J.C. Ryle: The Office of the Minister

"Let us take notice of what Paul says of his ministerial office.

"There is a grand simplicity in the apostle's words about this subject.  He says, 'Grace is given unto me that I should preach.'  The meaning of the sentence is plain: 'To me is granted the privilege of being a messenger of good news.  I have been commissioned to be a herald of glad tidings.'  Of course we cannot doubt that Paul's conception of the minister's office included the administration of the sacraments, and the doing all other things needful for the edifying of the body of Christ.  But here, as in other places, it is evident that the leading idea continually before his mind was, that the chief business of a minister of the New Testament is to be a preacher, an evangelist, God's ambassador, God's messenger and the proclaimer of God's good news to a fallen world.  He says in another place, 'Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel' (1 Cor. 1:17).

"I fail to see that Paul ever supports the favorite theory, that there was intended to be a sacerdotal ministry, a sacrificing priesthood in the church of Christ.  There is not a word in the Acts or in his Epistles to the churches to warrant such a notion.  It is nowhere written 'God has set some in the church, first apostles, then priests' (1 Cor. 12:28).  There is a conspicuous absence of the theory in the Pastoral Epistles to Timothy and Titus, where, if anywhere, we might have expected to find it.  On the contrary, in these very Epistles, we read such expressions as these: 'God has manifested His Word through preaching;' 'I am appointed a preacher.' 'I am ordained a preacher.' 'That by me the preaching might be fully known,' (Titus 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:11; 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 4:17).  And, to crown all, one of his last injunctions to his friend Timothy, when he leaves him in charge of an organized church, is this pithy sentence, 'Preach the Word,' (2 Tim. 4:2).  In short, I believe Paul would have us understand that, however various the works for which the Christian minister is set apart, his first, foremost and principal work is to be the preacher and proclaimer of God's Word" (Holiness, J.C. Ryle).

Finishing Well

John Stephen Akjwari, a world class distance runner, competed in the marathon at the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico City.  As author Sandy Grant writes, “Approximately 19 km into the 42 km race, there was jostling between some runners and he fell badly.  He wounded his knee and his shoulder also hit hard against the pavement.  In fact, his leg was bleeding and his knee was apparently dislocated.”  Medical staff, after tending to his injuries, urged him to withdraw from the race.

However, Akjwari continued running while at times slowly limping in his effort to finish the race.  Of the 57 competitors who completed the race he finished last, well over an hour later than the winner.

As he entered the stadium only a few thousand people remained to witness his crossing the finish line.  When asked later why he ignored the advice of the medical staff to withdraw, Akjwari stated, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles just to start the race; they sent me to finish the race.”

Every disciple of Christ is called to finish the race of life well.  What does this look like?  How can we know that we are finishing well?  Why is it important to finish well?  What is the reward for those who finish well?

Join us this week as we look at 2 Timothy 4:6-8 in search of the answers to these and other questions.  May we be prayerfully prepared to hear the call of the Holy Spirit as we dig into God’s Word and may we grow to understand how God is calling us to finish  well.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Preach the Word

In college I was the backup to one of the best offensive linemen in our conference.  This meant that I was seldom given the opportunity to play in a game.  Yet, I had to prepare for each game with the same intensity as if I was starting.  Because of the violent nature of football the chances of injury were always great meaning that if the man I was backing up was hurt in the middle of a game I was called upon to take his place.  It could be a disaster if I wasn’t prepared at every moment to fulfill what I was called upon to perform.

The gospel message is so powerful and important that every disciple of Christ should be prepared to speak the gospel at any moment’s notice.  In 2 Timothy 4:1-5 the apostle Paul again stresses the power and importance of the gospel message and the reason for being prepared to speak the life-changing Word of God.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look to God’s Word for encouragement and conviction, heading and striving to live out His life-giving Word.  May we be prayerfully prepared to experience His Truth and leave willing to preach the Word whenever and wherever God calls.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Godlessness

For a number of years it was our family tradition in the Fall to drive to a friend’s farm and pick out pumpkins for decoration and carving.  There were generally three types of pumpkins: those which were already rotten and decaying, those which were healthy and ready to be picked, and those which appeared healthy but were rotten on the inside.  It was wise to avoid these later pumpkins because your hands could easily break through skin and cause them to fall apart.  The struggle was determining which pumpkins were playing the part of health and which were actually healthy.

As the pastor/elder of the church in Ephesus, Timothy encountered teachers who on the outside had the appearance of health and Godly truth, but on the inside were rotten to the core.  Paul warns Timothy to keep an eye out for such deceivers.  In 2 Timothy 3:1-9 he provides a list of “fruit” which can be used to identify those counterfeit Christian teachers in Timothy’s midst.  But Paul also provides an encouragement for Timothy.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community as God’s Word teaches us how to recognize those who have a healthy façade but are rotten in the heart, those who seem to be teaching right doctrine, but teach falsehoods meant to deceive and lead people astray from the gospel message of Jesus Christ.

May we be prayerfully prepared to hear God’s Word, worship Him together as His people, and encounter the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and hearts.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

The Servant of God

Sign on door: “Gone out of business.  Didn’t know what our business was.”  (University Christian Church, NY, 1963).

The background story to the above statement must certainly be interesting.  It is difficult to run a business successfully when one does not know the business of the business (if you get my drift).

The same can be said for the church of God.  Though the body of Christ is far from a business, it is true that the church cannot be the church is it doesn’t know how to be the church.  In other words, everything done by the church must have a focus, a purpose, an end-goal.  This is far from the Purpose Driven Life made famous by Rick Warren.  This is the purpose driven life to which the church has been called by our Creator God.

In 2 Timothy 2:22-26 Paul once again encourages Timothy to flee sinfulness, pursue righteousness, and correct false teachers.  But the full purpose behind this is not to have Timothy’s or the church’s reputation held high.  The end game is far greater than any reputation of a man or group of believers.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we look at God’s Word together, seeking the truth, and striving to give God the glory in all things.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Set Apart for a Godly Task

Recently my brother-in-law and I replaced a window in my house which was not doing it’s job.  The purpose of a window is to keep the weather out and let the sunshine in, but this window was failing to do one while accomplishing the other.  As we removed the old window the true extent of the problems became obvious.  Much of the wood around the window was rotten due to the window’s lack of ability to keep the weather outside.  To fix this issue we replaced the rotten wood with new, treated wood before replacing the entire window. 

There are times when the church is not accomplishing the good work that God has called it to undertake.  It has allowed rot to set in and some major renovation needs to take place.  The rot must be removed.  Or to use the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 2:21, the church is in need of a good cleansing.

The church of God is called to be set apart, to be holy, for Godly work.  How can the rot within the church be recognized and dealt with quickly?  How does this truth affect the church as a whole and each individual within the church of God?  What renovations need to be done within the church so that it can accomplish it’s call?

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as we study 2 Timothy 2:20-21 and discover God’s desire for us as His people.

Striving to know Christ and make him known!

A Hymn of Praise

“A farmer took a piece of bad earth and made things flourish thereon.  Proud of his accomplishments, he asked his minister to come by and see what he had done.  The minister was impressed.  ‘That’s the tallest corn I’ve ever seen.  I’ve never seen anything as big as those melons.  Praise the Lord!’  He went on that way about every crop, praising the Lord for it all.  Finally, the farmer couldn’t take it anymore.  ‘Reverend,’ he said, ‘I wish you could have seen this place when the Lord was doing it by himself’” (Ronald Reagan, in a speech in Indianapolis).

This farmer does not realize that no matter how much care he puts into his crops, they could not and would not grow without the Lord’s power and grace.  The same can be said for the human heart when it comes to salvation.  Pride tends to get in the way and credit for all the “accomplishments” in our faith and salvation begin to point inwardly.  But the reality of salvation and sanctification (becoming more like Jesus Christ) is that it can only happen through the power of Christ.

The words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 are a reminder to us all where all credit and praise should be focused. For he is the life-giving, unchanging, and faithful King.  To Him be glory forever and ever.

2 Timothy 2:11-13  (ESV)

11 The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12        if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

13        if we are faithless, he remains faithful—  

      for he cannot deny himself.

Join us this week at ElmCreek Community Church as God’s Word comes alive, meeting us where we are, and changing us for his glory and praise.

Striving to know Christ and make him known,

Pastor Mark

John Calvin on 2 Timothy 2:13

"If we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself."  (2 Timothy 2:13 - ESV)

"The meaning is, that our base desertion takes nothing from the Son of God or from his glory; because, having everything in himself, he stands in no need of our confession.  As if he had said, 'Let them desert Christ who will, yet they take nothing from him; for when they perish, he remains unchanged.

"Christ is not like us, to swerve from his truth.  Hence it is evident, that all who deny Christ are disowned by him.  And thus he drives away from wicked apostates the flatteries with which they soothe themselves; because, being in the habit of changing their hue, according to circumstances, they would willingly imagine that Christ, in like manner, assumes various forms, and is liable to change; which Paul affirms to be impossible.  Yet, at the same time, we must firmly believe what I stated briefly on a former passage, that our faith is founded on the eternal and unchangeable truth of Christ, in order that it may not waver through the unsteadfastness or apostasy of men."

Four Encouragements for Disciples

As a father of three beautiful children, I am constantly reminded of its blessings and difficulties.  The blessings of parenting include seeing your child’s face brighten as you walk through the door from a day at work, cuddles, wrestling, and hugs (only to name a few).  But one of the difficulties of parenting is the seemingly constant need for reminding children of the difference between good and poor decisions. 

One difficult instance occurred when one child was “pushing the buttons” of their sibling.  I could see the anger and frustration rising in the one being “pushed” and the need suddenly arose for the father to step in to remind them to find self-control.  Self-control does not come easily or naturally to any of us.  It takes time, effort, and constant encouragement.  In this case, I encouraged them to calm down by going to their room to let out their frustrations.  After this “calming session” they were able to rejoin life with the family without the danger of retaliation.

In 2 Timothy 2:3-7 Paul encourages Timothy to remember four things that are needed for him to fulfill his holy calling from God.  As the children of God we too need a reminder of how to live out our holy calling.  Join us this week as we look into these four reminders and may we find encouragement together as we look into His Truth, the Word of God.

Striving to know Christ and make him known.

Every Society Seems to Be in the Same Boat

In the end, every society finds itself in the same boat.  Below are the words of the apostle Paul in Romans 1:18-32.  We could say they are prophet for us today, but he is only describing what he sees with his own eyes in the society and time in which he lived.  Let these words sink into the heart of every believer and be reminded that God is still God, sin is still sin, and the Way is truly narrow.

Romans 1:18-32 (ESV)

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸ And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹ foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³² Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Justified by Faith that Works

He was asked to do a horrific thing: take a life.  But not just any life.  The life of his own son.  Who would ask someone to do such an appalling act?  And even more, who would follow through on such a request and then be considered a great man for even considering such an act?

She was shocked as two men barged into her home one evening.  They were running from the authorities and needed a place to hide.  She didn’t hesitate once she found out their identity.  She willingly hid them, not only keeping them out of prison but saving their lives in the process.  Who would do such a thing for perfect strangers and then be considered a great woman for going against the authority of her home town?

These are two stories which are very familiar to those of us who have a church background.  We know the stories of Abraham and Rahab.  But James takes these two stories in a very different, and at times very uncomfortable, direction for us.  He claims that these two well-known Biblical figures were justified by their works.  But what about Paul’s words that Abraham was justified by faith alone?  Are these two great Biblical teachers contradicting one another?  What does this conversation have to do with me and my faith?

This week we will explore James 2:20-26 to discover that James and Paul to not disagree.  They are only saying the same thing in a different way.  In fact, these two great Biblical figures complement one another.  Join us this week as we study God’s Word and praise His great name together.

Faith That Works

“A young boy, on an errand for his mother, had just bought a dozen eggs. Walking out of the store, he tripped and dropped the sack. All the eggs broke, and the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A few people gathered to see if he was OK and to tell him how sorry they were. In the midst of the works of pity, one man handed the boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, ‘I care 25 cents worth. How much do the rest of you care?’” (Stanley C. Brown)

James 2:19 tells us that faith without works is dead.  This week we will be tackling a difficult foundational doctrine, faith and works.  Paul says that we are saved by faith alone, not by the law.  James says that we are saved by works and not faith alone.  Do these two Godly men of Scripture disagree?  Can my works really reveal my faith in Christ?  What is the difference between true faith and false faith? How are works involved in faith?

Like the man who paid 25 cents to the young boy, may we learn how our faith and our works act together to reveal our true faith in Christ.  For as James tells us, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”  May the truth of God’s Word speak to our hearts through His servant James and give us strength to strive to live out the call He has for His people.

The Effects of Preaching Christ

I have spent the last thirty years of my life as a believer of Jesus Christ as Savior of my soul.  Yet, in that time I have met few fellow believers who do not experience some level of fear or anxiety in preaching the truth of the gospel message to friends, family, and loved ones.  I once sat down with a young man who had recently returned from a months-long mission trip where he participated in street evangelism.  He would go up to perfect strangers on the street and preach the truth of the gospel message.  When asked how he was able to do such a bold thing he simply responded, “You just do it.  And the more you do it the easier it becomes.”  It was a moment of conviction in my own life and heart.Behind closed doors (whether the doors be of the church building or our own homes) we as believers tend to be bold, speaking the truth of the gospel message and its affects upon our hearts.  But when it is time for us to “go out” into the world we tend to hold back.  We explain our timidity as a lack of training, lack of methods in how to speak, or not seeing any opportunity to speak.  This is not an uncommon scenario, as many times I find myself making the same excuses for my own lack of initiative.

Paul has no such lack, as we have seen throughout the book of Acts.  This final section in Acts 28 is no different.  But we must not put Paul on such a pedestal that we forget his humanness.  There must have been times where he struggled in his own heart in how to share his faith.  His example for us is profound.  For we continually see his deep desire to preach the gospel no matter the consequences to himself.  In Acts 28, Luke (the author of Acts) gives us some basic methods for preaching the gospel message, but he also reveals to us what will happen when we speak the truth.  And the truth may not be something we are willing to face.


May God prepare us this week as we look into this final section of the book of Acts.  Be prayerfully prepared to move and change if God should, through revealing to us our own hearts, ask us to move and change.  And may we be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make disciples for Jesus Christ and His Kingdom.

Pushing Us to Our Source

“The first American Thanksgiving didn't occur in 1621 when a group of Pilgrims shared a feast with a group of friendly Indians. The first recorded thanksgiving took place in Virginia more than 11 years earlier, and it wasn't a feast. The winter of 1610 at Jamestown had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived, in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God.” (Today in the Word, July, 1990, p. 22.)

It seems strange to talk of Thanksgiving in the middle of a South Dakota winter, but for disciples of Christ our thanks is not given only one day a year.  As with that first group of settlers so long ago, trials push us to give thanks to our God.  Though it may be difficult to find the little joys in the midst or after a trial in life, joys do exist.  Sometimes they are obvious, as with the settlers in the story above, and sometimes they are difficult to find.  But joys do exist and when found they should bring great thanksgiving to the one who provides them.  God!


Over the past several weeks our focus has been on trials, troubles, and tribulations that come upon us in life.  We have seen how the Apostle Paul has responded to trials and what God’s Word has to tell us about why those trials come.  This week will be different.  The passage this week, Acts 28:11-16, teaches us where the trials and troubles of life should push us: to our Source.


May God prepare us this week as we hear the truth of His Word and may that Word mold and shape us.  May we be prayerfully prepared to meet the Spirit of Truth as we gather as His church.

Trouble

Over the past number of weeks we have studied the trials and tribulations which Paul has had to face.  And yet through it all he never wavered from his calling from God nor from trusting in God’s promises.  His response to trials is a wonderful example of faith and trust for the disciple of Christ.  We all understand that trials, tribulations, and troubles will come our way, but the harder question to answer is why these troubles happen.  After all, being disciples of Christ should mean an easy life, right?

I recently picked up a book titled Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand.  It is a very short account of his life as a believer in Communist Soviet Union and from which an excerpt is below.

“I worked in both an official and underground manner until February 29, 1948.  On that beautiful Sunday, on my way to church, I was kidnapped from the street by the secret police.

“Many at a time were kidnapped like this.  A van of the secret police stopped in front of me, two men jumped out and pushed me into the vehicle.  I was taken to a prison where I was kept secretly for over eight years.  During that time, no one knew whether I was alive or dead.  My wife was visited by the secret police who posed as released fellow-prisoners.  They told her that they had attended my burial.  She was heartbroken.

“Thousands of believers from churches of all denominations were sent to prison at that time.  Not only were clergymen put in jail, but also simple peasants, young boys and girls who witnessed for their faith.  The prisons were full, and in Romania, as in all Communist countries, to be in prison means to be tortured.

“The tortures were sometimes horrible.  I prefer not to speak too much about those through which I have passed; it is too painful.  When I do, I cannot sleep at night.”

From the seemingly annoying troubles of life to the deadly, God’s people over the past thousands of years have come face-to-face with the reality of this fallen world and that world’s hatred of God and His people.  What is the purpose behind such atrocities? 

This week we will study Acts 28:1-10 and read about not only the trouble in which Paul once again finds himself but also the joys which come about through that trouble.  And how that joy comes from trouble may surprise us.  May God prepare our hearts this week as we dig deeply into His Word and Truth.

God's Providence in Trials

Trials are going to come.  We can surely speak of the difficulties we face at the workplace, home, or even in our own hearts.  At times it seems that once we get through one difficulty another is waiting in the shadows to unexpectedly pounce upon us.  No one on this earth would say that they have never had one trial or another in their lifetime.  Trials are inevitable.  They will always come.

There is no one in the Bible, other than perhaps Job or Christ, who had more difficulties, pain, and trials in life than the Apostle Paul.  This week we will read in Acts 27 Paul’s very adventurous (and I use that term loosely) trip to Rome.  He is a faithful follower of Christ and it seems that no matter where he turns there is always another trial awaiting him.  This time it is a shipwreck.  Paul could very easily become frustrated with the path on which the Lord has taken him since his conversion on the road to Damascus.  But his response to this trial is a teachable moment for us all.

If we were in his place, how would we respond?  What can Paul’s response teach us about our own faith through trials?  James, the brother of Jesus, says in James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  What does it even mean to count it joy?  What does it take for us to lean upon our faith in times of trouble?  And is God still present with us in the midst of trials?  Where does He come in this story?

May God use our time together this week to teach us about trials and our response to those trials.  May we be prayerfully prepared for His Word to guide, teach, and direct us this week.