soul-winning. Do not allow the Great Commission to become the grave omission!

FAITHFUL TO THE FINISH

 

A faithful preacher of the Word is assured that, sooner or later, he will face opposition. It can become fierce. It will be painful. You may be fired. My grandfather’s life was once threatened by a man with a pistol after a sermon he preached at a tent meeting many years ago.   He was not a man to back down. I pray that I will not. 

What does the future hold for those who will hold fast to the Word of God?  This text points to those who will seal their testimony with their blood. It may not be that we will pay the ultimate price, but we must be prepared to do so. Certainly, there have been our brothers across the centuries who have. There are those who are imprisoned, have been tortured, and facing execution in some places today. I am not a prophet, but it does not seem that things are going to get easier.  The winds of this world system are blowing hard in our faces, and the current of our culture that we swim against is strong.

Preacher, you may not face that extremity right now, but some of us are encountering power brokers in the church—those who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, seeking to devour us. We may know the sting of criticism and the lies of accusation. These dragon spawn haunt our dreams at night and make things difficult each day. 

Do not take matters into your own hands. Do not allow the hurt to become hate. Bitterness will only harm your testimony. It will be a cancer to your ministry. What did these martyrs do?  They cried out to God. Vengeance belongs to Him. Now, that does not mean such opponents in the church should not be confronted. Nor does it mean that church discipline need not be exercised—if the people are willing.  All I am saying is that we dare not meet fire with fire, and act in carnal ways to achieve spiritual purposes.

God is sovereign. The text speaks of this persecution continuing until a divinely ordained number of these preachers died. Remember that ultimately God is in control. He may not remove us from difficulty, but he was reward us in eternity. A robe was given and a rest was granted. 

Old Isaac Watts wrote this hymn:

Am I a soldier of the cross,

A follow’r of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies

On flow’ry beds of ease,

While others fought to win the prize,

And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,

To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign;

Increase my courage, Lord;

I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,

Supported by Thy Word.

Thy saints in all this glorious war

Shall conquer, though they die;

They see the triumph from afar,

By faith’s discerning eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,

And all Thy armies shine

In robes of vict’ry through the skies,

The glory shall be Thine.

THE INVESTMENT IN INTERCESSION

 

There are many good things a pastor may do, but surely one of the best is the ministry of intercession.  Often, we do not see the immediate results and are tempted to busy ourselves in other matters that seem to pay quicker dividends. Prayer is spiritual and therefore eternal. While God can and does answer with immediacy in some instances, often it is like sowing seed which may yield a harvest much later. It may even be after our lifetime.

The prayers of the saints are described here as being bowls full of incense with their fragrance filling the atmosphere of heaven. I see them as stored up, and in God’s timing and according to His sovereign design, will be answered. So, dear pastor, pray for your family, pray for the church, pray for the community, pray for missionaries and ministries. Pray and pray some more. Invest in intercession and it will pay eternal dividends.

It may be that you die without seeing much fruit. Looking back over a ministry and judging it as largely unproductive can be a discouraging thing. But, God gives the final judgment—and it may be when we get to the other side, that we discover an abundant fruitfulness exceeding our wildest imagination. Those prayers that seemed to rise no higher than the ceiling—the continual pleading when heaven seemed silent—were working powerfully.  Keep on praying!

MOTIVATIONS IN MINISTRY

What we do in ministry is important—a Biblically directed service is essential. The way we do it matters, also. The end does not justify the means. But, why we do Gospel work counts much, for God does not judge as man does—by outward appearance—rather the Lord looks at the heart  The right thing done the right way apart from being done for the right reason makes it wrong!

Stephen Olford wrote about motives in, “According to Your Word.”

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” – Revelation 4:11 

I have been created, and am now living, for the pleasure (and by the will) of God if these three characteristics are true of me: 

He is worthy to receive glory. My life should have as its first characteristic the glorifying of God. The Lord says in John 15:8, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit,” the fruit of character. 

He is worthy to receive honor. Here is the second characteristic: to give God honor is to give Him His due. He is worthy of all. 

He is worthy to receive power. Thirdly, power. Not only what He does in me and what I am, but also He is worthy to receive what I can do!

May all that I am and all that I do bring You glory and honor and power. Amen.

It is far too easy to seek the glory that only God deserves, to want the honor which rightfully only belongs to God, and to exercise power for the benefit we receive rather than laboring for the Lord.  Yet such motives will eventually be exposed—if not on earth, then in eternity.  At the judgment seat of Christ, we may find much of our ministry, when tested by fire, is incinerated—unworthy of reward.  Ask the Holy Spirit today to shine his light upon your ministry and reveal if there be any iniquity in your motivation.  Join with the Psalmist in praying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps.‭139:23-24‬)

OPPORTUNITY FOR GOSPEL MINISTRY

The church at Philadelphia was a church with an open door. Every church needs to be!  By that, it is not meant that the door is open to invite people in, but to send people out. Inviting people to attend an evangelistic, Biblically grounded fellowship is a good thing. Yet, this is not what is meant. Rather, God had given the Philadelphian saints opportunity for Gospel ministry. They were sharing their faith and people were being reached. Now it seems that most churches do not go and tell or even invite people to come and see.

Pastors are not to blame—exclusively. This is not meant to make church leadership feel guilty—unless we are!  In these seven letters where Christ shows His vital interest in the affairs of the local church, it is the preacher who is first addressed. He is the angelos—“angel”—the messenger, for so the word means. His eyes will be first to read Christ’s words and his mouth will be the one to proclaim them. The saints at Philadelphia were seizing the opportunity for missions, and doubtless the pastor was leading them to do so.

Three traits enabled them to be successful in soul-winning, and we can experience these.

1.  THEIR FORCEFULNESS, “for you have a little strength.”  The power of the Spirit was the driving force behind their accomplishment.  The church’s witness began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them, with nearly 3,000 saved.  When any church is successful in reaching people there is a supernatural forcefulness possessed by pastor and people. 

2.  THEIR FAITHFULNESS, “have kept My word.”  They did not compromise the message to tickle the ears of the world. They were not driven by pragmatic reasoning to seek to reach people by stealth. When people come to genuine faith they are not manipulated by carnal methodology, but by Biblical accuracy. God has promised to bless His Word; do not be ashamed of it (cf.Rom.1:16).

3. THEIR FEARLESSNESS“have not denied My name.”  Those were days of growing hostility to the church.  As John penned this letter, he was imprisoned on an island for preaching the Gospel.  In many places in our world, following Christ is dangerous. This may soon come to America. Will we be fearless in the face of opposition?  The Devil will always oppose a missionary church. In the face of the Dragon, we must be fearless, whatever the cost.

Jesus promises reward if we are forceful, faithful, and fearless.  “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” (Rev.3:11).  No one can shut the door of opportunity, unless the church itself does so—and in that case we are no longer truly a church, but a country club with a steeple on top!

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,”(‭3:13).‬‬