A Good Minister of Jesus Christ

I want to read my text again
from 1 Timothy 4, verse 6. If you put the brethren in remembrance
of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ. Last Monday morning, We went
over to the native preacher school in Mettada. From nine till ten,
Brother Alfonso Estrada spoke to the men. From ten till about
eleven-fifteen, I spoke to them. From about eleven-thirty, after
a few minutes break, till twelve-thirty, Brother Fortner spoke to them.
And during the time that I had the floor, I addressed these
22 or 23 native preachers on this subject, a good minister
of Jesus Christ. And my words at that time were
directed mainly to those who felt that God had called them
into the ministry, either as pastors or teachers or evangelists. But after I left the school and
the few days that I was there after I thought this is a message
that every believer needs to hear and a message that I have
not brought to this church and a subject I've not dealt with
at any great length. I had four points. I brought
these four points to the native preachers, and I think they're
worth bringing to you from a different angle, from a different direction
this morning. I'm going to speak on a good
minister of Jesus Christ with these four divisions. The minister's
call, or the man who ministers. Secondly, the minister's message.
And then thirdly, the minister's methods. What methods will I
use? And then last of all, his conduct
or his manners, the manners of the man who ministers. When we
talk about a minister of Jesus Christ, we usually are talking
about a pastor, or a pastor-teacher, or a preacher of the gospel,
or an elder, or a teacher of the gospel, or an evangelist,
or a missionary. And I want to deal with that
for just a moment. The ministry of preaching is
not a vocation. And anyone who enters it with
that in mind is making a terrible mistake. It's not a profession.
It's not a job. The ministry is a divine call. It is a divine call. And the
man who enters the ministry without a divine call, and many men have,
unfortunately. In fact, I would say this, and
I don't mean to be harsh or cruel, but I believe most preachers
today, Most of them have never received a divine call. That's
the problem. They've never been called of
God to preach. I'm not saying they haven't been
saved. I'm not saying they don't have a ministry. I'm not saying
that God Almighty doesn't use them. I'm saying they have not
received a divine call to minister the Word of God as a pastor or
as an evangelist or a preacher or a teacher of God's Word, a
pulpit ministry. a public ministry. That's what
we're talking about. And any man who enters this without
a divine call is going to be a great disappointment to himself
eventually. Or he'll go through the motions
for a while. He'll struggle for a while. He'll try to attain
that goal for a while. But after a while, he'll be a
total, complete disappointment to himself and to everybody who
tries to listen to him. Because a public pulpit ministry
demands It requires, it must have, divine leadership, divine
auction, divine aid, divine assistance, divine motivation. If I'm up
here speaking this morning, just speaking for the Baptist Church,
or speaking for the Gideon Society, or speaking for the Religious
Society, or speaking for the Calvinist, or speaking for the
Orthodox, this, that, or the other, oh, farewell! I may present
their cause. But if I'm speaking for God,
I'd better have God with me. You see what I'm saying? If I'm delivering His message
for the hour to His people, I'd better have Him and His Spirit,
or I'm going to miss the message, and they are too. Now, a desire, listen to this,
a desire to preach has nothing to do with it. I've had young
men say to me, well, I feel called to preach because I feel I must
preach. I want to preach above all things.
That does not constitute a call. A desire to preach, really, does
not constitute a call to preach for this reason. There are very
few men in this congregation who are genuinely converted,
who know the Lord, who wouldn't like to preach. Now, that's so. I think every male And some of
you females struggle with this too, has a desire to preach. Has a desire to preach. I believe
that. I believe every true believer,
wouldn't there really be something wrong with us if we didn't want
to get up in front of people and tell them about Christ? Honestly,
last Saturday night, not yesterday, but a week ago, we went out to
a Pueblo where Walter had never been. They'd never heard the
gospel then, never. And we took the truck and set
it up, and the generator, and set up the screen. It was getting
dark, about 6 in the evening. And we announced in 15 or 20
minutes we were going to have a film and a sermon. And in 20 minutes, there were
more people around that truck than there are in this congregation
this morning. There were 350 people at least. They were sitting
up there on the benches and the square on the steps around the
truck. And Walter showed that film, The Life of Christ. And
then he got up there and we had the floodlight there by the generator. And he held that microphone and
got that Bible and started preaching. And I was so envious. I was so
covetous, Bob. I wished all what I'd given to
the Lord let me speak in tongues. to get up there and preach the
gospel in Spanish to those people. What I would have... They say,
well, you'd give anything. Well, we say, why don't you buy
your Spanish book and go to study it if you want to do that. But
God gave him that gift and put him there to tell those people
about who died for our sins and how he was buried and rose again.
And I sat there, and so did Kent and Don, and I know they were
thinking the same thing. I wish there was me up there.
Oh, I'd love to tell them about Christ. But God didn't call me
down there. And this is the same, this is
what I'm saying, and you men, you have a ministry, and I'll
get to that in a moment, but a desire to stand in the pulpit
and tell men about Christ does not constitute a divine call.
Now it just does not, that's all there is to it. And if you
feel, if you're forced into the ministry by an overwhelming desire
to be a preacher, back up. because that does not constitute
a call. I'll tell you something else that does not constitute
a divine call, and that is ability to preach. A lot of times we'll
get a young fellow aside in the church and he has a good voice,
he has a good knowledge of the Scripture, he has the ability
to stand in front of people and express himself, and we say,
you ought to be a preacher. No, he ought not be a preacher.
The ability to stand before people and the ability to expound Scripture
And the ability to express myself does not constitute a divine
call, nor the lack of ability does not keep a man from divine
call. Was it Moses the Lord spoke to by the burning bush and he
began to complain that he said, Lord, I'm not the man to go down
there. I can't even speak. You remember Moses said that?
Let me tell you a story. The best preacher we have in
the Yucatan, bar none, is Alfonso Estrada. Alfonso lived in Progresso. He had an ice cream store. He
was a businessman. He was about 30 years of age
at that time, or a little more. I'd say then, that's 14 years
ago, he was at least 34, maybe 35. But he had an ice cream store. And he met Brother Gruber. And
he began to listen to Walter Preach. And one day he came to
Brother Gruber and he said, God's calling me to preach. And Walter
told me, he said, the man couldn't even talk. His wife was a very
outgoing person, but when they had anything to say, she said
it. He'd just back up, he'd smile and fold his arms, you know,
and say, you tell them, or you answer that question. He said,
Alfonso, he said, I couldn't imagine the man preaching. He
couldn't express himself. He was so shy and backward and
timid, but he felt God was calling him. And he sold his ice cream
business. And he started following Brother
Gruber everywhere he went. Every step he took, every place
he went to preach, he'd follow him. And he'd sit there and listen.
Once in a while he'd give his testimony, such as it was, but
he couldn't express himself. His wife had to do the talking.
That's 14 years ago. We heard him Sunday night. That
man preached. What a delivery. I've heard him
several times. what power, what knowledge of
the scripture, what command in the pulpit, what confidence,
what assurance he had. Well, if you were going to pick
out a preacher of the gospel, you'd have never chosen Alfonso.
You'd have picked one of those Mexicans down there who was outgoing
and with a self-confidence and ego, and you can find lots of
them. They can talk and never stop talking, you know, but that
doesn't constitute a desire Nor ability, nor lack of ability.
What does? The Word of God teaches that
the Lord will call out His ministers in such a way that if we wait
upon Him, if we have the patience and long-suffering to wait upon
Him, His ministers will emerge. His ministers will come forth.
Let me show you that in the Scripture. First of all, turn to Acts 13.
Acts chapter 13. And these will be the characteristics. Let me say this, Acts 13, you
find it and let me give you this. First of all, God will increase
the desire to preach. It won't diminish, it will increase. God will also equip the vessel. God never sends a man to take
a message who can't walk. He never sends a man to cry forth
who can't speak. He never sends a man to warn
people who does not have the pathos and love and power to
warn them. Now, he'll equip that vessel.
And then he'll give that man a burning message. He never sends
a messenger without a message. He'll give him a message which
he's experienced and which he understands and which he loves.
And then he'll give him the favor of the people. In other words,
this man will not only want to preach, but people will want
to hear him. Our Lord, one time they asked
him, they said, what's this doctrine you're preaching? He said, ask
those that heard me. They'll tell you. Not only does God give
his man, his messenger, the desire to preach, but he gives those
to whom he sends the messenger the desire to hear him. He gives
that man favor with the people. Not only will the man know he's
called of God, but the church will know it. And they'll recognize
it by his gifts, his ability, his power. And not only that,
but God will open a door. Now, most preachers today, they
say, well, look it, look it, I've got a work, I've got a pulpit.
Where'd you get it? Well, I went out and I built
it, and I went out and I laid the foundation. I went out and
I got people together. God opens the door. Paul told
the church, you pray that God will open for me an effectual
door. God will supernaturally, mysteriously, providentially,
powerfully open a door. And the size of the congregation
is unimportant. And the success. Now here's where
we make a mistake sometimes. We say, that man's surely from
God. Look at the crowds. Listen. The size of a congregation
has nothing to do with whether or not a man is called of God
to preach. Noah had a ministry of condemnation. Some men have a ministry of salvation. Some have a ministry of condemnation. We're not only sent to exhort
men, we're sent to warn and rebuke men. And then God Almighty will
not only open the door, but God will keep him in the ministry
and God will meet his need. Now watch this, Acts 13, verse
2 and 3. As they ministered to the Lord.
This is talking about the church. Talking about the church. As
they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said,
You separate me, Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto
I have called him. And when they had fasted and
prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. Now wait
a minute. The Lord God did not only impress
Saul that he wanted him to preach, but he also impressed the church.
You see that? He said to the church, these
men were ministering to the Lord. They were serving in their particular
town, and Paul and Barnabas were there in the town or in the church
with them, and the Holy Spirit said to these men, this is my
man. You separate him. Send him out.
Support him. Take care of him. Strengthen
his ministry. Let me show you another one here.
Turn, if you will, to Hebrews 5. Hebrews 5, verse 4. Listen to this. It's talking
about Ava and talking about our Lord Jesus Christ and His ministry
of redemption. But he says in Hebrews 5, verse
4, "...No man taketh this honor, this responsibility, this awesome
task unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Ava."
He that is called of God. One other passage. Let's turn
to Luke 10. I want you to look at this. Luke
10. Verse 1 and 2, Luke 10, 1 and 2, After these
things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two
and two before his face into every city and place, whether
he himself would come. Therefore he said to them, The
harvest truly is great, the laborers a few. You pray, therefore, the
Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into
his harvest. God sends them. God sends them. Now this ministry, and I want
you to get this, this ministry is not my ministry. Brother Gruber's
ministry is not Brother Gruber's ministry. That's the way we refer
to it. This is the age of personalities and preachers, powerful preachers
and powerful personalities. But it's the Lord's ministry.
It's the Lord's ministry. The ministry of the 13th Street
Baptist Church is not my ministry, it's the Lord's ministry. The
ministry down in the Yucatan is not Walter Gruber's ministry,
it's the Lord's ministry. And we all contribute, and we
all serve in accordance with His will and in the place that
He sovereignly gives us. Let me give you an illustration.
Last Sunday morning, we went over to a village called Teprocon. for the service at nine o'clock,
and then we left there and we went to Tical. Well, they'd already
started their services when we got there. In the little church
building, Jose, the pastor, you remember Jose, got the four or
five children, little handsome little family. I believe you
sent a picture one time, but he was up preaching, so we didn't
want to disturb him. We walked around the back of
the building, and there was a little Mayan man. He's about four foot
five, so just a little fella. and dressed in his Mayan white
pants with a rope tied around him, his sandals, and a shirt,
and clean and neat. You're going to enjoy this. He
was standing there, and he was teaching. And all around him
were about 20 children, little old Mayan, black-haired, black
beady eyes, you know, dark skin. They were sitting there right
on the edge of their seats. And I slipped around the edge of
the building. I watched him listen to it. And Walter told me this,
he said, now that's Tomas. And Tomas believes his ministry
is to those children. He does not aspire to preach
in the pulpit. He does not aspire to pastor
a church. He does not aspire to be a deacon.
He told me three years ago that his ministry was those boys and
girls. And there he stood, and he had his Bible in his hand. And on a little old bench in
front of him, a little old, you can't believe how humble, The
bench was, a little old bench, and they were sitting on boxes
and rocks and on the ground. He had a hammer, a little old
ball-pen hammer, and he had a homemade sword carved out of wood, a sword,
and he had a mirror and a light bulb. And he stood there and
he picked... I knew what he was saying. I
could tell. I didn't understand his language,
but I knew what he was saying. Now, he picked up that hammer, and
he pointed to the Bible. He used that hammer. And what
he was quoting was Jeremiah, it said, my word's like a fire,
my word's like a hammer that breaks the rock, you know. And
he was telling those boys and girls, and using that hammer,
and they were just sitting there with their eyes bugged out listening
to him, you know. And he laid that hammer down and he picked
up that sword, and he went like that, you know. I knew what he
was saying. God's word, the word is like a sword, it pierces the
heart, the innermost part of the being, and reaches down between
the bone and the marrow, you know. And then he laid that down
and picked up that mirror. And he held it out in front of
some of those children, you know, and he pointed to the Bible,
the mirror in which we see ourselves, the law of God reveals our sin
and our need of cleansing and these things. And he picked up
that light bulb. The Word of God reveals Christ,
the light of the world. I knew what he was saying. I
thought as I walked away, now that man has a ministry. That
man has found his ministry. And what a contribution to the
Kingdom of God. Whether it be the ministry of
prayer, or the ministry of giving, or the ministry of encouragement,
or the ministry of teaching, or the ministry of music, the
ministry of the instruments, the ministry of mercy, let's
find our ministry. But this is a day of glorified
preachers. If a man's not in the pulpit,
he's not in the ministry. If a man's not holding forth
and giving out some word or teaching, he's not in the ministry. There
are so many parts of the ministry. I wish it was possible for me to
go around and point out each individual's contribution to
the ministry, to the ministry of the Word of God. Before that
man steps into the pulpit, Got to be a pulpit to step into,
huh? When that man leaves his home
and country and goes to the mission field to stand last Saturday
night before all those people, somebody's got to buy that generator
out there that keeps that light going, that shows that film.
Somebody's got to make the film. Somebody's got to furnish the
truck. Somebody's got to buy him some clothes to wear. Somebody's
got to give him a Bible. Some part of God's people have
got to pray for him. Got to lift him up and hold his
arms up before the Lord. There are so many. Actually,
the man who does the talking really, I suppose, makes the
least contribution because anybody can talk. They came to John the
Baptist and they said, John, who are you? Well, he could have
said, I'm a special child. I was born to Zacharias and Elizabeth
when they were very old, but he didn't say that. That's what
preachers today would have said. He could have said, I'm a man
of God, because the Bible said there was a man sent from God
whose name was John. That's what preachers today would
have said. Boy, if John the Baptist had lived today employing our
method, you'd have seen a grinning picture of him on page two of
the Ashland Independent if he came to town. That's right, that's
what I read. I opened my paper yesterday and
all these preachers are grinning at me, you know, like that would
have anything to do with me wanting to hear them preach. You know,
I've got their picture in the paper. John, who are you? Well, I'm a special fellow. I
was filled with the Holy Ghost from my mother's womb. Here's
a man that's going to tell how he's baptized with the Holy Spirit,
you know. Everybody come out and hear Reverend so-and-so.
He's going to tell how he got the second blessing, how he got
filled with the Holy Ghost. He's going to tell you how to
do it. John, who are you? He could have said any of those
things, but he didn't. He said, I'm a voice. I'm a voice. And I'm persuaded that if man
can ever learn to be nothing but a voice, God might give him
somebody to hear him. He just might. I don't know.
But we ought to be heard. We think. We've got something
to say, we think. We've got to answer it. We don't
know the questions. But if we ever get to be, Oh,
who are you, John? I'm the fellow Herod came to
hear. Don't you think these preachers advertise they preached before
Herod Truman or they preached before the Queen of England or
they preached before somebody else? John never mentioned old
Herod. He shamed him. He said, I'm a
voice. I'm a voice. Look at Romans 12.
That's all we are. Verse 4, For as we have many
members of one body, and all members have not the same office,
do you get that? All are not preachers. All are not ushers. All are not
deacons. All are not custodians. All are
not carpenters. All are not givers. They don't
have it a great deal. They all give, but all don't
have the large amounts to give. All do not have this gift or
that gift or the other gift. They don't have the same office.
I don't have a one right arm. I don't have a one right thumb.
That's all. I don't have a one right eye. I don't have a one
right ear. And no use this arm trying to
be an ear, it sure would get clear out of place. No use this
eye trying to be a foot, all do not have the same office.
So we, verse 5, being many, are one body in Christ and everyone
members one of another. Don't ever forget that. We're
members one of another, we're part of one another. Having then gifts, different.
according to the grace that's given to us. Whether it's prophecy,
let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith. Or ministry,
let's wait on our ministering. Or he that teaches, on teaching.
Or he that exhorts, on exhortation. Or he that giveth, let him do
it with simplicity. He that ruleth, let him rule
with diligence. We've got some men around here
that are our leaders. Lead, lead with diligence. or he that showeth mercy with
cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation.
Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good, and be
kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor
of preferring one another." What do we need? Every one of us,
members of the body, need to find out our place, our ministry,
our gifts, our place of service, and do it well. And know that
we're dependent on one another. We're members of one body. And
that member sometimes which you think to be most insignificant
and most unimportant is the most important of all. Oh, for just
somebody who will hide in a closet and say, God, don't leave us
alone Sunday morning. Give Brother Henry something
to say. I'd say that member is performing a ministry that is
so vital, don't you? That's what I'm saying. Just
find, let's find our ministry. Let's don't make one. Let's don't
force one, coerce one, and be unhappy. You know, we're just
driving toward an object and we forget so many pleasant, beautiful
things to enjoy along the road. We may be driving for a ministry
we think we have and we're missing the one God gave us. It's too
little for us. It's too unimportant for my attention. I'm too big for that. If you're
too big for the smallest task, you're too little for God's use. That's right. If you're too big,
sweep the floor. God said you've been faithful
in few things. I'll make you rule over many.
But you don't rule over many until you can become faithful
and do things to the least service, whether it be the patting of
a child on the head or whether it be sweeping the floor or carrying
out the trash or whatever it might be. If you're too big for
that, that's too little for you. There weren't but three in the
class, Preacher, and it was me teaching. You're not even capable
of teaching that. You've just proved you're not.
Thank God if two will listen to you. If you can get anybody's
ear, thank God. Let's look at the second thing
quickly. Turn to 2 Timothy 3. I'm taking too long. I'll wind
it up. 2 Timothy 3, the minister's message. 2 Timothy 3. I'll have accomplished
what I set out to do. If we can give some thought along
this line, it is the Lord's ministry. and whatever contribution that
I can make according to his grace and his will and his gifts, I
want to be used in that way. Now, 2 Timothy 3, 16, all scripture
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished, are perfected
unto all good works." Now, God's Word deals with as many subjects
as there are subjects. God's Word deals with as many
subjects as there are subjects. Paul said, I've not shunned to
declare unto you the whole counsel of God. I've kept back nothing
profitable unto you. But, my friends, our message
and our ministry for the glory of Christ, the ministry of this
is not to just preach doctrines and things and truths as being
truth, but our message is a person. It's a person to make Christ
known. That's what John is saying in
John 20. He said in verse 31, these things
are written that you might believe on the name of the Son of God.
That's why they're written. And Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 said,
I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and
him crucified. And then he said in Galatians
4.19, I travailed till Christ be formed in you. Now, you who
teach and you who preach and I who preach and the ministry
of this church in general, there are many subjects we have to
deal with, we want to deal with, that God has called us to deal
with, but the primary message, is Jesus Christ, to make Christ
known, that Christ might be formed in people. If we have Christ,
we have all things. And my friends, let me say this,
Christ is not just a way to escape death. Somebody says, you don't
want to go to hell, do you? Christ didn't come just to provide
you a way to escape death. Christ is life. Christ is not
just to get away from death, but Christ is life. He is our
life. We escape death because we have
life. You see what I'm saying? We don't
just look upon Christ as a fire escape to escape death. We look
upon Christ as life, and having life, we shall never die. And
then Christ is not just a way to avoid judgment, to avoid punishment. Christ is our righteousness.
And then Jesus Christ does not command us just, now watch this,
to observe a day or to worship or to pray because religion requires
certain observances and ordinances, but we worship and praise and
pray because we know him and we love him who is worthy of
praise. I wonder how much of our religious
procedure and our religious ordinances. Now, stop and think about this,
and I'll think about it for myself, too, and you think about it.
I wonder how much of our giving and our Sunday observances and
our Bible reading and our prayers, how many of these things are
done because a Christian ought to do these things, or this is expected of a Christian.
or this is commanded of a Christian. I wonder how many of these things
are done for that reason and how many of these things and
how much of this time is motivated by a genuine love for Jesus Christ. Now you stop and think about
that a moment. If we go, and I wouldn't offend
if I could keep from it, but this flesh This flesh puts too
much emphasis upon the things of the flesh. In other words,
people on Sunday morning get up. It's Sunday morning. Sunday morning we go to church.
It's expected, it's commanded, it's required. Don'tâ€”I hate to say it this way,
but to do it in that frame of mind is to miss the whole thing. It's
to bring upon us God's displeasure and disapproval. But we arise. This is the Lord's day. This
is the day our Lord arose. The people of God are meeting.
I must because I just don't want to miss. I want to be there.
God's going to speak to us. We're going to have fellowship.
I can't wait to get there. You better think about this.
We pick up the Bible. Well, a Christian ought to read
God's Bible. We ought to start the day with a devotion. It's
expected, it's commanded, it's required. We ought to begin the
day with a devotion. We ought to begin the day with
prayer. We sit down at the table. Well, we ought to have grace.
Everybody's supposed to have grace. The believer's supposed
to have grace. He's required to have grace and so forth. That's
mechanical. Idle worshipers do the same thing.
But we sit down at the table and look over the food and our
heart says, God, thank you. God, thank you. Lord, if it weren't
for your mercies, we'd be sitting down to a barren, barren meal. I'm not doing this. I know people
praying in restaurants. That's their business. That's
their business. But I don't do any of that praying
because I'm required to or expected to. You go home. But I know God
doesn't like that. But because I'm motivated, if
I don't go to God in prayer that way, I think we're doing too
much of this mechanical prayer. Everybody that's a preacher or
a believer or a deacon is expected always to be able to offer a
word of prayer. Sometimes I don't feel like a word of prayer. And
to force it and to drive it and to do it mechanically is hypocritical. And God despises that. To give,
sit down to fill out the check and put it in the envelope this
morning, support this ministry and missionary work, why? Well,
a Christian ought to tithe. Please don't. A Christian ought
to give his offering. I wouldn't do it if I were you.
But Lord, I want to have a part. Oh, that this person might hear
the gospel of that dear old soul yonder, this native down here.
And Lord, let me have a part. Let me, let me, let me have a
part in it. I want to cheerfully and hilariously. I would better grab hold of this
because It's nothing but idolatry otherwise. We don't love people
because we ought to, we don't give because we ought to, we
don't forgive because we ought to, and a Christian's supposed
to, but these are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If he dwells
within, that fruit will be there. And this is the message of the
minister. These graces will never be manifested
to the source of these graces dwell within us. The orthodoxy
of your doctrine matters little if you know nothing of the person. All in the world we're doing
is trying to work our way to heaven. That's just about the
sum of it. We go to church and we quit certain sins and we read
the Bible and we pray and we go through the motions so that
God will take us to heaven when we die. That's about the sum
of it. It's salvation by works. It's pope-ish. works instead
of Bible grace. Now Christ, if the person of
Christ has conquered me, if my Lord Jesus Christ has conquered
me, if He has my heart, He'll have everything else, if
He has my heart. He'll have my family and my income
and my thoughts and my body and all these things, if He has my
heart. He has everything. If you have a person's heart,
you can have anything else. That's all you need. That's the
reason he said, my son, give me your heart. That's the reason
he said, keep your heart out of it of the issues of life.
That's the reason he said, God looketh not on the outward countenance.
All your bowing and scraping and all your going through the
motions and acting pious, God looks on the heart. Out of the
heart proceeds the issues of life. That's our message. It's to make Christ known. It's
not to get people to be proselytes to religion and go through the
motions, but it's under God, by God's grace, somebody out
there will come to know Christ and be motivated, not by seeing
which class can have the most people present on Sunday. That
is an abomination to God. Go out and get somebody to come
to church so that you can win a bicycle. You ought to be condemned
by God's greatest tribunal. What a motive. What a motive. I don't know whether God's going
to do anything in this day or not. Maybe we're too far gone,
but turn to 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians 3. If we could just be motivated
by love for Christ, a love for Christ, a love for Christ. What's the minister's methods?
I want to give you some Scripture, 1 Corinthians 3, verse 4. Listen,
one says, I am of Paul. Another says, I am of Apollos.
Are you not carnal? No, you're acting like natural
men. Who is Paul? Who is Apollos? But ministers
by whom you believe, even as the Lord gave to every man. I've
planted, Apollos has watered, but God gives the increase. So
then, neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that watereth,
but God's everything that gives the increase. Let me read you
some scripture here. This is the day of personality
and promotion and programs and projects, and we're bogged down
with these things, we're bragging on the flesh, we're exalting
men. But don't you listen to these scriptures. Christ said,
without me you can do nothing. He said in John 3, a man can
receive nothing except it be given him from above. Paul said,
I know nothing by myself. Paul said, if a man thinks himself
to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. He says,
though I'm not one whit behind the chief apostle, I am nothing. And then he says, I have nothing
to glory of. That's us, nothing. That's right. But in Christ, we have all things. But in ourselves, we're nothing.
All right, fourthly, and I'll close, the minister's manners.
Turn to 3 John 9. I have to read this right here
because it's so convicting, and I think all of you feel the same
way. We're all addicted to some of this stuff. In 3 John, verse
9, I wrote to your church, John said, but Diotrephes, who loved
to have the preeminence among them, received this not. He loved to have the preeminence.
Who, my friend? See, so to whom do we give all
the preeminence? Christ. That's He. It's all Christ. The preeminence. I used to hear
Brother Barnard say this, and I didn't really know what he
meant to a large extent. I thought I did, but he used
to say this. He'd say, Henry, one of these days, by God's grace,
I'm going to enter the ministry. I'm going to enter the ministry.
I wish that was the determination of every person here. One of
these days, by God's grace, I'm going to cease from self, and
cease from seeking the preeminence, and cease from pride, and I'm
going to enter the Lord's ministry. Wherever He wants me, in whatever
place, I'm not aspiring to any particular place. Whatever place
He wants me, Whatever duty he assigns me, any place in his
body is a place of honor. Any place in his family is a
place of honor. Any place in his church is a
place of honor. And any position in his service
is a position of honor. And any service for his glory
ought to be performed with the most extreme sincerity. and enthusiasm. You know that?
But too often our Lord, you know, He's not held in that esteem. To me, actually, to prepare to
speak to some, to the Synod, by some great politician is not
as important as the man who prepares to address some children about
Christ. That can pass. You see, that
man, that politician is going to speak to the Senate, and they're
not going to believe that. He said he doesn't either, you
know, and they'll forget it, and somebody else is going to
speak next week. But that man who's going to speak for God,
He's dealing with eternity bound immortal souls. He's talking
about the living God. The seed that he's planting is
living seed. You think about that. to sing. I believe, Mike, that more preparation
ought to go into preparing a song for this congregation than preparing
a song for the Paramount Arts Theater. I do. Because they're
going to hear those hillbillies sing any time. But you, somebody,
may be sitting out there that needs a message and song to lift
a broken heart, to see the beauty of Christ. That's right. I think printing these bulletins,
Margie, in this Sunday school lesson, to me, is more important
than printing a first-grade reader for down at school. I do. If
I can't... I'm going to enter the ministry
someday. I'm going to find where God wants me, and I'm going to
be like old Tomas. I'm going to get me a hammer,
and I'm going to stand before a bunch of children. I'm going to say,
ask God's word. Hammer. I'm going to hold up that sword.
I'm going to say, ask God's word, boys and girls. I'll meet some
of you in glory. That's God's Word. We're too
big for that. Too big. Our Father in Heaven,
we want to be ministers, a good minister of Jesus Christ. There's
nothing insignificant in thy family. There's no small things
if God's in it. Thou hast said, Despise not the
day of small things. Even the hairs of our head are
numbered. Our Lord God takes notice of
the sparrow that falls. Teach us, O Lord, to be useful
for Thy glory in whatever place, whatever service, whatever our
part is in the ministry, that in all things He might have the
preeminence, He might be glorified. We believe Thou hast spoken to
us. Let these words not only be heard but received, not only
be heard but learned in the heart. For the glory of Him who is our
all, we pray. Amen.

A Good Minister of Jesus Christ

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A Good Minister of Jesus Christ

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