Acts chapter 18, verse 24 through
verse 28 this morning. The title of my message this
morning is, Who is called to pastor? Who is called to the
office of a pastor? Now last time we were together,
we studied in the book of Acts, we saw that we have every reason
to trust the promises of Jesus Christ. If you'll remember, the
Apostle Paul was given the promise by Christ. He said, don't be
afraid, preach my gospel in this city, for I have many people
here, and no man will hurt thee. And if you remember how the Jews
took him before the council, the governor, and the governor
would not hear it. And we know that this was the
fulfillment of promises of Christ. And we as believers may rest
in the promises of Christ. And Luke now, he takes us from
verse 18 quickly down through verse 23, and he gives us a list
of the places that the Apostle Paul had visited. He gives us
a brief description of the time he was at Ephesus, and then he
moves on to these other places. And the Spirit doesn't give him
any liberty as to what happened in any of these places. But we
can be assured that Paul preached the gospel just like he did in
every other place and believers received it. That's what we can
take from those verses. But he quickly comes down to
verse 24 because I think the Spirit had moved him to show
us this man Apollos. This man Apollos. This man was
greatly used of God in the church at Ephesus in the absence of
Paul, who went to Jerusalem. And he brings us to this man. Apollos, and he shows us this
man and his gifts and talents. Let's read this in verse 24.
He says, In a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria,
an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. Now, all believers in Christ, All
believers in Jesus Christ are to preach the gospel. Every believer in Christ, it
is our duty, our privilege, and our responsibility to be witnesses
of what God has done for us in Christ. It's not just for me. I stand in here and I have a
specific office as a pastor to preach to you the gospel of Jesus
Christ, but it is also your responsibility to preach the gospel wherever
you go. Go ye into all the world and
preach the gospel. It's not just the responsibility
of the pastor, but it is the responsibility of every believer
to witness of Christ. I would that every one of you
would have the same burden for the souls of men that I do. I
would that every man would have a burden for the lost that are
around them and that they would preach the gospel at every opportunity. And yet there's something the
scripture speaks of as having received the ministry. There's
a specific office of a pastor that is different from that of
a every believer. This office is something that
God gives to some of his saints. And God sets apart some and chose
some in the service of preaching the gospel, not just in part. but to give themselves completely
to it. God has chosen some to give themselves
completely, absolutely, and utterly to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this man Apollos was such
a man. This man Apollos was one that
gave himself. And I wanted to see nine things,
if I can this morning, nine things about this man Apollos that is
to be true of every gospel preaching pastor. Nine things. And I know
your eyebrows lifted, so if I don't get through them today, I will
continue this at the next venture. But Lord willing, we'll try to
go through this. But I think this is very important
for everyone to understand. First of all, a man that is called
of God to be an overseer of the flock, he must be called and
gifted of God. Everyone that is called to be
a pastor will be called and gifted. Look at this man here. He says,
a certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, an eloquent
man, mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. All those that preach the gospel,
that are pastors of God's churches, must be called of God. This is not an occupation that
you go to a counselor in your high school years and you say,
well, I just want to be a pastor. No, I'm sure this is what religion
does, but this is not what is to take place for a true gospel
preacher. They must have a special calling
that is separate from the calling of salvation. What possessed this man, Apollos,
to leave his home in Alexandria and go all the way to Ephesus?
It was the same reason that Paul left all his religion behind. It was the same reason that Timothy
left his home. It was the same reason that Titus
left his home. It's the same reason that I left
my home. God called us to preach. It is a specific calling. And
friends, no doubt this is a very difficult question to answer
when someone asks you, how do you know you're called? That's
a difficult question to answer. But there are true marks and
qualifications of everyone that is called. Every man that is
called of God will also be gifted of God. This man Apollos. Caesiae was an eloquent man.
This man, he could wax eloquent in his speech. He was a master
of language. And he could communicate well
with those that heard him. He had a great gift. This man
had a smooth voice. And now all men that called of
God, they may not be able to wax eloquent like this man, but
they will have a gift to communicate. They will be able to communicate
the gospel of God's grace in a manner in which people can
understand their speech. They'll be gifted and called
of God to preach, and their hearers will be able to understand them. I'll tell you, it doesn't matter
how much a man feels he is called to preach if he does not have
the gift and ability to speak, He is not called to preach. He
is not called to preach. He must have a gift to speak. Paul said of himself, he said,
you know, I came not with the excellency of speech. Paul didn't
have the ability to wax eloquent like this man did, but still
Paul was able to communicate the gospel. And I'll tell you,
I know of preachers, I know of men who are far more gifted in
their speech than I am, in their way of communicating than I am.
I long to be better at the way I communicate the gospel to you.
I long to be better. You see, but we're not here to
tickle the ears of men. That's not what we're here for.
We're here for one thing, and that is to preach the gospel
And we are to preach it in a way that is able to be understood. And when a man is called and
he's gifted to speak, he can't do anything else but speak. When Jeremiah said, I forbore,
he said, I didn't even want to speak. God called me. And he
said, I tried not to speak. And the Scripture says, my bones
burned within me. And he said, I could not forbear. God calls a man. He gives him
the ability. In Isaiah's gospel, you remember
when he saw the Lord high and lifted up. You remember that
the Lord sent the angel with the coal from the altar and touched
his lips. You see? He gave him the ability
to speak. And then he said, who shall go
for us? He said, here am I. Send me. And that's what a gospel
preacher does. This is the testimony of us all.
Number two, a man that is called of God will know the Scriptures.
Look at that in verse 24. He was mighty in the Scriptures. God will not send a man that
is a novice in the Word of God. This man of God that is called
of God, he must first be called by the Scriptures. Every man that is called of God
must be saved. Isn't that obvious? Isn't that
necessary? I think modern religion don't even have that in consideration. The man can speak good and has
a funny feeling, put him in a pulpit. That's what they say. But no,
He must Himself have experienced grace in order to communicate
grace. How can I tell you of a place
that I've never been? I can read about it, but I really
can't tell you by experience. But this matter of grace, I can
tell you by experience. I've experienced grace, and God
has given me the ability to communicate His grace. This man was mighty
in the Scriptures, and not only by salvation, in knowing by experience,
but he was also mighty in the Scriptures in that he knew the
Word of God. He knew the Word of God. Salvation being the primary thing,
but yet he must know the Word of God in practice, He must be familiar with this
book. When I was a soldier in the army, we were given a weapon. And before we were able to shoot
the weapon, we had to learn every part of that weapon. We had to
be able to assemble it and to disassemble that weapon. And
we got so good at it that we could do it blindfolded. And then we fired the weapon.
We learned it first and then we were able then to shoot straight. And this is the same with the
Word of God. A man who is called of God, he must not be a novice
in understanding this book. He must be able to understand
this book so that he might teach others about God's Word. This man, he was mighty in the
Word of God. Number three, a man of God must be instructed in
the way of the Lord. Look at that in the next verse.
He said this man was instructed in the way of the Lord. In this
day of academic, in this educated society we live in, religion,
thinks that the way a pastor is made is by sending him to
seminary. This is how most people think.
When I tell people I'm a pastor, you have no idea how many times
I'm asked the question, where did you go to seminary? And when
I'd say I did not go to seminary, usually I'm then shut out and
ignored by this religious world and educated-minded society. I'm reminded of what Tim James
said about that. A man asked him about it, whether
he'd go to seminary. He said he didn't. He said, do
you think that hindered your ministry? He said, no, it helped.
It helped. Most people are taught that a
man must be educated by somebody who has never been a pastor or
has failed at the pastorate and then went to the seminary to
teach. But this will not be the case with a man called of God.
I say that any that might desire to enter the ministry, let him
be taught by a faithful pastor." Friends, I learned more from
my pastors sitting where you're sitting than I could have ever
learned at any school being run by a bunch of people who are
not pastors. And friends, it doesn't matter
if a man goes to school or not as long as his school is taught
by a faithful pastor. You must be taught by a faithful
pastor. No doubt this man Apollos, he
was taught either by John the Baptist himself or one of the
disciples of John. We're reading verse 25, when
he spake, he spake knowing only the baptism of John. This man
was taught by one of the disciples of John or John himself. And
if any man will hear the message, hear this message, and are in such a school as a
seminary, I'd say they would save their money. They should
save their money and quit. They can go out and buy a couple
of good books and get a better education off two books and a
faithful pastor than eight years in the seminary. Timothy didn't go to seminary,
he went to Paul. Titus went to Paul. Epaphras,
he went to Paul to learn the gospel. And so should everyone
that desires the office of a bishop, he should go to a faithful pastor
and sit and listen. Number four, a man called of
God will be zealous in the gospel. Look at that in this verse 25.
It says, him being fervent in the Spirit, he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord. This means that a man that
is called of God, gifted of God, instructed of God, mighty in
the Word of God, will be zealous for the souls of men. If a man is not zealous for men
to be saved, he should not preach. Friends, my heart's desire is
that every one of you know Christ. This is why I study. This is
why I prepare the messages. This is why I diligently labor
in the Gospel. That you might know Christ. That
you might believe the Gospel. And it is our heart's desire
that you do so. That you believe in Christ. It's
a fire in our bones. And we cannot but speak of Christ. I won't and can't do anything
else. I am in a straight, God has placed
me in this position, and I can't do anything but speak of Christ
and Him alone. Martin Lloyd-Jones in his book,
Preaching and Preachers, says that a man who is called of God
will both have light and heat. Light and heat. A man with light
is one who's filled with knowledge and theology, filled with facts
of Scripture. But if he only has light, that means in no heat he has
no passion or zeal for what he's preaching. He's like a dark cloud
with no rain. If a man has no heart for the
lost, Everybody that hears him be disappointed. Spurgeon said,
if this fire in my bones, if it does not make me feel in myself
a zeal for the lost, I must leave the ministry at once. What good is a man that has no
passion for sinners to come to Christ? He's good for nothing and useless
in the pulpit and he shouldn't be there. Now friends, we must
also have a zeal that we will forsake all for the calling of
God. A man who has a passion for the lost will give up everything
to preach the gospel. This man, Apollos, he left all
his home, all of his family and went to Ephesus. And every man
who preaches the gospel, he'll go wherever God calls him, and
he'll be faithful wherever God calls him. This man Apollos left,
and so will everybody leave all things for the gospel of Christ.
Number five, God's man will be faithful to preach what is revealed
to him. Look at this in verse 25. He
spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only
the baptism of John. This man knew that Jesus was
the Christ. This man knew that salvation
rested on this One who is the Messiah. And he preached, Behold,
the Lamb of God. Isn't that what John preached?
John said, Behold, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin
of the world. John preached, Repent, for the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Well, that's what this man was
preaching. He was preaching the gospel. There was nothing wrong
with his gospel. And yet he did not understand
the resurrection or Pentecost. He didn't understand that the
Spirit of God had been poured out. He didn't understand the
significance of the resurrection. But he was faithful to preach
what he knew. You see, he didn't go around
preaching what he didn't know. He only preached what he knew.
And that's what every man of God will do. He'll preach what
he knows. He knows the gospel. And he'll
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever he goes. He'll be faithful
to do that. This teaches us that a man of
God is not perfect in all knowledge. Friends, I hate to disappoint
you, but I'm not perfect. I know that I'm sure some of
you think that I'm absolutely perfect and I'm just sorry to
break your heart, but I'm not. I don't have all knowledge. Yet. Yet. I'm working on it, but not
yet. I don't have all knowledge. So
what I'm going to do as a faithful pastor to you is I'm going to
do you the best favor I could possibly do. I'm only going to
preach what I know. I'm not going to try to preach
something I don't know. This last week, I had hoped to
prepare a message on the water being made wine. And the more
I studied that, the more I realized that I couldn't wrap my mind
around that text. So what did I do? I asked the
Lord to give me another text. He did not give me that text
and I wasn't going to force that on you. If I didn't understand
it, how can I give it to you? And yet there are some men that
are determined, they're determined to preach the deep things of
God without themselves being able to understand it. And I know that every faithful
pastor does not long to preach anything that he cannot enter
into. If God has not given it to us,
we shouldn't preach it. I pray for me. Pray that God
would give me the message. Pray that God would give me the
message for you and that I might give you what He's given me.
See, we're not here to please men. We're to tickle their ears.
We're here to preach the gospel. Now, so then whatever level of understanding
a man of God must have, he will be faithful to preach what he
knows. You can know this, that if a
man is not faithful to his calling of God, it matters not his gifts,
his knowledge, his passion, he is not qualified. Paul says,
moreover, it is required of a steward that he be found faithful. Friends,
God doesn't require His pastors to be good. He requires us to
be faithful. Praise God. Praise God, He just
requires us to be faithful and diligent to preach what we know. I had this told to me a couple
of weeks ago, I thought it was wonderful. Most of you know Walter
Groover. Now, Walter Groover, I've heard
him preach several times, and usually I've heard him preach
the same message several times. He is not the most gifted and
talented man that has ever graced the pulpit, and he himself would
recognize that. He doesn't have the gift of eloquence.
He has the gift to communicate the gospel. I can understand
what he's saying, but usually it is something very simple,
something very plain, and not something great and profound.
But I have never met a pastor more blessed of God than Walter
Groover. Why? He's faithful. I have never met a more faithful
pastor either. He is faithful. That man, God
has blessed to start several churches. Not because he was good, because
he was faithful and he preached what he knew. He didn't have
to preach anything else. He preached what he knew, was
faithful to that and obedient to God. 1 Timothy 1.9 says, "...holding
fast the word of faith which you have been taught, that he
may be able by sound doctrine to both exhort and convince the
gainsayers." A man that is called to this office will be faithful
not only to preach what he knows, but to give himself faithfully
to study of the Word of God that he might be able, by sound doctrine,
to convince and persuade men to come to Christ." We must be
faithful. Number six, a man of God must
be humble. Look at this, verse 26. And he
began to speak boldly in the synagogue, whom when Aquila and
Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them and expounded unto
him the way of God more perfectly." This man was gifted, this man
was passionate, this man was called of God, he was instructed,
he was mighty in the Scriptures, but he did not know all things
that had happened. And these two faithful servants
of God heard this man preach. They gladly received his message.
but they knew that there was something missing. And what did
they do? Did they wait until they got
to the end of the church there and make a big scene in front
of everybody? I've seen that happen, and that's
the most embarrassing thing in all the world for a pastor, is
I've seen people come up there seeking the preeminence, and
the first thing they do is try to correct the pastor in front
of everybody. That is not the way it's to be
done. These two, notice how they did this. They waited, they brought
Him aside privately to themselves, and they expounded something
that they were given by the Apostle Paul, so that this man might
excel, so that this man might be more capable to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that some have taken it
upon themselves to straighten out the pastor." That's the lot
that people think. They think they have a special
calling that's not even mentioned in Scripture. They think they
have a calling to make sure that the pastor is straightened out.
That's not what these people came for. These people came to
hear the gospel, and when they heard it, they were blessed,
but they said, hey, there's a little more that you didn't know. And
so what they did is took him aside privately. And you know
what this man did? Was he proud? Did he reject their
counsel? No. He humbled himself before
it. Friends, I don't know everything.
I don't. And I have been counseled on
many occasion concerning a more excellent way of expounding things. And I was blessed by it. A man
of God is humble in that he doesn't know all things. But he'll be ready to learn.
Proverbs says, a scorner hates rebuke, but a wise man loves
counsel. A wise man loves counsel. Why?
He longs to be wiser. And that's what I do. I long
to be wise and so does every faithful pastor. Number seven,
a man of God will be given a good report and hearing among the
saints. Look at this in verse 27, "...and he was disposed to
pass to Achaia, and the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples
to receive him." I'll tell you this, a man may be gifted, he
may have the feeling of a calling, he may speak eloquently, he may
know all the Scriptures and theology, but if he does not have a hearing,
he is not called to be a pastor. If God's saints will not hear
a man, he is not called. Otherwise, he'd just be speaking
to himself. That's not what we're called to do. We're called to
preach to God's saints. These men received Him. I know of a pastor that was sick
one time. And another man came in and said,
I'll help you out. And sure enough, he did help
him out. Helped him right out of the church. But this is not
what God's men are called to do. We're not called to come
in and force our way into the church. And by the way, that
man who took over that church, that church ultimately led to
ruin. And it should have. This man
forced himself into the saints of God and he took over by force.
That's not what a man of God is called to do. He comes in,
he preaches the gospel, and God's people say, I know that man.
I know he's a man of God. I know he is called for this
place. And they hear him. And they hear him. God gives
His people a hearing. If God has called a man to preach,
he should wait for the doors to open And if he is called,
God will give him a hearing. Number eight, if a man is called
of God, he will be helpful in the gospel of God's grace. Look
at this in verse 27. When he was come, he helped them
much which believed through grace. If a man has all these things
and he's called to preach, what is he to do? What is he there
for? To help. To help. He's to help the flock of God
understand the grace of God. That's what He's for. I'm just
a voice. I'm just a voice. Don't hear
my voice. Hear the voice of Him that sent
me. Hear the voice of Him that comes
from the Holy Scriptures, and you'll be helped. You need help? You need help? Well, that's what
I'm here for. I'm here to help. I'm here to
help by the preaching of the Gospel. I'm not here for counseling.
We don't counsel. I'll counsel you in the word
of God." Had some couple come to me and they're having problems
with their marriage. When they sat in my office, all
I did was open the Scriptures and I began to explain the Scriptures
unto them and to preach to them concerning how God views marriage. I don't put my two cents in.
My two cents isn't worth two cents. I just tell you what God
says. I'm not a psychologist. We're here to preach the gospel
of Jesus Christ. And listen to this, if you hear
the gospel, I promise you'll be helped. If you believe in
Christ, you'll be helped. I love that song that says, turn your eyes upon Jesus. And
he says, the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light
of His glory and grace. You look to Christ and you won't
have any problems. They just melt away. They just
melt away. We're here to point you to Christ.
And we are your servants. We're here to serve you. Yes,
we're overseers of the church. Yes, we're rulers of the church,
as God says and God appointed. We are also here to minister,
to serve you, and to help you in your needs. Number nine, God's
man has only one message. Then verse 28, And he mightily
convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures
that Jesus was the Christ. Friends, a man called of God
has only one message. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. When I go to the Scriptures,
I must show you Christ. If I don't show you Christ, then
I've failed. He is the only message I have. Matter of fact, in this book,
He's the only message God gave. And if God spent over 5,000 years,
66 books, declaring His Son, why should I not in these few
years that God has given me declare His Son? A faithful man of God will declare
Jesus Christ to you. I pray it's been a blessing to
you. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Gracious Father, we pray
you'd bless this to our hearts. Father, that you would give us
grace and mercy this day to worship and to praise your name, to honor
your son, Jesus Christ. Help us to lift up our voices
and sing of the glories of Christ, of his blood and righteousness.
Give me liberty to speak again of the things of Christ, for
we pray these things in his holy and righteous name. Amen.