J.C. Ryle on Our View of Ministers of Christ

"What do you think of the minister of Christ? Strange as that question may seem, I verily believe that the kind of answer a man would give to it, if he speaks honestly, is very often a fair test of the state of his heart.

"Observe, I am not asking what you think of an idle, worldly, inconsistent clergyman, a sleeping watchman and faithless shepherd. No! I ask what you think of the faithful minister of Christ, who honestly exposes sin, and pricks your conscience? Mind how you answer that question. Too many nowadays like only those ministers who prophesy smooth things and let their sins alone, who flatter their pride and amuse their intellectual taste, but who never sound an alarm, and never tell them of a wrath to come. When Ahab saw Elijah, said, 'Have you found me, O mine enemy?' (1 Kings 21:20). When Micaiah was named to Ahab, he cried, 'I hate him because he doesn't prophesy good of me, but evil' (1 Kings 22:8). Alas, there are many like Ahab in the nineteenth century! They like a ministry which does not make them uncomfortable, and send them home ill at ease. How is it with you? Oh, believe me, he is the best friend who tells you the most truth! It is an evil sign in the church when Christ's witnesses are silenced, or persecuted, and men hate him who reproves (Isa. 29:21). It was a solemn saying of the prophet to Amazia, 'Now I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and not hearkened to my counsel' (2 Chron. 25:16)" (J.C. Ryle, Holiness).

J.C. Ryle: Pray for the Ministers of Christ

"Let me [give] an earnest request that all who pray will never forget to make supplications and prayers and intercession for the ministers of Christ, that they're never may be wanting a due supply of them at home and in the mission field, that they may be kept sound in the faith and holy in their lives, and that they may take heed to themselves as well as to the doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16).

"Oh, remember that while our office is honorable, useful and scriptural, it is also one of deep and painful responsibility!  We watch for souls as those who must give account at the judgment day (Heb. 13:17).  If souls are lost through our unfaithfulness, their blood will be required at our hands.  If we had only to read services and administer sacraments, to wear a peculiar dress and go through a round of ceremonies and bodily exercise and gestures and postures, our position would be comparatively light.  But this is not all.  We have got to deliver our Master's message, to keep back nothing that is profitable, to declare all the counsel of God.  If we tell our congregations less than the truth or more than the truth, we may ruin forever souls.  Life and death are in the power of the preacher's tongue.  'Woe is unto us if we preach not the gospel!' (1 Cor. 9:16).

"Once more I say, pray for us.  Who is sufficient for these things?  Remember the old saying of the fathers: 'None are in more spiritual danger than ministers.'  It is easy to criticize and find fault with us.  We have a treasure in earthen vessels.  We are men of like passions with yourselves, and not infallible.  Pray for us in these trying, tempting, controversial days, that our church may never lack bishops, priests, and deacons who are sound in the faith, bold as lions, 'wise as serpents, and yet harmless as doves.' (Matt. 10:16).  The very man who said, 'Grace is given me to preach,' is the same man who said, in another place, 'Pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified . . . and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men for all men have not faith.' (2 Thess. 3:1-2)."

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).

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.

How to Listen to a Sermon

My father is a preacher and I have heard many sermons from him throughout my short lifetime.  Every once-in-a-while he would make a statement that would stick with me throughout the years.  One such statement was, “Don’t take my word for it.  Look for yourself.” His reasoning behind this statement was very much founded in Scripture and is a great lesson in how to listen to a sermon.

 

In Acts 17:10-15, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke have escaped the dangers of Thessalonica for a town called Berea.  As is their usual habit they find the local synagogue and begin to preach the Gospel Message.  There are some who come to the faith, but this time Luke describes a much different process that these Bereans use before believing the Truth. 

 

This week we will be studying and diving deep into the reaction of the Bereans to the Gospel Message.  I would encourage each and every one of us to read through this very short passage and come prepared to hear and experience what the Holy Spirit has in store.  May we be prayerfully ready for His Word as we study and are transformed together.

Lessons from Paul's Ministry

When I was attending seminary a professor once told me that to become better at preaching I should listen to and read messages from well-known and “successful” preachers.  Learn how they prepare and emulate how the present their messages.  But also make sure that you be yourself.  This is actually some very good advice for those who are preaching in front of others on a weekly basis, but this does not touch on how disciples of Christ should preach to others on a daily basis.

Paul is arguably one of the greatest missionaries the church has known.  In his time he traveled extensively, preaching the gospel message.  His words grace twenty-five percent of the New Testament.  So, it would be safe to say that for disciples of Christ to better understand and learn how to preach the gospel message we should take a closer look at Paul’s ministry.  In Acts 17:1-9, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke have just fled from Philippi.  When they reach a city called Thessalonica they find the local synagogue and begin to preach the Gospel message.

This week at First Baptist we will be exploring the lessons that we can learn from Paul.  What was the foundation of his preaching?  Where did he get the understanding of the words he preached?  What were the results of his preaching?  What does it look like to preach the Gospel message every day as a disciple of Christ?  These are only a few of the questions that we will try to address.

May we be prayerfully prepared for what the Spirit will speak into us this week through Paul’s ministry?

Malaise

What is malaise and what does it have to do with me?  Check out the post by Desiring God below.  I hope it is encouraging to you.

Malaise is a mercy that feels yucky.

Malaise is that feeling you get when you’re getting sick but you don’t quite know it yet. It’s a vague sense of dis-ease. Your energy is draining. You just want to lie down. Emotionally, you might feel discouraged, irritable, depressed, or cynical for no identifiable reason. You ask yourself, “What’s the matter with me?”

Precisely what you’re supposed to ask. Malaise is the early warning system God designed for the body. It’s telling you something destructive is attacking your bodily systems. It’s a messenger running ahead of an invading enemy alerting us to get our defenses in place.

The soul also has its diseases and they are more deadly than the body’s. Soul diseases attack our belief systems. Corrupted beliefs can be very serious if left untreated. They grow and spread, wreaking destruction in us. And when contagious, as they frequently are, they harm others. Such diseases can result in soul-death.

Mercifully, there is a malaise of the soul. I’ll bet you know what I mean.

Because hope is to the soul what energy is to the body, soul-malaise manifests itself as a flagging hope in God. It’s a vague, doubty, spiritual discouragement. You wouldn’t describe it as a crisis of faith. You might avoid talking about it because it’s hard to describe. You just feel spiritually sluggish. You don’t feel like doing anything spiritually significant. You ask yourself, “What’s the matter with me?”

Precisely what you’re supposed to ask. This malaise is the early warning system God designed for the soul. It’s telling you something destructive is attacking your belief systems. It’s a messenger running ahead of an invading enemy alerting us to get our defenses in place.

So what should we do when we experience soul-malaise? Similar to bodily malaise, we pray and get prayed for, get plenty of rest, seek to identify the source (what is draining my hope in God?), head to God’s pharmacy (the Bible) for some meds (promises) and if needed (as it often is) we get some help from soul-physicians (friends or pastors) who are skillful at treating these diseases.

It’s not wise to ignore malaise. Left unchecked you will get sicker.

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching (1 Timothy 4:16)

An "Eloquent" Preacher

I have a distinct memory of a class in seminary called "Sen Prep" where we watched videos of famous preachers, took notes, and studied multiple techniques in giving a message.  I cannot say that it was a waste because I very much learned what my preferred style of preaching was.  But I do have to say that many of the books we read on sermon preparation were not all that helpful.  Many are still on my shelf waiting to be sent to others via EBay.

Over the past two years of preaching on a weekly basis I have begun to understand that I really have no idea what I am doing.  I don't feel prepared enough.  I don't feel that I have relied on the Spirit enough.  I don't feel that I have spoken the words of my messages well enough to be comprehended on a deep spiritual level.  In other words, I needed some help with my preaching.  Maybe you know the feeling.

So, at last year's Desiring God Conference for Pastors I picked up a book called The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper.  I finally actually have begun to read it recently and came across a quotation about Jonathan Edwards's preaching style.  A man was asked if Edwards was an eloquent preacher.  Here is his response:

"He had no studied varieties of the voice, and no strong emphasis.  he scarcely gestured, or even moved; and he made no attempt by the elegance of his style, or the beauty of his pictures, to gratify the taste, and fascinate the imagination.  But, if you mean by eloquence, the power of presenting an important truth before an audience, with overwhelming weight of argument, and with such intenseness of feeling, that the whole soul of the speaker is thrown into every part of the conception and delivery; so that the solemn attention of the whole audience is riveted, from the beginning to the close, and impressions are left that cannot be effaced; Mr. Edwards was the most eloquent man I ever heard speak."

What a testimony!  Oh, to preach with such power of the Spirit and to have such a testimony about my preaching.  May the words that come from my mouth each week proclaim the truth of the gospel not with words to please itching ears but with words that God uses to bring people from the brink of Hell into his loving arms.